Nightly Lessons Book I: The Book of Beginnings

[Peeker]

Janus looked up at the man - but didn't sit next to him. Right now, he wanted space. "I messed up, okay! I'm sorry! I was an idiot! You flicked me on the nose, and talked to me like I was some damned toddler, and I got angry, alright! I'm sorry! Then I proved I was an idiot, and wanted to get out before I made a bigger fool of myself! Just - please - leave me alone so I stop screwing up!"

The boy found himself cutting into his hands again. His eyes flashed, his body screamed 'upset' - and he couldn't do anything about it.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal felt his inside ache for the boy. It wasn't surprising that Janus carried physical and mental scars from Razziel's treatment. He looked atht e byo before rising to touch him on the shoulder.

"Janus you're not..." he blinked when the boy moved away from him. It was clear the he wanted to be left alone but Mikeal wasn't about to allow him that although he would not touch him until it was necessary. "... you are not a screw up nor are you an idiot. You're talented in many ways, I've only seen a handful of them. What you are though, is still a child and you're learning to deal with the emotional outbursts that came with being a fledgling. There is a reason, we Sires exist. it is to help you along your way."

He studied the boy, hoping that he had listened to him. He wouldn't revert to Razziel's method of beating it into him, but he was new at this role so he was unsure of what to do.

[Peeker]

Janus shook his head. "I don't care right now. Please unlock your door. I want to be alone." The boy squeezed his eyes shut, his breathing was labored.

...why am I so upset! Get a grip, stupid...

Janus began to tap his foot, impatiently. He didn't want Mikeal's pity any more than he wanted Razziel's cane, right now. He'd messed up, and he needed to get over it before he hurt someone... or got himself hurt... ...again...

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal suddenly grabbed Janus around the waist and pulled him close to him, ignoring the boy's demands of release and his feeble attempts to get away. He held the hurting child close and shushed him gently. Not the demanding 'be silent or else' kind, but a real loving 'I'm here for you to cry on' shush. Mikeal pulled the boy over towards the bed where he sat down and began to pet his brown hair and rock him gently.

'Such damage you done, Razziel. Such damage,' He thought and held the boy tight. "You may say that you wish to be alone but you're insides cry for something else. I know it's hard Janus Bell, but you can le these emotions out now. No one will hold them against you and no one will mock you..."

[Peeker]

The boy thrashed and struggled as he was dragged to the bed, but, of course, he was no match for Mikeal's strength.

Helpless as a baby.

Janus' eyes flashed cold - he pushed his head up and away from the man's shoulder, staring at a spot in the wall, digging in as though he was preparing for another strapping. In a sense, he was - he didn't want to give in.

"I don't care." The boy said, voice icy cold. "Let me go."

He could feel his entire body aching, he was holding himself so tightly - he welcomed the sensation - it kept his mind off of the kindness Mikeal was showing, which was just infuriating him.

Well fine. Just like a caning. Janus dug deep, and waited for the 'pain' to stop. Sooner or later, Mikeal would let him go.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal sighed to himself as he felt Janus crawl deeper into himself. He didn't know exactly what to do to help the boy. Maybe time was the only healer he had.. at lest until Alice maybe woke up. Janus seemed more open with the girl just as she did him. Giving Janus a final firm hug he released his hold on the child and unlocked the door. He wouldn't lash out at the boy. He was too fagile to do so in the moment.

"Alright, Janus, you win," he sighed allowing the boy to exit the room, but not before giving him a final hug and whispering to him. "But know this. Just as Aleks is proud of his Alice, I am also just as proud of you, my Janus. please do not forget that. When you're ready come and find me. I'll wait however long you need me to."

He finally turned away and headed back the the library were Aleks stood awaiting him.

"I don't know how to reach him, Aleks. He won't let me right now..." He sighed depressed, realizing this was something Aleks himself was working with on Alice from time to time. "have you found anything?"

[Peeker]

Janus ran down the hall to the ballroom, picked up a rapier, and began to swing, wildly, ignoring the tears running down his cheeks.



"Not yet. But I think I'm on the right track." He held up a red book with black binding. "Back up, Mikeal."

The book was Awakening the Dead, Volume 44... As Aleksandr had warned Alice before, the very words in these books could be dangerous if handled improperly. He carried the book to the center of the room - a mandala - a round symbol - on the floor, glittered, and filled the air with a column of silvery-blue light. Aleksandr sighed, and then inhaled deeply. The air flickered as he pulled magic into himself, and, hands glowing a soft violet, opened the book, and began to page through it. Shadows and streaks of something.. awful... began to flicker along the edge of the mandala, as though they and Aleksandr were trapped in a glass bottle together. The man read on silently, ignoring the chaos forming around him.

"...you know, Alice was puttering around in one of these books a few days ago." He said, conversationally. A mouth full of green fangs smashed against the edge of the circle Aleksandr was standing in, and turned to smoke. "...it reminded me that we, as undead, sometimes count as the dead... and some cultures... consider... the sleeping.. to be dead as well... so.. maybe..."

The man's voice began to get a bit strained as worm that appeared to be made of scorpion tails encircled his neck. Aleksandr pressed his lips together, as though peeved at being interrupted, and a brilliant flash of orange filled the circle - when the light cleared, the tail-thing had vanished.

"...perhaps I can find something in here." Alek finished, as he paged through the second half of the book.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"She was?" Mikeal frowned at the knowledge. He recalled Alice writing him once some time ago about curiosity about something called the Shadow Realm. He had told her what he knew, that it was a between world were supposibly these shadows came from. He knew little about it himself and had asked Alice to ask Aleks instead. "Stupid girl... I told her to ask you, not go and fool with the dark arts. i trust you cleared up with little mistake with her soon after before anything happened..."

###

Alice rubbed her eyes something drawing her back into the world of the 'living'. she wasn't sure what it was, but she passed it off as being Klonoa as he scratched violently at the door.

"Again? Geez, you have a small bladder don't you?" She opened the door and stepped out of her room, watching the puppy race down the hallway. "Maybe I should get a doggy door set onto mine...."

She walked about aimlessly for a while, forgetting Aleks' request to find him after she had awakened. She couldn't help but shake the feeling something was off. She just wasn't sure what. Turning a corner she hear the sound of swishes and went to check, relieved that it was just Janus and his sword and not what she first had thought.

"Hey Janus, what are you..." She stopped and neared him seeing his tears. "you okay? what happened?"

[Peeker]

"Oh yes. We had an interesting week after that little incident. Funny - between that and Razziel's visit... this has been a rather productive week for Alice's education..."

Something fairly draconic lowered itself from a space near the ceiling. Alek threw a hand up, and grasped it at the neck, squeezing as he read.


##


Stupid. Stupid! STUPID!

The boy was giving the air hell as he thrust, parried, and worked himself into a frenzy. Everybody was falling apart today, and it was just stupid! Why couldn't he just keep it together? This was a good day! He was free of God-Damned-Fucking Razziel! Forever!

...well, it wasn't like he deserved it.

He froze when Alice walked in.

"I..." He put the rapier behind his back like a child hiding a cookie from his mother. He didn't want to swing it and hurt her - right now, he felt like he might. The urge to run crossed his mind. "Nothing." He took a few steps back, circling towards the door. If he could make it... he'd just run down the hall, and go hide somewhere.

Just like a little baby...

Janus forced his mind away from hurting him, and the conversation to a topic besides how much of an idiot he was. "Um... I'm just working some stuff out. Are you better, now?"

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"I'm fine thanks..." She eyed him closely, some was wrong and she knew it but it wasn't what had awoken her at all. Still, her friend was hurting and she wanted to help. "Janu's what's wrong?"

She reached out and grabbed his wrist, preventing him from passing her, only to have him yank it away from her grasp and tell her he wanted to be alone.

"you ass!" Alice growled, angry that he was doing this again. It was like the night Razziel caned him in front of her. "What the fuck is wrong with you? You're not fine that's for sure, so spill..."

She thought for a moment, debating what would be the best thing to do. Naturally she chose the worst one. She got ready to sucker punch him if he gave her lip.

###

"Somehow I'm not surprised...." Mikeal watched Aleks with child like curiosity. He was not good with magic so this was a sort of learning experience for him. "What exactly are you doing?"