Disclaimer: I don't own Legacy of Kain or any other identifiable pop culture references.
A/N: It's good to see new faces. I just hope the old ones have managed to find this. (Those of you who are already here, I know you're waiting until I get back to the good stuff.)
The next morning, Raziel and Jennifer headed for their new house. It was a long ride, and annoying because they had to switch buses in the middle of town. Then they had to walk several blocks from the nearest bus stop, but they still managed to get there before noon. The house sat at the end of a cul-de-sac, and there was nothing but forest behind it.
Raziel went straight up to the house while Jennifer went over to the neighbor that was supposed to be holding the key. She did indeed have the key, but she was interested in chatting instead of just handing it over. She introduced herself as Martha Cunningham, but insisted on first names.
"Everyone here knows that place is haunted," Martha continued.
"We're not afraid," Jennifer said, finally getting the key from the neighbor.
The house itself was large and creepy with weathered gray siding and dirty windows. The untended bushes and weeds reinforced its neglected appearance.
"Are you sure you want to live here?" Raziel asked in distaste as he kicked at a glass bottle.
"It does need some work," Jennifer said appraisingly, "but just think of the advantages."
"What would those be?" Raziel asked as they stepped inside. The inside was in much better shape than the outside. The wallpaper was yellowed, and the carpet was worn, but it was relatively clean.
"Look at the yard, we're hundreds of feet away from the neighbors, and those bushes will give us all the privacy we need," Jennifer said. "And there is so much potential in here. We can paint the walls any color we want."
Raziel nodded in appreciation. "It does feel like a more comfortable space."
The pair explored the rest of the two-story house. It had an old-fashioned parlor and a formal dining room. The kitchen was in reasonable repair, and had a door to the dry basement. The house had a bathroom on each floor, and a total of eight rooms that could be used as sleeping quarters or whatever else they could think of. The attic was also suitable as a living space. Most of the rooms already had furniture in them, though much of it was unused and draped with dust covers.
"There's one thing that could either be a good thing or an annoyance," Jennifer said as they walked back down the stairs.
"What's that?" Raziel asked.
"This place has a bit of a reputation," Jennifer said. "The neighbors think this place is haunted."
"It's not," Raziel said, a slight humor coloring his voice.
Jennifer glanced at Raziel, but figured that he would be able to tell. "Still, I don't think we want to encourage any rumors about this place," she said. "I think that we should try to keep up appearances as a fairly normal couple."
"That doesn't sound too hard," Raziel said.
Jennifer went through the last door that they needed to explore, the one that led to the garage. Her eyes lit up as she saw the old van sitting there. "Oh, this is perfect. I think I can make a temporary warp gate to move the stuff, but if that van runs we can use it to make the neighbors think we moved normally."
Raziel's reply was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Curious, both he and Jennifer went to answer it. Another neighbor was standing on the porch, holding a struggling ten-year old by his shirt collar. She introduced herself as Madeline Surprise, and her son as Benjamin.
"I heard that you're the new owner of this house," Madeline said.
"Yeah, we're going to be moving in as soon as possible," Jennifer said.
"You're moving into the witch's house?" Ben blurted out.
"She wasn't a witch, she was my aunt, and I don't like it when people insult my family," Jennifer said curtly.
"I'm sorry," Madeline said. It wasn't clear if she was apologizing for her son's behavior or trying to be sympathetic for the death.
"I'd invite you in, but I'm afraid that I'd like a chance to make this place ready first," Jennifer said.
"It has been an eyesore for a while," Madeline said. "It's a shame that you couldn't just knock it down."
"This will be our home," Raziel broke in angrily. "I suggest that you mind your tongue when speaking of it or us."
Madeline was taken aback. She released her hold on her son, who stormed away as fast as his legs could carry him. She murmured a hasty goodbye and followed him at a calmer pace.
"Well, it's going to be quite a challenge to make friends with the neighbors," Jennifer said.
"Do we really have to?" Raziel asked.
"We have to try," Jennifer said. "If it doesn't work out, we can turn spooky and get them to keep their distance."
It took a lot of work and some coaxing to get the van started, but it finally turned over with a huge cloud of exhaust. After Jennifer pulled the van out, Raziel closed the garage door and hopped into the passenger seat. The van lurched and backfired as it left the driveway, but began running smoothly by the time they got down the street. He found that Jennifer was a little more cautious with the large vehicle, but her driving was still scary.
Jennifer had bought some pads that were meant for moving furniture. With Raziel's help, she managed to get them placed under the bookcase and entertainment center so they could be moved without clearing them off. The rest of the furniture also got the pads. When everything was ready, Jennifer created a temporary warp gate between her apartment and the house. Raziel quickly began shoving things through the gate, anxious at how long Jennifer was going to be able to keep it open.
There were several boxes left when Jennifer told Raziel to stop. She collapsed wearily to the floor. They both sat and gawked at how different the apartment looked without most of the stuff. Jennifer idly braided a feather she had found behind the bed into her hair. Even though her hair was dark, the feather's inky blackness still stood in contrast.
Raziel loaded the remaining boxes into the van while Jennifer took care of some last-minute details. Her landlord was all too eager to let her leave in the middle of her lease; he had been looking for a reason to evict someone, though the complaints he had gotten about her hadn't been quite good enough. He already had a couple that would pay a higher rent.