petrichor [rosalie hale]

lvii. sister to sister

Kiara stood tall, her forearms resting against the railing of the decking as she waited the Cullens welcome their new guests as they stepped out of their cars. Edward had been right - Emmett, Beverly and Garrett had arrived within seconds the Denali coven. She watched them, her face stoic and unreadable as she felt Seth shift anxiously at her side.

Leah was off in the woods, not wanting to be there at that moment in time. Kiara understood, knowing that Leah's head was a mess right now and she wasn't able to force her to stay. Jacob was more relaxed than the rest of them, not straying from his spot at Renesmee's side as per usual.

Kiara shot Seth another disapproving look as he continued to fidget. He almost slunked down a little, getting the vibe that she wasn't wanting to show any weaknesses until they'd really gotten the chance to learn more about the vampires that the Cullens were inviting to the home.

As the final car rolled to a stop, a sudden wave of anticipation wafted over her. She tightened her grip on the wooden railing as she spotted Garrett, his dark hair catching the evening sun like a halo, making him seem somewhat angelic - although the memory of him in the alleyway haunted her thoughts before she could think anything else about him. His eyes met hers for a fraction of a second before he quickly looked away. 

"Breathe, you two," Bree muttered quietly under her breath, her own stance less rigid with tension as she stood beside Seth. She hadn't wanted to be a part of the welcome party, but she knew Seth would feel more comfortable if she was near him.

Kiara cast her a sideways glance before rolling her eyes, letting out a huff of a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding in. The uneasy feeling writhed in her stomach as she watched the unfamiliar vampires get closer to Renesmee and Jacob.

"Careful," Seth warned again, sensing the rising tension in Kiara as she watched her pack member (and brother too, of course) shake hands with them.

"I'm fine," Kiara snapped back at him, her dark eyes narrowing at him for a second before she huffed out another sigh. "Sorry."

"It's alright," Seth said, looking over at her. His eyes were calm, patient, understanding. Still, Kiara could notice the hint of worry that lay beneath his easy demeanour.

Garrett glanced over at her again and Kiara had to bite down a scowl. He quickly looked away, catching sight of Edward who greeted him with a nod and an outstretched hand. From their position on the porch, and with the other chatter going on, Kiara couldn't quite hear what Edward was murmuring to the vampire but there was no doubt that he was extending some sort of welcoming to the neighbourhood.

Kiara hoped it came with a "no feeding on humans" rule.

Her eyes trailed over the Denalis. She recognised them from the wedding, but a lot had happened since then. It was almost like she was seeing them with new eyes, and well, maybe she was. Her eyesight had been improved slightly since then... not that many of them knew that.

A part of her wanted to ask Carlisle if he'd found out more about the venom that was still bound to her other cells, but here was not the place and it was certainly not the time. Only Carlisle, Esme, Edward and potentially Alice knew - and she wanted to keep it like that. Last thing she needed was more vampires finding out about her... issue.

She turned her attention back to welcome the new guests. As Rosalie had promised, the new vampires gazes never lingered on her for too long. Instead, they were entirely focused on greeting the Cullens and seemed genuinely glad to see them all. Kiara let herself relax a little, albeit grudgingly.

Rosalie appeared at her side then, her cool hand slipping into Kiara's own warm grasp. She'd left the side of the welcoming party, and had zoomed back to encourage Kiara to make some effort with the other vampires. These were the easy ones - some of the later arrivals weren't going to be as calm as the Denalis.