An Eldritch Curse (June and Izurich)

[Juneberry]

He could feel the eyes baring into his back. For Nuru, stares of onlookers was far too common. His abnormally notable height, his slender figure, and the mask he wore to cover his face- they all worked together to give him an air of mystery, one that he didn't intentionally create. He just was how he was- and his eyes being seen bothered him. Thus, he finished off his peculiarity with a special mask- half frowning, half smiling. Like this, no one could see his face. Unfortunately, they saw right through his 'normal' attitude pretty quickly.

It was finally the end of another grueling investigation. He had just left the police station, having helped them find the culprit for a string of murders caused by curses. He left his sister in there, in charge of the paperwork. Nuru couldn't handle such tedious tasks. He was always looking for new curses to solve. He was certain that if he solved more, he'd be able to figure out who cursed him to see them in the first place.

Suddenly, he saw one- a girl with a collar around her neck. No one else noticed it, because no one else could see it. That green collar was certainly a curse- and if it was, he had to find out what kind.

Cautiously, Nuru walked up to the girl in question. He wasn't sure how to start the conversation. He couldn't say he saw a collar around her neck like a dog- that would just sound suspicious. So, he did what his sister had taught him. "Excuse me, miss. Is anything bothering you?"

 

[Izurich]

Susan Mercia

It was quite a fine late afternoon in the city of Hatton, one of the many cities located in the republic. It wasn't a huge metropolis like New Yordan, but not exactly a small village either. Somewhere in the middle, just an average yet lively town. "Hm~ hm~ hm~" Right now, one Susan Mercia, a junior highschooler of Hatton High, was cheerfully walking home from her last day before summer break begins. The chipper brunette teen was looking forward to spending time away from school, pursuing her artistic hobbies, hanging out with friends, and other such teenager things.

Her bag slung on her back, fancy hat perched on her head, and a smartphone on her left hand, Susan took a cutie selfie in front of the school gates. After posting the picture on Chirper with the "#SummerBreakSoon" hashtag, she waved farewells to her friends then continued walking home. Along the way, Susan plopped her wireless earphones then started listening to her favorite playlist. In particular, the girl had a taste for Eastern pop music, those that were often sung by groups of all-female vocalists at once, idols as they were called by the fans.

It was around halfway through her journey that she noticed a peculiar figure walking up to her. An... incredibly tall and imposing figure clad in a dark suit wearing a pierrot mask. Susan widened her eyes as she removed her earphones, then... grinned wide, with pleasant surprise! "Oh...!" She knew him! Yes, he uh... he's the paranormal investigator, right? Mr. Nuru! Yep, yep. Due to his reputation of being an incredibly good detective, fashion eccentricity, and post lamp-like stature, he had quite a local following. Some of the girls even said that he was incredibly handsome behind that mask, she wondered if it was true.

Alright, alright, Mr. Nuru wanted to talk with her, calm down, calm down. Hehe... she couldn't wait to tell her friends all about this encounter. She should not screw it up. "Ahem...! How can I help you, Detective?" She giddily said with a few small heel-hops, "Mmm... I don't think so, why do you ask?"

To Nuru's eyes, he would sense that there was something... off about the girl's collar and overall presence. Sure he had encountered plenty of cursed individuals and various types of curses during his career, yet there was just something both familiar and different about this particular girl. It would feel like he was gazing into a bottomless abyss that hungered for... something. Certainly a peculiar case.

 

[Juneberry]

He wasn't sure how to proceed. He usually got cases by being told about someone who might be cursed- he normally didn't feel a need to confront someone just because they had a collar. For a moment, he just looked at her with hidden but inquiring eyes. Had he met her somewhere before? She knew his title- not that that was rare- but something about her felt all too familiar. He decided to drop the issue, however, when he realized asking about it might make him sound like a lech.

"If it's not causing you any harm or trouble, I suppose it's fine to let it go," he said. However, he knew he couldn't actually do that. "As you already seem to be aware of my status as an investigator, I'm going to assume you know what I investigate. As such... I shouldn't be afraid to tell you that you've got a curse." He pointed to his throat, where his own collar circled him secretly. "I know because I have one too. It's something I can see right here when I look in the mirror."

Holding out his hand, Nuru opted to introduce himself properly. "My name is Nuru Caldwel, and I'm the lead investigator of Caldwel Occult Investigation Services. I'm not sure how or why, but your curse already intrigues me without me being aware in the slightest of what effect it might have on you."

 

[Izurich]

"Eeeeh...?" Susan didn't really understand what the private investigator was getting at, but his cryptically mysterious demeanor kept her attention nonetheless. This was a chance of a lifetime after all, like meeting a celebrity, yes! Of course she knew, no one could mistake Nuru due to his extravagant fashion sense. The "Nuru Look" was so distinct, it became quite popular among cosplayers. This one was the real deal though! The one and only Detective Nuru Caldwel.

"Oh yeah! You uhm... you investigate paranormal and occult stuff, right?" The schoolgirl only knew what everyone else knew of course, she didn't have any detailed knowledge about his operations. But then, her smile ceased as her eyes blinked a few times, his words had shocked her. "A... a curse? Me...? Uh..." Her fingers rubbed at her neck, trying to feel this... intangible collar in futility. Her gaze was directed at Nuru's feet, eyes quite blank as she was trying to process everything.

She felt... fine, at least, as much as she could feel about herself. A part of her mind believed there was nothing wrong with her, but another became incredibly concerned as she trusted the occult detective's reputation. It took her a few long moments to get her brain functioning again, even then, she likely hadn't still come to terms with what he revealed about her. "Uhm... uh... I'm... Susan Mercia." For now, she accepted the handshake. "So... wow, that's bad, isn't it? ...can't you do something about this curse then? That's your thing, right?"

 

[Juneberry]

The man chuckled behind his mask. This girl definitely knew his line of work. He had to say, being famous, even if it was in an unusual manner, had its perks. He rarely had to bother explaining in detail why he was talking to someone these days, which was much easier than when he and his sister started their investigative services to make use of his unusual power.

"The issue with curses is they have to be traced down like any other investigation works," The man explained. "I can see curses, but I can't necessarily see the people who create them. I have to find them. Normally, this is why I work on police cases... But occasionally, I find people in the streets, like you, who have a curse that attracts my interest."

He stopped talking for a moment, looking around. They were being stared at- or rather, he was being stared at. "I recommend we talk somewhere more private. I don't know who cursed you right now, but I'd rather find out before it causes any damage to you or your life in general."

 

[Izurich]

Susan really hoped that Nuru could take care of this quickly. However, judging from what he elaborated so far, it seemed there was someone responsible for cursing people. How... how mean! This meant someone cursed her! But... who? Could it be Jennifer? That little snob... bitch had always been a thorn to anyone not in her clique. If... if it really was her... then, she wanted...

"eXtrAcT tHe sOuL fRoM hEr bOdY aNd dEvOuR iT!"

"E.... eh...? The brunette blinked, taken aback by that morbid through going through her mind a second ago. That... that was strange. Uhm... what just happened? Oh no, she's thinking weird things. Is this the effect of the curse?! Oh no! Even worse, now that Susan thought about it, she always had the occasional strange thoughts since... ever. She got so used to them that she forgot about the instances most of the time. However, with Nuru being here and talking about curses and such, it made the experience all the more vivid.

Distraught by the course of events, Susan didn't even recognize they were being stared at, "Y-... yes please! Help me, Detective. Uuuu..." The girl whimpered, fidgeting with her sleeves. Of course, she would follow him wherever he would take her.

 

[Juneberry]

He noticed a change in her demeanor. At first, she seemed to just be thinking deeply. But then, she had an air of fear. Had he just rung alarm bells that could have been left alone? No, something in his gut said that wasn't the case. As someone cursed themself, it was his job to find this girl's caster. And, something in his mind said it had to be fast- even if he didn't know what was going on in her head.

When she agreed to follow him, Nuru opted to grab her hand to avoid separation and try to calm her nerves. It had always helped him when his sister held his hand in the early years, so surely it could help another person to hold his hand, right? Okay, so even he didn't believe it. But something told him he had to, and so he did.

"Well, let's head to my house for now. It's not far down this street. We'll fix you a calming cup of tea and talk about whatever is going on with you in length."

He began to walk down the road the same direction he'd been going before noticing her. It was only a couple blocks, before he turned into a driveway of a simple two-story house with a peculiar van in the driveway. In red and yellow stripes, the words 'Caldwel Occult' were written in white paint, striking hard against the background. "Looks like Kaylie's home. Ah, Kaylie is my sister and assistant. She's the one who pushed me into this line of work. Said it'd do me some good to do some good."

 

[Izurich]

"Uh... okay..." The cacophonous combination of worry, anxiety, and fear made Susan agreed just like that, allowing the detective to grab her hand. In normal circumstances, she would err on the side of going home first and visiting him tomorrow instead. However, this curse thing couldn't wait! She figured her parents would understand, she could contact them later and have Nuru talk with them to explain everything. Yes, she could do that. Ah, better tell him about this beforehand. "Uhm... Detective, once we arrive there, I'll call my parents to tell them what's going on, can you explain everything please?" She begged with worried puppy-dog eyes.

It didn't take long for them to arrive at the masked occult investigator's residence and office, the written sign on the striped van was the most obvious sign. "..." Susan was understandably not herself at the moment, her mind filled with so much uncertainties, she was basically following Nuru in auto-pilot via holding hands. It took her a few long seconds before realizing Nuru was talking to her, "Eh...? Oh... ahaha... I see, uhm... she sounds nice..." The brunette forced a smile, much unlike her chipper self earlier. "I should thank her then, ahaha... or we would have never met..." And he couldn't help her, what a disaster it'd be!

 

[Juneberry]

The way her eyes had a slight watering affect to him was a bit bothersome. Normally, he'd want to start the investigation right away- that was why he was bringing her to his home, where his assistant slash sister could help take care of things. Despite this, he understood a young person needing their parents after finding out they're cursed. And so, he nodded quietly, without a word. He didn't have much to explain at this point, but he'd do his best to take care of their concern.

"I'm back!" Nuru soon shouted into the house as he opened the door and gestured for the young woman to go inside.

Walking out from the kitchen was a rather short young woman with chestnut brown hair and big brown eyes. She wore normal clothes and no mask was on her face- the only thing that made her stand out was her height. As she saw Susan, she smiled softly and walked over.

"I'm guessing we've got a new case, huh?" Nuru nodded to respond to her question. "I'm Kaylie Caldwel, Nuru's older sister. Thank you for entrusting us with your case. Would you like some tea? I just finished brewing it."

"Kaylie, the young lady would like to call her parents first. When she switches it over to me, can you start the usual questions?"

Kaylie nodded, smiling brightly. "Of course! You know I'll take excellent care of her. Miss, how do you like your tea? Or would you rather something else to drink? I just recommend tea because it's usually quite soothing, and I'm certain you could use something soothing if you're dealing with us."

 

[Izurich]

For now, the brunette highschooler just followed the detective into his home. One would think that a schoolgirl following a wiry tall man clad in a suit and pierro mask was an incredibly suspicious sight, however, the circumstances deemed otherwise. Once Susan was inside, she still looked quite fidgety, but slightly calmed down by now.

As Nuru had informed her of Kaylie beforehand, the young woman's arrival didn't spook the teenager. It helped that the fellow brunette wore normal clothes as opposed to her older brother. "I'm... Susan Mercia, nice to meet you..." Susan introduced herself back. It was more that she didn't have any other choice than deliberately entrusting her case to them, but it was still the second best reason why she was here. "Sure... thank you." Some warm tea would do her good, yes.

After Nuru confirmed that she would be calling her parents, Susan excused herself to the house's living room for a bit of privacy. "I'll be right back..." Once there, she took out her smartphone then dialled one of her parents' number. A short moment later, the line was picked up, "Hello, yes, uhm... mom, so uh... ahaha... how do I... uhm... just listen, okay?" She took a deep breath, then started explaining what she could about her situation.

..........
.....
...

Moments later, Susan emerged from the living room, holding her phone then awkwardly handed it over to Nuru. Once the detective put it against his ear, "So... please tell us what's happening to our daughter, Detective." A man's voice sounded from the gadget's speaker. For someone as sharp and experienced as Nuru, he could sense that the man tried his best to sound calm to mask his worry and anxiety.

 

[Juneberry]

Nuru was stone cold as he took the phone. How was he supposed to explain that their daughter had a curse, but he didn't quite know what it was? And for that matter, would her parents even believe in such things as curses? His own parents had never believed in the things he saw- only Kaylie had been there for him and accepted the occult in the world as true. It wasn't strange that people didn't believe him, of course, and he knew that. But it was because he knew that, that this was a scary moment for him.

Luckily, Nuru wasn't just someone who saw curses. He'd cultivated himself as an investigator with Kaylie's help, and had helped the police with peculiar instances numerous times in his life. Because of that, he knew how to read people, at least a bit. And this man was a pure example of a man trying to hide he had emotions- no, he wasn't doing that. He was hiding his emotions for a reason. It was probably to protect someone, like the young lady's mother, who wasn't on the line audibly with him.

"I'm afraid your daughter has had a curse placed on her. Unfortunately, the effects of the curse appear to be internal, as I haven't physically seen her reaction to it. However, there was a moment on the way here to my office and abode... She appeared to be in deep thought, then immediately after showed signs of fear. Whatever the curse is, I believe she recognizes it and is far from at ease about it. I intend to find the culprit who cursed your child, and to figure out just what the curse does until I can eliminate it. But because of that, I'd like to ask you a favor... I'm going to put my elder sister on the line. Please tell her any and all potential enemies your daughter might have. We need to do a check on all of them, while we search for any other outliers that could explain what her curse is, and how to find the caster that did this to her. Her face of fear... I wish to eradicate it."