You're Free Of Them Now

Participants:

cat_icon.gif noriko_icon.gif

Scene Title You're Free Of Them Now
Synopsis Noriko is given a taste of things she doesn't remember.
Date January 25, 2010

Solstice Condominiums, Noriko's Residence


It's early. 09:00, in fact. There's someone knocking at the door of Noriko Amagi, who waits in the corridor for the occupant to answer that alert of presence. She holds two cups of coffee in hand. One shoulder features a backpack, the other supports a guitar case. Clothing itself is jeans, winter coat, and umbrella. Hair is secured into a ponytail.

In waiting, Cat has disquiet over even being at this place. But some bullets must be bitten.

Noriko blinks as she awakened from her little nest of blankets in her living room, having still not bought furniture for the place. She opens the door and peeks out of it, "Cat," she asks groggily while she stands there, opening the door a little wider. "Didn't expect you to be here so early…"

"I rise early sometimes," Cat replies easily. "Brought coffee." One cup is offered forth, while she stands there waiting to be admitted inside. "You'll be up this early anyway when classes start," she informs, "best to get used to it now."

Noriko smiles lightly and replies, "Not sure if I'll be taking them up on that offer right away. Got a few problems in my head that I really need to get taken care of." She looks grateful as she takes the coffee cup and then steps to the side. "Come in, please. Sorry about the shape, haven't really been too motivated yet," Noriko adds. She does seem like a different person, her manners there and her eyes are bright and hopeful, instead of dim and glaring.

The threshold is crossed, she closes the door behind her. "It's all good, Noriko," Cat replies. "I imagine you've got questions, things you'll believe I know about." In saying so, there's perhaps an invitation to do so without a promise to answer. "You should also beware of your neighbors. One of the residents here is Jennifer Chesterfield, candidate for Mayor. If you see her coming, I recommend quietly and calmly being somewhere else."

Noriko nods her head a little, "If I see Jennifer Chesterfield, go somewhere else." She offers something of a smile, before she replies to Cat, spreading her hands a little, "I want to know things, Cat. But, its kind of hard. Really, if there is anything I want at the moment, its to feel like I'm connected to people. If that makes sense?" She frowns, trying to figure out how to put it better into words, and then finally says, "I always feel like I'm surrounded by strangers that know me, but I don't know them. Its rather frightning." She shrugs her shoulders and then adds, "Well, maybe getting answers to questions would help."

Her head tilts as she listens, and a question follows when she has the floor. "Do you perceive a connection between Jennifer Chesterfield and me?" Cat returns to silence, by such waiting for both the answer and to hear queries the younger woman may float.

Noriko shakes her head a little before she says, "No, well, only in that there must be something if you were to warn me of her." She shrugs her shoulders a little and sips at the coffee, before she asks, "Can you at least tell me who I was, Cat? I have heard some rather… scary things about the person I was."

"I call her Mother," Cat provides as illumination. "She has ties to organizations which should not exist, and may try to rope you into assisting her. If she manages to corner you, it would be very good to get away without committing to anything and tell me exactly what she wanted." Her back comes to lean against the wall, a short taste of her own coffee consumed, as she then addresses questions.

"You, for a time, used the name Candace Allard. Candy. You were associated with unpleasant people. Don't dwell on that, you're free of them now," she assures, "just know some may see and address you by that name. If it happens, I'd like to know about that too. Don't make a spectacle, though, if approached quietly go on your way at the first chance. They're most likely people attached to Mother who blackmailed you into unsavory things. Things you're free of now, and will be happier not knowing about."

"My name is Candace Allard, well, at least, that's the name my adopted parents gave me. But, my real parents called me Noriko. At least, that's what Sarisa said," Noriko explains to Cat, getting that feeling that Cat is answering the question, but not really giving much in the way of information. "Okay, so… this will probably sound strange, and I know you were with us in Antartica, I remember you singing. But… why should I trust you?"

"Whether you trust me or not is up to you, Noriko. I'm not going to say you should, or shouldn't. You're a grown woman, and you aren't stupid. You will, or you won't," Cat opines. She seems not troubled by either option presented. "I'm not telling you everything I know, I won't pretend otherwise, and I may never tell you everything. To have it all dumped on you at once would be overwhelming, and I have to say a lot of it you just won't like. Far better," she goes on to say, "that you establish your life free of it and see the person you can become then learn about the past so you can see contrast."

The asian's features are calmly watched to see if she gets the wisdom of this position.

Noriko nods her head a little, before she looks over Cat's shoulder and out the door. She's silent for a couple of moments, before she finally responds, "That man last night. Danko, you said? He wants to kill people like me?" For now, Noriko is just getting a feel for what she is walking into. "You seemed like you wanted to stop him from doing anything like that. Are there others like him?"

"Emile Danko," Cat replies, "is an operative of Human Is First. The name is usually run together, said and written as Humanis First. They don't have trouble killing any person with the SLC. You can easily Google them, find information on their actions. Among them are the kidnappings of Peyton Whitney, Wendy Hunter, Helena Dean, Joseph Sumter, FBI agent Felix Ivanov, Elisabeth Harrison, Mona Rao, and others. Peyton and Wendy escaped on their own; HF threatened to kill them unless the Suresh Center closed. Mona Rao was hanged publicly and died outside the church Sumter used to lead. He and Felix Ivanov were both hanged along with her, but got rescued. Elisabeth Harrison was shot in the head and left for dead. As you've seen, she didn't."

Noriko nods her head a little, while she stands there and is informed by Cat. Her mouth twisting a little as she thinks things over, before she looks at Cat and says, "If you're planning to do something against them, or, any one else like them. I'd like in."

"It would be far better," Cat asserts, "if Mr. Danko does himself in without assistance from me or anyone I know. It would be unfortunate, also, if anything happened which makes him look like a martyr to people of like minds, Noriko. So I can't say there'll be anything planned, other than defense of selves should he make a move to harm or kill us." Here she seems to be done speaking of HF.

"I realize this won't satisfy you, Noriko. You'll still want to know more, and there is more to tell. I merely ask you consider the gravity of what you've been told. I think you'll agree you're not ready for more, yet."

"I don't know, Cat. Like I said before, I don't care about the past. Well, I care, and it did happen. But, right now, I want to get to the point where I don't feel like I'm constantly talking with strangers," Noriko replies after a couple of moments in silence.

"I can't make that go away," Cat states. "Only time can do that. But I will tell you my name is Doctor Catherine Chesterfield. I'm a bit rich, I live in Greenwich Village, I remember everything, and I have three degrees from Yale. Music, Political Science, and my doctorate. Law. I'm a guitarist and singer too, with a definite passion for classic rock. I like coffee, and you saw yesterday that I also have a taste for dark Irish beer." With that, she chuckles and turns for the door.

Noriko nods her head a little and smiles lightly before she responds. "Thanks for coming over, with the coffee too. See you around," Noriko replies with a wave of her hand, before she turns to look at her apartment. "I've really got to clean up."

Opening it, she turns back. "See you soon, Noriko. Sign up for Columbia. Good place." She steps through the opened exit, and it closes after her.


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