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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 5, 2010 19:53:33 GMT -5
"Mum says you're not allowed to use that word around me," Max called to his father from the kitchen in their apartment building, his curly dark hair sticking up much like his father's as he poured himself some cereal. It was a sunny Sunday morning in muggle London, and Curse Kameren had cursed so loudly that people on the street could hear through the Kameren's open apartment windows.
"Your mum uses those words as well, I promise you," Curse replied from behind the open bathroom door. He stepped out of the bathroom over towards the fridge. The two were both still in their pajamas, witch Curse topless with pajama bottoms. The many scars along his torso and arms showed brightly in the bright morning light. He opened the freezer, searching in the back for something. "Max--"
"What the bloody Hell happened to you?!" His son exclaimed, his high voice sounding funny with the language he used.
"Hey. Mum would be very disappointed," Curse replied, his green eyes not moving from the freezer.
"Well you say it too," Max replied, smirking smartly. "What happened to your head?"
"I'm your father. Do as I say, don't say what I say," Curse replied, ignoring Max's question, "Max, you know those green vials I tell you not to touch?"
"Dad, what happened to your head?" Max repeated, staring unblinkingly at Curse's head.
"Max. Vials. It's important. Have you seen any of them about? I ususally keep them in the medicine cabinet, or in here--"
"Dad--"
Thmp. Max's cereal bowl jumped slightly when Curse dropped his potions ingredients chest on the counter. He fished through it, his brow furrowed as he searched for what he needed. He cursed again. Nothing. "Looks like we're heading into the Wizarding World today, Max. Need some potions ingredients."
"Dad. The back of your hair is white. And half of your eyebrow!" Max's eyebrows disappeared into his own patch of dark hair, waiting for his father's reaction to this sudden news. "What happened?"
"I know Max. C'mon, finish your cereal. Then get dressed. Gotta go get it fixed." Max nodded, and Curse put the lock back on his potions box and replaced it under the sink.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
"Bloody Hell."
"You at least better not say that when your mum's around. She'll kill me," Curse replied, taking his son by the hand as they took Max's first steps into Wizarding London, on Diagon Alley. "C'mon, keep up, we've gotta find the potions store."
Max tagged along a few paces behind his father, weaving through the people as his round green eyes investigated everything around him. "Why is there a store just for brooms?" Max asked, chuckling at the ridiculousness.
"They're flying brooms, Max. Use them for sports here. Come on..." Curse put a hand on his son's shoulder to keep him in pace, but it wasn't long before Max fell behind again. His eyes wandered everywhere, except for where his father was headed.
"What's that place with the funny columns? Dad?" Max looked around; it was very crowded on Diagon Alley, but his father's tall, gaunt figure was nowhere to be found. Max frowned, perplexed, as he wandered past 'Mico's Maladies; Potions Specialty Store' without noticing the black-and-white-haired man he was searching for without even a glance.
"Dad?" He called again, louder and more forcefully. "Bloody Hell," He muttered again, right before running into someone's legs. He looked up at who he ran into. "Sorry..."
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Post by Alex Kameren on Sept 5, 2010 22:35:35 GMT -5
"Dad?" He called again, louder and more forcefully. "Bloody Hell," He muttered again, right before running into someone's legs. He looked up at who he ran into. "Sorry..."
Alecsander looked down, slightly surprised to see the figure of his young nephew. “Max.” He said, shuffling the disturbed papers in his hands back into their original shape. “What are you doing here? Where’s Curse?” The lad was obviously a wizard, what with the disappearing acts and the accidental wizardry, but he was looking around, sort of vibrating with excitement, as though he hadn’t seen the Alley before. Alex knew Curse had to be around here somewhere, he wouldn’t go and leave his kid in the middle of Diagon Alley. Especially with the current politics and dangers.
He placed a paper clip over the papers that seemed to meld them together into a block and shrunk them to the size of a business card, which he slipped in his pocket. “I was just about to visit him, I have some… potion stuff for him.” The older wizard used his height to advantage as he scanned the large crowd. There were many students looking to get their school supplies during the last-minute sales. He looked back down at Max.
“Max, has your dad been, acting strangely? Anything strange happen to him recently?”
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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 6, 2010 0:45:13 GMT -5
“Max.”
"Uncle Al!" Max's face lit up at the sight of a familiar face. What were the odds he would run into the only other wizard he knew? He was sure his uncle could help him find his father. He was an auror, after all. His dad told him aurors were like wizard detectives; it was their job to find people.
“What are you doing here? Where’s Curse?”
Max shrugged, his round green eyes blinking up at Alex. "Dad needed to pick something up. We came here, and now I can't find him! He told me to keep up and stay with him, but I wasn't listening and there are so many people..." Max trailed off, his eyes wandering around the Alley once more. "Have you seen him?" He rolled his eyes at his own question. "Of course not, you asked me..." He smiled excitedly as he watched his uncle do tricks with the paper in his hands. Magic was still new to Max, and everything he saw astounded him. No wonder he'd lost track of his dad here, on a street full of such wonders.
“I was just about to visit him, I have some… potion stuff for him.”
"He was just going through his potion stuff today," Max replied, still slightly distracted by the happenings around them, "his hair was white when he came out of the shower today. Like he washed the color away. I asked him how that happened, and he told me we were coming here."
“Max, has your dad been, acting strangely? Anything strange happen to him recently?”
Max arched a brow at his uncle in a very Kameren-like fashion. Have you met this guy? He asked Alex mentally. The only other men Max had to compare to were past boyfriends of his mother; and, compared to them, Curse Kameren was an alien. "Didn't you just hear me? His hair turned white. Overnight."
"Oh! and another thing," Max's round eyes widened even larger when he thought of his second answer. "The other day, he picked me up from grandma's really angry. He wouldn't tell me about what. He talked to Lucy for a long time when we got home. I can never tell what they're saying when they talk, it always sounds like whispers and shooshes. That night he was up late putting new locks on the doors and windows. Now he says we're moving." Max shrugged, his emerald eyes making their way back up to meet his uncle's. "That weird enough for you? Now help me find him!"
.. .. .. .. .. ..
"That'll be 14 sickles and 6 knuts, my friend..." Mico pushed a brown bag across the counter to Curse. Curse took the bag with quivering fingers and gave him the money. He needed to get home and make some more poison antidote. Fast. "What happened to your head? You lose a bet?"
"You're hilarious," Curse replied, running a hand through his mismatched hair as he weaved through the aisles looking for Max. "Hey, have you seen my son? This tall, dark hair, green eyes? Should've come in right after me."
"I ain' seen no kid, man," Mico replied, shaking his head, "ain' no kid came in wichoo, man."
Curse put his hand to his face. "You've got to be bloody kidding me. Not again..." Curse looked through the windows, looking for any trace of him outside. "You sure you didn't see anything? Not even on my way in?"
"I didn' see nothin'. You lose him?" Mico raised an eyebrow at the ex-auror, "Man, I got five kids. They wander off all the time, man. They come back when they hungry, it all works out fine."
"No offense Mico, but I'm not raising my kid like yours," Curse replied, checking the store one more time. He always wanders off... "Most parents get that trial period where they get to learn how to do this when their kid can't wander off, you know?"
His hand was on the doorknob when Mico spoke back to him: "Well man, if you hadn't been an absent father for so long--"
Curse's demeanor changed very suddenly. His hand slipped off the doorknob, turning to a fist. His emerald eyes flashed a threat at the shopkeeper, his features giving no nonsense. "If you ever say anything like that ever again..." Curse arched a brow at him, his face threatening Mico to say something else. Curse knew what an absent father was. Cedric was absent. Curse was not Cedric. He refused. He was not an absent father, he simply didn't know. Mico remained silent, and Curse slipped through the doorway.
"Max?" Curse called out, his tall frame giving him an advantage over the crowd. "Max!" He yelled; he could feel panic begin to take hold in the back of his mind. What if someone saw them here? Was watching them? Waiting for the opportunity when Max would wander away, and then...
"Have you seen my son?" Curse started asking random passersby, still looking up and down the Alley as he did. "He's about hip-height, with dark hair and big green eyes? Goes by Max."
ooc: hold off on finding Curse for a little bit Alex, I kind of want to give others the opportunity to join in on Curse's end if they want to.
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Post by Eoin Tynan on Sept 6, 2010 19:46:15 GMT -5
[[Hope you don't mind me popping in]]
"Eye of flinktoad...nightweed...hmm, what else?" Eoin ran a hand through his curly blonde hair as he perused the back of the store. Hopefully he wouldn't run into any of his colleagues in this...less than reputable store. But he knew the shopkeeper, and some of the ingredients he needed couldn't be purchased from a regular apothecary.
Spotting a glass bottle filled with glowing purple essence on the top of the cabinet, he stretched up on his toes to grab it. "Hagstooth venom." His chest twinged. He needed to take his midday dose soon. Pushing the ingredients into the leather bag slung over one shoulder, Eoin was about to make his purchases when he heard raised voices at the front of the store. Looking around the cabinet, he saw a familiar man snap something at the shopkeeper.
Blast, Kameren. He can't see me here, he'll ask questions. His pale eyes narrowed as he overheard the conversation.
When the other man left, Eoin hurried over to buy the ingredients, then slipped out into the crowd. He was about to turn the other way when his conscience pricked at him. The man was looking for his son, for Merlin's sake.
Sighing, the blonde Auror hurried after Kameren and reached him just as he turned around suddenly and bumped into Eoin.
"Have you seen my son? He's about hip-height, with dark hair and big green eyes? Goes by Max."
"Woah, sorry there Kameren, I heard you were looking for your kid-" Eoin stiffened as he realized that their collision had jolted the glowing purple bottle of venom from his bag and had rolled to a stop at Kameren's feet. Cursing inwardly, he bent over and reached for it.
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Post by Alex Kameren on Sept 6, 2010 22:49:52 GMT -5
"Uncle Al!"
Alex almost winced. “I don’t know what’s worse kid, calling me Uncle, or calling me Al.” His eyes scanned the crowd, for Curse as well as just generally keeping aware of his surroundings. The people shopping in the Alley today seemed to be fine, laughing and enjoying themselves as though nothing unusual had been happening. Ah well, the blindness of the crowd. “Call me Alex.” He instructed thee boy once again. “Uncle Alex, if you must.”
Max shrugged, his round green eyes blinking up at Alex. "Dad needed to pick something up. We came here, and now I can't find him! He told me…”
Max babbled on happily as Alex manoeuvred them through the crowd, glancing occasionally down at the young boy by his side.
"He was just going through his potion stuff today," Max replied, still slightly distracted by the happenings around them, "his hair was white when he came out of the shower today. Like he washed the color away. I asked him how that happened, and he told me we were coming here."
The older Kameren frowned, his face becoming more grave. “Hell’s teeth.” He growled, an expression he had recently picked up from Cain. Of course Curse would run out of the potion, and of course, it seemed he hadn’t been taking it regularly.
"Didn't you just hear me? His hair turned white. Overnight."
Alecsander returned the look, as if to say Sometimes he’s stranger than usual. He steered them around a gaggle of young witches, giggling over some author signing books. His mind was busy as Max continued on. Curse’s long conversation with Lucy and new security could only mean one thing; Karen had informed him of the Ministry’s newest demands. Damn.
"That weird enough for you? Now help me find him!"
Alex met Max’s eyes briefly. “We’ll look at the potions stores first, since he’s looking for potions ingredients. I wondered if you’d inherit my f-- your father’s ability. Apparently not.” His lips twisted in a sneer. Just another disappointment for you, Cedric.
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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 7, 2010 0:07:50 GMT -5
The first few pedestrians Curse accosted didn't even look him in the eye, just walked along on their way. "What in Merlin's name is wrong with these people? Blasted cities..." Curse muttered to himself, his emerald eyes still darting around the Alley for Max. He couldn't have gotten far, Curse was only in the store for a few minutes. He turned on his heel to continue his search--
--and ended up face to face with Eowin Tynan. "Oh, Tynan," Curse blurted in surprise, taking a step back to regain personal space. "Fancy seeing you here. Sorry, can't chat, I'm looking for--"
"Woah, sorry there Kameren, I heard you were looking for your kid-" Both men seemed to be flustered, stuttering and stammering to get their words out. Curse attributed it more to his shakiness from the White Death poison, less from his panic. He knew he would find his son. Max was most likely sitting, invisible, on a bench somewhere. Waiting for his dad to come find him.
"Yeah, you seen him? He's about this tall, with dark hair and green eyes. He's been cursing a lot lately, if that's any help..."
Plink.
Curse glanced down as a medium-sized glass bottle of glowing purple liquid bumped the toe of his shoe. Curse's eyes flashed in instant recognition, glancing up at Eowin curiously. Tynan tried to cover it up, picking up the bottle and quickly stowing it away, but Curse was a potions master. There was only one type of ingredient that glowed purple at that hue. "Hagstooth Venom? Interesting. Cures many common hexes, and when strengthened with..." Curse took in a breath through his nose, getting a smell off of Tynan of what he was carrying, "...oh, let's say nightweed or flinktoad, it can cure or lessen many lesser-known curses."
If there was anything Curse knew, it was potions. He arched a brow at the new Head Auror, not skeptically, but questioningly; what are you trying to do? he asked through his emerald green eyes. "Mico's has quite a selection, doesn't it?" Curse ran a shaky hand through his black-and-white patched hair, turning towards the Alley once more.
"The crazy kid never pays attention to where he's walking," Curse said, changing the subject as he green eyes shot around Diagon Alley once again. "He's probably pressed up against a bloody shop window somewhere." Curse took a few steps away from Mico's, his eyes still darting back and forth. "Max!" He called. Still no luck.
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
“I don’t know what’s worse kid, calling me Uncle, or calling me Al.”
Max smiled mischievously up at his uncle. "Dad lets me get ice cream at the corner store by the apartment if I call you Uncle Al," he said matter-of-factly, laughing slightly as he gave away Curse's secret. He followed behind Alex, keeping pace with his uncle as well as his short legs could carry him. As tall as he was for a 9-year-old, he still couldn't keep pace with the lanky height of the rest of the Kameren clan. "I try to follow him, but he just wanders off on his own all the time..."
“We’ll look at the potions stores first, since he’s looking for potions ingredients. I wondered if you’d inherit my f-- your father’s ability. Apparently not.”
Max nodded, his wide green eyes flashing upward towards the store signs. "What ability? Lucy might as well talk like a person sometimes... What about that one?" Max stopped, tugging on the back of Alex's shirt to get his attention. He pointed across the street, where some cobbled steps lead up into Diagon Alley Apothecary Supply. Max had no idea what 'apothecary supply' was, he only saw a sign that said 'potions' in the window. "Dad?!" He called, looking both ways down the Alley to strategize a way through the people.
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Post by Eoin Tynan on Sept 10, 2010 19:44:55 GMT -5
Eoin looked up slowly from stuffing the vial out of sight, his hand still inside the bag. As Curse listed the ingredients, Eoin maintained his calm expression, arching an eyebrow. But he knew he'd underestimated the man. Of course. He'd read his files, all of them, and had even hoped, the slimmest hope, of picking the man's brain for ideas on how to better handle the 'curse'...but he'd never given it more than a slim chance of thought. Yet this wasn't how he'd planned it to happen.
"Yes, great selection in there," he ventured carefully. "I guess that's one thing we have in common," pale blue eyes flicked to Curse's own bag, where Eoin had watched him place the ingredient he'd purchased. If Eoin flustered and came up with a lame excuse, Kameren would see right through it. "A...personal...interest in potions and curses."
Curse turned away, scouting the crowd again. Eoin took a few steps to catch up to him and grabbed his arm. "Hey, two sets of eyes are better than one. Let me help you find your kid. His name's Max? Does he look a lot like you?"
But through his casual grip on the man's upper arm, Eoin felt a tremor through his arm, and noticed the shaking fingers that Kameren seemed to not notice. Something was not right with the man. "Hey...are you all right?" Inwardly he realized it may not be best to ask in concern; Kameren's prickly attitude might cause him to snap. A sudden pain struck Eoin's chest, and caught unprepared, Eoin winced and bent forward for a brief second, then it was gone. I'm cutting it close, I need to get my dose...
"Come on, where did you last see him?" The blonde Head Auror shook off the wave of weakness radiating from his chest and waved his hand towards the many shops along the Alley.
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Post by Alex Kameren on Sept 10, 2010 19:58:08 GMT -5
Max smiled mischievously up at his uncle. "Dad lets me get ice cream at the corner store by the apartment if I call you Uncle Al," ‘
Alex raised an eyebrow, but didn’t look too surprised. “Call him Daddio. He secretly adores the name.” He said drily, stopping at a stand. He passed a bag and a paper box to Max. “Bertie’s Every Flavour Beans and a chocolate frog. Just be wary of gray ones, they usually don’t taste good.”
"What ability? Lucy might as well talk like a person sometimes... What about that one?"
“Parseltongue.” Alex explained, continuing down the street. “Your dad and Cedric, they both have the ability. Parseltongues can speak to snakes.” He turned as Max tugged on his shirt and pointed, scrutinizing the shop from his higher viewpoint. “I don’t see him.” He extracted his wand from his sleeve, holding it to his throat. How many times had Curse hollered through the halls of the ministry this way?
“Curse. Lose someone?”
"Dad?!"
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Post by Curse Kameren on Sept 12, 2010 22:14:18 GMT -5
"Yes, great selection in there," Curse's emerald eyes observed as Tynan attempted to tread lightly around him. It was amusing, watching people trying not to upset the 'mentally unstable' Kameren. "I guess that's one thing we have in common," Curse grinned crookedly, running a shaky hand through his black-and-white hair. "A...personal...interest in potions and curses."
"Ah yes, we all have our personal interests," Curse replied, playing his words as wisely as Tynan's, "I suppose I have the luxury of being more open about my interest. No political record to keep any longer..." Cure arched a brow, mentally analyzing the Head Auror before he turned away to look for his son once more."The crazy kid never pays attention to where he's walking, he's probably pressed up against a bloody shop window somewhere. It's his first time in Diagon Alley..."
"Hey, two sets of eyes are better than one. Let me help you find your kid. His name's Max? Does he look a lot like you?" Curse started slightly in alarm when the Head Auror placed a hand on his shaky arm, pulling away quickly. He was jumpy enough from the poison in his body, he didn't need to be made worse. "Hey...are you all right?"
Before Curse could come up with a good reply, Eowin bent forward with an expression of pain. "Hey," Curse laid his shaky fingers on Tynan's shoulder, helping him stand back up straight. He looked into the Head Auror's eyes, but past them: trying to see beyond the strong facade of the Head Auror. Curse had been there once. His brow furrowed as he stared, his face transmitting a non-verbal message: let me help you.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang through the crowd of people. “Curse. Lose someone?”
"Alex?" Curse arched a brow, looking over the crowd to find the face of his brother. "Max?"
"Dad?! DAD!" Curse heard the childish voice of his son and saw the crowd move for him as the youngest Kameren weaved through the busy Alley to the arms of his father. "There you are! Stop getting lost!" Max laughed, grinning as his father picked him up off the ground.
"I'll try," Curse chuckled, handing Max the bag to hold, "if I lose you one more time though, I swear I'm getting one of those kiddie-leashes..." The ex-auror's eyes met his brother's as he nodded in greeting. "Thanks Alex. And Tynan," Curse also nodded at the Head Auror, who he now saw in a new light. Eowin Tynan was relatable.
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Post by Eoin Tynan on Oct 17, 2010 1:19:01 GMT -5
It was ironic, to say the least. While Eoin was trying to help Kameren find his son, and discovered in the process that the other man was suffering from some kind of...infection? Poison maybe? But lingering at his fingertips from where he had touched Curse's arm, he felt the wrongness of it, not dissimilar to the feeling he got from his own...curse. What were the chances that two men suffering from magical maladies would run into each other?
But as he straightened up from the tingling pain, Curse returned the favor by helping him with a strong touch on the shoulder. Only brief, but the gesture caught Eoin by surprise. Even more unexpected was the look that the other man gave him, full of meaning, and he got the feeling that Curse was indeed relatable. Well, the coincidence gods were smiling today.
Shaking off the feeling of weakness, Eoin turned and scanned the crowd. He was only looking a couple of minutes when a boy sped towards them, propelled by his call of "Dad! Dad!".
Eoin stood to the side as father and son were reunited, and he smiled, his eyes brightening as the scarred man swung his boy around, a smile on his face like a forgotten memory. The seriousness of their situation was eased by the boy's glowing energy, infectious to say the least. The blonde man stepped forward and held out a hand to the boy.
"Eoin Tynan, pleased to meet you. Your father was worried sick though, be careful, or you'll keep giving him more white hair!" He winked to show he was joking.
At Curse's thanks, the Head Auror turned and focused his pale blue eyes on the man, nodding in acceptance of his gratitude. For a brief moment he was tempted to ask him about potions. But fate had other plans.
A jab of pain pierced his heart, and when Eoin winced, a nearby jar of pickled kapple brains shattered suddenly.
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Post by Alex Kameren on Oct 18, 2010 8:52:19 GMT -5
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang through the crowd of people. “Curse. Lose someone?”
"Alex?" Curse arched a brow, looking over the crowd to find the face of his brother. "Max?"
"Dad?! DAD!" […] "There you are! Stop getting lost!"
Alex followed in Max’s path, slipping through the openings in the crowd before they closed. He smiled, seeing Curse and Max interact. Having a kid was obviously just what Curse needed—except when Max went and got lost.
"I'll try," Curse chuckled, handing Max the bag to hold, "if I lose you one more time though, I swear I'm getting one of those kiddie-leashes..." The ex-auror's eyes met his brother's as he nodded in greeting. "Thanks Alex. And Tynan."
“Not a bad idea.” Alex drawled, his attention now drawn to the blonde man as his name was mentioned. “Head auror.” He acknowledged, giving a short nod. He turned back to Curse, "Well, I can see what brought you here to the alley." He raised a brow at the white hair and fatigue on Curse's face.
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