[center][color=red][sup][h1][b]Jae-eun Yoshihide[/b][/h1][/sup][/color][img]https://i.imgur.com/tirnYfj.png[/img]

[b][sup][color=red]Location:[/color][color=white] Torigaya Onsen[/color]
[color=red]Mentions:[/color] [@Yu Narukami][@Haha][@Arminwraith][@Randomguy][/sup][/b][/center][hr]Jae-eun's head tilted, just slightly, his single eye tracking upward. The electrical lines sagging across the street were heavy with weight that shouldn't be there. Ravens. Dozens of them, perched in perfect, unnatural stillness. No rustling of feathers. No caws. No heartbeats. His enhanced hearing, sharpened through years of Total Concentration Breathing, picked up nothing from the birds. Not the flutter of life, not even the faint pulse of blood through veins. They were props. Stage dressing. A message, or perhaps a surveillance network. Either way, they weren't natural, and they certainly weren't alive.

Then came the wave.

From inside the onsen, a pressure descended like winter itself had crawled out of the water and wrapped its fingers around the world. Cold. Brutal. Suffocating. It radiated outward in a twenty-meter sphere, and even standing outside, Jae-eun felt it prickle against his skin like frost on glass. Bloodlust. Raw, unfiltered, and devastatingly familiar.

Guen.

His smile didn't falter, but something behind his eye sharpened. The former Deputy Commander. The rogue Hashira. The woman who had more rumoers than truths to her right now. His comrade, not former comrade, never former comrade. Grief took many forms and to belittle Guen's was to make light of his own. He wouldn't do that to her, or to Hikaru's death.

Takaya had shielded her from criminal prosecution, but the Kyoto Branch had issued a capture-and-execution order. She was wanted. Dangerous. And now, apparently, picking a fight with Miyuki in the women's bath, if the sounds were to be believed.

[color=ed1c24]"Of course she is," [/color]Jae-eun murmured to himself, his tone light, almost amused. [color=ed1c24]"Why wouldn't she be?"[/color]

Then, movement.

His gaze snapped to the approaching figure. A man, walking with purpose toward the onsen entrance. Jae-eun's hearing zeroed in immediately. Footsteps—measured, deliberate. Breathing—steady, controlled. The thrum of the man's blood was loud, violent, and angry. Jae-eun's fingers flexed at his sides, the scarlet ore dust still humming faintly in his veins. The man was a demon. A high-ranking one, judging by the confidence in his stride and the complete absence of nervousness. 

Ryunoko Keodis, the Western Dragon. 

Guen had been getting information from somewhere. Despite the rumors, Jae-eun knew Guen, or at least he thought so. She never moved without purpose, without direction, and someone was giving her info. The Corp had many brokers, but this one, Jae-eun recognized as he got closer. A [i]former[/i] Upper Moon. And now this demon was here, drawn by the bloodlust, by jealousy, or simply by the opportunity to cause chaos. Or perhaps...

Jae-eun let a frown cross his face briefly as the scuffle continued inside. Whatever the reason, Jae-eun couldn't let him get any closer to the onsen. Not with Tenko inside. Not with Himari inside. Not with Guen already on the verge of tearing Miyuki apart. Not with the powder keg of tension that was about to explode.

Jae-eun stepped forward, placing himself casually but deliberately in the demon's path. His smile remained bright and pleasant, his posture relaxed, his hands loose at his sides. To an outside observer, he looked like a friendly local offering directions.

[color=ed1c24]"Ah! Good evening!"[/color] Jae-eun called out, his voice warm and cheerful. [color=ed1c24]"You must be looking for the main entrance. It's actually around the other side. Easy mistake to make! The signage here is terrible, isn't it? Very confusing for first-time visitors."[/color] He gestured vaguely to the left, as if helpfully redirecting a lost tourist. But his single eye was locked onto Keodis, sharp and assessing. His weight had shifted, almost imperceptibly, into the balls of his feet. His right hand, still hanging loosely, was angled just so—ready to snap into Suzuwari at a moment's notice.

[color=ed1c24]"The men's side is closed for maintenance tonight, unfortunately,"[/color] Jae-eun continued, his tone still light, still friendly. [color=ed1c24]"Such bad timing, I know! But there's another onsen about two kilometers down the road. Much nicer, actually. Better view as well. I'd be happy to give you directions if you'd like."[/color]

His smile widened, his head tilting in that guileless, almost childlike way that made him seem harmless. But beneath the pleasant facade, his mind was cataloging everything. The demon's posture. His breathing pattern. The faint scent of blood that clung to him like cologne. The way his gaze flickered toward the onsen entrance, hungry and intent. The air hummed, and Jae-eun realized with a startle their was something off about this demon. 

[color=ed1c24]"Or," [/color]Jae-eun added, his voice dropping just a fraction—still cheerful, but with a subtle undercurrent, [color=ed1c24]"you could tell me what you're really here for. That works too! I'm a very good listener."[/color] His hand twitched, just once. The faintest echo of explosive force hummed through his knuckles, a promise wrapped in a smile.