InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Don't have a cow, man!"

Sweeney Todd (fleetstbarber) wrote in utr_logs,
@ 2008-06-08 02:04:00

Entry tags:

sadako yamamura, sweeney todd

Who: Sadako Yamamura & Sweeney Todd
What: Trip to New York City!
Where: NYC and London.
When: Sunday
Warning: SRS warnings for gore, violence, blood. You know, usual standard fare for Killer!Sweeney. More violence occurring in Sadako's special brand of killy. Sap. Schmoop. Possible sex.

London mornings were dreary and gray, or at least this particular one was. The fog had yet to burn off and the clouds had yet to roll back, and it was well past nine when Sweeney showed up on Sadako's doorstep. He had asked Petit to look after Kage and the shop for the day while he had business to take care of in America, and although it was a business trip in his mind, at least half of the thrill of it was going there with Sadako.

He knocked on the lady's door, and waited patiently as ever while she answered. He was dressed fairly modern for what he usually wore. Though it was business-casual, it was still dark colors and rather keyed down from the norm. He had tucked one of his friends into his pocket -- it was Annette, the Maiden. He'd deliberated taking Josephine, the Wife, instead... but Annette was in need to get a taste after a century and a half.

And the only other thing that was to note about him was that he'd pulled his hair back into a short tail, held off by a ribbon. It wasn't as if he wanted to draw any more attention to himself than he already got with his pallor and streak of white. After all -- he was planning on 'thanking' a celebrity.

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-08 10:48 am UTC (link)

He savored the memories as much as he had the first time she'd ever done that, letting them linger and turn in his mind like one would inspect a snow globe. Apart from it but thickly within it. When the elevator doors opened, he nodded, "You did." He was slightly amused, especially at the folding of paper, "It's interesting, what you remember as such a simple, but complex task. When I got bored after work, before I was sent off, I used to fold small boxes to put Lucy's hairpins in. She left them practically everywhere." He smirked and stepped into the reception office of the lyricist, and the secretary looked up at him. "I've got an appointment; ten o'clock, Jack Swift." He said after approaching the desk, having slipped his hand away from Sadako's.
The receptionist nodded, "Yes, he's been expecting you, go in, sir."
He turned to Sadako and slipped in through the doors to a rather lush office, with a piano on one side and a desk on the other, and an older gentleman behind it, in a plush chair, on his computer.

Sondheim looked up from what he was doing, and raised both brows, "Ah, nice to meet you, mister Swift."
"As I you." Said Sweeney, closing the distance between himself and his prey. Lock the door, luv.
The barber spoke again, "Though I'll say now that I've misled you. The name's not Swift. Have my card." And he handed one to the other man, who raised both brows, looked at the barber, then looked back down at the card.
"Yes. That Sweeney Todd. I've got to say, Mr. Sondheim, I'm rather impressed with your music, your lyrics, your every detail which rings true..." He had retrieved his friend from his pocket when he also reached for his card, and having done so, he brandished her.
"However, my dear friend, you know far too much, left too much out."

That said, there was a quick movement of his arm and a glint of silver and red. Blood trailed in a high arc, across the desk and over the white plush carpet, and spilled down the old man's neck, turning his white shirt maroon.

Sweeney looked satisfied.

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-08 10:59 am UTC (link)

"It's the little things that make things richer. Love is a series of small gestures, I feel." She smiled, remembering how Toyama used to wince when the first rays of sun would break through their bedroom window, as if it would burn him.

In amused silence, Sadako watched as he sweettalked the receptionist and pushed his way inside the office. Perhaps you were an actor too? She remained by the door as they entered the office, wanting the best vantage point to watch Sweeney work. Locking the door on command,she leaned against it. There was a simple flick of the wrist, then blood. She'd never really seen blood - her victims died of causes more internal - and she cocked her head to the side, fascinated. "It's so... dark." Approaching Sweeney's side, she reached out to touch some of the blood on his arm, idly tracing the letters of his name. "Warm, too." She looked down at the body and traced the line of his wound.

After a time, she was satisfied with exploring the more visceral parts of murder. After wiping her fingers off on Sweeny's already dirty shirt to her satisfaction, she laid some tissue on the dead man's desk, punching a name into his address book. It was a long shot, but one that paid off. "Apparently the writer I'm looking for is - seven blocks away." She committed the address to memory before deleting the entry from Sondheim's address book, grinning at her companion. "We should get you a new shirt. I'm sure you're sticky. If you were a composer - an artist, prone to fits of passionate composition - wouldn't you keep an extra somewhere?"

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-08 11:08 am UTC (link)

Sweeney watched his companion, quiet and dignified as he wiped the razor clean on the old man's shirt, and then, with no hesitation, drew the back of it across the side of her neck, the warm metal going across her beautiful skin, not leaving a mark whatsoever. "Hn. Yes, blood is darker than they tend to pretend that it is. It's darker when it's an artery like the one in a man's neck." He explained, folding the razor and slipping it back into his pocket, whispering "rest now" to his friend, before slipping out of his jacket and setting it aside. It was dark enough that what blood had splattered on it was absorbed and didn't show.

"Good question, pet." He said, tapping his chin before wandering over to a cabinet. "As to what you asked about acting... Well, I've always thought that acting and deception are hand in glove. But I did set an appointment." He said with a smirk as he opened the cabinet to find several shirts. "Ah!" He said, before unbuttoning his shirt and shrugging it off, showing scars up and down across his back and shoulder blades. He'd been whipped, but it didn't seem to phase him to let Sadako see those scars, even as he picked out another shirt.

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-08 11:30 am UTC (link)

Sadako gasped in surprise and pleasure as the blade kissed her neck. She couldn't help but watch him in fascination and amusement as he looked around for a new shirt. She could hear him talking, but his scars fascinated her. She didn't have any; her mind had always been too quick to heal any wounds she may have incurred during her life. She moved so she could touch them, fingers running lightly across his back.

"Acting is pointing out the truth. So is successful deception." She let her fingers fall, waiting for him to get dressed. "So. We'll take the stairs down - I can't bear too many more elevator trips - and then I can take care of some things. Can't come too soon, either. I didn't eat before we left." She giggled, the sound somehow childlike, and then waited for him to dress before taking his arm.

As they walked out the office door, she saw the secretary from the corner of her eye. As she blinked, the secretary dropped to the ground, small bleeds in her eyes the only testament to her fatally damaged body.

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-08 11:38 am UTC (link)

The way Sadako touched his back, his scars, made Sweeney pause in his movements and get the faintest smile. He explained to her, "Work farms were not as humanitarian as they have become in recent years." And when he slipped on the shirt and his jacket, he felt strangely bare still, as if he'd forgotten something, though he'd made perfectly sure that he hadn't. He even plucked the card back from Sondheim's dead fingers and tucked it away with the others, rather liking what the drops of blood did to the look of the card.

When the secretary dropped, he raised a brow, then turned to Sadako. "Bad girl." He cooed, moving his arm from where it was, to around her waist, giving her the lightest squeeze, before going back to being a gentleman. "Really, luv, I could've dealt with her, but..." He looked over his shoulder as they left the office and started towards the stairs, "But I think I rather like your approach."

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-08 11:44 am UTC (link)

"They're lovely." Her fingers seemed to recall the smoothness of the skin even after she'd stopped touching him, and it made her feel somehow lighter. She took care to wipe off the handle of the door, clucking her tongue and looking back at Sweeney. "I'm not used to all this secrecy. It's so much easier when you know the whole world's going to die. Police can't really stop you there." That tickled her funny bone, and she laughed a little. "It's a bit like being in a film. The covering our tracks bit."

Sadako was rather proud of the secretary's death. It was something the medical examiner would puzzle over for months - how could a woman suffer cranial trauma so severe that her brain swelled to the point of death without any signs of actual trauma? Sweeney's arm around her waist made Sadako lift a hand to her mouth to cover a too-broad grin. She bit down on her finger when he called her bad, trying not to laugh too loudly. I'm quite glad, Mister Todd. Wouldn't want to put you off. Wait until you see how I finish the next one.

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-08 11:58 am UTC (link)

He was amused by the first, and shook his head, feeling the rush of adrenaline still pumping in his veins, making him feel electric, compulsive. "I'm not used to it either, except for the plainly obvious things. Crime's gone a long way, as has the science of investigation." He opened the door to the stairwell for her, following her through, taking the stairs at a moderate pace, no hurry to leave the scene of the crime. He brought his end of the conversation into thought as well, the sound of their footsteps echoing and trailing down loud enough that speaking would simply disturb the moment.

You truly are a delight, Miss Yamamura. So fond of the cheerful, bright side of things, yet so morbidly curious about the dark. And so good at what you do, no less. I'm rather humbled. Though, you have your way of doing things, and I've got mine. I wouldn't change my ways, even if I wished to. He liked the way his razor was an extension of himself, and the feeling of the tension below the blade just before the skin gave way and ripped beneath it. He loved the scent of blood and the sensation of it, never too far off from his own heat when it splattered on him. It was a heady feeling, a rush he couldn't replicate. And there was no replacement to that feeling, nothing that could even come close to it.

His slipped his hand into his pocket and wrapped it around the razor, glad she'd gotten her taste of the new world. The only one who hadn't was the mother, which he ironically named Mary. Mary had her purpose, and would get her chance soon enough.

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-08 04:38 pm UTC (link)

"It has. Though I can easily eliminate any investigators, I'd hate to have to alert them at all. An ounce of prevention and all that." She squeezed his hand lightly as they went down the stairs, her other hand lightly trailing the banister.

I quite like your ways. It has its own artistry to it. You're like a painter, only you've a different sort of canvas. I see my own technique in that way from time to time - only nobody but myself can see my work. Her lips turned upward, Sadako turned her head to smile at Sweeney. "I'm glad we did this."

Her skin was tingling and her heart pounding as they exited the building. "My turn now." It was enough to make her want to skip.

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-08 06:35 pm UTC (link)

He never thought himself as an artist of that caliber, but when Sadako said it, he couldn't help but think it over and then nod. That's quite an interesting way of putting it. He laced his fingers between hers, squeezed lightly, then slipped his hand away so he could hold her hand with his arm, as a gentleman should before they slipped outside. "Me too."

Once on the street, he smiled again, a bit sharp still, but somehow easier, more or less feeling at home. "That it is. Lead the way, Miss Yamamura."

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-08 07:35 pm UTC (link)

You certainly moved me with your work. Sadako smirked when he adjusted their arms, resting her head lightly on his shoulder. "We could do this more often, you know." Her fingertips ran lightly over his hand, tracing the pale veins there.

She tried not to tug on his arm too hard as they walked the five or so blocks to the office building where her target was housed. "I'm so excited, I could squeal."

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-08 07:53 pm UTC (link)

He looked to her, the small smile still in place, still dangerous just around the edges. "And we should." He patted her hand on his arm with his other hand, looking very pleased with himself. The day was already a good one for himself, and she would easily make this day a lot more of a success. He had no doubt in his mind that she would not only easily do away with the man who'd told her story wrong, but strike fear into him.

"You should be. This is a victorious day for you, Miss Yamamura." He looked the building over before opening the door for her once more. "I can't imagine how this could go wrong for you."

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-08 11:17 pm UTC (link)

Sadako never looked like she was going to kill someone. She looked as inoffensive as a schoolgirl, and in some ways she was. Sanrio stores still made her slow her steps, and she still twirled around in circles whenever she wore dresses for the first time. But inside her veins, she held secrets - her abilities as well as her rage.

When Sweeney opened the door for her, she tilted her head to the side, smiling. She smiled at the receptionist, asking which room Ehren Kruger was in, and moving past without another word. Fortunately for Sadako, few people knew of him except those with official business anyway, and the receptionist was fairly naive.

The door was flimsier than the last they'd gone in, and she smiled broadly at the slight man typing away behind the desk. "Mister Kruger?" Mister Sweeney, please lock the door in case he calls for security.

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-09 06:29 am UTC (link)

Sweeney walked quietly behind the young lady and, once they were inside the office, he quietly closed the door behind them. The lock was a subtle gesture as he took a seat, putting his ankle up on his knee, folding his hands before him.

The man behind the desk was younger than Sondheim, more young, more clean cut. Sweeney couldn't take an immediate hate to the man, but a dislike was already there. Too... well polished, not enough pain in his life.

But from what he knew of Sadako, that would soon be taken care of. And then over.

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-09 06:47 am UTC (link)

Sadako walked to the desk, then leaned over it. "Excuse me, Mister Kruger? Might I have a word?" The thin man leaned back and folded his fingers, raising his eyebrows.

"Who are you? I didn't send for you, did I?" He purse his thin lips, leaning back to evaluate Sadako. Sadako had started to walk around the room. He had framed posters of all the movies he'd been a part of. She tapped on the plastic cover of the movie allegedly starring her. "You wrote this, yes?"

The man grinned. "Yes, actually! Won a lot of awards - " Sadako cut him off with a sharp report of laugher. "Awards! Awards! You butchered my life, you ruined my existence, and you won awards! Let me show you how it should have been." Her voice remained at an even pitch, quiet and calm. With one blink of her eyes, she rendered the man paralyzed from the neck down. With another, she implanted her memories into his head. Not only the memories, but the feelings - the fear, the loneliness, the isolation - and watched as he wept.

"Now tell me, Mister Kruger. Do you feel that perhaps you've slighted me? Do you feel - maybe - just the tiniest bit guilty?" She let him move, and watched as he nodded, weak from the ordeal. "Well, good." She took a tablet of paper on his desk, and smiled as she imprinted one sentence on it. "Read that, Mister Kruger."

He did, and grew pale. "No, that's not - you can't do that - it's not possible." His hands dropped the legal pad, and scrabbled for her. "You can't do this. It's not possible, that was all made-up..." He collapsed to his knees while Sadako backed up.

"I'll be checking in on you, Mister Kruger. I'll see you later." She smiled and waved, looking for all the world like a girl saying goodbye to a dear friend.

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-09 07:15 am UTC (link)

Sweeney's expression went from placid, calm, and brooding, to utterly wicked, demonic in a way.

He turned to Sadako as he stood, tilting his head slightly. "A lovely performance, my dear, but... I certainly hope you don't plan on instigating what you did to this world like you did with the last." He slipped his arm around her, and shook his head with a smile. "Let's get lunch."
All that rampant death and destruction and total annihilation of the man's ego, well... he was a bit hungry.

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-09 07:20 am UTC (link)

She grinned and tiptoed up to brush her lips against his cheek. A blatant gesture to be sure, and one she wasn't sure that he'd appreciate, but she wanted to. "No. Mister Kreuger is infected with a strain of the virus that I won't allowed to be passed on. Because he can't replicate that scrap of paper to perfection - I made it, and it can't be xeroxed because - " She walked over and took the scrap of paper from him before exiting the room and showing it to the secretary. The secretary read it, blinked and shook her head.

On their way down the stairs, Sadako had crumpled it up into a ball, leaving it in her fist. "I can burn images onto things for beauty or fun. I don't always imbue them with the virus. What I did before was imbue things with the virus that could be perfectly replicated. Videos, books, video games. Mass production feeding upon itself. This is my own handiwork." As they reached the street, she asked a man smoking a cigarette for his lighter, and lit the paper on fire.

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-09 07:26 am UTC (link)

Sweeney's eyes averted, and yet he didn't shun the kiss, or make moves to do the same. His pulse quickened once more, just for a moment, but that was it for him. His smile, however, was warm. Even as he listened and took in the knowledge of how her abilities worked.

"Wouldn't have thought of that, luv. Clever." He slipped his fingers over the small of her back as he let her talk with the man and burn the paper, while he went to go find a phone book. He'd been taught the ways of the Yellow Pages.

"Sushi... That'd be Japanese cuisine?" He asked over his shoulder as he flipped through the thick restaurant guide.

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-09 07:31 am UTC (link)

She returned his smile, faintly pink as he called her clever. Long, cold fingers on her back gave her shivers, though she doubted she'd ever tell him. That was her secret to keep.

Once the paper was alight, she thanked the man and carried it over to Sweeney. It was burning her fingers, but she didn't mind overmuch. She'd heal them in a moment. "It would be, yes." Her skin was red and blistering, but the paper needed to be ash, so she didn't move.

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fleetstbarber
2008-06-09 07:34 am UTC (link)

After having seen her healing abilities, he only worried moderately about the current pain she felt, and went back to flipping through. "Well, there's twenty in the entire city, but here in Manhattan..."

He ripped out a few pages from the phone book, and offered his hand again, looking them over as he started walking back towards the park. "It seems to be about half a dozen. Your choice? Or should I go by name alone? How far do you trust my taste based on name"

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	wheniamqueen 2008-06-09 07:38 am UTC (link)
	"I trust you, Mister Todd." Once the paper was ash, she blew it into the wind, all the while healing her fingers. She flexed the skin to test it, then took his hand. "There's really no other method of selection, besides me culling the minds of the city dwellers for reviews, and that would get tedious. This is more of an adventure, am I right?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

fleetstbarber
2008-06-09 07:48 am UTC (link)

He nodded once, waiting at the corner for the light to change and the cars to stop whizzing by. He still was looking over the papers, then just nodded once. "Well, there's one that's just south of this park."

He slid the papers into a pocket and looked over at Sadako, noticing one tiny drop of blood from his own victory was still on her face and he huffed, licking his thumb and brushing the dried blood off. "Got a little on you, my apologies, luv."

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wheniamqueen
2008-06-09 07:52 am UTC (link)

"That sounds lovely. I hope you like it. If not, we'll get you something that you're used to. Sausages are nice, I've taken a liking to those." She was in a particularly good mood. Kruger was frantically reading materials on thermography, trying to see if there was a way to reverse what she'd done. The secretary was sweetly oblivious. That gave her now joy, but she'd had to do damage control.

When Sweeney touched her face, she closed her eyes and smiled. There's no need to be sorry. I'm humbled you shared that with me. It was... well. There aren't words. I wonder how it felt for him? Did it feel like a kiss? Was it warm?

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	fleetstbarber 2008-06-09 07:59 am UTC (link)
	The sting of a blade is no more a kiss than a man is a wolf. I speak from experience that it isn't sweet death, it isn't pleasant. It is warm, though. His mind didn't go darker though, it was a moment of living in the moment. And he slid his fingers over her cheek, smiling again, "It's been a wonderful day." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

wheniamqueen
2008-06-09 08:08 am UTC (link)

You died instantly. I took thirty years. I think it would be for me, but only because I'm in a unique position to do so. Mister Todd. Would you... never mind. She distracted herself with the sweet sensation of his fingers on her cheek, and nodded. "It has."

Once at the sushi restaurant, she couldn't help bouncing and moving ahead, moving to sit down at the counter. She was excited to see that they served Nigiri-zushi, and she wiggled her toes a bit. "I'm going to get the yellowtail, and you can try that."

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	fleetstbarber 2008-06-09 08:49 am UTC (link)
	That was nodded to, and then he turned, "Anything fried?" He asked, brow arched. He liked food that was at least semi-understandable. And he understood fried food very well. He sipped the water they set out for them and raised a brow. "City water. Missed that taste. They've got some... purifying whatever in the tap. Bloody awful stuff, no taste whatsoever." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)