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Names and Faces; Nori Kamiko
Topic Started: Dec 16 2007, 01:18 AM (505 Views)
Alexander Taylor
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Psychotic Werewolf
There were no people on the list the had arrived on Alexander Taylor's doorstep two nights before. People were complex; they had family, friends, jobs, emotions, lives. People could be killed. Alex was not a killer. The Wolf inside him might have been, but the Wolf was not the one who would later have to live with the consequences of death. Alexander did not kill--he erased and crossed off. If Alexander were to kill, then there would have been people on the list, but as it was, there were only names. Names to be crossed off.

It couldn't be quite as simple as that, though, because each name was tied to a face. 'Xander's job, as he saw it, was to find the face that matched the name. When he had done that, he erased the face and crossed out the name. Erasing the face could mean any number of things. His old wand had come out of retirement, and would, no doubt, prove extremely useful. Then there was the Wolf; the other half of him, tugging and pulling constantly, begging for a chance to be let out. Fighting for control. Once the Wolf had tasted blood, he was not easily satisfied. The same was true of freedom, although in the lycanthropic personality, the two were synonymous.

Alexander wasn't sure who he distrusted more: the Wolf, or the man. If he took that potion, if he let the beast inside out, it was unlikely that the carnage would stop with one face. One name. On the other token, would he be able to do the deed himself?

He stood in front of a nondescript apartment door, deliberating. He had traced the first name to this location. Even as he stood, he could almost smell her behind the locked door. She was cooking. Potatoes. The aroma drifted out through a small window to the left, granting some dim light in the alley. Alexander's hands were shoved deep inside his pockets as he stood--one set of fingers tracing the outlines of the vial, the other testing the point of his wand.

After a half-second of deliberation, he removed the vial, holding it against the palm of his hand in the half-light. The liquid swirled gently in its confines. Do it, urged the grisly voice in Alex's head. There was a bad taste in his mouth and a feeling of forboding in his stomach, but 'Xander ignored it. Turning, he swung off his coat and place it on the corner of the stoop, outside of the light. He removed his shirt in the same fashion, showing a muscular chest. The cold air prickled against his skin. He shook out his hair once--it was getting long again--then removed his pants and boxers and downed the foul potion in one gulp.

He had measured very carefully; it was just enough for the swelling moon. The transformation was complete within a minute. A large, ominous red dog circled slowly up to the base of the window, illuminated by the faint light. An onlooker would have seen the beast give a jump that seemed too calculated for an animal, just barely managing to fit its bulk into the window. The entire motion took mere seconds; not even time for a double-take.

The start of a scream was heard, but died quickly. The neighborhood did not stir: it was likely that the feeble cry had not even awakened. It was even more likely that there had been no one to awaken at this relatively early hour of the night.

Three hours later, the lock in the door turned. It opened briefly, and a masculan arm reached out. It grabbed immediately at the pile of clothing in the shadows, grabbed it all up, and returned to the house. The door was relocked a second later. The outside appearence had not changed in all of those four hours, and even now, it looked exactly the same as it had before Alexander's arrival.

The inside of the house was a different story. Alexander, holding the bundle of clothing out away from his chest, stepped over a trickling of blood that ran across the hallway, pacing down the hall towards an open door. The walls were torn and ragged, scarred with claw marks. A few pictures had been knocked off the wall and broken, shattered glass spewed here and there about the floor.

The bare feet, as blood-stained as their surroundings, carefully avoided all of the debris. It wouldn't do have his blood mix with hers, to leave part of him here at what was now a crime scene. 'Xander shook his head; not a crime scene. Erasing a face is not a crime.

He entered the room at the end of the hall; a bathroom, for the most part spared from the carnage. Dumping his clothing on a clear path of tile, Alexander stepped into the shower. The hot water was soon rolling over his skin, erasing all evidence of his involvement. The diluted blood made a ring around the floor of the tub. Alex scrubbed the nearly-dried gore out of his hair, and contemplated using the flowery bottles of shampoo and conditioner sitting quietly in one corner of shower. They smelled like peaches. He decided against it.

As soon as he was clean, he stepped outside and dried himself, using her towel. It wasn't as if she'd be needing it any longer. He dressed himself matter-of-factly, then cast a glance around the room. The bottom of the tub was still stained with a dull reddish mark, but he didn't bother to correct the problem. Alexander didn't care how he left the place, or what clues they might be able to gleen from it. He wasn't about to score around and look for any stray red hairs that might have been caught during his rampage. Those stupid Muggle police wouldn't be able to find him, and neither would the bumbling Ministry.

He slipped silently out into the hallway, once again avoiding everything. By the door he paused, casting one stray glance over at the kitchen: at the corpse. Pulling a peice of paper out from a stray pocket, he crossed out the first name. The sensation made him giddy. It was done, now. Erasing and crossing out. A smile slid over his face, and with a quiet Pop, he had disappeared.

A moment later, he was pacing down the streets of Knockturn Alley. Why he had come here, of all places, he wasn't quite sure, but here he was. What could he say? He was feeling a bit restless. Maybe he'd treat himself with some long-deprived delicacy while he was here.

Alexander had been completely isolated from magical society since Hogwarts. Walking down Knockturn now, even deserted as it was in the middle of the night, was quite a blast from the past, and not even one that carried a negative connotation. Iriys Dievas, with its remote location, had been the first thing that drew him away from magical society, and it had also been the thing that repulsed him from it. The werewolf commune was refreshing in two aspects; one, that it was independant and solitary, and two, that everyone there was poor. There was no jealousy when there was nothing to be jealous of. Iriys Deivas and the commune had both faded into nothing more than bad memories, but Knockturn--Knockturn was a relief. Returning to the Wizarding World was like coming home after fighting in a war; Alexander had suspected that his reintroduction to this culture might make him feel out of touch, guilty even, for his long absence, but it was not so.

He smiled, knowing now that he wouldn't be able to trick himself into retreating from it again. His newfound occupation, while at first it seemed like a nightmare, was now his excuse. His reason for indulging in the community he never should have seperated himself from.

Alexander scanned the street ahead of him, and froze. A flash of color, something that looked devastatingly familiar. Could it be?

No. It was just his imagination, running away with him. Thinking back had accidentally summoned an unwanted memory. There wasn't really anyone there.

Oh, but there was. Furthermore, he hadn't been mistaken--it was her.

Nori Amelia Kamiko.

Alexander took a hasty step to the side of the narrow street, into the shadow of a looming doorway. His breath was short, his eyes still glued to her. That was why he'd kept back from the Wizarding World, that was why he'd denied his blood for so long, trying to just use one part of him and ignore the other, trying to pretend that his past had never happened, and that his future never would. It was people like her--it was memories like those, those things which, suppressed as they were, took every available opportunity of presenting themselves. Those forgotten moments that now paraded themselves before him, calling up all manner of feelings--the peaceful memories brought on regret, the others guilt.

Can't I even have one night? A walk through Knockturn at the earliest hour of the morning--can't they even leave me that?

Apparently not.

OOC: Not sure if that's what you wanted or not. Let me know, lovie.
Were it not better to forget
than to remember and regret?

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Nori Kamiko
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Werewolf
OoC: That is perfect! I can't believe how long it is! I thought you didn't have much time! XD I WUV YOU SO MUCH!

The past was comeing back to haunt her, Nori could just tell. It was becomeing one of those months were everything goes nuts. The full moon had just passed a few days before and Nori could still feel the remnant of it. The itch her wolfish side had, the need for some carnage and fresh meat. But, being a restaurant owner finding fresh meat wasn't a problem. The carnage however, could be potentionally difficult for the solum young woman. How to find such danger and negative forces after the full moon... Well, one makes due.

Nori tried to tell that to her other half but they both knew that she needed more ingrediants for the next batch of Wolvesbain potion. She had run low on quite a few and she needed to start soon. Some shops were only open at the oddest hours which wasn't a bother at this point in time. Nori hadn't been sleeping well the last few weeks. Ever since Monica and Jenna had stepped back into her life. The did love both of them dearly but the drama they shoved into her face... all the old memories.

Seriously, who needed all that in an already hecktic life. Nori was taking self protection classes, muggle and magical so that she could be prepared in any situation. There were alot of deaths and dissapearances lately and it seemed that no one was safe. Who was to say a werewolf/cook wasn't to be next? She had helped out a few cases of domestic abuse and such when people came into her restuarant. It was just something that Nori had done for a friend of Lynn's one day. Nori was a certified Healer, so why shouldn't she use it?

I need healing herbs too... damn.

Nori's thoughts fluttered across her mind as she mentally searched through her purse. Did she have enough coins for this early morning's shopping spree or was the initial spending going to have to be it for that day. She sighed and headed farther into Knockturn Alley. She couldn't be late, even though she was well known in the area people here wouldn't open their doors for just anyone. Nori sniffled in disdane but caught a scent.

The scent. That smell that had lingered on Monica. His smell.

She stopped dead and glanced around, not causing any of the other shoppers attention to be drawn to her but just long enough for Nori to see their faces. She sniffed again, sorting through all the grime and unwashed human scents, searching for that special one. Taking a step forward Nori turned her head slightly to her left, catching it again. Her eyes began to water. Maybe he had been here, maybe there was something there that she could follow. Maybe she could find him.

What Nori found after taking another step was better then a trail, but the man himself. Standing in the shadows with his peircing eyes on her, shock filled them, leaving Nori almost breathless. He looked ragged, beyond what Monica had said. This man seemed to have lost any care of cleanliness although he had just taken a shower. He was almost gaunt looking but Nori could tell he was just as muscled, if not more, then the day they last saw each other. Running for miles at least once a month helped with that.

"Alex?"

The word came out of her mouth as nothing more then a whisper. She was afraid that if she spoke any louder that she would wake up or her breath would push the illusion away. But her nose told her different, it was really Alex Taylor. Her sire, her friend...

Her love.

Courage couldn't come at a worse time.
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Alexander Taylor
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Psychotic Werewolf
Dark brown eyes, flecked with broken gold, sitting calmly above rosy cheeks and soft, pink lips that reeked of innocence. A round chin, a slender neck; the entire face framed with a copper-colored mix of silky threads, the meagerest hint of a curl at the bottom of each strand. A few scattered freckles. a faint glimmer of hope.

It was her, alright. There could be no denying it, and now, there could be no hiding from her. She'd found him out--it was stupid to try and pretend that there was ever any doubt of it. Alexander's luck just didn't work that way. Even though he'd seen her first--even though he'd dodged back behind a pillar--even though no normal person would have been able to even detect his presence--

Ah, but Nori Kamiko was no normal person. He'd seen personally to that. Here she was now, the embodiment of all his mistakes. She was a reminder not only the ones he'd made regarding her, though they were plentiful, but also of every ill decision he'd made since then. Because Nori, of course, would be faring much better than he. She had always been so much better.

Alex did not notice the hopefulness in her eyes, the faint traces of love still shining through her entire countenance. He was blinded by his own wretched view of his past, of his future, and thus could see nothing but disappointment. Although the emotion was slight, and hidden behind other, more cheerful ones, the hitman picked up on it at once, and his own brain magnified it. No longer was Nori an old lover, hinging on a smile, dying on a kind word; she was transformed now into some sort of avenging angel in his eyes. Standing there, obviously so much happier than him, and knowing it.

She'd said his name. To Alex the word sounded as if pronounced by a mother or a strict school teacher, and he felt scolded. At the same time, he felt his chest heat up with a sort of subtle, slow anger--What power did she hold that she could speak to him so? She was laughing at his fate, he was convinced--her along with Monica, Jenna, Jack, Tim--the whole lot of them. They were all laughing at him. Such is the reasoning of a desperate man, who lies to himself without realizing it.

'Xander's throat was dry and hoarse, and he found himself incapable of speech. Emotions bubbled in his chest like a stream's heading--he was terrified of her, this ghost from his memories, and enraged that she would be so condescending--at the same time some instinctive part of him wanted to grab her and pull her close, wrap her up and never let go. To make her part of him, always and forever. This was all conflicting madly within him, and as a result he had no idea what to do.

He took a step back, away from her. Away from all that familiarity, the pain that lay just beneath the surface. It was all very well and good to say that he still wanted her, still needed her--maybe, on some level, that was true. But on other levels, she would be the death of him. He had an unsteady grip on life, on sanity, and someone like her--she would upset things entirely.

"I--I'm sorry," he said, his voice nothing more than a croak, unwilling to be pushed out of his lungs into the cold air. "I--can't."

That was the complete truth--he might want to see her again, he might want to pretend that all those years had never happened--his decaying soul might even need someone refreshing like Nori to keep his hope alive. But he couldn't.

As soon as the last word had left his tongue, he disappeared with another crack.

OOC: Oooooo, so sad. D=
Were it not better to forget
than to remember and regret?

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Nori Kamiko
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Werewolf
"Nori?"

Alex's words flew over her like a blanket that had been lost in the distant past, hidden in boxes of childhood memories and family heirlooms. He stepped forward with a look of disbelief in his eyes, seemingly like he just couldn't fathom why his old girlfriend was in this part of wizard London. Having not seen her for years and not writing would give the impression that she hadn't changed. "What are you doing here? This isn't the best of places."

He took another step, shaking his dirty hair out of his beautiful eyes. The eyes would be falling all over her body, taking in this sight like it was life, something he hadn't known in forever. "I'm getting ingrediants for next month's Wolfsbane Potion and for some new cooking ideas me an' Lynn have come up with.. What about you?... Why-"

Nori cut her question short, not wanting to offend if this was the new life he had. Living in was appeared to be poverty; withdrawn from life and those around him. What Monica said was comeing back into the forefront of her mind. "He changed, not himself" What if something horrible had happened and had now transformed her love into something... else?

"Oh? My appearance?" Alex laughed quietly, not wanting to add more attention to themselfes on the sketchy street, "I'm working for the ministry now, Undercover Auror. I'm just getting out of a job-" He looked around slowly, eyes scanning those few around them.

"I want to tell Monica that I'm sorry about what happed when I saw her.. I didn't mean to scare her but she was going to blow my cover.. How about I walk you home?"

Nori blushed, admireing his chivalry and embarassed for him forgetting the person she was and had grown into. She was never that kind of girl to need help from a man, so why would she start now? "Alex, I'm an orange belt in muggle karate, have almost completed the Wizard Pre-training for Aurors, and am a certified Healer. I'm pretty sure I'm fine. Besides, I'm almost done, just two more shops before sunrise."

She wanted to sound sure and confident while walking down this street that never felt safe, and she did want to spend more time with him.. Kamiko really missed Taylor, although she wouldn't admit it until much later. "Then, lets finish and get you home, Theres so much I want to tell you..."


The senario flew past her mind's eye in the blink of an eye. Something that she wanted so badly to be true and she waited expectantly for his scripted responce. He skipped over saying her name and instead of stepping forward, he stepped back. Away from her. Nori's brows came together in confusion. Why? Why wasn't he walking toward her with happiness and love? Why, why, WHY?

I--I'm sorry His voice cracked, deep and raspy. He strained to let the words he needed to say out across the open space and into her heart. I--can't

The last thing Nori heard was a loud crack of dissapparation before she broke inside. Finally being able to see this person she missed so much and loved with all her heart was leaving again. Leaving her behind, out in the cold, harsh world. One tear fell down her cheek before she stepped on to finish her shopping. Later, she kept telling herself, Later you can cry... Now is not the time.

For Nori, would she let there be a later?
Courage couldn't come at a worse time.
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