Disclaimer: I don't own Legacy of Kain or any other identifiable pop culture references.
Smoke: All right, I just realized that I haven't done a good review response.
Raziel: Maybe that's why people have stopped reviewing.
Smoke: No, I'm not the only one who's having problems. I think almost everyone is being a good student right now. They'll be back in a while.
Raziel: Do you realize what it's going to do to your fragile self-esteem if they never come back?
Smoke: Yes. (sigh) And now, in the order of newest to oldest, review responses. Some actual answers apply to people that they're not aimed at. I apologize if I lost anyone.
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Varyssa : I love your enthusiasm. Btw, congrats on getting to the first one.
Varewulf: I really love your comments, complaints, anything that provokes thought. Thanks for helping me.
Deepcoiler: I go where my inspiration takes me. I will be bringing new chars, I think. It depends on my mood.
E.H : Yay, another Janos fan. I like Janos almost as much as I like Raziel. I kinda feel bad about how much pathos I'm laying on the guy, but Raziel's had enough.
Tom T. Thomson: Congrats on the new equipment.
Static-elf-of-insanity: I'm glad I made someone feel good. That seems to be the point of this community.
BearVsChris: Thanks for letting Varewulf know that I updated. I'm still trying to figure out how to use the house to its full potential. (Mostly it's an excuse to have everyone living together, the apartment was too small.)
Servatis: Thanks for the pounce.
Hylden Revenant: Senseless violence can be fun, but yeah, it can get boring.
A/N: As for the motorcycle thing… I find myself throwing in things and images just in case I need to use them, or because I think they're cool. I guess it's a round-about way of telling the story. I'm sure I wouldn't get away with it in a professional piece. As it is, I'm glad to provide some entertainment and ease for those who crave more time with Raziel.
Btw, I think I'm starting to lighten up on Janos. Hopefully.
Janos and Raziel had settled into the parlor. Janos rubbed his temples wearily as he absorbed everything he had been told recently.
"Is it too much?" Raziel asked in concern.
"No, I'm just tired," Janos said. "I want to know everything."
Raziel said. "I would not like to see you destroyed by the truth."
"I doubt that there is anything you could say now that would affect me too badly," Janos conceded.
"Maybe," Raziel reflected.
Janos said, "Azrael has told me about the necromancy, but I still find it odd that there was anything left to raise after so long."
"The only thing I remember from that day was the pain of being resurrected," Raziel admitted. "Though I've noticed that exsanguination has a way of preserving a corpse."
"How would you know that?" Janos asked in surprise.
"I did reclaim the Reaver, and I had a chance to use it before I found out what would happen to me," Raziel said. "You did say it would drain an enemy's lifeblood."
Janos gawked as he put the pieces together. "You…"
"I killed them all," Raziel said in a neutral tone.
Janos sighed. "Your destiny seems to be more labyrinthine than anyone could have supposed. I don't know what to make of it."
"It was hard to figure out," Raziel said.
"At one point, I thought that you were the other champion," Janos admitted.
"There was no other champion. I was everyone's pawn." Raziel balled his fists in anger as he remembered how easily he fell to manipulation.
Janos noticed Raziel's emotional state. "Perhaps it is you who has had enough, for now."
They walked into the kitchen to find Jennifer and Kain sitting at the table. Various chess pieces were scattered in front of the pair, and Jennifer was staring at them intently. "I still don't see what you were trying to accomplish," Jennifer spat. "There's no way you could ever have gotten it to work.""It would have," Kain asserted crossly.
"But it didn't," Jennifer said, knocking one of the pawns over. "Not the way you describe."
"Are we interrupting anything?" Janos asked the two.
"The discussion is over," Kain scowled.
"It makes sense, why Jennifer said that you were the one who didn't want me revived," Janos said. "You must have thought that you would need to die for me to live once again."
"Actually, he didn't know anything," Raziel said.
"I still don't know how I managed to survive," Kain mused.
"You must have a soft spot," Jennifer said. "You did manage to win in the end."
Kain gave Jennifer an infuriated stare. "You obviously don't know the full consequences of that change to history. Do you realize how much of my army was killed in that ambush?" Kain grimaced. "Don't forget that they have him now. I'm not yet certain what effect that could have in the future."
Janos shifted his weight uncomfortably, "I will not help them willingly."
Everyone was somber for a moment. All four of them knew that Janos had already served the Hylden unwillingly.
In an effort to shake off the bad mood, Jennifer proposed a game of cards. It was a good distraction that would still allow for conversation.
Once they got started Janos said, "Raziel, you told me that Vorador was dead."
"I thought he was," Raziel answered.
"I watched him die with my own eyes," Kain confirmed. "He refused to tell me how he managed to return. I'm surprised that he didn't tell you."
"There was no time," Janos said.
"You seem to know most of the details," Raziel told Jennifer.
"No one knows the answer to that mystery," Jennifer said as she laid down her cards in triumph. "Though that's one theory out the window."
Kain stared at her hand. "You are stacking the deck," he accused.
"Luck runs in streaks," Jennifer insisted.
"We'll see about that," Kain snarled as he took the cards and shuffled them.
"You have the ability to pull Vorador out, don't you?" Raziel asked Jennifer.
"I could," Jennifer answered carefully.
"You won't," Janos ordered. "I miss him greatly, but he would not be happy here."
Jennifer nodded her agreement to this.
Kain growled as Jennifer won the next round as well.
"I told you, Albino Elf," she said.
Kain paused in wonder. "What do you see?"
Jennifer became coy. "I see a crusty old emperor who will not remove his crown."
"Then why did you call me that?" Kain asked.
Jennifer sighed. "It's just a name that I've heard them use."
Kain handed the deck to Raziel. "Be glad that your disguise is stronger than my illusions. Those fanatics have a tendency to see me no matter what I do."
"Do they have names for us?" Janos asked.
"I don't know any for you," Jennifer said thoughtfully.
"What about me?" Raziel asked.
"None," Jennifer chirped in a way that said, 'many.'
Raziel held the cards, his look saying, 'I am not dealing until you tell me.'
"Other than how fun it is to mangle your name?" Jennifer asked meekly.
Raziel calmly fiddled with the deck.
"Blue cockroach," Jennifer muttered unenthusiastically.
Raziel rolled his eyes and dealt out the hand.
The next round of cards progressed with predictable results.
"We are going to play until your lucky streak ends," Kain said determinedly.
"On one condition," Jennifer said, rooting around in the refrigerator. She produced a glass jar. "Have a pickled pepper."
"You know that I don't care for eating," Kain said.
"Exactly," Jennifer said. "I have a feeling that we're going to be here half the night, so I'm putting a price on it."
"That seems like a small cost," Raziel said. "I'll try one, too." He delicately plucked a pepper from the proffered jar.
Kain took a pepper, "I don't trust you."
"Big surprise," Jennifer said flatly. "I'm not trying to poison you." She pointedly fished a pepper from the jar and ate it.
Raziel and Kain both ate their peppers before Janos had a chance to get one. Raziel gave a chocking gasp as he spit out the slice and immediately shifted to his wraith form. Kain pounded the table in surprise and bit into his own wrist to relieve the pain.
Janos noticed their reactions and dropped his jalapeno back into the jar in alarm.
Jennifer began laughing and coughing and she started pouring glasses of milk.
"What creature in its right mind would eat that," Raziel growled, thankful for once that he didn't have a tongue.
Jennifer didn't answer for a moment. She was holding the milk in her mouth to wash away the caustic oils. Kain had taken a glass and followed her example.
Raziel considered the glass he had been given. He decided that he had already found the best solution.
"Some people actually like the way that feels," Jennifer said.
"Do you?" Raziel asked.
"Nope, but it was worth it just to see the look on Kain's face." Jennifer giggled slightly. "I'm not going to be able to taste anything for a week."
Kain growled as he took another sip of milk.
"I've been wondering... why do you keep your face covered?" Janos asked Raziel.
Raziel sighed. "I have nothing to hide." He pulled his cowl away momentarily.
"Oh," Janos said in mild surprise.
Raziel wordlessly readjusted his scarf.
Jennifer shuffled the cards and dealt another hand. Fortunately, her winning streak was at an end.