The spell is broken

[Alva Ren]

As the man disappeared into what Alva presumed was the kitchen, Alva's cheeks continued to burn along with the rest of his body. He ached now, in that sore, unpleasant way that made his skin feel a little too tight, a little too prickly everywhere. Idly he rubbed the side of his arm, then shifted to sit up higher and arranged his legs.

It wasn't long before the man returned and Alva looked up at him with somewhat clearer eyes, now that the veil of sleep had fallen away. He felt more lucid now; his thoughts gained some coherency. Although his body still suffered the ill effects of the curse--he realized now what it was--his mind was no longer muddled. After a moment's thought, Alva nodded. It was horribly embarrassing to be given water like this but his parched tongue demanded it.

Carefully he drank from the glass, taking his time to swallow properly so that he wouldn't end up regurgitating it and coughing up another storm. "Thank you," said Alva quietly after he was finished, lifting his gaze to the other man. The obvious question hung between them awkwardly but Alva didn't know how to come out with it without sounding rude or accusatory. The man had his reasons for doing what he did; it was Alva who bumped into him and touched the potion.

"I'm Alva," he said instead, unaware that his identity had already been found out. "You're... a witch, aren't you? That's why you've been checking out all of those magic books from the library... right?"

[Shimizu Susumu]

"It's the least I can do." For cursing you, he silently added. When exactly was he planning on telling Alva? When he's less fragile. "But you're welcome."

There did seem to be something innately delicate about Alva. It wasn't even the wheelchair. Maybe it was just the curse. At the same time, Susumu didn't think that was it. If he had to say, he would have said it was something about that look in Alva's eyes. Or maybe it was just the way he looked; he did have delicate good looks that either made him quick friends or an easy target. Probably the latter, knowing how cruel Hazleton could be. Oh, it looked innocent enough on the outside but by now, Susumu knew better.

Sitting the glass down on the coffee table, he smiled to himself at the introduction. Yes, he was Alva. His identification said as much. The witch part, however... Hm. It didn't make Alva especially sharp to figure that out by now. Susumu sighed and rubbed his temple. If Alva knew he was a witch then he also knew that what happened to him was a result of Susumu's foolish attempt to brew a potion out in the open.

"Yes," he said, finally. "I'm Shimizu Susumu. You can just call me Susumu." He faced Alva. "That curse wasn't meant for you."

[Alva Ren]

Well technically the least he could do was nothing, and boy, Alva had known quite a lot of that in his lifetime. In his world, a cripple was as good as dead; not many people wanted to bother with what was essentially a waste of space. His parents fought hard to keep him, to raise him whole and healthy, but they faced more opposition than they should have.

Alva smiled, grateful for the man's kindness. Susumu, he said his name was. The smile ended in a little laugh. "It's cute," Alva said before he could stop himself. Susumu sounded like a cute child's name, instead of a tall--very tall--and handsome--very handsome--man's name. He put a hand to his mouth--oops--and had the decency to look sheepish.

That curse, though... Alva's smile faded. "I didn't think it was meant for me," he acknowledged quietly, studying Susumu curiously. Would it be rude to ask whom the curse was meant for? It was none of his business, though--except maybe for the part where he was cursed by accident. Idly Alva rubbed across his fingertips with a thumb, where he had touched the cursed potion. Although he remembered the excruciating pain, he also remembered the sweet anti-potion, and the way that gentle fingers shifted his hair while he was only half-conscious. It was a dim and fuzzy memory but he thought that it did happen, and that he hadn't imagined it. Despite the curse, Susumu didn't seem like a terrible man.

"So you're not a white witch then?"

[Shimizu Susumu]

Susumu blinked at the sound of Alva's laugher. As unexpected as it was, it was also... cute, he supposed. His name, however, he didn't think he would have categorized as cute. It was an old fashioned name in his culture and nothing near as fashionable as a name like Daisuke or Hideki. Sadly, the topic of his name was left behind for something far less favorable. Susumu frowned slightly and watched as Alva's thumb ran over his fingertips. No doubt he was remembering the sensation of the liquid curse against his skin.

"No."

He definitely wasn't what one might deem a "white witch." Susumu's skills had always leaned more to the darker side. Healing spells were not in his book and they didn't appear to be in his realm of abilities, either. Curses, however--those came so naturally that it was only pertinent for him to follow his own inclinations. So far, they had been a strong asset in his chosen line of work. Not so much now that he accidentally cursed an innocent bystander.

That didn't happen often and he must have let his hubris get the better of him.

"Actually, I specialize in curses."

[Alva Ren]

"Ah..." The sound was disappointed, although Alva tried hard not to frown. Well, there went that bright idea! He didn't know what sort of witch Susumu was from simply peeking at him in the library but maybe he should have realized that since most of the books he checked out were on curses, it stood to reason that he wasn't a white witch. Still... it was disappointing!

"Well... you made a good one!" He laughed--a little ruefully, it must be admitted--as he waved his fingers through the air. Just a little tiny bit had such a huge effect on Alva. It was hard to imagine what the full dose would have been like, and Alva wasn't keen on finding out, either. It also deterred him from asking too many questions--he didn't want to become Susumu's next target, for being too inquisitive!

Alva fiddled with a damp patch on his shirt. "Umm..." Should he ask? Or shouldn't he? He might not have another chance but it felt strange asking Susumu questions, since they were strangers and everything. He didn't exactly think Susumu owed him, either, for what happened with the curse and Alva didn't like relying on other people too much. Then again if it could help him with his paralysis...

"Do you know any white witches, by any chance? I've been looking for one to help with..." He patted his legs lightly. "These."

[Shimizu Susumu]

"...I'm pretty good at it," he agreed reluctantly. Curses were his speciality but that didn't necessarily mean he was proud of it. Normally, he was. In the face of this pretty-faced innocent bystander, not so much. Plus, Susumu still had no idea who he was, other than Alva Ren. He tried to recall the Ren family. They were an older family from the area, were they not? Where did they live? Sometimes where they lived was a telltale sign.

Susumu blinked, turned his gaze back toward Alva at the movement of his hand against his shirt and realized he had left Alva in his wet and soiled clothing. Was that what Alva was trying to ask? Clearly there was a hesitant question on his tongue but when he spoke, it wasn't about his clothing. Rather, it was about witches. White witches. Sun witches. Healers, obviously, the way Alva patted his unmoving legs.

"I don't," he admitted. "I'm sorry."

Curses likely wouldn't help with the legs. Although Susumu thought himself quite clever; he could probably curse Alva in such a way that he could walk again but it would mean he'd pay for it somehow. That was how curses worked. Even the ones that seemed like blessings at first were detrimental in some regard.

"Do you want me to get you a change of clothes?" he asked, standing up.

[Alva Ren]

"Ah, well, it was worth a try," Alva said cheerfully, with an equally cheerful smile. "Thanks anyway, Susumu."

Another setback, but it wasn't going to stop him! If he let every disappointment and dead end get the better of him, he would have given up on life a long time ago. Not to mention, he would never have gotten anywhere with Rae, or with his friends. (Er... Josh aside, of course.)

"Actually a change of clothes would be pretty nice." He plucked at the damp shirt, trying to get it away from his body. The feeling was highly unpleasant and he was still uncomfortable from the aftermath of the curse as it was. "If you're busy, I can leave and bring it back to you some other time." He was just sitting in someone's bedroom, taking up space and valuable time.

[Shimizu Susumu]

That smile looked fake to Susumu. He wished he knew a witch that could help Alva solve his problem. In truth, even if somebody had the ability to heal, it depended on the witch and the problem. Alva's condition could be impossible to cure for, say, a beginner, if Alva had the problem from birth. Maybe a real talented witch could do something for him but... Susumu wasn't in the habit of getting people's hopes up, so he didn't say it. He only briefly smiled at Alva, resisting the urge to do something affectionate, like ruffle his hair or touch his cheek.

"I'm not busy."

All he was doing was hunting hunters. That wasn't something he needed to do every moment of every day. It wasn't entirely pressing to him at the time, anyway. The curse had missed its mark and the hunter went on to hunt again... for now. But Susumu knew where to find him and how to hunt him down again. He wasn't in a rush to get it done when he had a new problem to take care of.

His gaze lingered on Alva before he realized that he wasn't doing what he said he would. With a slight shake of the head and a tousle of his own hair, he turned away and went to the closet. It was hard to tell how tall Alva was but he could wager a guess that he wasn't as tall as Susumu was. It didn't matter; he could roll up the pants. Or not.

"I'd rather keep an eye on you for now." He pulled out some basic clothing--an undershirt and a pair of sweats--and brought them over. He started to extend his arms to give over the items and then paused. "Do you need help?"

[Alva Ren]

"Oh... then... thank you."

Alva looked warmly at Susumu, feeling a little giddy clench in his chest when Susumu smiled at him. It was only for a few seconds but it felt as if in the span of those seconds, they had formed a bond. Or was that just him? It was hard not to be grateful when Susumu was being so kind to him.

Of course, Alva hadn't forgotten that whole cursed potion business but... surely there was a good reason for it. Then again, Alva was always quick to jump to the defense of supernaturals like him; the humans, not so much. He could even overlook the fact that Susumu was going to curse someone to a fate worse than the taste he got, if it was just a human. It probably was. He didn't sense any other magical being around them earlier, at the cafe.

He accepted the clothes, or started to but Susumu paused and Alva ended up raising his hands half-way up into the air. "I'm all right! But um... if you don't mind, would you please... turn away while I change?" He wasn't shy per se but he wasn't going to strip down in front of anybody except Rae! And even then, he felt mildly guilty. Rae was about the only person who had ever seen Alva in a state of undress and God willing, it would remain that way.

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Of course." He handed the clothing over to Alva, feeling slightly embarrassed. Did it sound like he was eager to watch Alva undress? If he was that kind of pervert, he could have done the undressing while Alva was still unconscious! Besides, he wasn't that hard up! It had only been a short time ago since he broke up with his boyfriend and even then, things between them had been tense. But that didn't make him hard up.

Or maybe he was in denial. Still, once the clothing had been handed over, Susumu turned away. He stood like that for a few seconds before realizing even that was rather awkward. He cleared his throat.

"Actually, I'll leave you alone for a few minutes. I need to clean up in the kitchen anyway." He bowed his head slightly as he kept his gaze respectfully away and left the room to let Alva dress himself. He could have punched himself for acting like a man with paralyzed legs didn't know how to dress himself. It was more the curse he was worried about, though. It had left Alva pretty weak but maybe he was gaining his strength back with the anti-curse. Susumu was still surprised that it worked so well. Maybe he had a bit of that old sun magic in him after all.

He tidied up the kitchen and then when he thought enough time had passed, he went back down the hall and lightly knocked against the door jamb.

"Are you decent?"

[Alva Ren]

True enough, if Susumu wanted to try anything on Alva, he had ample opportunity to do it while Alva was down and out. Gratefully accepting the clothes, Alva placed them on a dry patch and reached down to pull off his shirt. He paused, peeked at Susumu and reassured himself that he was safe to undress and tugged off the shirt. As soon as it came off, cool air assaulted him and he shivered, hastily reaching for the dry undershirt.

"Oh--yes, of course." At that point he might have sounded muffled, with the undershirt half-way over his head. He quickly pulled it down as Susumu exited the room and then went to work on the pants. Those proved slightly more difficult, since his uncooperative legs wanted to get stuck at one point, but Alva managed it just fine. He'd been dressing himself since he was ten, after all, and all of the other daily difficulties had been overcome long ago with a little creativity.

Alva finished dressing and scooted away from the damp patch, gathering up his clothes into a neat pile. He gazed wistfully at his legs while sounds of cleaning up came from the kitchen. They were dwarfed in the pants, with the cuffs rolled up several times, since Alva wasn't all that tall and Susumu was. From long disuse, the muscles in his legs were atrophied and he hated exposing them. They looked... well, gross, like little sticks poking out from a rather average-looking body. Good thing Susumu took the hint and left, he thought, tugging at the shirt, which was also quite large on him.

Tiredly Alva rubbed his eyes and was in the process of rolling his aching shoulders when Susumu returned with a polite knock. He smiled up at him and nodded. "Yup! All changed! Thank you, I feel a lot better now." In spirit, at least, if not exactly in body. "Do you live here alone? Am I going to be in the way?"

[Shimizu Susumu]

A lot better? Did that mean the anti-curse had done the trick? His gaze roved over Alva, observing his current state. While he still looked a little pale, he was no longer twisting and arching his body in pain. The worst of the curse seemed to have passed over Alva--thankfully not killing him in the process. There was no telling what the long term effects would be, however. It made Susumu nervous, knowing that he'd have to let Alva go eventually and he wouldn't know.

Or... would he?

As he took a seat on the edge of the futon, he regarded Alva and his pretty smile. Strange, what a smile could do to transform one's features. Alva was handsome but he was even prettier when he smiled. It was an unconscious sort of beauty, as if Alva himself had no idea himself what he could do with his smiles. Or maybe he did know. Who was he? Ren... He swore he heard of the family. Not Hunters, he knew that much. Something else.

No, he almost said. But now he did live alone. It was just himself and these walls, all to himself. Yet there were still remnants of Liam, much to his chagrin.

"Yes," he said. "I live alone, so you won't be in the way."

He could only imagine what would have happened if he didn't live alone right now. Bringing home an accidental curse victim--that was something new. Fortunately, Susumu didn't often target the wrong people.

"How long can you stay?" he asked. "Is anybody missing you right now?"

[Alva Ren]

"I can stay for a little while. I don't think anyone's expecting me right now..." Alva said innocently, before realizing that he had basically admitted to being somewhat vulnerable. He added quickly, though not without a flash of humor, "Unless you're a serial killer! Then my policeman father knows exactly where I am and he's coming over right now!"

Actually... Alva was supposed to be keeping an eye on his cousin, but right now he didn't know if he had the physical strength to be stalking anybody. He still felt weak; his limbs were sore and he felt like a blob of jelly. Though his speech and expressions were lively, Alva definitely didn't feel normal--but he was good at putting on a front for all the worried people in his life. It was sometimes easier to pretend to be all right than to explain why he wasn't fine. Besides, Susumu was probably guilty enough (he hoped!) without having Alva piling on the guilt by acting unwell.

Slowly, Alva looked around the room. It seemed lonely, for just one person to live here. Alva's pack was a lively one and there was always something going on, if not directly in his home then around it. But here, it was quiet and serene. He wondered if Susumu liked the peace, or if he didn't sometimes wish he had a companion. Of course he could go out with friends... unless he accidentally cursed them too!

"Can I make a small confession?" Alva's attention was back on Susumu and he leaned a little closer as though he was about to share a deep dark secret. "I've been wanting to talk to you for a while, ever since I saw you at the library. I just didn't want to look like a creep, coming up to you out of nowhere."

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Oh? Your policeman father?" Maybe that was where he heard of the Ren name. No, no... He couldn't remember a Ren on the force and he'd worked with them a few times before... under the guise of being a member of the FBI. But that didn't mean anything. It wasn't like he ever pulled a full roster of the police force in Hazleton. He smiled. It was a joke, he was pretty sure.

His gaze remained on Alva, watching him look around the room. The bedroom was a rather large one, with a big window covered with gauzy curtains. The futon was covered in a maroon colored comforter and fat white pillows with golden trim. Everything in the room seemed too large now. The dresser was enormous. The mirror was enormous. The roll top desk in the corner was enormous. (And covered in a variety of spell books.) It was mostly tidy, other than the stacks of books and the table by the side of the futon.

"Hm?" With Alva looking back at him and leaning in, Susumu's attention was fully on him. Ah. He remembered him from the library. "What did you want to talk about?" His gaze lowered to Alva's legs. "Spells?"

[Alva Ren]

It was... It was a joke. Totally a joke; Alva's father wasn't a policeman, he was an insurance salesman, of all things. And his mother worked at the local pharmacy, behind the counter as a cashier. There was Rae, though! But he was several hours away, picking up his friend (and Alva's most outspoken critic) Josh. Soo... really, Alva was stuck here, for better or for worse!

Good thing Susumu wasn't a serial killer. Just a witch whose curse was so potent that even a few tiny drops knocked a man out cold. Alva wasn't afraid of him, curiously enough. His fox senses weren't tingling (but maybe they weren't as effective as spidey senses). There was something genteel about Susumu, about his quiet voice and well-mannered glances. He had a soothing voice and a surprisingly calming presence. Alva would have imagined that someone with his kind of ability would be quite intense, but Susumu was nothing like that.

"Ah--well, yes, at first. Yes, I wanted to ask you about a cure for my legs, but..." He trailed off, feeling embarrassed to admit that he had started taking an interest in Susumu for more than his abilities. Sometimes, he looked sad. Maybe he didn't realize it, when his expression fell, or when his lips twisted into an unhappy line, but Alva noticed it. He didn't stare endlessly at Susumu, though! It was only on occasion, and it made him wonder, that was all.

"I thought you looked like an interesting person."