Nightly Lessons Book I: The Book of Beginnings

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"perhasp just before we take them out of the corner then," Mikeal grinned and guestured for Aleks to follow him. "Can I offer you a glass of brandy while we wait, in my study? I'm sure Lucy can watch these two right girl?"

*Woof!*

"She'll bark if they talk or move." Mikeal explained as he walked towards his study, leaving the two miserably children alone with the dog.

[Peeker]

At being left in the corner like that, Janus began to sniffle once again when he heard the door close.

Can't cry... can't cry.. He began to rock slightly, and the pain was horrible - but it was also distracting... That, at least, he could use...

He gave a low groan, trying to fight through it.


In the study, Aleksandr calmly sipped the proferred scotch. "So you're alright then, Mikeal?" He looked over the man carefully. "You can finish this?" He smiled, hoping to keep the man's spirits up with a bit of good-natured fun. "Want to take a picture before we finish them off?"

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Alice whinned to, reaching back to rub but then chose to scratch her back with Lucy growled.

'Oh come on Aleks!' She whined in her head as she squirmed more in the seat. 'Hurry on back! This hurts soo much!"


Mikeal downed a quick glass of brandy and then poured another glass and looked at Aleks.

"I am, butI must admit I'm disappointed in those two fighting like that..." He scuffed a laugh and looked at Aleks. "... not tha tI should say anything to that matter. Gabby and I where just like those two, just roles reversed."

He leaned back in his chair and sighed.

"I do want the picture of them in the corner, something to prove their own fledglings what a troublesome dou the two of them make, not that they don't on their own." He took a deep breath and rose from his seat after drinking his second glass. "As for ready to finish this, whether I am or not, makes little difference, no? After all a Sire must take both the goods and the bads in parenting. Children will be children."

[Peeker]

"Good man, Mikeal." The elder smiled. Choosing to ignore Alice was wonderful: she was a little girl doing alone-time in her corner, and that meant she had to be alone for it. That was all. "I'm sorry I doubted your ability to care for a fledgling. You've been doing a fine job, so far."

Janus' wiggling had become unstoppable, and now the boy was starting to kick the foot of the stool as the sting and burn on his cheeks was infuriated by his own movements. "Uhhhhhhn!" He groaned, throwing all his weight onto the stool, and futilely bopping his heels against its legs, trying to do something besides aggravate himself more.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"I thank you Aleks, it means a lot to hear you say that," Mikeal smiled at the man and sat down once more. "I'm trying to use your's and Lucy's ways rather then the ones I faced.... That reminds me, do Alice even know what the Rastline house is known for?"

Mikeal sat forward and looked at Aleks.

"I mean, I'm sure Janus knows the Dornell line has been warriors hence our seal...." Mikeal guestured toward a shield that hung on his wall above his desk. In it's center were two dragons wrapped about a sword. "... but Alice strikes me as well... lacking of it in a way? I mena no offense."

Alice finally pushed herslef lightly up, still seated n the stool but it helped easy the pain as she gave a moan of discomfort when she sat down again and tred to forcus her mind on something else then the pain in her rear, the feel of the stool, and the spanking that still awaited them.

[Peeker]

Janus kicked again - accidentally stubbing his toe in the process. He brought his hand out to touch his foot - and brushed against Alice, accidentally.

The boy stiffened.

Lucy made no sound.

The boy carefully lowered his hand, and opened it - maybe.... maybe Lucy wouldn't mind if he held hands with her?

Right now, he knew he sure wouldn't mind...



"The Rastline House is known for Patience, not Magic. It just so happens that magic takes more patience than anything else... its a natural fit." Aleksandr sipped his drink thoughtfully. "I tease the girl mercilessly, yes, but what I punish her for more than anything else is when she loses her self-control... whether its because of me or not."

Alek shrugged. "She won't learn much more than simple cantrips if she cannot learn to wait and listen a bit, first. ...she's taken to the spells she has learned quite quickly... you saw how she took that paddle from you - I taught her manipulation only this week! ...but until she learns to control herself, I have no reason to let the girl think its anything but her 'aim'.... She keeps going on about that. It isn't aim, its focus. Discipline. Until my fledgling grows a longer temper, I shan't crack open another spellbook. If nothing else... I shall be Patient." The man's voice was optimistic. This, he'd been reasoning for months now. Patience wasn't a virtue:

It was the virtue.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Alice blinked and turned to look at Janus as she shifted her wait slightly on her bottom. She opened her mouth to ask Janus what thinking at first the boy had taped her to ask something, but a small warning woof, too low for Mikeal or Aleks to react to, made her glance at the dog appologesticly and saw Janus' open hand. She then smiled, returning her head back towards the corner and gently slipped her hand into Janus', rubbing his hand with her thumb.

'At lest I'm not alone throught this....'

Lcy however didn't care if the two held hands or looked at her in the lest. She just understood from Mikeal that the two weren't allowed to get up and off the stools, talk, or rub away the slow-burn spanking they had recieved.



Mikeal looked at the man and laughed softly to himself. Aleks was right, the Rastline House was known for it's Patience. It wasn't until Aleks had been make a Worthy that it became known for Magic as well.

"My appologies, I often forget thanks to Razziel. He often spoke of you being a Magi and passing your teachings on to your girls... he was alway so jealous over that fact that your first time bidding for a fledgling, you gained a girl instead of him. I fear he has never gotten over that," Mikeal smiled and looked at Aleks. "It seems that Alice may be the next to follow in your steps if she truely learns the spells that fast. I'm use she don't practic alone, the dangers and all... you must be very proud."

[Peeker]

"Of course I am. She's my Alice." Aleksandr was studying the Dornell crest half-heartedly. He'd seen it enough before that it had lost... a great deal of its charm.

"...but as proud as I am of her, I'm worried. I'm being given good advice from a Vampire who's barely reached his first century on this earth... Am I losing my touch?" Aleksandr looked up at Mikeal bleakly. "Perhaps this new generation requires something I just don't have..."


Janus sat quietly, rubbing Alice's hand back with his own thumb - his sniffling stopped as the boy regained control of himself, and continued to ride out his corner-time.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal stepped forward and placed his hand onto Aleksandr's shoulder and smiled.

"No, you have everthing that is needed to raise this new generation," Mikeal assured the man. "You have the knowledge, the will, and the heart to allow them to grow and be themselves. You just don't venture outside amoungst humans as often as you once did."

Mikeal guestured towards one of his shelves that held many misc. objects, some old and others new, some ugly and some beautiful.

"The structure of the family monarchy as changed from the time in which you and I were humans. Fathers no longer run the household with an iron fist and parents often turn to medication rather then discipline. I've seen many children raise vai Ridaline and have their emotional input messed about with so that when they chose to stop, they don't know what to do anymore."

Mikeal pulled a picture of himself next to an American raise vampiress whom Aleks did not reconized.

"The times have changed and that difference is what confuses both you and Alice. Don't fret too much about her moods and temper she will show. Alice wasn't raised the same way Gabby was, she was taught to take up for herself which explains her temper. Giving her simple things like chores to do about the house, even if she doesn't exactly embrace them, will make her feel that live is normal again. I'm sure the Harker family had her help about the house as a human child."

Then Mikeal grinned and looked at Aleks.

"Besides, all the advice I've given you was based on thing you've do to me during my fledgling years," Mikeal patted Aleks' shoulder once more. "So if anyone should worry it's me. All you have to worry about is going too sfot on Alice... after all, she's never faced the same problems as Gabby did. To be honest, the girl is made of tougher things then that."

He glanced at the time.

"Fifteen mintues..." He looked at the man whom he respected more then anyone else in the world. "Shall we release them of their guilt as well as get your photo?"

[Peeker]

"Yes. I think we should. Take your picture.... I'll get them up..." The man opened the door softly, and froze.

He turned to Mikeal, and gestured for him to come over quickly. There the two of them were, hand-in-hand, sniffling as they faced the corner, the tops of their bottoms glowing red while they sat on the stools, both ever so slightly leaning in towards the other, Lucy, in profile, facing the two of them.

It was just too cute.

Aleksandr made an 'after you' gesture, and let the man with the camera do his thing.