A New Sabertooth Cub [Sabertooth Members Only]

Taehyung squinted as beams of sunlight shot through the window and hit him in the eyes. It was relatively late in the morning and he had only gone to bed a little after three in the morning. He didn't exactly have a lot of sleep. Reaching up, the young man began to rub his eyes from the sleep, groaning lightly as he rose up into a seated position, struggling as if his body weighed a couple thousand tons. He let out a yawn, remembering at the last minute to cover his mouth with his free hand while he continued to rub his eyes with the other. "Where am I?" He asked himself as he looked around the room, lowering his arms and taking in his surroundings. It took him a moment but Tae eventually realized that he was in his new bedroom. He became an official member of the Sabertooth Guild just yesterday afternoon and was immediately shown his quarters but never had the chance to settle in yet.

Tae swung his legs out from the side of the bed, pulling off the sheet and climbing into a standing position, placing both hands on his head to pat down any loose hairs standing on end. "Is it really necessary for you to get up now?" A familiar voice asked inside Tae's mind. "Is it really necessary for you to make your presence known every single morning?" Tae responded with slight disgust in his voice. The voice didn't respond at first, a silence filled the room before a single sentence was uttered. "Your naked." With those words alone, Tae looked down to see himself in only skin and went red in the face, shooting his arms down to cover his frontal exposure of embarrassment. There was no one else within the room but the bedroom didn't exactly feel like it was his yet, he wasn't comfortable with the room yet.

He looked around the room frantically for a moment before finding the set of blue denim jeans he had worn the previous day, quickly slipping his legs inside and doing the zip and button up. "You are so pathetic..." The voice uttered, clearly annoyed by the boy's behavior. "I understand that you are a Demon. I understand that you are an asshole. I even understand that you hate me, the feeling is mutual. But for once..." Tae let out a heavy sigh before continuing. "Could you please be civil, I am very rarely ever rude to you so since we are stuck with each other, we might as well be nice on some level to each other." The Demon didn't respond, another silence filled the room. "Adramelech?" Tae called. "Hmm? I wasn't listening." Tae let out another heavy sigh, his body slouching in defeat.

After a few more moments taking the rest of the room in, Taehyung grabbed a black singlet out of his bag that he hadn't unpacked yet and threw it on before exiting the room barefoot and into the hallway. It took him all of three seconds to realize that he was lost. "Now where?" He asked himself, smelling food in the distance. "To where the food is of course... Wow you really are all kinds of stupid aren't you?" Lech asked, distaste in his voice as he spoke, a slight snarl at the end. Unsure as to which way to go, Tae took the left of the hall in hopes that it would lead him to breakfast, or late brunch.

Even though many things had happened and the former guild hall of Sabertooth had been replaced after events had forced a renovation (did it count as renovation when a set of old gods broke free from their prison realms and destroyed the place so you had to make a new guild?) a lot of things had quickly returned to being relatively the same. A new guild hall had been build and Sabertooth had quickly rebuilt its strength, even if the guild as a whole had decided to take a new approach to what the guild should prioritize. Before the guild had been one of virtues and valour, of true heroes and defenders of the people. Whereas other guilds, even the legal guilds, could focus on accumulating magical knowledge or just functioning as a way to make it easier for mages to get themselves jobs to pay the bills, Sabertooth had tried to make themselves a beacon of heroism and altruism that would support and protect the people of Fiore.

It looked like being attacked by elder gods had made the mortals realize that maybe another type of protector was needed. There were plenty of threats from Earthland itself, but there were already plenty of people keeping an eye out for threats which came from the same reality. Maybe what Fiore really needed was a guild which kept an eye on activities from beyond this world, and which made sure that nothing like the elder gods would interfere with Earthland again. In a way it still meant it was a guild for people who were willing to selflessly work themselves to the bone for the good of the people, but on the other hand the virtues had been made less relevant as the focus was now really on just making sure the people were safe.

For Itori it didn't matter too much. She'd do her part when asked and when necessary, but she'd always seen herself as bit of an onlooker, someone who could partake but who wasn't really... She'd always be the one who stayed with the group for a while and helped out, but eventually she'd either leave the group or the group would fall apart and she'd continue on her own. However so far sticking with Sabertooth had been pretty good for her. The mages here were pretty nice since they took pride in being the good guys, and beyond that they seemed to have a preference for big and impressive guild halls... and very big kitchens. Of course that last part might also been influenced by Itori herself, since she hadn't ever tried to make a secret of her love for both cooking and eating, and the humans of Sabertooth were very accommodating.

And so, just like most days, Itori could be found in the kitchen, preparing many, many dishes even though she was also planning to eat almost all of them herself. Her appetite was legendary and surpassed logic, but Sabertooth allowed her to eat as much as she wanted as long as she could procure the money necessary to pay for the ingredients. Itori wasn't one of the most noteworthy of the mages in Sabertooth, she didn't really have rumours of the legendary things she might have done in the name of the guild. Instead she just did a lot of small jobs to accumulate wealth in a much more mundane manner, and then blew pretty much blew almost all of it on food. She didn't really need much else, and food was her guilty pleasure (although she didn't really feel guilty about it).

The smell from the meals she had already finished preparing would be drifting through the hallways, attracting the attention of anyone hungry and in need of nourishment as Itori herself moved about through the kitchen working on yet more recipes. Her three white tails and her fox ears were on full display, seeing no need to hide her nature inside the guild. By now her nature as a Kitsune was pretty well known in the guild, so why bother hiding it? She'd done so in the past, but this was a more civilized age, and she was amongst good people.

Of course while most of Sabertooth was already used to her a newcomer might still surprised by her, but on the other hand Itori was also going to be surprised by what her ears and nose were picking up on. She actually came to a halt as her ears twitched and she frowned, sniffing the air as her frown deepened. There weren't a lot of things which had a smell which worried her this much, and she hadn't expected a smell like this to appear inside Sabertooth. It was the smell of something which was harmful not only to the body but to the soul as well, and as a spirit fox Itori wasn't fond of things which were also harmful to souls. The sanctity of the soul was not something a spirit fox took likely, so whatever it was that smelled like this had to be dealt with carefully. She couldn't go about killing whatever she wanted in here (and she wasn't that eager to kill anyhow), but maybe she could find the source and exorcise it... But from what she could pick up from the song of the world the source was getting closer anyway, so she might as well continue cooking for now and wait for it to arrive.

Taehyung continued to walk the halls in an attempt to find where the smell of food was coming from, but unfortunately, Tae was one of the most geographically challenged people within the guild, or at least he assumed so. Tae only joined the guild yesterday and only met the Guild Master and one or two other guild members, he also forgot their names already which was another issue on his part. Because of his geography, it didn't really take him long before coming to a dead end. I knew it wasn't this way... Adramelech stated with disgust in his voice, clearly irritated by the turn of events."Sorry." Tae responded, his voice soft and disappointed.

He turned back around and began heading in the direction he had came, only to take several other wrong turns when he thought he had not gone down one path when in fact, he had. Oh My Hellgod you are stupid! The demon shouted in frustration. Mortals are pathetic as they are already but then there is you who can't seem to do anything right... Can you remember how to get back to your room? The pissed off demon asked, knowing the answer anyway. "N-no." The demon scoffed went silent, clearly biting his tongue and holding back even though there was plenty he wanted to say.

The boy continued to walk aimlessly yet again until the scent of food began to get stronger. He would sniff the air and a small smile would creep onto his face as he continued along until he came to a set of doors."I think I found it."He stated to himself, pushing against the doors and stepping into the following room, the Kitchen. Tae's mouth dropped open, a slightly sliver of drool forming on the right side of his mouth as he saw the variety of different foods set on display within the room. Eat it! Just do it! EAT IT! The demon demanded, only to be distracted by something nearby, something... Cooking. Taehyung looked in the direction to which he saw a young woman with animal like ears and three tails. At first, he took a step back in surprise but then scratched the back of his head, only to hear the demon inside snarl one word... Kitsune...

"Kitsune?" Taehyung responded confused, not knowing what one was.  It was kind of rude of him but Tae was actually staring at the woman for a long moment, only because he had never seen someone with animal ears and tails before. Realizing this though, he immediately shook his head as if to shake the thoughts from his mind and bowed forward. "Hello ma'am. Sorry to stare. My name is Taehyung and I am a new members of the Sabertooth Guild. It is a pleasure to meet you." Taehyung was the probably one of the nicest and most polite boys you will ever meet, but when he is being nice, what is being said inside of his head is the complete opposite. Don't you dare bow to her you filth. OMHG, he bowed to a Kitsune! It is times like these I wish I could kill you maggot. Taehyung continued to stand there, ignoring the demon, something he had learned to do over many years.

The dangerous scent was definitely getting closer, making Itori tense as she thought of how to react. She shouldn't be the first to go on the offensive, but she should be ready to defend in case a dangerous entity had managed to make its way into the guild without anything restricting its actions. Of course an intelligent entity would try to limit the damage it did anyway because even a powerful entity still would have to tread lightly in one of the biggest guilds in Fiore, but that didn't mean that one couldn't try to kill a single target, especially since those who preyed on souls had a tendency to be aggressive towards those with spiritual presence and power. And if the dangerous entity was clever but also stupid it could have made its way into the guild without being aware that if it was too reckless it would get hunted down, in which case it could do a lot of damage before the guild as a whole managed to take care of it.

She could also hear voices now though... two, one of which sounded human and the other was definitely the dangerous entity. She wasn't sure what exactly it was, but her ears could hear some very strange things and pick up on things that other ears couldn't, and it was clear that this voice didn't belong to a human, dead or alive. It was the voice of something completely different, and it put Itori on edge even as she kept working on her cooking as if nothing was wrong while she waited for the potential trouble to actually arrive at the kitchen. It was clear now that it was heading for the kitchen... she could hear it.

When the man entered Itori at first acted like nothing was wrong, checking on one of her dishes before turning around to stare at the newcomer. On the physical level he just looked like a normal human boy, either in the last stages of maturing or just having finished maturing. He also was quite attractive in a boyish manner, although it had been ages since Itori had last really paid close attention to that kind of thing beyond just cursory observation. She could hear his stomach rumbling as it desired nourishment, which was why he had come here. However on the spiritual level... It was bad news indeed. It wasn't the first time that Itori had encountered possession, although this time it seemed the possession wasn't entirely successful as the human soul residing inside the boy was a lot stronger than it would have been if the demon was in complete control. But that didn't mean that there wasn't a demon, and that that demon wasn't at least partially in control of the boy. Itori didn't have her sword at hand, but she could summon it if necessary and as a Kitsune she wasn't entirely reliant on a weapon.

For now, however, she gave the appearance of her usual friendly and polite self, giving Taehyung a curious glance as if surprised by his sudden arrival before fully turning towards him and giving him a polite and friendly smile, her ears twitching when he called out her species out loud after the demon growled it first. It seemed this demon knew of her kind, which meant he definitely wasn't going to be happy with her. Not all Kitsune took a deep interest in the spiritual world, but they all had at least some spiritual power and those who focused on it were often very difficult for demons to deal with, as Kitsune were good at deceiving and trickery to outfox the powerful demons to either get rid of them or steal their souls (not all Kitsune were good, after all, and while they generally wouldn't condone abusing souls they could still mess with demons for less than entirely altruistic and virtuous purposes).

When the human bowed she bowed back, ignoring the screaming from the demon as it seemed like for now at least the human was in control. As she began to speak her voice danced through the air, lyrical and beautiful to the point of being almost enchanting. Itori was suppressing her siren's voice so she wouldn't actually enthrall Taehyung, but even suppressed her gentle and polite voice still was something people had a hard time forgetting. "Greetings Taehyung. There is no need to apologize. I'm aware that I am a rare sight, so I take no offence at your curiosity. I am Shirokawa Itori, and it's likewise a pleasure to meet you. I hope you will find Sabertooth a good home, and if there are any problems don't hesitate to ask me for advice or assistance. I am not anyone of any real importance but I shall do what I can to provide aid when needed." Her bow was just as deep as Taehyung's, once she straightened up Itori tilting her head slightly to one side. "Please forgive my rudeness for asking so bluntly, but can I safely assume that you are aware that there is a demon possessing you, and that you are capable of hearing what it says?"

Taehyung's shyness was showing itself as the woman bowed back to him, he couldn't help but blush as it wasn't exactly the most normal of interactions he would have. In fact, he rarely socialized with people just to not agitate the demon inside. Adramelech hated humans, often referring to them as maggots or cattle so whenever Taehyung spoke to another human, it was often he would hear the demon's disgust constantly. Ignoring the demon was the hardest part as half the time he wouldn't stop his words, often insulting the humans knowing too well that they wouldn't be able to hear him anyway. The girl known was Shirokawa Itori was quite beautiful, the ears and tail seemed to compliment her and this was also another reason why Taehyung blushed. Sure, he was gay, but he could still acknowledge when someone was beautiful. "Thank you. I do not wish to be a burden for anyone so I will only ask when necessary." He responded when offered assistance, to which the demon just growled.

He had to admit, he was a little taken by surprise when Itori spoke of the demon even flinched a little, simply because it was unexpected. She apologized for asking bluntly but to be honest, he didn't mind. Though he assumed it was because of her species that she knew of the demon. "U-um... Yeah, you are right. I take it you can hear him too?" If there was a sound for rolling your eyes, Adramelech did it. Of course, why would she ask? Tae scratched the back of his neck and simply nodded to her. "His name is Adramelech, but I just call him Lech. Please feel free to call me Tae." It didn't bother him too much but talking about the demon was generally a little uncomfortable. Technically, the only ones who know about the demon were the Guild Master and now Itori, his concern was that too many people would know and then they would hunt him down because of it.

It wasn't difficult to see that Taehyung wasn't too familiar or comfortable with social interaction. Itori was good at paying attention to people around her, and she didn't fail to notice this either, partially because she had been searching or signs. it wasn't surprising in the slightest: someone who had to deal with a demon coexisting with them wasn't going to have an easy time living with others, as demons rarely were good company themselves and when acting as someone's companion in one form or another loved to make their target miserable. Since demons were nourished by misfortune and misery for them making the lives of whoever they were linked to miserable was akin to securing themselves a steady supply of food.

Itori had little reason to tolerate such mannerisms from a demon, even though admittedly it wasn't that easy to get them to stop either. Unless she could find a way to exorcise the demon completely she would have to settle for trying to make the human boy as comfortable as she could manage, and see if she could give him some tips on dealing with the demon... The fact that the demon would be listening made things difficult. Maybe she could devise a method to ensure only the boy would hear it. As someone who could sense, identify and interact with souls it wasn't outside of reason that she might be able to exchange information with Taehyung's soul without it spreading to the demon unless Taehyung failed to separate his thoughts or willingly provided the information.

"Your consideration for others is commendable. Nevertheless if you do feel the need for assistance or advice do not hesitate to ask me. I would rather be disturbed than that something unsavoury befell you."

She nodded when Taehyung asked her whether she could hear the demon, showing no direct reaction to the flinching as she assumed that the human male wouldn't appreciate it if she pointed it out. Before she spoke in response, however, the demon took the opportunity, followed by Taehyung elaborating himself. The Kitsune in response nodded again.

"I am able to perceive communication between your souls yes, and I am able to distinguish between your souls as well. Demons have a very distinguished soul, so recognizing his nature was an easy task." A very foul, malicious, negative soul: that was how you could recognize a demon. More so than a human with dark feelings or one corrupted by the darker arts, a demon's soul was negative karma through and through. "I have to admit I have a dislike or demons, given the threat they pose to spirits and the living alike. I am most likely not capable of exorcising or removing this demon without risking severe harm to your own body and soul, which I apologize for. Nevertheless..." Her demeanour remained as polite as before even as her words became more serious. "I must apologize even more profusely that I feel obliged to keep an eye on you. I understand that this is most likely unwanted but, even if you appear to have full control, even a suppressed and contained demon is still a threat which has to remain under constant observation. They are dangerous and clever creatures, and if a demon manages to break loose it could cause immense amounts of damage. I hope you will be able to forgive me remaining on guard in case there are signs of the demon becoming a direct threat."

She then smiled and beckoned to one of the tables present in the kitchen. "That said I hope no such incident will occur and that we will be able to get along. You are undoubtedly hungry, so if you are interested in any of the dishes I have prepared you are free to indulge yourself. in the meantime I wouldn't object against hearing more about how you ended up enlisting in Sabertooth. We aren't quite as easily accessible as we once were."

Taehyung listened as Itori spoke, taking every word in. She had a kind of soothing way of speaking and enjoyed listening to the woman. "I actually didn't know Demons had souls." Taehyung stated when Itori spoke of souls, thinking about how Adramelech was within his body at this moment and how the Demon wasn't able to take full possession when he came in the first place. When she mentioned the removal of the Demon, there was another intense growl from within, Adramelech still not please with who Tae was talking to. "I can say now that I would like nothing more for this Demon to be removed from my body." He stated, eyeing a plate of eggs benedict from the corner of his eye. "Unfortunately, from what I have been able to gather from the last eighteen years is that he can only be removed if I die. It is because of this that since I was six years old, he hasn't been able to kill anyone." Adramelech growled again and Tae rolled his eyes. "If he kills someone, I will take my own life." It was an awful thing to say out loud but it was the only thing that stopped the Demon from actually killing people.

Tae understood why she would want to keep a close eye on him and didn't complain, it was understandable and it was important to keep the rest of the world safe. A Demon like Adramelech was far too dangerous to be left unchecked and just as Tae was about to agree with her, it was like something switched within her and Itori was now smiling. It actually took Tae back a bit but he couldn't help but smile shyly. She mentioned the food and Tae's smile went mouth open and his eyes glittered. "R-really?" He didn't hesitated and walked straight over to the eggs benedict, taking a seat at one of the available table. "I had always wanted to join a guild but it was the guild master who suggested that a join. What made you choose to join Sabertooth?" [I can't say more about him joining only because that is something still being worked out with Kite]

"The nature of demon souls is rather complicated, since their souls are distinctly different from that of any living creature." Itori explained as Taehyung admitted to not being aware of the fact that demons have souls. "There have been many occasions were attempts to find the soul of a demon failed due to those who searched for it assuming that it had to be similar to that of living beings. My personal belief is that unlike us the soul of a demon is formed entirely of negative emotions and energy. They are fuelled by hatred, anger and pain, and are disgusted by happiness, enthusiasm and love, at least if the latter don't originate from an originally negative concept. For example they can stand happiness if it comes from causing others harm, which means the source is negative." She twitched one ear while looking at Taehyung, although her eyes were now looking at something not of the physical world. "The fact that I have been able to find and identify demon souls confirms that either I am correct in my assumption, or my theory is close enough to the truth that it makes little difference."

Hearing Taehyung explain that he didn't believe it possible to remove the demon without killing him Itori's expression saddened a bit. The worst part was that she didn't think he was wrong either. She might be capable of saving his life while removing the demon if she was stronger, since her very nature as a Kitsune gave her a big advantage when it came to dealing with souls, but she wasn't that strong, and it was very likely that before she became strong enough Taehyung would already either have fused even more with Adramelech than he currently had, or he would already have died of old age: as a Kitsune Itori's lifespan was immense, but her growth was also considerably slower than that of humans. And even if she did become strong enough, underestimating demons was a good way to give the demon exactly what it wanted. It could be that no matter how strong Itori became trying to separate the boy and the demon would simply be too dangerous and risky to actually try.

"I sincerely hope that it will not come to that. I have lived a long time, and even if I have become used to outliving those who were born when I was already old enough to be considered an adult it still is a sad thing to see someone die before they have been able to live a long and fulfilling life."

With that sad topic left behind Itori smiled once more and nodded in confirmation when Taehyung asked if he was allowed to eat what she had been cooking. She noticed that he didn't actually wait for the confirmation, but it wasn't like she minded: young people were almost as gluttonous as she herself was, and she liked seeing other people enjoy what she prepared. Once Taehyung got down to eating he'd discover that this meal was really a cut above: Itori had millennia to improve, refine and expand her culinary skill, which together with her innate enthusiasm, interest and dedication meant that her cooking was of high enough quality that you'd only find its equal amongst those who, just like Itori, had dedicated their life to the art of cooking... and even then Itori still had the advantage of possessing an immortal lifespan.

Itori herself returned to what she had been working on before Taehyung arrived, no longer seeing the need to keep her hands ready in case of trouble. It was true that Taehyung had a demon inside of him, but since the boy himself was so friendly and innocent she was pretty sure that she'd be able to notice in time if something went wrong, although honestly she highly doubted there was much need to remain careful. If Taehyung had managed to remain this gentle the demon's influence was minimal, so the odds of the demon somehow suddenly breaking out were miniscule. As she cooked Itori responded to Taehyung's question.

"For me joining Sabertooth was mostly a case of convenience. I had spent a long time wandering through the world alone, but Sabertooth gave me the opportunity to have a home, a luxury I didn't have for a long time. I had tried living together with humans before, but even if I disguised myself as one of them my unnatural lifespan would still end up giving me away, and while not all of them were actually hostile... It never really worked out. I have higher hopes for Sabertooth because in a guild of mages the unusual is usual, and thus I am hoping that my own inhuman nature and lifespan won't be an issue."

Taehyung listened to Itori's explanation of how she personally believed a demon's soul was different compared to that of a human or animal's soul. She said she believed that a demon's soul was made up entirely of negative energy. "It makes sense." He blurted out, starting think about how long he and Adramelech had been stuck together. Taehyung only knew a few things about the demon that shared his body. One was that he was a demon. Two, he killed Tae's parents and three... He was pure evil. He chose not to linger on her words for too long, knowing too well that it was going upset him a little. He had come to terms with the fact that he shared a body with a demonic entity that only wanted to kill and inflict pain, but it still was something that would upset him.

"How old are you?" After asking these words, Taehyung realized what he just asked and suddenly felt awful. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" And you say I am rude... The demon piped up, chuckling to which Taehyung ignored. He made his first attempt at the meal in front of him, poking a fork into the meal and using the knife to cut it. He placed the piece of eggs benedict in his mouth but before he had the chance to close his mouth, a sudden delicious taste began to melt onto his tongue. "Oh-oh my-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as his incredible delight was immediately cut off my the demon again. Finish that sentence and I will truly make sure you suffer. The demon growled, causing Tae to respond angrily. "Like how you have made me suffer for the last eighteen years?" These words were out loud and to anyone else it would look strange, though Itori would know he was talking to the demon.

Itori felt the urge to continue elaborating on the nature of demons, if only because she didn't often get the opportunity to share her observations and speculations with someone who had a personal interest without being either a demon or someone of unsavoury nature. Most people stayed away from demons when possible, and would prefer to know as little about them as possible as well. Not the smartest option, since knowledge could help protect oneself against demons when the time came, but Itori couldn't blame them for being uncomfortable with the subject, since it was quite the troublesome one... made worse by the fact that some demons seemed to actually draw power from being known or being thought about.

She refrained because she picked up the sounds which told her that Taehyung didn't find it a comfortable subject either. A human child who had been cursed to live his life together with a demon... that was a fate Itori wouldn't wish upon anyone. She considered explaining more anyway, because Taehyung needed to know more than most people, but in the end decided that she didn't have to say everything she had to say about demons right away. If Taehyung was joining Sabertooth they most likely would have more than one opportunity to talk, so they could take it easy and not pressure Taehyung by conversing too much about a subject that must remind him of a lot of unpleasant things.

When Taehyung asked after her age and then immediately apologized Itori looked at him and raised an eyebrow, then chuckled softly and shook her head. "There is no need for you to apologize. It is a normal question to ask when someone has stated that they have an unusual lifespan, and I have been asked that question many times." She turned back to the food she was working on. "Of course it is good of you to consider that as a woman I might take offence to that question, but considering that I have lived a long time I have decided that it would be unreasonable of me to become upset. The unusual attracts attention, after all. As to answer your question, in a couple of centuries I will have lived for seven millennia." She spoke casually about a span of time that could encompass the rise and fall of several empires and dynasties. She had trouble with seeing almost everyone else fade away so quickly at first, but she'd managed to get used to it.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't let my age influence your perspective of me too much, however. I may be old by most standards but I am still only one person, and aside from having lived a long time I do not consider myself that extraordinary compared to the mages of this guild. There are many who are stronger than me, or outperform me in some other manner. I just possess a lot of life experience, and with grace and fortune this can translate into wisdom."

Hearing her guest enter an argument with the demon that lived inside of him Itori frowned, finishing the last dishes so she could turn away from the cooking and give Taehyung her full attention. While she didn't consider his demon a threat it was still impolite to be busy with something while talking to someone else, especially if it was the first time you met. "Considering that you have little reason to limit the amount of suffering you inflict on a daily basis I doubt you are actually capable of following through on that threat, unless your plan would be to simply nag at Taehyung all day and night in an attempt to frustrate and stress him." She was rather blatantly addressing the demon now, even as she moved to sit down opposite of Taehyung while grabbing herself a plate and some food. "There are a variety of lesser demons which would resort to such measures, but I believe most demons of sufficient power consider themselves above such petty behaviour. Since the human you are trapped inside of gives every impression of being a normal, decent and upstanding man I assume that either you are also above it, or you have attempted it in the past and found it ineffective." She gave Taehyung an apologetic look for describing him as 'the human the demon is trapped inside of' before turning her gaze to her plate, cutting off some of the meat she had placed on it before placing it in her mouth and chewing.

Taehyung's mouth was wide open as he went to put a piece of the eggs benedict into his mouth, the fork and piece of food falling out of his grasp and landing on the plate with a clutter when he heard the girl speak of her age. "W-wait... What?" He was a little dumbfounded, unable to form words at first as it was a sheer surprise to him. Adramelech was in the back of Tae's mind scoffing. I'm still older. Was all he stated to which Tae replied. I don't know if that should be a good thing or a bad thing... The demon growled to Tae's thoughts but the boy ignored him, turning his attention back to the woman and picking back up the fork he had just dropped on his plate. "Wow, so you must have seen a lot in your time." Still somewhat surprised as to how long she had lived. "It must be sad." Those last words came out as a mistake, not intentionally wanting to say them out loud. "O-oh I'm sorry, that was so inconsiderate of me." He quickly picked up his fork and shoved the piece of food in his mouth. "Sfee, prwobwem swolve" He said, food blocking his mouth.

He continued to listen to the woman's words, taking another mouth full of food as he did so. He couldn't help but smirk when she spoke towards Adramelech, implying that the best he could do was nag the boy. Yeah it was somewhat true, but the demon was still capable of more than that. There was no telling when the demon would take over and when he did, it wasn't like Tae could fight it. If the demon wanted control, he took control. Adramelech growled at the woman and although he wasn't exactly in the position to be making threats, he still had his pride to think of. I don't nag. He growled towards Itori. "Yes you do." Tae responded with a smile, the smile disappeared and the boy falling silent as Adramelech would growl again. When I take control of this maggot, I take full control of this maggot. Taehyung sat there in silence, listening to the demon and his mood suddenly dropping. I would simply have to sexually assault someone, attempt assassination of the King of Fiore, blow up the guild hall and everyone would assume it was him. I can do more than just "nag" and I am sure you are more powerful than me, in fact I can sense it. But one day, I will eradicate this mortal's soul from this body and claim it as my own. This world, will become my new hell dimension, a demon realm that I may call - "Blah blah blah! I have heard you say this far too many time." Standing up to the demon for once. "Just shut up and let me finish eating!" Adramelech was a little dumbfounded and surprised, it was the first time Taehyung had ever stood up to him and it was a little out of no where. Taehyung had made a promise to himself that if he were to join a guild, he would try his best to better himself. This may be the beginning.

The next set of words that came from Itori caused the demon to completely fall silent, he was being ganged up on for once and wasn't exactly sure how to handle the situation. For whatever reason, he didn't attempt taking control of Taehyung's body nor did he attempt to kill the woman now sitting in front of his human taxi. She had given Tae a look and he simply shook his head, knowing that she was apologizing for her comment but Taehyung wasn't insulted, she was standing up for him which was something new to him. "Anyway, let's change the subject." The demon scoffed but didn't say anything else. "So what are you eating? Is cooking one of these skills you have acquired over the years?"

Taehyung's reaction to Itori revealing her actual age was similar to those of many humans, so Itori wasn't bothered too much by it. While longevity wasn't always a blessing one got used to it, especially since hers didn't originate from a curse or something so it wasn't like she didn't have a choice in living this long. Although most humans didn't have a demon commenting that they had lived yet longer, so that was different.

"I have seen a lot yes, especially since I have spend a large portion of my life travelling from one location to another, so I have had the opportunity to encounter many things that I would not have come across if I had decided to stay in one place." Itori was pretty sure that no matter how long she had been alive, if she had stayed home she wouldn't have seen much more than someone not even one tenth her age.

When Taehyung expressed sympathy Itori blinked, clearly surprised by the statement. She wasn't used to people hearing about her long life and having one of their first thoughts be that it must have been sad. There were some who mentioned that it must have been lonely, but even those weren't as quick as Taehyung. She watched as the young man quickly apologized, then stuffed his mouth in an attempt to prevent any more embarrassing comments. The last part made her smile, as she both found the sight funny and was touched by his consideration of her feelings. "Do not worry too much about it. It has been sad at times, but I have become used to the downsides of such a long life, and once you have accepted that it becomes easier to enjoy the advantages." She shook her head slightly. "The pain it can bring never truly disappears, but I do not think it is any worse than the pain all living beings feel when they lose a loved one. Even if it never truly goes away you can live with it." She spoke these words sincerely, but without any real sorrow in her voice. Loss was something everyone had to learn to live with, because there were very few people blessed to never lose a loved one or something important.

The conversation with Adramelech wasn't quite as pleasant as the one she had with Taehyung. Even if their conversation had been about serious topics which could cause one's mood to go bleak at least they had been earnest and respectful towards one another. Adramelech made it clear that he cared little for that kind of thing, the Kitsune frowning as the demon explained that if necessary he could actually take control of Taehyung. If that was true then the demon was more of a threat than she had expected. However she did know of at least one way to deflate the hostile entity's ego a little.

"Given the fact that you have not completely assumed control already and claimed the body for yourself it is fair to say that, even if you are capable of controlling him for a time, there is a limit to how long you can retain that control. As for whether I am truly stronger than you I wouldn't be able to say for certain. However what I am certain of is that it is fortunate that I have met you, because if you attempted to do any of those things and I was nearby I would be able to do this in response." She snapped her fingers as her vermilion eyes glowed for a moment. At first it would seem like nothing happened, but Taehyung and Adramelech might notice that their hands looked different from before. Further study would reveal that they looked like someone else entirely, and that even their odour and voice had changed.

"As a demon I assume you area aware that Kitsune are naturally gifted at making one experience things which are not real, or making something appear to be something else entirely. As long as I am around to keep an eye on Taehyung I would be able to make you appear to be someone else the moment I noticed that Taehyung is no longer in control. Of course you might still end up causing havoc, but you would have a hard time ruining Taehyung's reputation if nobody was capable of recognizing him while you went on a rampage inside his body." She didn't smile, instead just staring at Taehyung intently as if hoping she could carry the gaze through Taehyung towards the demon inside of him. With another snap of her fingers the illusion disappeared. "I am not capable of safely removing you from his body, but I can make his life easier by providing a countermeasure for one of your threats."

With that conversation ended Itori returned her focus to her food, unsure of what to say next as the atmosphere had become noticeably less comfortable thanks to the demon's interference. She was fairly good with social interaction in her own opinion, but she wasn't sure if it was possible for her to say something in these circumstances without it either doing little to affect the mood or the attempt at pulling Taehyung's attention to something else being too forced.

Thankfully Taehyung solved the problem at hand when he was the one to ask her something instead, interested in the meal that she was now eating herself. At his question Itori smiled, although she also looked a bit embarrassed as she shook her head. "Unfortunately I am not certain of the names of the dishes I make. Since almost the entirety of my culinary skills are self-taught I never learned all the names properly." Itori's dish was a somewhat strange one, since it contained both egg and meat but was devoid of any vegetables or fruits. "And not all of my dishes are made according to human guidelines, so they may not even have a name. What I'm currently eating is something I made for myself. While I am an omnivore and do benefit from eating something aside from meat my diet is still a lot more oriented towards animals and their products." While they weren't so large as to be prominent Itori did have some sharp fangs, which Taehyung might have an easier time noticing now that the topic had shifted to eating and food.

"I have spent more time on learning how to prepare food than any other subject I can think of. I must admit that I am a glutton, as you have most likely noticed by the amount of food prepared in this kitchen. Throughout the years the joy of eating has never lessened, so I was greatly motivated to prepare even better meals for myself. And of course also for others, should the opportunity arise such as right now."

Taehyung could tell that Itori was speaking sincerely when she spoke of her long life and the boy could only image the kind of things she would have had to seen as well as have done. She had lived for a long time and there were likely many wins and many losses, some easy, some hard and of course, it may be lonely but honesty, he thought of it as something sad. Although he didn't ask, he assumed she must have experienced a form of love more than once, had family she would have had to say goodbye to and friends who simply disappeared. She had lived more than one life time. "I admire you." He stated with redness in his cheeks. The demon was a little taken back by the words but didn't say anything and instead listened. "I don't mean it in a romantic sense or anything like that, but you do have my respect." He paused for a moment before continuing, making sure to state the words correctly and not make a complete fool of himself or to insult her. "You have lived more than one life time, you would have experienced truly wonderful and amazing things in your time. You would have also witnessed absolutely terrible things too." Tae tilted his head up to look the young woman in the eyes. "You have seen and witnessed your fair share of life times and are still standing here, strong and willful. I don't think I could possibly live through that and that is why I admire you." His words were sincere too. Adramelech was a little surprised by Taehyungs words. What about me? I have lived longer than she has. To which the boy replied with a straight, blank face. "Your evil."

The demon growled when Itori spoke firmly to address his words, feeling a little insulted due to his current situation with sharing a body with a human soul. In fact, it was a little embarrassing and he realized then that he should have just kept his mouth shut. After the woman snapped her fingers, Taehyung felt a strange feeling wash over him and when he looked down, his hands were not his own and there was a strange odor as well. The both of them listened to Itori's words, Taehyung a little surprised and concerned at the same time. In saying that though, he trusted Itori. The demon growled again but didn't say anything in response, instead he mentally folded his arms and pouted. The boy didn't say anything when she had reverted him to his usual self but instead mouthed the silent words of 'thank you' towards her. Acknowledging the fact that she was there to help.

Taehyung was incredibly surprised by Itori's words when she spoke of the meals she had created. He had been to a few fine dining restaurants and various other food venues, but Itori's food seemed far more delicious. Which is no surprised considering she had lived so long to perfect these meals, but working from scratch, not using a recipe and creating master pieces such as this was just another thing to admire about her. "The food is amazing, your amazing. To have made all this food from scratch? The best thing I can cook is toast as long as I don't leave the bread in the toaster for too long." He stated, finishing the last bite of his meal.

There was something comforting talking about her life with someone who was willing and even eager to listen. It wasn't that the other people in Sabertooth were unfriendly or anything, but most of them had a lot of things to worry about for themselves, and Itori didn't like bothering other people with her own problems, especially if they were already busy with something else. However now she had a person who voluntarily asked for information about herself and who gave every impression of being genuinely interested, so the Kitsune could finally talk a bit about herself without feeling like she was being impolite or pushy. Even if she had years and years to get used to the ups and downs of her own life, and didn't think she actually needed comforting since she'd managed to do fine for years and years without any support... it still was nice to talk about it for once.

"You admire me?" She asked with some surprise, although she most certainly wasn't mocking Taehyung by repeating his statement. However since the man was already elaborating she didn't inquire further and instead just listened as he explained his perspective. He was correct in assuming she had experienced things both horrible and wonderful, as a long life simply gave her higher statistical odds of encountering outliers which would leave their marks on her memory. At the end of his explanation Itori frowned slightly. "I understand your reasoning, but you should not underestimate yourself. To be possessed by a demon without succumbing to it is already a significant burden, even more so if the possession occurred when you were but a child. I may be more suited for such a long life because my kind lives longer than humans, but I do not doubt that you are also strong in mind and spirit." She smiled again now that she had protested against Taehyung's proclamation of being less strong-willed. "That said I am grateful for your kind words. You also have my respect for becoming the kind and polite man that you are even with a demon haunting you. I am sure that you will do many great things in the future."

After the short conversation between Taehyung and Adramelech Itori looked thoughtful, continuing to eat even as she considered what to say next. She didn't want to give the appearance of supporting a demon, but... "It is true that evil does not deserve to be applauded, but I think I should warn against becoming too quick to dismiss anything which is related or connected to evil. I am not saying you should respect Adramelech, for that would be horribly unfair to ask of you, but there are those who ended up committing many acts of evil when they became too quick to assume that anything that could be traced back to evil had to be treated as evil as well." She let out a small sigh. "I apologize if that sounded patronizing."

Hearing Taehyung compliment her cooking Itori seemed to perk up, even more so than when the human boy had been complimenting her age and experience. Someone with as much love for cooking and eating as Itori had a soft spot for anyone who was willing to praise her culinary arts, and she smiled more brightly than before.

"Your words are too kind. Although it may be not entirely correct to say I started entirely from scratch... while I did do almost all the practising myself, without a tutor or instructions, I have had multiple opportunities to observe the culinary skill of others, which was sufficient to help me develop my own. I would have benefited greatly from the support of a master, but unfortunately most cooks are only willing to pass on their knowledge and skills onto their inheritor, and it would have been very unethical of me to deceive them into sharing their secrets with me purely to satiate my gluttony."

Taehyung listened to the Kitsune's words as she spoke, he took every word in and remained silent. Just listening to the woman speak was interesting as she was quite wise which was expected considering how long she has been alive and it was when she had finished speaking that he thought he would attempt a slight joke. "Then perhaps maybe you should find an amazing chef to be your lover." It sounds odd when it had come out of his mouth and felt like he needed to clarify. "I-I mean... If you were to marry a renowned chef, he could share his culinary skills with you." He was sure that there were far more better ways but it was only a poorly executed joke. Good thing you can't cook, if it were you, you would ruin her existence. Taehyung frowned at the demon's words but chose to not mention anything.

How long have you been a member of Sabertooth? Is this your first guild or have you been a member of other guilds over the years? Taehyung went to repeated the demon's words so that Itori could answer the questions, the questions even peaked Taehyung's interest, but Adramelech mentally shook his head and Tae was instantly reminded that Itori could hear the demon.

Itori was at first surprised by Taehyung's words, but then chuckled as she realized that he was trying to make a joke. Although the fact that afterwards became embarrassed and tried to explain it. She had to admit that while she respected the young man for his strong will and gentle nature it was difficult not to also find him adorable, with how eager and polite he was while simultaneously constantly worrying that he was saying the wrong thing. Of course the knowledge that he most likely was this worried because his demon had caused him a lot of trouble in the past, making it difficult for him to feel comfortable, made it a bit less amusing, so Itori kept it to a slight chuckle before reaching out and patting Taehyung on the shoulder.

"You do not need to worry that I might interpret your meaning Taehyung. I understand what you are trying to say and it does make sense." One corner of her mouth twitched upwards as she suppressed a mild smirk, instead keeping her more gentle smile. "Although I must admit that it has been difficult to find someone who can cook as well as I can. I do not find pleasure in needless boasting, but I cannot deny that having an abundance of time has resulted in me being good enough a cook that only those with extraordinary talent can still provide me with meals that I could not improve upon myself." She fell silent for a moment before adding. "Although learning the culinary arts the official way might still serve as a method to improve my own skills."

She then took another bite of her own food, chewed and swallowed it, before responding to the demon. "While it is too early by far to do anything but speculate on the issue I think I would actually have an easier time sharing Taehyung's burden than most humans. After all, I can sense your presence and hear you speak, and I can develop techniques to help keep you from growing out of control." She said al of this with a calm tone, even if her voice wasn't as gentle as it usually was. "I will not speculate any further, but it would be hasty to say that it would be certain to ruin my existence."

She was somewhat surprised when the demon asked her a question directly, wondering if she should refuse to answer just in case it was planning to use that information in some way she couldn't predict as of yet. However it was honestly a harmless question which you could expect anyone to ask, so she didn't think such suspicion was warranted. She'd remain wary of how the demon reacted, but she doubted he'd actually be able to use the answer in any meaningful way, especially as long as he remained trapped inside of Taehyung.

"It has been several years now. Not so long that I would be considered a permanent resident, but long enough that those who have been part of the guild for a while show no surprise at seeing me." She then shook her head. "In the past my interactions with humans were for the most part fleeting. If I ever stayed too long in one place it would become too risky, too likely that someone would notice something and that I would have to leave more pressingly. While there are numerous humans who would not mind the presence of a Kitsune it was still dangerous. I might have accompanied guilds in the past, but I do not believe I have ever taken one of their marks before joining Sabertooth."