IC Time: Evening of August 10
Location: Cullen Backyard
Synopsis: Swimming and the discovery of a new shifter.
Submitted by: Esme
As the shadows begin to creep in, overtaking a hazy red sunset, Ramona treks through the forest directly behind the Cullen household. It does not take a vampire to sense the clearing ahead, or the dull light coming from the windows of the very modern-looking Cullen household. Ramona, of course, has other advantages that have led her this far: most notably, a scent. The vampire very quietly comes to the edge of the yard, surveying it quickly. She's been here before, for the wedding, however briefly. The pool is met with a pleasant surprise. She meant to go inside the house, actually, but the placid water reflecting the last of the red in the sky looks ever-so-inviting. She kicks off her shoes and socks and slides her top over her head, standing in only a camisole and a pair of black leggings. Ramona dips a toe tentatively into the water to test its warmth, not seeming to care that she's trespassing.
It's about this time that Esme decides to make her exit from the house, having just returned only the night before from her conference out of town. At first the intruder isn't recognized and the woman is getting ready to have a few words with Kyler, when she finally concludes who it is. "Ramona, how nice to see you," the woman greets as she slips forward, towards the pool, settling herself upon the edge near her, her feet dangling in the warm water.
Bella is sitting in her and Edward's room, but the window/door is open to the backyard. There is really nothing but quiet coming from the room. Even very little sound of her breathing. She does not notice the arrival of the newcomer until Esme's voice drifts up from the backyard. There is a muttered curse, a sigh and she rises to her feet to look out the window. "Had it out a whole foot that time!" She calls out before noticing the visitor in the backyard with her newly returned mother. She looks at Ramona curiously before dropping into the backyard gracefully from the third story window.
The sound of Esme's pleasant, clear voice floating across the pool does not startle Ramona, though she does look up quite suddenly, her crimson eyes settling on the other vampiress. "The water looked so inviting, I had to indulge," she says casually as an explanation, stepping into the shallow waters as Bella makes a graceful leap into the yard. "Bella," she says as way of greeting, making gentle waves in the water with her hands. "A foot? Huh?" She arches a brow toward Bella and then draws in a breath. "Also, I did want a word with you, Esme. In addition to a swim… so, you got a minute? 'Cause this is kind of shocking."
Esme offers a bright, love-filled, motherly smile towards Bella. "Keep it up, my dear, you're doing so well," she gives by way of encouragement before her attention is, yet again, drawn towards Ramona. "Of course I have a minute. And I'm sure the pool can be quite attractive. There is a reason it was built, after all," she gives with a light chuckle before she nods her head.
"Once I realized I could see it, it helped…still not sure what I can do with it. Doesn't seem to be any type of physical barrier." Bella starts to respond before remembering she has a guest here and settles to stand on the edge of the porch before she hears the words of Ramona. "Would you like me to leave?" She asks in a light voice, looking between her 'mother' and the guest.
There's something slightly off on the warm night breeze, the subtle hint of an aroma the dances on the brink of being a mirage to the senses before it begins to grow to a more notable measure - Nile Lotus, sweet clove cigarette smoke, and the bitter-saccharine scent of the Vampiric. A few heartbeats later and Isis is standing at the edge of the yard, the boundaries of the forest a dark backdrop. She cants her head to the side, crimson locks obscuring her sanguine gaze and pale features as she watches the trio for a moment.
As Bella and Esme talk about something she's not too sure of, Ramona flips onto her back in a fluid motion and floats in the pool, allowing the water to rest along her face, muffling her hearing slightly. She floats. Dead people tend to do that. After a moment, however, she pipes up, her eyes not meeting Esme's nor Bella's. "No, you don't have to go, Bella. I suppose you'll hear it eventually anyway. I…" She stops short, detecting a new presence that causes her to stand up and narrow her eyes towards the woods. "Who's there?" Apparently, her story will have to wait.
Esme is all set to answer Bella's enquiry, which she is beat to by Ramona, so Esme simply nods her head. "Have a seat, my daughter," she suggests, motioning to the surrounding seats and pool before her attention is drawn to the other and Esme is quick to get to her feet. She'll defend her territory if necessary, but she'd rather talk first.
Bella looks about to settle into a seat on the edge of the porch when that smell touches her nose. A smell that reminds her of the day in the clearing and she is quick to her feet, moving in an instant to crouch in front of her mother. While she is strong still, this position she has taken with her brothers and husband. In a year no doubt, she will be in the inner circle with Alice and Esme. Guarded by the stronger Vampires. Her newborn reds have faded to a ruddy auburn with the addition of animals to her diet. There are no words, just the waiting, the wariness in her form.
"I didn't mean to startle you," Isis offers on a soft, honey-alto that seems to contradict the very aura of her cold body and demeanor. The words lack true sincerity. Isis steps forward until the shadows give way to the yards lighting, revealing her to the group of Vampire women suddenly set to high alert. "I ran into Jasper in the woods not too long ago. He recommended that I come for a… friendly visit." Isis lifts her hand and combs her wild curls away from her face - reveling that vibrancy of her garnet gaze, untainted like Bella's or Esme's.
Ramona runs a hand through her short hair, flicking the water off the the ends and styling into a messy set of spikes. She walks toward the edge of the pool, turning her back on Esme and Bella in order to study the newcomer. "You didn't 'startle' me. I don't startle," Ramona says slowly, perhaps a bit defensively. There is more reason to defend herself, to set herself apart: "Oh, /I/ don't live here. I'm just visiting," she clarifies, as if her crimson eyes were not enough to set her apart from the two kinder-in-spirit vampires in the yard. She paces in the pool, a touch impatient. "I was just about to tell them something important. I /guess/ you'll have to hear too." She doesn't seem terribly concerned by the fact. "Look." Ramona inches forward in the pool to where Esme sits with her feet in the water, showing the other vampiress (and Bella, if she's near enough) distinctive scratch marks on her arm. "Not a wolf… not a vampire. Any guesses?" It's healed, of course, but very light traces show she sustained quite an injury.
Esme offers a faintly amused smile as Bella takes a defensive posture in front of her. "It's okay, Bella," Esme gives as she takes a look at Isis. "You ran into my son? I'm sure he had reason to send you this way, if you'll give me a moment though," she requests and returns her attention to Ramona, and is easily shocked at the healed marks. "Not wolf nor vampire? What could it be than, that would have the ability to injure one of us?" she questions, clearly startled by this new revelation.
As her mother says the words, Bella does relax her posture as quickly as if she never crouched in the first place. Curious for a newborn, so easy to respond in and out of distraction and alarm. She moves to step beside Esme as she hears that Jasper sent the vampire, though she remains near. Her auburn gaze does not shift from Isis until Ramona's words strike her ears and she turns her gaze quickly to the woman. Her mother already asking the question on her lips.
Curiosity. It was a weakness, and in this case spared her from making any further comment. Isis is drawn nearer and nearer until ultimately she crouches at the edge of the pool, craning over to catch a good look at the semi-healed wounds. "What did it look like?" She inquires, inserting herself into the conversation welcome or otherwise.
The blonde is fairly pleased with the attention her healed wound achieves, and for that, she lingers just a bit longer before responding to the prompts spoken by Esme and the unknown vampire, unable to keep the ghost of a smirk away from the corners of her lips. In the very least, the situation /did/ warrent her attention, and she so loves that. "It looked like a bear," she says simply to Isis, peering up at the woman from her vantage in the pool. "A teenage boy that shifted into an effin' bear." Though it's been spoken many times, it still causes a faint furrow in her brow. "It happened in the Port, as I was just about to feed. Did a number on my car, too." Her back straightens, "That is not to say that he didn't sustain significantly injuries from me. But it happened. So what do you guys know about it?" Ramona glances at the three faces in turn.
Esme shakes her head slightly at the words spoken. "I know… perhaps that is what got to Jasper," she suggests, eyeing the wounds a bit more. "I was informed that he had been injured, but not by one of us, it was thought to be a wolf, but I can't see a wolf in these parts deciding to cause injury to Jasper," she gives, her mind processing this information as fast as a vampire mind can. "This is disturbing."
Bella looks thoughtfully on the wounds as she listens to Ramona's tale of how she was injured. "The boy…what was he? What did he smell like? What did he look like? Is it possible it is another tribe like the Quilieute, but well with a different…mascot?" Indeed she has spent many a time in her human life listening to the Quilieute legends and histories and that is what draws her to those words.
Isis straightens slowly, a little wrinkle still expressed between her brows. "I've been sticking to the woods mainly." The little adventure and mystery at hands seems to have occupied her and made her decidely more pleasant. "I'll keep an eye out and come back 'round if I see anything." She looks to each of the woman in turn before giving a little nod. "Stay safe, yeah?" She grins and turns on a heel, departing silently the same way she'd come.
Ramona watches Isis leave with a quirk in her lips, as if she is not quite sure what to comment on the woman's sudden appearance and subsequent take of leave. After a moment, however, the blonde focuses in on Bella's questions and Esme's musings, which, for the moment, are more important to her. She leans her forearms on the outside of the pool, gazing seriously over at the mother-daughter pair. "Jasper ran into something? Hm." Pause. "He looked like a Quileute boy, yeah. I don't think he was, clearly. But yeah, tanned and all that, looked native. I don't know about the smell, to be honest. There was a bleeding human." That alone should be enough explanation for her lack of paying attention, and probably, for the injury as well. "So you haven't heard of this though, 'sides the Jasper thing? Damn. Thought you all might be hiding something."
Esme hmms at Bella's suggestion. "It's possible, I suppose, we'll likely have to have a discussion with the Quileute's to see if they have any ideas on what this could be," she gives as she settles herself upon one of the lounge chairs. The woman's brows are furrowed together as she focuses, clearly this is a matter of great concern to her, as the being in question may have caused harm to one of her own children. "I've never heard of this before, save the possibility that it could be the same thing that hurt Jasper, outside of that…" the woman trails off and shrugs faintly.
Bella grimaces as the woman mentions a bleeding human, a faint hiss to the sound as well. "Well then you earned your attack, he was doing as the quileutes do and you come to us for help?" Bella asks of the vampire, her jaw suddenly tightening. Yes the thought of the blood has fired her senses a touch, but she is not losing control. Her words an echo in her mind that reminds her not to eat humans as well.
Ramona seems satisfied with Esme's answer, her eyes content, though a frown tugs down the corners of her lips as she ponders Jasper Hale. Her concern is addressed, in a round about way, by none than Bella. Ramona's head tilts in Bella's direction, and her eyes roll as well: "Relax, sugar. I never said I needed your help." Her tone goes sweet in a very fake sort of way, "I wanted to warn you all. Make sure you were not hurt." She flashes a smile that is too kind to suit her face before she switches back to her usual tone of voice, adding, "Port Angeles is open for hunting, so say the Volturi. Don't police me, Bella. I don't tell /you/ what to eat and what not to. Your /cousin/ and I enjoy our fine dinging." Ramona makes an attempt at an oral stab at Bella before she adverts her gaze to Esme, sobering some. "Anyway, as Bella mentioned, I think the bear attacked me for that reason. Though, amusingly enough, he seemed more intent upon destroying me than saving the human that I was forced to drop. If he /is/ like the Quileutes, why would he attack your Jasper? I thought he was a goody-good too."
Esme shakes her head slightly. "If Ramona was hunting in Port Angeles, it is not our business to ask she do anything else," is given in a gentle tone towards Bella before she addresses Ramona's enquiry. "It's only the Quileute's that we have a treaty with, if another caught scent of Jasper, they may have attacked first and asked questions, never," is given with a nod. "I don't expect the wolves would generally stop to ask a question if they weren't trying not to kill a Cullen."
Bella's teeth grind at the retort from Ramona and as she is reminded of her cousin. She hisses again, crouching for a moment before turning away from the woman, jumping over the pool and heading to the porch again before she shames herself in front of her mother further. "Who is looking after him right now?" Though she finally asks as something clicks in her mind. "Or, has he taken to this life with the …grace of a Swan?" She asks remembering her cousin is even /younger/ than she is.
Ramona shoots a surprised glance toward Esme when she defends her hunting habits, but holds in tongue short of uttering a thank you or even an 'I told you so' toward Bella. She's over it soon enough though, her look turning to a more thoughtful one as Esme mentions the Quileutes. "I see. So, since this bear-shifter is new to town — which I'm sure he is — he wouldn't know about the treaty or your family's… tolerance of humans." She nods her head. "It makes sense. Perhaps I could speak with Jasper sometime, then?" The blonde inclines her head toward the house, at the same time, sliding her eyes toward Bella. "He hardly needs looking after." Pause. "He's taken rather well to it. He's a natural-born killer; it's really… excitable to watch him. But you mean something else. In terms of staying out of trouble." Cough. "Well, he hasn't murdered our human bandmate yet, although we did get into quite a bit of trouble with the Volturi, supposedly. We're accused of killing those two in the woods in Forks, but it didn't happen."
Esme moves her eyes to follow after Bella. "I'm sure your cousin is just fine, Bella," is noted with a gentle, motherly smile before her honey-hued gaze returns to Ramona. "I would presume that that is correct. We'll have to talk to Carlisle and Jasper as well, and possible talk to the Elders at some point. If there is a bear that's like them in the area, they should know of it," is noted. "And if you have any luck finding Jasper, you're welcome to speak to him, of course."
Bella just holds a hand up at Ramona's words, obviously bothered by the description of her cousin. Her eyes flaring wide at the description. "If you plan to visit please don't speak of my cousin." She asks before she turns quickly into the house.
"That doesn't sound promising," Ramona responds to Esme, her lips quirking with slight amusement. If Esme didn't know where Jasper was, how was she going to find him? "But I'll do my best." The blonde hoists herself from the pool and then reaches up to take off her camisole — undergarments are on underneath — and then she grabs her shirt and pulls it over her frame before turning back toward the two. "The swim was nice." She never, of course, actually says 'thanks,' though for Ramona, the previous statement was rather nice. "No? Well, you /asked/, Bella," Ramona points out rather flatly regarding Spencer. "Anyway. Catch you guys later, I'mma try and find out who that other female was." With a slight shrug, she steps back into the woods.
Esme nods and turns towards the house. "I suggest finding Alice, she'll know where Jasper is," is noted with a smile aimed towards Ramona, before she makes her way towards the backdoor, undoubtedly to go talk to her youngest daughter.
