Can you be my light?

[Alva Ren]

The giant man gave Susumu a Look and didn't respond, as if the answer was obvious and staring them in the face. Alva frowned. Fun wasn't exactly the word for it. More like alarming. Dangerous. Downright freaky.

"Don't ask daft questions ye already have answers to," the giant said testily, slapping the calendar down roughly before attending to some of the other papers on his desk. He raised his gaze to apply another Look to them, then proceeded to ignore them.

"Susu... Do you think he's telling the truth?" The man said that they would be put right after a few days, but how many days was 'a few' and how could they trust him? Could they take him at his word?

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Right," Susu said dryly. Zohod seemed less than pleased with the fact that Susumu was talking back. Honestly, if there were elders standing there with them, he never would have dared. Or at the least, he would have had the intelligence to disguise those barbs underneath a veil of civility. As the case was, Susu didn't exactly have respect for Zohod nor his charge. In fact, he was less than pleased that they were going around switching bodies around Hazleton and not once had Susumu heard about this little "experiment."

If he had, he surely would have warded Alva from it.

"Yes," he said after a moment, turning toward Alva and smiling his best reassuring smile for him. He even reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder. It was a little strange, since the shoulder was higher up than he was accustomed to. Also, Alva was currently inhabiting an able bodied man. Not a bad looking one, either, if he had to say so himself. It made Susumu wonder if perhaps they should be conducting experiments (ahem) of their own.

Somehow, he doubted that Alva would go for that but oh... he wished that he would. Maybe he could find a way to... lightly edge him in the right direction. In the meantime, however, Susumu crossed his arms and tilted his head as he regarded Zohod again.

"How long? You said a few days? What about this one? Any chance you could switch him back sooner?" Really, he only asked for Alva's benefit, although he would never admit as much aloud.

[Alva Ren]

"Can't play favorites," Zohod said dryly, leveling Susumu with another Look as if the very idea of making an exception was out of the question.

Inwardly, Alva sighed. While it was nice to have functional legs, he missed his old body. He missed being himself. Maybe people thought that he was restricted by his wheelchair but there was a lot that he could do, too. He wasn't useless simply because he couldn't walk!

"It's... okay, Susu," he said quietly, reaching out to squeeze Susumu's arm. "We can just wait it out, I guess." It wouldn't have been fair to the other people who were switched, anyway. At least they had some answers now! That a strange creature locked away in a cell deep within some inner sanctum in the old library was up to no good. Part of Alva felt badly for him. What was it like to live in a cage? Wasn't there any other way to contain his powers? It seemed so... cruel, and so senseless.

He half-turned to look at the cage again, into the murky depths where the poor prisoner was held. Did he even do anything wrong? The eyes showed themselves again, a tiny little twinkle--easily missed if one didn't pay attention. Alva's smile was half full of pity and half full of encouragement. Maybe it was him but he thought those eyes winked again.

[Shimizu Susumu]

At Zohod's dry response, Susumu narrowed his eyes. Why not play favorites? It was quite obvious that the founders were playing favorites. Why wasn't this more triumphant? Susu had managed to find the source of Hazleton's current issue and yet, it still wasn't a celebration. In fact, he felt somehow more helpless for Alva's condition. Despite the luxury of being able to move again, Susu could tell from the expression on Alva's face that he had come for answers more so than a demand that he be switched back into his proper body immediately!

"Fine," he said stiffly, knowing he couldn't fight Zohod on his own, let alone the founders' circle in its entirety. If they wanted to let the little creature in there discharge his energy and "play" for a few days, then Susu surely wasn't going to be able to stop them. He just wished they'd expended his energy on something more worthwhile--like all the damned hunters crawling and sniffing around Hazleton lately.

As Susu turned back to Alva, he noticed with alarm that he had made eye contact with the creature in the cage. Quickly, Susumu grasped onto Alva's shoulder and pulled him in closer, turning him so that he was no longer looking at him.

"Don't look at it," he hissed quietly, not entirely unkindly but definitely with a strain of concern in his tone. "You're going to end up possessed."

[Alva Ren]

"Huh?!" Alva stumbled into Susumu, grasping on to his arm to stop himself from tripping. He didn't know why but as soon as Susumu told him not to look, he felt an overwhelming desire to look. In fact, his head half-turned before he knew it, and he had to force himself to keep his back turned. "Possessed?!"

What did Susumu mean by that? Was that poor creature in the cage going to possess him? Surely there were safeguards against it. Then again, how many people knew about this room, much less knew how to get past all the doors? Alva felt an inexplicable shiver run down the length of his spine. He nodded and kept his eyes to himself, even though in the back of his mind, he heard a tiny voice telling him to look--just one more time.

"Maybe we should get out of here, Susu," he said quietly, though with no less urgency in his voice. The sooner they got away from this strange place, the better! Alva was no stranger to magical elements but this was a little bit beyond him. He could feel the hair at the back of his neck standing on end and although this wasn't his body, he heeded the warning.

[Shimizu Susumu]

"Absolutely."

There were no intentions to remain in this place. It had been a risky endeavor to show up here in the first place. And what had they been met with? Not the friendliest of the founders' group. Susumu didn't want to spend a moment longer there, half worried they were going to target him next. Was the creature still switching people or was he just playing with those he'd already switched? Susumu didn't want to find out.

Besides, he needed to get back home and shower. He was still stained with blood and drained from that fight with the feral werewolf back at home. And I have to take care of THAT, too.

"Let's go back home," he said softly as he urged Alva in the other man's body to come with him.

[Alva Ren]

"Okay." Alva sure wasn't about to protest or make trouble with these people! Relieved, he turned to leave, taking care to avoid looking at the cage--no matter how tempted he was to do just that. Switching bodies was one thing. At least he had full control of his own mind! Being possessed just didn't sound like that much fun to him and he had no desire to experience that, not one tiny little bit!

Just as he made it to the door--or, rather, the series of doors both physical and magical--something ahead of them made him pause. It was a shadow, but it didn't look like a person's shadow at all. Alva blinked; the shadow disappeared. He looked back at Susumu to ask if he saw the shadow too, but felt foolish. What if it was just a trick of the light? He'd sound silly, babbling about shadows.

"Let's hurry, Susu," he said instead, as he crossed the threshold of the first of the magical doors.

[Shimizu Susumu]

Sharp eyed, he watched the shadow but said nothing. In fact, Susumu remained silent until they passed through all the various doors and stood out in the hallway. Even then, he took Alva's hand in his--it felt so different and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. It could be days before he could see Alva again, in his own body with his own face. It was disconcerting, that much was for certain. Still, he didn't speak, only sighing as he led Alva out of the hallway and back into the library proper.

It wasn't until they were back in the car that he finally spoke, "That back there, that's normally a well guarded secret here. I took you there because this is an emergency but it could..."

It could place Alva in danger, knowing what he now knew. Even worse, he made eye contact with the darkness. It might lead him back here someday. All it took was a dream, a message, something that sparked curiosity. The only thing Susumu took comfort in was the fact that he doubted Alva would be able to remove all those magical wards... At least, not on his own.

He won't be that desperate to come back. Even if he was, he would surely show some kind of agitation that Susumu would pick up on.

Slowly, he reached over to start the car and it purred to life.

"Anyway, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anybody else about what we did."

[Alva Ren]

Back in the car, some of the alarm faded. Maybe it was just a trick of the light. Maybe he was nervy and jumpy and on edge because of what transpired in that hidden room. Alva didn't speak for a little while, letting Susumu's words sink in. He stared out of the window at the library, quietly drumming his fingertips against his own thigh.

"I don't think anybody would believe me, even if I told them." He turned a softly wry smile upon Susumu. "Don't worry Susu, I won't tell a soul."

This was the kind of secret that he'd have to take to the grave, probably. Alva wasn't much of a gossip anyway and besides, the last thing he wanted to do was to send even more people into a frenzy of concern and panic. Having Ryland fussing over him dating a witch was bad enough! Alva couldn't imagine what would happen if he let slip that he went into a magically sealed room inside the old library, where a giant of a man guarded a dangerous entity who was capable of exerting its magic over the entire town!

"So... what now? Do we really just sit at home and wait this out?" He looked down at his legs and wiggled his toes. It still felt strange having functioning legs and feet, but if there was nothing else that could be done... He supposed that he ought to enjoy them while he had them...

[Shimizu Susumu]

Obviously there was something bigger happening in Hazleton and Susumu was now more aware of its origins. However, the information was dangerous. Why did he think it would be a good idea to bring Alva along? Now it meant that Alva was inducted into the small club of people who knew about the Founders. He concentrated on the road for a long moment, letting the implications settle in his chest uncomfortably.

"No," he said slowly--because waiting it out at home wasn't exactly ideal. He glanced over at Alva, still a little startled when he was greeted with the face of Alva's cousin rather than Alva himself.

"I suppose we're really partners now." He smiled wryly. "Only Founders and a certain coven know about what you just saw. You're not a witch but... Hm."

[Alva Ren]

"I'm in the circle of trust," Alva said half-jokingly, giving Susumu a Knowing Look. Now that the ordeal was behind them, he felt a little better. At least there wasn't a giant warden staring them down and the occupant of the shady cell was safely locked away behind a million magical doors (and one heavily padlocked physical one). His smile was a little more free and he even laughed a little.

Sure, there was nothing explicitly hilarious about the situation but there would be an end to it, if the giant man was to be believed. That meant that at some point he would return to his own body and knowing that was a comfort in an of itself. Alva would have liked to pass on the knowledge to everyone else who body-swapped but he did just swear to keep this a secret. It was a shame--he would've liked to spare those others the fear and panic that he felt when he realized that he wasn't himself.

"Hey... Let's go back to my house, Susu." Last he remembered, Josh was at Susumu's apartment and Alva didn't know if he would still be there, waiting. The amount of blood on Susumu was also still mildly alarming and his house was closer, anyway.

[Shimizu Susumu]

"You are. Just... don't say anything about it to anybody. They're serious about keeping their secrets." He didn't want to have to say it aloud to Alva--that there was a reason nobody knew what they just saw. Only people who kept their mouths shut remained in that circle. People who liked to blab were taken out by any means necessary. Spells were cast on those who might have heard the wrong thing. There were people in psychiatry units, driven there by having their memories scrambled.

Susu didn't want to see Alva become one of those people.

He won't, he reminded himself. Alva wasn't some gossip. Still, there was the worry he might tell his cousin, who could tell his boyfriend, who could tell his brother, who could tell anyone. Susu hoped that both he and those that they'd left behind in the library were enough to keep Alva from saying anything. If not, Susu would have to erase the memory from Alva's mind. And if he did it, there would be another curse on Alva and... and he would just rather not keep cursing Alva just to keep him safe and by his side.

"Yes... mine's a little..." He grimaced. It was a mess by the time they left it. Actually, it was probably a crime scene by now, if anybody had happened upon it. Susu didn't want to walk into a crime scene any more than Alva did.

"I'm sorry." He couldn't apologize enough. "For dragging you into this."

(I'm closing this but we can start fresh in a new thread when you're ready!)