Asteraceae

FORTY TWO

Edward watched, his eyes seeing the dynamic of his younger sister and her mate as they talked about some book series, the two of them were stuck on. All of them for once were in Joshua house and unlike the first time he had entered the house he had time to look around the place with wonder and awe at how much stuff he really had. The books were simply crazy, and he was positive not even Carlisle had a library this huge, and he's been alive for much longer. Paintings, jewels and gems. It was nice, comfortable in a way their house wasn't and had things that made it feel like a home instead of just one. Esme was good at decorating but because they weren't human there were some things that they didn't have or need.

Jasper was also silently beside him, his mind twisted and jumbled in a way that made his head hurt, but he couldn't think of anything to say to him after his little outburst in the forest. He had felt horrible right after saying those words to his friend, but he had also felt good in knowing he got all that pent up frustration out of his system. He had nothing but sympathy left for him, and his other emotions were focused on the human girl he had planned to approach. He was going to tell her anyways, needed her to know what she was about to get into with him, and what better way to do it than taking her out on a date. It was stupid in Rosalie's eyes, but he had Carlisle and Esme to back him up. Those two told him with confidence to follow his heart, and while those words of Joshua's brother weighted heavy in the back of his mind, he had to remember that this man had no idea who he was besides what Joshua had probably told him. He didn't know his struggles, and he didn't know the thoughts that drifted in and out of his head from time to time.

"Beautiful stones you have here Joshua!" Esme awed alongside Rosalie, the two of them were browsing the gems and jewels he had lined all neatly behind a glass case. From Diamonds to Alexandrite. "That green one is exceptionally beautiful. Mind if I ask where you got them from?"

"One of my brothers gifted it to me." He never said which one, just shrugging his shoulders as he finished some work on his laptop. Alice was busy grading papers for him while he worked on his schedule for the week. "It's called Malachite." It was still in its unpolished form and looked more like a jagged crystal than Jewel.

"What about this painting? Looked like it was done in the late fifteen hundreds." Carlisle was the most observant out of them all from being alive so long. He had remembered such a painting being made, and he had remembered even replicating it for a special someone. "Looks new though."

He had made it his mission to see everything in Joshua's house for the main reason of never being here unless it was to express his worries. He had always stood on the front porch with the man though, he had never been in the house and while a person's eyes were a window to their soul, their home was a visual representation of their personality. The blacks, greys and bursts of colors from the books and rocks he had everywhere was complicated for his mind considering he never met such a home. It was like something straight out of a harry potter movie.

"Don't know who made it, but I had it restored by my sister-in-law." The painting was of nothing but a flower, and while Carlisle had repainted it for him years ago, June had really made everything pop by fixing it up herself. It was a lot better than what Carlisle had done for him and Alois was confident to remind him of it.

"Beautiful job." He took it though, the shine and even some added detail making it almost unrecognizable if it wasn't for the fact that he was a vampire with photographic memory.

"I've been telling him for the longest that he should invite you all over, but he was a bit embarrassed about his little collection of fancy rocks." Alice chuckled, she had thought they were pretty and the little shiny rocks that he had gifted her were even prettier considering they made her pale skin seem more flushed and alive like magic. "He had even thought about putting away a good portion of it for when you all did come around, but I managed to convince him otherwise." She made sure to look straight at both Edward and Jasper, knowing eyes that stayed surprising calm alongside her thoughts. She didn't seem to have any ill will against them and whether that was because she didn't know it was them, or if she didn't care and knew it was them from the jump. "I only wish that his siblings could make it."