Kain: Human! You should update a tad bit more often than every bloody few months!
Hey! I'm sorry! With DEP and AP Testing going on, my brain has been feeling mushy in a bad way and I hardily have any time for myself anymore!
Raziel: That is not our problem, wench! Write your pathetic stories and end this disgrace you have so knowingly bestowed upon us!
Shut- up, you skinless, paper-thin, crotch-monger! Stop your infernal bitching! You are such a weenie crybaby!
Kain & Raziel: 0.o!
Sorry. I like Kain better, so only he can get gruff with me. That's what makes him cool. So you don't.
(Kain displays a big grin as Raziel sulks in the corner)
OK! This one gets a storyline!
Chapter vThe young brunette woman began to lead Kain and Raziel through the small kitchen, when suddenly she was reminded of a recent find at the local supermarket. She turned her heels on the slick tile, tripping over herself and almost crashing into Kain; luckily for him, he is paranoid and always on the alert, thus he dodged out of the small woman's way in the nick of time. Yet unfortunately for her, he did not bother to help, and she landed face first on the cold floor.
Puddi groggily brought herself to her feet. Shaking her head to clear her dizziness, she explained the reason for the delay. "While mah mom an' Ah were at th' H. E. B. – that's uh store, ya know – Ah found this." She reached for the counter and grabbed a small, baby blue, triangular box. "Ah just had ta buy it," she shrugged sheepishly as she passed it to the vampire.
Kain stared with a confused look at the box. The clear top showed the contents; inside was nothing more than three small pale blue candles. He doubted his true interest lie with them, so he investigated the box further. Raziel at this time had scooted behind his former master, quite curious himself why Puddi would think such a thing would be fascinating to either of them. Kain flipped the box over to view the underside, carefully holding the top as to not spill the contents. There were words here. Both men quickly scanned through the top line.
Kain's eyes went wide in surprise. "I must be reading wrong," he chuckled amusedly. Puddi shook her head with a wry smile spread across her face. "My gods! Balance Candles!"
Puddi giggled at the hilarious expression on Kain's face. "Oh, that's not all," she taunted humorously. "Keep readin'!"
Kain did as he was asked and broke into laughter. "The scent of 'lush lavender combined with sweet tangy tangerine?'" he cackled as he read the scent exactly how it is explained on the back. He almost went into hysterics. "This is too much! It is even in the shape of the Balance Rune!" Kain suddenly stopped. "Do I really smell as such?" he pondered aloud.
Puddi crossed her arms in triumph under her chest. "Ah'd like ta think so," she announced proudly. Kain shook his head at the woman, continuing to laugh to himself.
Raziel harrumphed as he crossed his arms. "Why does he get his own scented merchandise?"
Kain had a great retort, yet Puddi beat him to the punch. "'Cuz nobody wants ta have their house smell like beef jerky," she said quite matter-of-factly. Kain let out a hardy laugh; this comeback definitely was better than his own. Seeing Raziel's dejected expression, Puddi released a sympathetic moan. "Ah'm sorry, Raz, but ya set yaself up for it." She gave a dismissive wave. "Enough of this," she finished as she took the candles and placed them back on the counter. "Ah promised a good show."
Puddi happily scurried to a separate, slightly smaller room. Her room. School papers for her various classes, Batman comics, and mangas scattered the ugly carpet. Concerning furniture, there are merely the necessities: a twin-sized bed that was never made that morning, a simple dresser with more clothes on top of it than in it, and a plastic trunk-like thing shaped and used as a bench. On it rested a small CD/tape capable radio. She approached the one thing in here she ever intended to show anyone. Her newest baby.
Both men knew what the glass box on her dresser was, yet not why she had one in her room. These were rare in Nosgoth; scientists studying a creature that could be dangerous usually own such things (of course not knowing how common they are here!). Yet she possessed one, which caught both men's interest.
"Little woman," inquired Raziel, "why do you have a terrarium in your personal chambers?"
Puddi turned and scoffed at his remark. Little woman! "Ah told you what you can call me by, so Ah ain't answering ta 'little woman!'"
"You just did," Kain pointed out.
"Shut-up!" She reached inside the far right top drawer of her dresser to retrieve a small brown paper bag and placed it on one of the few clear spaces above it, next to the terrarium. "Az Ah promised, Ah'm gonna show you sum' in' cool." Something in the bag squirmed. Puddi turned her back to the men as she plucked the bag off the dresser. "Ah wuz gonna do this tomorrow, but Ah believe this constitutes as uh exception, with you bein' here an' all." The bag gave out small squeaks as she removed the top of the terrarium. Kain's ears pricked up. Unlike Raziel, he had many a time where he had to live in less than wonderful surroundings and recognized these noises. He shook his head. It can't be.
She reached inside the terrarium and removed the half of a cocoanut shell that rested upside down. Underneath it lay a small black creature that stared up at the three of them with beady golden eyes. It coiled in anticipation.
Raziel crossed his arms and squinted his eyes at Puddi. "You own a snake. Go figure."
"His name is TV Superstar Adam West!"
Seeing the two men did not understand the signifigance of the name, she reached into the bag and drew out a small baby mouse just old enough to have fur and move around a little. "What are you going to do with that creature?" Raziel curiously asked.
Puddi dangled the baby mouse by its tail as she explained. "This iz uh baby mouse with hair, but th' eyes ain't open yet. This iz called a 'fuzzy.' Cute, huh?"
Kain scoffed at this notion as Raziel placed his claws at his hips. "I suppose," he reluctantly sighed.
"An' do ya know what we do with fuzzies?" she asked slyly.
Kain smiled. From the tone of her voice, he had a feeling he was going to enjoy this. Puddi turned around to her snake and dropped the fuzzy inside the terrarium and placed the top back upon it. All three pressed themselves against the glass for a better view. Puddi grinned, knowing the great show to come. The snake suddenly lashed out, catching the fuzzy by the chest in his teeth as it squeaking pathetically. Within a blink of an eye, the snake coiled tightly around the mouse and began to suffocate it. Both men's eyes went wide with surprise.
Raziel grabbed Puddi's shoulder harshly. "That is vile, woman!" he acidly spat. "Relishing in the pain of another creature's child! That is completely despicable!"
Kain started laughing at the dying mouse.
Puddi's brow shot up. "Snakes gotta eat, mice gotta die," she simply said. "Besides, do you really care what happens ta uh baby mouse?" Raziel let her go with a very displeased look on his face.
Kain continued to enjoy watching the snake eat his meal. He had begun to swallow his now dead prey. "Horribilis," he chuckled to himself, "sed magnificus."
"Consentio," Puddi answered to Kain, hearing his mumbles. "Raziel sed vexandis nos." She crossed her arms as she pouted.
Kain's eyes widened. "Latinum loquoris?" Puddi happily nodded. "Dicis non ante quare! Bonus est! Laetus sum! Me loqui aliquis postremo!" Kain and Puddi continued, speaking very fast to each other.
Raziel, hearing the excitement between the other two and unfortunately not knowing this language himself, felt very left out. After some minutes of Kain and Puddi talking and laughing amongst themselves, he could not take being ignored anymore.
"What are you people saying!"
Kain and Puddi blinked at the sudden outburst. Puddi tapped Kain on the shoulder. "He kinda freaks out."
Raziel growled. "I HATE this place! Of course Kain finds someone who will worship him! You are being deceived like all his fledglings. He is not a man with which to associate, no matter how many languages he knows!"
"Ah don't worship Kain!" she spat indignantly. "If ya must know, Batman iz th' one Ah love." Kain raised an eyebrow. "Well, Ah love you too," she quickly added, "just him more."
Kain furrowed his brow. A human actually liked him? He shook his head and turned to his once fledgling. "Raziel, people do not wish to correlate with one so vexing such as you."
Raziel's eyes burned with anger. "Why you murderous, betraying, arrogant—"
Puddi knew better than to let this continue. "Alright boys! Cut it out! Inspira, exspira." Kain took a deep breath. Raziel stared blankly at her. "Breathe in, breathe out, Raz." He performed a haughty sigh, which surprisingly helped to compose himself at least a little.
Calmer now, Raziel once again addressed his former sire. "Despite how much I am enjoying this reprieve from my daunting task," he mocked, and then turning serious, "I do believe we must find a passage home."
"I agree," Kain sagely added. "We have much to do in Nosgoth, and although this side trip had been uplifting," he turned to Puddi, "we must return to our homeland."
Raziel scoffed at his acknowledgement of the small woman. "Why are you asking her of all people?" he demanded. "She cannot speak a single proper sentence, she has given no sign of intellect, and I do believe she is insane!"
Kain acquired a sudden stern expression as he condescended to his fledgling. "Do not automatically assume one is foolish because of a speech impediment!" Puddi started to protest him saying she had this problem, but decided to let it go. Indignance replaced itself with pride. Kain does not defend just anyone, after all. "SHE knows this world," Kain continued, "SHE seems willing to help, SHE is the ONLY person we know here, and SHE had the INTELLIGENCE to learn quite possibly the BEST language that EVER EXISTED!" Puddi nodded in agreement of the last part of his speech. Kain crossed his arms over his chest in confidence. "I put my full faith in her ability to try to find a way back to Nosgoth." Puddi's elation left her; she noticed the try.
She cleared her throat. "Well, Ah suppose we should start lookin' for anythin' that could transport uh vampire and wraith ta th'r respectable dimension."
Raziel snootily dropped his arms to his sides. "And where, pray tell, shall we find such a device?"
Puddi blinked at Raziel in surprise. Then she rolled her eyes. "Why, where everyone 'n th' world finds anything!" She motioned for the two men to follow as she walked out of the room. "We godda go ta Wal-mart!"
Well, well! I now have a storyline! Happy, Smoke?
Kain: And now I have someone with which to speak!
Raziel: I hate you, Gryps. I looked as though I was an imbecile. YY
Kain: And a Hippie!
Raziel: Yes! Why did you think I would mind watching a snake eat? I do much worse!
I dunno. You seem the type.
Kain: (laughs)
Raziel: Why you little!
(attacks Gryps. Gryps sets him alight)
Raziel: AHH! (puts himself out) Bitch.
Hee, hee!
(Raz punches her)
Owies!
Review please!
And Batman's HOT!
