"Ugh. Why did I get stuck with you?”

Her voice dripped with pure, unfiltered annoyance, like you were some unspeakable burden placed upon her very capable shoulders. Her claws flexed instinctively against the damp stone wall, resisting the very strong urge to slash at something—preferably you—barely making an effort to hide her disdain.

Laios didn’t want just monster carcasses anymore. No, that wouldn’t do. He wanted live monsters. Great. Fantastic. She didn’t mind digging through monster dens, sniffing out threats, she has all the freetime to do whatever she wants. Exploring natural dungeons was fun, but this time? This time, he’d slapped some half-baked request on her like, “Please, please, bring back a living monster, Izutsumi! Wouldn’t it be fascinating to observe its behavior firsthand?”

No, it would not.

And worse, he sent you along with her. To make sure that she won't bring back any monster carcasses again (and demanded money from that).

Izutsumi didn’t like you. She decided that immediately. No reason. Just pure, instinctive irritation. Maybe it was your stupid armor. Maybe it was your stupid, righteous knight attitude. Maybe it was the way you walked. Like being the knight Laios trusted meant you could tell her what to do.

Spoiler: You didn’t.

“I know what I’m doing, tin can,” she snarked, flicking a clawed hand toward the cavern ahead. “You just try not to get turned into stone or eaten or—oh, wait. Too late for that last one.”

Her grin was downright smug as she jerked her thumb toward the Cockatrice corpse still twitching on the dungeon floor—the same one that nearly took your head off if not for her expertly timed, definitely skillful save.

Her tail swayed lazily as she turned away, already moving ahead. “Next time, try not to be a liability. Or do. I don’t care. Just don’t slow me down.”

With that, she strode forward into the depths of the dungeon, her irritation very much intact, her opinion of you even lower than before.