░░░The Golden Hound░░░
Great. Just my luck. Not only is somebody here, but it's a girl, too. He thought to himself, drawing back out of the booth as he sized up the person sitting inside. She was average in height, but there was something about her bearing and wistful expression that made her seem smaller than she actually was. Coupled with her pale skin and hair, and distant blue eyes that broke contact with his own enchanting crimson gaze in an instant - not to mention her rather pointy ears - she seemed almost like a phantom, one that might fade away in an instant. It took Izayoi a moment to realize that this might mean she was the Demon herself. Pointy ears were certainly a fairly obvious tell that a being wasn't Human. Then again, it was pretty easy for normal Humans to give themselves rather exotic appearances nowadays, and even if she was the Demon, working at a Mochi stand was probably just about the least threatening thing he could think of. Still, it didn't hurt to investigate, and so he shrugged, crossing his arms and legs and leaning casually against the side of the booth.
"Hey, lady, what's the cheapest thing you sell?" He asked on a whim. "I'm kinda piss poor at the moment, but my animal instincts are telling me I need a snack." He glanced back over his shoulder as he spoke, and, wanting to spare her direct contact with his Mystic Eyes, moved his gaze towards the back wall a few inches behind her. It was around then that he realized that she wasn't actually alone in the tiny booth. He hadn't seen the... whatever the hell kind of Demon it was behind her at first, since it was lurking in the darkness at the very back of the stall, making it rather difficult to pick out at a glance, since it was covered in jet black bandages like some kind of mummy from a bad horror movie. The difference being that unlike a shambling, cloth-wrapped zombie, this thing seemed to be half-fused with the girl's shadow, writhing, unseen, in the darkness behind her. Izayoi's carefree half-smirk turned sour in an instant. That was definitely his target, and by the look of things, it was way less harmless than he'd first expected. Most Demons didn't have nearly enough control to hide themselves so well whilst gorging themselves on an innocent soul, but this one's disguise had been good enough that even he'd had trouble noticing it. His scarlet eyes narrowed, but he allowed his gaze to wander innocently, as though he was just looking for some kind of menu. The last thing he wanted was to spook it and make it hold the girl hostage. If she got caught up in the line of fire, he'd be hard pressed to get it off her, considering how well it had fused itself with her Spirit. He'd need to take it by surprise, which would probably mean letting the girl in on his secret. She had to have noticed the thing, though, didn't she? It was practically on top of her, and if he knew his Demons, had probably been whispering lies into her ears to break her resolve ever since it had tried to possess her. She'd understand if a creepy kid in a hoodie turned into blue fire and started punching something that wasn't there.
...Well, okay, no, she probably wouldn't. She'd probably run screaming for the police, who in turn would probably lock her up as crazy. Few people wanted to acknowledge the existence of Demons, and those who did were usually labeled insane just to keep them quiet. Assuming they did believe her, he'd probably be taken in, and then he'd have to bust himself out of custody and get the entire city up in arms against him. He'd probably have to keep on moving as though he'd never stopped for fear of being caught. Even so, he couldn't exactly just let this girl stay like this. The thing was practically eating her from the inside out, and that was utterly unforgivable. Izayoi turned away, biting down on his lip. Patience wasn't his strong suit, but he'd at least have to wait around until the girl left the booth, taking that little Demon following her with her, so as to minimize the chances of her getting hurt by collateral damage. Once it was out in the open and he could beat the shit out of it, he'd do so without hesitation. Then, once he'd ripped it loose using his Territory, he'd crush it under his boot heel, and that would be that. But, although he told himself that, he had to admit, he was a little wary of that monster, whatever the hell it was. It had nearly hidden itself from him, meaning it was probably a lot more powerful than the small fry he was used to dealing with. Even as a Demon whose powers specialized in driving off or killing other Demons, he didn't exactly have much strength at the moment. He'd need to make this quick. He couldn't risk a drawn out fight.
But, for now, the best plan was to observe his prey. Even if it meant spending pretty much all of the meager sum he had left from his last job, he'd buy something here and see how the Demon acted, thinking it couldn't be seen. That'd give him some clues into its nature, and, hopefully, how best to deal with it. After that, he'd just lurk nearby in Spirit form, so that he couldn't be seen by the girl, at least, and wait for an opportunity to present itself...