Illusions and Truth

A simple assignment was all that the youthful Bakedanuki needed in order to get back into the swing of things. Ever since her previous accident, she had been unwilling to take on tough jobs or tasks. The Onmyoji had scared the Guildmaster off, yes, but not for too long. She would take baby steps, and soon enough, would be out risking the dangerous tasks once again. In a way, was this one not already risky enough?

Two males were wanted, though Izayuki had an easy fix to that. They need not know what she really was, so long as the requirements of the task were met, after all. That was how the world of sorcerers worked. In order to get what you wanted, one needed at least a few tricks up their sleeves. It was an easy feat for a yokai, who was a part of the wizard world, whether the humans liked it or not. Heck, she even held the title of first Wizard Saint, sometimes better known as the top God of Ishval in the country of Fiore.

She could wave her title around in order to take the job and get the reward. However, why not use simpler means, which was often far easier, and kinder. The silver-furred eastern raccoon dog raced through the streets of Rose Garden, underfoot. She was comfortable in her true form, and was conserving her energy for the transformation she was about to make. Eventually, the tanuki reached the fancy manor of her client, and activated her shapeshifting, while not caring who was around to see. She took on the form of a young man, roughly of her own age or slightly older, with ginger hair and bright green eyes. Job form in a pocket, Izayuki knocked on the door shortly after it had already been closed.

The butler opened it once more, accepted the job paper, and left her with one other fellow, who apparently had chosen not to sit. Decided that she wanted to rest her legs after the scurry there, Izayuki slumped down into a seat rather ungracefully, still getting used to the masculine body. “Hiya~” he said, giving a friendly gesture of greeting to the other man in the room, while still getting used to the deeper voice. It was going to take some time for her to get used to this~

Being in the form of a man was becoming increasingly stranger and stranger. Izayuki began to have her doubts, though was certain that she could hold the transformation for as long as she needed, in order to complete the job. The other man in the room acknowledge her words with a nod, which was enough for her. Still, why so mysterious?

The Bakedanuki’s attention was diverted as she picked up the scent of another human nearby, a female. Green eyes peered towards an entrance into the sitting area, where a young lady wearing a bright blue dress, formal dress stood. What was this again… a dance, or a simple date? Izayuki had not bothered to do her research on the job, nor think twice on it. Things would play out, and the primary goal was to get the girls to be nicer young ladies. Did anything else matter? The manner of executing the task was hers to choose in the end.

Still, for now she could play around as only a youthful yokai could. Standing, the red-haired man bowed politely and formally, a perky grin on his face. “Why hello there, miss~” he greeted amiably. She approached, going out to meet her date, almost against her will, while her sister supposedly followed. Recalling a certain gesture, Izayuki reached out his hand, supposedly for a handshake. The girl at least had enough sense to take it, only to be met by the hand being guided up to meet the red-haired man’s lips in a formal fashion. “Lovely to meet you, m’lady,” he said with a warm smile and a flirtatious wink. “What might your name be?”

The blonde girl watched on, dumbfounded at the rather old fashioned actions of the ginger man. Her face flushed red with mild embarrassment at the gesture, which further agitated her. Pulling away, the girl responded abruptly. “Elizabeth,” she muttered unhappily, not daring to meet his green eyes with her own brilliant blue orbs. “I demand to know the name of my ‘date’ for the night,” she continued, her tone snarky and unfriendly. In response, Izayuki only dared to put up a finger to her lips, silencing her. “Now now, why ruin the fun? At the very least, you could say please, my dear~”

She seemed ready to protest, though was taken by surprise yet again as Izayuki lifted up his arm for her to take. “We mustn’t be late, you know. Shall we go~?” the Bakedanuki asked in a silky voice, still getting used to the deeper, masculine tone. However, the girl in the blue dress refused to take the extended arm, and simply walked alongside him begrudgingly, quickly taking the lead. In response, the guildmaster simply chuckled, and followed her out. In a magic carriage, they would arrive to a massive venue and beautiful ballroom, already quite full with fabulously-dressed couples.