MAGIC KINGDOM
Chapter 7 – Innocence
Disclaimer: (wow is this story going on for ages!!) Raziel, Nosgoth and all its inhabitants belong to Eidos, Crystal Dynamics and Silicon Knights – those happy people who invented Legacy of Kain. Kurt Wagner (the fuzzy elf) belongs to Marvel Comics. Lupa and Vladimir (never to be separated) belong to me! Donovan (the black-cub) is the property of SheSmaug Guardian-of-Tears. I'm sorry if any details in this story clash with updates made on Donovan's story in the meantime, or if I've got anything hideously wrong – not intentional!
Thankyou for all your reviews!
*Raziel cuddles his new plushie…Lupa jealously tries to take it from him…Vladimir smacks them both between the eyes with a spoon to stop the squabbling*
On with the story…
Raziel spread his wings and watched the light filter through them, his sulphurous eyes alight with joy. "This is wonderful!" he said, turning to Lupa and scooping her up with that ridiculous strength she'd come to rely on over the months. "Thank you!"
Lupa dangled in his grasp, feet several inches from the ground, and smiled.
"I'm glad you're happy," she said. "But please, Raz, remember, this isn't real. It's not forever."
He put his head on one side, teasing. "Don't spoil my fun, wolf," he admonished, and set her gently back down. She watched him as he stood, weight leant on one hip, his scarf hanging from his shoulder and his cruel mouth quirking in a grin.
"You really were beautiful, you know," she said, a little sadly.
Raziel blinked at her in surprise, but before he could comment, a fledgling vampire flung itself out of the ground at his feet and growled.
Raziel took a step back, lip curling in disdain. The vampire met his eyes in slight disbelief.
"Do you think you recognise me, child?" Raziel snapped imperiously, folding his arms. The creature stared at him in vague confusion, but without fear.
"Lord Raziel…?"
Raziel reached out and put a claw on the fledgling's shoulder, in an almost kindly manner. "What is your name?"
"Rob," said the vampire. Raziel smiled.
"It's nice to know someone still recognises me, Rob. A shame you won't last long enough to spread the word." He gestured: fire sparked between his claws and the vampire ignited like an oil-soaked rag.
"There are vampires called Rob?" Lupa asked incredulously, as they strolled away from the glowing remains and in the general direction of the warp-gate.
"Oh, yes," said Raziel. "Lots. It's a popular name. Right up there with Clem and Sharon and Dwight."
"But you're called Raziel."
"My parents were cruel."
Kurt Wagner grinned to himself as he peered out of his bedroom window to see who was knocking on the door, and teleported down to let them in. Lupa seemed pensive: the vampire Raziel positively cheerful.
"It's a useful little thing, ja, Raziel?"
"Indeed," Raziel replied, accepting the offered mug of coffee. "I don't know why you don't use it more often."
Kurt smiled.
"I like to think that my blue fuzzy exterior isn't hideously unattractive as it is," he said. "Being furry isn't a problem, is it, Lupa?"
"What? Oh…no. No, it's not."
Nightcrawler gave her a look so old-fashioned as to be positively prehistoric, and picked up some empty mugs.
"Lupa? Why don't you come and give me a hand in the kitchen with the clearing up?"
"What? I'm not cleaning your house…."
She broke off. He was glaring at her meaningfully. "Oh. Okay. I'll help. Make yourself comfortable, Raz."
Raziel waved his mug at her in farewell as the door closed behind her.
"All right," Lupa muttered. "What is it?"
"Suppose you tell me?"
"Kurt, I'm not playing this game…"
"Oh no?" Nightcrawler swung himself up and perched on the welsh dresser. "So what kind of game are you playing? I thought you and Vladimir were –"
Lupa made a choked sound of half-amusement, half-horror.
"Me and 'Mir? Well, that breaks all previous boundaries of yuck."
"So, then," said Kurt. "Is this vampire-type your new thing?"
Lupa shuffled uncomfortably. "Shut up…"
"Oh, you do like him then?"
"It's not that simple, Kurt. You know what he really looks like…what he really is…besides he is so much the older man, it would never work out…"
Kurt Wagner tutted between his fangs and flicked his tail in disapproval.
"Lupa d'Acosta, I'm surprised at you! I never thought you were one to judge by appearances alone…"
Lupa went quiet at that: and she set into the washing-up without another word.
It was only later when they were walking back to the Nexus Mall with a view to possibly trying to see another movie, that Raziel said:
"So, what did he want?"
Lupa, who had been deep in contemplation of whether chocolate or strawberry ice-cream was the best plan for her evening snack, said: "What?"
"Kurt. He seemed to want to talk to you."
"Oh, that," said the wolf-girl, dismissively, "he was just wondering when he gets his image inducer back."
The vampire looked briefly stricken at the thought of his new image being taken away from him so soon.
"He wasn't desperate for it or anything," Lupa added, quickly.
Her head went up: she sniffed at the air in sudden suspicion. Raziel looked about the quiet mall and could see nothing unusual: late shoppers, a few hangers-on around the water feature in the centre.
"What is it?"
"I smell wolf," Lupa growled. She hurried up the steps to the cinema, turning into the corner by the pretzel wagon, and pounced on what to Raziel looked like a patch of shadow.
The shadow yelped and bared white milk-teeth in anger. In Lupa's unrelenting grasp, it took more cohesive form: a struggling, scuffling wolf-cub, black as coal, eyes glinting up at Lupa suspiciously.
Lupa held the cub up by the scruff and they eyeballed each other for several minutes.
"You're a funny sort of wolf," the cub said, eventually, breaking the silence.
"You're a funny sort of kid," said Lupa, unimpressed, and continued to dangle the interloper by his neck-ruff until Raziel, worried that the cub was going to choke or bite her, whichever came naturally first, grabbed him from her. She growled at him.
"What's the problem?" he demanded. "Surely it's allowed to have more than one wolf in this world."
"This is my part of the world," said Lupa, sullenly. "He smells new. I never smelt anyone like him before. I find that a little threatening. And besides, I hate children. They're noisy and untidy and they don't know when not to bite."
Raziel regarded the cub in his arms, which was currently broadcasting that particular brand of wide-eyed cuteness only available to baby predators.
"He doesn't look particularly threatening to me," he said.
"You tell her, Dad," said the cub, and Lupa lunged to catch him as Raziel dropped him like a hot brick.
Accusations rapidly filled the air.
"You have a son?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Why are you hanging around with this bitch, Dad?"
Raziel rapped the cub sharply across the muzzle with his claws. "Language!"
"But that's what she is," protested the cub. "A female wolf, right?"
"That's she-wolf to you, fluffy," Lupa snapped. "Let me at the little squirt! I'll teach him to be cheeky to his elders and alphas…"
Raziel calmly held out a restraining arm in front of Lupa, and set the cub gently down on the ground.
"What are you doing here?" he asked. "You're not supposed to just go wandering through every warp-gate you come across, you know."
The cub cocked his head to one side in a very Raziel-manner. "Just thought I'd see what you were up to," he said. "You're family. And I'm kind of glad I did. You look good, Dad."
Raziel looked briefly confused, then as the dragon-illusion wings flexed at his back, he smiled. "Yes," he said. "I suppose I do, now."
Aware of Lupa fuming and chewing her claws behind him, he ruffled the cub's ears roughly. "Get going," he said.
The cub scampered off into the twilight shadows that were lengthening over the Nexus Mall. "Nice to meet your new girlfriend," he called over his shoulder, and wagged his stubby tail in farewell.
"Down, girl," said Raziel, amused, as Lupa bared her teeth in a most unfriendly fashion. She sulked at him. "What is it now? Oh…I know." He steered her into the cinema and prodded her towards the ice-cream stand. "You didn't get your ice-cream fix yet. I'll buy."
She continued to look sulky, sitting down on a nearby ledge, as Raziel ordered up the most ridiculously-sized ice-cream sundae ever produced, and handed it to her.
"Don't you like the flavours?"
Her lower lip pouted further.
"Not enough chocolate sauce? Too much chocolate sauce?"
He gave up and sat down next to her on the ledge.
"Talk to me, Lupa…"
She shuffled one foot against the wall.
"It's just that – you never told me you had a son…"
Raziel sighed. "Lots of things happen in a life as long as mine," he said. "Does it make me a bad person?"
"No…."
She dipped a finger into her ice-cream, which was dribbling down the sides of the cup, and licked it pensively.
"Was she special?" she asked.
"She was nothing like you," said Raziel, reasonably, "but then it depends what you mean by special. Needing specialist help?"
She scowled. He nudged her, teasing.
"Needing to be put in a special institution?"
"Bastard," she growled, but she was trying not to grin, "I thought we were friends."
"We are," said Raziel, patting her on the head in an infuriating way. "Of course we are."
Lupa scraped up a lump of ice-cream and dabbed it onto his nose, where it gradually began to melt.
"At least we were," Raziel corrected himself, scooping up a sizeable chunk of the stuff in his heavy claws and hefting it threateningly.
"Raz, you're dripping," said Lupa, warningly.
"So will you be in a minute. Sit still and suffer, woman!"
She dodged, laughing. "That's valuable ice-cream! You paid money for that!"
"So it's mine and I shall do with it as I wish. Stop ducking."
They were eventually asked to leave by irate cinema staff, who had obviously marked Lupa down as a troublemaker although they would no longer have recognised Raziel: and they ended up on the marble forecourt, Lupa rubbing at strawberry patches in her fur and Raziel fiddling with the image inducer on his wrist. He turned it off briefly to stretch his ragged wings, unaware that Lupa was watching him intently, and to straighten his tattered cowl. Seconds later, and the Reaver of Souls was gone again, hidden behind the hologram of Raziel the vampire. He finally caught Lupa's gaze upon him and grinned.
"So," he said. "Ready to go after Kain again?"
"He is gonna be really confused by you, you know that?" said Lupa. "That and probably immensely peeved."
"Really? I was hoping he'd welcome me back with open arms…"
"Do we have to go right now?" Lupa groaned. "No offence to your heritage or anything, but that place is as cheerless as a morgue party. Don't you like my world?"
Raziel looked up at the sky, the last fading remains of sunset paling into blue-black above him.
"Yes," he said. "I think so."
"Then let's stay for a while. You can stay with Kurt. He won't mind."
Raziel was watching the first stars come out above the neon glare of the Nexus Mall lights. He glanced across at her, and his eyes reflected yellow.
"I'll think about it," he said.
And so it goes on…Will Raziel stay? Will Lupa ever tell him how she feels? Next thrilling chapter will be done…when I get round to it and am not snowed under with boring realworld stuff...^_^
