HIDDEN CRIMSON ♦ private

The sleepy ball of fluff rested quietly on another snoozing figure. Normally, the Bakedanuki would resort to sleeping in her room in Silver Moon Inn, or at least in her office, but in this instance, she could not wait to get back to a typical sleeping quarters. Thus, the silver-furred raccoon dog resorted to curling up on a wide stack of books in the library. In her tiny canine form, her build was small, with the majority of her frame being entirely fluff, and not muscle. Should one douse her with water, she would likely be the size of only a small cat, and no larger.

That stack of books, however, was to be relocated and picked up within the day, or at least that was what the massive obsidian-feathered owl had planned. The white ‘mask’ of the creature peered at the tiny guild master curiously, with a look of mixed annoyance and amusement. She rarely slept in the library, and thus, he had never seen her so vulnerable and peaceful. Izayuki was calmly sleeping, curled up with her muzzle buried into her large and fluffy tail. Ever so gently and carefully, Sova would dare to pick up the guildmaster, placing her on the top of his large, red-crested head, which would be soft and comfortable-- far more so than the stack of books she had picked. Moving gracefully and carefully, Sova would pick the books up one by one, move to their shelves, and organize them into their proper spots.

The feathers on the owl had soft fringes that made his movements completely silent, as the air barely stirred when he moved or flew. His meticulous and graceful movements along the library floor hardly awoke the tired tanuki at all. A few minutes after the books had been appropriately sorted and returned to their specific places, the black owl waddled over to his desk, fluffing his feathers out and falling asleep himself, with the guildmaster still on his head.

Her sleep became lighter, but not once did she stir while the Black Rose library helper was working. Only when the comfortable rocking and rhythm of movement stopped did her sleep become a little lighter, to the point she was dozing with a paw sliding off of the owl’s head.


[380]

Their journey to Nazo and the events that happened there were rough, but nothing Izayuki was not already accustomed to. While they were indeed depressing and there was a great risk, it was a repeat of situations the Bakedanuki had already experienced. She learned from the past, however, and this was perhaps another learning experience, if she could take anything from it. If anything, she had been far more worried about her guildmate in the end than herself, specifically when she had asked for trust, and that trust had led him to die.

The tiny silver-furred tanuki was fast asleep on the head of the giant owl, but she was not napping deeply. The sudden stillness had pulled her out of deep slumber, and more into a light doze. The large obsidian-feathered owl was sleeping too, much harder than Izayuki, and thus did not hear his companion guildmate’s voice in his slumber.

The familiar scent washed over Izayuki, however, and the recognizable voice broke through her mind, stirring her awake. In her drowsiness, she did not detect the meaning of the words, but as she awoke, found herself slipping off of the red crested owl’s feathered head. Suddenly jolting fully awake, but a little too late, the tiny tanuki fell from the tall owl and landed her chest and chin, her paws having missed the chance at catching her from landing so hard.

With her silver tail lopsided and flipped over her rump and hind legs in an uncomfortable fashion, two light red-- more pink-- eyes stared up to see the tall red-headed man towering over her. She muttered a few unintelligible words under her breath in a foreign language-- the eastern tongue-- as she began to pick herself up from the ground, visibly embarrassed at her ungraceful fall from Sova’s head. Shaking out her fluffy pelt and rising to her paws, the small raccoon dog finally spoke, still groggy, but mostly wide awake. “What do you want?” the canine asked coolly, attempting to act as if there was no embarrassing fall seconds ago.
Sova continued to snooze, not stirring once as the Bakedanuki fell from his head. With no more added weight on his cranium, however, the massive bird stirred in his sleep, turning his head to comfortably tuck it under his wing.


[382]

All of the questions flowed forth as the floodgates were opened. Rosy eyes stared up at the red-headed man as he spoke, waiting patiently for him to finish. As he began to wrap up his speel, the tanuki turned and took a careful leap up to Sova’s desk, so she could at least be a little higher while she spoke with him. Using a hind paw to ungracefully her silver-furred ear, the raccoon dog considered his words and mentally put together her answer. “Sounds like you don’t keep up with the news much, do you?” she joked as she sat up straight on the desk.

“Tell me this, Oras,” she began calmly, her fluffy tail flicking as she met his green eyes. “Do you know what a ‘mafia’ is?”
Izayuki would wait a few moments to punctuate her words, and then continue to answer her rhetorical question. “Most go by the popular definition, that it’s a group of organization crime. However, the simple and easy definition states that it’s a closed group of people that have a controlling influence in a particular field. In our case, that field is magic and magical guilds.”

Another beat, and the Bakedanuki would continue her words, trying to carefully answer every question of her guildmate. “Our guild is a ‘mafia’ in a sense, and many ‘divisions’ we have can reflect what people see in a criminal organization. Our goals, however, are not to bring harm to innocent people. Our target is the Magic Council and their goons, so the ‘inner guild’, as you call it, is divided up into smaller groups, based on their skills, that all work towards this goal.”

The Bakedanuki would try to stifle a yawn as she spoke, still quite tired from her nap. Sova, fortunately, was still peacefully asleep. “Perhaps a year or more ago, there was a war the Magic Council initiated on a peaceful kingdom. They did it to try and steal the only weapon that kingdom had to protect themselves, out of greed. And they did not just order the Rune Knights to do their bidding, but deployed the legal guilds and many mercenaries to take many innocent lives. After this, I decided that I was not going to allow my guild to be the pawns of this bloodthirsty leadership. Slowly but surely, we are making strides to see that the Magic Council is replaced by much more qualified individuals, and that their grip on guilds in general is loosened. Guilds must follow the laws of the land, but they should not be at the beck and call of a council that acts of their own selfish desires,” Izayuki explained. “And a guild that follows the laws but simply does not wish to affiliate with the Magic Council? They are still seen as dark in their eyes, and are sometimes hunted.”

“The Black Rose ‘mafia’ has a simple structure. There are five Divisions. Thorns are the warriors and defenders. Petals are the diversion and face. Stigma are the spies and blackmailers. Roots are the inner circle enforcers. Leaves are the research and development. The Aces of Black Rose are Underbosses, and a single Caporegime heads each division. They all work towards the same goal, but in different ways. I, myself, am the ‘Boss’,” Izayuki said, grinning with a hint of pride at the last statement. The title was so silly, but relevant. “Does that answer all of your questions?”


[573]

At Oras’ offended reaction to her joke, the tanuki replied quickly. “Calm your tail, I’m referring to the recent news from the last few months to a year ago,” she said with a grin, flicking her own fluffy tail dismissively.

“Of course we will double check, and give people a chance to stop working for such a corrupt organization. Still, I have little faith people in those positions will ever give up their jobs or loyalty to listen to a guild that has always teetered on the line between legal and independent,” the Bakedanuki continued. It did not mean they would not inform people of the truth and then allow them to make a decision, but Izayuki knew how humans operated-- it was always about power, prestige, and money. What better a job could a semi-magical human ask for, than to work for the very organization that governs magic as a profession?

“Think of it this way. The Magic Council is the undeniable sovereign of the magical world. They have their dogs, the Rune Knights, which are directly commanded by the Magic Council. The Rune Knights are the police and military of Fiore and, to an extent, a lot of the Ishgar continent. The guilds are the cats of the Magic Council-- while they can generally do what they like, they are still under the command of their ‘owner’. To disobey an order is to break the law, and bring ruin upon your guild,” Izayuki further explained, standing up on all four paws on the desk. “If we do indeed succeed, the ‘cats’ will be free from their direct command, and can go about their business as long as they follow the laws of whatever nation the guild is located in. The Magic Council will still command the Rune Knights, their loyal dogs, and act as the police that defend and uphold the laws.”

The Magic Council would not be complete useless, and there was no reason for total anarchy. However, the current system could not stay. Even presently, the Magic Council was order many legal mages to take on the monsters that had not yet strayed out of their territory. Not only were they risking the lives of many good mages, but they likely had provoked the monsters to venture out of Monsterland, and into other cities, towns, and villages. Naturally, Izayuki had no doubt there was a mastermind behind it all, but her concerns were focused elsewhere.

“Our current allies are the guilds Saber Tooth, Fairy Tail, and Crystal Swan,” she continued, recalling the latter one with a hint of pride. It was a Black Rose Ace that had parted and gone off to create her own guild, after all. Izayuki could only hope that her time in Black Rose had prepared the new guild master and had been enjoyable. As for Saber Tooth, Izayuki had known its guild master for years, long before she was even a Black Rose ace and leader. Naturally, it was easy to ally with people you trusted. Fairy Tail was another story-- the Magic Council had wronged them, and Izayuki had made a pact with a former guild master of theirs.

At his next question, the Bakedanuki thought for a moment. “I’d likely place you in the Stigma division, possibly double-placed with the Roots. You like to investigate, after all, and being in these two divisions, especially Roots, would give you free reign to do so. You’d research other people, and ensure they don’t break our own laws, or the laws of Fiore,” she explained. Black Rose did not tolerate traitors, after all. She suspected that Oras was referring to Kataleya, the newest member of the guild. She had personally recruited the assassin for her skills, hoping to focus her talents and energy onto a better cause than just freelance mercenary work.



[641]

The Bakedanuki had personally grown tired of words. They were useful, of course, but there came a point in time where situations called for actions more than words. Her patience with some humans was growing thin, and she was far more ready to act than to talk. She personally saw no reason to convert every person who worked for the Magic Council ever-- most of them hardly could even fight back, anyways, so they were no threat. If anything, it was the warriors and rune knights and the wizards in the council itself that the guild needed to be wary of. Izayuki had no doubt that they were powerful, even if they used others to avoid getting their hands dirty. She made no comment on Oras saying he wanted to develop that skill, however. It was useful to be able to persuade without magic, and though she had tired of it, was still very capable of doing so.

“I don’t have many ideas of who is the most qualified, other than someone who can work for the people and leave the guilds along for the most part. As for the members themselves, they’re hidden to us, their individual personalities hidden to us,” she explained. It was quite annoying, but it was something the guild would need to investigate before too long. She and Itazura both had made a bit of progress in that regard, but they would need more than what they had. So far, the tanuki and weasel yokai had been taking opportunities they could to infiltrate the council, and work from the inside. That was not a detail she felt needed to be dropped to anyone outside the mission, however, save for an indirectly involved Ace or two.

She was happy to see he easily accepted his placement into their mafia. It had been one of the smoothest recruitments she had ever done, and was pleased at the outcome. She felt Oras would do fine at the tasks, seeing as it was something he already did for a hobby, or just out of plain old curiosity. As he went on to explain his last question, the silver raccoon dog flicked her ears in an intrigued manner, having had a feeling that the topic would soon arise. “I’m always interested,” Izayuki said simply. “Where do you want to start, is the real question.”

The Bakedanuki herself was out of ideas on what to do about discovering more on the odd human’s soul. Though his body was human, his soul was anything but, and she had no clue about his spirit. Their journey to Nazo had been barely fruitful. Though she suspected at least someone could help them, they ended up in trouble far too early. Until he was stronger, it would be a bad idea to return there anytime soon. There was one option-- a master of souls that Izayuki personally knew, but she would fight and stall the idea as long as she could, quickly ruling it out. This was to help a guildmate, after all, not put her through another round of mental and possibly physical torture.


[519 / 2,498 // 7,000]

The silver-furred raccoon dog tilted her head at Oras’ question. Had the guild discovered anything useful about the Magic Council? To an extent, and barely. They knew no names, and she personally had seen very few faces. It was like one of those massive corporations-- nobody thought about the general higher ranked workers, but saw the company as a whole, as one big face. The same went for the council that governed magic. The strategies she had in mind, however, were not ones she was so eager to share to her fairly new guildmate. While she did not doubt his loyalty, some things were best left unsaid.

Kiru was working on blackmailing a few lower level mages hired by the council for various jobs, be it secretaries, administrators, guards, and the like. The Ace of Omnicompetence would find ways to drive them into debt with the guild, mafia, or herself, and demand information as payment, be it files, their mail, or important paperwork. Izayuki and Itazura were both doing their best to infiltrate the council directly, impersonating new members, capturing and replacing old ones, or in the Bakedanuki’s case, possessing them and allowing what they learned to flow directly to her. Unfortunately, the tactic had its flaws, and she could not learn everything beyond a few of their past memories.

Such things were not what the tanuki yokai wanted to reveal so casually to someone, though. There were many dangers in doing so, such as keen nearby ears, or the mind reading of other mages. The fewer people who knew, the safer they would be. “Some progress,” Izayuki answered nonchalantly, leaping from the desk to the floor. Upon doing so, she transformed from her tiny canine form, to her fully clothed human form with retained tanuki features-- including her silver-furred ears, fluffy tail, and claws and fangs. “But, nothing you need to be concerned with for the time being,” she replied upon turning her head back towards him, catching him in her crimson gaze.

She could only hope he would understand, and not feel rejected or push her for an answer. If the right time presented itself, she would tell him the details of what they were currently working on, but for now, they ran on a need to know basis. Their work was far too dangerous for just anyone to know what they were up to. As he spoke, Izayuki listened, but continued to walk down the aisles of books, flicking her tail in a gesture for him to follow. To her, it personally was concerning that he could feel her emotions so easily. It felt like being stripped bare and naked, like what she held inside was exposed and out for all to see. She too, would enjoy seeing that it had a means of being controlled. However, she could also sympathize with him, as he stated he could feel emotion outside of himself, that was not his.

“The safe and easy route would be to not pursue it,” she mused calmly, coming to a stop and turning to gaze at him over her shoulder. Souls were a dangerous subject when one got too serious. Seeing as they were the core anchor for a spirit to a body, they were highly prized by just about anyone who had such knowledge and power. If one fell into the wrong hands, it could spell disaster. Izayuki knew that fact from experience. She no longer possessed her own soul, after all. It was owned by a Daemon, who granted her power in turn for it. Had it really been worth the exchange? Izayuki was inclined to think otherwise, but remembered that in the time it happened, she had been helpless and left for dead. There had been no other option. “But, I’m sure that’s the last option in your mind,” she concluded, turning around to face him completely.

Izayuki had intentionally led him further into the underground library, where she was certain no others were around. At the very least, she had not wanted to bother Sova with what she was about to do. “I’m afraid I am not in contact with anyone who could help you. Such beings who know these things are elusive and hard to find, let alone ones that will sincerely help you,” she stated. “But, I wonder, regarding that soul of yours…”

As the Bakedanuki began to trail off, she would begin utilizing one of her lesser-used magic abilities. Her Wonderland magic was madness based at its core, but this mixed both that and her general ayakashi mystic. In an instant, the atmosphere would begin to shift entirely, as if it had its own emotion to be felt-- that of madness and insanity. It was a rush of emotions, ever shifting and changing, but mostly only so with negative, angry feelings. The air would reflect the madness of her magic as Izayuki began to shift its signature and outward nature. Lifting a clawed hand and extending it towards Oras, the yokai would focus on his soul, directly trying to influence it. She would attempt to change its signature to one thing only-- that of a mystery, undoubtedly with a tint of insanity. Would this really work? She doubted it, but it was naturally worth the try. Surely one thing was better than constant flux, if she did succeed, and perhaps having one nature would put a fair cap on the tormenting abilities his soul had to offer.



[881]

It was not that she did not want him to bring it up again at all-- she simply did not feel the time was right to reveal such important information to him. Perhaps one day, as he slowly would need to know what was going on, she would give him more details regarding the guild’s personal advance on the Magic Council. For now, silence was the better, and easier, option. The Bakedanuki only nodded in response as she walked, mentally noting his words.

It was then that the ayakashi attempted to utilize a smooth mix of her magic in hopes of seeing results. She had only mostly anticipated his reaction, seeing as his sensory of emotions was so heightened, there was no doubt he would pick up on the harsh effects of her aura. The energy of Wonderland was madness and insanity invoking. The soul that granted her the specific ability was called ‘Jabberwocky’, and though she had not personally met the spirit, she was very familiar with the powers his soul granted her. Along with that aura, the Bakedanuki used her yokai ability to change the essence and signature of everything around, which enabled her to pinpoint her guildmate’s soul. Without the Wonderland ability added in, however, she would not be able to so easily affect the soul, at least not without potentially devastating side effects.

As soon as she realized the pain hit him, the ayakashi shrouded the two in an illusion of her own. She sealed off the area to the eyes and ears of others. After all, they would not want to wake the avian librarian with her aura or his screams. Tanukis were known for their use of masterful illusions. It was an ability that almost every raccoon dog yokai possessed, and would naturally be very adept in, especially so if they bothered to train the ability. Foxes came close to their ability, though fell short when compared to the tanuki and the weasel.

At first, her attempted appeared to be working, as she shifted Oras’ soul to a singular nature. The victory was short lived, however, as the soul quickly rejected the outside attempt at changing its signature. It would be pointless to continue trying. Izayuki frowned at the denial of her magic by the soul, and sealed her flow of magic once again. Oras had fallen to the ground, having had a toll taken on him by the madness-based magic. The Bakedanuki only watched him fall without much expression, before finally releasing her use of magic upon finding it unfruitful.

The soul was shifting again at an incredibly rapid pace, at least three times faster than before, and Oras himself was only barely recovering from being exposed to her Wonderland magic’s aura. Lowering herself down to the twitching Oras, Izayuki released the illusion of silence from the library itself, seeing no more need for it. “Well, that didn’t work,” she commented, her tail flicking slightly. If she had a decent healing spell, she would have used it on him. Unfortunately, nothing in her arsenal could heal mental and emotional trauma, nor was she even a very good healer. Most healing spells did not work on her, so there was no point in trying to learn any outside of her two main magics.

Clearly, the torment he went through had no direct effect or impact on the Bakedanuki. Part of it was the fact she knew her own power would not kill him unless she willed it to, while the other part was simply a disconnect between her own mind and human emotions. She had grown accustomed to the insanity of Wonderland, having had to deal with it and learn to control it over such a long period of time. “You okay, now?” she questioned, sitting comfortably on her knees next to Oras, with her silver tail folded over her lap.



[648]

The toll her magic had taken on him was impressive, even to her own eyes. Had her power really grown that exponentially? She did not think he was that fragile or weak, and thus acknowledged that it must have been her own power that brought him to the floor so easily. The true nature of the aura was simply the exposed presence of the ten other souls inside of her, each with their own trauma and emotions, all released at once. It would claw at the mind of those around-- at least, any not mentally and emotionally prepared. His observation was quite accurate, even if there were not millions of souls, each soul had a level of power of its own, and altogether could be devastating to the mind.

She only nodded in response to his question, half expecting the outburst to follow. Humans certainly did not enjoy surprises. Alongside the hurt in his eyes, Izayuki noticed something new-- his own emotions being conveyed out into the atmosphere, and to her. She knew that this was no ability of her own, but must be direct from Oras’ soul. The very idea of it caused the Bakedanuki to subtly grin as she felt the rush of emotions and waited for him to finish. “You should hold your tongue-- you were the one who asked me for my help. If you didn’t want me to give it my all, and if you weren’t prepared, you shouldn’t have asked. It cost me some magic and a fair amount of my own soul and mental power to even use that ability-- I wouldn’t do that for just a ‘tool’ or ‘experiment’,” Izayuki said, not with any anger, but with an intrigued and amused grin instead. “I tried to pinpoint and change your soul from the outside, to see if it would stop the flux. The only way to do that was to use my ‘Wonderland’ magic, which is steeped in madness. The aura of it couldn’t kill you though, so I wasn’t worried.”

Each time she used an ability or spell of Wonderland, it plunged her mind an inch further into the thick madness. The further she walked into ‘Wonderland’, the closer she was to becoming a part of it. Should that happen, her life would no longer be what it was-- she would be a soul to be used for power, and nothing more, or so the spirits had explained. “If you aren’t prepared to do whatever it takes to learn about your soul, and if you can’t accept any outcome, quit now.”

“Luckily, it seems that my magic at least did something,” she continued, standing up slowly. “Your soul is now projecting your own emotions outward. Is that intentional, on your part?” the Bakedanuki asked, extending a hand to help him up off of the floor.




[474 / 4,492 // 7,000]

“Dense?” Izayuki echoed, blinking and retracting her hand as she listened to him with silver ears angled in curiosity. Her grin faded while she focused on what he said with internal confusion, likely something he could feel. It was sincere confusion, but the words reminded her of something said long ago-- likely, words that she had long forgotten.

The curious Bakedanuki shook her head as he finished. “You speak from another perspective entirely-- one I don’t understand so easily,” she responded gently, attempting to do her best to fully grasp what he was talking about. All she could understand was that he was mad at her for her version of ‘help’ having a nasty side effect. Humans certainly did not like surprises, and liked to be informed before anything fantastic happened, even if it was in their favor, she noted. “I’m denser than a human child in your eyes, but in reality, I am as wise as an ayakashi my age. I can’t see things the same way as humans. Your mental and emotional world is an overall mystery to me.”

She utilized the general ‘you’, and spoke about mankind in general. It was at times like these where a good part of her regretted her exchange with Torochi. Having at least a sliver of human nature made situations like this much smoother. Presently, her judgement and decisions were based on instinct first and foremost, logic second, and emotions last. It used to be the other way around. “I understand how emotions, trust, help, and cooperation in a much different way than you humans,” Izayuki stated neutrally and calmly, attempting to be as clear as she could. Her magic made him feel violated and attacked, despite her intentions not being about hurting him. “I see the world through the lens of a yokai. Especially so after our little encounter with Torochi,” she concluded, flicking her tail dismissively.

While she could not feel much regret over the situation, the Bakedanuki at least could take full responsibility. She noted that he managed to cut off his flow of emotions towards her, but she still was certain he could feel whatever came from her end. It was quite the annoying power, not only for him. Hopefully, he was not looking for an emotion of regret or hurt on her part, as the yokai was merely unable to feel such a thing, other than the pull of responsibility. Surely he would not, as a world run on emotions as the only truth would be quick to disappoint. “Regarding my magic, if you don’t want me to ‘help’ in that regard, I won’t, at least not before asking you. I’m sorry for not understanding,” she said apologetically, content that he had at least made himself clear on the matter, so she could address it. Her hand extended once more to help him up.




[470]

“It’s not as if I don’t feel emotion,” Izayuki mentioned, helping him up to his feet. “Emotion is a coin with two sides, the human side and the yokai side. Obviously, both sides don’t have the same point of view,” she continued, stretching an analogy. It was the closest one her mind could come up with, however. The things that made her happy were not always make a human happy, and vice versa. The things that made her sad or angry were not always ones that would make a human feel negative emotions, and so on and so forth.

The question he asked regarding their journey to Nazo was a subject Izayuki knew she would have to explain before long. “It was a deal,” she answered simply. “I’m pretty much a full blooded yokai, mostly Bakedanuki at that. But in my ancestry, there was a human at some point in time. That human blood can conflict with a yokai’s mind, or make them stronger. Torochi desired that, and in exchange for my freedom from his realm, made me pay that price. Perhaps back then I could understand human nature because I had an ounce of human nature. Just, not anymore,” she explained. The trade was not too bad a deal overall. For the first time, she was a simple ayakashi without that human side weighing her down and clashing with her true nature. There was less mental noise, and that was always a good thing.

“When you died, I acted on my instinct to protect. You’re a guildmate, the only family I have left, and I’ll protect my family no matter the cost,” Izayuki said, her crimson eyes lighting up with a slight ferocity despite her calm and gentle, but determined tone. It was a warm ferocity-- that of a family leader who only wished to look out for their loved once. “So, the short answer is yes, I did care, and I still do.”




[326]

She had been raised by humans, technically. Though her earliest years were spent with her mother in the forest, being raised as a humble tanuki, after she moved on after her mother’s death, she was taken in by a human village. Of course, the village had at first been pranked and tricked by the young Bakedanuki, who used them as a target to practice her illusions. Upon being discovered, however, they did not kill or chase her out, but took her in. One of the village warriors, Naugrem, personally had taken her in, and taught her how to read and write, some basic socials skills and manners, and to not claw or bite someone who upset her. Additionally, he had taught her swordplay. It was a shame that the goddess of ice had seen them all murdered, frozen alive.

She knew how to interact with humans thanks to those days, and overall could understand their emotions and mentality on a very shallow level. But when it came to her impulsive decisions, human emotions were not considered-- only mononoke ones were. He began to respond, however, and the Bakedanuki took instant note of the flattery after the offer to help, and was unsurprised to then hear the mild lecture to follow.

Izayuki was capable of still relating to humans in any way she wished. It was easy to pretend-- deception was right up an Obake’s alley. But her true self was what she tried to portray when around her guild, along with her better side when she could. She was not hostile and untrusting of her guildmates-- only the outside world. “If you want,” the Bakedanuki replied with a shrug, deciding to not blow off the offer, since she understood he was trying to help. She personally felt she was fine as was, with only a few mishaps here and there that she learned from in the present, if at all. She was not so fond of a human telling her what was right and wrong when it came to relationships, either, especially since humans themselves were flawed, and such subjects could boil down to personality and preference. Nevertheless, she chose to take it with a grain of salt. The guild master began to walk out of that aisle between bookshelves, once again gesturing with her tail for the red-haired man to follow. “Though, it’s not like I don’t have any grasp at all on how the human mind works. I was raised in my early years by humans, I’ve spent so much time around them later in life, and I even married one. I might not have human blood anymore, and I might make a mistake once in a while, but isn’t that normal, even for humans?”



[455 / 5,743 // 7,000]

Izayuki listened curiously, but also half-heartedly, to Oras’ suggestion. She did not enjoy him bringing her guildmates into it, stating they would lose trust and loyalty over her actions. Like hell would she actually allow that to happen, and the very suggestion put her on edges. That was, until he continued in the most amusing manner. Normally, in the present she did not think long and hard about what she said to someone. It just came out in the best way, or worst way, she could put it. She had little time to care for the feelings of others outside the guild or when it came to business. When it did come to personal things, such as guildmates requesting individual help, she had at least learned not to use magic on them without secondary permission.

What it sounded like to the ayakashi was that he was enabling her at least when it came to interaction with him, even if he would point out any behaviors he did not personally like. But, another thing she appreciated did come to light. Like her, he was ever so curious for information and to learn. Though his interests differed somewhat from hers, the trait itself was the same. The guild master could not help but chuckle as he concluded. “You’re a glutton for punishment, then~” she joked. Would he really be okay with such a thing, she wondered. “Fine. It’s more for your education, after all.”

Her reply was carefree but accepting. Personally, she doubted she would need his help, or even find a chance to encounter it. Nevertheless, he offered the perfect excuse in case she ever did make a mistake again. She knew she was not perfect, and though she tried, she was well used to messing up by now. At least having a safety cushion was always a good thing. In response to what he continued to say, the yokai nodded in agreement. If she knew anyone safe to talk to, she would tell him. However, she was in no hurry to risk both their lives for the sake of quick answers. They had already done that once, and it was not going to happen again anytime too soon. “For work in the mafia, just keep alert. Do that investigation you planned to do on some of the members. You can still look into Viper, also known as Kataleya, if you like. Or take my word for it that there’s a good reason she’s here,” Izayuki answered with a shrug. “You can talk to Kiru, an Underboss and the Caporegime of the Roots division if you like, for more advice and a task or two. Or wait for orders from me or an Underboss for Stigma, which has no Caporegime presently.”


[461 / 6,204 // 7,000]

“I’ll do my best~” she replied with a shrug and a grin. Anyone who stuck around her too long was bound to get hurt, but surely everyone who knew her knew this by now. It was something she had observed all her life. Hopefully, without the curse of human blood, however, she would see a change in that. Tanukis were supposed to be lucky and bringers of fortune, after all. She would enjoy a chance at living up to her species’ role and expectation. On the flipside, anyone who abused a tanuki would be quick to meet misfortune and a devastating end. Their powers were rather straightforward and smooth. She just had never looked too far into her ayakashi capabilities back then, seeing no need to dive into the very magic that fueled the superstitious. But now, things were different.

Her ears once again angled in curiosity, Izayuki continued to listen to her guildmate, internally amused at his lack of understanding of the mafia ranks, even still. “I think you’re still a bit confused on the ranking system,” the guild master said gently, walking down the long aisles of books with Oras. “Underbosses are the mafia role for the Aces of the guild. Caporegime are division leaders. Sometimes, a member may also be both an Underboss and a Caporegime, or one of those and a ‘Soldier’-- an average member-- of another Division. Kiru is an ace of mine, thus an Underboss. She is also the Caporegime of the Roots Division,” she explained with a casual smile. "Caelum is the Caporegime of Roots, Irina is the Caporegime of Leaves, and Sakura is the Caporegime of Petals. The Caporegime of Stigma, Haley, left the guild for Silver Wolf. She’s still our ally, though, and I trust her.”

Her words were more a suggestion than a request for trust. In a way, Izayuki did not expect Oras to not look into their new guildmate based on her alone. If he did, she would have made a poor choice on putting him into the divisions she did. Izayuki was aware of this, and had faith in him. She looked forward to hearing about the fruit of his investigation. “I haven’t yet found anyone who I feel can replace Haley just yet, but I’m keeping my eyes open. Someone will come along who fits the bill,” she concluded with a dismissive flick of her tail. Indeed, she had a couple of candidates in mind. She was only waiting for the perfect time to come.


[420 blaze it / 6,624 // 7,000]