the undiscovered.

When you own the world, you're always home.  Hey there! I'm Izumi, globe-trotter and collector of all things rare and valuable precious. Oh, and I'm tons of fun, to boot. Welcome! [ Independent roleplay blog for a custom character. Izumi is designed primarily for the Yu Yu Hakusho universe, but don't let that deter you! Multiverse-friendly, OC-friendly (obviously), generally-friendly. Let's write together! ]

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi stepped from a patch of shadow by a large building and took in her surroundings. She took a tentative sniff of the air and wrinkled her nose. The smells of blood and rancid, decaying flesh; all too familiar. So it’s not going to be such an easy retrieval after all. Quiet night? No. Easy mission? Also no. This was why she had a crippling fear of optimism. 

Underneath the smell of death, however, she was still able to pick up on the two scents from earlier. She isolated them and carefully started in their general direction. At one point, they diverged. One became distinctly more muffled but was still barely detectable. Izumi assumed it went inside. Inside was where the death smell was coming from… so just for now, she avoided that.

She followed the other scent and paused several yards away from its source. She could see a tall man standing there. The voice she’d heard earlier seemed to belong to a ladyfolk, so she could only assume that this was the driver of the motorcycle.

Izumi was always a bit on the defensive, so she figured she’d be safe enough without offense. She saw that he was holding a gun and ruled out sneaking up as an approach. Fine. Straight-on it is.

She took a few steps toward the figure. Her earlier irritation had been somewhat diffused by curiosity, but it was still there. It was still evident in her voice, if he listened closely enough. “Good evening,” she said once in earshot. “Were you driving the motorcycle that nearly decapitated me?” When it came to guilt-tripping, she always erred on the side of dramatic.

[hellsingxmisfits]

"Hm?" He turned his head towards the woman, a cigarette now hanging out of his mouth. His usually arrogant smirk was replaced with two thin lines, as though he was confused by her question or thinking about it.

After a few seconds, he gave resounding snap!

"Aw yeah~! Now I remember~" He flicked the ash of the end of his cigarette. "Thought I somethin’ goin’ through those Goddamned bushes~!"

Sadly for her, he was incapable of even feeling the slightest bit of guilt or remorse. It wasn’t her specifically… He was just… always that way.

Jan laughed, "Woulda been messy as shit if I did hit ya~ Probably woulda got my ass hounded for it too!" Obliviously so. "Buuuut~ I didn’t so I don’t see what the fuckin’ problem is here~"

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi waited patiently while he waited for the memory to return. When it did, she grinned and nodded to match his enthusiasm... though the expression didn't seem nearly as genuine. It lasted for a sarcastic few seconds before her face settled into a slight scowl. 

"Okay," she said after he'd finished speaking. "Jan, the bloody asshole. Right, I get it. Fine." She could have spent time chasing after something resembling an apology, but she got the vibe that it would be a long, fruitless journey. Did that equal forgiveness? Hell no. She was just storing that irritation away for a more convenient time. But, for now...

"So, what died?" She sniffed at the air again and the pierced nose promptly scrunched up again. "Since you were in such an awful hurry to get here, I hope that it was at least for something important." She looked at him with one raised eyebrow. "Did your companion abandon you to go do the hard and dirty work?"

[demonadrift-blog]

"Ain't nobody callin'. Ain't nobody home. What a lovely day to be lonely."

[demonadrift-blog]

Get to know the mun!

knowing your partner well makes writing together a lot easier. tag this with the people you enjoy roleplaying with but want to get to know better.

pls don’t reblog. show some mercy.

tagged by: karatails tagging: three-little-hellsings ignisetsanguis (even though we haven't roleplayed yet, I hope we might one of these days because you seem really cool!)

BASICS:

name: Ada age: 23 preferred pronouns: she/her sexuality: Not 100% sure, but asexual seems to fit the most. There's a more accurate term that is sadly escaping me now... zodiac sign: Taurus, the stubborn jerk-bull.. or so they tell me.  taken or single: Single with no desire to mingle...  >> three facts: 1.) I have an irrational fear of/loathing for wet paper. Like... seriously. Looking at it gives me heebie-jeebies. 

2.) I connect to music I like the same way I connect to people I like: passionate, emotional connection. I subject a lot of my friends to listening to my favorite songs, provided with enthusiastic commentary. (Bonus fact: I have patient friends.)

3.) I've been told that I make a damn good latte.   EXPERIENCE:

how long (months/years?): Oh man... around 13-15 years?  xD  Granted the first few years were absolutely horrible, but I had enough fun to stick with it! how’d you start: AOL chat rooms! I think I started out with Pokemon and Sailor Moon.  platforms you’ve used: AOL/AIM, MSN messenger, Tumblr, message boards, (insert adjective)journal... even text messages!  worst experience: Not too many in-character bad experiences. My worst experiences are dealing with people who are rude and catty out-of-character, but luckily, that doesn't happen much. Being ignored is always a bummer, too!

MUSE PREFERENCES:

female or male: Outisde of Tumblr, I have a pretty even mix, so it's hard to pick. Female comes more naturally.  original or canon: OC. I like having complete creative control without having to worry about making some act out of character. Expect a canon or two here pretty soon... favorite face: Animated: Lightning from Final Fantasy. Realistic: A tie between Barbara Palvin and Giza Lagarce.  least favorite face: I actually can't really think of one! Maybe the really overused ones, but eh...  multi or single: Probably multiship. I haven't shipped anything here yet, so I don't really know, haha. 

WRITING PREFERENCES:

fluff, angst or smut: A tie between fluff and angst. Picking one is hard! plots or memes: Plots, because I don't have a ton of memes to work with.  xD long or short replies: I tend to err on the long side... best time to write: Night time, with good music and hookah! do you like your muse(s): I love my Zumi-boo. All of my muses are my babies and I would have trouble playing someone I didn't like.

[demonadrift-blog]

Missions Gone Wrong

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi nodded her agreement. She’d always be a predator, certainly, but there were certain things on her ick list that she just couldn’t get past. Picky-eater Izumi? There’s a snowball fight in Hell. “Yeah. You can almost smell the factory on some of the things they eat.” Her expression then became something caught between a smile and a cringe. “Every once in a while, certain friends will try to sneak it into dinner. They try to hide it under all kinds of spices and such, but the smell is too distinct.” 

"Oh, the priests and such can be impossible to win over. Every once in a while, a lack of ill intention on your part is enough to get them off your back, but not usually. I used to avoid small human villages altogether; the mob mentality sets in so easily once someone gets them riled up." She shook her head at the thought. She couldn’t blame them entirely; the unknown could be scary, no matter what you were. 

"Illusions have definitely made things easier. As long as you’re not working against someone who can easily see through them," she said, pausing to smirk, "they can be pretty foolproof. It’s an extremely flexible magic and nearly anyone can tailor it their needs—with some work, of course." Most learners did stop at visual illusions and that was usually enough, but Izumi, with many years of discipline behind her, could affect every sense. “If you’d ever like to learn a little more about them, let me know. The magic I used early was very simple, but I’ve learned some things that I’m sure could help you out.” 

"Complain? About you loading them up with sugar and sending them home?" She laughed a little. "I can’t imagine why." Every once in a while, Izumi would look after a friend’s child and she always did the same thing. Sure, have some more cake. Your mother’s picking you up soon...

"Well, thanks! I’ll surely take you up on that sometime. You’re more than welcome to visit me too, if you’d like. I’ve been doing a lot of work in the human world, so I’ve been living there primarily." She also had a place in the Makai which, despite her limited time there, felt a little more like home. She finished off her cider and set down the mug. "I’ve already taken a fair amount of your time though. I’m sure you have things that need your attention.”

[karatails-archive]

"Agreed. Humans smell distinct, and there is no way around it. When I am traveling I usually stop at inns that don’t normally sell human as part of their meals. Granted humans are hard for normal demons to get a hold of, but I don’t want to take the chance of accidentally eating human. Heck, I try to keep any sentient creatures off my menu, but with inns, you never can tell what has been put into the stewpot." Generally the inns she frequented kept themselves to demon animals only, but every now and again, they had to find a way to get rid of a body after a brawl.

Another nod. “Small villages are the worst. I find bigger towns and city priests are more understanding, since some demons already live there. I can usually get them off my back if I just chatter enthusiastically about the things I am buying. But it doesn’t always work.” especially looking as she did. “Mob mentality and priests who have an ability to banish my illusions. He was a high level psychic, which not only made him a target for demons, but also he could see through my illusion naturally and since he was religious, he mistook me for the the deadly sin gluttony come to swallow him and the town whole. I never fled so fast in my life. He was already regarded as a town hero for banishing and killing various demons, but after this I am sure the village wanted to make him a saint.”

She knew her illusions were rusty, and it was a sore point for her, seeing as most psychics and other demons could see through them. Why she had passed the illusions class was a mystery to her. Oh wait. No it wasn’t. She had to pass because royalty could never fail a class. The real mystery was why her parents had not hired special tutors for her. Maybe she hadn’t told them how badly she was doing, out of shame? Those far off years were foggy to her mind, and she said as much to her guest. “I would really appreciate the help. I honestly have no idea why I passed my illusions class in the first place, when I was a hatchling.” A grin ended the sentence. “And if you help, you are welcome to any meal I have on hand, especially the cookies” Bribing with food was perfectly acceptable, seeing as her cooking was so excellent. 

A well placed accusation, and Kara lifted her wings and hands in a ‘what else can you do?’ gesture. Kids were cute and needed to be stuffed full of cookies. There was no way around it. However, her gaze shifted to the door, sensing a presence at the door. “Oh I dont mean to rush you off. I dont mind guests staying a while. Anyways I think one of the kits are here, if you dont mind staying longer. They always seem to know when they are being talked about.”

The dragoness hopped off her stool and headed over to the door, opening it with a fond smile on her face. Outside was a small kit, with brown fur and hair, and silver tips on her ears and tail. The young female wore her hair two ponytails, and when she saw the dragoness, she giggled and raised her hands. “Kara!”

The dragoness knelt to pick her up, settling her on her hip. “Izumi, this is Ayame.”

The kit waved and stuck a finger from her other hand in her mouth, and started sucking, watching Izumi. “Ta-uki” 

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi couldn't help but chuckle to herself a bit. "Adventurer rule number sixteen: always pack food when you're staying at an inn." Her features scrunched up a bit as she wrinkled her nose. "Had to learn that one the hard way. One ambiguous pot of stew is enough to change your entire point of view about food that people make for you." Naturally, she always appreciated the gesture, but simply accepting something just because it was in front of you... that was bound to lead to trouble eventually. 

Her expression took on a note of sympathy once she heard Kara's story. "That must have been rough... I really do like most humans, but they have that awful tendency to project their beliefs onto everyone around them. It's hard for them to accept that there are exceptions to their rules." She shrugged. "Well, some of them, anyway. I suppose it's hard to blame them. The world is so much bigger than most of them seem to think. Adjusting to certain realities must be tricky if you were raised to believe certain things." She grinned and added, "I guess we'll just have to keep proving them wrong until we're all on the same page." And how many centuries would that take? Despite a virtual guarantee of a long, long life--provided she didn't screw up along the way--Izumi wasn't certain that she'd see 100% tolerance for all sides in her lifetime. 

"Well, from what I can tell, you shouldn't have much of a problem with improving. You seem quite powerful, from what I can sense." It wasn't a flippant comment, either; if Izumi was having any kind of interaction with someone, it was a sure thing that she'd analyze them as much as she could. She didn't trust the world enough to go into a situation without some kind of preparation. "I'll warn you though--it can be dangerous. The wrong kind of person can use it to do terrible things." She grimaced slightly when she said that, her memories taking her back to a place that made her feel cold and sick. "But there's something so undeniably trustworthy about you. I don't think the ability would be in bad hands." She smiled and clapped her hands together. "Just let me know when you'd like to train. In the meantime, focus on your thoughts and whatever you already know of illusions. It sounds cheesy, but you need a strong sense of imagination and creativity. Otherwise, it's loads more difficult." She added, with a wry smile, "This is between you and me, but I'll do a lot of things for good food. I don't have a lot of time to cook, so it's always a treat..." Between you and me? Please. Anyone who knew Izumi knew that her heart lived on her taste buds.

Her eyebrows rose when Kara mentioned company. "Oh? Well, if that's the case, staying would be the right thing to do. I'm off work and the only thing I have waiting on me is a pile of books." Social life? What's that? "Her ears must have been burning."

She smiled when the door opened to reveal a young kitsune. She was quiet until introduced, and once that happened, she offered a friendly smile. Her nature was of the blunt-son-of-a-bitch variety, but friendly wasn't a hard transition for her. 

"Ah, it seems that Ayame as just as perceptive as I thought she would be." To accentuate the kinship just a bit more, she allowed a pair of black and white tanuki ears to surface from their disguise, as well as a full, fluffy tail. She looked at the snickerdoodle crumbs on her plate before facing the young demon with a sly smile. "I was going to eat all of the cookies that Kara made, but I stopped myself because I heard you really like them, too." 

[heaven-ly-mind]

Valley of the Ten Peaks by Sarah Marino

[josifbailey]

[demonadrift-blog]

Nightlights. 

[demonadrift-blog]

Missions Gone Wrong

[demonadrift-blog]

So that was a little too far! Now she knew. “Got it, got it,” she said with an apologetic little laugh. “Yeah. I’ve got a couple of friends who think I’m odd for not eating humans, but… like you said, they’re a little sketchy.” She smiled. “And I quite like humans. They’re strange in their habits and beliefs, but some of them have a bit in common with us. They’re too interesting to be food.” That didn’t stop her from using I’ll eat you! as a scary threat for humans who happened to be in her way. 

"You’re telling me," she said with a small snort. "I’ve had at least four humans try to exorcise me after catching a glimpse of me being… ah, out of character." She took a sip of cider. "That was back when acting human was still a new thing for me." These days it was easy for her to blend in just about anywhere, but it took a few decades of observation. "I guess that’s what makes these times different. People believe less in what they can’t explain, so they have to find scapegoats among themselves." She shrugged. "Oh, well. I suppose it takes a little heat off of us."

It was plain to see how highly Kara regarded these thieves. Izumi might have to see it for herself to truly believe it, but she was willing to give the benefit of a doubt. “It must be nice.” Izumi didn’t have a lot of people that she kept very close. Most of the time, she was okay with that, but hearing someone speak so fondly of friends sent off an envious feeling. She was quick to suppress it. 

The kits were easier to talk about; she almost never got child envy. “That’s adorable,” she said with a laugh that she couldn’t help. She tried to imagine children popping up at her home unannounced, and the mental image immediately highlighted some of the differences between Kara and herself. Izumi liked kids, but the ability to be so patient didn’t come that naturally to her. 

She shrugged a little, not appearing bothered at all for the task. “Ah, no worries. We’re all here to look out for each other, right?” She spoke in a tone so neutral that it was hard to tell whether or not she meant that. With a grin, she added, “Mostly, it’s a thank-you for the sweets.” 

[karatails-archive]

Finally, someone who thought the same. Even kitsune ate humans sometimes, depending on their species or upbringing. “I’d much rather have an elk, deer, or rabbit that I knew was eating it’s normal diets. Human food… well there are many delicious ones, but the growing of the ingredients and the processed stuff is something you have to be careful with. And then there is the smoking and the alcoholics and the drug use! Nope.. human will never be on a Fire Dragon’s diet.” And nor would any sentient creature, either. Demons also ate other demons, but the idea of eating something that was capable of higher level thinking repulsed her. 

"I’ve had the same happen over the years too. Especially when I travel to areas i have never been before. The psychics and the priests all strongly object to my presence. The Psychics I can sometimes win over if I have another psychic’s approval or voucher, but the priests? Nope. I have the issue that all I can mask when I appear human is a visual only illusion. So people can run into my tail or wings, people can hear my claws on that concrete of theirs, and people who are even small time psychics can sense my demonic aura." She rubbed the back of her head, tail curling under her chair. "Illusions on moving objects are not my strong point. The other spells, I aced, but illusions was something I was never good at, which is a shame since I really need better illusions when traversing the human realm."

"The kits are my favorite part of living here. They are such scamps, but I love them dearly. Though their parents complain that I spoil them, but how could I not?" Though Kara wanted kids of her own some day, she was content with the kits. 

"Right, and you can visit any time you want for more food and sweet. I always have something or other lying about."The more friends who visited, the happier Kara was.

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi nodded her agreement. She'd always be a predator, certainly, but there were certain things on her ick list that she just couldn't get past. Picky-eater Izumi? There's a snowball fight in Hell. "Yeah. You can almost smell the factory on some of the things they eat." Her expression then became something caught between a smile and a cringe. "Every once in a while, certain friends will try to sneak it into dinner. They try to hide it under all kinds of spices and such, but the smell is too distinct." 

"Oh, the priests and such can be impossible to win over. Every once in a while, a lack of ill intention on your part is enough to get them off your back, but not usually. I used to avoid small human villages altogether; the mob mentality sets in so easily once someone gets them riled up." She shook her head at the thought. She couldn't blame them entirely; the unknown could be scary, no matter what you were. 

"Illusions have definitely made things easier. As long as you're not working against someone who can easily see through them," she said, pausing to smirk, "they can be pretty foolproof. It's an extremely flexible magic and nearly anyone can tailor it their needs--with some work, of course." Most learners did stop at visual illusions and that was usually enough, but Izumi, with many years of discipline behind her, could affect every sense. "If you'd ever like to learn a little more about them, let me know. The magic I used early was very simple, but I've learned some things that I'm sure could help you out." 

"Complain? About you loading them up with sugar and sending them home?" She laughed a little. "I can't imagine why." Every once in a while, Izumi would look after a friend's child and she always did the same thing. Sure, have some more cake. Your mother's picking you up soon...

"Well, thanks! I'll surely take you up on that sometime. You're more than welcome to visit me too, if you'd like. I've been doing a lot of work in the human world, so I've been living there primarily." She also had a place in the Makai which, despite her limited time there, felt a little more like home. She finished off her cider and set down the mug. "I've already taken a fair amount of your time though. I'm sure you have things that need your attention."

[demonadrift-blog]

Missions Gone Wrong

[karatails-archive]

  "Aye. Human lore has European area dragons, like my kind are, being murderous terrorizing brutes who steal treasure and eat humans and lay towns to waste with our fiery breath. We got the short end of the stick, then, but we eventually relocated mostly to Makai, in the Eastern mountains, and we were able to have a new start. These days human lore on our kind is much better, though we cant reveal ourselves to the public, of course." Another bite was taken out of her cookie. "And of course you probably know the Makai lore on Fire Dragons. Obnoxiously honorable, hard to hire, human friendly, and rumors of ties with Rekai."

The ties with Rekai was true. Her long ago ancestors had bargained with the King Enma for the ability to go between Ningenkai and Rekai with no trouble from the Rekai Task Force. Enma still tried to be underhanded on sending the task force out, but it was true that Fire Dragons had agreements with the Spirit World. 

At Izumi’s words, Kara chuckled. “Well actually I have two famous thief friends. A Kitsune, and a bat demon. Jou is normally not here, but Kuronue stops by every now and again. But I guess that is what happens when you move out. You make friends with people your parents would disapprove of. Seems quite common.” Her wings lifted in a shrug and she took a sip of her cider. “This is a kitsune forest, part of a large mainly kitsune populated territory. The kits come to my house pretty frequently, so you might see them sometime.”

She was just musing about the kits when Izumi said something that made her tail curl in suspicion. The look she leveled the tanuki was one of wariness. But she waited while she heard her out, and finally settled, tail flicking back and forth as she thought. “I suppose. It would be helpful to not have to worry about some fool trying to steal my stuff all the time. Sure, go ahead, I guess.”

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi nodded along with the human-given stereotypes that Kara listed for her kind, eyebrows pulling up to feign a surprised expression. “Well, I did assume that these cookies were baked with a bit of human. Am I wrong, or…?” Cue one troll grin. Of course, she was being sarcastic in good humor, but it was also in the spirit of getting to know someone new. Pushing the limit was often her favorite way to identify exactly where it was. 

Yes, really. And she had the nerve to wonder why she didn’t have more friends.

"Yeah," she said, expression returning to normal quickly enough. "I guess no one really escapes the labeling process, huh?" She shrugged. "Whatever keeps everyone entertained, I suppose."

The two thieves that Kara named were familiar. Izumi always tried to avoid making blanket generalizations over any group—any. With thieves, however, it was a bit tricky. Kara seemed to have a good head on her shoulders and Izumi couldn’t imagine her keeping terrible company; Izumi bit back on whatever mild disdain she felt. 

"Well, everyone needs a few good rebellious years," she said with a smile. She finished the snickerdoodle in her hand and was content to leave the rest alone… at least for a while. "I wouldn’t mind meeting them. Kids are such funny things." She admired their ability to always say what they were thinking.

"Great! It’ll be a favor to you, and I’ll get to crush a dream. Everyone wins," she said with a wink. "Well, you know. Almost everyone. Really, it’s mostly out of spite, at this point. I don’t appreciate dishonesty." Heaps of irony there.

[karatails-archive]

At the attempted jest, Kara started coughing as she choked on the sip of cider she had just taken. “Ugh, don’t even joke. We don’t eat humans. For one thing, they put so much toxins and unhealthy stuff in their bodies that you might as well be eating animals you find at one of their nuclear waste plants. I have been told they taste like pig, and we don’t eat pig either… and eating humans gets you a bad rap from your human friends, more importantly.” Kara shuddered and wrapped her tail around the stool legs. “Sorry, we just… the very idea is appalling.” Despite humans being a popular delicacy among most demons, the Fire dragons had tried hard to get away from the idea that their kind consumed human flesh. Another thing to further set her kind apart from other demons, of course.

"Nay, no one does, especially if there are humans or religious humans about. Religious humans of the european faiths accounted for most of the… er.. demonization and labeling of other species, as it were. Stars take it! They even demonized their own kind if they did not have the same religious stance. Crazy creatures, they are." The dragoness shook her head, and took another cookie. This was her second, and it looked like the kits would not have as many to fill themselves with. No matter, there was plenty more cookies in her cookie drawer.

"Aye, and both are good friends and very loyal, unlike most. Jou is a favorite around here due to being a powerful kitsune, and Kuronue… well he is simply a good friend of mine and he helps me figure out the weak points in my hoard’s protection. Saved my life a time or two, too." Kara was very happy with the two that she counted as her close friends, and it showed with the way she relaxed and her eyes lit up when speaking about them. 

The happy glow to her eyes stayed there as they touched upon one of her favorite subjects; the Kits. Her tail started a slow content wag as her mind turned to the little ones. “There are 18 or so local, and they all adopted me as their Aunt when I moved here. I am sure one of them will stop by if they smell the cookies. Ayame is my favorite, but don’t tell the others. She’s still learning to speak whole sentences.”

Kara nodded and sighed. “I wish it didnt have to happen at all, but I’m grateful for the help, honestly I am.”

[karatails-archive]

  "Aye. Human lore has European area dragons, like my kind are, being murderous terrorizing brutes who steal treasure and eat humans and lay towns to waste with our fiery breath. We got the short end of the stick, then, but we eventually relocated mostly to Makai, in the Eastern mountains, and we were able to have a new start. These days human lore on our kind is much better, though we cant reveal ourselves to the public, of course." Another bite was taken out of her cookie. "And of course you probably know the Makai lore on Fire Dragons. Obnoxiously honorable, hard to hire, human friendly, and rumors of ties with Rekai."

The ties with Rekai was true. Her long ago ancestors had bargained with the King Enma for the ability to go between Ningenkai and Rekai with no trouble from the Rekai Task Force. Enma still tried to be underhanded on sending the task force out, but it was true that Fire Dragons had agreements with the Spirit World. 

At Izumi’s words, Kara chuckled. “Well actually I have two famous thief friends. A Kitsune, and a bat demon. Jou is normally not here, but Kuronue stops by every now and again. But I guess that is what happens when you move out. You make friends with people your parents would disapprove of. Seems quite common.” Her wings lifted in a shrug and she took a sip of her cider. “This is a kitsune forest, part of a large mainly kitsune populated territory. The kits come to my house pretty frequently, so you might see them sometime.”

She was just musing about the kits when Izumi said something that made her tail curl in suspicion. The look she leveled the tanuki was one of wariness. But she waited while she heard her out, and finally settled, tail flicking back and forth as she thought. “I suppose. It would be helpful to not have to worry about some fool trying to steal my stuff all the time. Sure, go ahead, I guess.”

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi nodded along with the human-given stereotypes that Kara listed for her kind, eyebrows pulling up to feign a surprised expression. “Well, I did assume that these cookies were baked with a bit of human. Am I wrong, or…?” Cue one troll grin. Of course, she was being sarcastic in good humor, but it was also in the spirit of getting to know someone new. Pushing the limit was often her favorite way to identify exactly where it was. 

Yes, really. And she had the nerve to wonder why she didn’t have more friends.

"Yeah," she said, expression returning to normal quickly enough. "I guess no one really escapes the labeling process, huh?" She shrugged. "Whatever keeps everyone entertained, I suppose."

The two thieves that Kara named were familiar. Izumi always tried to avoid making blanket generalizations over any group—any. With thieves, however, it was a bit tricky. Kara seemed to have a good head on her shoulders and Izumi couldn’t imagine her keeping terrible company; Izumi bit back on whatever mild disdain she felt. 

"Well, everyone needs a few good rebellious years," she said with a smile. She finished the snickerdoodle in her hand and was content to leave the rest alone… at least for a while. "I wouldn’t mind meeting them. Kids are such funny things." She admired their ability to always say what they were thinking.

"Great! It’ll be a favor to you, and I’ll get to crush a dream. Everyone wins," she said with a wink. "Well, you know. Almost everyone. Really, it’s mostly out of spite, at this point. I don’t appreciate dishonesty." Heaps of irony there.

[karatails-archive]

At the attempted jest, Kara started coughing as she choked on the sip of cider she had just taken. “Ugh, don’t even joke. We don’t eat humans. For one thing, they put so much toxins and unhealthy stuff in their bodies that you might as well be eating animals you find at one of their nuclear waste plants. I have been told they taste like pig, and we don’t eat pig either… and eating humans gets you a bad rap from your human friends, more importantly.” Kara shuddered and wrapped her tail around the stool legs. “Sorry, we just… the very idea is appalling.” Despite humans being a popular delicacy among most demons, the Fire dragons had tried hard to get away from the idea that their kind consumed human flesh. Another thing to further set her kind apart from other demons, of course.

"Nay, no one does, especially if there are humans or religious humans about. Religious humans of the european faiths accounted for most of the… er.. demonization and labeling of other species, as it were. Stars take it! They even demonized their own kind if they did not have the same religious stance. Crazy creatures, they are." The dragoness shook her head, and took another cookie. This was her second, and it looked like the kits would not have as many to fill themselves with. No matter, there was plenty more cookies in her cookie drawer.

"Aye, and both are good friends and very loyal, unlike most. Jou is a favorite around here due to being a powerful kitsune, and Kuronue… well he is simply a good friend of mine and he helps me figure out the weak points in my hoard’s protection. Saved my life a time or two, too." Kara was very happy with the two that she counted as her close friends, and it showed with the way she relaxed and her eyes lit up when speaking about them. 

The happy glow to her eyes stayed there as they touched upon one of her favorite subjects; the Kits. Her tail started a slow content wag as her mind turned to the little ones. “There are 18 or so local, and they all adopted me as their Aunt when I moved here. I am sure one of them will stop by if they smell the cookies. Ayame is my favorite, but don’t tell the others. She’s still learning to speak whole sentences.”

Kara nodded and sighed. “I wish it didnt have to happen at all, but I’m grateful for the help, honestly I am.”

[demonadrift-blog]

So that was a little too far! Now she knew. "Got it, got it," she said with an apologetic little laugh. "Yeah. I've got a couple of friends who think I'm odd for not eating humans, but... like you said, they're a little sketchy." She smiled. "And I quite like humans. They're strange in their habits and beliefs, but some of them have a bit in common with us. They're too interesting to be food." That didn't stop her from using I'll eat you! as a scary threat for humans who happened to be in her way. 

"You're telling me," she said with a small snort. "I've had at least four humans try to exorcise me after catching a glimpse of me being... ah, out of character." She took a sip of cider. "That was back when acting human was still a new thing for me." These days it was easy for her to blend in just about anywhere, but it took a few decades of observation. "I guess that's what makes these times different. People believe less in what they can't explain, so they have to find scapegoats among themselves." She shrugged. "Oh, well. I suppose it takes a little heat off of us."

It was plain to see how highly Kara regarded these thieves. Izumi might have to see it for herself to truly believe it, but she was willing to give the benefit of a doubt. "It must be nice." Izumi didn't have a lot of people that she kept very close. Most of the time, she was okay with that, but hearing someone speak so fondly of friends sent off an envious feeling. She was quick to suppress it. 

The kits were easier to talk about; she almost never got child envy. "That's adorable," she said with a laugh that she couldn't help. She tried to imagine children popping up at her home unannounced, and the mental image immediately highlighted some of the differences between Kara and herself. Izumi liked kids, but the ability to be so patient didn't come that naturally to her. 

She shrugged a little, not appearing bothered at all for the task. "Ah, no worries. We're all here to look out for each other, right?" She spoke in a tone so neutral that it was hard to tell whether or not she meant that. With a grin, she added, "Mostly, it's a thank-you for the sweets." 

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi’s eyes narrowed just slightly when the distant purr of a motorcycle hit her ears. Despite temptation, she didn’t change her pace, but if the right kind of someone was paying attention, there was a little, defensive spike in her energy. Because paranoia.

Closer, closer still. It was probably just an ordinary human getting home, right? But as it got a little bit closer, Izumi took a deep breath. Under the gasoline and burning rubber, there was the scent of something… not quite human.

She didn’t have a lot of time to consider options though. An instant later, they were there. Right there. Close enough for her to feel the engine’s vibrations ripple down through the air and into her body. “What the fu—hey!” By the time the brief moment was over, all Izumi could bring herself to do was feel severe annoyance. She would lament her silly reaction later. 

The motorcycle touched down for a bit. She didn’t waste any time in saying—no, shouting, “It’s really fucking rude to get that clo—.” But they were riding away. Her mouth was still open on the word she didn’t get to finish. Oh. Oh. The lashing of mild anger she felt was so sudden that she didn’t give herself time to question it. It looked like they were speeding toward her destination, anyway. Shadowplay. A mere thought of the spell made her vanish into the darkness. Within a few moments, she was there.

Jaaaaaan, you bloody asshole, her thoughts echoed what the passenger had screeched earlier. But sometime in the town wasn’t quite right…

[hellsingxmisfits]

"Jan…" he voice wavered and she shook with rage and anxiety, "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS DO THAT?! YOU ASSHOLE!" She had half a mind to beat him senseless were they not supposed to be focusing on other, more important matters.

"So I can listen to the sound of yer shrill-ass voice screechin’ in my ear ta slow the fuck down," he answered sarcastically, pulling his P90 from the strap on his back. Seras her much more powerful, automatic rifles at her dispose, though she couldn’t bring her Harkonnen with her this time. 

It was just the two of them going on this specific mission, Seras more or less babysitting him for the simple fact that he couldn’t be trusted on his own. Besides, there had been a recent increase in vampiric activity, and their forces had been scattered to try and effectively deal with them all. This was their first location: a small neighborhood infested with ghouls and group of vampires at the source of all this chaos.

"Bugger off!"

"But all that aside, there’re three possible house they could be hiding in, and they’re all at the end of the lane."

"So? Stop yer bitchin’ so we can bust on up in there and pop a cap ‘em!"

"I’ll go after them. I need you to keep watch around the perimeter… There’s… something else here… I’m not quite sure what though… If you come across it, don’t try to fight it. I don’t need you getting yourself killed because you you underestimated the enemy or overestimated yourself or anything! Just keep the ghouls from getting out and killing anymore families. Are we clear?"

"Crystal~" He was so going to look for the thing.

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi stepped from a patch of shadow by a large building and took in her surroundings. She took a tentative sniff of the air and wrinkled her nose. The smells of blood and rancid, decaying flesh; all too familiar. So it's not going to be such an easy retrieval after all. Quiet night? No. Easy mission? Also no. This was why she had a crippling fear of optimism. 

Underneath the smell of death, however, she was still able to pick up on the two scents from earlier. She isolated them and carefully started in their general direction. At one point, they diverged. One became distinctly more muffled but was still barely detectable. Izumi assumed it went inside. Inside was where the death smell was coming from... so just for now, she avoided that.

She followed the other scent and paused several yards away from its source. She could see a tall man standing there. The voice she'd heard earlier seemed to belong to a ladyfolk, so she could only assume that this was the driver of the motorcycle.

Izumi was always a bit on the defensive, so she figured she'd be safe enough without offense. She saw that he was holding a gun and ruled out sneaking up as an approach. Fine. Straight-on it is.

She took a few steps toward the figure. Her earlier irritation had been somewhat diffused by curiosity, but it was still there. It was still evident in her voice, if he listened closely enough. "Good evening," she said once in earshot. "Were you driving the motorcycle that nearly decapitated me?" When it came to guilt-tripping, she always erred on the side of dramatic.

[demonadrift-blog]

A quiet night in the city. An easy assignment that hadn’t taken her long at all. Decent weather for walking. 

Izumi wasn’t at all used to things going so smoothly. 

She walked in a slow, care-free kind of way that felt almost foreign to her, but it was nice. The road was a long, narrow one lined with trees, a connector between neighborhoods. She would have been better off driving or running, but she wasn’t in a hurry to leave that calm silence behind.

Well, near silence; every once in a while, she honed in on the sound of rustling leaves or footsteps over the ground, but it was mostly animals. Nothing that she needed to worry about… or so she told herself.

[hellsingxmisfits]

In the distance, a new sound could be heard: the soft humming of an engine. The closer and closer it got, it showed no signs of slowing… or any real signs of where it was coming from exactly…

Until finally…

A bike with two riders burst from the underbrush and through the air, missing her by just a few feet. All the while, one of the riders, the one clinging to the back of the driver, was screaming her bloody head off.

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! YOU BLOODY ASSHOLE!" 

The bike screeched when it hit the ground, and, with the engine roaring, turned and sped into one of the neighborhoods, a ghoul infested neighborhood.

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi's eyes narrowed just slightly when the distant purr of a motorcycle hit her ears. Despite temptation, she didn't change her pace, but if the right kind of someone was paying attention, there was a little, defensive spike in her energy. Because paranoia.

Closer, closer still. It was probably just an ordinary human getting home, right? But as it got a little bit closer, Izumi took a deep breath. Under the gasoline and burning rubber, there was the scent of something... not quite human.

She didn't have a lot of time to consider options though. An instant later, they were there. Right there. Close enough for her to feel the engine's vibrations ripple down through the air and into her body. "What the fu--hey!" By the time the brief moment was over, all Izumi could bring herself to do was feel severe annoyance. She would lament her silly reaction later. 

The motorcycle touched down for a bit. She didn't waste any time in saying--no, shouting, "It's really fucking rude to get that clo--." But they were riding away. Her mouth was still open on the word she didn't get to finish. Oh. Oh. The lashing of mild anger she felt was so sudden that she didn't give herself time to question it. It looked like they were speeding toward her destination, anyway. Shadowplay. A mere thought of the spell made her vanish into the darkness. Within a few moments, she was there.

Jaaaaaan, you bloody asshole, her thoughts echoed what the passenger had screeched earlier. But sometime in the town wasn't quite right...

[demonadrift-blog]

[karatails-archive]

  Kara suppressed a knowing grin as Izumi took a bite out of the snickerdoodle. While chocolate chip was the favorite cookie of the kits, her snickerdoodles were some of the best around. If her glass shop ever failed, she could make a profitable living off being a chef or baker, it seemed. 

The heat of the cider seemed to please Izumi, and Kara grinned as she nibbled on her own cookie. “Yeah, Fire Dragons are notorious for being honorable. And if you find one that isnt… chances are he was exiled because of his dishonorable behavior. I am already taking chances with some of the friends I have. One is a famous thief, and if my clan found out, there would be quite a lot of things said.”

Kara noted Izumi reaching for more and smiled “You can have more if you want. I bake them by the dozens because I have a bunch of kitsune children who come over all the time. And aye, he is a typical human. Just willing enough to believe in creatures like dragons, and alternate realms, but too prideful and cynical to believe in magic, itself. Baffling creatures, humans.” Kara cut herself off as Izumi talked about… something… being easy. She tilted her head, ad narrowed her eyes at the tanuki. “Just what are you planning?”

[demonadrift-blog]

"I suppose there are worse things you could be notorious for,” she mused, taking up Kara on the offer of another cookie. “Tanuki used to be notorious for being deceptive and horrible—always tricking and possessing people. Now we’re notorious for bringing good luck.” She furrowed her brow a little. “But then, that’s just the human lore, so… you know. That’s always been a bit fickle.” 

There was the slightest, quickest change in Izumi’s expression when Kara mentioned being friends with a famous thief. It was an almost defensive frown that lasted for half a blink of an eye, a reflex that she was used to covering up, not suppressing altogether. An untrained eye would have missed the change entirely; Izumi masked it with another easy smile.

"Luckily, I think I shouldn’t hurt your reputation much. I’ll be great for it." Yes. Nothing like an honest tomb raider collector to make mom and dad feel better. The smug look on her face wasn’t entirely serious… hopefully. 

She took a bite from snickerdoodle casualty #3 as she listened. “Kitsune kits… I bet they have a ball here.” Her kind was related pretty closely to the kitsune; she was quite fond of them. 

"Oh," Izumi said with raised eyebrows, automatically feigning innocence in the face of a slightly suspicious look. "Nothing much. Naturally, I’m going to get that twerp off your back." She took a long sip of cider as her own words sank in a little. "Wait, no, not like that. I won’t hurt him. Just think: all these years, no one’s been able to take the sword, and he’s too much of a coward to come look for it himself." She smirked. "If a super reliable source says it wasn’t here when she looked… who is he to question that?”

[karatails-archive]

"Aye. Human lore has European area dragons, like my kind are, being murderous terrorizing brutes who steal treasure and eat humans and lay towns to waste with our fiery breath. We got the short end of the stick, then, but we eventually relocated mostly to Makai, in the Eastern mountains, and we were able to have a new start. These days human lore on our kind is much better, though we cant reveal ourselves to the public, of course." Another bite was taken out of her cookie. "And of course you probably know the Makai lore on Fire Dragons. Obnoxiously honorable, hard to hire, human friendly, and rumors of ties with Rekai."

The ties with Rekai was true. Her long ago ancestors had bargained with the King Enma for the ability to go between Ningenkai and Rekai with no trouble from the Rekai Task Force. Enma still tried to be underhanded on sending the task force out, but it was true that Fire Dragons had agreements with the Spirit World. 

At Izumi’s words, Kara chuckled. “Well actually I have two famous thief friends. A Kitsune, and a bat demon. Jou is normally not here, but Kuronue stops by every now and again. But I guess that is what happens when you move out. You make friends with people your parents would disapprove of. Seems quite common.” Her wings lifted in a shrug and she took a sip of her cider. “This is a kitsune forest, part of a large mainly kitsune populated territory. The kits come to my house pretty frequently, so you might see them sometime.”

She was just musing about the kits when Izumi said something that made her tail curl in suspicion. The look she leveled the tanuki was one of wariness. But she waited while she heard her out, and finally settled, tail flicking back and forth as she thought. “I suppose. It would be helpful to not have to worry about some fool trying to steal my stuff all the time. Sure, go ahead, I guess.”

[demonadrift-blog]

Izumi nodded along with the human-given stereotypes that Kara listed for her kind, eyebrows pulling up to feign a surprised expression. "Well, I did assume that these cookies were baked with a bit of human. Am I wrong, or...?" Cue one troll grin. Of course, she was being sarcastic in good humor, but it was also in the spirit of getting to know someone new. Pushing the limit was often her favorite way to identify exactly where it was. 

Yes, really. And she had the nerve to wonder why she didn't have more friends.

"Yeah," she said, expression returning to normal quickly enough. "I guess no one really escapes the labeling process, huh?" She shrugged. "Whatever keeps everyone entertained, I suppose."

The two thieves that Kara named were familiar. Izumi always tried to avoid making blanket generalizations over any group--any. With thieves, however, it was a bit tricky. Kara seemed to have a good head on her shoulders and Izumi couldn't imagine her keeping terrible company; Izumi bit back on whatever mild disdain she felt. 

"Well, everyone needs a few good rebellious years," she said with a smile. She finished the snickerdoodle in her hand and was content to leave the rest alone... at least for a while. "I wouldn't mind meeting them. Kids are such funny things." She admired their ability to always say what they were thinking.

"Great! It'll be a favor to you, and I'll get to crush a dream. Everyone wins," she said with a wink. "Well, you know. Almost everyone. Really, it's mostly out of spite, at this point. I don't appreciate dishonesty." Heaps of irony there.

[demonadrift-blog]

A quiet night in the city. An easy assignment that hadn't taken her long at all. Decent weather for walking. 

Izumi wasn't at all used to things going so smoothly. 

She walked in a slow, care-free kind of way that felt almost foreign to her, but it was nice. The road was a long, narrow one lined with trees, a connector between neighborhoods. She would have been better off driving or running, but she wasn't in a hurry to leave that calm silence behind.

Well, near silence; every once in a while, she honed in on the sound of rustling leaves or footsteps over the ground, but it was mostly animals. Nothing that she needed to worry about... or so she told herself.

[earthlynation-blog]

White raccoon dog looking at me seriously (by Tambako the Jaguar)

[ponderation]

[demonadrift-blog]

A reminder of home. 

[earthandanimals]

Satisfied by Cecilie Sønsteby

[demonadrift-blog]

Oh, hello there, sweet baby.

[demonadrift-blog]

Reminder that you can have 600 threads with me or only one, you can drop every thread you want to drop and start as many others as you want, you can reply to other people first and you can take all the time that you need without me stressing you out. This is a stress-free zone!

[magicalnaturetour]

Emerging by porbital