A Cursed Boy (KuroBear x Cakeassassin Private)

[KuroBear]

 

Name: Noah

 

Age: 19

 

Species: Elf

 

Noah is kind, easygoing and honest. He has strong beliefs and isn't afraid to stand up for what's right, as his passed grandfather had taught him. Not being much of a fighter, Noah always tries to find alternate routes in issues, rather than coming at them head on. Even though he'd rather not, he could shoot a bow at hit anything dead on; another skill his grandfather he helped Noah to learn.

 

Likes: Baked goods, his friend Scratch the cat, animals in general, helping others and reading.

 

Dislikes: Fighting/ violence, bully knights, his own parents and smoke

[Cakeassassin]

 

Name: Leroy

 

Age: 21

 

Species: Human

 

Leroy has a strong sense of sarcasm but never means any malice. He has a lying problem when under pressure but he's usually really bad at it because his parents were strongly against any wrong so he tries his best to fulfill their wishes but it never really works out. One of his worst fears is hurting someone he cares about so he cut ties with most people.

 

Likes: Sight seeing, Bitter Things, Candy, Kids

 

Dislikes: Anything overly sweet, The colour red, Aggression, Coffee

[KuroBear]

It was a late afternoon in late September, mornings were cold, but as the days went on, the sun warmed up averyone and everything under it. Cool breezes made the crisp leaves on the trees shiver and chimes hanging on doors sing, the mix of such making the small, quiet village made everyone within it live peacefully. Horses with carriages came and went on the stone road, sparrows gossiped, the store was empty... it was all normal. Noah sat behind the counter on a high stool, making the elf look taller than he really was; it helped with giving a somewhat good impression on whoever decided to pass by. He stood below most men by a few inches and he had been called a shrimp often by nearly everyone in the village...

 

"Aye, Shrimp!" Called out a small, girly voice.

 

Noah looked up from his book, which was about a king looking for the perfect bride and queen, "Scratch?" He looks to where the voice originated from, a yellow cat with green eyes and a black spotted back, she was sitting on a shelf above him, "Please stop calling me that... You're smaller than me, you know!"

 

The cat huffed and dropped a book onto his head, responding with sass "Shrimp! But I'm normal sized! You're a shrimp!"

[Cakeassassin]

Quick footsteps could be heard from amongst the rustling leaves of the trees that muffled hoarse pants. Leroy looked up at the golden sunbeams that made dancing patterns on the emerald grass and the cooled breeze made the warmth in his skin dissipate and made him feel hot and cold at the same time. Digging his nails into his raven locks he stumbled into a village. The wind chimes sounded piercing to him and the clopping of horse's shoes made the sounds nearly overwhelming.

 

Starting to pull himself backwards he bumped into someone who was obviously smaller than him. "Watch where you're going!" A raised voice called out. The yelling made his ears ring and he reared back and punched the person to the ground."Why don't you-" He stopped himself short, realizing what he had done. "I'm so sorry...!"

 

Without thinking he burst into the first building he saw and closed the door behind him, keeping his hand on it and cursing under his breath.

[KuroBear]

The book hit him right on the top of his head, making the elf flinch and let out an aggravated sigh with the fact he lost his page in his own thick book, "Scratch... Just tell me what is it?" He took the novel that had plopped into his lap and set it on the counter, "And tell me what satisfaction you get from calling me that while you're at it..." Scratch opened her mouth to talk but was interrupted by a man who came inside and shut the door pretty hard, it made her fur stand on end and her pupils go so wide, it made it seem she had black eyes.

 

Noah flinched a second time at the sudden entry and it didn't help that the yellow cat decided to jump into his lap, "W-Wa! Sheesh! Scratch...!" Grumbling he tossed the scared feline to the ground and put on the best welcoming smile he could attempt with a racing heart, "Hello there! Welcome to Patchu's Shoppe, sir, w-would you like some form of service if you're looking for something?"

[Cakeassassin]

He stood at the door for a moment and started calming down as his breathing went to normal. He started studying the patterns in the floor and sighed in relief, starting to lose hope that he'd ever be released from the wretched curse. After a second he felt his nose become irritated... There was probably a furry animal in here. With that he realized that he just ran into a building out of instinct and the house probably want abandoned.

 

He jolted as he heard the voice from behind him. Turning around, he ran his fingers through his hair so he could clear his vision. Glancing at the yellow cat that was obviously spooked. Most likely from his sudden entrance. "I-I need..." He observed the room and noticed the various bottles in the shelves. "I need help in breaking a curse... I angered a witch and..." He trailed off, looking at the elf to see if he looked confused. Most people don't burst into rooms and talk of breaking curses.

[KuroBear]

Blinking twice, he listened to the man's words and his smile started to flat-line, "Breaking a witch's curse...? My potions cant do that, sir, I'm sorry..." A curse put on someone by a witch was almost impossible to break since their magic is created by their own hand. Noah picked his nails as his pale yellow eyes looked at the stranger cautiously-- he had looked pretty stressed or something like the sort.

 

Curiosity growing, Noah leaned against the counter and raised his eyebrows, "I don't want to seen nosy or anything, but what is your curse? There maybe something I could do for you!" He smiles honestly.

 

Scratch calmed down enough to trot back to the elf and jump on the table top, glaring at the man, "The guy smells funny. If he's not gonna buy anything, he should just buzz off."

 

"Don't be so rude!" Noah said through his teeth quietly, though warning and flicked the cat's ear, which earned a little growl, "Hah... S-Sorry!"

[Cakeassassin]

His pupils dilated for a moment but quickly went back to normal. He glared back at the cat, he wasn't actually mad but for some reason he couldn't help it. "It's quite alright..." He said with another sigh. He started thinking for a minute. Did he really want to know or did he just want to hear a crazy person tell a story. Probably not since curses weren't really unheard of.

 

He took in a breath and steered explaining his situation. "...And then she cursed me so I turn into a monster so to speak in three months... And I'm half way there." He started. Slowly sitting down on the floor his eyes trailed around the room before setting on the curious elf. He knew he wasn't being nosy. Anyone would probably want to hear something new in a village that seemed so eternally calm. It was nice but it was most likely boring after awhile. Even though that was undoubtedly better than chaotic.

 

"So do you think you can help me?" He asked with a feeble smirk

[KuroBear]

"A transformation spell? That must have been a strong witch.." Noah sank back on the seat and rubbed his cheek, looking over all his bottles, books and old objects, thinking of anything that could help this man. It must be very terrible to have such a curse; being turned into something you aren't with no will. Witches can be so cruel...

 

"Shrimp, wasn't there that book that had all that junk'n it? It was a long time ago," Scratch gave her paw a lick before adding, "It was a while ago, so I dunno if you have it or not. If you do, good, if not," her eyes catch the cursed stranger as she spits out, "who cares."

 

"Stop being so rude-!" The elf grabbed the cat and jumped down from the stool, "I'm sorry again, I don't know why she's being like this..."

 

"That's a bad man! Stay out of this, shrimp, let him suffer. He did something to upset the witch, he deserves it! Noah!" She was suddenly dropped and pushed into the back room where her voice was silenced.

 

"I-I'm sorry about her, really!" Scratch always had an attitude and looks out for Noah, but her methods were very questionable. Turning back around, the elf sheepishly smiled.

[Cakeassassin]

His fist clenched at the cat's remarks and his smile turned into a straight line. Relieved that the cat was out of sight he started to slowly get up, hearing the tiny creaks in the floor as he shifted his weight. The cat had a point though. He angered a witch to the point of getting himself turned into a monster. Well, he wasn't a monster yet but he soon would be.

 

Hooking his thumbs in his pockets he tilted his head slightly. "So... Shrimp...? Do you want to give it a go? I could help you look for the book but I won't say that the cat doesn't have a point."

 

He didn't actually know what the elf's name was but the cat had called him shrimp so maybe his parents made an unfortunate decision or it was a nickname of some sort. He started pondering his thoughts and realized that the cat also called him Noah. Which made a lot more sense.

 

He started blushing and hid it with his hand. "I'm sorry, I just realised that your name is Noah... Sorry." He said quietly. That was probably the perfect way to get help from someone. Accidentally insulting him.

[KuroBear]

Noah looked down at the floor, which wasn't all too far away from his head, and pursed his lips with his cheeks turning red, "It's fine," taking a deep breath, he grins and rubs the back of his head, "At least you apologized..." Everyone called him shrimp, not even as an insult at most times. He was referred to as shrimp like it was his real name; it was upsetting to be called short non-stop, but it also got annoying and old to keep telling them to stop.

 

Noah tilted his head slightly and approached the man cautiously, not certain of what the curse affected in him, "Er. Who are you, sir? I mean... well I'm Noah, like you know now, what's your name?" With a friendly curl of his lips, the elf extended his hand out for the other to shake it, "It's nice to meet you!"

[Cakeassassin]

He took a deep breath and tried to get the embarrassment off his face. He studied Noah's hand for a second before gently taking it. "My name's Leroy. I'm a cursed human."He chuckled and smiled back at him, shaking his hand lightly before releasing it. The nature of Noah put him at ease. Even though he still felt weird for calling him a name.. Especially since he was short before his growth spurt and knew how annoying it was to be teased about it.

 

He started to think that this meant he would be looking for the book soon so he started thinking. If it was uncommon to have such a curse then that must mean that it would be stored somewhere that wasn't visited a lot. Like an attic or basement, maybe even just under something if they were lucky.

[KuroBear]

So~ Leroy was the name of this visitor! Nobody had come by in a while and honestly, helping out this man who was in dire need made him feel a bit light on his toes, "The cat was right about the fact I have a book that could help and it has to be here somewhere!" Though the book was clear in his head, Noah had completely forgotten the contents of the book since it had been such a long time since it was picked up. As a child, the young elf would urge his grandpa to read him books all the time- in the shop, at home and in the forest where they spent their free days.

 

"It's not one of the books for sale, so it'll be upstairs in our attic." Noah look up at Leroy and squinted in though before nervously laughing, "It has a pretty low roof, so you should be careful with your head, heheh... J-Just follow me." Turning away and leading off, the elf wondered about the book. He could have sworn there was an important detail about the book he was missing.

[Cakeassassin]

He tried to hold back a smile. Were elves always this eager to help or was he really nice enough to be so enthusiastic about breaking the curse? Either way, it felt good that somebody would show such kindness to another, because a human is rarely selfless to a stranger. Speaking of which, he hasn't read anything in years. Isolating himself worked for a long time but the curse would surely consume him if he didn't try to get help, and now he wasn't entirely sure if how easy it was going to be to read again. disregarding these thoughts he started to follow.

 

"So you maybe know how the book's cover looked like? I might be able to help you look for it." He offered. He had some skills in scavenging so perhaps he could be of use. Starting to follow Noah. Watching his head for things that were smaller than his average, although he kept bumping into things on the floor. "Sorry, I'm being clumsy." He said before ducking into the attic.

[KuroBear]

Noah looked around at the boxes full of books and other items, trying to recall where it was, "It has big pages, but the actual book is thin. It has a leather exterior and if I can remember correctly, it has a picture of an owl on it." Grabbing an old chest, the elf blew off dust that resided on top, the tiny particles littering the air- and whist holding back a sneeze, Noah opened it up and scanned around inside, "On the cover it says... Oh..." The elf immediately stopped his search and bit his lip.

 

Apart from the fact it's location was unknown, Noah suddenly remembered how most of the book was written differently, "Leroy?" He asked with regret in his voice, "You wouldn't happen to know how to read Elven, right? There's a pretty... big change that it's in Elven..." And he had gotten the man's hopes up too. Noah could almost hear Scratch laughing her whiskers off at his grave error.

[Cakeassassin]

It took him a second to register what the elf had said but when it did he turned around quickly, facing him. The outer corners of his eyebrows lowered and he sheepishly smiled. "Why would you ask..." He trailed off and his smile turned down into a small frown, as he processed the thought he felt his heart sink to his stomach. The question wasn't literal since it was obvious as to what the answer was. Swallowing hardly he trekked over to Noah's side, avoiding the various boxes and items and observed the antique looking book.

 

"It's okay... It was too good to be true." He said this but wasn't even sure if he was talking to himself or Noah. What was he going to do now? He wouldn't give up but he'd have no idea of what to do. "Thank you anyways." His words sounded forced out bit he knew that Noah had tried his best and probably didn't know it was in elven. Getting up until his head almost touched the roof he started backing up to leave. Not being sure if they would get much else out of him staying here and he didn't want to make Noah feel bad.

[KuroBear]

Noah felt awful and didn't notice that Leroy had been speaking, but had quickly leaned over and reached out to grab the other's hand, "W-Wait! I..." The elf let go just as fast as he took it, grabbing his sleeve instead, "I can still be of service, I could translate it for you and... write down what you need! That way you can read it, right?" Smiling at the idea that seemed to be flawless, Noah looked up at the man, his cheeks faintly dusted red, "Because it's important, I don't think I'd be able to rest easy knowing a kind man was going to turn into a beast."

[Cakeassassin]

The mood that he felt shot back up and lit up his face. Being shocked at Noah's kindness he just stood there for a second. "I can't believe you would do that for me!" He exclaimed. Without thinking he hugged him but slowly let go when he remembered one tiny little detail. Well, maybe not so tiny but... He couldn't exactly say yes and then not follow whatever was written. That would be a waste of his efforts. With his face turning powdered red he pinched the bridge of his nose and had an awkward expression. "I ca-... I don't think I can read... I'll- I would still appreciate it though." He stated, putting on a small smile.

 

He glanced back at Noah, not knowing if he would be mad or if the cat would walk in and tell him to give up and let him be turned. He would have to try to understand though, whatever the answer, because he was just a passing stranger that probably nobody knew and this elf probably had more important things to do.

[KuroBear]

The sudden embrace frazzled the elf a tad; it wasn't every day people came into his shop, it wasn't everyday you met a cursed man and it wasn't... in a long time since he had gotten hugged... Noah came back to after a moment, "Eh?" He blinked twice, "Don't think you can read? Well, I guess that isn't much of a problem?" Scratching his cheek, his giggle sounded in the small space as he turned back to the chest, picking up some other things and putting them to the side in order to try to find the reverse spell book, "If I told you the things you'd need to get to save your humanity I don't think you'll forget those so easily! But maybe drawing pictures would be best?"

 

That wouldn't sound like such a bad idea, but Noah, his talent wasn't really at drawing anything... Shaking his head, the elf recalled a time when he attempted drawing Scratch- the final product made the cat burst out into laughter and then ask what it was. That happened to be the day before this one. "N-Never mind. You'd have a better chance with words, heheh...."

[Cakeassassin]

It was almost a surprise to him that he was still helping, the reason for almost was because he helped him so much already that if it was himself in this position he would have just said he was sorry and given up. But he was apparently one of the rare types of people. Selfless. He gave a low chuckle. "I'm sure your drawings aren't that bad. I bet mine are worse." In all honesty he wasn't too sure. His drawings were pretty okay since he could only hone his hand skills while he was alone. He probably should've gotten a couple books then but it was a bit late for that now. "Although you're right. If I forget something like that then I'd be in trouble!" He says this but he forgot how to read... Which is one of the most important things to know how to do.

 

He started to help him look through the box, even if he wasn't entirely sure if it was okay for him to since it was Noah's attic. And by the looks of the variety of aged objects it wasn't only him who has lived here.

[KuroBear]

"Although... you can learn anything and remember as long as you have a good teacher," With a content grin, Noah had picked up a frame picture, the date on the back was many, many years ago, and he turned it around to look at the picture. It was of an Elven man with long dark brown hair with glasses, a child on his back carrying a wooden stick, holding it out as if were a wand. With a calm sigh, the elf looked at it contently before putting it to the side. He wished his grandad were still there; the old man would surely know how to help Leroy in the curse.

 

When the frame was removed, Noah caught sight of the gold, "Hey look," he said with a big smile, picking the big, thin book up out from the bottom on the chest, "This is it!"

[Cakeassassin]

While he looked at the old picture a feeling of sad happiness seemed to be coming from it. It must've been a relative of Noah's so it was probably best not to ask, just in case it was sensitive. Being surprised by the elf's exclamation he gave a short jump and bumped his head, it didn't hurt though because he wasn't all that startled. Quickly scanning the book's cover he started to get a small buzz in his chest. It looked just as Noah had described earlier. It almost seemed like fate now. He had an urge that was strong to the point of losing most of his self control, just so happened to be near this village, ran into this shop and found someone who was knowledgeable about curses. A soft smile appeared on his face and anxiously he awaited for Noah to open the book.

 

He bit his lip. "How did you come across this anyway...? Di- This town seems so peaceful that they wouldn't think about things like curses." He asked in order to settle the butterflies in his stomach. Not literal butterflies but just a funny feeling from his anticipation.

[KuroBear]

"You'd be right on that one," Noah held up the old, leather book, turning open the detailed cover to the first page, "My grandpa traveled a lot when he was younger, so he had picked up tons of things from other places... Though I think this book I think was something he kept before." The first page was blank, and the second page was where the inked text was. Everything was in Noah's language along with symbols that were only related to magic, "The Book of Reversal," he read, running his finger under the words, "If you were as unfortunate to get mixed up in a riddle, you're just lucky that all riddles have solutions..."

 

Noah stopped reading for a second, thinking of how unprofessional sounding this was. It must have been a single copy of this only. Authors never had such an attitude. The elf looked up to Leroy, asking I his 'sorry' voice again, "You said that you'll become a beast at the end of the next month an a half, right? That an hourglass kind of curse. Those aren't so hard, but transformation is... Sorry to say but whatever the curse is, it's not going to be easy to... You know... Make it."

[Cakeassassin]

It took him awhile to process the information in his head. Did he mean that if he reached the end of the time limit that he would probably perish, or did he mean just at any moment while he tried to break it? Either way he knew it meant bad... But he wasn't entirely sure if he should ask. Though deciding that it wouldn't make a difference he chose to go ahead. "What do you mean...? Like, could I just randomly die or would it come after the curse takes effect?" His tone had hints of worry but it wasn't very strong. There was no way that he would just let himself be taken if he could help it. Even if it meant risking literally everything.

 

"It's better to die than be turned into a ravenous monster, so whatever it is I'll accept it... Unless it involves harming other people of course." He said this with confidence but lightly chuckled at the last part. In his normal state he probably wouldn't hurt a fly if he had a choice. Starting to study the words, even though it was futile, he squinted in focus. He almost felt like the symbols were familiar. They probably weren't but he still was interested and sat down near the elf.

[KuroBear]

"Some of these things require blood, but I don't know about anything else other than that. Some things are hard to get. A-Ah, um... I shouldn't have said it, I'm sorry. I really do wish that you become well again," he shook his head and continued to read again, frowning, "To fix your mistake, those affected must sacrifice themselves to the storm and maybe be redeemed. Here are some methods to clean your slate, follow closely to directions..." Noah turned the page, the picture of a black cloud over a man's head was on one side, he looked miserable and probably was what this specific curse was about.

 

Looking over the instructions quickly, his eyes widened, mumbling, "Tears of a fairy? Reversals are so strange." Fairies are usually so happy and bubbly, Noah didn't even think they could cry. This wasn't even a transformation curse, but the ingredient for this simpler curse was so hard to get. If this was the easy one... what could the harder one call for?