The unpopping of Alice Cullen.

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

((Open RP, buuut mainly for happy reunion times with sparklehubby Jasper. The thread with him will automatically be the last one, but if you want your character to meet Alice you can comment wherever. Oh, and I've got permission for this.))

Alice's timing was, as always, impeccable.

She rather wished she wouldn't have to deal with the popcorn butter -- her blouse was beyond saving, and the smell would never wash out -- but she had anticipated it and was prepared. Her clothes would still be in her old room in Hufflepuff, and she still had some time before Jasper would be out of the Sorting Room. Being a seer was ever-so practical sometimes! She nearly danced her way through the corridors, timing it so that as few people as possible would see her with her clothes in the current state.

The room was as it should be, and her clothes were waiting. Alice quickly changed and washed her hair and face from remnants of butter and salt. It didn't take long. Sparklepires repel filth when it's not sexy.

There. Jasper should have gotten her note by now. Excellent! Alice smiled at herself in the mirror and then she was off again, skipping off back to the Popcorn Room. She seated herself outside, and crossed her legs daintily as she waited. Her husband would show up here soon, but in the meantime she absolutely wouldn't mind having someone to talk to.

Comments

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

The vampire looked at Maia in surprise. She hadn't bothered much with her hair in years. It didn't get split ends, nor did it need washing nearly as often as human hair. What else could you do with a pixie cut but let it be?

But she'd met Maia before. Alice's own Sorting (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/1401537.html?thread=71289025#t71289025), almost two years ago. It all just came screaming back to her now, with perfect recall.

"Is that... an insult?" she asked, almost amused. She would have thought Maia had better imagination than that.

[hellminxmel.livejournal.com]

'An observation,' Maia chokes out. Man, she's been off her game for a while. Months. She recognises the girl, kind of. Forgetting things is a demon's blessing. 'You're the one with the grumpy brother.'

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

"Edward," said Alice, and nearly bit her tongue. (That might not be a good thing for a vampire to do, but she wasn't sure.) Maybe she should just not talk about the people she loved in front of a girl who was so obviously trouble... Not that she thought Edward would really be in any amount of physical danger from Maia, but frankly, she'd rather not have her brother cranky. And she was not going to mention Jasper to Maia at all. He was already suffering enough.

Alice took the half-assed insult with the serenity of someone who knows they're beautiful to the only person who matters, and even smiled at Maia. "And you're the girl who likes to be mean. I remember." Alice had met plenty of people like that, but very few vampires. Bad vampires, yes, even cruel, sadistic and bloodthirsty ones, but mean? That was definitely more common in humans. Interesting thing, that.

[hellminxmel.livejournal.com]

'Yeah.' This is a little more like it, though at times like this her necklace feels heavier and more cumbersome. Ignoring Alice's comment, she says slowly. 'Edward. Is he better now? I mean, he attacked me (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/1369492.html?thread=69357460#t69357460). I have a right to be somewhat pissed, you know?'

Softer now, lying, 'I'm sorry I came off as a bitch. Before. I was just so--shocked, you know?' Her hand slides around her neck. 'I had bruises for ages.'

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

Alice's powers were, unlike Edward's, completely useless when it came to catch liars. But this was a damn lie if ever she heard one. Her golden eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I don't believe you. First of all, Edward would certainly not attack you, of all people." Alice doubted he found Maia's scent any more appealing than she did herself. Stopping themselves from tearing out her throat was surprisingly easy. "Secondly," she continued, "if he had attacked you, bruising wouldn't be your main concern." It was more the 'oh my, I seem to have been mauled by a merciless predator and now I have no blood left' that might be a bother. Alice didn't mention this, though. She wasn't completely clear on whether or not Maia knew about the vampirism.

[hellminxmel.livejournal.com]

Maia's own eyes can be golden, but now they are a deep forest green, wide in innocence.

'He held me up by my throat, Alice. I can't be killed--' More than most people can't be here at Hogwarts, but you get the drift--'but that was pretty scary.'

Suddenly, she seems to get it. 'Oh, no, not that sort of attack! He wasn't--' a quick flick up and down Alice's body. '--hungry.' Let's not mention what type of hunger, because it might make her more paranoid. 'It was before his girlfriend got here--is she a stabilising influence, or...' Maia fakes a convincing shudder.

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

Still not buying it. Edward was better at self-control than most. He could stand being close to Bella, which must be pure torture considering what she smelled like to him. If it had been Emmett, then maybe she would have believed Maia. Even Jasper. But Edward? Him losing control was too unlikely. She'd talk to him about it, though. Just in case she was wrong.

She gave Maia a rather blank look. "He's better off with her than without her, but I wouldn't call her 'stabilising.' And you are a very talented actress, but I know my brother, and if he even laid a finger on you he probably had a good reason."

[hellminxmel.livejournal.com]

Interesting. Gone from a flat denial to 'well, if he had, you made him.'

'I don't think violence ever has a good reason,' Maia says sanctimoniously. And yes, she's a consummate actress. Just ask Mel. 'I may be curt sometimes, but I'd never act with my fists.' She'd use a long, thin knife.

A thought strikes her--what if Octavian hears about this? He might think it unattractive. The necklace hits her skin heavily, and she shakes her head slightly. The genuine fear she feels then finds its way into her voice. 'What if--what if he does it again?'

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

There was a pretty big 'if' there.

Violence, never a good reason? Alice agreed to a point. Then came the thought of the newborns, crazed, merciless and thirsty, and that argument fell through. Trying any amount of reasoning with newborns was a sure way of getting yourself mauled. "I'd imagine you wouldn't. You might break a nail if you don't punch right, after all."

Alice arched an eyebrow. "Why would he?"

[hellminxmel.livejournal.com]

Maia shrugs. 'I don't pretend to understand him. But it was so frightening, Alice...' She trails off, looking past Alice, through a window. Scotland is sunny today, but to Maia it's always slightly grey by virtue of being Scotland. This distaste for the place shows on her face, but she's meant to be thinking about Edward's attack. The one thing she won't do, however, is make tears well in her eyes.

'What if he tries it on other girls?'

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

Alice very nearly burst out laughing. Edward, trying anything on girls? Perish the thought! She could understand her brother being frightening, sure, but the whole idea of him attacking random girls for no reason... It was ridiculous.

"I don't think you need to worry about that, actually," she replied. "Edward isn't planning to do such a thing. So, why did he attack you, then?" Allegedly.

[hellminxmel.livejournal.com]

Hm. Alice can tell what Edward's planning. Is she a mind-reader? But Maia can see she's not winning over the girl, not at all. The only thing left to do is to tell the truth--and as she begins to speak, her necklace stops weighing so heavily on her sternum.

Face and hair rippling, melting and becoming something other, Maia speaks. Her mouth changes shape, but her words always remain distinct.

'I'm a shapeshifter. You've probably encountered them, you've been here before. I was trying out a new look, and out of nowhere--he accuses me of mocking him, his grief, like, what, I was meant to know he had a problem?' Maia takes care not to look exactly like Bella, but her hair darkens and straightens, and her lips widen and plump themselves up a little. 'Not until I returned to this form did he stop.' And then her eyes turn murky brown, and there's a passable likeness of Bella Swan there.

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

Oh. Oh.

Alice's eyes widened a little in her surprise. A shapeshifter... And that shape, that had definitely not been a good shape for Edward to see when he first came here, not at all. And with that smell, what was it, like something foul, brimstone, effectively shattering all illusions of Bella standing there. So the girl was not an exact copy of Edward's love, but Alice doubted he'd even needed much to feel upset. He hadn't exactly been stable back then.

"I see," she murmured.

There were some things that still didn't make sense, though. Why would Edward cause bruises on a girl who barely even looked like Bella? He'd subjected himself to the torture that being near the real deal without hurting her was, had summoned self-control Alice could scarcely comprehend to avoid causing Bella pain. Even if this girl only bore a passing resemblance, surely he wouldn't... Had he really been that insane?

"He wasn't himself during that time," she tried to explain. "In that shape you... resemble someone he knows. But I can't understand why he would..."

[hellminxmel.livejournal.com]

Maia doesn't see why everyone says she stinks all the time. She bathes quite regularly in the BLOOD of INNOCENTS.

Maia slips back into her copy of Melanie Beeby, and affects surprise. Of course she knows. It's his bloody Bella, whoever she might be. Some girl he wants to bone. Love is such a hard word for demons to learn. Maia can't even bear to hear it now, when it's directed at her.

'How is he now?' Maia takes a step forward, eyes chilly and composed. 'People don't change, not very much, not even here. And I'm worried, Alice--is he alright to be here with people who can't defend themselves?'

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

But Edward was much better now that Bella was here too. Now that they were together, and things were alright again. Wasn't he? Of course Alice had only been back a short while, but she'd been keeping an inner eye on Edward and Bella since the two decided to return to Hogwarts together, and she hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary. Just delighted in their engagement and the wedding she had to plan. She'd already decided on the theme.

But there was something about this place, wasn't there? Some sort of a blur, or... static, almost. Like something was a little wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it. It wasn't a major disaster, but it was... a blind spot. And it annoyed her.

It was of course the time anomaly that caused Edward and Bella to be from the second book the past that the seer was picking up on, but she wasn't aware of it. Hadn't experienced anything like it before. She was going to be very disappointed when she found out that there was no engagement here, and there wouldn't be a wedding.

Alice frowned. "He's much better now. Bella is with him." She was absolutely sure of that much, at least. "And I'm not worried about Edward hurting anyone. I'll have him make it up to you though, I promise."

After all, the girl couldn't help smelling bad. Maybe it had just been a very unfortunate misunderstanding?

[hellminxmel.livejournal.com]

'Oh, you're so sweet! Thank you!' Maia shows no signs of offence that Alice was snippy with her earlier, so happy is she that she's caused Mr. Angstbomb a bit of pain. Not that it's hard, but still. Her necklace is really chafing, ouch...

'I'm in Gryffindor.' And then she smiles, and gives Mel's room number.

[vampfashionista.livejournal.com]

And Alice didn't predict a disaster or anything, because the choice whether or not Edward should go wasn't made yet. The consequences were still unknown. She just accepted the number with a little smile.

"Gryffindor. Right. He'll look you up and apologise, if I have to drag him there myself."