STRIKE IT UP ♦ job ♦ LIKE A MATCH

The library of Black Rose was immense, and a favorite spot for the Ace of Stigma to spend time. One could hardly call her book smart, as she was not the bookworm type in the least. Street smart was a better label for the young wizard, as she preferred experiences and action to simple thoughts, research, or daydreams. However, ever since she was younger, Izayuki had developed a love and interest in maps and geography books. The colors and detail on maps could be so elaborate and fascinating, or abstract and plain. Either way, they were all readable, and she could explore the layout of any setting without actually flying or going there. But of course, in the end, one day, she would venture to the places she found on paper and in pictures... just allowing dreams to be dreams was not Iza's thing. She wanted reality.

Resting on her front with her head and chin on the tops of her hands, Izayuki gazed passionately at a single book in front of her, despite the giant pile of maps and books all around her. Quite a mess she had made, and she planned to not pick it up- Sophie was there for a reason, after all, to clean up after her, Kakuma, or just about any and all of the quirky personalities of Black Rose. But what the guild ace was reading right then was not a book that had to do with the shape and layout of the world, Earthland, but a rather interesting dictionary.

The entry to be read was quite interesting- something to be thought about for a long while.
"Dishleprophoia - Fear of being trapped inside a dishwasher."
She could almost barely pronounce the word as she mouthed it to herself, but it was still fun to at least attempt. She was about to turn the page and search for even more interesting words, when she felt a suddenly weight land on her head. Soft, fluffy, with a distinct scent she recognized. Gazing upward, she noticed the white, feline-like face and bright cyan eyes staring at her, though upside down. "Hiya, Seika. Whatcha need?"

The shiny Mew-like creature did not respond at first, but dropped a small paper down on the book Izayuki was reading. A job flier! Seika seldom picked jobs, unless one truly piqued her interest, or she was bored enough. This one was quite riveting, as it was located not in Earthland, but on another world altogether- Tetsukazu. How intriguing... she had never read any books on that place before. Then again, such a subject had never really captured her notice. "Well, are we goin' or not?" the tiny ambiguous yokai asked, tilting her head and allowing an impatient expression to come into her bright eyes.

Giving an amused sigh, Izayuki began to stand up, taking Seika off of her head and holding her gently and securely in her arms, while still holding onto the job paper. "Animals in trouble, hm? Sure, why not? This could be fun..."

"Is that all you ever think about? Fun?"

"Naturally~"

Letting out a helpless exhale, Seika flew up out of the pink-haired mage's arms and up to an open window in the library. Perching on the windowsill, she gazed down at Izayuki, who instantly shapeshifted into her favorite form for travel- a pink-feathered bluejay. The avian eagerly fluttered up to join her comrade, who then shifted into cape glossy starling. The two quickly flew off- having a general idea of where the Wakusei Portals were. However, still able to tap into her bakedanuki and slayer senses, Izayuki recognized a familiar scent and presence... could it be..?

Job Info:

That voice could not be dismissed by keen ears- it was so familiar, and Izayuki could envision the face almost instantly. Somehow grinning in her pink jay form, she began to flutter on faster towards the group of portals at Wakusei while the cape glossy starling, her comrade, chirped after her. "Iza! What's the hurry?" she asked, cyan eyes glinting unhappily as the other yokai continued to speed up. Why rush? Flying could be so tiring as it was, and it took a lot of getting used to. The hybrid yokai typically could fly without needing wings, but when wings were applied, say, in the shape of a bird, it became a tedious workout.

"It's Venir!" the pink jay chirped back before launching a stream of consecutive, joyous cheeps. As she spied out the different portals, the hot aura of the magic of her Flame Goddess Slayer friend could be felt, and quickly led the duo of birds to Izayuki's friend. The bright blonde hair stuck out quite well, making it easier for the two yokai to find their teammate. Slyly flying forward, the pink-feathered jay attempted to land on Ven's head, a casual and simple act, but a surprising one nonetheless. Back when she had first landed on Elyx's head as such, in response to his request to see and duel her at Rose Garden so many months ago, before she really knew him, he had freaked out. Or no, wait, it was not him that had freaked out, but the other former bird, Ignite. The phoenix had thought Izayuki was trying to kill him, and thus launched a fireball at the two which she had easily dodged, while Elyx had not been so lucky. He received a facefull of dirt that day upon falling, followed by a defeat when faced with her!
Well, sort of. It was a tie, but seeing as he had summoned help in order to beat her, Izayuki refused to accept any idea that he was on par with her. In the end, she always was the winner!

Those memories aside, Izayuki chirped cheerfully at the blonde. "Heya Ven! Guess who~" she said, aiming for a guessing game, and hoping her teammate would notice her voice and the feather color that usually matched her hair and eyes when she was in human form. Seika, who perched nearby, could only facepalm with her wing at the other yokai's silliness... tanukis. Ugh.

Even despite being right on top of her head, Venir was unable to find Izayuki that easily. She said her name once, in the manner of a question, as if confused. Her teammate began to stand up, and upon doing so, brought her fingers to the top of her head to scratch it. Instead of her fingertips meeting silky locks of golden, curly hair, however, they touched soft, fluffy, pink feathers. After that, they quickly wrapped around the avian’s body, making her give a loud, alarmed squawk in surprise. Attempting to flap abrasively to get Venir’s hand off of her, Izayuki quickly reverted back to tanuki form and made herself comfortable on her guildmate’s head. She brought her paws up close and tucked them under her, and stuck her tail straight out behind her, simply because she could. With a smirk and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, the Bakedanuki continued. “Me? Permission? You must be joking~” she dared, comfortably arranging herself further until she was satisfied with her positioning. Venir had thick, fluffy hair, which made her head more comfortable to sit on than others. Still, by the time Izayuki was done perching, the older girl’s hair would possibly be a matter wreck. Nevertheless, did Iza actually care? No.

“Iza, the job?” Seika prompted, shifting from her cape glossy starling form and returning to a human form- cyan hair, cyan eyes, and the body of an older teenager, slightly younger than the Bakedanuki. She wore basic skinny jeans, tucked into fashionable boots, and a stylish green cargo jacket and light pink shirt; casual clothing. Pulling out a copy of the job flier from her faded green jacket pocket, Seika held it closely, deciding to introduce herself before filling Venir in on the details. Apparently this woman was their guildmate and Izayuki’s teammate? Seeing as she was already here, hopefully she would be apt to helping them. “Sorry about Iza… I don’t think we have met. I’m Seika,” the cyan-haired girl said with a sigh, using polite words and holding a fair demeanor, while at the same time desperate to get annoying pleasantries over with. She found herself apologizing for Izayuki a lot… in fact, many people found themselves apologizing for the tanuki yokai. She never did learn, did she?

“We really need to get going, unless you want to join us,” Seika went on to explain, handing Venir the job paper. “In Tetsukazu, there have been reports of animal smugglers. We’re heading in to settle that case. Ya up for it?”
It was quite odd that the ambiguous yokai was so intent on this job. Even Izayuki had picked up on her over-eagerness. It was rare for the tsundere Seika, but for the most part, it was a good sign to see that she actually did care about something other than herself, so the tanuki was more than happy to help her, and the more the merrier! “C’mon Vennie! It’ll be fun~!” the Bakedanuki prompted, still resting comfortably on her golden perch.