[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] [@Arminwraith][/sup][/b][/center][hr]Internally, Jae-eun was screaming. His smile didn’t flicker. It remained fixed in place, a pleasant, placid mask against the sudden weight of the evening.

Of course. Of course, it couldn't be a simple, clumsy demon. It had to be a high-ranking one from Kyoto, carrying a sword the size of a telephone pole, here to settle a score with a rogue Hashira who was currently having a towel-fight in the women's bath. And of course, Guen had just orchestrated a mass casualty event at a civilian nightclub. Of course.

This was his life now. He was a glorified, unpaid administrator and a babysitter for emotionally volatile super-soldiers. But Keodis was still walking toward him, and his choices were laid out like a bad hand in poker. [i]Can we not do this today?[/i]

The thought was a silent, desperate scream against the walls of his skull. A rogue Hashira picking fights in the women’s bath. A high-ranking demon with a personal vendetta standing three feet in front of him. Gunmen, casualties, a national news incident waiting to happen. And he, Jae-eun Yoshihide, was somehow expected to stand in the middle of it all and be a reasonable, calming presence. It was utterly, completely, and profoundly exhausting. [i]One hundred and eighteen casualties.[/i] Keodis had said. [i]Twenty-two deaths.[/i] Because Guen Tomioka couldn't control her grief. Because her pain was a wildfire that she let burn down everything and everyone around her. 

Choice one: Fight. Uphold his duty to a fellow Hashira, rogue or not. Defend a member of his branch, as was his responsibility. This would mean betraying the Kyoto Branch, defying a capture-or-kill order, and starting a civil war within the Demon Slayer Corps, right here on the street in front of an onsen. All for Guen, who had abandoned her duties, caused the deaths of twenty-two innocent people, and was, at this very moment, probably trying to drown Miyuki in hot spring water.

It was his duty. But it was a stupid, suicidal duty.

Choice two: Step aside. Let Keodis pass. Let him challenge Guen. Let the chips fall where they may. Guen had brought this on herself. The attack on the Western Dragon... that was inexcusable. She had crossed a line, a very bright, very bloody line. She needed to face consequences. Letting Keodis handle it would solve a major headache for him and for Takaya. It would also likely end with Guen dead or maimed. The part of Jae-eun, the cold, pragmatic part that had created Dragon Breathing, agreed with Keodis. Guen had gone too far. She needed to be stopped. She needed to face consequences.

It was the pragmatic choice. The logical choice. But it felt like a betrayal. A betrayal of Hikaru's memory, of the camaraderie of the Hashira, of the fragile trust that held the Corps together. And he had promised Takaya he would look after his people.

His mind raced, seeking a third option. A way to de-escalate, to delay, to buy time. [color=ed1c24]"My, my, what a night!"[/color] Jae-eun said, his voice as bright and unbothered as ever. He took a small step to the side, not to clear the path, but to change the angle, forcing Keodis to turn slightly to face him. It was a subtle, almost conversational shift in posture.

[color=ed1c24]"Keodis-san, you've come all the way from Kyoto! That's a long trip. You must be exhausted. And you've brought such a... large... travel companion," [/color]he said, gesturing to the nodachi with a theatrical flourish.[color=ed1c24] "It must be very hard to fit that on the train."[/color] He let his smile soften, his gaze flickering from Keodis to the onsen entrance and back again. [color=ed1c24]"I understand your frustration. Truly, I do. The news about the Western Dragon is… distressing. Twenty-two deaths. That's a tragedy. And you're right, it cannot stand."[/color]

He paused, letting the agreement hang in the air for a moment. He was conceding the point, showing that he wasn't blindly defending Guen's actions. [color=ed1c24]"But,"[/color] he continued, his tone shifting to one of gentle reason, [color=ed1c24]"as you said, there's some… turbulence… happening inside right now. It’s a very delicate situation. A lot of strong personalities in a very small, very wet space. Adding another one to the mix, especially one carrying a blade like that… well, it might make things even more complicated, don't you think?"[/color]

He took another small step, his movement as fluid and non-threatening as a dancer's. [color=ed1c24]"So, how about a compromise? A little negotiation between colleagues?"[/color] He held up a hand, palm open, a universal sign of peace. [color=ed1c24]"You're here to deliver a challenge. I respect that. But storming into the women's bath is a bit… indelicate, no? And it would put a lot of innocent people at risk. My precious juniors are in there, you see. I'd hate for them to get caught in the crossfire. They're still learning."
[/color]

He offered a conspiratorial wink. [color=ed1c24]"So, here's my proposal. You let me go inside, grab my people, and get them clear. I'll get Tenko-chan and the others out of harm's way. Or, even better, you wait. Just for a little while. Let Guen finish her bath. Let things cool down, literally and figuratively. Once she's out, and once my people are safe, you can deliver your challenge. Formally. Without an audience of people not involved with your feud. And while we wait,"[/color] he said, his voice dropping to a friendly, inviting murmur, [color=ed1c24]"we could share a drink. We could see about the refreshments here or there is a little bar a ways down the street. My treat. We could discuss the situation like civilized people. No need to come to blows tonight, right? We're on the same side, after all. We both want to protect people. We just have different ideas about how to do it."[/color]

It was a stall. A desperate, transparent stall. But it was better than a fight. He kept his posture relaxed, his hands open and visible. But beneath the surface, he was coiled like a spring. The scarlet ore dust still circulated in his blood. His muscles were primed. His mind was calculating trajectories, estimating Keodis's reach, planning the first explosive strike of Suzuwari if the demon decided to refuse his offer. He would talk first. He would always talk first. But if Keodis kept walking, Jae-eun was ready to make him stop.