Only the lonely survive

[Alva Ren]

"It's him," Alva said simply, fingers flying over the screen to tap out rapid messages. Susu was trying to protect him but didn't he see—Alva was trying to protect him! Sure, Alva couldn't lunge at hunters and take out an eye, but he provided distraction, information; he could get people to talk because he was personable and innocent-looking.

But he never killed. He knew that Susu did it... but he was never there for that part. It made him an accessory to the killings but he naively thought that if he didn't see it, he could gloss over it.

It didn't make him feel any less guilty, however.

"Here." Alva pushed the phone over so Ryland could read the messages. He was so tired of hiding things, and of people he loved separating themselves into camps. Everyone wanted to protect him because they loved him; he wanted to love and protect them too and he couldn't do that if they were all divided.

"I guess... I'm still cursed." He turned over his arm to look at the mark, standing out black and vividly against his skin. Alva's breath shuddered in his throat. "What do I do Ry?"

[Ryland Ren]

"Wh..."

Ryland took the phone because Alva was so insistent but holding it and looking at a private conversation made him itch. He didn't want to read it. Somehow, even though he was given permission, it felt like voyeurism. Frowning, Ryland skimmed over the conversation anyway and felt a stab of guilt. Alva wanted them all to get along. Wanted them to talk. Meanwhile, Ryland had been hating the witch, blaming him for everything.

How could he not, though? Part of him still did. If it weren't for his carelessness, Alva would never have been put in this situation at all. It was Susumu who started the forward motion, who pushed the ball and set all this crap into place. Not on purpose, though. Still!

Forcing himself to take in a breath, Ryland set the phone down on the bathroom counter. Whether he liked it or not, Susumu was a part of Alva's life and he was on his way here. Ryland could bar his entry in, he could start a fight, he could push the man out. But all of it would just push Alva further away, too.

"I guess we just have to trust that he knows what he's doing," Ryland said, hating it and feeling skeptical. But who knew more than the witch himself about magic? Not anybody that Ryland personally knew. "Come on, you need to get cleaned up. You'll feel a lot better when... when all this blood's off you."

[Alva Ren]

"Get me in that bath!" Alva clamored to be free of the gore and grime covering him. The conversation with Susumu made him feel better... slightly, but only in that he now knew what was going on. Before, he was in a definite fog; now the fog had cleared, although other questions had cropped up in the process.

"Ry..." he began, intending to address the issue of Ry and Yoojin hating Susumu, but he thought better of it. Now wasn't the time. "Pass me the soap, please," he said instead and scrubbed himself hard. Although Alva felt like no amount of soap could take away the terrible feeling of guilt, at least he felt cleaner physically.

Afterwards, as Yoojin returned to help lift him out and dry him, he fretfully pulled his phone off the bathroom counter. "Thanks you guys." He smiled at his best friends, and the people he could always count on to look out for his best interests. But Susumu also fell into that camp; his methods simply ran along a different path. Somehow, Alva was sure that they could eventually see eye-to-eye.

"Let's get you in bed honey. I'll bring you some tea and... and we'll just all cuddle up and forget this horrible day ever happened!" Yoojin ran a hand over Alva's damp hair, and then gave Ryland's hand a squeeze. "My poor babies. This is why I can't leave you guys alone! You with your witch and Ry with that stupid wolf!"

Alva turned to look at Ryland, frowning as he took his cousin's other hand. "Wolf? Aldon again? What's he up to now?"

[Ryland Ren]

"Oh, nothing," Ryland said, trying desperately to brush that whole situation under the rug. He threw Yoojin a dirty look for even bringing it up. Ryland's relationship drama wasn't even relevant right now! They should be focusing on Alva and making sure he was safe and healthy and far from whatever was trying to use him. Another witch, whatever it was.

"Come on. Let's just... just do what Yoojin just said. Get you in bed--"

The sound of a knock at the door cut him off before he could basically sum up (IE copy) what Yoojin said. Ryland went stiff, trying to remember what he'd read in the text exchange with Alva and Susumu. Did he give him his address? Well... it didn't matter. A witch of Susumu's caliber could probably easily track down Alva, especially after he used his magic curses on him.

"Yoojin? Can you get that?"

[Min Yoojin]

What?

Indignantly looking back at Ryland, Yoojin opened her mouth to say something when Ryland quickly hushed her up with an obvious attempt at not explaining his situation and Yoojin sighed to herself. Alva was looking curious though, and disapproving—as he often did when Aldon the dumb wolf came up. Well, he'd get the story from her later anyway, or from Ryland himself.

Just as she moved to help Ryland ease Alva into the bedroom, a knock at the door came and Yoojin gently set Alva down. "Sure." It seemed like a bad time for guests, what with Alva in a seriously emotional, fragile state, but maybe it was unavoidable. She went to get the door anyway and as soon as she saw the witch standing in the doorway, she let out a shrill "Oh hell no!"

And attempted to close the door in his face.

"Yoojin no! I invited him here!" Alva called out behind her, as she tried to force the door shut on the witch. "Let him in! Please! Ry, stop her!"

[Shimizu Susumu]

All he wanted was to protect that which mattered to him. What started as an accident ended up in this tangled web of complicated emotions, ever more complicated by the curse itself. Then there was the boyfriend that became the ex and the friends. Susumu was aware of his standing with Alva's family and friends so he fully expected something to happen when he arrived, especially since this was the home of one of them. Still, he tried to smile in a friendly manner as the door opened, fully prepared to apologize and explain--when the door started to slam shut in his face. Immediately, Susumu tried to slide his foot in the way--ouch--and then he tried to slide in and open the door.

"I was invited--" he tried to explain but there was a commotion, shouting from the back of the apartment. Susumu saw the cousin and then he saw Alva. Relief flooded through his system... which also meant he was unceremoniously shoved out into the hall and the door was slammed firmly shut in his face. He even heard the sound of a lock being put into place. Susumu looked around down the hall, as if expecting somebody to be following him. For all he knew... A shiver ran down his spine. He lifted his hand to try knocking when he heard the lock sliding out of place and the door reopened.

This time it was the cousin. He didn't look happy to see him but he still held the door open for him while saying stiffly, "Come in."

Susumu nodded his thanks and entered, well aware of all the hostility turned his way. Still, he had eyes only for Alva once his gaze dropped to him.

"Alva," he said, voice also flooded with relief. Immediately he moved toward him but the cousin held onto his shoulder.

"Hold it. We're letting you in but you have a lot of explaining to do."

[Alva Ren]

"Please, stop," Alva pleaded with both Ryland and Yoojin, the latter of whom was visibly upset. Yoojin's fists were balled up and Alva could see her hands shaking. He reached out and gently curled his hand around one of hers and after a moment, felt it unfolding. She turned her hands in his and held on to it as Ryland halted Susumu's advance.

"He's here to help," he said tiredly as he eased forward in his chair and held out his free hand to Susumu. Alva wanted to embrace him so badly, to know that he was here and safe and really okay. It was hard to tell over text what was going on with him. Susumu tried to be strong for so many people; Alva wanted to be strong for him. At the very least, he didn't want to be another source of concern but unfortunately he landed himself in more than just hot water this time.

"Can we just sit down together and talk? Like adults? Please?"

[Shimizu Susumu]

It didn't matter whether the cousin wanted it or not--Alva reached out and took hold of Susumu's hand and he could feel the warmth. No longer did he feel the overly hot fever burning through Alva. Whatever curse had overtaken his own at least wasn't killing him. Susumu wouldn't know much more else until he found out who did it and what their intentions were but...

The cousin still looked suspicious as he closed the door behind him, the tension in the air so thick that he could have choked on it. Gently squeezing Alva's slim fingers, Susumu nodded toward the couch.

"I trust we can sit?" he asked, trying to be as civil and polite as possible for Alva's sake. "And talk about this?" He agreed with Alva, clearly. They had to talk before they started jumping down each others' throats.

"...I guess," said the cousin as he continued to eye him with suspicion. Still, he took a seat and gave enough room for the others to take a seat with him. Susumu chose to take the chair rather than the couch.

"I think we can all agree we just want to help Alva... right?"

[Alva Ren]

Alva was blessed to be loved and cared for by so many wonderful people. He knew it and he never forgot it, even if he argued with his cousin fiercely and waged a war of words with his best friend. Deep down, Alva wasn't ungrateful. Everyone here had done all they could to help him, in their own way. Everyone meant well; their methods simply clashed. Horribly.

But now that they were all in the same room together, they had to look each other in the eyes if they wanted to criticize each other and in Alva's experience that was much more difficult than slinging insults over text messages. Also things like tone and expression couldn't possibly be conveyed in a few words!

As Susumu sat down in a chair and as Yoojin sat down beside Ryland, Alva slowly wheeled his chair to park it in between the two. He reached for Susumu's hand again and gently pulled it into his lap, turning to give him a warm smile. "Thank you," Alva said quietly in acknowledgement of his effort to remain civil.

"WE want to help Alva, yes," Yoojin said testily, still looking stormy. "But I'm not sure YOU helped a whole lot by trying to wipe away all of his memories of us! His friends and family!"

Which... was a good point, Alva had to admit. "Susu was trying to protect everyone," Alva said slowly. "I'm sure he had a good reason to do it. Right Susu?"

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Curses aren't always predictable," Susumu began but he didn't like the way the pair of bulldogs were staring him down. Did they really think Susumu had cursed Alva on purpose? That had been an accident and he had tried making reparations ever since he realized what he did. Had he not? He didn't appreciate the suspicion being cast upon him, as if he were the very thing that he hunted and wanted to eradicate.

"I never had any intentions of harming Alva or any of you. The memory spell was meant to protect Alva from my enemies."

"Memory spell?" The cousin asked, not sounding convinced. "Or memory curse?"

Susumu still didn't like the accusation in his tone or his eyes. But he met the cousin's heated gaze. It wasn't like he owed these ones any explanation and they were wasting valuable time that could be spent on actually helping Alva before it was too late. So instead of avoiding the subject, he might as well tackle it head on.

"Curse," he said finally, to which the cousin looked both vindicated and livid at the very idea, but Susumu raised his hand to stop him or his lady friend from interjecting. "But that's because of the nature of my magic. I didn't choose to be talented with curses. It's just how I was born. But that's not the important part right now. The important part is that somebody has essentially taken all of my curses and reversed them... or removed them altogether, actually. And the only type of supernatural I know of that can touch another's magic and manipulate it would be the Ancients.'

[Min Yoojin]

This was SO not right!

Yoojin could barely restrain herself, sitting there listening to that horrible witch trying to justify cursing Alva more than once--for his own good?! She looped an arm around Ryland's, seated close to him in a show of solidarity. She was 100% behind him--and 100% against anyone doing anything to Alva without his permission, then turning around and thinking that they were helping him.

Alva didn't even need help! He was doing just fine before this guy came along!

"Isn't it a good thing somebody took away your curses then?!" She demanded, glaring at him. "Your death curse especially?!"

Alva leaned forward, holding out a hand as if to stop Yoojin from lunging. But it was only to show them his arm--with a different mark on it. "Susu's curses were replaced by this," he said quietly, in a way that made Yoojin's heart clench. He sounded so defeated and tired. And scared. There were even dark circles under his eyes now that she had a proper look at him.

"That's--!" Yoojin shot to her feet. She grabbed onto Alva's wrist and stared at the mark, which she hadn't noticed before because she was busy getting tea and preparing Alva's bed. "That's the sign of the Creator!" Her eyes widened into saucers.

[Ryland Ren]

"Wh-what?" Ryland asked, thrown off by the sudden urgency in Yoojin's tone. He blinked and tried to get a better look at the marking that Yoojin was looking at. Not that it mattered if he saw it or not; he didn't know who the Creator was or what their sign looked like. Ryland nibbled his lower lip for a few seconds, then turned away, not sure what to make of this new information.

"What's that mean? The Creator?" Ryland asked, uncertain. "You mean... like god?"

Ryland wasn't religious; he'd been born into an all shifter family. They didn't so much follow a religion as they did their wild fox instincts. Foxes didn't revere anything or pray to any deity. They simply existed in the world, interacted with it, and were susceptible to its joys and its pitfalls, like every other mortal creature in the realm. Still, he had heard of god. How could he not? A lot of humans were quite taken with him and there were churches in Hazleton.

Susumu made a brief snorting sound and shook his head. "No, not god. Not as you mean it, anyway." But he was looking at Yoojin queerly, Ryland noticed. "How do you know about the Creator?" Susumu asked her.

[Min Yoojin]

"It's--some people call them ancients," Yoojin explained distractedly with her eyes glued to the mark on Alva's arm. "They're really old beings. Some say as old as time."

Yoojin's grandfather used to tell stories about the ancients, about their fearful magic and their strange origins and their wonderful deeds. They were said to be the originators of all supernatural life on Earth, molding different creatures after their own image. Gods sounded right to Yoojin, but she didn't bother correcting the witch. She had always thought that those were mere stories and she loved them, but one day her grandfather showed her the mark on his arm, and told her in hushed tones that he had been blessed. That the mark meant he served a much higher power--higher than the law of man.

It was the same mark as the one on Alva's arm, and that was how Yoojin knew it was the Creator's mark.

"My grandfather... he..." Her indignation at the witch faded; her tone was much less hostile now and much more subdued. Yoojin stopped staring at Alva only long enough to raise her eyes to the witch. "He had the same mark on his arm. It was an honor, he said, to be chosen. But he disappeared. When I was eleven... he disappeared."