& * LEGACIES !

aro was the only person in the volturi other than his sister that alec would listen to. he rarely listened to caius or marcus, but with aro, he saved him and his sister from death, so he would sacrifice his life for aro. “i’m not much of a help for that. i’ve never used human technology really, unless i have to.” the vampire replied to aro. “if that is your way of saying that we are going back to volterra then i fully agree with being homesick.” alec hated boring little towns like this and forks.

seeing alec brought a nonexistent warmth over aro. like a select few, he knew that this vampire didn’t want to kill him or to run away from him. they both had saved each other in a way, along with jane. “this is why i’ve always felt connected to you in a way. there’s a lot of similarities between the two of us.” aro chuckled softly as he slid the device away and crossed on over to alec. “i’m sorry that we have to be here, but” he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “i’m sure there are ways you’re making denali fun for yourself. right? if not, then allow me to assist. i want this to be as comfortable for you as possible.”

“our powers aren’t exactly reverse.” she said softly. the power aro was talking about was only have her ability with shield penetration being the other part of her power. she had the reverse ability of both of her parents. “i think it was more so i could be raised without volturi interference, wanting to try to give me a normal childhood, not one with you or your guards always popping in.” she replied. “i mean.. from time to time, yeah. but for the most part candies and sweets help to ignore the cravings.” she mostly didn’t drink animal blood because renesmee never really liked it like she liked human blood, so it was better to not drink blood.

“among various differences, there are spectrums that coincide with both of our abilities.“ in all honesty, aro would have loved the added influence to be able to penetrate shields. yet unlike the hybrid’s parents, both of their powers relied on touch. they were nothing if they couldn’t get close to a person. “that hurts me.” a small pout formed on the vampire’s face, hands raised to cup over his useless heart. “we only ever look out for the good of the species as a whole, to protect all of us. you were never in any realm harm or danger unless you exposed our secret.” eyes narrowed in on renesmee now. “candies and sweets? darling, you seem to be denying half of you and that’s the half that makes you stronger. i'm sure there are nice deers and lions here to feed on.”

chelsea couldn’t help but laugh at how in the unknown aro was about new technology, like most of the volturi was. chelsea on the other hand enjoyed spending time around humans which led to her learning more about what technology they made and how to use it. and since chelsea was hanging around where the volturi was staying she was in her pure black cloak, that color only worn by the leaders themselves and chelsea. “sometimes no, like when i’m in paris or new york. but in a dull place like this, i miss volterra more than anything.” she said.

while he preferred to stick to the old basics like literature and art, aro did know that technology posed a threat. that was why he was researching more into it, these little devices that could capture any vampire in action. plus, he could just read the history of a hacker and hopefully at least see the basics in their mind. “i am truly sorry that we have to all be here. seems like our job is never done unless we’re been whisked away to a small town.” he knew chelsea and the others didn’t think this was ideal, but wherever there was a threat aro needed to investigate it. “how can we make it more exciting for you?”

she laughed softly. “you are so lucky that humans just see vampires as the work of fiction or else everyone would realize you are one.” she teased with a smile. “it can be easy, i mean, people do it all the time and some can be pretty dangerous with it.” the amber eyed newborn replied. “i mean, i still do. it helps that everyone there thinks that i’m dead because it’s not like anyone is missing me two months later really. i still spy on my friends social media from time to time.” she explained to aro.

at least someone didn’t seem to want to kill him right away. that caused a jovial smile to wash across aro’s features. “there are actually some people that aren’t raised around this sort of stuff. strict parents and all, you know?” not that he would know anymore, it’s been centuries, but that didn’t mean the psychology of parents had changed. “interesting. so there’s a way for you to keep in the loop without threatening the discovery of our secret.” maybe newborns like her were onto something. “does it make it harder not to reach out?”

        ❝ the law can be upheld in more humane ways. it’s your barbaric punishment and lack of second chances that cause issues. the volturi are more or less hands off when it comes to the everyday lives of the covens, but there’s no reason to kill on the first offense. ❞ there’s no real reason to kill at all, but.. he supposed it depended on the crime. maybe. their situation was dangerous, yes, but problems could always be circumvented. ❝ what do you think establishes the law, if not ethics? ❞

“Smartphones are pretty easy to hack, I’ve heard. At least according to movies…” Alice trailed off finally turning to see who exactly she was talking to. She knew the voice but it hadn’t clicked until she was looking at Aro face to face. Forcing a smile onto her face, she listened intently to his question before shrugging. “It’s hard to feel homesick when you are constantly moving. What about you? Miss Volterra enough to head home yet?” 

“maybe you will someday.” the gifted human stated to him. though she hoped that he wouldn’t unless she acted really human around him. “it’s more complicated than that. my twin sister was raised by my father in england while my mom raised me hear. it was the only way my parents could settle the custody since my dad wanted to move back to england and my mom wanted to stay in america.” she explained. “well you know, there are a lot of new people so i need to show them that denali is welcoming. though, i’m a bit curious on why there are so many new people.”

“i look forward to that day then.“ meeting people was always something that aro had enjoyed. not even for the potential prospects of gaining a new guard member or meal, but he was born for a world of politics. that meant nothing without people. “custody is a tricky thing. i’m glad that at least one of you got to stay with her. i have my own set of twins that i have come to take care of, i would fight to the ends of the earth to keep them with me.” with his apparent age someone who didn’t know he was a vampire would probably assume they were extremely young. “you know how they say crime makes a place a hotspot. there’s a lot of energy here, people are probably just curious as to what lies beneath the surface.”

“ironic isn’t it? it’s good to see there is someone you actual care about aro. though, i highly doubt you really do.” she replied. “that is one of the saddest things i’ve ever heard. so you truly don’t care if anyone ever loves you.” she stated. she fixed her cloak a bit. “what to hear the funniest thing, before you killed me i would’ve sacrificed my life to protect you. if you had told me and marcus to stay, instead of giving us our blessing, i knew i would’ve stayed since you were my brother and i’d do anything for you to be happy.” she explained to him. “there isn’t a difference, however, you don’t realize something aro. i’m not didyme your loving sister who would chase butterflies around a field, who would have the brightest smile on her face on the gloomiest day, who looked at the world through rose-tinted glasses. i’m not her anymore. so maybe it means i’m meant to be a monster, i mean, it runs in our family. do you feel overwhelming happiness right now? no because my power works with my emotions and right now, not even it is strong enough to make me happy since i know happiness is just a lie.”

“you wouldn’t have threatened her if you thought my feelings for her weren’t real, at least in the slightest.“ he shook his head slightly. “thousands of years ago love was never my main goal and even now, love still isn’t. you were an idealist in our times and even more so now.” although she had definitely changed, grown darker after death. eyes studied her every movement. “sister, as much as i want to believe that to be true, you wouldn’t have. i know what had to be done in order to get to where we were going and that meant a lot of harsh decisions, a lot of blood on my hands. could you have stayed to watch your brother and lover turn into monsters and still remain happy?” the difference was apparent, especially as his milky red eyes washed over her whole body. “you were never meant to turn out like me. you feel hatred and anger now, two things that i am quite comfortable with, but your nature is still there somewhere. didyme, marcus loves you and you love him. it was a love that i was threatened by, it’s a love that can bring you back.” although it was definitely going to take a lot of work. that much was clear after his conversation with the other leader. “what you felt for me was tarnished, but the happiness you had with him was never a lie.”

“well you see, i don’t see every vampire as a monster, i mean, how could i, my whole adoptive family are vampires. you might’ve heard of them, they are called the lamias, original vampires and everything. they are the best, i mean, my uncle nik can be rude at times but he is nice.” she explained to aro. “i’m not bitter, i just very much don’t like you. i mean, my family doesn’t speak very highly of you at all.” she said. “i don’t mind it. i’ve never really been a people person, more like just siting in my room doing art.”

that name was a blast from the past and he was sure that they had countless of stories of him and the rest of the volturi. “of course i’ve heard about them. nice to see that they have broadened their horizons and have went into adopting others.” if they could do it, then why couldn’t aro? “i’d like to form my judgments of people upon my interactions with them, but to each their own. no matter what, i do respect your family so if you want to follow their word then so be it.” he wasn’t going to kneel over easily to them, but he did appreciate them. “have you followed the work of francessor solimena? he was always a favorite of mine.”

        edward couldn’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. sure, they both could read minds, but… that was about it. ❝ if you don’t want to be painted as a villain, you shouldn’t be the one holding the brush. ❞ it was obvious to him. if you didn’t want the world to see you as evil, don’t do evil bullshit. ❝ i’m not opposed to making hard decisions, but i am opposed to threats. kinda like the one it seems like you’re making right now. ❞ 

        ❝ maybe a little bit. ❞ aro definitely seemed different than usual. edward wasn’t happy about his summons, nor was he pleased that this man had dared to speak to his fucking daughter, but he was holding back quite a bit of bile. it wasn’t wise to start an all-out war, not when everything was so crazy. ❝ strange. i don’t see what you see. ❞ he could read his mind, so he could see what he wanted, of course, but all the similarities he painted between them… he wasn’t so sure. 

brianna could recognize aro from anywhere, she had seen him a few times when she went to volterra to see felix, but did her best to avoid him. “well if you are smart with the object it won’t be used against them.” she explained to him. “and it’s easy for people who know how to do, i can understand how a prehistoric fossil like yourself doesn’t know how to do it.” she smirked. “i never lived in a place long enough to have a home. i was born in paris, france, then moved all around america with my biological parents. and with my adoptive family, all around the world.” the gifted human stated.

a part of him was starting to think that everyone in denali had a bone to pick with him, even if he didn’t interact with him that much. “prehistoric? darling, you can’t love to be one monster and then want to spit on the next one that you see. whatever ill feelings you have of my kind, felix fits in that category as well.” it wasn’t like her friend was one of the newborns that barely had lived as a vampire yet. “no wonder you’re so bitter.” he still tried to be as cordial as ever. aro mustered up a soft smile as he slipped the phone away. “i’m sure that constantly being on the move can get quite tiring.”

“oh, you did it for the coven? that makes perfect sense.” the vampire said sarcastically. “i have a great idea, what if i go rip sulpicia in pieces and burn her in fire. or how about even you, i don’t think there would be a single person out there that mourns your death because i know i wouldn’t. i would’ve in the past. but you have shown me how much i matter to you, nothing.” she snapped at him. “and what if i did? people already know you are a monster, so it wouldn’t be surprising for them to hear how much of a monster you truly are.”

“if you so as touch one strand of hair on her i’ll show you just how ruthless i still am.“ it was ironic, truthfully. aro had gotten rid of didyme because her power of happiness wasn’t really important to him and marcus and her were starting to get discontent. while he was normally happy himself, they were truly discontent right about now. “no one has to mourn me because once i’m dead i’ll no longer care. i care about how they treat me in life.” his jaw tightened as he looked over at his sister. ”if you try to kill me or her, what’s so different from the monster that i am and the monster that you are to become?”