Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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"DOGS!"
Soma blinked as he heard the panicked scream that stopped him mid-step in his walk down the hallway of the Vatican. Leaving him pondering very hard on why someone, Elmo sounding, would scream that. There was no sounds of barking or snarling, the air wasn't filled with any type of dread. Instead he saw Elmo running as though from a mob blindly past the hallway he was standing in without stopping.
"But Elmo! They're just toys!" Another child, Xavier by the looks of it, was running after Elmo at full speed. Soma recalled the normally shy child and seeing him hauling ass down the hallway shamelessly brought a half smile of amusement on his face. At least Elmo now had someone to look after 'him' besides Soma and Arikado. Better yet, a young playmate to keep the child entertained better than the grown ups.
"Dogs are dogs!"
'Toy dogs'? Soma stood there for a moment before he began chuckling internally, in amusement. He had his suspicions that Elmo was not fond of dogs, but scared of plush toys? More than likely he ran into the Belmonts, and that he was scared of those happy faced imprisoned souls was hilarious.
Somas' long legged steps brought him to the crossroad where the pair of children had just run across yet he saw nothing in the direction the pair had ran from. So either the pair had been running for awhile, or the poor Belmont pair had departed or resumed whatever goal they were attempting to accomplish. He knew the hallway, it led to the choir room, though why would the Belmonts be 'there' was anyone's guess.
Yet Kazu was doing spiritual work and aimlessness had settled into Soma again thus stalking the Belmonts sounded like a good distraction. The hallway was empty of priests, and it was 'just' quiet enough that he could hear the numerous voices of the children, like the bubbling of water up a spring and out into the world. Laughter and giggling, and there was just something soothing in the sound of happy children.
While on the other side of the hallway Yoko walked into view, clearly looking about for something on the ground. Considering her gaze went straight to the ground and scanned that before she saw him.
"Hello!" Yoko called out in answer, her ever warm and welcoming smile graced her face as she walked with a quick step towards him. "You haven't seen.. uh... you know..." Yoko asked her smile twisting into this embarrassed grin.
"They're around, I just saw Elmo running for dear life screaming about dogs and little Xavier mentioning they were 'toys'." Soma answered with an amused smirk on his lips as Yoko wilted under the information. The door to the Choir room, which had been only opened a crack, suddenly opened up more and a familiar bear face looked up at them.
Yoko knelt down and picked up Christopher, while pushing the door open for Soma so they could see what was going on.
Simon was at the shelf putting up choir books, the rest of the children in the room had formed a supportive layered series of circles around Juste and Richter. The pair of Belmonts were held in a pair of arms and receiving an extraordinary amounts of petting and reassurance.
"Its ok, we still think you're cool dogs..."
Soma turned to look at Yoko, given they both knew who these toys 'were' and he could barely hold back most of the smirk trying to break free from his mouth. Just the mere 'thought' of what those four were saying or thinking at the moment was just endless amounts of amusement.
"Uh... children..." Yoko reached out for Juste and Richter. "Maybe I should take them back to my room. If Elmo is going on a panic run every time he sees them he really doesn't need the pair out and about."
"Awww," the boys looked disgruntled before slowly begrudgingly putting the pair of dogs down and letting the two Belmonts haul ass to Yoko.
"The children mean well," Juste commented, more to calm himself down from the assault of petting.
"If we could breath, we'd be dead." Richter countered as he rushed past Juste to hide in Yoko's shadow. "That wasn't a hug, that was a death grip chokehold."
Soma smirked as he picked up Richter, then gathered up Juste before the dog could escape his grasp.
"We're trying to help Elmo with his fear of dogs... But he won't listen!" one of the children argued amid a sea of nodding children.
"We want to play with the puppies!"
"They're not puppies! This," Yoko gestured to Juste, "is Juste and the other one is Richter."
"With the bear being Christopher," Soma added while choking on his barely subdued laughter. The trio all gave small waves to indicate when their names were spoken, the kids looked interested and even excited.
"And that's Simon..." Yoko added pointing to the oldest of the bears the kids had known.
"Nu uh. That's 'SnuggyWuggy'," they countered with young stubborn voices.
"No uh. Kids... I know I told you his name was 'Snuggywuggy' and originally it 'was'... But his real name is 'Simon'," Yoko explained and the room got oddly quiet for a moment. Simon had stopped putting up books and turned to look at the kids, folding his arms across his chest and focused on the group before him.
That quiet before a storm.
"Simon is an adult name. What's wrong with 'Snuggy'?" The children protested and one boy went so far as to grab and hold Simon, almost protectively. Like a name change was going to physically inflict harm on the bear.
"Its not that... I just... he's a big bear now and he needs big bear name..." Yoko explained, stumbling over the fact that she couldn't just go into the explanation of sealing a human soul into a toy bear.
"I can't do this..." Soma muttered into Richters' head as he bowed it to hide the increasing desire to laugh.
By now the boys looked ready to riot as only small children with no experience in riots could look. Frowns all around, a couple were mimicking Simon's postures, and lots and lots of head shakes of 'no'. "Snuggywuggy!"
"Kids..." The choir teacher stood there shaking his own head at this proof that not every woman needed to have kids.
Yoko looked completely out of her depth and the young man with her looked ready to fall over laughing. Seriously, Yoko was a good woman, but her child management skills were a reason why she was never in charge of the little ones.
"His name is 'Simon' just ask him if you want!" Yoko countered planting her free hand on her hip, while Christopher hung in her left arm. Covering his eyes because this was a conversation that was even taking 'place'.
"Look Ms. Yoko! You can't just change people's names because you decide you want to be an adult! What would happen if we all had our names changed just because our parents changed their minds?" Tony argued and Soma did an about face.
"That's it, I'm out, see you later..." Soma stumbled out of the room his shoulders heaving in laughter that was barely being contained at this point.
"Your name is 'Antonio' and 'Tony' is just a nickname!" Yoko countered in a growing bluster.
"Is that actually... are they 'arguing' about Simon's name?" Richter asked looking at his grandfather who was covering both his eyes with both his paws.
Juste gave a huge sigh, or at least sounded like he did if he had lungs, "they mean well.. But they don't realize that we're human souls trapped in these forms." He repeated 'they mean well' like a mantra to hold back his own outrage. While he wished that he was reading that journal again, or anything else, unfortunately he couldn't leave his grandson or forefather alone without his magical knowledge.
They were running into issues translating the journal, they needed to be able to research and write down what they found. The journal also implied that this was a Pope who took to writing out his thoughts on paper his whole life. There was supposedly several other journals, so there was possibly even more journals had been hidden through out the Vatican. Though the very mental image of someone climbing under a table and taping a book up was ludicrous to start with. That it was ignored for years while the table was moved to deep clean the floors was incredulous. But that it was 'necessary' was also disturbing.
This journal started shortly before the Pope ascended into the role of head of the Catholic Church. Another chapter in the life of the previous Pope dealing with his new duties as Pope while using various languages and slang the Belmonts didn't quite grasp. Even Simon who had been with Yoko the longest and had mastered several languages was at a loss. Soma would be ideal help, he was aware of 'who' they were and would respect the reason why they were asking questions.
But he was 'Dracula' and currently they couldn't discern a reason to believe he was the lesser of two evils. So far they had refrained from bringing this up to Yoko, deciding that they didn't want to cause her trouble or cause her to be discredited. And unfortunately they had not been able to reach anyone, see Soma, that they could expose the oils to in an effort to see if it worked.
And now Yoko was arguing with a room full of choir boys about what Simon's name was and Soma was carrying Juste and Richter away.
Soma turned to enter the room next to the Choir when Richter began tapping Soma's arm, "hmm?" The young man looked down at the brown toy dog in his arms and watched as Richter pointed ahead. "You want me to take you somewhere else? Like back to Yoko's suite?"
"Yes!" Richter nodded enthusiastically and was rewarded with Soma turning his steps back down the hallway.
"Why do we need to go back to Yoko's suite?" Juste asked looking at his grandson, "unless."
"Oils." Richter confirmed with a nod of the head before twisting his head up to scrutinize Soma a bit. They didn't have to give Soma the journal, the oils would be fine for now, but at the same time he had to wonder. "You know, grandfather, no one has ever explained why that child is so afraid of dogs. For as long as we've been here, I've never been able to recall Yoko explaining why he's so terrified."
"True, and it seems odd that Alucard would allow himself to become the benefactor and guardian to some random child. Maybe Soma might prove useful in finding out why, I mean he 'can' ask Yoko. If we can just get him to understand what we want him to ask." Juste agreed thoughtfully rubbing the side of his muzzle with a paw.
Soma turned a corner and was forced to stop as he took in the sight before him, as did the pair of stunned dogs in his arms. There, in the hallway with walls covered with paintings, was Elmo and Xavier with Xavier sitting on Elmo's back while the boy tried to crawl away. Xavier had this resigned expression on his face when he turned and saw the trio. Any happiness at seeing an adult dulled by the realization that the 'adult' had the very cause of Elmo's distress in his arms.
Soma sighed and looked around before walking to the stairs that lead to the floor below. He put the dogs down, Juste and Richter both tucked themselves out of sight while Soma stood up. "Xavier why are you sitting on Elmo's back?"
The Dark Lord walked towards the pair and Xavier just gave him a quiet resigned expression, "I'm just taking a break sir. I've been dragging him back from the closet. Its hard!" Xavier explained with more courage than he had when he first arrived.
"I see... well Juste and Richter aren't in the choir room anymore so I'll take him there and you both can be with your classmates." Soma offered earning a relieved sigh from Xavier who stood up beside Elmo.
Elmo pushed himself up to his feet and dusted off his robes before scrubbing at his eyes, "dogs are scary."
"There, there Elmo, don't worry, you just come with me and go to the choir room with the gang," Soma offered. He took both Elmo and Xavier by the hand and walked them back to the choir room.
Juste had his eyes on an elderly nun who was painstakingly making her way up the stairs and Richter kept his ears down, so he could peek up over the step to make sure that Elmo couldn't see them. Once the boys had made the turn down towards the choir room the pair stood up and climbed up the stair.
"Ohh look, Yoko's toys are out, how cute."
Juste sighed, but politely sat at the top step and waited on the nun as she continued her ascent, gentlemen didn't ignore a lady. Regardless of age, a lady was a lady and he remembered when his original body grew elderly. Time felt like sand draining through his fingers, that there was this pressing doom converging on all of them. Odd that this sense never came over him while he was trapped on Yoko's shelf. But it was also recent as well for he never felt it when they were out on the Stuffy Christmas patrol.
Perhaps it was a spiritual self defense mechanism to help him cope with being trapped in one place for the years he was stuck in this body. Or maybe it was because of Yoko, it was her suite after all and she provided levels of protection on her own. Indeed he could read without such a pressing feeling consuming him.
The rug that laid upon the stairs was thick and hopefully helped cushion the joints as the elderly woman hobbled her way up. While Richter stayed near his grandfather and turned when he heard the familiar sounds of boots on rug. Watching as Soma rejoined them his hands stuffed in his pockets with his coat brushing against his ankles. Getting up Richter walked over and started walking next to Soma, earning a glance of amusement from the reincarnated Dark Lord.
Only he was far too close to the ground to see the look as Soma walked over to join Juste and saw the ancient Nun. He waited patiently as the old one took her steps with delicate care and precision, no good to face plant at her age. Richter sat at his feet while he admired the elevated view of the Vatican before extending a hand to the nun as she got close.
"So odd that these adorable toys would be here," the nun commented slightly breathless as she reached the top of the stairs. She looked down at Somas' hand and warmly took his hand into her own, "You are too young to have such cold hands," she stuck her hand inside one inner pocket of her robe and pulled out a packet. "Here I use this to warm my hands when it gets bad. But you need to see a doctor or something..."
"Thank you, Sister," Soma accepted the packet graciously, with a faint smile on his lips. She hobbled away while the two Belmonts stood up. "I got Elmo with the rest of the choir class and they're still arguing with Yoko about Simon's name."
"Really? Why bother? I'd just let them call him 'Snuggy'," Richter commented to his grandfather, knowing that Soma couldn't hear them. He walked along with his grandfather on his right and Soma on his left.
"Perhaps Yoko just feels that she should set things right for him," Juste answered with casual indifference. "Regardless, I'd be more interested in why Elmo is so terrified of dogs to the degree that we, in these forms, scare him so. I would be worried how he reacts outside of the Vatican, should he come across even a mere toy, he could get himself killed."
"That's true, its so weird too, its not like he's ever come across us doing something out of ordinary for a dog, walking around shouldn't cause this level of panic and yet..." Richter agreed his head tilting a bit to the side.