He is not exactly against killing people (obviously) but he really really really hates the idea of killing people he doesn't mean to kill. He has not slipped up once, since - since. He never wants to slip up again. Ever. Especially not with his sister.
"It's exceptional. I'm not sure it can be learned. But he'll be off work in a half hour."
He nods, instead.
He decides not to bring up his potential as a witch being why he was turned. That just seems - broody and angsty. Pass on both.
"It's not why Carlisle turned me," Edward mentions of his own accord.
He is not really offended by this, just taking in the new information.
"Glad to hear it. I hope he also skipped the, treatment I got as well?"
He nods, unwilling to actually ask the question he's thinking of How did it happen for you? because it's exceptionally rude and really private information and he actually thinks an apology for thinking it, he's really quite sorry, curious head, he can't help it.
"If it's possible to have a perfect record my sister might want to become a vampire," he says, instead. "I'm - not quite sure. It's hard to know." And of course, the vampire knows why. Blair's going almost entirely off of his power, just a signature of what she's like and all of the human memories are basically gone.
"I'm not sure it's replicable. For long, anyway. Carlisle's the only one I've ever heard of. His mate's only killed one, but still."
"I mean. How many vampires have tried?" he wonders. Because he thinks the answer is 'not very many.' Or possibly 'four.'
"Are there others that haven't tried from day one?"
"We have - we call them our cousins. A coven of three, who picked up the habit of eating animals later, independently of us."
That is incredibly depressing to him. Why don't more vampires try not to kill people? Oh right. Because they're delicious. And also probably some psychological distancing, un-personing them instead of admitting you kill people and that is wrong. Which his power didn't let him do. Thank you power, he loves you.
"Carlisle managed on his own with no witchcraft, Esme and I picked it up from him. Our cousins fumbled their way there via... getting to know... humans and redeveloping empathy for them."
Getting to 'know' humans. He briefly wonders how the fuck anyone could possibly manage that when humans are squishy before he shuts down this line of thought. He refuses to have sex with someone he could - break. That just seems like a great way to kill someone he would like to have sex with. If this means he doesn't have sex, fine. This is an acceptable loss if it means not killing people he would like to have sex with.
"Carlisle is ridiculously impressive," says Blair, because he is not the type to voice his musings on this topic out loud and will instead pretend he did not think about it at all. "How'd he manage it?" Did he get complimentary (ha ha) people for eating upon finishing turning, because if he did Blair is just going to call the man a witch whose power is people eating resistance because holy shit.
"He wasn't offered any humans. He came out of the turning alone," Edward says. "He starved, for a while, avoiding people. Eventually tried chasing down deer and didn't find them poisonous, just noxious."
"Good to know."
"...Eating anyone makes it harder to avoid eating other people," Edward mentions. "Even if you're exercising unique judgment in picking targets."
Oh. He supposes it does, doesn't it. He knows what it tastes like, now, and is becoming used to drinking delicious blood. He wouldn't have if he'd lived in an alternate reality where he did not get offered humans right out of turning, and then managed to not eat people.
That is an excellent point in favor of not eating terrible people, the vampire gets a point on the little mental tally board Blair invented just now.
"I'm Blair, by the way, I don't think I mentioned out loud."
He does not recall his last name anymore, it didn't really matter to him and he often went without anyway.
And it is! He wouldn't mind becoming another 'cousin,' actually, if he manages the not eating people thing, which it seems like he will because he does not like it being easier to accidentally eat more people at all.
And here comes Carlisle. He has been listening to their conversation, apparently, and nods to Blair. "Hello, Blair. It's good to meet you."
"I am extremely impressed with you," says Blair, sincerely.