He nods. "And—I just realized I did not mention this at the time, it was a background fact—you become prettier when you turn. More symmetrical, better body proportions. Immortal children are almost impossible not to love at first sight, whole covens of vampires would go down fighting to protect their children."

Yvette stares at him.

"Yep. Definitely a. Definitely a wise policy."

He nods. "I believe the fourteen cutoff is because fourteen is the age of the youngest members of the Volturi coven."

"That's a bit questionable, but. Okay. If they encounter a controlled twelve year old, would they mindlessly kill them, or agree to leave them alive?"

"Kill them, probably."

Wince. "Okay."

He nods. "There is not much room for quarter or disagreement with them."

"So, play very very nice and don't attract their attention. Got it. Okay." She fidgets with the hem of her skirt and looks at her lap. "Luckily for us, I, um. I think I might want to become a vampire. Not... Not immediately, I want to be sure I won't eat people and I want to have a better idea of who you are before I'm mind controlled to love you forever, but, um." Yep she sure is looking at her lap. "... It sounds nice? Not entirely free of downsides, but being immortal appeals."

He nods again, not letting the internal screaming show. "If you decide not to love me forever, I can try to make sure you don't see me after turning. It will be a bit harder to wrangle, but it can be done."

"Okay," she agrees, softly, looking up from her lap to meet his eyes. "Do we know if that'll work, though? I don't mean if you can pull it off, I mean, what does the mind control grab ahold of? Just sight, or does memories of sight do it, or the sound of your voice, or letters you write? I don't... want to cut you off from me entirely, that sounds. Kind of cruel to you, really."

"I don't know. I think letters and photographs are not enough, and I know sight is enough, but I'm not sure about the sound of my voice."

She nods.

"But you'd rather me alive and safe forever and never speaking to you again than, what, sixty years of conversation followed by a forever without me alive anywhere," she says. It does not sound like a question.

"Yes."

"Okay. Good. Then..." She trails off and looks at her lap again. "Then, um. All right. You may begin attempting to woo me, now."

—he laughs. "Attempting to woo you?"

She flushes slightly.

"I'd told you to back off on the flirting before!" she defends. "You, um, don't need to do that anymore, it's a little... intimidating... but I'm not against it?"

"Yes, yes, it was just an amusing way to say it. And I think we are a bit past default flirting, now."

She raises her eyebrows archly.

"Well, then do educate me on where we are instead."

"I think we are at me being myself with sufficient force at you that you will notice the obvious fact that I'm amazing and you should begin a relationship with me in earnest."

"What, and make this easy? Where's the fun in that?"

"It's going to be easy one way or another, but in my solution I won't have to pretend I'm not incredibly into you."

"If you were pretending not to be incredibly into me, you're not very good at it," she teases, amused. "And my, you're arrogant. You only get to win my heart once, you know, and then it'll be yours forever. Surely you want to put more effort into it than 'it'll just work out and be fine without my intervention or effort.'"

"Oh I never said there would be no effort, just that this effort would not look like traditional flirting."

"Aha. Well, by all means, I'm hardly going to try to stifle your freedom and creativity, or tell you to act like you're someone else."

He laughs. "Should I take you to another fancy place where humans consume their nourishment, then?"