Nightly Lessons Book I: The Book of Beginnings

[Peeker]

It was easy. So easy. Even Razziel had to acknowledge that if she couldn't do this, torturing her would be pointless. He'd have to turn away from picking on her.

"ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE! What was that for! I've only just started with lat-"

"YOUR TONGUE GIRL!!! Has Aleks never taught you any manners?!?"

Okay. Maybe not. The boy made sure not to react to the sound - it wouldn't do anything but draw attention, and his survival instinct, kept that from happening.

"Janus. You told me you have been teaching the girl..." The two met - Janus' eyes were clear and almost tauntingly neutral. He would not be provoked - he'd play the game properly, until the end. "Am I to understand you lied to me about this matter?"

Janus' eyes lit up. Alice wasn't exactly doing too well. ...in fact, he'd already failed, in a sense, since she was already hurt. ...not too hurt, he hoped. Couldn't do anything about it - all he could really do would be make sure she wasn't any more hurt. "No, Master. I have been teaching her. We have been studying together for the past two hours, in fact."

No question: this would be explosive. It was going to h-u-r-t. Razziel was angering everything in the room - cowed Lucy, angry Caboose, and even little Klo... the room was filling with anger - the tension that Janus alone usually generated. ....it was going to be directed at him, if he did this properly.

It was better than letting Alice get hurt. Janus risked letting his eyes catch hers for a moment before returning to Razziel - she had to know that she couldn't butt in here. Otherwise, he'd just have let her take the beating herself.

How many days ago was it that he'd been jealous of her for not having to suffer what he did? ....how long ago had he really known Lord Aleksandr? Or at least realized that there was a difference between strict and abusive? Between love and hate?

He'd handled Razziel perfectly so far. How well would he take the switch? How long had it been, that he might actually have forgotten?

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

For once, Janus could be happy that Alice was keeping her tongue in it's place and silent. She sat uneasily in her seat, fearful of Razziel's reaction. Maybe he would rage and take his anger out on Janus and maybe, if luck was on their side, He would calm enough to continue the slow torture of his teaching methods.

"Really? Then tell me, boy..." Razziel turned on Janus slightly, the wispy whip suddenly tightened in his hand. "... why is it that despite two hours, she can't even read a simple line?"

Silence spread between the three of them. Alice being too afraid of another lash as the burn had not not faded from her back, Janus because there really was no right answer Razziel would accept, and Razziel... well, he simply enjoyed that waved of foreboding doom. The only sound that filled the room was the growling of the dogs and the soft whistling of the kettle.

"Girl, I trust you are intelligent enough to fetch a kettle," He looked passively at her and then made a 'get going' movement with his hands. "Go on. Make yourself somewhat useful, Janus.... you know the the drill. Let's try something different to help Ms. Harker learn her Latin."

Alice felt annoyed again as she grabbed a stove mite and took the kettle off, pouring it into a tea pot the same way she had seem Lucy and Janus do. What was he planning on this time? Turning again, Alice nearly dropped the the china pot as she saw Janus standing bent over the table, Razziel looking at her with cruel sadistic eyes. Luckly she didn't.

"What are you-?"

"Why my dear daughter of the Rastline House. We are going to help you learn your lain. I can't exactly lash out at you completely, not without Aleksandr's permission," He twirled the whip in his hand. "So I thought of something better. You will say and translate the lines I tell you in the book and for every mistake you make..." He swung the whip suddenly as if to show her what he planned on doing, striking Janus across his right thigh. "Janus will receive a mark. It's is only fair since he claims to have taught you your Latin so if he's done such a poor job... well it's only fair that he should pay for it. Right Janus?"

Alice looked worried, visibly worried. She didn't want to cause Janus pain, not when the problem was her.

[Peeker]

"Janus.... you know the the drill. Let's try something different to help Ms. Harker learn her Latin."

"Yes, Master." The fledgling stood. Funny, how it felt just like being back under the man's thumb. It wasn't that big old castle that was oppressive. It was him. It was the bastard himself: his tone of voice, his disregard, his.... violence. Just like home.

Good. Too late for Razziel to do anything else. One last parting shot... and then Janus could dig deep, and try to hold out for a while.

"Why my dear daughter of the Rastline House. We are going to help you learn your Latin. I can't exactly lash out at you completely, not without Aleksandr's permission, so I thought of something better. You will say and translate the lines I tell you in the book and for every mistake you make..." Janus had actually tensed in expectation: he knew the man's patterns, his sense of timing. He made no sound, he made only a bit of movement - his body had tensed, after all. "Janus will receive a mark. It's is only fair since he claims to have taught you your Latin so if he's done such a poor job... well it's only fair that he should pay for it. Right Janus?"

"If you say so Master. If it is my duty to help my friends, then it is my duty to take responsibility for them." There. That spot on the wall - across the table, right above the seam of the wood.... that little curve in the grain. That spot. There was... a little discoloration there - some food or some age or something, at one time.

Janus exhaled deeply. "Good luck, Alice." He wished, lightly. "Don't worry - its just a little Latin."

The second part was true. ....besides, if Alice panicked, he'd just get it worse. Lots worse.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"Don't worry - its just a little Latin."

His words echoed in her ears as she looked horrified at him bent over the table, Razziel standing only half a foot away with the whip in hand. He had to be joking. Don't worry? Don't worry?!? How could she not worry. Any mistake, anything small mispronouciation or wrong translation and Janus would be feeling it. One didn't have to be a vampire to seem it was upsetting her violently.

"I... I can't," Alice whimpered looking pleadingly at Razziel. "Please don't do this..."

"Second line, girl," He only tapped the whip against Janus'rear. "Hurry up. Unlike like Lord Aleksandr I do not like to waste time."

She looked at the book and shrivered. When she was nervous it didn't make things better, it made them worse. The second line was 'Never question the wisedom of your elders'

"Never.... question your-"

*SWACK!!!*

She jumped, wincing at the sound. This was going to be hell.

[Peeker]

Janus whistled in surprise, forcing the hiss of pain to become something a little less frightening. He had to keep Alice from totally losing - the longer she made mistakes, the more of Razziel's temper he'd run through beforehand. When she did lose it, he was going to absolutely wail on the boy.... so Janus had to make sure he didn't have quite as much rage to fuel him when he got to that point.

She had to hold on a while longer.

...actually, considering the force with which he laid the whip, a good deal longer. Hopefully.

So he kept his eyes focused on that spot. He'd almost fallen out of habit - not practice, but certainly habit - the cold golden light flared a bit on the spot as he refocused himself - he still hadn't flinched or cried out, persay. He just needed to.... stay...

He grinned.

Stay in control.

How in a good and fair world, could Razziel actually be right about something.

Control.

The boy set his jaw, stared forward, and waited.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"Wrong, wrong, wrong, my dear," Razziel tutted as he 'lightly' swatted Janus rear, no where as hard as he had before, but still hard enough to make it painful as it was the same. "Honestly girl, it's so simple. Even Janus knew these rules by his second week!"

"I've only just started on it," Alice winced at the sound of the swats. Why was he doing this. "I... I don't know all the grammar rule-"

*THWAAAAAAAAAAACCK!!!!*

"Don't know the rules!!!!" Razziel nearly broke the whip over Janus' rear. "Boy you lied to me!"

[Peeker]

Thank the Night that control was all Janus cared about before Razziel struck - sound barely leaked out of him - he kept it all in. Kept the excessive, godawful, mind-splitting pain in his mind, letting only a heavy exhale - a single 'aaah-hh-hh....' leak out. He was white-knuckled already, gripping the table, but he only lost sight of the spot on the wall for a moment, when he closed his eyes.

Jake Bell despised being called a liar. Always had, and always would. Which left Janus with an important decision to make: was it worth pissing Razziel off by answering him?

Of course. That had hurt plenty. IT couldn't get worse unless Razziel switched to something harder. ...which he'd have to soon anyway.

"I... Forgive me, Master. I never said that I had taught Miss Alice - only that I was teaching her. ...I have only worked with her for two hours..."

Janus' eyes shifted, slightly. ....he felt like he'd asked this question before, but.... how... how hard had he just been hit?

That hurt.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Alice bite her lip almost enough to make it bleed. She was nervous as to how much trouble she had placed Janus in as Razziel swore in the elders language. Neither of them could understand him, the words streaming quickly from his lips as he paced behind Janus, his heels clicking loudly despite the dogs barking. Alice did however recognize the same word she had yelled at Aleks at the mall. She would have to ask either him or Dimitrius what it meant.

... on second though, maybe Mikeal would be a safer choice.

She was torn from her thoughts when Razziel suddenly leashed out and yanked Janus to a stand by his hair. She nearly shot up to protest but the icy tone of Razziel's warned her against.

"Stand and you will pay with your hid, girl," She sat down as the book was forced in front of her. "Read! In the mean time, Janus, those slacks are to be lowed. Teaching her you say? The girl is a dolt! She doesn't know any of the words! Are you so completely useless boy?!?!?"

Alice was torn between feeling completely depressed and becoming enraged. She was new at this, and Latin wasn't some easy language to learn, but he didn't have a right to call her an idiot or belittle Janus. Still she knew if she said anything, things would only get worse, and pulled the book up to start reading to the best of her abilities. Hopefully Aleks would come back soon.

Razziel in the mean time waited for Janus to lower her pants along with his boxers. He wasn't pleased that the boy was wearing such modern world clothing and silently blamed Mikeal for his lack of Dornell moral. Had he no honor? Turning the wispy whip back into a cane. Razziel readied his aim.

"Count them."

It was easy to tell what he wanted to do. He was lashing out at them both, probably because Seth back 'home' knew how to play the game and stayed mostly out of trouble. With Alice and Janus, just a bit of pushing and he would have reason enough.

Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK!

[Peeker]

Janus' fist pounded the table before the first lash struck. His eyes glinted - forehead furrowed and eyebrows narrowed. This next part was like fighting a war. It was dueling. There was simply too much to handle - the pain beat all of it out, made it impossible to concentrate, or to 'win' the contest which was holding out. ...but Dornells were fighters... So he fought.

He heard the tension - knew how fast Razziel would be bringing it down... no need to thank him for each one... just had to count.

Just count. He could count.

He wasn't stupid.... and it would keep Alice safe.

Swwish CRACK!
"Ww--One!"
Swwish CRACK!
"Twooooo!"
Swwish CRACK!
"Aaah!" The boy stomped his foot. "T-three!"
Swwish CRACK!
Couldn't break this early. Couldn't. Focus. Control. "Four!"
Swwish CRACK!
"F-fiiiive!"
Swwish CRACK!
"S-s-siii-iiii"--Swwish CRACK!
"-iiiiiiix! S-se-seh-sehvennn!"

The boy lifted his head. His body was rigid - eyes tearing, cheeks flushed hard - nose beginning to drip and body absolutely on fire with the pain of holding his muscles tense. He exhaled, and blinked, and stretched his poor neck. His butt already felt like swiss cheese.

...the bleeding hadn't happened yet, though. These were the lines that didn't cross over the others - the next ones would hurt.

...this was why Janus could hold out for the first few. Once they started crossing, they also got harder - and he could only handle so much....

Janus lowered his head again, focusing on that spot on the wall. ....it was over. He knew. He'd already failed to properly finish 'six' before 'seven' came down. But at least he hadn't started to cry. Yet.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Alice couldn't concentrate with the sounds of the cane swishing threw the air. Who could? It demanded attention, just as Dimitrius had said, or at lest sort of said. Just the swish was enough to make one look up and pale, the crack feeling like thunder in the ears. To make things worse, Razziel wasn't holding much back, at lest no from what Alice could see.

the lines on Janus' rear were so close to each other, extending from the tender sitting spots the the tops of his thighs. It had to be painful. She knew it had to, it had when Dimtrius had caned her for the book and blasting the door.

Swwish CRACK!

The eighth lash crossed three of the previous ones, they turned almost purple at the force.

"No, boy, you know the learns, they don't count if you don't count them properly," He grasped the hair as Janus's nape, hissing in his ears. "Now count correctly."


Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK! Swwish CRACK!
He was putting more force into his lashes, and it was affection Alice too, her stress level being naturally lower then Janus' and slowly reaching it's maxium level.

"STOP IT!" She couldn't take the sound anymore and she felt useless. She was suppose to take care of Janus, and instead he was protecting her. It wasn't right. "Please stop it.
He's been sick, please..."

Razziel paused in mid strock and looked at the girl trembling before him. She had stood up so quickly, the chair she had been sitting in had tobbled over on the floor. He smiled. She feared him, just as he want because fear demanded respect.

Silence filled the room, or would have except Caboose was barking angrily from the pen along with Klo. Klonoa didn't like this man, whomever he wsa. His mistress was beyond upset, even her Master had never pushed her this far and all three hounds could seem that he was thriving off the boy's pain and the girl's distress.

"Well, Janus. It seems you little babysitter seems concerned fro you. Perhaps I should be generous and allow you to rejoin us atthe table and continue our lesson-SILENCE YOU CONFINDED HOUNDS!!!" The noise was getting to him again.