They took my precious (private Izayuki)

Despite the loss of two homes, business seemed to push Izayuki on as usual. First there was the destruction of Silver Moon Inn, which put direct Black Rose jobs on hold for a while. The ones who managed the inn would be temporarily out of a job, and the guildmaster herself would have to handle guild affairs in temporary places, such as other inns in Rose Garden. She of course had the option of doing so in Elyx’s large house and estate, where she once lived, but after recent events, could not bring herself to venture into the place that was by now collecting dust.

Every memory, each room, each household item-- all of them brought back bittersweet memories, and reinforced the fact that he was gone. They pressed at her emotions, and plunged her deeper into mourning. As the leader of a guild, she had to stifle such grieving and set it aside, while constantly lying to herself to keep the agonizing truth away. The lies she formed in her mind ensured her that somehow, he would return. She eventually had to acknowledge the underlying reality however. He was dead, and there was nothing that could bring him back.

Not willing to be late, Izayuki dressed herself in semi-formal attire, and made her way to the Rose Garden branch of the Nightshade Corporation. She made her way through the office building, until she reached the office of the one who had requested her presence. It was both odd and to be expected. Some companies enjoyed making deals or affiliating or hiring guilds. She expected that this was nothing more than an unnamed job request-- possibly something that the company higher-ups thought too classified to put on a job form. Whatever the case, Izayuki did not expect much.

“Greetings, ma’am,” Izayuki said politely upon entering the office, staring at the young blonde who looked like the iconic image for any chief executive officer of a clothing cooperation. However, something seemed off about the girl-- she seemed familiar, despite Izayuki knowing that she had never met the person before. Was she recognizing her from some paper or magazine, or ilac app or commercial? No, it was not physical recognition. She had never seen the appearance before in her life.

Not wanting to display her suspicions, Izayuki continued on with her formal guise and a hopefully professional demeanor. However, just as she was moving closer to the desk, Izayuki activated an ability she once avoided using but was now growing to rely more and more on. To see the soul of an individual… and upon seeing this one, the Bakedanuki was doing everything in her power not to visibly react. She clearly remembered the day she had challenged her late husband, Elyx, for the title of Wizard Saint, and she remorsefully recalled him meeting an end by her own hand.

And this person was the one who had rubbed salt into the wound that very day. Erika Skittles. She had used Astrid as a living meatshield when Izayuki had lashed out at the pink and brown haired girl, but for some reason took the responsibility for the deaths of the two. A favor, and a nightmare incarnate-- she had effectively broken the Bakedanuki.

After witnessing what the woman, Erika, was capable of, it brought another idea to mind. If she had resurrected Astrid, surely she could bring back… other people?

Izayuki remained silent, and awaited the business Erika had to bring to the table, along with the reason why her presence was requested. Was the woman here in Rose Garden to make life miserable again for Izayuki? She could not help but consider that possibility.

The Bakedanuki’s silver-furred ears twitched at the first mention of the word ‘mafia’. Unsurprisingly, what came to follow was talk on a secret Black Rose normally kept well. Normally, it would have astonished Izayuki that the chief executive officer of a clothing company knew of the best kept secret of Black Rose, but seeing as this was Erika, it was not too surprising. Izayuki had yet to discover just what the woman was capable of, but after her display on the night of the Wizard Saint duel, just about anything could be expected.

She narrowed her eyes at the blonde mentioning the secret and saying what she knew about the mafia of Black Rose. Perhaps what was most intriguing, however, was the fact that this person was bothering to ask Izayuki for help on something. With all her power and resources, surely she could do it herself? Was the point in asking the guild master for help only to try using her as a toy again? The Bakedanuki was wary, but decided to go along with it for the time being.

Deciding to take a risk, Izayuki matched Erika’s smirk and did not break eye contact. If Erika was truly asking her for help, then the ayakashi was in the position where she could make the demands she wanted. If the blonde was not okay with that, surely she could find somebody else to assist her in finding her precious possession. “I can help you, Erika,” Izayuki started, not so subtly alluding to the fact that she was aware of the person’s identity, and had a general idea of what she could do. “Black Rose can finance the rebuilding of Silver Moon Inn and the surrounding area on our own. If you want my help, I have a more personal favor.”

The Bakedanuki paused for a moment, keeping her guard up just in case the blonde tried anything. The smirk from her face faded as she prepared to go on. The subject was touchy, and not something Izayuki so willingly discussed. “My husband, Elyx Reiaki, was killed recently, by a chaos goddess. You had me kill Astrid on that night of the duel, but she’s alive and well now. In exchange for my services, I want you to bring Elyx back, like you did with Astrid,” Izayuki said boldly, attempting to keep too much emotion out of her voice. It had been a while since she had said Elyx’s name aloud, as doing so was impossible without completely thinking about him and the fact that he was gone.

Right as Izayuki was finishing her statement, she felt the sudden spark of magic being used in the room. Instantly and out of instinct, the Bakedanuki prepared for having to act on the defensive, expecting Erika to make some form of movement against her. Had her request been too bold and angered the reality changer? As unpredictable as the dragon was in Izayuki’s eyes, it was not hard to assume that. However, what took place before her was no attack, but instead something else entirely.

What the ginger-haired mage witnessed was the faint impression of what seemed to be threads in the room. However, one stood out in particular-- a thread of time that it seemed Erika was focusing on. Somehow, the atmosphere of the room had grown darker and colder. Izayuki could tell that the time in the room had been frozen early on, but what else she saw itself was nothing affecting the physical world as drastically, but instead threads of time and space from far away revealing itself. Specifically, threads connected to her.

One in particular was brought into clearer focus-- a singular thread with a loose end. Izayuki could not make any sense of it, but surely the one using the mysterious magic had an idea of what it meant. After what seemed like both minutes and seconds at the same time passed, everything was back to normal, and the strange abilities were no longer being used. However, Erika’s own reaction to the aftermath of the magic usage took Izayuki by surprise. The cold sweat and the show of a brief weakness astonished the yokai, who had only seen the fairly omnipotent reality power of the blonde once before.

As the woman sat back in her chair, Izayuki gazed at her questioningly, ready to receive an explanation, with what she hoped would be the answers she wanted to hear. Her expression and silver-furred ears perked at the first clause, only for disappointment to cross her face as Erika continued. Reincarnation? She was familiar with the concept, but had never considered the idea that humans could experience it the same way many other beings did. Erika’s own opinion regarding the matter intrigued Izayuki. It was something a bit more personal, that she never expected she would hear from someone who had committed such heinous acts.

Izayuki stared down at the ground guiltily as Erika continued with what she saw. Of course, a part of her wanted to have Elyx back, no matter the cost. However, if it meant hurting him when his soul had moved on, what right did she really have? It would only add to the fact that she was a monster, capable of hurting even those who were close to her. “No, it’s fine,” she began, unable to hold back a few tears from welling up in her eyes. So this was the truth, was it? She had seen it herself, and what she had witnessed was no illusion. “Forget it… I’ll help you find you’re looking for, and will accept a donation to Rose Garden.”

That was it, was it? There was no more chasing after dreams or ideal futures anymore. She would have to come to terms with her grief, but not at this moment. After she ungracefully wiped a few tears from her eyes with a hand, the Bakedanuki continued, trying to reassume a slightly more stoic posture and demeanor. “I have a few connections in the Neutral Grounds. Honestly, they may give whatever they took from you in turn for something from the Black Rose mafia. However, the Neutral Ground is dangerous territory, especially for a magical mafia. You’ll need to take me to the place where your item was stolen from you, and identify the thieves for me,” she explained. Perhaps it was a task she could do alone, but Izayuki did not know where to begin with as few details as there were.

Taking a step towards the desk, Izayuki attempted to make eye contact with the blonde. “Lead the way, once you’ve recovered. Let’s try to get this done today, before your possession is traded off again,” she stated, before backing up again, and gazing off to the side. “And… thank you. For trying to find Elyx. At least now I can have some peace of mind…”