Maybe it was the late night buzz of alcohol that made her incredibly peckish, or hormones, but Hyeon-ju nevertheless had a craving for cheesecake after karaoke.

Thankfully. Tian's was still open when she got there, and she got herself a slice of cake, as well as another box of discounted moon-cake from the bin. Plus a colorful orange yuzu rainbow tea.

The cheesecake was devoured quickly and she lounged in one of the chairs as she calmly sipped her drink.

Sometime later a rather handsome (at least for a Phoeni) man entered the establishment, his orange and yellow robes not only begging, but also demanding attention. Whoever the man was, he dressed to be noticed, golden earrings dangling among his long brown curls. An eagle-eyed observed might have been able to spot that that the newcomer had had his nails manicured.

Eyeing the menu behind the desk for a moment, the tall man made his order. Grabbing a sickly-red drink, he turned to look for a free seat. Instead, he spotted a certain dark haired Unicorn among the many more plain looking Phoenix patrons. "Ha! You!" he called out to Hyoen-Ju, the locals murmuring as the shugenja not only breached, but also mutilated what was considered to be proper etiquette. "You were on the wrestling broadcast, weren't you?"

Looking up from her Kami-pet device, Hyeon-ju turned in the direction of the voice.

Well, at least this was perhaps the most stylish person she'd seen all miai. The richness in the robes, and the yellows and oranges playing off the gold jewelry. Complimented his colors well. Still, she raised an eyebrow at the somewhat rude greeting.

"... Yes?" she said, questioningly, not rising from her seat. Wait, were wrestlers supposed to be open about their wrestling-persona?

"Ha, Fortunes are kind today!" the young man quipped, walking to Hyeon-ju even as the other patrons pretended to be very very busy with their communicators and densai. The staff behind the counter though that this was a perfect moment to start cleaning some of the used cups and mugs.

"I am Isawa Shin." he announced as if that should have meant something. The locals seemed to know him all too well. "Would you mind if I saw down with you, Unicorn-san?" he asked, his robes shimmering in the bright lights of the store. Whoever had prepared his costume not only had had access to the expensive cloth but had also had a rather good idea on how to make robes that did not look sad on a tall person. "Unicorn-san was fabulous." The young man added, sounding somewhat excited.

"You may, Isawa-san," she nodded, gesturing for the seat. Mostly she was looking at the outfit. "I'm Utaku Hyeon-ju... by the way, where did you get those robes made? I don't think I've seen anyone here wear anything like that."

"Me? I made them myself. I mean, I designed them." he explained, taking a step back even so that she might better see just what he had done. "I am glad that someone noticed."

Shin reached for a chair and sat down, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear. "I can work a sewing machine, but my servants are much better than I am so, I leave that for them." The young priest seemed rather smug about that. He stood out like a store thumb, most of the locals wearing muted oranges and reds, their clothes often tarnished or worn. "Though, I am not from here. I mean, not from Yoake."

"Pleasure to meet you, Utaku-san." She could see certain curiosity gleaming in his eyes as he looked at her even as he offered her an another bow. "I hope that the Fortunes have been kind to you?"

Her eyes widened a little. "You made this?" Of course, she understood that you had heimin to do the boring labor part - samurai didn't spend hours at the sewing machine.

Gah. Why hadn't she heard of this Phoenix before? It's not a name she had heard of in relation to the miai, so most likely not a competitor. Damnit!

"It's a pleasure, and the Fortunes have been kind so far here on this planet." Well, apart from the minor poisoning and similar incidents, but it was rude to draw attention to such. "Just surprised to see someone as fashionable as you. Even the many visitors here don't seem to hold themselves to a higher standard, even in the days of a miai."

"Yes!" Shin's eyes gleamed with passion for his art, though perhaps Hyeon-ju could tell that the man before her was truly and well consumed by his art. "I dream of robes, kimono, hanboks..." he added before coughing softly as he realized he wasn't making much sense.

"Ahem, I work for the Asako Yoake-Meishoku." Chances were that the she might have even heard the name, the Shimmercloth of Dawn being the most well known Phoenix brand that had even stores outside the Phoenix space, their hand bags and satchels particularly popular among the more fashionable shugenja.

"Mhmhm, this planet is enthralling." the young man agreed eagerly. "The colors, the materials. The nature is fabulous." Pressing his palm against the table, Shin leaned a bit closer. "The wilderness is so vibrant, the blues, the yellows and the oranges." The fact that the world seemed to also keep killing people didn't appear to bother him the least. "Would Utaku-san be willing to humor be to listen to a proposal?"


___
OOC: Investigation (Notice) / Perception please!

Well, she couldn't fault a guy for being really into the art of fashion. It was her biggest interest too.

"I have heard of Yoake-Meishoku..." Hyeon-ju nodded. Clearly she was a woman of culture. Branding wasn't the most important to her when it came to fashion, but she acknowledged the fashion houses that did create beautiful works of art.

Her eyes lowered for a brief moment, as she caught a glimpse of something. A bandaged wrist? That was strange...

"I am willing to listen." The Unicorn gestured for him to go on.


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D7 EN untrained Investigation/Perception.: 3d10 20

Bandaged wrist noticed.

"Now really?" An eyebrow rose, Shin smiling rather smugly. Every artisan was happy when their work was recognized and he was no exception. The finely manicured fingers softly drummed against the plastic table. "Excellent. Most excellent."

"So, I am supposed to present few of my creations at the court day after tomorrow." Biting his lip, Shin looked at Hyoen-Ju. "Now, the lord-governor cares little about such things, but there are few officials who do. Asako Karin - the quartermaster-general to name one of them. Now, I have few of my creations with me, but I would need a someone dignified and lively enough to wear them." By this point it had to be pretty evident what he wanted. "Now, I saw Utaku-san on the broadcast and I was enthralled. Such grace, such power. Such dignity." The young man seemed genuinely enthralled. "Now, I am sure Utaku-san can guess what I am suggesting, yes? We would compensate you for your time, of course. You could take one of the dresses with you."

Was she being... scouted?

As a model?!

Her eyebrows raised, only stopped by the body's natural limitations on such expressions.

"I... would be honored, Isawa-san." A hand touched her collarbone in response, making it clear how sincere she was. "I didn't think that wrestling match would get me noticed for something... like this. Modelling. But, yes, I would be very honored to assist."

She was, in-fact being scouted. Perhaps not for the purpose she thought she was being scouted, but still.

"Very good." Shin grinned. "And you can drop the '-sama' with me. Maybe '-sensei' if Utaku-san insists, but I am but a humble artisan." A Phoenix samurai sitting at the next table sneezed rather audibly. "Excellent. Now please let me tell you the details, yes." He did not really wait for her permission. "Arts are immortal. Some Kakita poets are studied even today, several millennia after their deaths. The capital back on Rokugan? Some of the paintings there predate the age of exploration. I am even told that some of the blades the Crab wear today were first forged by Kaiu over millennia ago. Human life is ephemeral, but art, art persists. This is what I am trying to capture with my work!" Shin spoke about his work much like a Kuni might talk about about an wonky appendix they had dissected recently.

"I want to create garments that echo through the ages." Shin tucked the collar of his own robes. "Something that people never forget. Something that will be worn thousand years from now."

"Of course." She was pretty sure she had said -san and not -sama, but the Phoenix seemed very full of himself. Well, he was well-dressed!

"... That is a pretty monumental task. Fashion has changed a lot over the years after the Age of Exploration began. With many new fabrics and styles being used. What's your angle on making it so unique that it is a style that's going to last for over a millenia?" Hyeon-ju was genuinly interested in what he was thinking, because it sounded like it needed to be something absolutely new and amazing to compete with existing forms.

"Well yes. But if no-one ever tries it, then no-one is ever going to succeed!" Shin replied, his voice full of passion. "I will immortalize my art, one way or another. And Utaku-san will help me with that." he added with all the confidence that came with Isawa bloodline. "I had been looking for someone with the right... shapes." The artisan managed to express himself tactfully enough. "It's hard to drape a stick in fine garments, yes." It did seem he had managed rather well with his own robes, though. "There is only so much you can do when all you have is shoulders, yes." Shin's eyes traced the line of her body, though he soon remembered his manners. "I am working with local materials, fungal fibers. Light and cool to touch. Yet vibrant in color, if right techniques are used." Shin fiddled with the sleeve of his robes.

"Yes, Utaku-san is right. Fashions are like the proverbial autumn leaves. But, I think that I have managed to figure out something that no-one else has." He offered her a conspiratory smile. "But, you should see for yourself I think. I would need to adjust the pieces I wish to show anyway." The finely polished nails clicked against the table. "Would Utaku-san be available tomorrow? I might want to see my work on her frame so that I could do the final adjustments, yes."

She nodded along to his words, intrigued and imagening quite a bit of what fungal fibers could look like as fabric. And what sort of designs he might be going for. That the colors were vibrant she considered to be a very important perk too.

That he was examening her features didn't go unnoticed but at least he stopped himself before it got downright improper. Maybe she'd bring someone along...

"Ah I think that should be doable, yes. There's some time between the arrangments our host has made that should be available."

"Well, I am flexible. Most of my evening is free." Shin assured her. "Oh and if you want to bring someone with you, that's fine too." he added, almost as an afterthought. "I mean, I have my servants around, but in case Utaku-san would feel more comfortable that way, I have no issues. No-one can copy my designs in a day, anyway." he ran his fingers through his hair, a faint scent of sandalwood reaching the Unicorn pilot. With the grand day approaching, it seemed that the Isawa designer didn't mind flaunting his creations.

She gave a nod. "I assure you that my friend couldn't copy any fashion whatsoever even if they tried, but they're a good friend nonetheless." Yul could probably feel some strange interference in the Force as she both dissed him and praised him in the same breath.

"About what time tomorrow would work best for Isawa-san?"

"The local clock is pretty tricky, but...." Shin would describe the times corresponding to 'late evening' or 'early night', even if early night was night only in name, most residents retiring during the darkest hour and getting up as the sun rose, the long days of the planet making 'evening' a wonky concept. "Could Utaku-san give me her communicator number? So that I can send her the address?" He reached into his sleeve, pulling out what seemed like to be a latest Isawa model communicator with a gleaming gold and yellow shell. "My studio might be pretty hard to find." A gentle smile lingered on his lips.

"Ah, hai..." she fished out her communicator from the pocket of her loose-fitting trousers that almost looked more like a skirt. "Somewhere around then should be doable, yes."

Maybe after that Fantasy Fight tournament, Hyeon-ju considered. It would be bad manners of her to miss one of the host's arrangements at this point, and she had spent money on a deck and console too.

Her communicator wasn't the latest model, but it was plenty accessorized with small collectibles. Heavenly 9, Susumu Yakumo, pilot-symbols. She opened it up to exchange contact info.

"Your studio is somewhere in the city, I assume?"

"Very good." he nodded, idly taking a sip from his drink. "Excellent even." Shin was all smiles, seemingly rather happy with how things hard turned out. "I look forward to seeing you there, then." Realizing he had forgotten something, the young man tapped the desk once one. "Oh and these are court garments. In case this I didn't make that clear enough. Three to five layers, depending. I'll reserve us some cold water." It did seem like he had done something like this before. "We don't want Utaku-san fainting, neh."

"Oh yes, it's a bit outside the upper city. I'll send you the address." he assured her. "Close to the market place, though if you are coming from the hostel you'll have to head towards the southern gates."