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Though he was the sort to get particular about strange things, most notably his family and relationships, otherwise, Koga Yuudai was difficult to offend. Years of working in the service of the family inn had taught him how to hold his tongue, and dealing with all manner of guests had shown him that sometimes, people didn't mean offense when it was offered. He rarely raised his voice, and rarely actually lost his temper. It was much more likely when he was hurt than angry, for instance, as anyone in his family could attest.

He was not hurt that day. He was angry.

Even though there were very few things that could make the waif-like young man livid enough to take up arms, someone causing trouble around his family business could do it. The past few nights, someone had been lingering about, generally disturbing the peace and making the guests nervous. He wasn't certain exactly what their angle was, though Junko seemed absolutely positive it was someone from the Legion giving them trouble. Whether it was or not, Yuudai intended to put a stop to it that night.

He only had a vague description to go on, but he was confident he would find the fellow if he waited around long enough. It was nearing dusk, which was not the time for earnest fighting just yet... but he wanted to have a talk with this man before they went to the Sunken Front.

And so, he was perfect outside of his family's inn, one leg crossed high over the other, waiting. Blue hair, he'd been told, blue hair and dark clothing... anyone who matched this description and was seen around the inn would be considered a suspect. Yuudai was confident that, once he engaged the person in conversation, he would know who it was.

People passed by, some stopping to greet him and others simply moving along, but no one looked suspicious. More importantly, no one looked suspiciously like the description he had been given of the troublemaker, and Yuudai was beginning to wonder if the man would show up again. It would be nice if he simply backed off, but in his experience, the world rarely worked that way. He had resigned himself to the idea that he would need to spend a few evenings outside before he actually identified the culprit, and he was mostly all right with that. His general habits didn't have him going to sleep until the sun was well beyond the horizon-line, anyhow.

Jiggling his foot, he shifted, glancing up to the sky. It was getting later, and soon enough, he would need to go inside and set about his nightly routine. He could still keep an eye out for a little bit, but he didn't want to needlessly worry his family. They already didn't like the idea of him taking up arms on the side of the Nobles, though he'd yet to really engage in a battle. It wasn't that they were unsupportive, it was just that he was the only son and they worried, as parents were wont to.

Dropping his feet flat against the ground, he started to rise to turn back into the inn when someone caught his eye. Temper flared into his face, stoked by the fact that the man -- a man wearing dark clothes, who had dark hair, at least -- quickly spun and began walking away.

It seemed to be all the admission of guilt he needed. Leaping up, he called, "You! Wait a moment!" and hurried after him.

If this man wasn't the one who had been causing trouble, why would he take one look at Yuudai and then rush to leave? There was no other good reason in his mind, especially considering it was fast approaching night.

Night, when the man who had been hassling the inn seemed to strike. It was all too convenient to be brushed aside.

Had Yuudai been aware that his gender was suspect on top of everything else, he would have been even more angry. As it was, he caught up with the man just in time to have him turn around, and he was somewhat pleased not to have to run after him. He would rather not cause a scene just outside of his family business if he didn't have to, after all; things like this were best handled quietly.

Toe to toe with the man, he jerked his chin up a bit, annoyed as always that he was substantially shorter than the person in front of him. Worse, he was being polite, which Yuudai found to be hypocritical and all-around infuriating considering just what he had been doing as of late.

"Yes, you may help me. What have you been doing around this inn?" His voice was measured and low, temper obvious in the undercurrents, but not raised above a normal speaking level. People still walked by, and some recognized him -- and his posture -- and knew he was getting huffy about something. Still, he wasn't causing enough of a scene to get anyone to stop, which had been his goal all along.

His eyes narrowed. "It would be in your best interests not to lie to me."

Of course the troublemaker wouldn't admit outright that he was there to cause mischief. Yuudai had hoped to get to the bottom of it and solve the issue without a conflict, as that was the ideal way to handle things in his mind, but if the man wasn't even going to own up to it... what was he to do? His eyes narrowed another fraction, arms coming up to cross in front of his chest.

"I suppose you were just passing by the Inn the previous nights as we--what?" His face blanched of color, then abruptly heated, a flush spreading across the bridge of his nose and over his cheeks. "Ma'am?"

Sucking in a breath, doing his best to keep from losing his temper, he said carefully, "I am a man, actually -- the only son of the owners of this establishment -- and I know fully well that you are the one who has been causing trouble."

He uncrossed his arms, clenched his fists at his sides. "Why? What could you possibly gain by disrupting our business?"

At this point, he wasn't certain that any reason could be good enough, especially with the added insult of mistaking him for a woman, but he ought to at least let the man attempt to explain himself.

So he would stand there and lie about it. That was the last straw, really; Yuudai could forgive many things, but someone refusing to take responsibility for their own actions was not one of them. It was obvious to his mind that he was the man who had been stirring up trouble in the area, if only because he was so flustered in his denial of it. Had he been innocent, he would have surely just denied it and been on his way. No, this man was going over the top, trying to make it seem too clear that he was innocent.

"I have no good reason to believe you." Yuudai sidestepped, ranging himself between the man and the market in case he decided to make a run for it. "You match the description of someone who has been giving my workers and guests a difficult time, and I am here to tell you that it ends tonight."

People were beginning to look, now, mostly because the man was flinging his limbs around and causing a scene. Another indicator of guilt -- had he not done anything at all, Yuudai was sure he would have wanted this conversation to pass as quietly and uneventfully as possible. More than likely, he was trying to create a disruption in the crowd so that he could sneak away.

Unacceptable!

Lifting a hand, he pointed, not caring that the gesture was impolite. He was of the opinion they were a bit past politeness at this point. "You will not admit what you have done? Even when I stand before you giving you the chance to apologize?"

His guilt was settled more and more securely with each sentence that passed his lips. Behind him, the door to the inn opened, and one of his elder sisters strode out. Night was fast approaching, and she was welcoming people inside the inn to take refuge before it did. Her eyes sought her brother and the strange man, and something passed over her face, a hint of confusion as well as suspicion.

"I was given a description that you match, and you are the only person I have seen fit to stop this night." Yuudai was unimpressed that he'd tried to pass by, and had no intention of letting him get away now. He was certain this was the person who was causing his family trouble, and now that he'd found him and exposed him for who he was, punishment had to be dealt.

His face flushed more deeply at the accusation, and the hand that he was pointing at him with curled into a fist. "I have yet to raise my voice tonight, sir. You are the one flailing your arms about and attracting all manner of attention. And, ah, so you reveal yourself."

He slid one foot in the dirt, pebbles grinding beneath his shoe. "Legion, aren't you? So that's what's behind all this. I should have suspected as much."

Yuudai had nothing against the Legions in general, and wasn't one to pick a fight solely based on someone's allegiance in the war. His best friend, after all, was on the side of the Emperor, along with his entire family, and they managed to get along well enough most of the time. But it was clear to him that this man was using their different stances on the war to justify behaving poorly and trying to scare away business, and that was unacceptable.

"I can see there will be no way to settle this except at the Sunken Front." There was heat in his eyes, and his tone had suddenly become much harsher. "I am not about to fight you in the street, but since you won't apologize for what you've done, I can only assume you won't stop doing it. Now that I know why... I am shocked that someone could be so dishonorable."

Fighting, Legion versus Noble, was inevitable. It could be done honorably, or it could be done in a backwards sort of way by lashing out at the families and livelihoods of those on the opposite side. While Yuudai wouldn't have chosen to find himself facing the sort of coward who would use backhanded tactics, there was no doubt left in his mind that he had to fight him. He couldn't let someone like this just slip away unpunished, after all.

If there was one good thing to be said about this Legion, it was at least that he wasn't going to run from the battle. If he tried, Yuudai knew exactly what he looked like now, and would find him. He watched the other man, Huang, turn to leave, and waited until he disappeared from sight to head back to the inn. As he passed by Masami, she reached over and touched his shoulder, her expression knit.

"Is that the man?" Her voice was a little unsure, and she glanced to where he had been.

"He must be. Legion," Yuudai added, sounding grim. "And he has accepted my challenge, so we're going to end this tonight."

Stepping inside, he began to untie the knot on his apron, as it would be useless when he went into a fight. Masami hesitated a moment before reaching over, slipping her arms around her little brother for a brief hug.

"Be safe," she advised, pressing a light kiss to his cheek.

He returned the gesture, offering her a rare smile. "Of course. I'll see you in the morning for breakfast."