Kuoh Academy

[Bloodedge]

"Hai," Takumi said in response to Eira, though his attention was now being given to Roxanna as she introduced herself. He looked at her with a raised brow while questioning her every conviction. This entire ordeal was quite random. Surely she couldn't be very set on obtaining him as a member of her peerage after only just meeting him. "And why exactly... do you want me?" he asked, seeming genuinely curious at this point in the discussion.

Izuna's ears were beginning to recede into his head, being made obsolete by the growth of fox ears protruding from beneath his hair. He wasn't transforming as a conscious effort, but the rage building within him was making it happen in a way it hadn't occurred for a very long time. Everything the blonde magician said drove him into new depths of detest, and the words of Eira could hardly calm him. Alas, Sköll's movement toward Eira was halted by Izuna's outstretched hand. "Iie," he said. Izuna then reached out to touch the seal on Sköll's leg, applying his Senjutsu to it in conjunction with a technique he obtained from an old friend and rival. Fire would erupt from the seal without its burning effect, and before receding, it would become blue and cold to the touch. This new form of magic would course through Sköll's body, eventually becoming one with her and removing the seal's necessity. However, Izuna's Senjutsu had a different goal. Perhaps Sköll would eventually discover that the seal used to punish would now be one meant to empower using the body's own latent abilities. He knew what she was. Her name and scent were of the north, and the power he felt when applying his Senjutsu told him more than he needed to know. Perhaps she was being limited actively or subconsciously, or perhaps she was just a half-blood who hadn't developed enough yet... but Izuna knew there was no reason for one such as this to have ever be placed under the control of one bratty Devil with a superiority complex. "Don't tell Leishi," he said, speaking to Eira as he rose without looking toward anyone. "And you... Fennexis. It pisses me off that you think you can even call yourself a fox."

[Apollymi]

Takumi's response to Eira was noted there was a smile on the crimson haired heiress' face. She looked forward to more stories from Takumi in their furthered bonding experience. The happiness in her, even in this moment were noted by the lasses sitting around her throne all of whom settled in closer as she took her seat. However, as Roxanna watched this, Takumi chose to question her desire to possess him, and she thought it was rather obvious. "I want you because you behave like a pet and work efficiently. And I want a good news bringing proper pet. Plus she has enough people like that..." she said this so plainly that Eira couldn't help but have her eyes widen. She didn't know if she was more surprised that this girl would say such a thing aloud to someone she wanted to come with her, or just disgusted that she saw nothing wrong with only wanting a person for a singular character trait, specifically when she was so bad at reading personalities. Takumi wasn't just generally subservient, he was this way to Eira, but she supposed this lass would find that out on her own in the next passing moments.

Meanwhile the pup, Eira had intended to rid of her curse, didn't need to come to her. What he did made the small pup's eyes widen as she had enough sense to note the change in the curse on her leg to something else entirely. She wagged her tail happily, "Sugoi! Izuna, arigatou..." she said standing up on her hind paws and pressing hers into his chest. Showing off for all to see exactly how small she was compared to the more adult bodies around her. She was a very affectionate little creature and Eira was disgusted by how nice this little pup happened to be, in comparison to her mistress. And Izuna's show of general skill was one that Eira was familiar enough with that she could only nod her head in appreciation. "Hai hai~" she chimed in response, knowing she'd keep what she knew to herself. Izuna's words to Fennexis made the made look at him strangely, that serene smile remained her face as if she didn't understand the animosity. "Oh? Did I do something that upset you? I was simply doing what was asked, the fact that it allowed me to use new magic was simply a bonus. I don't enjoy causing the pup any pain and I don't see why my status as Kitsunetsuki should upset you..." she said with a lack of morality that Eira found outright disgusting.

[Bloodedge]

"... Hmm..." Takumi thought long and hard about what he could say to this woman after hearing why she wished to possess him. It was ludicrous. She considered him someone subservient by nature? That was a pitiful notion. With that clause alone, Takumi understood the type of person Roxanna was. She was exactly what he detested: one who dared assume the worth of others with no solid proof whatsoever. A deep inhale preceded his next statement. "Sou ka. You think you can command me," he said. In his very next breath, Takumi moved at a speed ridiculous enough to seem as if he'd invoked his Knight piece. This movement took him directly to Roxanna's fore, and upon reaching her, his left fist was already drawn back with the intention of rocketing toward her face with great enough strength to threaten the wall behind Roxanna if she were to be struck by it.

Izuna moved away from Sköll, and more importantly away from Fennexis. The latter didn't even seem to be bothered by her own actions, nor did she comprehend why he was upset. She couldn't possibly know that this was the precise reason he was upset... because she didn't understand. "Kitsunetsuki... What a joke," he claimed while moving toward Eira's throne. "Don't worry. You'll understand later."

[Apollymi]

Eira watched Takumi process the words spoken by Roxanna and knew his reaction would be just as bad if not worse than that of Izuna a bit earlier. She also knew because of her earlier experience with being a target of his outrage, that this version of the lad was very different from his more timid or shy personalities. Still, Eira felt there was a lesson to be learned here and as such she was rather slow with giving a command. "TAKUMI STOP!" that was a direct order with all of the power she'd intended to put into it, and by her own approximation she'd timed it so if it registered it would stop his fist exactly a hair's breadth away from the young woman's face. Worst case scenario she'd be sent flying but since everyone wanted to do exactly this all day, it would hardly be that big a loss. Best case scenario, Eira would get to incidentally show off the difference between them as people. During Takumi's movements alone though the Knight who'd recently had her eye restored had moved to get between Takumi and her mistress yet again putting herself in harms way, which was another expected action by Eira given how this sort of thing generally worked out. That being said, she hadn't expected his snap and simply wouldn't make it in time.

Beyond whatever happened before, whether Takumi's fist made contact with the face of Roxanna or nothing, Izuna had gone back to Eira's throne with only a few parting words spared to Fennexis. "Oh? That does sound threatening..." she said this with that same smile on her face, like she just didn't register this lad as more or less of a threat than anyone else in the room. Only to have her eyes widen when she turned to note the newest member of Eira's peerage directly in front of her own mistress.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi's fist tore through the air. One strike. He needed a single strike against this female Devil to determine her place in the world against where she seemed to think she belonged. Alas, it was not to be. Eira's order did indeed see a halt to his fist, and yet when he looked into the eyes of Roxanna, his own eyes had an absence of the glow they typically had when he accepted these orders. His fist stopped just before reaching Roxanna's face nonetheless, yet the power behind the intended punch produced a gust which would blow past her face. When this happened, the sound of a picture frame hitting the floor would be heard behind Roxanna. It was shattered, but that was the case before it fell.

Takumi wasn't the only person in this spot. In the time it took him to reach Roxanna, Izuna's hand was as close to Takumi's neck as the latter's fist was to Roxanna's face. Izuna had become cloaked in his Touki, and had every intention of stopping the lad whether he took the order or not. At Takumi's hind left was also Sairevil, who'd been reaching out for the Red Dragon's shoulder, also in a seemingly unnecessary attempt to halt his movements. Hiroki was the only male in the room who hadn't moved, but from where he stood already, he appeared to be prepared to cast some form of spell at any given moment.

[Apollymi]

All the tension in the room rested upon this singular moment. Roxanna's eyes were wide, she hadn't expected to be attacked in such a way. She had no way of defending herself in this moment and even her Knight hadn't managed to reach her in time. But strangely it wasn't her own people who would have saved her in this moment, but the rest of the males in Eira's Peerage and Eira herself who aimed to stop the commotion in a single moment. "Why?" this was all Roxanna said as she flinched hearing the glass shatter behind her person. Eira continued to sit her legs still crossed in front of her, hands clasped in her lap, a single sigh rolling out of her mouth. "Because when you give others free will, they do what they think is right. Not just want you want..." Eira said calmly. "That includes keeping the peace and protecting someone who's already managed to hinder the people that should be helping her. While simultaneously keeping their friend out of trouble..." the heiress of the Gremory knew that her males had moved on their own and didn't care what they did. Though she knew that most everyone in the room wanted to punch this particular girl in the face at least once, there were still greater things at play here than the singular selfish desire. Because of that her face didn't meet the fist of the Red Dragon Emperor. "It should go without saying that Takumi didn't actually take my order, I would have felt that. So do us all a favor and get to the point... I don't want the Inu-hanyo out alone for any longer than he has to be," Eira mentioned.

These words brought curiosity to the face of Fennexis who was very interested in Eira's nature that the crimson haired lass still intended to help even though Roxanna had managed to cause her so much trouble in the last few minutes. "Oh? You actually plan to help even knowing what kind of person she is likely going to be if you manage to return him? I don't understand..." Fennexis said but that only made Eira sigh more. Instead of allowing Eira to speak on it Roxanna began to properly explain the situation around the missing hanyo. "Like almost two years ago, I heard about a strong Inuyoukai and I wanted him so I went to Kyoto to pick him up. He didn't want to come along so I tricked him into taking a reincarnation. It took a bit of doing but like I said they usually settle in. A while after that I heard about this independent avatar thing it was supposed to be a great wolf so I was going to use something and try to get that too. But when I brought Inuyasha and a small group out here he... fled. I tried to call him back but he resisted... that was 10 months ago. I had Fennexis track him so we know where he is... but every time one of us gets close to him he leaves again," Roxanna said looking at the floor still. Fennexis would speak up at this time. "The candle on the end of this staff says he's within this town... so we know he's here. But... he's still an Inu-youkai he can smell us coming. We'd rather him not get too far away. Besides that, it was mentioned that Eira Gremory is known for being able to tame strays and get them to return to their masters..." The whole of Roxanna's explanation made Eira livid. Of course, she'd tricked the Inu-youkai. She could only imagine how considering the chained pup of unknown origin. Beyond all this the idea that they'd come to her because they'd heard she could tame strays was almost dumbfounding.

[Bloodedge]

Takumi continued staring at Roxanna for far longer than necessary. He hadn't seen any effort to erect a defense of some sort from this Devil, nor did he feel any offensive emotion being pushed against him in the moment. "... Sou ka," was all he said as his arm lowered. The other males lowered their guard at this time, and Takumi moved away from Roxanna. Eventually, the group got around to the overall point of this here-and-there discussion, and the information of importance was given. At this point, it seemed at least the males of Eira's peerage were content to leave things to Eira herself to see how the situation would be handled in the end.

[Apollymi]

The lowered guard of all of Eira's Peerage members let her know at least Takumi wasn't going to be a problem anymore. And as Roxanna explained the happenings around the disappearance of one of her more recent acquisitions, the look on Eira's face remained the same though there was a bit of intense burning behind her eyes like untamed fury. Whatever the reason for this, she held it at bay for quite a long time. "Piece." it was a demand from Eira for information concerning the missing hanyo's place within Roxanna's Peerage. "Inuyasha... he's my second Knight," Roxanna said. Takumi's extended stare hadn't gone unnoticed by her but she couldn't meet it. She'd never had a confrontation with anyone not obviously stronger than her or a Pure-Blood who would have attacked her in such a way without any warning. She wasn't used to dangerous reactions to her antics because of the usual targets of them. "Knight... huh?" Eira's frown deepened. Any great number of things could have happened to this lad but the fact that he was a Knight and stray could have led him to an uncontrollable blood lust which would have made it exceedingly hard for him to be called down. Especially if he was too far gone, if he'd done something outrageous like started eating people's flesh or mutilating human's to sate himself. 'Izuna you sounded like you knew this one... did he leave just because of her? And do you trust he didn't just succumb to the piece?' she asked her fox within his mind reaching out to him with her understanding of their connection.

[Bloodedge]

And so, the others awaited Eira's ultimate answer. Most were content to believe she would accept this offer, if only to prevent another stray Devil and not have a Rating Game victory handed to her without proper earning. Before she got around to properly answering though, words within her mind reached Izuna. She'd caught on to the notion that he knew Roxanna's second knight in the past, and wondered if the Hanyou had fallen to his Evil Piece. 'I wouldn't say he left because of her... but he was never one for being tied down to anything when he didn't have a choice. There's only one way he could have been turned into a Devil in the first place. I doubt his Evil Piece has any control over him. If he's her Knight, though... that means he's got something new from his old man since I saw him last. He probably won't go back easily."

[Apollymi]

Eira sat in silence with none but Izuna knowing what she was thinking. His words about the hanyo they were now looking for made her blink twice. Of course Roxanna would have tried to take a lad with something extraordinary to offer. Izuna doubted the lad would want to go back to her with anything resembling ease, and of course Eira understood this. In general there was nothing she could do about that given her own present complete Peerage, but there might be a bit more hope on the horizon than that. 'Sou ka... there is only one actual answer then,' Eira mentioned to Izuna that same little smirk coming to her face. "Youmu, take a walk. Give him this..." she said holding up her left hand and producing a contract for herself. The still silent knight at Eira's left took the contract and looked at Eira strangely for just a moment. She realized what it was that Eira intended to do and chuckled. "Hai hai... I'll be back then," Youmu mentioned standing to leave. Fennexis looked at this and her brows rose together in curiosity.

"All of that and you intend to send only your knight after him. That's a bit underwhelming isn't it?" she asked seemingly only curious about the decision. Youmu walked off giving only a gentle wave over her shoulder taking a moment only to make eye contact with the female with the horns on her head. This singular moment was enough for that particular hound and she nodded her understanding of this situation. Eira to her credit in this moment managed not to sound annoyed. "We will do what we can. And Youmu is enough to find any Youkai considering what she is," Eira said without thinking too much about it. "I'll help him... in whatever way I can," she said calmly. Roxanna for her part in this looked up and met Eira's gaze for the first time. She too was stunned that the Gremory heiress agreed to such a thing after everything that had happened. She opened her mouth to speak but Eira shook her head no. "Prep the rest of your Peerage for the Rating Game. And seriously, no chains, or maiming. Fix it. All of it." Eira said this to another leader as if she had the authority to give the order, but beyond what she thought of this girl, she simply wouldn't have her picking on people weaker than her, just because she was unhappy. "Ja ne." she said dismissively. This would cause a bow from the Knight and a quick glance up from the pup but both would be ready to leave as well. Meanwhile, Fennexis and Roxanna would be the last to leave with Roxanna herself looking rather introspective and defeated. Only after this group left the room and exit the building did Eira relax completely a sigh escaping her as she continued to sit in her throne.

[Bloodedge]

A few short hours after Youmu's departure, a white-haired male figure entered the Occult Research Club room/building. He wore a red garb and no shoes, had dog ears protruding from his long mullet, as well as golden eyes with slit pupils. During his approach to the throne he believed belonged to none other than the Eira Gremory whose contract he now possessed, he kept a steady grip on the hilt of his old and battered katana. "Oi," he said as his only word of introduction, eyeing those who remained within the room from the previous interaction with Roxanna and a few of her other servants.

[Apollymi]

Within the throne in the middle of the room sat Eira Gremory. Her perfect posture and hands clasped within her lap. She'd sent most of her Peerage off, to exercise themselves and practice their crafts together. And immediately following her resignation to help, Eira had sent Roxanna and the other young women away so it was only her and whatever the males of her Peerage, who'd chosen not to better themselves. The crimson haired lass had her eyes turn towards the door with the singular word of introduction. Her eyes widened in this moment because there was an Inu-hanyou standing before her so strangely. She'd never actually laid eyes on this one before and she thought his form rather adorable. "Kawaii!~" she squealed, as Youmu herself emerged from the floor taking her seat on the left side of Eira's throne. Such an action would result in Eira wrapping her arms around the white haired lass. "Okaerinasai!~ Youmu!~ You took that walk rather seriously, arigatou gouzaimasu!~" she said thanking the lass for going and retrieving this lad for her. Strangely there was nothing but happiness in Eira in a moment such as this. "Tadaima..." was the reply of the half-phantom, as she placed a hand atop Eira's head showing as much affection as she was able. Youmu with her normally apathetic face still seemed pleased by the praise she received. "Iie. Doing something like this isn't really worth the extra praise considering such things were my job once," she mentioned softly. "That isn't true at all! That means it's worth more praise!~ And I'll give it to you any time!~" Eira said only to return her attention to the hanyou before her. "I'm Eira Gremory, yoroshiku," she said as her introduction. "Do you need help with something?" she asked of him, figuring that if he was before her instead of back among his peers then he might have a problem to be dealt with directly.

[Bloodedge]

The first reaction this Devil heiress had to Inuyasha's arrival was... strange, to say the least. More importantly, she was quick to address the point after a brief exchange with the phantom who brought him to this place. He was a bit conflicted, and not very open to reveal his weakness to another heiress. "I uhh..."

"Have a serious problem talking to girls?" asked Izuna jovially as he appeared floating behind the hanyou. This made the white-haired male's eyes widen. He recognized this voice, and a quick turnaround let him confirm with his eyes who it belonged to. And yet... it couldn't possibly be that person. "Shi--" "Shhh~" the Queen whispered with a finger to his upturned lips. "Izuna desu! Long story short, became a Devil Youkai, took the Queen spot in this peerage when Eira over there got her set, and now... just sticking around to cut past the part where you're all sketched out by another random Devil making you an offer. This one's fine, just tell her the offer already. I'll answer all that other stuff about me later... maybe," he concluded. Inuyasha was relatively dumbfounded for multiple reasons, but at the end of the day, he did have an issue to be resolved... and he could undoubtedly trust this fox's words on who could be trusted and who couldn't. So, he turned to the crimson-haired woman again. "These prayer beads I wear were made with a specific purpose. They're supposed to keep me from harming the people close to me, but Roxanna did something to them that makes me some kind of pet. I need this back to normal again."

[Apollymi]

"Ufufufu!~" Eira chuckled finding Izuna choosing this moment to pop up to be about what she expected. Unlike the times in which she was genuinely surprised when he popped up somewhere, she expected him to stick around like she had herself. Especially given he'd known this lad before and would undoubtedly want to make sure his true name wasn't spoken aloud by anyone. Regardless Eira remained within her throne while Izuna apparently eased this lad's mind. She figured it would take a bit of doing, considering how Roxanna had likely abused his trust, but Izuna's word was rather far reaching with the Youkai of Kyoto who recognized him. And soon enough she was being given the full details on what Roxanna had done to tame this lad. Eira's face briefly became a scowl, but given what she'd learned about Roxanna since their meeting such a thing was hardly surprising. "Of course she did something like that. Every time I assume it isn't that bad, I get more annoyed..." Eira muttered mostly to herself. Such a reaction would make Youmu rest a hand atop the lass' shoulder. That nice cooling sensation that Youmu generally gave off with her lack of desires made Eira smile. "Hai hai. Let me see what I can do about that then," Eira mused carefully as Youmu relaxed in place as Eira herself stood and approached the lad. She'd tentatively reach out to touch the prayer beads around his neck feeling the difference in the curse applied to them and their original purpose. The two magics felt drastically different and Eira knew she could easily drain and keep one while leaving them as they were originally intended to be. "Sou ka, I can fix this... with only a minor invasion of your personal space." She waited for the lad to decide if he was alright with that. Eira was simply always this way, and knew the beads couldn't be removed from is person, but he'd had some bad dealings with devils and she didn't wish to make him more uncomfortable.

[Bloodedge]

"Should have let me punch her." This interjection was presented by Takumi after Eira's claim to annoyance. He was leaned against what would have been considered Izuna's side of Eira's throne, arms crossed and a lackadaisical expression upon his visage. Of course, Takumi understood that it probably wouldn't have been for the best if he'd actually struck the Phenex heiress.

Inuyasha was approached by the one named Eira. She claimed to have the ability to fix his problem, even though such a thing would require some small invasion of his personal space. He wasn't at all sure what this would entail, but if he could finally be free again, it didn't matter. He needed his freedom. He looked to Eira with a stern expression, finding that his only thought was... "What are you waiting for? I'm ready."