Yul stared at her for a few moments, then shook his head.

"Do you want any tea or anything?" He asked. The kettle was boiling. "We can sit for a while, have a chat." He smiled gently. "I'm afraid I'm not quite up to wrestling right now."

Nozomi frowned, dipping her head in awkward shame. "Yes, tea sounds nice."

But like any Lion, she refound her footing on a battlefield, where love could be found. "The wrestling can wait! In fact, I am inclined to ask you how you got so wounded."

Nodding, Yul scooped some leaves into a teapot, pouring hot water on top of them.

"Yeah, uh. Huh." Yul considered. Then nodded. "Well, I had gone flying with Nakauchi Mumei. We'd landed next to a lake up in the mountains. And next thing we knew, a huge monster came out of the water. She tried to..." a shadow crossed Yul's handsome features, "-that is, I stepped in front of her, and shot the thing a few times, but... it closed on me. And bit me."

He took a deep, steadying breath. Despite his easy manner, something was clearly affecting him. "Anyway, she managed to pull me to the Ornithopter, take off, and heal me. It was really something." Yul's lips twitched as he fought the desire to grin foolishly.

"Oh I've heard of her," Nozomi mused. "Seems to me she's quite competent. Guess I have her to thank for having you back in one piece, well, mainly." She waved her jazz healing hands.

The Kitsu stared at Yul and then closed her eyes. She put on a faint smile and asked, "How's your wingmate doing during all this?"

Yul gave her a quick bow. "And thank you again for taking care of the rest, Kitsu-sama." Yul wasn't normally so formal, but, well, she had just healed him.

"Oh... Hyeon-ju?" Yul grimaced. "I haven't told her yet." He sighed. "I... she's such a pain in my backside, but I still tell her everything, because that's part of being a wingmate. I guess I'll tell her tomorrow, maybe."

"Oh, no, I meant like how she's doing. But it is important for her to be kept up on your injuries and... Other stuff."

"Oh." Yul shrugged. "She's fine, I guess. I saw her earlier today, and she was her usual self." His tone was a little dry.

Satisfied, he poured tea into a cup, offering it to Nozomi with both hands. "I think she's not quite as..." He paused, "I mean, she hasn't yet decided who she favors."

"Ah. I suppose it is a little early for that." Nozomi sipped her tea and smiled. "Thank you, by the way."

She blinked and looked down. "Do you two talk a lot about that sort of thing though?"

"My pleasure." Yul said, giving her a friendly smile. He poured a second cup, taking that one for himself.

He didn't drink at first, just holding it in his hands. "Generally, no." Yul said. "Hyeon-ju very much did not discuss each others' love lives or marriage prospects. Except for some disapproval." He grimaced. "But, well, this is different. I mean, she's my wingmate. If we're on a mission, we look out for each other. That's just how it goes."

"It does sound like her to disapprove of that and, well, numerous other matters," Nozomi said with an awkward chuckle. "In a way, isn't this miai like one of your missions?"

"Exactly." Yul said, nodded. "Which is why we'll help each other out. I mean, we would anyway. We may not be friends, but if someone wanted to fight her, I'd back her up in a heartbeat."

He chuckled, then shook his head. "This is a bit more organized is all. We plan together, we cover each other when we need to, we confer with each other... that's just how it is."

"You're not friends?" Nozomi asked, nearly tilting the tea cup enough to spill. She caught it in time, sipping it rather ungracefully, before resuming proper posture. "I wish I had a relationship like that. I suppose, if I were to have a yojimbo, it might be similar?"

"No. We're wingmates." After a moment, Yul shrugged, smiling. "It's kinda hard to explain."

Yul took a sip of his tea, considering. "Well, it's kinda similar, yeah. Except Hyeon-ju-san and I are pretty much equals." He grimaced. "She is the senior member of the squad, so she's lead, even if I'm the better shot."

"One cannot be friends with one's wingmate? I would hope I could be friends with my yojimbo," Nozomi said before sipping her tea. "I'll be sure to let her know what you said."

"One can be friends with one's wingmate. But it's not a requirement." Yul smiled tightly, sipping his tea. "If you want to tell her, go ahead, I'm sure she'd agree."

He looked away. "In some ways, it helps. You worry when they're in trouble, but it's a professional worry. And if something goes wrong, it doesn't hit you quite the same." Another sip of tea, gaze still averted.

"Oh, no, no," Nozomi laughed awkwardly. "I meant about the supposed fact that you're better than her."

She turned a bit serious too. "That makes sense. It'd be more difficult for me to heal any of my clan's soldiers if I was personally attached to all of them, right?"

"Ehhh..." Yul grinned. "You can tell her that, too. Just tell me what sort of face she makes when you do." Actually, Yul could already picture it.

He took another sip of his tea. "But yeah, something like that. I think it's tricky, because wingmates are supposed to have really close bonds. It... can get complicated. Just like a yojimbo and their charge."

Yul blinked. "I wonder if that's why me and Hyeon-ju got stuck together. No chance of things getting too complicated between us." He grinned, thinking of the idea.

"Will do," Nozomi said with a warm smile. "When I get to see her, that is. She sure seems to be busy with all the interest in her."

The Kitsu stared at him and then shook her head incessantly. Instead of explaining, she said, "I can imagine that nobody wants a complicated relationship in such arrangements. It'd be unwise to marry within one's field.'

"Well..." Yul bobbed his head side to side. "Yes and no. I used to think it was an advantage." He sighed, his eyes going downcast for a moment.

Then he shook his head. "But we've got another type of fighter that is made for a closely bonded pair. Pilot and navigator. So..." Yul's lips quirked. "I guess there's no easy answers, huh?"

Nozomi blinked. "Oh, yes, that makes sense. In that case, both of you are even more invested in saving the craft you both inhabit."

She offered a smile. "Yes, life can be quite complicated, huh?"