Sadly, LoK belongs to Edios, not me. (sniffle!) Henry James' The Turn of the Screw is Henry James', as he is also his own, not mine either.
I figure with Kainy-poo being thousands of years old he'd have plenty of time to catch up on any reading he might have missed out of. This is before SR1, but Kain is still Mr. Crinkly and everyone looks like they were in the SR1 opening movie shot, except Raziel, who is minus the wings of course.
Kain: Mr. Crinkly? (cries in the corner)
(gasp! Runs to Kain) I mean Mr. Chibi! Mr. Chibi! You've always been chibi!
Any way…
This is pretty much a little adventure for him to promote my new favorite author.
The Revolution of the Reaver
Chapter I: A Vampire DefiledWithin the throne room containing the ruined Pillars of Nosgoth, six figures stood in a semi-circle around a seventh lounging in a large and decorative chair in front of the Pillar of Balance. The six knew better than to disturb the man sitting in the throne; such a thing would anger him, and when he is irate, people tended to die. Thus, they waited patiently until their master would take notice they were there.
Kain reclined on his throne before the Pillar of Balance with a small worn book in one hand, held open at the second-to-last page, as he gently grasped the hilt of his prize sword, the Soul Reaver, in his other. His golden eyes nimbly skipped from word to word in suspense, desperately seeking the end of the excitement contained within the pages. He leaned the Reaver against the side of his throne to use both hands now the cling to his novel. Soon he reached his goal, the last word at the bottom. Quickly, he turned the page, yet found it to be one of the useless blank pages of the book. There was nothing more.
Kain stared blankly at this page for some time while his mouth hung open ever so slightly. His lieutenants looked around, cleaned their claws, and did various other menial tasks to keep themselves busy while their ruler finished reading, their sire's actions unnoticed. Yet they were all snapped to attention upon hearing a fluttery thump on the floor before them.
Kain had dropped his book.
Surprised, they eyed the novel lying haphazardly at Kain's feet. Then the lieutenants were equally surprised, confused, and frightened as they beheld their sire's face. He had such a look of distress and destitution that it almost turned their stomachs to see him that way.
"What troubles you, sire? I have never seen you this way," asked an alarmed Raziel as he dared to approach him, offering a concerned gesture.
Kain leaned forward, holding his head in his claws. He looked up to Raziel still showing distress in his facial expression. All the lieutenants were quite disturbed from this spectacle. What could have possibly done this to the most powerful man in Nosgoth?
"I have just been raped," he announced, his words wobbling.
Raziel backed away aghast, his brothers doing the same. Suddenly fear overtook them. Their world was crashing down; Kain is the most powerful man in Nosgoth, yet in order to be a victim of such a revolting crime, the person doing the act would have to be stronger. Yet Kain is the most powerful man in Nosgoth! Their minds reeled as the dilemma bantered back and forth in their heads. Everything upon which they had learned and built their lives seemed to become lies in a single instant. Melchiah looked as if he would scream.
Kain blinked at the reaction of his lieutenants to his conclusion about himself. He stood up and sternly looked at his fledglings, placing his claws at his hips. "What is this fear I smell, and dare I say, see from you?" he demanded. "Why do you look as if any moment the earth would swallow you whole?"
The brothers needed security again in any way possible. Taking the initiative, Rahab desperately threw himself upon Kain, grasping his shoulders tightly. "Sire! Please!" he pleaded. "Tell us who did this heinous crime to your body!"
Kain's brow shot up. Zephon joined Rahab, both hanging on their sire's shoulders. "The offender's torture will never end!" he yelled as Dumah, Turel, and Raziel crowded close to Nosgoth's ruler.
Kain started to become greatly annoyed. Melchiah, nearly in tears, dropped to his knees and frantically hugged his sire's left leg as if it was the only thing solid in the entire world. "Please," Melchiah begged. "You must be raised as the most powerful man in Nosgoth once again!"
Becoming quite irate at the display of affection and their notion that someone is stronger than he, he threw the lieutenants off of himself with telekinesis, the younger vampires flying every which way.
Kain stamped an angry foot and waved his angry arms a bit. "What is wrong with you?" he bellowed. "Are you all morons? I wasn't molested; I assure you, such a thing would only come to pass if I am dead.
(Meanwhile in Kain's future, but Nosgoth's past, he lies quite deceased on the floor of the Avernus Cathedral, where a blue wraith man remembers this conversation and shudders violently.)
"I had merely made a relation of the state of mind in which I was left to being ravaged in such a way, since the emotions of confusion, anger, and misery are the same."
All the lieutenants let out a sigh of relief. The world was no longer plunging into darkness; all was as it was before. Turel managed to sit up from where he was thrown. "I see. Would it have been more understandable if you had said, 'like I was raped?'" Kain gave a menacing glance at Turel, who quickly decided to change the subject. "What did this to you sire?"
"THIS DAMNED BOOK!" he roared, almost kicking it across the floor. Yet he stopped short, and picked it up instead, brushing the dirt from it.
"And its title?" asked Melchiah.
"The Turn of the Screw."
"Well, what is it about?"
"I do not know."
Raziel's brow furrowed at this statement. How could someone read a whole book and not know what it is about without being insane or stupid? This question of his master's sanity raced in his mind, and then vanished as quickly as it had come.
Once again, Kain's expression turned to one the brothers had not seen before. He had anxiety displayed on his face. "I-I don't know," he quickly stuttered desperately. "There is a governess taking care of children at a mansion with a maid, but then-then there are ghosts. They-they might not even be real; the governess sees them, yet the texts suggest she is in hysterics. Then the boy is killed somehow. Everything is in such ambiguity I cannot discern what exactly took place in the story."
Rahab blinked at Kain's supposed explanation. "Who is the author?"
"Henry James."
Zephon picked himself off the ground and dusted his clothes. "Good. A name. Now let's find him and make him suffer for what he has written."
Suddenly in a blind fury, Kain drew the Soul Reaver from the throne and thrusted in Zephon's direction. "You will do no such thing! I would kill you for it!" Realizing what he was doing, he quickly calmed himself and put away his sword. "He is not a bad writer. In fact this is the best book I've ever hated."
"What?"
Kain cleared his throat. "It is wonderfully written, the dialects of the characters are accurate to where they originate, and it is a great narrative." He paused. "Yet I detest this book for what it has done to me!" He threw it on his throne and turned his back to it.
The lieutenants were quite confused. Suddenly, Kain developed a plan to rid him of those horrible emotions. He used his telekinesis once again, this time to bring all his fledglings to their feet.
"Come," he called as he began walking out of the throne room. "We shall take a journey to absolve these sensations from me." The lieutenants did as they were told, and Kain gained a sinister grin on his continence. "Soon, Human Henry," he leered too low for anyone save himself to hear, "I shall have you clarify the message of your work."
Oooo! Kain is out to discover the undiscoverable!
Kain: And such a wanton display of wordplay YY: The Turn of the Screw, The Revolution of the Reaver...
But I hope you liked it. :)
Kain: (irate huff) Thank you for almost making this into one of those smut fangirl stories! (muttering) Damn humans always thinking of me sexually…
It wasn't meant to be that way. Plus, don't poke fun at fangirls; some may be reading this right now, and will forever hate me and never review! Besides, you shouldn't complain. Just think of it: if ever you had the urge to … um… "fufill" yourself, you could. Every man's dream.
Kain: (scoff) Like I would want a human…
Cut it out. Now!
Kain: (sigh) Fine. (unemotionally) Oh, baby. I want women. All the time. Maybe even possibly men.
Better.
And if you are wondering why Kain would feel such a way after reading The Turn of the Screw, get a copy of that short story and find out for yourself!
I read on a library site that Kain's reaction is quite normal for this particular work of Henry James.