Unexpected Apperances [Alistair]

[BRICE PAUL BECKETT]

It really did almost seem strange to the wizard as he opened his final box that was crammed full of his belongings that had been packed in for the move. Considering everything that he thought that life was going to be for him this time last year it really was safe to say what had really transpired was not what he was expecting. Then again the odds were pretty good that most if not all of the population failed to add in the contingency of them getting bitten by a werewolf as something that actually would have happened. Though that was not something that much of anyone liked to think about or so a person would have to suspect. Werewolves did tend to seem to avoid most of the population if given the chance considering the number of prejudices that came along with turning into a very large and pissed off dog once a month. Not that, that meant that the whole population of werewolves were pleasant or something of that nature. In fact, there were enough of them wandering around that took every opportunity that they could to infect a human just to up their numbers and, or so the wizard guessed, sooner or later creating a force that could take on the taint free humans and win. It really was safe to say though that there was really nothing of that sort lingering in Brice's mind. While there were more then a few doubts and that single fact that he had failed to inform his family of what really happened to him on that fateful night, he harbored no ill will toward the population that were curse free. Instead there was just a single fact that he wished there was something in the ideas of a cure for the condition, or at least something in the works that gave a person the general idea of hope. But for right now, that was not the case even though he wished it so.

That was the number one thing that bothered him, after all. There was more then a slight unpleasantness in lacking the control over one's actions and thoughts for a whole night. It was completely terrifying. Having a more simple mind for those hours hellbent on nothing more then hunting down prey, generally seeking that taste of blood. Then awaking the next morning to have nothing more then a reflective ability on the night's events. At least, thus far he had not harmed anyone or came close considering he had yet to figure out how he was going to go about keeping himself contained or at least away from humans during that night. Keeping himself hidden away in forests was not going to be something that was going to work long term and the fact of the matter really was that he had gotten himself a taste for blood and that was making things just that much harder. No, he had not found himself a human to prey upon but he did however, locate a deer. The rest was the simple idea of what happens between predator and prey. While there was no doubt that a prey animal was not something that made him turn away from humans all together (in hunting them, that is) it was still better then nothing. While there was something deep within his mind that craved the taste of human blood it was still true that catching a prey animal was still something in the road to soothing that beast within himself during that time. Filling that desire to rip, tear and the freshness of blood and meat. Even though it was by no means something that took away that need, it did make it easier to deal with and he had not turned on himself for that soothing ability that hunting provides.

Though there was one very large downside to the whole thing. Something that he had not thought about and if he had the odds were that the wizard would have kept himself locked tight away from any creature. The fact of the matter was, that the taste that he had gotten had managed to awaken something within him, or perhaps it was always there and instead he was just more aware of it now. And that was, that he liked the taste of blood. It was pleasing, soothing but he was by no means vampiric. He didn't require it for life, he just craved and enjoyed every last drop like a muggle child would ice cream. It was a pleasure and nothing more then that. And that reason was surely one that made Brice fear that part of himself even more. There was no handbook, no guarantee on where the cravings would end. What would happen in the months, even years to come. Would he someday crave human flesh when not even transformed? What would happen? Who would he kill? Those questions and more swirled around in his head as he unpacked the box of books. At least until there came a knocking sound from the front door no less, which really was something that held more then a little ability in ripping him from his troubled thoughts. He set down the book in his hand and crossed the room quickly. Odds were it was just another neighbour welcoming him to the neighbourhood. They were such a friendly folk. Though what greeted him when he opened the door was not what he expected. Not one bit. "What are you doing here?" Oh, his manners were just lovely.

Words;; 928
Outfit;; Muggle clothes of some sort. Too lazy to make something
Tagged;; Alistair dear
Notes;; Tadaa!
Lyric Credit;; Inside My Head. Digital Summer.

[ALISTAIR ELIJAH MACMILLAN]

underdog just look at the mess you made`
IT'S SUCH A SHAME WE HAD TO FIND OUT THIS WAY

It was hot. Too hot actually, and unusually so for a late summer’s day in Britain. It had mostly rained all summer as was the norm but today the sun had decided to shine. Usually for Alistair this was a good thing. It meant he could pick one of his favourite spots beneath a tree, open a book and read. But today he was on a mission, a mission he’d been working on for most of the summer which was to track down an old friend. Alistair didn’t usually harbour such stalker-like tendencies but he had attempted to get in contact with his friend on more than several occasions and with no such luck and Al knew it meant only one thing. He was being avoided. He had no clue as to why. As far as he was concerned, he was the best to be around and so it was unthinkable that Brice would want to cut him from his life. Especially since he’d promised him that even though he’d finished Hogwarts that they would stay in touch. When someone made Alistair Macmillan a promise they stuck to it. He would make very sure of that.

The Ravenclaw seventh year took another glance down at the piece of note paper in his hand on which Brice’s address was scribbled down. At least, he hoped it was his address. It was quite possible that in a few minutes time he’d be banging on a complete stranger’s door and he’d have to make up some excuse to remove himself from the embarrassing predicament. He hurried down the street, counting the numbers on the houses as he did so and finally stopped in front of the correct one. He stood at the end of the path, staring across at the house, pausing. Not because he was nervous about invading Brice’s space. Merlin, no. Alistair felt he had every right to turn up unannounced at his friend’s house. What if he was in trouble? And if he was just being plain rude then surely Al deserved an explanation as to why he was being kicked out of his life?

He fanned himself with his polo shirt, wiped his brow, tugged up his knee length shorts and scuffing his plimsolls, started up the path towards the front door. He lifted his hand, fist shaped and was just about to knock when he realised he had no idea what he was going to say. It was often you found Alistair speechless. It wasn’t that he had no words; it was more than he didn’t know how to word what he wanted to get across. Without sounding obnoxious, angry or hurt. He had to think how to be diplomatic about this . . . that would be difficult considering Alistair didn’t deal in diplomatic. He dealt in blunt honestly and calling it how he saw it. He exhaled with a sigh and knocked a couple of times, taking a step back and waiting, arms folded across his chest.

The door opened and Alistair was slightly relieved to see Brice’s face. At least he had successfully found the right place. His expression went from relieved to a small smile to irritated in a matter of seconds. ”So you haven’t fallen off the face of the earth!” He’d struggle to fit much more sarcasm into his words, and his eyebrows couldn’t rise much higher without being on the other side of his head. ”I’m here to make sure you’re not dead, or been eaten alive or become horribly disfigured because I can think of no other reason as to why you’ve been avoiding me.” His tone was angrier than he had meant for it to be. So much for diplomatic, Alistair.

WORDS: not enough
TAG: brice and alistair
LYRICS: you me at six - underdog
NOTES: Its not great, I will get better! I hope

[BRICE PAUL BECKETT]

Even if he was being more then slightly rude to the person that had knocked on his door there was good enough reason for his reaction or so he himself thought. It was for the best, really it was. Keeping people at a general distance was the safest and best way to do things. After all, there wasn't a chance that they could be hurt if they were not around him. He was far from the man that he was a few months ago and that was something in itself that very much so held enough reason for the wizard to keep people away, and as far away as he could manage. Maybe if he didn't have an infliction that had him doomed for the rest of his days, maybe things would be different. But it was far from something that could be dubbed harmless or easily managed. The fact of the matter was that he was dangerous. The thoughts that formed all too often in his mind were ones that he really did not want coming to life. Even untransformed anything he scarred was going to have a mark until the end of their days, and even more along with that it seemed that such a harmless scratch carried enough taint to bring forth wolfish traits to the one that was wounded. It was just a terrifying thing having that sort of unwanted ability in their own being and not wanting a thing to do with it. And that was just untransformed. The real terror came with the full moon when he found himself face to face with the fact that he was going to lose his mind and feel more pain then he could have ever wanted and there wasn't thing one he could do about it. His whole being was nothing more then a ticking time bomb that went off once a month, or twice even when there was a blue moon.

And what was why Brice Beckett found himself in nothing less then a growling state of shock when Alistair Macmillan was standing there just as fuming as he was on his doorstep. By the looks of things, it was not going to be easy to get away from his past or at least no more easy then it was to escape the curse that he was now trying to live as normal of a life as he possibly could with such an illness. An illness that really allowed a person to infect or kill another without so much as a slight care in ones actions at least until the next morning. Regardless, the last thing he wanted to do was explain what had happened to his Hogwart's chum even if it would shed some light onto why things had gone the way that they did. There was just that risk that the news wouldn't be taken well and then the next thing he'd know he'd be out of a job and everything else because the population was afraid that he was going to slaughter them in their beds. Honestly the whole idea was really as sick as it was humorous considering the fact that the people of Hogsmeade had been so inviting but like every other city and town on the map, muggle or other wise, it was easy enough for people to take an instant dislike to a person no matter what had been said or done, just because new information was given out. Perhaps it was just human nature in some respects but the last thing that he wanted to do was deal with the likes of that and worst of all move again. He was down to the last box.

Brice stood in the doorway that lead into his home, staring at his friend. Knowing better then to deny anything that Alistair had just said. Though to one degree or another it was true that he had been ever so disfigured by the beast that had attacked him, but even then the scars that were more then anything marking his left side, arm and shoulder could have been a lot worse which could have lead to death or getting eaten alive. That still was not something that he wanted to go into detail about however, it just wasn't a great idea for him to be telling people what he really was. Sure he and Alistair had known each other for years now but there were somethings that some friendships just could not survive. Odds were being a werewolf was one of those things that were challenging. "Just go away." The wizard snapped, not offering much in information through the whole thing. "Its for you're own good." And with that he slammed the door, turning away from it and going back to the box he was unpacking. Even though the whole thing didn't sit well in his stomach, it really was for any of his friends good. He was just too dangerous. Even if he was alone, it was better then them getting hurt. The wizard went back to unpacking.

Words;; 847
Outfit;; Muggle clothes of some sort. Too lazy to make something
Tagged;; Alistair dear
Notes;; I thought your post was fine. Alistair may feel free to barge right into his house. Brice just has to be stubborn.
Lyric Credit;; Inside My Head. Digital Summer.

[ALISTAIR ELIJAH MACMILLAN]

underdog just look at the mess you made`
IT'S SUCH A SHAME WE HAD TO FIND OUT THIS WAY

In no way whatsoever was Alistair prejudiced. About anything really. Everyone was different and most differences were natural and unavoidable why should anyone tease you about being ginger for instance? That was one of his biggest peeves since his younger sister is a redhead. Even when it came down to choices such as which side you supported in these troubled times. A split was being made, you were either on the dark side or the light, Alistair however was resolving to stay out of things. He was a pureblood who didn’t agree with what the elitists were saying but that didn’t mean he was going to stand up against them. Cowardice was one of the reasons why he was reluctant to get involved. He was a pureblood after all so as long as he didn’t show too much favouritism to those of half or muggleborns he was pretty sure he could get through things unscathed. Rather selfish maybe but in his world, Alistair came first.

Sure, he had opinions on things, lots of opinions that he quite willingly voiced to the world regardless of whether anyone wanted to listen. And he always often thought his opinion was the correct one and liked to think he could change the views of others even if he tried to not be too judgemental. He was a good guy, he just took a bit of getting used to and Brice should have been used to him. So Alistair didn’t like to change his outlook on someone, especially not one of his friends. But it seemed one of his friends had changed their view on him. He often said controversial things; maybe Al had offended him in some way? But as he had just thought, he thought that Brice knew not to get too worked up about what Alistair said. And he thought that he knew that Al was quite a liberal thinker and so wouldn’t be offended by any lifestyle choice his friend might have made. Brice also should have known Alistair was a persistent git and he wasn’t easy to get rid of.

And so, even when Brice slammed the door in his face, Alistair wasn’t going anywhere. It wasn’t the reaction he had expected. He stood, his mouth hanging open in shock, feeling particularly disgruntled now. Most people he reckoned would just turn around and leave. Brice obviously didn’t want him here and he’d been rather mean about it. Al was irritated by that, he wanted more of an explanation now. Perhaps if he’d asked him to leave politely, made up some sort of excuse, Al would have given a shrug, turn and left. Perhaps Brice thought that by being a jerk he’d convince Alistair to leave and not come back. No, he didn’t give up that easy, he’d come all the way from Scotland after all. Alistair dropped his eyebrows into a frown. It was for his own good? What the hell did that mean? Exhaling a heavy breath, the young male reached out and grabbed the door handle, thankfully finding it unlocked he swung the door open and quickly stepped inside before Brice could lock him out completely. Ha! He thought, grinning successfully from ear to ear. He pushed the door shut behind him and stood, arms folded across his chest, an eyebrow quirked.

”You’re not getting rid of me that easily. Though I should kick your arse for being such a jerk. Care to explain?” Alistair wasn’t sure if entering another man’s home without permission was some sort of crime if you knew the person, nor did he know whether Brice would proceed to be angrier and demand that he leave and never return. He hoped that he’d reluctantly allow him to stay and maybe even deign to give him some sort of explanation for his recent non-existence. ”I also wouldn’t mind a cold drink if you’ve got one. It’s been a long trip you know. The least you could do is offer your friend a cool drink on a hot day.” Might as well make it clear that he intended to stick around and at least he was inside away from the beating hot sun now. How long Brice would allow him to stay though, he wasn’t entirely sure. Sure, Alistair hadn’t really known what to expect but a nicer welcome than what he’d received had been warranted. And if Brice was going to be rude and demanding then so was he.

WORDS: 744
TAG: brice and alistair
LYRICS: you me at six - underdog
NOTES: yes, Alistair just invited himself in

[BRICE PAUL BECKETT]

If Brice were to really take the time to think about it, his attempt at trying to chase away Alistair was nothing less then a feeble one at best. Perhaps that was down to the fact that if he were honest, truly honest, he would have to say that he didn't want to chase his friends off as much as it appeared to be the case. Even if he was a threat to their health and well being, and he wasn't sure how the news would be taken in the first place. His paranoia was doing a wonderful job of overriding his logical thinking. Though he did not want to be alone even if in his mind it was a better thing and a safer thing for those around him. But it was true enough to say that not everything in life that was the smartest was something that he really wanted to do. He just couldn't have any words to say to his friend or anyone at the moment for that matter, as Alistair now stood there in his home. There was nothing that came to mind to do and for some reason he could not bring himself to force his friend out of his home. Instead, he just stared. All too aware that he had lost the battle, even more so knowing that he allowed it to happen. It wasn't for their best, and yet it did make him feel better. Whether that was wrong or not he was not sure but for now all he did was stare at his school chum. Nothing was working out as planned.

Honestly had Brice even wanted to explain his condition to his friend, he could not find the words in which to do so. His family were even in the dark about what had transpired and even what he was currently doing as a profession. Last thing they were informed of was that he was going to start his training as an auror. Of course it was right after that, that he found himself stricken with a disease that lacked so much as some sort of soothing potion or something let alone a cure. There really was no helping him, that was simply just that. But it went without saying that the hand of fate did not always deal cards of good fortune, and thus he had found himself right in the path of a creature that had used him for no less then a chew toy. Even though it was months ago, there were still times that he awoke in a cold sweat, his mind even in rest replaying that horrible night again and again in his head. Indeed, the whole thing was nothing less then something seen in a muggle horror movie. Except, the werewolf in question in the film was actually wanting to lead a completely normal life, if possible, after the event had happened instead of murdering and feasting on humans like always seemed to happen in those movies. Not that he didn't have certain urges, but there was something to be said for his self control. For now it was strong enough to hold. Not that, that was the point of course. Really his mind had wandered some as he stared at his friend, not knowing what to say and knowing that the truth was very far from what he actually wanted to give. "I..." Brice started to say but Alistair continued with even more annoyed words causing the older wizard to close his mouth.

It was only fair to get his friend something to drink after all. He didn't speak a word as he ducted into the kitchen, poured a tall glass of water and gave the glass a small tap with his wand, causing a thin layer of ice to form within the water. Instant ice water. He came back into the living area, handing off the glass without so much as a word and went back to unpacking. Yes, it was rude for him not to speak but the honest thing was that his mind was all too busy processing what he was going to tell Alistair then it was on the general idea of idle conversation. What was he going to say? And what sort of a reaction was he going to get? Having to modify a friend's memory due to a bad reaction was not something that he was all too fond of doing. Then again, Alistair was not the type that was going to disappear or leave without the information that he wanted or at least believing a good lie. And that was one thing that Brice Beckett was not at all good at. Lying. Sure he had managed to leave a few things out or bend things around from time to time but he was not some sort of a great liar. Weaving web after web out of thin air was a skill that the wizard did not have not even a little bit. And thus that was out of the question. He unloaded a few more books from the box and set them up on a bookshelf. Well, aware that Alistair still wanted an answer and it had to be a good one. After all, it wasn't every day that a friend just decided to drop off the face of the earth. There had to be a good reason for it or he wouldn't be getting any peace.

There was going to be no getting out of this. Brice touched the wand in his pocket, just to make sure the thing was still with him. Knowing that if Alistair reacted poorly there wasn't a chance he was going to be leaving the house with the information he was given. Losing his job and moving were two things that he did not want to deal with and all too often the population didn't like werewolves and had a general fear of them. Not without reason, of course, but it did make things rather challenging for the ones that didn't demand blood to not live in paranoia themselves. "Alright." He finally spoke, half sighing. "You want to know?" Brice sat down on the near by sofa, honestly he knew that he couldn't remain standing even giving out the information. "Sit if you like," he motioned, running his fingers through his hair nervously. He was very much so unsure as to where to start. "Well, I was in St. Mungo's for a while. That was part of it." The wizard rubbed subconsciously at his arm, where some of the scarring resided. "I'm still pretty sick. Can't cure what I've got." The words coming out of his mouth were slow, and thought out. For some reason he could not find the courage to say what had happened plainly and quickly. His mouth even felt dry. If only he had poured himself a glass as well, but he could not seem to find the ability to get up and get a glass. "Family doesn't know and you're the only one I've told." Brice gave his friend almost a defeated look, not liking the words that he was going to have to say out loud. "I have lycanthropy."

Words;; 1,206
Outfit;; Muggle clothes of some sort. Too lazy to make something
Tagged;; Alistair dear
Notes;; Tadaa!
Lyric Credit;; Inside My Head. Digital Summer.

[ALISTAIR ELIJAH MACMILLAN]

underdog just look at the mess you made`
IT'S SUCH A SHAME WE HAD TO FIND OUT THIS WAY

If needs be, Alistair would stand there all day, staring at Brice and waiting for an answer. It was possible for him to be patient and quiet if he really needed to be. He just preferred to be talking. After all, what he had to say was usually very important and worthwhile. He should have known he wouldn’t be barraged with an onslaught of insults, that wasn’t Brice’s way, he also should have known that Brice too would simply say nothing to his intrusion. He wasn’t being told to leave and that was a bonus. Maybe he did want his company after all. The thought helped to brighten Alistair’s mood considerably. He knew that there was a real reason for all of this, knew that there was some problem otherwise he wouldn’t have wasted his time and efforts to track him down. Now it was down to finding out what that was. Shouldn’t be too difficult, should it? Alistair had surely proved his worth as a friend by going through all of this effort.

Still there was no response from Brice but there was movement. Alistair opened his mouth to ask where he was going but decided it was probably better to keep his trap shut. He had a tendency to go off on one and digress considerably when he started talking – he had already cut Brice off once today much to his disappointment and he didn’t want to do it again. But he wasn’t gone for long and he returned with the drink Alistair had requested. He accepted it gratefully with a ”Thank you” and he stopped himself from being more than slightly annoyed that he didn’t even get a ‘you’re welcome’ in response. ’Don’t be mad at him, Alistair’ He told himself as he gulped down the contents of the glass in a matter of seconds. You don’t know what’s going on yet.’ Reminding himself, and the cool liquid refreshing his insides and settling in his stomach was enough to clear his head and return him to his usual, reasonable self.

He lowered the glass from his lips to find Brice unpacking once more and again he had to force himself not to be irritated. He didn’t like being ignored but he tried to look at things from his friend’s perspective. It seemed as if he was procrastinating over telling him the truth, rather than hiding it completely. This caused Alistair to worry now, what was it that had his friend so isolated, wanting to be alone and hiding? It looked like he was about to find out. He opened his mouth, not to speak, just because it was part of his soft expression. He nodded, once, intrigued and apprehensive all at once. The sudden shift of atmosphere in the room didn’t go unnoticed; neither did the older man’s nervousness. Alistair sat himself down, perched on the edge of the sofa cushion, his eyes focused, feeling slightly nervous himself. What sort of revelation was this going to be? Alistair really had no ideas, his mind was completely blank. He listened to him, resisting the temptation to interrupt at the mention of him being in St. Mungo’s. Instantly he felt guilty, he had been sick, or still was sick by the sounds of it and Alistair had accused him of being a jerk. Shame washed over him and he wanted so badly to apologize but he was finally finding out so it was best to just stay quiet.

He was still holding the empty glass since there was nowhere really to put it down since Brice had only just moved in but it clattered to the floor at that word. ’Lycanthropy’. It wasn’t his only reaction. His other hand gripped the edge of the sofa tightly, and his jaw stiffened, his mouth dropping open and a trace of fear flashing through his eyes. He searched the expression on Brice’s face because he couldn’t be serious . . . it didn’t take long for Alistair to ascertain that he was. Oh dear Merlin. It took all of his strength to not recoil as the realisation hit him. His friend was a monster. No, don’t think that! But Al couldn’t help it. He was a pureblood wizard, he had grown up hearing the horror stories, studied them at school, knew that there was no cure, that once a month the person turned into a crazed animal intent on devouring human flesh, craving blood and raw meat. He gulped and couldn’t help but shudder at his thoughts. Before he even knew it, his wand was out. Not to attack, but to defend. He looked down at it, shocked by his actions. Would Brice really hurt him, would he really hurt Brice? A few moments ago he would have said no, now, he wasn’t so sure.

He lowered his wand but kept the grip just as firm. He was scared, there was no denying that. It he was scared and worried and really quite overwhelmed and every one of those emotions was on his face, plain for all to see. Not just for himself, but for Brice. He stood up, but finding himself taking a step backwards, because he had to do something and yet he wasn’t sure how to act. Right now, Brice was still Brice; there was no reason to fear for his safety. And yet his perceptions on the man had completely flipped since the revelation. Later he would hate himself for being so judgemental because this was not him at all, but right now he was just shocked. He opened his mouth but for once, Alistair couldn’t find words. ”This is a lot to take in.” He finally croaked out, his mouth suddenly dry despite the recent glass of water. Well that was a rather selfish comment. He soon realised. "I'm sorry." He visibly flinched. What was he going to do, walk out on him? Part of him was screaming at him too, that part of him was etched all over his face he was sure. "That explains why you've been ignoring me." He commented weakly. "You shouldn't have to deal with it alone, you know? There's no need to push people away." There, that was slightly more diplomatic even if his words didn't sound terribly convincing.

WORDS: 1,048
TAG: brice and alistair
LYRICS: you me at six - underdog
NOTES: let me know if there's not enough for you to reply to

[BRICE PAUL BECKETT]

Brice had not expected Alistair to take the news of his condition well and thus it came no surprise as to the facial expression that the younger wizard wore. He, himself had not taken the news very well at first either so there really was no part of the wizard that could blame his friend for the reaction that he was having. It was not as if the cursed wizard expected a hug or a pat on the back or a dog biscuit even. The fact of the matter was that werewolves were known for their blood thirsty behavior and Alistair came from a wizarding family and thus knew what they were from a young age. Whether he registered it or not all those years of having that knowledge and hearing various stories was giving him a subconscious prejudice against what was now Brice's kind. And that was precisely why he had not wanted to tell his friend in the first place. Surely out of general fear their friendship would be over. Not that Alistair would be leaving with even the slightest knowledge as to what had happened to his friend, honestly if the spell worked well enough he might even get altered into thinking that Brice had left the country just so the secret remained safe. After all, it was not like people acted in a rational manner when given such news. The expression and the shattering glass was enough to show a person that. For some strange reason the human brain was very much so hardwired to take in new information and instantly dislike a person because of the new data, very much so failing to take into account everything else that had or not not gone on before that new information was given. Though even with that in mind, Brice still flinched and found himself struggling not to draw his own wand on his friend seeing as he was being threatened at the moment.

But even then it was easy enough to say that reacting in a violent manner was not going to make things any better. Odds were it would just start a duel in his home and the fact of the matter was that he didn't own all that many things and was quite content with the idea of keeping them all in one piece, thank you very much. Instead of reacting the way that he wanted to, the wizard merely let out a heavy sigh and gave the younger wizard a sharp look. Unable to keep himself from showing a little disdain for the fact that he was being threatened. "Don't point that thing at me, Macmillan." Brice spoke in a warning type tone. While he did not want to get in an all out fight with one of the people in his life that might have actually made it close to being his best mate as things went, he did want Alistair to start using his head. While the wizard wasn't exactly the best dueler of all time it was not as if he was unable to defend himself and friend or not, he would not think twice about keeping himself safe. No, he would not try to harm his friend but keeping him from attacking was surely a good start and perhaps an ender. Odds were their friendship was quite dead anyway, without a doubt, there were more then a few ideas going through the younger Ravenclaw's head about werewolves being monsters, blood thirsty meat eating things and something like being stuck in the same room as one. It was quite typical really, that was the reaction that he feared from people seeing as it was that thinking that had the ability to have him jobless and chased out of a town.

"And honestly," Brice continued, eyes following Alistair but he had yet to actually make a move. "If I wanted to kill you or whatever it is that's going through your head right now. Wouldn't it make more sense for me to have attacked you when you weren't on guard?" Not that he planned on attacking his friend either but that was just another thing that he wanted to give Alistair to chew on thought process wise. It did after all make no sense at all to put a person on edge and then try to kill them but maybe that was just Brice's thought process. Though he was highly doubtful that Alistair was even using his at the moment if there was a certain about of honesty to be had. But as the wizard started to his feet, deciding that he was going to have to make a few modifications to Alistair's memory something must have clicked in the Ravenclaw's mind. Or so was hoped anyway. Least he actually spoke. "Yeah, it is." Brice replied, at least happy with the fact that the younger wizard seemed to at least be thinking ever so slightly even if it was just stating the obvious. It was a lot to take in, there was no doubting that and it was all a guessing game as to how a person would take such news in the end. But for the moment it seemed that things were a little lighter then they were moments before even if tension still lingered in the air. He nodded at his friend's apology, unable to think of anything to say about it, who knows how he would have reacted if the shoe was on the other foot and there was no harm done at the current point so he was not about to push anymore then that.

Again Brice nodded as Alistair continued. "That's why. Can't say its something that goes over well. My employers don't even know." And frankly that was none of their bloody business either but that was something that was surely arguable considering everything but it was not like he was looking to harm people or had some grand scheme that equaled harm to others. All he really wanted was coin and there was only one way to get that. Getting a job. Thus things made perfect sense but at the moment that really was not the thing at hand. Alistair was. "I didn't say I wanted to deal with it alone but the fact of the matter is that I am viewed in poor light by the wizarding population. Or I would be really, if they knew. I don't see a choice." And that really was the sad fact of the matter. There really was no choice when it came to being werewolves but that was just the way it had always been. The Ministry didn't know whether they were beasts or people or both and most of the population had a terrible fear thanks to stories and a few blood thirsty werewolves. "I'm not going to have to modify your memory, am I?" He asked, slight smile forming. Because honestly, he really didn't want to.

Words;; 1,162
Outfit;; Muggle clothes of some sort. Too lazy to make something
Tagged;; Alistair dear
Notes;; I can make changes if this isn't enough to go off of. Just didn't want to get ahead of Alistair's reactions
Lyric Credit;; Inside My Head. Digital Summer.

[ALISTAIR ELIJAH MACMILLAN]

underdog just look at the mess you made`
IT'S SUCH A SHAME WE HAD TO FIND OUT THIS WAY

If there had been tension in the room before this moment then Alistair hadn’t noticed it. Now however it seemed you could cut the atmosphere with a knife. He was quickly realising that his actions hadn’t exactly been thought out and maybe if he hadn’t reacted so impulsively he could have avoided this scenario completely – the two wizards eyeing each other cautiously. If anything, Brice had more reason to be anxious than Alistair. After all, it was his secret at stake. If Al was to go ballistic and run down the streets screaming his head off that their newest neighbour was a werewolf, well the older wizard’s life would be ruined. Luckily enough, that was never the Ravenclaw boy’s intentions. He knew that it was his duty to keep quiet about his condition, it was just dealing with and processing the information that was the hard part.

He was still standing, wand pointed at Brice without even realising it. He had come to the conclusion long ago that he was not going to hurt him, not as long as Brice didn’t try and attack him. He jumped at the sharpness of his tone, the use of his last name causing him to follow the instructions instantly. He scowled at him, feeling like a naughty child being told off by one of the professors. But he didn’t say anything; after all, it wasn’t very friendly to be pointing a wand threateningly at someone. But then, Brice had the ability to turn into a monster, surely that gave him every right to have his wand out ready? He quickly reminded himself that his friend was not a monster and that he wasn’t going to transform right now. Apparently his brain wanted to jump to the worst conclusions about everything. And yet, as he lowered his wand, but didn’t pocket it, he couldn’t help but let images of werewolves tearing out the throats of children enter his mind.

He quirked an eyebrow, surprised at Brice’s next words since they perfectly judged what was going through his brain at that moment. He thought wildly for one moment that maybe Brice also had the ability to read minds. But of course it was probably obvious, it must be what every lycanthrope feared others thinking about them. . . Except maybe the actual crazy, psychopath ones that embraced what they were. He nodded. ”You’re right.” Al was completely over reacting. Brice was not a psychopathic monster, he was a scared young man, running away from the world because he had been cursed and suddenly a wave of sympathy washed over him; his expression softening ever so slightly. ”I don’t think you’re going to hurt me.” He pushed his wand back inside his pocket, naturally looking away from the other male as he did it as if to show he was more at ease.

Alistair gave him a weak smile. ”You probably shouldn’t tell them.” He agreed. There was no point arguing. Because everyone was prejudiced, there was no doubt about that and he knew only too well that Brice realised that. Alistair licked his lips. ”I hope not!” Which was Alistair-speak for a very offended ‘no.’ He let out a sigh, wanting to explain his actions but unable to really put how he was feeling into words. He contemplated his friend for a minute or two, wondering if this information changed the way he viewed his friend. Did knowing that Brice was a werewolf make him want to run away in the opposite direction? At first it had, but Alistair’s logical way of thinking was coming into play as was his loyalty to his friends. He realised that with this knowledge, it would be extremely selfish to abandon Brice. Although apparently he was ready to wipe his memory – Alistair wouldn’t let him do that.

He decided to say in a quiet voice, ”I think the fact that you told me shows that you don’t want to be alone.” Alistair had wanted to say that it seemed like a cry for help but that might’ve offended him, after all, we all hated feeling weak. He was beginning to relax even more now, now that he was over his initial shock it was easier to realise what a difficult position his friend was in and Alistair being Alistair was going to help. Whether he wanted him to or not. ”You’re right. But I am not like the rest of the wizarding population.” His words came out rather arrogant; yes Alistair was back to his usual self. ”So no, you won’t have to modify my memory.” He gave him an I’d like-to-see-you-try smirk. ”The question is; are you going to let me come back? Or are you going to push me away again?” He motioned an arm towards Brice, indicating his condition as he said, ”This doesn’t change anything.” Then he folded his arms stubbornly across his chest.

WORDS: 819
TAG: brice and alistair
LYRICS: you me at six - underdog
NOTES: let me know if there's not enough for you to reply to

[BRICE PAUL BECKETT]

It really did please Brice on more then one level that Alistair was successfully managing to use his head once again. Even if the younger of the two wizards were known for being a little overactive in the romantics department, it wasn't like he didn't have a decent head on his shoulders. It was more then a slight pleasure to see that he was now using it instead of cursing the other and running off into the streets screaming werewolf. And even though Alistair did have a head on his shoulders there wasn't even a chance that the wizard could deny that he was still more then prepared for the younger Ravenclaw to do just that and that was one of the reasons that he was more then ready, will and able to relieve Alistair of the knowledge that he had gained without so much as a second thought. While he didn't actually want to be alone and completely isolated from those that he considered friends and other wise it was just not worth any amount of being forced out of a town because the reaction was just as bad as he was thinking and before he knew it he really had no other choice then to work his way in with a werewolf... clan? Pack? Whatever they liked to call themselves. But that was very far from appealing and it was safe to say that the wizard was no where near harboring the desire to join that type of his kin. Without a doubt most if not all of them were blood thirsty crazed lunatics that craved the taste of blood and did anything and everything they could to add to the pack's numbers. Indeed, that was without a doubt not a life style that he wanted. Even if things did look grim he was going to fight tooth and nail (well, not literally) to keep himself away from what was the last resort in his eyes. But things were no where near that bad and were getting better and better the more that Alister continued to think.

"I would hope that you would think that I wouldn't." Brice replied, thankful to see the other's wand disappearing out of sight. It was an easing motion, not that the wizard was hoping to harm his friend. Instead, it was more that the lack of the thing was enough to keep his fears of being hexed, cursed or whatever else was thought of at the moment in reaction to the news that was given. So Brice found himself more then happy when the threat had disappeared and for some reason that movement in itself was enough to allow some of the tension that was perhaps thick enough to cut with a knife to fade, all the better, really. "Because I'm not going to. Not like I transform at will or random for that matter." Really in a slight degree that was preferred over having a set time, a guaranteed time. Being a living ticking time bomb was not something that he liked all that much. But when it came down to that it was not exactly safe for other people if he'd just randomly turn into some blood thirsty creature. The last thing that he wanted to do was hurt or kill someone and with the sort of luck the young wizard seemed to have, he would end up transforming in the middle of a crowded place. Even if it was terrible knowing the time and the fact that there was nothing that he could do about it at least, that knowledge could be of use in making sure that he was as far away from human life as possible or at the very least in a location in which he could avoid people and thus making them safe. Not that it made the whole thing any easier.

Brice shook his head at the Ravenclaw. "I didn't say I planned on informing them of what I left off my resume. It might not be my dream job but it really is better then nothing. Puts food on the table." And a roof over his head but without a doubt that was the end of it. It was better then having no source of income at all and that was surely what would happen if the truth about what he was came to light. Witches and wizards were quite paranoid after all and the odds of them wanting to keep an employee that had the ability every full moon to try to kill them was not something that he could see happening. Not that he would hurt them but all too often people failed to see that. "I should be able to keep my problem under wraps. Working on the full moon's not going to be pleasant though. Guess I'll just drink a lot of coffee and pray I don't fall asleep or am asked to work late." As for some strange reason the coming of the full moon seemed to have a terrible effect of requiring sleep on the wizard. It was perhaps to the point of even considering him a walking zombie, provided he could keep his eyes open. And sure enough by the time the moon rose things were very much so different but even then the morning that followed would be no better. But he had to have a job, even if the odds were stacked against him and most things hung on the idea of the lot of them not being the wiser or figuring out a pattern in his need for sleep.

Even though things were tense, the air seemed to be getting a little lighter, a smile forming on the wizard's features at Alistair's reply. Even though there was no denying the offended sound in the Ravenclaw's voice, it was something that Brice chose to ignore as he almost dared the other wizard not to have similar feelings when faced with something as terrible as his condition. Honestly, he liked it in Hogsmeade and thus moving again was not something he all together wanted to do. After all, there weren't too many job options out there that didn't put so many things at risk. The idea of living in London or some other larger city and merely hoping that locking himself away would keep him from murdering someone was not really what he wanted to do. Too risky. The wizard shrugged off the underlying implications that were surely within Alistair's next words. "Would you want to be alone?" Brice asked, a slight edge to his words. "You must admit with the way people like myself are treated, being alone is a lot better then being forced out of the wizarding community because of someone's big mouth." Not that everyone reacted that way but his mind kept playing someone screaming 'werewolf' through the streets over and over again. "Knowing that you have a strange desire to kill sorta makes you want to keep people at bay too." Even untransformed there were certain urges and desires lingering in the back of his mind. A terrible desire to attack, kill or at least taste human blood. It was almost easy to see how a werewolf could grow fond of human blood and flesh when not transformed, the desire was already there.

"And lets face it. You'd bother me endlessly until I gave you an answer." He did not speak in a sharp tone, more of one of stating fact. Alistair was known for being rather stubborn, after all. "Last thing I'd want is this being brought up at work. Figure you know where I work too seeing as you found out where I live. How did you do that anyway?" Really it was a little unnerving that he had been tracked down so quickly. Or quickly considering all his furniture was not even in the right places yet. Though Alistair was Alistair he had his abilities and more then a few contacts at his fingertips. Still it was more then slightly bothersome that a person could be found out so easily. So much for avoiding what he use to be and have. But even with that said there was part of him that was oh so glad that he had friends (or at least one) that actually cared enough, even if it was just out of general stubbornness, to track him down like, well, a dog. It some how made him feel loved or at least generally cared about seeing as he hadn't taken that into consideration. Really he should have with Alistair. Even if it took a few months, he still had managed to find him. Typical Alistair, now that was a friend for you.

Brice looked at his friend. He was being put on the spot again unsure of what sort of answer he wanted to give. Without a doubt it made so much better sense to keep his friend away and safe from him but on the other side of that coin he didn't want to be alone either. Hour after hour by himself was causing more then a slight touch of loneliness for the wizard. Perhaps sometimes things that were for the better were not always the right choice. His eyes fell upon the broken glass which he quickly repaired with a quick spell and picked up, as he thought of what he was going to say. Again he looked to a still waiting friend. "You can't tell a soul about my... problem." The wizard finally said. "Keep that in mind." That was pretty much equaling an answer that Alistair was still permitted around though even if it was nice seeing friends again, his need to keep what he was under wraps was far greater then anything friendship could provide. Even if he was completely miserable being alone. "Want a beer? You can catch me up on what's been going on in Alistair-land." Brice said cheerfully despite how somber things were just moments ago and even though he was not one for drinking himself, not that he minded if other people did. More so that he didn't actually ingest the drink on a regular basis. This was perhaps what he considered a special occasion and thus it was perfectly permeable. It had been sometime, after all, since he had gotten together with a friend.

Words;; 1,730
Outfit;; Muggle clothes of some sort. Too lazy to make something
Tagged;; Alistair dear
Notes;; Brice did not want to shut up. Forgive the length.
Lyric Credit;; Inside My Head. Digital Summer.

[ALISTAIR ELIJAH MACMILLAN]

underdog just look at the mess you made`
IT'S SUCH A SHAME WE HAD TO FIND OUT THIS WAY

The news that Brice had given him was really starting to sink in now. Alistair’s hasty reaction and then his come down from that had prevented the knowledge from having any other effect on him. But now he was finally realising the severity of this. This was huge. He had just discovered that one of his closest friends was a werewolf. It wasn’t the type of thing you wanted to hear. Especially since it really did mean Brice’s life as he knew it was over. Brice had obviously had longer to digest that information but Al, having only just thought about it, felt himself begin to worry for his friend. What was he going to do? Work in Hogsmeade for the rest of his life? Run from his other friends, run from his family and hope to Merlin that no one ever found out? That was no way to live and yet . . . he was resigned to that. In this day and age, when werewolves were hated and seen as bloodthirsty monsters there was no way that Brice could live the life he had always dreamed of having, was there?

This insight saddened Alistair greatly and the injustice of it all made his blood boil. It was hardly fair. Some ignorant, monstrous creature had decided it was alright to take Brice’s life away from him. Why did creatures (human beings included in that) feel the need to destroy each other? It sickened him as well because he only need look at the sadness on the older wizard’s face to know that Brice was thinking the exact same thing. It wasn’t fair, he was a good person, a good friend, intelligent, had his whole life ahead of him and that had been snatched from him just for some animal’s kicks. There was no way in hell that Alistair would let Brice modify his memory but there was no way he’d have to do it either. The words that Brice spoke aloud were almost in line with what he was thinking. There was no need to fear all werewolves all of the time because no, they couldn’t transform at will. If the full moon was tonight would Alistair have kept his wand gripped tightly in his hand? Possibly. But then, maybe Brice would have thought that necessary also because he wasn’t the type of person to want to hurt his friends.

Once again, the two seemed to be on the same wavelength, but then, these were the questions and thoughts that were going to be running through one’s mind when they were a werewolf/or had just discovered that their friend was one. Alistair had no suggestions to offer, he supposed that yes, Brice would just have to take his chances when it came to that time of the month, and maybe ring in sick if he didn’t have to do so too often, it probably wouldn’t get too suspicious. Who looked at the moon anyway? Alistair certainly didn’t pay much attention to it. What he did want to comment on though was his friend’s choice of career. Not that you could really call it that. ”You’re working in Hogsmeade correct?” Alistair raised an eyebrow once more, the tone of his voice illustrating perfectly that he thought Brice’s lack of ambition in the job department to be looked down upon.

Alistair licked his lips, tightening the hold he had of his own chest. No, he would not want to be alone and that was why he was still stood here with Brice and he certainly didn’t plan on leaving him anytime soon. He didn’t resent the change in tone of his voice, but Al did purse his lips. ”You’re not alone. I’m here.” He smiled, proud of himself. No one could hide from Alistair Macmillan. You could try and you might succeed for a few weeks but he would catch up with you. It hadn’t been easy though, in fact it had been majorly frustrating and he had relied heavily on his father’s job at the ministry; there were records of you everywhere he had scarily discovered. ”Just in case you up and leave on me again, I’d like to keep that a secret.” He nodded, serious and sombre. ”Of course. I won’t say a word.” He promised, holding the other man’s gaze in an attempt to convey how very serious he was about that.

Feeling completely at ease all of a sudden, Alistair sat back down on the sofa. It seemed that he had managed to convince his friend well enough that he was trustworthy or at least that he was too stubborn to get rid of. Al expected the latter was truer. ”Beer would be great.” He smiled, leaning back and stretching his legs out in front of him. ”Are you going to have one as well?” He called to him, his voice questioning, because he knew it took a miracle to get Brice to drink. Always at school Alistair had attempted to drag him to countless parties and nights out and hardly ever did he drink if he actually came along. ”Alistair in his Alistair-land is doing good mate. Went out the other night with a muggleborn friend, took me out to a muggle bar. That was an experience I’m telling you.” He tipped his head back, smiling at the memory. ”Not that I remember a lot. . . except that muggle girls,” Instead of using a word, he gave Brice the thumbs up.

”Hey, since you’re going to be in Hogsmeade and I’m just over there at Hogwarts” He actually tilted his head in the direction of the school, ”We can organise a night out.” Alistair grinned at him, knowing full well the type of reaction he was going to get to that statement.

WORDS: 967
TAG: brice and alistair
LYRICS: you me at six - underdog
NOTES: It's Alistair, he had to bring up partying. He's not sorry.

[BRICE PAUL BECKETT]

It didn't come to a surprise to the wizard as to the tone of Alistair's voice when where it was he was working came into the conversation. Without a single doubt it was a job that was beneath his general knowledge and skill in a perfect world. But there was one thing that was true in the world that they lived in and that was the fact that it was not a perfect place. It was quite the opposite really. This was the last thing he had expected he would be doing if someone asked him what was going to happen a year ago. "Yeah, Hogsmeade." Brice replied flatly, there was nothing to defend in saying that Alistair was wrong for thinking what he was. There was no pride that the wizard held for his current employment. He looked away from the younger Ravenclaw as he continued, for some reason it was hard for him to keep eye contact as he spoke. The whole thing was embarrassing. "I'm an assistant of sorts at Dervish and Banges. Spend most of my time repairing clocks on the friz or patching up other things that can be resold." Yeah, that was pretty much what his life had become, something that mundane, something that boring. At least more then slightly boring when a person took into consideration that mere months ago he was preparing to go into his auror training, working on saving the world from this that and the other thing and now he repaired clocks. There really was no comparison unless there was some clock that him repairing would actually allow him to save the world in the process but that was even laughable by wizarding standards. The truth of the matter was, that he wasn't going to have that dream fore-filled anytime soon and the odds were against him for that ever happening. Unless a person wanted to count the number of dangers that he had to deal with just remaining among the wizarding population instead of embracing what he was. So in a way he was saving the world from himself, though even then that was a very depressing thought.

His hopes and dreams of even leading a normal life at this point died the moment that beast grabbed him and sunk its teeth into his shoulder. Even though he was lucky to be alive after such an attack, there really was a part of the wizard that wondered if it would not have been better for him not to survive. Not that he wanted to die but somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered whether or not it would have been better not to. He was no where near the man that he used or wanted to be. A shell of his former self, that was for sure. Perhaps, in a way, he did die that night. Brice Beckett as the world knew him and he knew himself ceased to exist in that moment. He was a monster now and a very deadly one at that. "It's better then nothing." The wizard added with a shrug of his shoulders. And that was just that, if he was curse free the job in question was one that he would never have even thought of but that was not the case either these days. His aspirations of becoming an auror were just things of the past and he was surely destined to be having jobs that were lower or entry level. Maybe a little better if he could keep from getting fired or above everything else, keeping anyone and everyone from figuring out what was wrong with him. Last thing he needed was the world turning against him. He didn't want to embrace what he had become and if something like that happened he would have no other options.

Regardless, he hoped like hell things would never come to that but that was not something that was currently on his mind. What was, was how in the hell Alistair had found him and everything that went along with that. He had more then a few theories but still the truth was something he very much so would have rathered have the option to. "Yes, I can see that. You're in my living room." Though despite the tone of the words that came out of his mouth, the wizard was still glad to see that he had at least one friend in the world that had come after him despite every last attempt he had used to keep everyone and anyone at bay. Even his own family hadn't done that much but they did think that he was busy busy with his auror training and overall they didn't think that having a family member as a werewolf was something that was going to be happening. But even then that was something that he still needed to inform them of at some point or another but that was not something that he was even slightly looking forward to. They would freak out, he knew it. Brice fixed his gaze on Alistair, turning his thoughts away from his family, when the young Ravenclaw decided not to give out the information that the other really wanted to have. But it was completely understandable but even then that was something Brice didn't want to admit. "I'm not going anywhere. Long as I'm not run out." He replied firmly. "Moving is terrible and I don't care to live out of a trunk."

Which had been something that Brice Beckett had ended up doing even though it had been the wrong reaction to have, when he got out of St. Mungo's he without a doubt went off the deep end. His liver even found itself under a certain level of abuse but that was something that remained to be short lived. The seemingly endless vomiting and hellish hangovers got to him quick and he decided to deal with his problems in other ways. He failed to stay in one place long and spent more time living out of his trunk or a tent among doing other things that it made the whole idea of moving something that he disdained. To a degree he just had to grow up and deal with his problem even if he still didn't want to tell a soul about it. Though even though he had informed someone of his condition, the eye contact that was made between him and Alistair was enough to say it all and somehow put the wizard at ease even if he had just given someone some very dangerous information. But even at that, he was quite content to allow things to fall back to a similar manner as to what they were before things had gone terribly wrong. For a moment, he was going to pretend that things were as they were when he was a seventh year. That really was a happy time. Brice took the newly repaired glass back to the kitchen and came out with two beers, tossing a can to his friend and opening the other for himself and sitting down on the sofa. "Yes, I'm having a beer." He spoke in almost a mocking tone but the smirk that lingered on his face was something that told that it was meant in good fun. He did rarely permit himself a drink and thus it was a bit of a surprise to others, that he did such a thing. Though he did maintain that he had almost died so there was that part of himself that was quite content with the idea of enjoying a single drink with a friend considering he was more then lucky to be having it in the first place.

Brice nursed along his beverage as he listened to Alistair regaled him with what had been going on. Without a doubt, things with the Ravenclaw were the exact same as they were when the two of them were in school together. He scoffed at his friend giving him a sideways glance. "I hope you used... protection." The wizard replied, well aware that was surely not where anyone else's mind may or may not have gone but there had always been a more pragmatic part to Brice that thought of asking such things even if he did tend to sound like someone's parent instead of their friend. "Last thing the world needs is a little Alistair wandering around." Indeed that was a frightening thought but nothing compared to what the Ravenclaw said next. It really was only a matter of time before Alistair brought up the subject of partying, it was one of the few hobbies that the young wizard seemed to have so he should have seen it coming. The thing was, he didn't know what to answer. Indeed, parties were not all together his thing but there was just something about the fact of almost dying that brought a person to a new and different way of thinking. Even if it was against his better judgement, he did owe something to his friend for the time it took to track him down and for the fact that he had not cursed him when the news was given as to what had really happened. Again Brice looked to his friend, taking a sip of his beer. "Alright. Guess I owe you that much, huh?" Hopefully, he didn't regret his words.

Words;; 1,572
Outfit;; Muggle clothes of some sort. Too lazy to make something
Tagged;; Alistair dear
Notes;; Oh, no, Brice. What have you done? xD
Lyric Credit;; Inside My Head. Digital Summer.

[ALISTAIR ELIJAH MACMILLAN]

underdog just look at the mess you made`
IT'S SUCH A SHAME WE HAD TO FIND OUT THIS WAY

Admittedly, Alistair wasn’t overly ambitious himself. He wasn’t entirely sure what it was he wanted to do with his life. As most people did, he had gone through wanting a number of different careers and his father kept telling him there was a job at the ministry waiting for him in his department if he wanted it. He didn’t particularly like the idea of working a dull nine to five; he thought he had skills that surpassed sitting behind a desk all day. That being said, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of becoming an auror. It sounded all well and good and exciting on the surface but it wasn’t for him. His future career was the only thing in Alistair’s life that he didn’t have control over and he didn’t like it one bit. He hoped he’d figure out what it was he wanted to be doing in a year’s time because the uncertainty of it all was killing him. He was someone who liked to know exactly what he was doing and exactly where he was going but his profession was not a decision he could make lightly.

Currently, it wasn’t a decision he could make at all since he kept on changing his mind. His current thoughts were headed towards the department of games and sports. That shouldn’t be a particularly gruelling area but it might be a little more interesting than just sitting at a desk. Besides, he had always been obsessed with Quidditch and he knew he wasn’t good enough to play professionally. . . he could train to become a referee, that’d be good since he quite liked telling people what to do. He was doing it again, changing his mind. He wouldn’t however, whatever happened, stoop as low as to work as a shop assistant in Hogsmeade. He didn’t think his father would allow him to for starters. ”Brice, you could do so much better than that!” There it was again, another indication that Brice thought his life to be over. Alistair was wracking his brains; there must be some job that was a little more challenging and less dull that his friend could do without risking revealing his condition.

Alistair was worrying that Brice was giving up on life completely and that would do him no good whatsoever. He couldn’t live this sheltered, boring life for very long; he’d go crazy, even someone as grounded and realistic as Brice was. There needed to be some level of excitement, something to look forward to, something to keep him from becoming mind-numbingly bored from the isolation. ”I’m here, yes.” Al flashed him his cocky grin but it faded with his next words, ”But no one else is. Are you going to inform your family of your whereabouts?” He left what he really wanted to say, unspoken but it was perceptible in his tone; are you going to tell them about being a werewolf? Really, Al was just worried that his friend was going to be alone. This wasn’t how you should live your life, regardless of what condition you were in. Yes, he wouldn’t be too far away and he would drop by and drag him out to socialise as often as possible. But Al was in his last year of school; N.E.W.T year was going to keep him busy and as soon as he graduated and had a life of his own to lead? How often would he get to spend with his friend then?

He was determined to make Brice see that his life didn’t have to be over. And that meant a night out. Maybe even try and convince him to get a girlfriend, though that might take a while. Alistair’s dating history was a lot longer than his friends’. Saying that, he was having a beer so maybe they were moving in the right direction after all. Al caught the can that was tossed to him, cracking it open and taking a gulp. Nothing better than a cold can on a hot day; they should be sitting outside really, soaking up the rare British sunshine. Then again, as Alistair, glanced around the bare room once more, the place wasn’t very big so it probably didn’t have much in the way of a yard if it had one at all. Al rolled his eyes at Brice’s pragmatism. He was worrying over protection when any normal bloke would be asking how fit she was. That was why he liked Brice; kept him down to earth and looked out for him in that sensible kind of way and Alistair returned the favour by trying to corrupt him into being a little more like him.

”As chuffed as I am that you're looking out for me, you need not worry. I was safe. You won't be Uncle Brice in nine months time.” Alistair gave him a look, pretending to be affronted. ”I’m offended, do you think I should never reproduce?” He took another swig of his drink as his thoughts turned to relationships and the amount of pressure there was on you to act a certain way these days and who to choose as well. Being pureblood meant that his parents would much prefer him to marry a pureblood as well and although he didn’t think they’d go to the lengths of arranging a marriage, he was still worried that he’d either never find anybody who he wanted to settle down with or he’d fall in love with a muggle and make his parents bitterly disappointed. Being the only male in the family really was a lot of pressure. He was pulled from his reverie though by the other male agreeing to go out with him.

Al blinked at him a couple of times, unsure if he had heard correctly. ”You serious? I’m not going to have to drag you out the door kicking and screaming? You’re actually going to willingly come out?” A huge grin broke out onto his face. ”Excellent!” His head was already forming plans for the night. ”It’s going to be awesome, we’re going to get you good and dru-unk.” He made the word into to syllables, sliding his friend a sly glance he added, ”And let me know if you spot any girls around here that take your fancy. I have no problem setting you up.” Hogsmeade being an all-wizarding village would be the perfect place for Alistair to meet someone as well, though he wasn’t sure he was up for settling down just yet.

WORDS: 1087
TAG: brice and alistair keepin' it real
LYRICS: you me at six - underdog
NOTES: sorry for the wait! hope there's enough there.

[BRICE PAUL BECKETT]

There was no doubt to the wizard on any level that he could have done better in his chosen job (it was not something that could be considered a profession) but the fact of the matter was, that was only true if things were the way they were a few months ago. Ever since his encounter with that very large, very pissed off dog, there were very few things in life that were actually the same. Hopes and dreams were slashed to nothing by the beasts claws and there was not even a slight bit of hope that things would get any better in the curse department anytime soon. And that was what he was, cursed. The whole thing leading to him selecting a mundane life out of fear and what was perhaps a lack of options. A narrow margin of thought also concluding that he did not want to keep his hopes up for a job that he actually enjoyed only to have it snatched away if he missed too many days of work, fell asleep on the job, or had a terribly snippy attitude. It was perhaps the wrong way to look at things but that was how Brice had decided that things were going to work. But even then there were few that could blame him (or so he would say time and time again) when faced with the fact that their life was far from what it ever was and even less then they wanted it to be. His ideas were justified in his mind though it all was completely arguable to those on the outside looking in. To a degree, he was indeed giving up and shutting down on what he had before everything went to hell. Indeed, his mundane job choice was enough to show that and then some but the fact of the matter was he didn't know what else to do.

Brice fixed his friend with a look at the exclamation that he knew was going to be coming sooner or later. But there again there still was a part of him that maintained that life was not going to be the same and anything really was better then dealing with the reactions that he would get if anyone figured out what furry little secret was hiding in his closet. Forget the skeleton he really did have so much worse then that. The wizard's eye contact wavered as he ran more then a few thoughts through his head, trying to come up with any amount of words to counter Alistair's comment but there wasn't even a half a sentence that was formed in his thinking. He couldn't bring himself to deny his friend's observation. The job that he selected was one that was more then slightly beneath him and hardly gave him any amount of satisfaction when the day came to a close. Sure there was that part of him that enjoyed repairing things but that was as a hobby not something that he actually had to do day in and day out in some sort of repetitive hell. But it came with a paycheck, there was nothing that said that he had to actually enjoy it. Brice finally made eye contact once more, shrugging before he spoke. "I didn't say it wasn't. But they don't ask a lot of questions and the hours are pretty well set. Gives me more then enough time on the full moon to prepare." Seeing as he was some sort of hellish ticking time bomb. Irony being that he had quite the talent and ability in defense against the dark arts and now he was using many of the spells that he had learned for use against himself. Fate sure did have a cruel idea of humour.

Though the wizard did have a feeling that his explanation for why he was going what he was, was not going to hold up against Alistair even slightly but there were no other explanations that Brice could think up. And when it came down to it, it wasn't like he had the luxury of having an in with his parents though. Not that he held any resentment towards the younger Ravenclaw for his family connections but he hoped that Alistair realized how lucky he was. Even if it was out of family pride, he still would not have to work so hard to survive. But that was not something that the wizard was going to inform his friend of, after all, it would do neither of them any good and when it came down to it, Brice did want to be completely alone again. In fact the whole thing was not what he wanted but the sad truth was that he didn't know what to do about it or anything like that but that was his problem and not something that he wanted to dump on his friend. Unless Alistair just happened to have some magic cure for his condition in his back pocket there wasn't much that could be done. For now, this was his life. Maybe later on he could figure out something that was far better then his current situation but the fact of the matter was that his mind was very much so far from being set on such things. Indeed, it was safe to say that he couldn't see the forest through the trees and that was just the way it was. Right now, all he knew what was right in front of him even if that was the reaction that he needed not to have. Without a doubt he had to grow up fast but it left his head spinning and filled with uncertainty.

And there was even more uncertainty when it came to family. Honestly it was a topic that he more then anything wanted to avoid but it seemed that Alistair was not keen on letting him avoid the likes of anything today. But there was more then a slight truth in the fact that Brice could not hide from what had happened and the people that he had left behind for too long. The likes of his family included in all that but he still didn't have a single reason, save selfish ones to keep them all at bay. The truth of the matter was that he was terrified of their reaction or that he would hurt one of them despite every last measure that he had in place. Though the argument was sure to be had that they did have a right to know. He couldn't be in auror training forever. Nerves getting the better of him again, the wizard ran his fingers through his hair and then rubbed at the back of his neck as he spoke. "I plan on telling them once I know this is where I'm staying. Not looking forward to that conversation. They still think I'm busy with my auror training that's why I haven't written." He paused, there was still a very large part of himself that wished that, that was true. If not for the long hours and the fact that he really did need his wits about him at all times, he'd still be in training too. But life was just not that fair sometimes.

"I'm going to tell them though. Just easier said then done. I'd lie to them if I could but my sister's not exactly a muggle, she knows the truth." Which was just enough to terrify him even more then anyone may or may not have thought possible. The last thing that he wanted to happen was have his family turn against him. At least if they remained in the dark and thinking that he was just busy they weren't going to turn on him, unless it was just to give him a tongue lashing for failing to keep in touch in the first place. But that was still better then them writing him off. He let the topic drop, blocking it out of his mind unable to think about the idea of his family anymore. The whole thing was more then slightly defeating and that was enough of an excuse to change the subject altogether and he disappeared into the kitchen to regroup himself. Choosing to forget how things were at the current point in time and then working to remain in the past if only for a few hours. Even if it was wrong after everything he had been through it was just something that had to be done. So for now, he would avoid the truth of most things and just enjoy a drink with a friend.

Brice could not help but chuckle at his friend once he returned to the sofa and sure enough there was a feeling of normality in the air in the general discussion of parties and the normal things that Alistair seemed to converse over normally enough as things went. Even though there had been times in the past where he had gotten tired of the conversations (endless conversations) that his friend seemed to come up with, now there was more then a small part of himself that had missed the general conversation. The two of them were surely not two that seemed overly apt to get along some how managed it, perhaps not with flying colours but it worked well enough for them. And that general difference in ideas and thoughts was something that he indeed missed over all. It was nice to have it returning to his life if only in small doses. "I didn't say that I thought you unfit to reproduce. I'd just rather you didn't with girls you have no real intention of seeing again." Even if that was being pragmatic and perhaps even strange when sacked up against other blokes it was just the way that the wizard operated. While there was something within himself that wanted to condone such reckless things or at least start asking questions and demanding every last detail, it was something that he kept a distance away.

He was no saint himself, by any means, when it came to certain activities but reproducing was not something he was altogether keen on. Sure there were certain ideas in having a family at some point in his life but now he wasn't so sure. Not that he couldn't see himself as a father (it was a scary thought at his age but he could see it) but with what reading he had done there were traits that he was at risk to passing to his children. Furry traits. If not the actual condition itself there were personality habits that held the ability to come though and that was not something that he wanted to give to his children. He didn't want to have them be cursed. But even then there had to be a girl in the mix for any of those things to take place and even though Alistair did seem hellbent (or at least just stubborn) on making sure that he had someone if only for a while. Brice could not say that was really what he was interested in right this moment. In fact the whole thing was troubling but he would have to take it all one small step at a time. Odds were it would be unwillingly done but they would still be steps. The wizard shook his head, continuing to polish off his beer one mouthful at a time, as Alistair almost seemed too happy that Brice had given him the green light for a night out. It was safe to say that he was regretting his words just a little bit already, but it was the least that he could do for his friend considering everything that he had gone through in tracking him down.

"I didn't say anything about drinking." He commented, really not sure that he was keen on the whole idea of getting shitfaced and then practically going shopping for women but that was something that he would have to cross the night of. "Not sure I want to go on the hunt for women, either. Can't say I'm on the market for something like that." Though odds were Alistair was more then accustom to Brice's reluctance towards anything that was in Alistair's realm. Regardless, there were somethings that the wizard really would drag his heels as he got forced along every step of the way.

Words;; 2,076
Outfit;; Muggle clothes of some sort. Too lazy to make something
Tagged;; Alistair dear
Notes;; I really think this is too long but I can't figure out where to cut it down xD Sorry love.
Lyric Credit;; Inside My Head. Digital Summer.

[ALISTAIR ELIJAH MACMILLAN]

underdog just look at the mess you made`
IT'S SUCH A SHAME WE HAD TO FIND OUT THIS WAY

Life really just wasn’t fair sometimes. The good were cut down and the evil left in charge. That was what was happening currently. Alistair wasn’t stupid; he went to Hogwarts and was surrounded by the pureblood maniacs there, spouting their elitist crazy, demanding the death of muggleborns and hacking down anyone that got in their way. He read the Daily Prophet; there was a sense of impending doom within the wizarding world. Even the newspaper that was supposed to be trying to create some sort of moral support wasn’t able to do a very good job anymore because the world knew that this so called ‘Dark Lord’ was getting stronger and there just wasn’t a resistance able to deal with that. Brice was just another example of what was to come; good people getting hurt by bad people. And although Al was thankful that his friend was still alive, (because let’s face it, it could have been much worse, not everyone survives a werewolf attack) the injustice of it all burned at his insides.

This was a young man who had worked hard, had hopes and expectations and now they were gone. Alistair being as stubborn as he was would like to think that if he was in a similar situation he’d have more fight left in him. Surely there was something a little more interesting that he could do? A little more satisfying, stimulating maybe even slightly challenging? He thought about voicing his opinion once more. But who was he to judge since he wasn’t in Brice’s shoes and he hoped to Merlin that he never would be. And so he shrugged, ”Just don’t go crazy because you’re so fed up with work or anything, ok? I’m around if you need to let loose. But I’m not going to let you take out your frustrations on me physically,” He smiled, pointing to his face. ”Can’t risk spoiling a handsome face like this.” He was happy to leave it for now but he’d be thinking over jobs that would suit a person with lycanthropy for the rest of the week.

At the end of the day, the younger man just wanted the other to be happy. As any good friend would, Alistair didn’t like to see Brice suffering and just wanted him to be happy. Or at least content with his life. There wasn’t a lot he could do or say to fix that. A clever wizard he was, but he did not hold the cure for lycanthropy. And he figured that was the only thing that would be of any help to his friend now. At least Brice was being realistic though. Resigning yourself to the way your life is going to span out is quite liberating. . . isn’t it? Either way, it was a life that Brice was going to have to inform his family of at some point. Not an easy task, Alistair knew and he didn’t know an awful lot about his family but he couldn’t imagine the people that made Brice Beckett being anything less than understanding. "I'm sure it'll be fine." He said softly, doing his best to reassure him. "They're not majorly right wing or anything, are they?" He said, trying to put him at ease though if they were extreme conservatives then Al had probably put his foot in it.

Alistair fell quiet at Brice’s words which in itself was unusual. But it meant what had been said affected him. He opened his mouth to retaliate, say something along the lines of, ‘How do you know I don’t intend to see her again?’ But what was the point? It would be a lie; he didn’t even know her surname. Something washed over him and it took him a couple of moments to realise that he felt guilty. He didn’t particularly like being that guy. He always used to reason that if the girl was willing to fall into his bed on the first date then why should he bother with her again. But he was realising that that was rather hypocritical. And he did want someone. He really did. Someone with integrity, who would stand up to him, give him a challenge and who would put him in his place when his ego got out of line. But he was stuck in this cycle; wash, rinse, repeat. He’d had girlfriends, no one long term of course and that had never worried him but he was getting to that point in his life when he realised he did need to find someone in the not too distant future and settle down otherwise he was going to be alone forever. Things between them however were feeling normal and Alistair didn’t want to rain on the parade. Brice had real, life threatening issues to deal with, Al was just sulking. ”Yeah, well me neither!” He said, forcing himself to sound light-hearted.

Alistair shook his head but it rather than feeling disappointed, he was quite happy to hear Brice’s disapproval. It was normal and comforting. ”You’re such a spoil sport, Brice! Sometimes I wonder if you’re a man at all. C’mon, you only live once, you know? Let loose. Have a little fun!” Alistair had lost count of how many times he’d tried to have this conversation. He never won. But he was still determined to reason with him. ”Look, if you didn’t have your little “problem” then you would still be saying the exact same thing so don’t use that as an excuse.” He had made little quotation marks over the word ‘problem.’ ”If anything you should be realising that life’s too short so you should go out and live it to its fullest.” He said it in what was hopefully an encouraging voice, with a cheesy grin that dropped quickly. ”Whatever you say, you’re coming out and we’re getting through a slab of these even if I have to drink them all myself.” He gulped down the rest of the bottle, finishing with a satisfied sound. Pretty good stuff he thought as he read the label. ”For someone who doesn’t drink very often, you pick good beer.” Alistair stated as he made a mental note of the brand.

WORDS: 1087
TAG: brice and alistair keepin' it real
LYRICS: you me at six - underdog
NOTES: hope there's enough there! and sorry I got nowhere near your word count!

[BRICE PAUL BECKETT]

It had ever really accrued to the werewolf that attacking his friend was something that was even slightly an option. Sure there had been times that the two of them had come to blows but it had not been actual violence more then anything it was just the two of them having one of those rare moments of what some blokes considered fun. For some reason there was something fun about inflicting light pain and mild bruises on a person. Provided it was mutual of course, abuse was not something that the wizard condoned. Regardless, that was not something that happened very often. Spells were more commonly used and there again in good fun. But what Alistair was suggesting now was something that was very much so far from being in fun, even if it was a jest, it was one that went right over his head. Brice was not the same man that he was a few months ago, he found no humour in the idea of hitting his friend out of frustration or other wise. It was just too dangerous. There was something disturbing about the idea of having that ability of a single scratch from a renegade hangnail having enough power to taint a person. No, not to the point of being a werewolf themselves, that was a chance that he was only given once every full moon. Instead, untransformed it would taint them with lesser traits but still wolfish ones. The worst part being that the mark would still be permanent. To a degree he felt like a bit of a leper, being some sort of disease carrying thing that practically put anyone he was around at a great risk. He glanced down at his fingernails, subconsciously. And that was one of the number one reasons as to why his fingernails had been trimmed so short that he had practically quicked himself in the process but the odds of him accidentally snagging someone were drastically reduced.

Though the question as to why his friend thought him to be the type to take his aggressions out on his friends was something that he was at a loss over. Did Alistair really think that he was to the point now that he was just going to snap one day and things were going to go very wrong. The sad part was there was a part of the wizard that wondered if Alistair was not right in bringing up what he had. Indeed, Brice was not normally known for his acts of violence (everyone had their days of course) but over all he was not the type to attack another but things were very different now. His life wasn't what he really wanted and beneath his relatively calm, human exterior there dwelled a monster that wanted out. Even untransformed he could feel it clawing at his insides and playing with his emotions. More times then not it took a toll on him just keeping himself under control and by what he had read, it was a normal thing to deal with. The only hope that he really had was that over time he would learn how to manage his condition and keep control of his actions in a less taxing manner. But for now it really was a constant fight for every breath that he took. Even if he did look human on the outside and to some pretty much the same person he had been in school, that really was not the case from the view inside his shoes. Nothing was the same and the term human really was debatable these days, that was for sure. Despite his thoughts, he forced a smile, and even a small chuckle at his friend. "I wouldn't do that Alistair. You're face is your best feature." Not that was the only thing that his friend had to his name but there really was no point in getting his ego too big. Honestly, he had missed the Ravenclaw's over sized ego. That in itself brought him back to happier times.

But the mere thought of his family continued to kill any amount of happiness that had the ability to grow within that unpleasant moment. He really didn't know how he was going to inform his family about what really happened. The coward in him just wanted to write a letter and be done with it but he knew that was not exactly the way to deal with it, nor was it the right way to deal with it. He was an adult and he needed to act like one even if there was that part of himself that was nearly begging to relive a mere few years ago and to have a little fun, seeing as his dreams didn't come true and all that time studying was nothing more then a waste. But even that would not make things any easier when it came to informing his family as to what had happened. Honestly the wizard was more then slightly doubtful of them taking it in a rational manner. He shook his head at Alistair. "No, they aren't that sort. Don't think the whole family as a whole would have enough money to even try to be all right wing." Or at least that was the way that Brice chose to see the whole thing. Right wing people did seem to have a thing for being rich lunatics. Sure there were other types but even then it was questionable at best. "They're just muggles. But even muggles understand werewolves. Well, sorta anyway. They still think they're a Hollywood creation but they got it pretty close to accurate. Slight variations but its close." He shrugged. "You'd think that they could not kill the werewolf just once."

That was what bothered the wizard more then anything there was really no where that he could go. The truth of the matter was that he was in his own right trapped between worlds. If the wizarding folk knew the truth he would be run out of most if not every town and the muggles would never understand him. And living completely among them was terrifying to a degree, his mind seemed to like to wander to the idea of him escaping during his transformation and managing to kill or infect a fair few muggles. Indeed, that was something that he did not want to happen. At least wizarding folk had some sort of ability, chance at least, in some sort of way. Spells were a lot more effective then most things muggles had. But that thought really was a dark one and something that he did not want to think about. The whole thing was enough to send chills down his spine, leave a bad taste in his mouth and cause his stomach to feel as if he had just swallowed as much ice water he physically could. Indeed, there was something in the world that could cause that many negative feelings and that was the thought of harming people. Hands down it was his number one fear. But there again he was only trying to distract himself from the fact that he was going to have to tell his family what happened whether he wanted to or not. Mostly that was a not. "Hopefully the words will come when the time comes." And that was pretty much what he left that with unable to think about his family anymore. Even their pictures had yet to be unpacked he really couldn't handle the fact that he really was alone. And the reaction he was at risk of getting was one that he did not want to have. He didn't want them to look at him like he was some sort of a monster. Or choose to forget his existence. It was just too much for him to handle.

At least the conversation had shifted for the better at least to the wizard. And thus he allowed the dark thoughts of what could happen, what did, and what he had to do slip away from his mind and he enjoyed a nice drink and a conversation with a friend. Though Brice did not mean for the words that he had spoken to effect his friend in any sort of negative manner. Indeed, it was more or less a comment made and less of a blood drawing thing and yet as Alistair fell silent, it was safe to say that the wizard had managed just that. While there was a small part of himself that thought that apologizing for what he had said was perhaps in order, he could not bring himself to say anything. Alistair honestly needed to hear those words, that was the truth of it. He needed to think about his actions a little bit but Brice was not hoping for much. When it came to relationships (even short lived physical ones) Alistair and Brice were two different people and that was what made them interesting. They counteracted each other to a degree. Had they been both interested in females on that sort of level odds were they would have tired to kill each other by now and if they were both sticks in the mud it would have gotten boring long ago. But Alistair still needed to think when it came to having flings with girls he may or may not even known the name of. The whole thing was tasteless and his friend really was better then that and thus came forth Brice's words. Even if it was wrong, there was no amount of shame the wizard was currently feeling.

Brice made a face as the conversation continued on the whole idea of having a night out. "I am too a man." He retorted. "I just feel that studying and work come first. And what's the point of getting drunk again?" Indeed, that was the one thing that the wizard never understood and it was more then likely that was the main reason that he was not much of a drinker. There just didn't seem anything fun about the idea of waking up with a hellish headache and very little memory on what had happened the night before. Indeed, that was just the one thing that never made any sense to him. But he had agreed to a night out, still that didn't mean he had to get wasted. Someone had to be there to make sure they got home in one piece. "I am not using that as an excuse." Well, he was when it came to finding a female but pssh, details. But he did agree with Alistair's last statement. "I know its short. Least I'm going out. Pretty sure you physically forced me to one last year so we can skip that." Baby steps were better then nothing after all. Not that he had any real desire to get wasted. It just wasn't something that seemed or was all that fun to him. Brice rolled his eyes despite himself. "I'll have a few. Fair?" He wasn't totally sure the whole idea of bartering worked with Alistair but it was worth a shot.

The wizard chuckled at Alistair's comment, finishing off his own beer. "Just because I don't drink much doesn't mean I want to drink watered down piss when I do." He smirked, even winking at his friend. He did have taste, after all.

Words;; 1,903
Outfit;; Muggle clothes of some sort. Too lazy to make something
Tagged;; Alistair dear
Notes;; Brice kept going off topic and I don't know why. It just happened and I'm too lazy to edit. So just pretend he focused and I'll try to keep him from doing that next time xD
Lyric Credit;; Inside My Head. Digital Summer.