At Least I'll Die with a Name [M-R ~ Wolfy]

[Guest]

Nora

This was a bad idea. An intense throb hammered in Nora's head, either from the alcohol, or the pulsing light that illuminated the form of swaying mass on the dance floor, intuitive with the rumble of bass exploding from the speakers. She rubbed her temples with her index & middle fingers, elbows propped on the bar counter, with her eyelids curled over her eyes tightly, in a feeble attempt to relieve some of the ache. The voice of the bartender caused her deep, coffee-colored eyes to creep open, asking her if she needed another drink. "Jack Daniel's on the rocks," she breathed, and swiftly added, "Thanks." Her gaze skimmed over the faces at the bar, then fell on the bodies that mushed against each other on the dance floor. Her brows furrowed lightly as she began to wonder why she even bothered to come here. To stop my dumb ass from thinking. The clink of glass against wood whipped Nora's head back towards the bar the bartender was leaning on, Nora's drink now sitting between them, and asked if she needed anything else. She shook her head, swiped up the cup, and downed the liquid, not at all bothered by the burn it brought as it slid down her throat. She was glad to feel at least something for a change.

She fidgeted at the sudden realization of how out of place she felt. Normally at this time in the evening, she'd be at home, her fingers poking notes out of a piano, or something else distracting to keep her mind occupied. But, however, she felt today called for a change in routine. Nora pushed herself from the bar stool & stood on wobbly legs, drowsy & a tad intoxicated. Irritated with herself, she willed her legs to cooperate with her mind, and stumbled forward a few steps. Jesus, I just had a few drinks. I can haul myself home. With an inhale & exhale, she trudged forward, and was so far satisfied with her progress. So satisfied that she didn't watch her footing, which landed her on the floor after her shoe had caught the leg of a bar stool.

[agh, so sorry if it's not enough to work with. D:]

[Wolfy]

[Perfectly fine.]

Aaron

He had grown tired of trying to get tipsy. Downing shot after shot hadn't worked, and neither had the various tall glasses of the strongest alcohol in the bar. Grinding his teeth together harshly, Aaron straightened from his hunched beneath over the bar. "You want another?" The flirtatious, feminine voice caused his head to snap up, dark blue eyes falling onto one of the bartenders, and his natural smile graced his lips. "No thanks. I think I've proven I'm not a lightweight." Aaron responded, turning on his bar stool as she chuckled. His black hair fell into his eyes, momentarily blocking his sight before he brushed it away. He rubbed his jaw, considering his next move carefully. The hunger was steadily growing, and as the darkness of the club cleared slightly, Aaron knew his eyes were glinting gold, signaling that it was nearly time to hunt. Cursing under his breath, Aaron slid off his stool, eyes scanning the club for anyone worth 'preying' on.


A sharp pang in his mouth made him jump, and bit his tongue harshly as his canines lengthened.  Clenching his hands into fists, Aaron continued on, moving along the edge, towards the booths in the back where an occasional affair awaited, just asking to be exposed. Grinning at the thought, he sped up a bit, anxious to see he would get lucky. Hurriedly moving past the empty booths, he brushed past an obviously drunken couple, who unfortunately, didn't have the scent of anyone else on them. Besides each other, of course. A frown made its way onto his features. It was very empty tonight, and with a frustrated sigh, he headed back to the bar. As he started to sit down, something brushed past him. Moving quickly, Aaron caught the girl before she could hit the floor. He was squatting, proving just how close she had come to hitting the ground. Slowly, he lifted her back up, releasing her once he thought she was standing. "You alright?"
 
Credit to nicolejadejonas
Bonus :3
Credit to fallenfromgrace

[Guest]

Nora

Nora squeezed her eyes tightly and braced herself for the floor's impact, but was taken aback when it never came. As she felt herself being propped back up, she willed her eyelids to unmask her sight, catching an eyeful of the man who she assumed had snagged her just short of her collision. She could hardly distinguish his voice over the throbbing over her heart, which now seemed to pump adrenaline in place of blood. "No, I'm Nora," she responded, but soon after had the urge to ram her palm through her skull, "I'm fine, I mean. Thanks for the save." Nora flashed the man a faint, yet genuine smile, and sloppily skirted around him, but was soon overcome by a bout of lightheadedness. Her hands searched for something to steady herself with & met with an empty stool, and she leaned herself on it. So much for hauling myself home. She turned to face the generous stranger, and figured she'd spark up a conversation with a simple, "What's your name?"

[Wolfy]

Aaron

Aaron tilted his head, peering closely at her. With hunger momentarily forgotten, he stood ready to catch her again. His dark blue eyes were glancing up and down her form quickly, waiting for any signs that she wouldn't be able to stand. When she spoke for the first time, he choked on a laugh. Aaron couldn't help but smile, and nodded as she corrected herself. "You're welcome." He turned with her, moving forward and pausing midstep as she steadied herself. She's gonna have a fun time getting home. Aaron laughed to himself. He signaled the bartender, and she eagerly sashayed over to him. "What can I get you, love?" The woman asked, tracing lazy circles on the bar with her fingers. "Water, for her." He gestured to Nora, and threw the money on the bar dismissively. Her disappointment was noticed, but not acknowledged. Aaron's head swiveled at Nora's question, and he replied quickly. "Aaron." The sound of a glass scraping against the bar caught his attention, and he handed it to the girl, smiling softly. "Might clear your head a little."   

[Guest]

Nora

Nora threw a curious glance over at Aaron, and she questioned why the stranger had been so kind towards her. "Nice meeting you, Aaron," she stated honestly, & grinned tenderly as she enveloped the drink in her fingers. "Thank you." She tilted the cup against her lips, the cool liquid easing the raw feeling that coated her throat, and reduced the colossal hammering in her head to a dull throb. Her newly energized orbs flickered from the people spewing out drunken laughs at the bar, the crowd twitching to the beat of the song, a blob of lip-suckers, & Aaron. "What brings you here?" she asked, curiousity needled into her words.

[Wolfy]

Aaron

"Likewise." He responded, blinking slowly as he studied the girl. She was interesting, and it wasn't the building hunger that made him think that, nor was it the usual male attraction towards girls like her. Aaron couldn't help but glance in the direction she looked, and bit the inside of his cheek at the memories of once being absorbed in that... mass of people. Certainly an interesting experience, but one he enjoyed. "I just came to have a little fun. My half empty wallet is a sure sign that it hasn't worked yet." Aaron redirected his eyes to her, the same kind smile still on his face. "What about you?"

[Guest]

Nora

Nora gave out a gentle chuckle, deepening her grin, her smile mellowing a tad before replying to his question. "Well, I was hoping to have a good time, too. But, err... if rubbing myself against a stranger is what it takes to have "fun", then I guess I'll take a pass on being entertained tonight." Rummaging about her pocket for a moment, she unsheathed a five dollar bill, and set it on the counter beside Aaron. "Here. To feed your wallet. And for the water you bought me," she spoke, her widening smile evident in her voice. "How do you have fun here?" she thought aloud, but the question was fair-game for anyone.

[Wolfy]

Aaron


"It's an acquired taste." Maybe not the best choice in words, but he wasn't about to lie to her. His head tilted when she started digging into her pocket, brows raised in questioning. When she pulled out the money, he put his hands up, as if in defense. "Uh uh. Not how it works." Aaron grinned, wagging a finger at her as he pushed it back. "Keep it." His tone was firm, and his dark blue eyes told how set he was in the choice. Aaron considered her question for a moment. "You drink, you dance, you flirt, you.." He silenced himself before he could say something a bit crude, and shook his head. "You've got to be able to handle it, trust me. The dancing isn't for everyone, and for some odd reason, I can't seem to get even the slightest bit tipsy. Technically it puts us in the same boat."

[Guest]

Nora

Nora couldn't help but envision the train-wreck of her attempting to dance; awkwardly flailing her arms about, feet stamping to an outer-worldly tempo, her head swinging so forcefully it threatened to fly from her neck at any moment. She strained to keep a wince from making its appearance on her face, and freed a sigh. She never really watched spent time watching herself dance, but she guessed she looked just as uncoordinated as a fresh-born fawn. Gripping her cup a bit tighter, she slid the refused cash back into her pocket, and sent her gaze back at Aaron. "But you've still got flirting. I've no doubt that most of the chicks around here would be more than happy than swap winks with you," she said, soon after adding a mumble of "and spit" beneath her breath.

[cursed muse.]

[Wolfy]

Aaron shrugged, his smile turning a bit wolfish as his sensitive hearing picked up the last part of her comment. "Maybe, but I'm picky about who I swap winks," He glanced behind him, but quickly turned back to her, "and spit with." Aaron rolled his eyes as the bartender huffed behind him, and moved off to clean some other part of the counter. "What I can't figure out is why you're here. You not trying to hook up with anyone, I'm pretty sure of that. You shouldn't have to come here to do that." He sorted through all the possible options, but couldn't really think of anything reasonable at the moment. Shrugging once more, he leaned against the bar, smiling softly.

[Guest]

Nora

Nora gulped down another round of water as she rallied a chain of words together. "Nothing in specific, I guess," she said under a rush of breath, propping her elbow onto the bar, head resting in hand, eyes cast absently towards the half-empty bottles positioned in their racks, "To get away, maybe? Just... forget about everything for a while. Sounds cliche, but..." Allowing her words to trail off, she allowed a deep exhale to roll from the parting of her lips, then threw her gaze back towards Aaron. She smiled tenderly, then lifted herself from the stool, and straightened into standing. She chugged the last of her water, setting the vacant cup on the counter perhaps a bit too forcefully, and knit her hands together in front of her. "I'm gonna head back home, since it seems I can actually control my limbs now," she grumbled. She itched the inside of her wrist as she studied Aaron for a moment. "Could you... walk me home? You make for great company," she said as her lips stretched into a warm smile.

[Wolfy]

Aaron

Aaron rested his chin in his hands, watching her intently as she spoke. He straightened quickly, smiling and shaking his head as he glanced down at his lap for a moment. "I've heard a lot worse. You've got a reasonable cause." His smile faltered as she stood, and the heavy feeling of disappointment filled his chest. Aaron's eyes flicked over her's, hoping she was just excusing herself for a moment, and not leaving him alone to find something to do. The happy expression fell completely as she announced she was going to depart, and a heavy sigh prepared to leave his chest. The bartender was drifting slowly back over, and Aaron forced himself to smile. And then she spoke again, and all the disappointment vanished, and his happy expression returned even stronger this time. "Of course." He rose as well, and smiled down at her with a excited expression glinting in his dark blue eyes.

[Guest]

Nora

After flashing him a toothy grin, Nora spun on her heels and approached the exit, hasty to depart from what she'd sarcastically call a "hellhole". Once outside, she unloaded a blissful sigh, ease trickling over her emotions as the crisp chill of the night air ambled over her skin, finding serenity in the calmness of the dark as opposed to the animation of the club. "I only live a couple blocks from here." She gave a motion towards the direction they were to head, and started off. She felt... odd. What urged her to ask him to accompany her, she hadn't known -- it was an out-of-character move on her behalf, that was for sure. It doesn't matter. Aaron was a nice guy, and Nora appreciated that. That's all that matters. She smiled. "So, Aaron. Where you from?"

[sooo sorry about this post. D: it's been a looong weekend.]

[Wolfy]

Aaron

Aaron followed her, carefully weaving through the throng of people until they reached the door, and carefully shut up behind him. His head turned in the direction she gestured to, and Aaron slowly nodded, feet starting to move on their own accord. The distance between them shrank until he was walking beside her, hands shoved into his pockets as they walked. The night was oddly quiet, with the exception of the occasional car flashing by. He was relieved when she spoke, and he thought about the question for a moment. "New Hampshire, but I've lived here for several years." Several years being roughly twenty, but the very  slow aging factor he possessed didn't reveal that. "What about you?" His eyes snapped up at the street light above them flickered, but returned to Nora quickly. 

[Tis fine]

[Guest]

Nora

"Born in Oregon, raised in an orphanage." Nora rose her cupped hands to her lips, and blew warm air into them to banish the cold feeling dwelling in her now rosy fingertips. "I moved to New York about 4 years ago. I felt it'd be nice for a change of scenery, and I definitely got it. Oregon & New York are polar opposites." Lowering her hands, she jammed them into her jacket pockets, and threw a glance at Aaron before her gaze fell back towards the cracked concrete of the sidewalk. The noise of their footsteps echoed amongst the battered buildings, and the hollow alleys that were occasionally illuminated with flames wavering from a trash bin, a few poor souls hovering by the fire. Though not the most pleasant, it was the quickest way to get home. A rank smell invaded her senses, and her nose scrunched as if it could push the odor out. "You smell that?" She followed the trail of the stench, and found herself at the entrance of a murky alley. She stood there for a moment, pensive. "Do we dare enter?"

[Wolfy]

Aaron


Concern flashed in his eyes as she mentioned being raised in an orphanage. He resisted saying something about it, and instead kept his eyes on the sidewalk in front of them, trying to come up with a different reply. "Mhmm." He agreed, trying not to pay mind to the people around the fires. Sighing softly, Aaron opened his mouth to speak again, but he caught the scent several moments before she said something about. Growling quietly, Aaron tried to identify what could make such a terrible scent. "Unfortunately, yes." Following her to the alley, Aaron squinted, trying to see through the dark of the alley. Unable to make out anything distinct, he pulled a lighter from his back pocket, and quickly lighted it. "Might as well." Moving forward slowly, Aaron held the lighter out in front of him, illuminating the alley and causing shadows to dance along the walls.

[Guest]

[Sorry about taking so long to reply!]

Nora

Nora's lungs barely managed to push out & draw in air as she inched herself along the alleyway, taking caution to stay near Aaron. The reek intensified as they approached the source, and soon enough, she spotted a waste container, brimming with decaying garbage. She inhaled a whiff of it's fumes, and suppressed a gag. While the odor emanating from the bin was horrid, it didn't match up to what they'd smelt earlier. She shook her head, and pushed on, but soon found herself paralyzed mid-step as her gaze fell upon the stench's cause. There, limp & pale, lie a corpse of a man. All color fled from Nora, and she shakily lowered herself down into a crouch beside the carcass. With a wobbly hand cupped over her mouth, she rocked herself back in forth to steady her nerves, and soon closed her eyes tightly, shaking her head. Calm down. Freaking out about this isn't going to bring him back. She forcefully pushed out a breath, and rose to her feet. In place of fear came the feeling of curiosity, her eyes skimming over his remains in search of the answer to his death. Her interest focused upon two orbs of red embedded in his neck, a duo of somewhat fresh, crimson streams trailing down the side of his throat, and dripping onto the cold asphalt. She suspected he may've been stabbed twice with a thick needle, given all the druggies around the area, but what the killer's motive was, she hadn't an idea. A dumb theory, she felt it was, but her mind ran ablank when it came to any other possibilities. "You've gotta be shitting me." Her voice was almost comical, though she didn't find anything about death funny.

[Wolfy]

Aaron

Aaron glanced at the rubbish bin distastefully, giving it the widest girth possible. His sensitive nose was being assaulted by the terrible scent, until a newer, more familiar, scent crept into his senses, one that wasn't quite as repulsive. To him, anyway. The pale skin caught his eye instantly, and the scent of blood caused his nostrils to flare and his stomach to twist hungrily. He had nearly forgotten about the need, but the sight and scent of blood was a shocking reminder. Even if it wasn't his kill, the monster inside him didn't seem to care, too focused on wanting to feed. He finally ripped his eyes away from the holes in the man's neck when Nora spoke, and he swallowed hard, a shiver running down his spine. "I guess it's safe to call the authorities?" Aaron asked, cringing when he noticed how calm his voice sounded. Who could be calm in n a situation like this? Someone who's used to it.. He answered himself, blinking slowly as he considered the body in front of him. The killer's scent was faint, and unrecognizable to him. All the vampires he knew never really took enough blood to kill their prey, just enough to make them sick. Whoever had done this must've been starving, and not in the mood to hop around from person to person for a decent meal.

[Guest]

Nora

Nora couldn't pull her gaze from the corpse. The sensation of insects burrowing themselves into her flesh caused her hands to flail wildly over her arms, the rising of goosebumps soon taking place of the vile feeling, relieving a half hinge of her uneasiness. Aaron's voice drew her eyes over to rest on his, and she gnawed on her bottom lip as a nod made its appearance over the movement of her head. With unsteady hands, she stuffed her fingers into her jeans' pocket, catching grasp of her phone, the refused cash from the bar peeking out from the seams. She poked in 911, & held her breath, until the monotone voice of a woman pressed itself against her eardrums. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words hitched in her throat. Clearing her throat, she began again, telling the woman about the corpse, and their location, and pitched in a "We'll be waiting outside the alley" for simpler identification. A jittery breath forced itself from Nora's clenched teeth, as she walks off and out of the alley, motioning for Aaron to follow. Their discovery branded into her brain, and repeated itself over and over again, as if her own mind had been conspiring against her now. Amongst her alarm & uneasiness distinctly stands the coolness of Aaron's reaction to the gruesomeness, of which her frenzy had masked beneath her noticing. Her brows furrowed slightly, pondering his actions. Curiosity picking at her nerves, she blurts quietly, "How can you be so... okay?"

[blehh.]

[Wolfy]

Aaron


His eyes flitted over to her as she retrieved her phone, moving over her quickly as he tried to identify the faint scent of the one who had killed the person in front of them. Aaron redirected his gaze to it, furrowing his brows in frustration as he stared at the pale skin, the bleeding puncture wounds, desperately trying to narrow down the possibilities of who could have done this. Most of the vampires he knew were against killing the humans, unless absolutely necessary. And when they did, there was never a body left lying in a random alleyway. This was sloppy, and the autopsy would be certainly interesting for whoever was saddled with the job. 

Nora's departure ripped him from his thoughts, and he reluctantly followed her out onto the street, fingers tapping against his leg as he glanced around them anxiously. When Nora spoke, he blinked. Aaron had been expecting the question, but was still startled by it. "I'm not. I'm really not. Maybe I'm just a little stunned. People tend to react differently in these situations, you know?" He laughed nervously under his breath, not sure if that counted as a lie or not.

[Guest]

Nora raised a suspicious brow, mouth agape to speak, but her words caught on her tongue as the blaring police sirens approached. Her eyes stilled on Aaron for a moment, contemplative. You're over-thinking it. She jammed her skepticism to the back of her mind, and gave her shoulders a shrug; she wasn't the calmest in unexpected situations, so who was she to judge what was appropriate? Besides, she had more pressing matters to deal with. As her eyes swung back to the police, she found that the paramedics had kept them company, and were advancing towards both Aaron and her.

The two men, one with skull-cropped blonde hair and the other bald with a bag slung over his shoulder, gave a look to Nora and Aaron. "Behind the dumpster," answered Nora, itching the inside of her wrist as they gave simultaneous nods and strode off towards the carcass. She gnawed at the inside of her cheek as a duo of policemen neared, wearing stern faces with clipboards and pens in hand.

"How did you find this man?" The officer's voice was gruff. Nora goes on to tell the police her story with the steadiest voice she could muster, despite it quivering and cracking in a few places, in which she'd mask with a clearing of the throat. As she talks, the other officer scribbles the pen along the clipboard furiously, not giving a single moment to glancing up. The questioner gives a curt nod, as if satisfied by her answer. "What about you, sir?" The other policeman questioned and his eyes cut over to Aaron.

Nora's head couldn't help but turn back to the paramedics, and she'd looked at them just in time to see a sheet pulled over the victim's body. He's dead. The confirmation hit her harder than a brick wall. Though she'd already known, the professionals' diagnosis had made it all too real. She shuddered. Her eyes worked themselves back over to rest on Aaron, and she titled her head to the side a bit. He certainly was an odd one. Not in a bad way, just... a puzzling way.

[sorry, I know this isn't much to work with. aghh.]

[Wolfy]

Aaron


Sighing heavily, Aaron leaned up against the wall of the building, biting his tongue gently as he watched the 'officials' moving around and doing their jobs. This was not what he needed. He had been hoping it could have been just a normal night, but naturally, that couldn't happen. The officer's voice caused his head to snap up, blue eyes alert as he started to speak. "There isn't much to it.. We were just walking, and she's the one who noticed it first. It's certainly an interesting way to kill someone." Aaron replied, not entirely sure what to say. He knew exactly what happened, but the truth sounded... insane. Yeah, a vampire sucked some of his blood and now he's dead. That sounded completely normal.

He moved to Nora's side, wanting to leave. "Are we allowed to go?" Aaron asked the man, blue eyes pinning him in place. All he wanted to do was get Nora home and do some investigating of his own. He brushed his hair out of his eyes, looking up at the sky as he patiently awaited the officer's answer.

[Sweet mother of Zeus this was a bad post >.<]

[Guest]

Nora

Nodding dismissively, the officer said, "Yes, yes." Without giving them another glance, he turned, and began to converse with his other partner, presumably about the crime scene, leaving Nora to itch the inside of her wrist again, the nagging feeling of not knowing prodding at her mind. Her curiousity bounded her into action, as she went on to tap the officer on the shoulder, causing him to turn around.

"Sir, if you don't mind, would you keep my updated on the case? Well, I mean, as much as you can let me know? Please?" Nora then went on to tell the officer her number, and left without giving him a moment to respond. She threw a glance over her shoulder, and caught eye of the officer scribbling something on the clipboard, releasing a sigh. As she made her way back to Aaron, she continued back on her journey to get home, all too eager to get some rest and shovel down some food. Hoping Aaron still had the will to walk with her back home, she mumbled, "Well, we've had an interesting night."

[Wolfy]

Aaron


Aaron stopped midstep, turning halfway around to watch the two. He wasn't eager for her to find out that the victim had probably had most the blood sucked out of his body. Clenching his jaw tightly, he walked along side her, glancing down the alleys they passed, and often up at the roof of the building they were passing. "Very interesting." He agreed, shoving his hands in his coat pockets and watching Nora for a moment, as if he wanted to ask a question. Dismissing it with a little shudder of his shoulders, and he stared straight ahead once more, sighing softly. 

"There's some real maniacs in this town, huh?" He asked, gently bumping her with his arm, smiling and trying to regain the light hearted mood they had had before. "It's gonna make an interesting news story, that's for sure."

[Guest]

[This reply took wayy longer than anticipated. My laptop charger thought it would be a great idea to quit, so I was kind of laptop-less for a bit. Anywhoo, hope this suffices.~ OH, and Merry Christmas. [:]


Nora

Nora gave out a soft chuckle at Aaron's comments, lips curling into a dainty smile as her elbow mimicked a bump in return. "Can't wait to watch the report," she threw back, tone sarcastic, her gaze steadying on Aaron for a moment before latching onto the crumbling sidewalk.

Seemingly with each step, the sidewalk would repair some, the windows of the buildings would piece themselves back together, and the flickering light from the streetlights would illuminate a bit brighter, more still. In all, their surroundings would polish up a bit, signaling they were getting closer to her home. Her eyes lifted to read the street signs as they passed, a question soon arising within Nora, and about to spew towards Aaron. "You live close?"

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