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Unbreakable Curse [Saria and Clementine]

Saria

Saria

Star
Joined
Sep 16, 2013
Solid black foxes existed, though one rarely saw them anywhere near civilization. So seeing one inside a house of all places, pacing the living room in agitation, was something few had ever seen. Vincent's ears and tail twitched every time he passed the window, growling softly and glaring at the bane of his existence, the sun. He hated DST. Longer days meant more time trapped in this form and less time being productive. Nevermind the fact his definition of productive had changed drastically over the past twenty years.

He sighed softly and hopped up into the window as the sky finally turned orange, watching as the sun sank beneath the horizon and bracing himself for the pain. It didn't last long, or at least he'd become so accustomed to it he hardly noticed anymore, and within minutes he was back in his 'true' form. Dark green eyes, shaggy black hair in need of a trim, and pale skin that hadn't been tanned in... too many years to count. He flexed his fingers and snagged his clothes: jeans, t-shirt, and a light jacket. Even if it was turning to spring, the nights were still chilly.

He shoved his feet into an old pair of shoes and headed for the door, craving a burger. If there was one thing he was grateful for, it was the development of fast food. Even if he made a point to live on the outskirts of the heart of the city, he always made sure to be near a convenience store and at least a burger joint. Plus the university he was currently donating to had a habit of sending prospective students to try and wheedle more funding out of him this time of year. He just hoped they'd gotten the message and would stop sending business majors and IT nerds.
 
Grayson was neither a student nor an IT nerd. The university had decided to send in the big guns and he'd drawn the short straw of the faculty from the history department when it came tracking down a certain rich business man. He didn't need more money, although having a little more couldn't hurt. What he needed to do was try and convince Vincent to appropriate some of his funding strictly to the ancient history and linguistics department. They were always hurting for funds, but now, more than ever, were they feeling the pinch. A new archeological site in Brazil had been discovered and Grayson's department was competing with a few others for the rights to be the first to translate the ancient runes. The last, and really only, hurdle they needed to overcome, was proper funding. The university was too interested in funding their science departments and didn't have much interest in furthering their cause for historical study. After all, they were more well known for their science, not their history.

Knowing only that the elusive business man was only even seen as night, Grayson had donned a warm jacket as well as a sturdy scarf. He always got cold easily and the breezy, nearly spring evening was enough to make him want to bundle up. He told himself he was braving the cold for advancement of historical studying and to just hurry up and find Vincent.

Having only a picture, an address, and a vague description of his hang outs from the IT department, Grayson decided to start on the block where Vincent's high rise apartment was. Feeling thoroughly like some creepy stalker, Grayson shivered a little as he loitered on a street corner in front of some greasy burger place, trying very hard not to look like he was looking for someone in the crowd of people mulling around him.
 
Vincent wasn't sure when the curse had started bleeding over enough that his senses were heightened, but they came in handy sometimes. He breathed in the scent of grilling meat as he neared the burger joint, glancing over the people in the area, dismissing some as regulars and others as of no importance. He eyed the loitering creeper and the two dead-beats who looked stupid enough to try something a few moments before heading up to the window. The place was small and run by a local family, with seating inside and benches and tables outside. "Hey Mack," he called. "Can I get one with guacamole?"

The chef inside glanced back, grunting something before tossing another patty on the grill.

Vincent relaxed a bit and turned around, leaning back against the wall and glancing over the crowd again. There was something about the creeper that annoyed him, though it likely had something to do with how he was trying so hard and utterly failing to look normal.
 
The ominous deadbeats were what had Grayson inching closer towards the burger joint. He glanced at them, not wanting to be caught alone outside of the groups of people around. Usually he was fine, but the two at the corner kept glancing at him as if he were the next hit. Turning away from them, Grayson sidled into the like for the burger place, still trying very hard to look casual. And that's what he spotted Vincent leaning against the wall. At first he wasn't sure and adjusted his glasses, just to double check. Yup, it was Vincent, all dark hair and pale skin. The man was unmistakable.

Leaving the line now that he had found what he wanted, Grayson tired to look confident as he strolled over to Vincent. "Vincent?" Grayson asked with a small smile, stepping in front of Vincent boldly. "You are associated with the University, correct?" Gray pushed some of his short, auburn hair out of his face, not about to let Vincent try to slid past him.
 
Vincent raised an eyebrow as the creeper moved closer, studying him and narrowing his eyes when he realized the creeper was heading for him. A soft growl stuck in his throat as he straightened and still had to look up at the man, though it wasn't like it never happened. He was short enough from being trapped at the same age as when he'd been cursed. His body was still that of a twenty year old, though his last growth spurt hadn't hit before the curse, so he was forever trapped like this. Or at least until he managed to break the curse.

He relaxed marginally at the sound of his name, flicking his eyes over the creeper again before huffing softly. Another one from the University, as expected. "And you are...?"
 
"Oh yes," Grayson replied, fumbling around in his coat pocket before managing to pull out one of his business cards. He offered it to Vincent, hoping the man didn't think him too rude. "My name is Grayson Belle. I'm a linguistics and ancient history professor at the University." He eyed Vincent, thinking the man looked more like a student than he'd expected. Grayson certainly wasn't an old man, but he also wasn't a young twenty something anymore. "Could I trouble you for a moment of your time? I promise it won't take long. It's very important though, for me and my department.

Again, Grayson offered a hesitant smile, a dimple appearing in his left cheek before vanishing quickly when he grew serious again. "I can assure you, it'll be worth it." Damn, but he hated going to donators of the university and asking for something in particular.
 
Vincent eyed the card before accepting it and glancing it over. Linguistics and ancient history? And a professor? What the hell was going on now? He couldn't deny he was curious. At least this guy was polite enough, even seeing how young he looked. Some of the students had gotten offended of all things when they'd first seen him. "Hmm," he said non-noncommittally, pushing off the wall when Mack slid his burger over with a familiar 'Here brat.' He slid a twenty over and didn't wait for change before picking up the tray and a bottle of ketchup. "Twenty minutes," he said to Grayson, dropping onto a bench in the corner and drenching his fries with ketchup.

"If you're a professor, just get to the point. What exactly are you wanting funding for and why should I care?" He didn't mean to come across as rude, though after a few years of brown nosing and pleading, he just wanted the facts and details.
 
Grayson eyed the burger and fries, biting his lip. Crap. He'd already eaten but the sight of the burger was making his stomach grumble all over again. Maybe after he was done speaking with Vincent he'd go and indulge in a burger for once, which was something he never did. Grayson tried to eat healthy, especially since he was holed up in the library most of the time researching. It was an easy thing to forget to eat and when he did eat it was mostly greasy fast food stuff...at least previously before he had curbed himself.

"Well," Gray replied with a laugh as he sat down across from Vincent. "It's not what you think. I'm not asking for more money or anything. What I, well, my department and I, wanted to come to you about is specific allocation. "The damned science department and sports facilities are sucking up everything they can get their hands on." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, thoroughly put out about this. "We know you make yearly donations as a private entrepreneur. And it's because you're private that we wanted to petition you to specifically state that some of it has to go to the historical department. A new dig in Brazil has revealed some very interesting artifacts and we're competing with other universities on the rights to have first dibs on translations."

As Grayson spoke, he grew more and more excitable, starting to gesture grandly with his hands as his gray eyes sparkled with passion for his work. "With some of your donations going to us, not only will we be able to become a part of something great, you'll also be listed as the the main benefactor, your name going on everything that we do. And that means being listed in museums all over the United States!"
 
Vincent listened quietly, popping a fully coated fry in his mouth and licking ketchup off his fingers. The next one he dipped in the excess guacamole oozing from the burger. He glanced up at the mention of allocating his money rather than giving more. He'd always specified most of the money go to the science department in the hopes someone would stumble upon or have an affinity for the old magics of the world and be able to give a fresh perspective to curses. He'd considered other departments, but none of them had seemed promising in this University considering they had so many science majors.

He took a bite of his burger and raised an eyebrow as he watched Grayson gesturing and seeming to enjoy what he was talking about. It was kind of amusing. The guy looked like he at least in his mid or late twenties, but he was getting excited like a kid. He scooped up some guacamole on his finger and licked it clean before asking, "What kind of artifacts?" He knew there were artifacts around the world that could likely break the curse, but considering most were older than he was and likely worn down, he hadn't been willing to seek them out lately. The last thing he needed was for one to backfire and trap him as a fox permanently.
 
Grayson watched at Vincent ate his burger, how he coated the fries in the ketchup and guacamole. He gulped, rubbing a hand over his mouth, his willpower against getting a burger himself waning. Tracking Vincent's movements as he ate, Gray forgot for a moment that he was waiting for the man's reply. "Hmm? Oh. Oh!" He replied, blushing furiously and dragging his gaze away from the food. "We're not sure what kind yet exactly. There's speculation that they're apart of the Mayan culture, but the snapshots I saw doesn't really support that theory. I'd have to get my hands on them first to know for sure, but I could swear that the hieroglyphs have a more Asian influence. Either that or an entirely new civilization has been discovered because it doesn't look like any Mayan or Brazilian writing I've ever seen before.

Again, Gray was flushing, but this time with more excitement. "And I want to disprove the Mayan theory." He unwound his scarf from his neck, feeling a little too hot, shoving the fabric into his pocket. "Hey, are you going to be here for a little longer? I'm starving and you're making that burger look like the best thing since sliced bread." Well, so much for restraint.
 
Vincent blinked a few times and glanced between Grayson and his burger, not liking how the creeper, er professor, was eyeing his food. He couldn't quite resist holding a fry and absently moving it back and forth just to see if Grayson would watch it like a starving man.

"Asian?" he asked, frowning a bit and wondering if that was even possible. He wasn't a historian and couldn't care less about history, except when it pertained to Asian history and that damned kitsune who'd cursed him. He bit the fry in half and tried to calculate the odds of him finding a cure in Brazil of all places. Not very likely. But still... he didn't really have much to lose. Well, technically he had everything to lose, but if there was a slim chance, he may as well take it.

"Hm? Yeah, until I finish eating." He smirked briefly and finished off his fry.
 
No, Grayson did not watch that fry being waved in front of his face. Okay, well, maybe he did. A little. "Perfect. I'm starving and I was about to steal your burger," he said with an easy laugh as he stood. "Wait one second and I'll be back. And yes. Asian. I'll show you the pictures after I get some food." And with that, Grayson hurried off and into the burger shop.

It took barely ten minutes before Grayson returned with his meal. His own burger was huge, completely with bacon and some kind of delicious sauce that oozed out of the edges. He had onion rings instead of fries and a vanilla milkshake completed his meal. "Okay. Sorry about that. I felt like I was starving to death and you weren't helping any." He gave Vincent a mock glare as he sat down. "Here's the pictures," he mentioned, pulling out his phone and offering it to Vincent. That done, he dug into his meal, sighing at the delicious taste and not caring he probably has sauce smeared across his mouth.
 
Vincent hummed in a way that might have been agreement and continued eating without a distraction yapping in his ear. He was half finished and licking his fingers for the umpteenth time when he caught the scent of a familiar shampoo and candy. "Good evening, Hope," he said, wiping his fingers and mouth on a napkin before turning enough to straddle the bench.

Behind him stood Mack's daughter, sporting a cute dress and a pout that would get even the most hardened of criminals to buy her an ice cream. "You didn't come to my birthday party!" she cried, stomping a foot, hands clenched at her sides.

Vincent winced and sighed inwardly. "Sorry, I couldn't make it." At least not as a human, he thought. "I did get you something though, but you have to smile if you want it." He winked at her and grinned when she eyed him suspiciously.

"What is it?" she asked, taking a step closer.

He reached into a pocket and glanced around as if it were a secret, spying Grayson on his way back and leaning over to whisper, "Magic!" He sat back with a smirk and raised an eyebrow at Grayson, ignoring the glare and taking the phone. He eyed the milkshake a moment and picked up another fry, tempted to dip it into the shake and refraining as he looked at the pictures.

Hope leaned against Vincent and eyed Grayson. "Is he your friend?"

"That's Grayson. And this is Hope; her family runs this place," he added to Grayson, turning the phone this way and that as he studied the images. Some did have a kind of Asian look to them, but he'd much rather have actual photos to look at.

"Oh." She smiled at Grayson before tugging at Vincent's jacket. "Where's the magic?"
 
Grayson had figured the girl was a friend of Vincent's so had had tried not to interrupt too much. Vincent's sudden introduction had Grayson frantically gulping down the huge bite he'd taken while simultaneously wiping his mouth clear. "Pleasure," he replied a little breathlessly, giving another swallow. "You're family runs a fine restaurant," he added with a smile before taking another, smaller bite of his burger.

"I didn't know you were into magic tricks, Vincent," Gray teased, reaching to retrieve his phone again, figuring that Vincent had seen enough. That was about as much information as Gray had on the issue until he was able to get more funding. Hopefully Vincent agreed. Gray would have asked, but he didn't want to in front of Hope.
 
Hope smiled at Grayson. "Thank you! Papa makes the best burgers around!"

Vincent shrugged and finally handed the phone back. "I'd be surprised if you did," he replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a square of red paper as he looked at Hope. "Ready?" He waited until she nodded before blowing on the paper, using a slight spark of his magic to set it on fire. It burned bright and fast and he flicked his hand to wrap around the flames, using the heat and another pulse of magic to form a vibrant red flower in his palm, blowing on his closed fist for show before slowly opening it. "There you go. An Eternal Rose," he said with a wink.

Hope stared at the rose with wide eyes before picking it up. "It's not hot! How did you do that?"

Vincent smiled and pressed a finger to his lips. "Not telling."

She pouted before losing against her grin and leaning in to kiss his cheek. "Thank you!" she said before dashing off.

"Don't forget to water it!" he called after her. He shook his head faintly and snatched up his burger again, looking back to Grayson. "Can you get some better photos?"
 
Grayson was just as amazed as Hope was. He gaped at the display, watching as the paper caught fire, only for a beautiful flower to be revealed. "Oh wow that's amazing," Grayson gushed as soon as Hope had left. Without thought, he reached for the hand Vincent had formed the flower with. He looked at the tip of the man's fingers before smelling his palm. Other than the light hint of the flower, Grayson didn't smell any kind of fire starter. And when he rubbed his own fingers lightly against Vincent's palm, he didn't detect any kind of spark powder.

"Okay. How did you do it," Grayson demanded, ever curious when confronted with anything new and unknown. He'd seem some pretty wild magic tricks, but Vincent's took the cake. Which was surprising. Perhaps that's what rich people did, learn magic tricks as they hid away from society.

"Oh right the photos. I'll fax the department in Brazil and see if I can't get better ones." He shrugged, having realized he might have just done something really embarrassing. He played it off those, focusing back on work. "They're being really tight fisted about the whole thing."
 
Vincent's eyes widened as Grayson dared grab his hand, too shocked to do anything but stare. He opened his mouth to tell the creeper to let go, but his voice stuck in his throat as a shiver traveled up his arm and down his spine at the way the fingers rubbed his palm. How long had it been since someone had touched him like that? He couldn't really remember. Even after Grayson had released his hand, he didn't move, gaping like a fish for several heartbeats, watching Grayson's mouth move, but not understanding. What was he saying? Oh. Right. Photos.

He snapped his mouth shut and pulled his hand back, scrubbing it on his jeans and trying to get rid of the tingling sensation that still lingered to no avail. "Tight wha?" he mumbled, clearing his throat and shaking his head to clear it. "I'll give you the funding," he murmured. "Get me more photos. I expect to be kept up to date on what my money is finding."
 
Oh yes. He'd definitely just committed a bit oops. Grayson watched Vincent's reaction with wide eyes. He paled and then flushed darkly when Vincent vigorously scrubbed his hands on his jeans. The act made Grayson feel dirty, like he was some kind of germ. He'd forgotten that normal people didn't like to be touched so casually. He'd been too long among his books and artifacts, all of them easily within his reach and ready to be touched. Shamed, Grayson nodded his head.

"Uh. Yeah. That's no problem." Grayson hurriedly began wrapping up the remains of his cooling meal and shoving it all back into the bag with trembling hands. Dammit. What had Vincent's disgust affected him so? It's not like Grayson should care one way or another. He'd gotten the grant money. Job done. "I'll fax you the photos when I've gotten them. The department head is going to be thrilled. Thank you very much, Vincent." While Gray should have offered his hand, he obviously didn't in light of the previous situation.

Standing, he wrapped his scarf back around his neck and shoved the burger bag into the deep pocket of his coat. "My number is on the card. I already have yours on file. Thanks again." Barely giving a small smile, Gray turned and fled, walking swiftly through the crowd, still burning with embarrassment.
 
Vincent watched Grayson start packing up his food with a touch of confusion and annoyance. Of course, he hadn't really expected him to stick around once he got what he wanted, but he'd expected him to at least be polite enough to stick around a few more minutes. He gritted his teeth and kept silent as he watched Grayson shove his food in his pocket. "Yeah. No problem," he replied, glaring at Grayson's back though not quite sure what he was so angry about. He picked up a fry before realizing he'd lost his appetite. He grumbled and shoved his tray aside, crossing his arms and banging his head on them. Damn professor...

*****

A week later he headed to the University after getting a call about the photos being available. He'd already contacted the appropriate parties to edit the delegation of the money he was donating for this year. If this dig actually lead to anything useful, he'd even donate a bit more specifically to Grayson's department.

He ran his fingers through hair that seemed even more disheveled than usual and stifled a yawn. It really needed a trim, but it was never something he thought about until nearly morning when it was too late. Maybe he'd just let it grow out. He did always kind of like the long-hair samurai look.

Once he reached the University, he headed to the library to find Grayson.
 
Grayson had tried very hard not to think about Vincent or their meeting at the burger place. It was hard not to recall the situation, however, when he was told Vincent had actually appropriated the funds like he'd said. A little part of Gray had thought Vincent wouldn't go through with it, simply because of what had happened. He was relieved when that wasn't true, but that didn't keep him from being any more nervous about meeting Vincent again.

Having been in the library for most of the day, Grayson was beginning to anticipate the time when Vincent would arrive. The anticipation made him a little frantic, so he threw himself into gathering up materials to show Vincent along with the pictures which he'd kept in a neat little manial folder. Currently, Gray had climbed one of the tall ladders the lead up the height of the bookcases, looking for something in particular.
 
Vincent scratched his stomach and glanced around the library as he walked. It'd been a while since he'd been there, he'd forgotten how big a University library was. "Grayson?" he called, wandering through the rows and aisles of books with a sigh. He paused as he caught a scent of... spice and sweet. Was his sense of smell really getting that much stronger in this form? He sighed again and followed the trail, pausing at a ladder and glancing up. "What are you doing up there?" he asked, shivering as his palm suddenly tingled as he remembered the last time they'd met. He'd tried to forget since it only served to piss him off at how rudely Grayson had left.
 
"Oh!" Grayson cried in surprised, glancing down to see Vincent staring up at him. He nearly dropped the book in his hand before his grip tightened. "I was just looking for a book that I thought would be some good reading along with the pictures I have for you." Trying to play it cool, Gray shimmied down the ladder, trying not to think about how Vincent was probably getting an eye full of butt in a pair of brown slacks.

"The pictures are over here." He hoped to the floor from the last rung on the ladder, hurrying over to a desk in the corner he'd claimed as his own. It was cluttered with all sorts of things from papers to books and half written notes. Gray swiped up the enveloped with the pictures in them and thrust them at Vincent, still not having looked the male in the face yet. "Here."
 
Vincent watched Grayson climb down the ladder, trying not to stare, but the cree-professor did have a nice ass... He cleared his throat and glanced away, following him to the table and taking the envelope that was shoved at him with a slight curl of his lip. So rude! And Grayson hadn't even looked at him. Well two could play at that game. Maybe the whole politeness had just been an act and this was how the man really was, though he'd never met anyone who could fake looking so...happy when talking about their job. Whatever. It didn't concern him.

He opened the envelope in silence and dropped into a chair, propping the bottom of his foot on the edge of the table and rocking the chair back on two legs as he flipped through the photos. "Some of these look like old Japanese," he muttered to himself, struggling not to get excited. It could just be a coincidence, or a hoax, though the latter was less likely if it was coming through the University.
 
Grayson bit his lip, fidgeting as Vincent looked over the photos. He held his tongue when Vincent settled his foot on the desk, resisting the urge to push it off. Shyness vanishing at the mention of old Japanese, Grayson was immediately beside Vincent again. "Hah! See I told you. There's only a few people who see. I'm surprised you thought so. Whatever. Look here," he said, pointing to some marking on a sheaf of what looked like papyrus. "That looks like ink, doesn't it? The Mayan's used paint and used tree bark as a writing surface."

Excitedly, Grayson grabbed the book he'd pulled down. Flipping rapidly through the pages, he stopped near the middle and showed the page to Vincent. "This is a picture of Japanese text from less than three centuries ago. Doesn't it look similar? If that's the case, then we've stumbled upon something entirely different. The artifacts found haven't been carbon dated yet, so we'll know more when that happened. Isn't this interesting?" If Gray was known for anything, it was for throwing himself into his work. He was able to shed his normal inhibitions when faced with newness and studying. Even now, he didn't think about how close he was standing to Vincent or how the man could possibly be offended by it like at their first meeting.
 
Vincent blinked at the change in Grayson and watched him warily, taking in the information and staring at everything Grayson was showing him. He wasn't stupid, though history and timelines of areas weren't his thing. He dropped his foot back to the floor as he took the book. It looked..familiar and it wasn't until he turned the page he remembered where he'd seen it before. There was an old picture of a fox with nine tails and what looked like a burning village in the background. He bared his teeth with a soft growl. It was the same damned fox, he just knew it. He flipped back to the text and held the photos up next to it. Some of the characters were the same, but not enough for him to put any faith in them being related to the same subject.

"Is anyone working on translating these?" he asked, glancing up at Grayson and pausing as he noticed how close he was standing. He smelled... good. The spicy sweet smell was stronger coming from the source than it was after lingering in the air a while.
 
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