Nightly Lessons Book I: The Book of Beginnings

[Peeker]

"Bruja was never allowed around when we ate." Janus admitted. "I guess that makes sense. I won't."

He laughed. He made quite a sight: sitting there in Victorian garb, in front of a paper plate full of hamburger and fries, in the middle of a modern kitchen.

"Wow... this feels.. weird..." The boy smiled. "I... I think I'm doing alright. I've never decorated a room before, so I guess, um..." Janus shrugged. He smiled sadly. "My.... my father.... he, um, he'd been telling mom all year that I needed to get my room redone.... that it was too kiddy..." Janus lowered his head. "I, ah... yeah."

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal smiled at Janus as ate, ignoring the pleading whines of Caboose.

"It's alright, Janus. I know this is new," Mikeal sighed. "If you'd like to know it, Razziel has never allowed any fledglings to redo the room he gives them. Believes that the distraction is too much for a room meant for sleeping in."

He shot Caboose a glare as the dog neared Janus, hoping to trick the boy into giving him some of the food or at lest steal some.

"No. Lay down, Caboose," he ordered to a whining dog. "Lucy?"

The female gave a low growl as her mate backed down.

"As you can see, Janus, Lucy has better control over everything then I do," He laughed lightly. "500 years and some things never change. The women still run the house. Now, tell me what you wrote down on this list of your's. I promise I won't laugh and I'll be fair."

[Peeker]

Janus, face full of burger (which was, after a year and half, probably the single most delicious thing he'd ever eaten, ever), handed Mikeal his list.

"Remember!" Janus said, after swallowing. "You said you wouldn't laugh!"

His list had alot of normal things... A television, a bookshelf, things of that nature, but Janus found that, since he only had his old room from when he was little to compare it to, alot of things from Dornell Manor had become rather comfortable to him. He'd asked for a wall-hanging like the tapestries in his old room, as well as a big rug on the floor - he'd gotten sick of sitting on cold stone. He'd asked for a lamp, since he'd gotten tired of reading by candlelight - for "a television (maybe)" if he could - he'd forgotten how much he missed movies - and for a few other things that showed just how far he'd gone without beauty in House Dornell.

...like a windchime - there'd always been one outside his window at home, and he missed it.

The last object, though, was the winner. It had been scribbled out and rewritten three times.

A hairbrush.

Janus looked up at Mikeal, blushing. He didn't know what to say.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal bite his lip at the last part. He had expected a lot of the things, the TV for one. He smiled at the wind chime and wall scroll. Reading th elist Mikeal smiled.

"Well, the small thing we can get easily. There's a nice place where we can get you a nice wnd chime for your room. The TV.... we'll see after some time. I'd like to see you for other things then meal time..."

mikeal suddenly laughed as he recalled one of Alice's letters to him.

"i'm surprised there's no 'private fridg' on here. Alice had asked Aleks for one," He laughed at Alice's exspence. "Needless to say, he refused."

He finally rose and eyebrow at the hairbrush and looked closely at Janus.

"May I ask what this is about?" He pointed at the three 'hairbrush' written at the bottom. He had an idea but he would rather hear it from Janus. He wanted the boy to know that he was always willing to listen to him. "You're hair isn't that bad you know... which reminds me. Do you want it cut? It's up to you...."

He grinned suddenly at the boy with a mischievous smile.

"I do know for a fact that Alice likes to toy with long hair. She does that sometimes with Aleks when she gets the chance."

[Peeker]

Janus laughed and nodded at the other things - the idea for a private fridge, especially... and blushed hard when Mikeal mentioned that Alice might play with it.

"Um... maybe I won't get it cut then?" He said, shakily. "Heh... but... um..." The boy paled a little. "I... I never want to hear a cane again, Mi... sir." Janus' voice tightened. "I... I've spent the past couple of days acting in a way that feels... totally... foreign to me. I feel like I'm going to get hit for slouching in my chair, at this point... I... I know I'm going to be punished eventually... I just..." Janus frowned. "I don't want the hairbrush. I don't need one... I just... don't... want a cane..."

The boy sighed, picking up a french fry, and then putting it back down.

"...man... Living with Mas.... with Lord Razziel... really blows, huh?" He looked up at the man mildly, hoping he'd understand he meant it as a joke.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal looked calmly at the boy and smiled sypathecily at him.

"I can understand that..." mikeal pointed at the few canes at him owned that were hanging on a coat rack. "Do you see those canes, Janus? Want to know what they are for? Imagine. i would never use one one you unless you were in dire need of it, and I mean dire. I don't believe in using them for discipline Janus because it was one of those along with a whip that broke my back as a fledgling..."

He rose and gently hugged the boy to comfort him.

"... and I don't know any kind of whip either. the discipline I plan on using is no different then the kind that Alice receives. you've already been through a lot Janus I woNO! BAD DOG!"

Mikeal turned to see Caoose run off with half of his dinner, Lucy stealing the other half. He sighed in defeat before looking at Janus.

"Soooo, would you like a change of clothes so that we can get you those things?"

what else could he do. He didn't want the food back after Caboose and Lucy had gotten it.

[Peeker]

"I...." Janus looked at the implements, wide-eyed. Something rather like terror his him smack in the head. "I...." Janus cringed away from Mikeal, but then leaned in and hugged him tightly, shaking his head 'no' softly.

When Mikeal's voice rose to scold Caboose, Janus cringed - but then looked up, and watched, his body relaxing at the humor of it - even though he was a little too shaken to laugh.

"Um... y-yes please. I'd.... I'd like that..." Janus let go of the man, regretfully. He looked up at the canes again. "Um.... if.... you weren't going to use those... then... what... would you be using?" He blushed.

The sad part was, he'd taken bigger canes than that those before - though they -were- pretty big. ...and that fact just made him feel a little sicker.

Janus quickly finished the first half of his burger, and slid Mikeal the other half, offeringly.

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

"Good, we'll need you to change into some normal clothing I have so old pants and sweaters you can use for now," Mikeal lead the boy towards his room groaned to see the Lucy was laying happily on his bed licking her lips s Caboose lay on top of her, yawning. "You two are in trouble when I get back...."

It was a hollow threat. At the most, he would lock them in with e puppies.

Reaching into his closet Mikeal pulled out a maroon sweater, a pair of worn jeans, and a belt to hold them with, along with a pair of jeans for himself to change into.

"Here," He offered Janus the clothing. "As for what I'll use well.... there are my hands of course... there's an old wooden brush... a wooden ruler from my desk.... and a paddle that Aleks sent me sortly after I told him I was going to try and bid for a fledgling. i'm happy though. i didn't have to fight for my first one, and even more that it you..."

As he listed the implaments, he magiced them into the room and on to the bed. Th ebrush was an look and heavy brown wooden on as was the paddle.

"However Janus, I must be honest. If you truly behave badly I'm not afraid to use a strap or a belt..." He looked at the boy with neutral eyes. "and I'm not showing you these things to frighten you into submission. I believe in that you should know what to expect. Alice went through the same thing her first year... well except for the strap but i don't think Aleks was expecting to use that thing ever again. Do you understand me, J anus? It's okay to say you don't if you don't. I won't get angree."

[Peeker]

Janus nodded, and, as though simply in gym class, turned his back to Mikeal and began to change while talking, and looking at the implements as they appeared.

By the time he'd mentioned the strap, Janus was cinching the belt he'd been given all the way to the last hole to keep them on his hips. "N-no... its.... that's okay..." Janus smiled up at the man. "Thank you."

And he meant it. "I... almost don't mind the belt... Mast... no. Lord Razziel used to just give that to me before bed sometimes... When I hadn't done anything terribly wrong, just to keep me in line..." Janus shrugged, and walked over to the bed, looking at the implements. "Lord Aleksandr gave you this?" He picked up the paddle gingerly. He smiled a little, and put it down as though it might bite.

Janus nodded. "Yeah. Um... so you want to go do all that shopping, now?"

[Kira_Wolf_Cub]

Mikeal nodded his head grimaged at the memory of the adgustment sessions Razziel forced on his fledglings before bed. Janus was lucky. those didn't stop until their fifth year.

"Yes.. well, I'm not going to do that," He answered and smiled, biting back another laughed at the sight of Janus. He looked so little in the clothes since it was almost five times his size. "But yes let's go..."

He followed Janus to the door an d locked it after them.

"There's a place in walking distance for here. Open late at night. We'll go there and get you some clothes first along with brik a brak," He looked pointy at Janus and tapped him on the nose. "I want you to stay close understand? No wondering off."