From the reaches above, to the depths below.

Why was she in Magnolia again? Well, simply put, there was nothing better to do. She would avoid Rose Garden, as her presence could likely piss off authorities, like last time with her little 'harmless' prank. The merchants would be quick to remember her, and likely would be happy to get a few authorities on her tail. That was the last thing she needed- she did nothing wrong in the sense of breaking the law. Still, she had been labeled a troublemaker, and was not on most people's whitelist. Not that she minded the reputation. She would grace them with her presence at another time, just for the sake of seeing some good reactions, and then poof away at the last minute.

But right now, Magnolia was what mattered. Almost. She had gotten into an argument earlier with her little hybrid itachi-bakeneko yokai pet, and currently, the shiny mew-like levitating creature was out for her blood, most likely. Thus, Izayuki had decided to engage in a game of tag of sorts with her 'companion'. She was attempted to avoid the other yokai, who had senses almost as keen as her own. Being stronger, Izayuki managed to keep ahead, leaping from roof to roof on agile feet. "Found you, little shit!" Seika's tsun voice rang out as she fired a number of fireballs towards the Bakedanuki in human's disguise. Lashing a long, fluffy, silver-furred tanuki tail in surprise, Izayuki quickly attempted to dodge the fireballs. Seika's ability was mimicry, and she could continue to use someone else's element for up to a short time, even if they were out of range. Had she been using light magic or something to hide?

Giving a sigh, Izayuki took a flying leap towards the roof of the next building. It was a cafe of sorts, but upon feeling her feet hit the top, she realized too late how insecure the structure was. With a loud yelp, the pink-haired girl with tanuki features felt herself suddenly ungracefully falling, and before she knew it, she had landed in an amazing mess of dishes that had just been delivered on a table. Really, what kind of monster family had this many people that needed food? Groaning because of her fall and because of the food she was suddenly covered in, Izayuki blinked to see just one person sitting at the booth. White hair, muscular build- she did not recognize him at all. However, surely he had not planned on eating all these dishes? There was only one person she knew who had such a ravenous appetite, and that was Wolfe... and he was gone.

Floating down using her basic ability to fly to maneuver, Seika attempted to land on the unknown man's head as she glared daggers at Izayuki. "Now look at what you've done," she growled, flicking her abnormally long tail disapprovingly.

Izayuki was about to protest when she heard Seika's taunting voice and noticed him sitting on the stranger's head. This was not completely her fault! It was the small, white yokai who had been chasing her! What was their argument about, anyway? She had a feeling that it was something along the lines of being incompetent with guild ace paperwork, or some other duties, but she failed to really pay much attention to whatever the reason or topic was. The man suddenly gave her his hand and helped her out of the mess she had caused by falling on the table.

The last thing the Bakedanuki expected, however, was for the white-haired man to put some jewels in her hand and offer to let her use his money to buy clean clothes. Yes, she was a wreck right now, but frankly, she did not mind being dirty, even though she preferred clean. The genuine gesture was almost weird, being so rare. "Er, uhm, okay..." she murmured, not quite sure what else to say. This completely caught her off guard, and anyone knew that when Izayuki was not on her guard, she was quite different from her usual self. "Thanks~" she continued, leaving the cafe with an awkward smile.

Seika, on the other hand, squirmed as she was moved to the table and sat upright, so she could use her forelegs and paws almost as arms. Crossing them, the tiny, alabaster-furred yokai scoffed at his words and at the food. "Hell no. What do I look like to you, an average animal?" she asked in an insulted tone, lashing her tail in frustration. "Don't treat a Youkai like any normal creature, human," Seika continued with disdain, moving to the edge of the table and turning her back on the man, still quite cross. She would move to her human form, but why waste the energy to show him just what she could do after how she had been treated, both by her 'companion' earlier and now this man? Who did he think he was? Jeez.

Outside the cafe, Izayuki made her way to the store across the street, and though heads were turning and expressions were appalled at the mess she was wearing, she barely took any notice. Using the jewels given to her, the Black Rose mage purchased a black shirt with loose, long sleeves, similar to her sullied one, and some loose khaki capri pants. It was a very casual style, but Izayuki preferred comfortable clothes over ones that simply looked stylish or fancy. Using her claws to clean out and groom her hair, and a bit of fresh-generated snow to wash out some of the food, she made her way back to the cafe. "I'm back~!" she announced in her familiar, chipper manner. "Thanks for your help. I'm Izayuki Hyoujin, an Ace of Black Rose. I promise I'll pay you back! What's your name~?" she went on, introducing herself, taking pride in the seemingly overrated rank she had randomly been given within her guild, and then moving on to inquire as to who the man was. She did not have her jewels with her, or at least not many, seeing as she used 'other' tactics to get what she wanted, that most people typically frowned upon. Nevertheless, she could simply swipe some jewels from Elyx to pay the man back with, or borrow some from the guild, which was wealthy enough.

Seika sniffed again with disdain. Now he was comparing her to a lightning elemental? This guy failed to stop the train of insults. He suddenly mentioned he was a friend of Izayuki... well, that explained everything. Whoever saw that Bakedanuki as a friend had to have a few issues in the head, surely. The small yokai honestly failed to understand. Crossing her tiny, alabaster-furred forelegs as if they were arms and lashing her tail, Seika replied with contempt. "So you're friends with that bitc-?"
The small yokai had been cut off as Izayuki walked back into the cafe, approaching the tall man, thanking him, introducing herself, and saying she would pay him back. Seika looked over her shoulder to glare at the Bakedanuki with harsh, cyan eyes.

Izayuki took no notice of her Youkai companion's acerbity. The pink-haired girl could not have prepared for what his reply was... he knew her? From where, and how? His explanation made it obvious. Elyx's old teammate, her old guildmate and friend... well, the answer was obvious. Who else could eat like a monster? The amount of dishes had made her think of only one person, and now the man before her had pretty much confirmed his identity. Overcome by her surprise and happiness in recognizing her old friend again, who had mysteriously vanished one day, the pink-haired yokai quickly reverted to her silver-furred tanuki form while aiming to leap at him. The idea was originally for a hug, in her semi-human form. But no, emotions had a funny way of effecting her, to the point where maintaining a solid shapeshifted form was impossible. So there she was, a small, fluffy, canine attempting to leap at the towering man. Hopefully, he would have the sense to catch her. "Wolfe~!"

It then dawned on the yokai that he had never known she was a tanuki. Back then, she had kept her real identity hidden from her guildmates. Only her little sister, Azalea, knew, and Elyx had discovered it on accident. It had been dramatically revealed, however, when she had tried to attack a new guildmate when mistaking her for that evil goddess who had trained her to use her slayer magic: Yukionna. Suzuran had been affiliated with the glacial goddess, but during that time of panic, fear, and anger, Izayuki had lost her human form. Later on, a number of people helped her get over her insecurity of being a yokai among humans, namely Daemon, Kakuma, and even Seika. "I've missed you so much," she murmured in her chipper manner, only beginning to realize that she had transformed to her true form.

Seika facepalmed with a paw as she watched Izayuki's sudden reaction, which would have certain people in the cafe watching in utter confusion. A girl who could turn into a tanuki... always something one could see everyday, right? The idea of a free meal sounded good to Izayuki, and she was not one to deny such a gift with modesty. "Could we get red velvet cake?" she asked, pink eyes lighting up. In the past, Jin had introduced her to the amazing baked good with white chocolate icing, only days after she had joined the guild. Since then, it had become her favorite food, right there alongside frozen toaster waffles. Mmm.

Only then was Izayuki beginning to realize that Wolfe had been around before anyone in Black Rose had known that she was a tanuki, and a yokai at that. She was happy to be held by him in his massive arms, and later placed atop his right shoulder to ride. Ah yes, she did not always have to waste energy to walk or fly in this form, huzzah!

He then turned to Seika, who was still sitting atop a table with her tiny forearms crossed and long tail flicking back and forth, and offered for her to come along and get a treat. The offer did indeed seem appealing to the small yokai, but she would never dare to admit such a thing in words or expression. Thus, the alabaster-furred creature gave a short “hmpf”, and levitated over to the tall man, but not before swatting Izayuki’s silver-furred head lightly with her long, thin tail. Seika then attempted to land on the man’s head, almost as if she was proving a point, and to remain on higher ground than the idiot tanuki on his shoulder, directly below her.

The silver tanuki only gave a small sniff as she was swatted over the head, and began to ignore Seika from there. She could get her revenge later, provided the other yokai was still angry. Her companion’s moods were quite unpredictable and random, but she at least rarely stayed too angry for long. Indeed, what had she done to piss her off so? In all honesty, she failed to remember.
”Elyx has been doing well,” Izayuki began in a chipper manner, happy to talk about the mage she loved so dearly. "He is already stronger than anyone in the guild, and is a Wizard Saint! You should drop by to talk to him again. He'd love that~"

She could go on all day about Elyx. Despite seeming so proud and arrogant around him, and competitive, at that, the bigger part of her was indeed very proud of him for his accomplishments and effort. Unfortunately, she was almost similar to Seika, in the regards that she would likely not say it out loud anytime soon… maybe.
”Ah, yeah… this form...” she began, flicking her fluffy tail back and forth, eager to continue. ”Believe it or not, this is my true form. I’ve always been a Bakedanuki, or Tanuki Yokai,” Izayuki explained with a grin, before flattening her ears by pulling them back before continuing. She did have a bit of insecurity left about her real identity, and though her words failed to lie, her appearance did. ”I didn’t tell anyone at first. I was worried about…. Well, everything.”

It was not easy for a non-human in human society. There was so much discrimination, untrust, hate, and rejection. And above all, that was what the young yokai actually feared- rejection. Why was she being this open with Wolfe? Well, it was simple. Her instincts told her she could trust him, and instinct ruled in the end for a nonhuman like her. ”The circumstances of me showing my true form to the guild were not the best. But at least things are alright now, and I can be myself,” she went on, attempting to keep things in a positive light. If there was anything Izayuki was good at, it was hiding her insecurity by building a wall of optimism. And in most cases, it seemed to work. As for her coming out to her guild as a tanuki- it had been when she attacked Suzuran, a new guildmate, seeing the girl as being Yukionna instead of just a casual joiner. At least her instincts had not been wrong- Suzuran had been a clone of the evil ice goddess, and out for Izayuki at that. The results of finding that out had not been pretty, and the entire mess had ended in her killing and eating the ice elemental, getting their guildmaster involved, getting kidnapped by Yukionna herself, and later only getting out by rather harsh means. For her, that was being tricked into exchanging her soul to a Daemon for power, and unwanted power at that. Life certainly could suck at times, for sure. At the very least, she was managing to cope… kind of… maybe… or, so she hoped.

The special cafe came into view as Wolfe strode closer. The trio went through the doors, and Izayuki hopped off of his shoulder and shapeshifted back into a human form, yet decided to keep her tail and ears. It was more comfortable to do so, and kept her senses and strength heightened. Seika levitated off of the man’s head and floated near Izayuki, but dared not land on her or touch her, still quite cross from their previous argument. Wolfe held open the door for Izayuki, and she eagerly made her way in, relishing the feel of the sudden gust of air conditioning from the interior, a stark contrast to the summer heat outside in the blazing sun.

Entering in behind Izayuki, Seika instantly shapeshifted into her own human form- cyan hair, cyan eyes, and the body of an older teenager, slightly younger than the Bakedanuki. She refused to have her ears or tail currently, and wanted to appear normal, and separate from the pink-haired yokai. She wore basic skinny jeans, tucked into fashionable boots, and a stylish green cargo jacket and light pink shirt. Putting her hands in the pockets of her pants, Seika followed behind Izayuki, but not too close. If anything, she tried to distance herself from Iza and Wolfe, and avoid appearing as if she were in their party, while at the same time not being too far away to not get the treat she was entitled to, as the man had promised.

Izayuki eagerly pointed to the biggest piece of red velvet cake she could see, and was quite specific with the person behind the counter on what she wanted. The treat was perfect, nice and cold, and coated in white chocolate icing, just like she was used to. It was what Jin had first offered her upon joining Black Rose and their old team, Kvasir, after all. The only thing that the yokai loved as much as red velvet cake was waffles, and frozen ones, at that. They were not necessarily sweet, but the texture and the cold and ice made it perfect for the Glacier God Slayer. Seika simply ordered a slice of chocolate cake, not having many specific favorites of anything just yet. Nevertheless, dessert was enjoyable, so she was not about to miss out. Besides, both of the people with her owed her for the trouble, right?

Sitting down and digging into her cake, Izayuki spoke in between bites, a wild smile on her face. “I can say the same about you, but now it’s your turn to tell me what’s gone on. So c’mon, spill~” she said happily, with a bit of her familiar sass in her tone. Her silver-furred tail was flicking to and fro happily as she enjoyed both her treat and the company of her friend.

Izayuki listened in quietly to Wolfe’s story, quite intrigued by what he had to say. She slowly ate her red velvet cake, instead of wolfing it down as she typically did. Seika herself barely took interest in the story at first, focusing herself on finessing her tableware usage. After all, most yokai were not accustomed to using silverware. Back then, she rarely had reason to use it, but that recently changed. Izayuki, on the other hand, had been forced to learn proper table manners back in her village, with Yukionna, and even more so with Felicia and Azalea. Quickly, however, Wolfe's tail became increasingly more interesting. So he had gone off to join Infinity Hydra? The name definitely rang a bell, as it was one of the newer legal guilds, up until Black Rose switched their alignment to affiliate with the Magic Council in one of their official leagues. She had to admit, however, that she had yet to meet one of the unique dark-mage-hunting guilds' members.

If she thought she had been the only one to go through a hell of an ordeal, she was quite wrong. And now, Wolfe was forced to have a trace of someone he disliked remain within him. Well, at least she had a fair idea of how such a thing felt. She was forced to live with at least seven or eight irritating and unwelcome souls inside of her mind, some of who she had yet to meet. Still, was one not overkill enough? She would withhold those details from most people, but at least thought about it. Hopefully, however, Wolfe's father was the quiet sort who had no consciousness left. Izayuki was about to respond, when Seika interrupted her thoughts and interjected with her own unrefined and bold comment. "That's rough, buddy," she crudely stated, taking her last bite of chocolate cake as she stared at the tall man, almost expressionless. Instantly, she felt a heavy blow to the back of her head as she realized Izayuki had thwacked her. The Bakedanuki said nothing, but held the other yokai in a solemn pink glare before she turned her attention to Wolfe, expression softening. "Sorry about that," she said with a sigh, amazed to find herself apologizing for Seika. Was this how Elyx felt whenever he wound up apologzing for her? Sheesh. She at least had some food for thought to save for later.

"And I'm sorry to hear about your unfortunate events," Izayuki said sympathetically, finishing her cake and placing her elbows on the table, folding her hands, and bringing her face to gently rest atop her fingers. "At the very least, I guess I can congratulate you for becoming an Ace of your guild. Infinity Hydra sounds like a lovely place~"