With a mop in hand, the young man could only helplessly sigh as he solely began to clean up for the night. He knew having such harmless and easy going guests was a blessing most bartenders would kill for, but that didn't mean he would ever get use to those two's rather strange relationship.
Only receiving snippets through their drunken rambling didn't really make things any clearer.
"If you're going to be sitting there looking all creepy," Ikuse didn't need to glance behind him to know there was someone lurking in the darkness. Remaining seated in one of booths in the far corner of the building. Maybe a lesser person would feel some apprehension at having some unknown watching them while alone in a dark bar, but what reason did he have to fear? It wasn't like he was ever truly alone anyway. "Then you might as well pick up a mop and help."
"How cold of you, cousin." A women's voice spoke out from the darkness and on cue, a small flame barely the size of a quarter flickered to life. And despite how diminutive the flame might've been, it was still strong enough to light up an absolutely beautiful face. With sharp and noble features, long black hair tied up into a single, massive ponytail. Crimson orbs flickered in conjunction with the flame, amusement evident. "Is it so wrong for fiancee's to visit each other? It needn't be so scandalous."
Maybe that incredibly weird sentence might've been enough to unnerve him and combine that with her angelic appearance, there should've been some reaction. Shock, disgust, embarrassment, something or really anything. But after having years to grow use to Himejima Suzaku and her antics, the only response she got was a huff of annoyance.
"Are you here about the Spirit Plum Wine?" Continuing on mopping, he asked almost in a bored manner. Something he knew she hated. "If so, I've been out of that stuff for weeks. Until the Yokai start selling again, you're going to have to get it from the source."
"That's actually partially why I'm here." Just like that, her teasing and flirting tune flipped entirely on it's head. It seemed those lessons with her….their family elders was finally showing dividends. "You are aware of some the recent events, right?"
"Basically." Ikuse shrugged. "The Yokai got their own backer and now everyone walking on egg shells around them."
"Crass, but it'll do. Primarily, it's the back that's the problem. The Five Principal Clans were already planning to form a more official alliance with the Yokai within the next five years."
Around the same time their elders would believe her ready to fully take over as Family Head, in fact, the other families probably planned for all their heirs to take up the mantle within that time. This signed agreement with their ancient enemy would've given each of them enough support from even the most stubborn of elders and maybe even pave the road for them to start implementing more progressive ways into their family. With the times changing, being stuck in tradition wasn't tenable in this ever evolving world.
From what he'd heard down the Grigori pipeline, things were in motion. But what did that matter to him? He was just a 'grunt' at the end, none of that high level crap was any of his business.
"But because of their backer emerging, we had no choice but to push up the time table. It would be better if we could get an agreement locked in place before the Church or the Devils and from what I heard, the Devil's are dragging their feet and somehow convinced the Church, Asgard, Grigori and Olympus to hold off. So now should be the perfect time to get in ahead of those factions."
"So why haven't you?"
The Yokai might be known tricksters, but he highly doubted they would risk attacking any envoy sent by the Five Principal Clans so her coming her to get him to act as bodyguard didn't sound likely. And besides, they were sure to send at least one Sacred Beast Host just to make sure no one got any funny ideas.
"Again, the backer…" Suzaku sighed, leaning closer to try and press herself up firmly against him. Try being the keyword as he shoved the stick soaking mop between them. Pouting cutely, the heiress snatched it up and even begun mopping. Something that most assuredly give her guards watching outside a heart attack. Grumbling, she continued. "He's the master of Yasaka, the Leader of the Yokai Faction by the name of Yamato Iori."
"Wait." His brow furrowed together. "Her master? As in teacher? Or.."
"He's her teacher. He is not a Shinto Priest nor a Tamer of any sort...at least that's not mentioned anywhere in his record."
"So is he just another Yokai?" Their magic was already very well suited in dealing with Yokai. Either drown them beneath their own magically tamed kin or seal them away into specially made paper. And if they were particularly powerful like Yasaka, of course without being near Kyoto, then just drawing on their Kami's power or summoning their Sacred Beasts should be enough to deal with them. He should know, none of them were push overs in the slightest.
Especially not the Yellow Dragon.
"No, he's surprisingly completely human." She leaned heavily on the mop handle, looking on with that smug, cat like expression on her face as his face morphed into shock.
"But, she's ancient, right? Founded the Yokai Faction and everything, and you're saying he's her teacher? How is that possible, shouldn't he be dust by now?"
In this world, one of the primary limiting factors in growth was simply age. Even though he was considered one of the more powerful humans, top five if he felt like be humble, it simply didn't matter to the other factions out there. It doesn't matter if he was the wielder of a Longinus, none of them provided the user an increased lifespan or anything. He was powerful now, but his body would fail him. Time being the insidious poison it was.
So hearing about a human that had already lived a minimum of 200 years, was rather odd.
"Is it one of those dark methods?" He scowl, a shadow flickered over his face. "Like human sacrifice? Stealing youth or something like that?"
"Be careful saying that. From his prospective, that's Demonic Technique and he would cut anyone down who dared to even accuse him of dabbling. But no, he is something called an Ancient Senjutsu Practitioner or if you've been to China, a Cultivator. A lost profession that needed to be buried under the annals of history, those once stated to have defy the Heavens. He apparently reached a high enough level to either outright stop his aging or prolong it to such an insane degree that it might as well be immortality...at least that's what the Kami's passed down to us."