"Some clans are less militaristic than others. The Phoenix prefer peace, after all..." she sighed. The Phoenix had pilots too, but they were very non-confrontational in their politics.

"Ah, no... or rather, not my direct family, but the Utaku still maintain herds of them on Rakuen and some other worlds. The one on Rakuen is the one descended from Rokugan itself though. It is a great matter of honor to us to maintain this part of our heritage, as we were for a long time known as the masters of cavalry warfare - with the Utaku being the finest horse-riders in the Empire."

Eriko looked begrudgingly at Yul. "I'm not too sure about that yet, it would be just like the Unicorn to have some pretty boy, uhm, flyboy flying around crates of milk to sell all around the galaxy. Nothing beyond the shadow of a doubt, you know?"

She gave a hapless shrug as she made her way back to the counter to take her order when it was ready. Giving her cup a small spin, she admirably the assortment of pretty colours that made her drink. The tapioca bits made it look like they were either planets or asteroids in the mix. "I mean, I guess there is a miai. What's it to you? You in a hurry to get married or something?"

He nodded understanding the mix up "Ah yes I have read many documents that talked about the Unicorn cavalry the savage Moto charges and the expert Utaku Battle Maidens. I guess the techniques required to synchronize with a vehicle or steed were useful when we transitioned from cavalry to other forms of warfare. What are the horses used for in this day and age? Or are the fields mainly just maintained and the herd cared for?"

about this time their order came up and Satoru grabbed the cake and his drink before looking for a suitable table.

Hyeon-ju picked up her own beverage, joining Satoru in finding a seat. While the place seemed popular enough, it wasn't difficult to find a place to sit down.

The lemon-flavor for her hit the right spot between bitter and sweet.

"Horses aren't much use in day and age. On some planets, locals still use them for travel only because they prefer it that way, or because horses are less damaging to the environment. Some consider it a badge of pride to maintain our historical roots that way, and well... I won't say it's bad, but it's not for me. I prefer the speed of the jets and the freedom of the skies. Horseriding is fine, but you're still locked on the ground."

She gave a shrug. "On Rakuen a lot of it has to do with the world's close connection to the Realm of the Blessed Ancestors, I think. Preserve it the way the ancient ones remember it... some claim they've encountered the spirits of ancient heroes there."

"There is value in tradition for tradition's sake sometimes as long as you don't let it impede progress. I like animals well enough but I trust machines a bit more, they don't have minds of their own, can't get scared, just more predictable."

he took a bite of the cheesecake and his eyebrows went up, he chewed it slowly analyzing it while he ate it. He finally swallowed "Hmmm, its certainly interesting. I do believe it will grow on me though." he said after thinking about it for a bit.

Yul smirked, but he let the first part otherwise pass without comment. "Guess you'll just have to keep an eye on me. If I feel someone watching me as I'm unloading my next milk cargo, that's when I'll know I've been made."

He shifted a little along the counter, but not too far; his drink wasn't ready yet, after all. "I'm in a hurry to meet a good spouse. Because I'm going to be engaged in less than two weeks, whether I like it or not." Yul frowned. "Wait, so you're here for something else?" His frown deepened. "Something official?"

Eriko took one of the straws and poked it through the top, giving her drink another swirl with the tall straw before taking a sip. "Uh, huh. Well, fortunately for you, I have only time for one mystery at a time. The mystery of the milk pusher is something that ranks pretty low at the moment. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually get around to it."

"That's true, but it's not like you can exactly hurry that process along if you work fast at it, yeah? It might be a competition but it's not a race," she gave a shrug of her shoulders and ran her hand through her hair. "Maybe...don't know if I need a milk pusher for business...so what's today's event, anyway?"

"Better hurry, then." Yul smirked. "Two weeks, and I'm gone. But Mystery of the Milk Pusher has a nice sort of sound to it. Does your current mystery have as good of a name?" Yul gave her a sidelong glance.

His order came up. Yul stabbed it with the straw authoritatively, making a loud thunk as the lid was pierced. "Today's event was riding Otori. I just came from dropping mine off in the stables. You missed it." Yul frowned. "Oh, there's supposed to be xenokebana later, for prizes. Mushroom arranging." Yul made a face. "I think I'll sit that one out."

"Huh. Those giant birds around here? A shame that I missed that...but probably for the best I don't have one, to avoid any incidents. Don't think me and those things would get along."

With no hurry to leave the space, she made her way to one of the many seating areas close by to sit down. There was no point for them to take up precious storefront space if the bubble chain was going to be so popular during the day. She crossed her legs and cast a cautious gaze on Yul, wondering if she could tell him. "I was thinking something along the lines of Mystery of the Personel Records. It might be tough bananas for me as the person I'm looking for would be almost 200 years old by now, at least."

By contrast, Yul casually sprawled in the seat across from Eriko. He met her gaze curiously, his handsome features open and honest.

"Mystery of the Personel Records, huh? Doesn't flow off the tongue as nicely." Yul slowly sipped his milk tea, sighing as the familiar flavors hit him.

He tapped the straw with his index finger, still thinking. "But that's not possible, is it? Or..." Yul's frown deepened. "Just not easy? Hmmm." Yul pursed his lips. "So, how do personnel records fit in? Is it like... I saw a movie where a guy was immortal, so he kept faking his death, and pretending to be his own son."

She watched his reaction with a subdued interest, nodding as he gave his assessement. "It can be very different if you've never had something like it before. A lot of cake tends to be... more solid and crumblier, I think, than cheesecake."

As he had had the first bite now, Hyeon-ju cut of a piece of the slice for herself, dividing it equally the best she could.

"And I think we can both agree that preserving tradition has not been a hindrance to the Unicorn, considering how we have been pioneers of space travel and exploration. But yes, I too prefer a machine to an animal... though some would say that the flight deck can be even more hectic than it was in a stable."

"Look, I never said it was a good name to begin with. I don't actually name my mysteries, that was just be trying to be funny. I just solve my mysteries, chief," she said dryly on the matter with a sigh.

"Ah, no, I'm pretty sure she's dead after 200 years," she said before taking a sip. "At least, I should hope so. "I've been doing a little cross-referencing of records with what I found in the Imperial Explorer records to the memorial directory found here. There are obviously some names missing along the way. I don't think the Phoenix here were as throughout."

"Indeed it is certainly a unique texture but not bad, just different. Not the strangest thing I have eaten but certainly different."

"Definitely not, no one could question the advancements the Unicorn have made. When it comes to a flight deck or a stable i think I'll have to bow to your expertise on both." He said with a small smile.

"I should have worn something with shorter sleeves with the warmth." He said setting down his fork and rolling up the sleeves of his shirt exposing hos toned forearms to the open air to help cool off.

"I can't speak much about stables," she did eye the forearms for a brief glance, "but a flight deck is a strange chaos. Engine-fuel smell mixed with sanctified incense, the sound of prayers being chanted to the hum of engines..."

Just thinking about it made her wistful.

"But, now I am curious, what is the strangest thing you have eaten?"

Satoru chuckled "You speak about the flight deck the way some people talk about vacation homes or the way a poet views their favorite muse." He said with a little smile "your passion for it is clear Utaku-san."

At her question he leaned back a bit and took a sip of his tea. He seemed to be settling in more, his earlier nerves seeming to fade a little "Well thats a tough one, a lot of strange creatures I've eaten out on the frontier. I think the strangest was an amphibious bird that was capable of swimming and flight sort of wings like a bat more than a traditional bird in appearance but it simply had very fine feathers. It was a most intriguing meat that had a texture of fish but tasted like chicken."

Yul chuckled. "Alright, I got it." He gave her a vague sort of salute, two fingers waving by his temple.

He considered again over another slow sip of his tea. "That sounds like a job for an accountant. So why are you looking into it? I hope you don't mind me saying that you don't look like the pad-pushing type.

"Very observant. I'm not, although I tried looking the part yesterday, breaking out the bow tie and the suspenders...that was fun for like 2 hours." She gave a roll of her eyes afterwards.

She gave a shrug before casting a cautious glance at him. "There's reasons...kind of hard when I don't exactly have a name for you, pal. I could call your pretty boy face many things, if you want."

Yul smirked. "I'd have liked to have seen that. But given how much trouble I still have with my formal uniform collar..." He spread the fingers of one hand, in a sort of semi-shrug.

That comment got a definite grin out of Yul. "Now I'm curious. Almost curious enough to wait and find out. But I think I'd better err on the side of courtesy." He sat up, the better to give a seated bow. "Shinjo Yul. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Well... piloting has been my life the past years, and that's not even including the time spent in flight school."

She was casually chewing a bit on her straw between taking sips.

"Amphibious bird with strange wings? That sounds quite weird... like fish and chicken. I don't think I've had anything like that. Granted, I'm not very well versed in biology, so I don't know a lot about different kinds of animals on different planets, but hmm... I guess eating bugs can be weird to some, but I'd find the strange bird you spoke of weirder."

"Indeed not entirely pleasant but not wholly unpleasant either. They were the most common prey animal available and you eat what you can when you're essentially camping until you can get colonies set up." he said sipping his drink again.

"So you mentioned the other night that you were into fashion, what drew you to that?" he asked casually