Yul flashed her a grin. "Hey, I'll back you on saying it's a lizard egg. And anyway, next time I visit the Otori stables, well..." He mimed turning a lock in front of his lips. "Hey, if you won't tell them, I won't either."

Picking up one bowl with both hands, he took a deep breath, his eyes closing as he inhaled the delicious scents. "Mmm, that's going to be good."

He blinked, following her finger, then grinned. "Wow, Nakauchi-san. You know how to have a good time, huh? Alright. I'm in." Yul let out a slow breath, craning his neck. "Maybe they'll have a ladder. Or a fire escape. Or hey, even a stairway that goes to the roof; that'd be nice." He jerked his head towards the building. "Let's check it out."

Laughing, she says, "Well I try. I figured a pilot might like getting just a bit closer to the sky." Picking her own up in both hands as well, she leads around the edge of the building. Rickity wooden stairs lead to a door that is proooobably the home of the shopkeeper. The roof is reachable from there.

Mumei balances the bowl on one hand and points to the stairs, and then the shop, and then lifts her finger to her lips in the universal sign of 'shhhh.' This isn't illegal, probably. But the shopkeeper might be kind of suspicious.

As Yul looked up at the stairs, his mind putting the pieces together, it occurred to him that with a generous tip, the shopkeeper would probably just let them up there.

But where was the fun in that?

Yul took a few steps away, as though walking down the street, moving casually. And then, as the shopkeeper busied himself with the next customer, Yul slipped off to the side, creeping quickly and at least moderately quietly over to join Mumei at the stairs.

He leaned closer, the clean, slightly earthy scent of him detectable. "Bowls first, then I boost you, then you help pull me up?" Yul whispered, grinning, clearly enjoying himself.

Her eyes glint green as she nods, the impression just a bit feral.

She stretches up on tiptoes, bowl balanced in her hands...and not quite to the edge of the roof. Lowering it caaarefully with a ruefull grin she leans in and says, "small change, you lift the bowls first...or boost me and I'll take them as you hand them up."

Either way, she's slight, and knows how to shift her weight on a lift for efficiency. That close, she's a waft of incense and sweet smoke over aged synth-leather.

Yul was wincing as, for a moment, the bowl seemed about to fall; he breathed a sigh of relief as she lowered it gracefully. Nodding quietly, he stretched up, reaching with both hands. The extra few inches of height were juuuuust enough to ease his bowl up to the roof. Flashing Mumei a quick smile, he accepted her bowl, sliding it into place next to his.

"That's the easy part." Yul murmured. He looked at Mumei, his brown eyes alight. "Okay. Now it's your turn. Here..." Gently, first with nodding, and then with a touch at the small of her back, Yul guided her into place. His hands, strong and warm, gently settled around her waist, the whole maneuver very much like a dance.

"Okay, jump on three." He whispered, his voice soft. "One... two... three!" He gripped her more tightly, lifting as she jumped, hopefully giving her the extra distance she needed to reach the edge, and then push her above it.

The Osprey steps easily into place, following the lightest lead with a trust born of endless nights on the dance floor, leaning into the hold as he counts. He might be surprised at the strength of her leap...not enough to make the roof without assistance, but surprising for her size.

She thrusts her palms against the gritty roof for the extra momentum needed to land a knee and teeter for half a second before her weight shifts forward. Quietly...no sense having someone come out shouting about lizards on the roof or something, she crouches low and a little back from the edge to offer her hands as an assist where she can be braced enough not to just overbalance off the edge.

"Your turn!" she whispers down.

Yul nodded; no need to do more than that, and took her hands. Still warm, she could feel the tension as he readied himself for his own climb. Another nod, and he pulled himself upwards, keeping a steady pressure rather than going for sheer speed, his booted feet finding at least some measure of purchase on the uneven wooden wall.

After a few moments, Yul managed to get his elbow up over the edge. He pushed up, strain and excitement appearing in equal measures on his handsome features. A sudden twist of his body as he realized that he was about to kick one of the bowls, and, with Mumei's help, he managed to sprawl awkwardly on the roof next to her. Awkwardly, but at least quietly.

Yul stifled laughter, managing to keep it to quiet snickering. "Well, now I'm really hungry." He said, flashing her another smile.

Mumei's lips are pressed tight to keep from making a sound as they struggle to pull this off without dumping their noodles down the side.

She almost just does the easy thing of hauling straight back and letting her own body muffle that landing. But...he's not a dancer, and she's not actually responding to him as one, and *that* would get very awkward. So she breathes a sigh of relief as they sprawl side by side, hoping there's actually nobody up in the residence...surely all working at the shop.

"Oh fortunes, yes," she answers, shaking with silent laughter, listening to see if anyone's noticed the sound of boots on the wall. sitting up, she scoots back a bit toward the bowls to pick one up to hand over. "Nothing like a bit of mischief to work up an appetite."

"Good lift, by the way. You get any dance training? I've had other folks nearly crack ribs thinking there's some benefit to squeezing hard...like, I don't know...I'm going to slip out of their hands instead of jump when they lift?" She tears the disposable chopsticks apart, "But I bet you need steady hands as a pilot, hmm?"

Yul pushed himself just enough to slide over. He accepted the bowl with a nod and a smile. A little bit of shifting, and he sat cross-legged, the bowl in his lap, companionably close to Mumei.

"Thanks. And yeah, you do." Yul mimed pulling back on a stick, chopsticks in hand. "In a tight turn, the g-forces can get pretty intense, which makes you want to let go, or even just ease up a bit. But if you do, well, you lose your target. Or he gets you, depending on which end of things you're on."

Splitting his chopsticks, Yul paused a moment to stir his noodles, watching the broth darken as some of the heavier ingredients came to the surface. "Training, no. Practice, yes." Yul glanced up, looking at Mumei. "I come from a less settled planet in Unicorn space; Shinjo's Grace, if you've heard of it. It's a lovely place, and there's lots of outdoors stuff: mountains, and forests and rivers... not as many modern amenities as a lot of planets, though."

Yul smiled in reminiscence, his gaze going distant, chopsticks resting on the edge of the bowl. "So, one of the things we'd do is go to the local club, if you could call it that. They had a jukebox, if you can believe it. And we'd put on some songs, and just dance to the music." He grinned, shaking his head. "It was fun, and I fancied myself pretty good, but yeah, never actually had any training."

Her chopsticks poke apart the giant, golden yolk into the broth as she listens, eyes on the young pilot rather than her soup. "We should definitely hit the floor then. And no worries if you let go on a turn there, I'm pretty good at finding my way back as long as the music's going." There's a flash of her smile before she looks down to fish out something vegetal.

"Been to Shinjo's Grace, actually. Few weeks to run around while the ship was in dock for repairs there and a friendly Moto-san willing to show me around. Autumn in the part we were in, so it was beautiful and the mountains..." She shakes her head. "If I had to be grounded right now, I'd pick there of the worlds I've actually stood on."

Looking up she asks, "Is it true they brought the grass and trees from the old world to terraform with?" before popping the mushroom into her mouth and beginning to chew. Eyes widening a bit at the heat.

"Yeah? You're on." Yul couldn't help but smile back. "Can't wait to see what moves you've got. And to show you some of mine." His playful smirk was stopped by a bit of noodle, dripping with broth and a bit of (lizard) egg yolk.

His eyebrows went up. "No kidding. You've actually been? That's great. And yeah, autumn on the northern continent is beautiful. Every season has it's own charm." Yul smiled, shaking his head, a mushroom clutched in his chopsticks. "It's funny, I was so excited to get out of there, but I rushed back on my first leave." Shrugging, he popped the mushroom into his mouth, with little reaction; years of eating Moto food had prepared him for the heat.

Looking back to Mumei, Yul nodded, smiling. "Yep. For soil cultivation, mostly. We grow so much there, and we wanted some connection with our roots. You probably heard about the nomads while you were there?" A quick inquisitive look, and he went on. "So in a way, the food we eat comes from the old world."

Noodle eating had to be properly paced; the egg seemed like the centerpiece of them meal, so Yul picked up a piece of that with his chopsticks, slurping it slowly up. "So... where was home for you, originally?"

She's had Moto food on her last haul, but when a lot of your rations come from a vat and store in a vacuseal pouch, even the burning flakes lose some punch. So her face is quickly red, though she continues to eat with evident enjoyment...and some regret for not picking up something to drink before climbing on a roof.

"I'm told I was born on the Golden Scale out of Green Carp on the way to World of Dreams where mother'd planned to pause for my arrival and to arrange resources for childcare while Navigating." She lifts a small veil of slippery noodles, head bent to slurp them from the bowl. It's a welcome pause while she considers the short and diplomatic version of what growing up on trading fleets was like.

"So I'd been on ships belonging to half the clans in the Empire before getting dropped at the dojo on Silent Gardens for my years of training. I guess that's the spot I've sat still the longest, but it doesn't feel like home." Now the egg, cool proteins soothing the spicy burn, which somehow makes it seem even more tied to cold lizards than warm Otori. She sighs at how luxurious a cheap bowl of soup can be.

"So, when I heard of the nomads on Grace, that...didn't sound so strange really." Her smile's pensive as she flicks blue hair back from her eyes. "If you couldn't keep flying, is that where you'd like to go?"

Discovering that he was ravenous, Yul ate as she talked. He ate quickly, slurping up noodles, his skill with his chopsticks saving him from wearing them more than once. Seeing Mumei's flush, Yul's lips quirked; it'd be a perfect time to offer a lady a drink, but he hadn't thought of it either.

"Sounds like up there's your home, maybe." Yul pointed skyward with the rear part of his chopsticks. He studied her a few moments, his brown eyes curious. "You know, I've met a few Spaceborn before. Most of them seemed pretty uncomfortable planetside. You seem like you really dig it?" He tilted his head, still regarding her. "Is it because it's just so different, or you like new things, or...?" He made a vague wave with his chopsticks.

Another piece of egg, Yul's eyes closing as he savored it. And considered. "I don't know." He finally said, eyes flickering open; his expression was serious as he looked at Mumei again. "I guess it's the closest thing you could get to flying... but as much as I love Shinjo's Grace, it's my past, you know? Feels like moving backwards." He smiled then, gently, miming a fighter taking off with his hand. "I like to always be moving forward."

She digs into her own meal, spreading the rich yolk through the broth and lifting the bowl for a long sip. But she pauses, watching Yul's face as he talks about flying, nodding to herself at the spark that seems common to pilots, the thing that makes spirit and heart click together. "Moving forward, maybe circling around, but never sitting still..."

"So you know the Osprey's charter, yes?" Her chopsticks in hand, she gestures up toward stars invisible with all the neon glow here. "To keep seeking the hearts of stars to talk to? Worlds have hearts and spirits too. At least some of them. Every world is a new chance to connect to some ancient spirits." There's a yearning for the nearly unreachable in her voice. "I mean, I'm always glad to get back to a ship, somehow..so far. But I guess we all secretly hope we'll find a star or world to belong to eventually, and then probably never leave."

She almost asks where pilots hope to eventually end up, but those futures seem darker. Instead, she bends over her bowl again, with a quiet, "I've never known one who did though," and scoops up a comfort of yolky noodles.

About to slurp down another mushroom, Yul snorted laughter instead. "Circling is allowed, yeah." Still chuckling, he popped the mushroom in his mouth, chewing vigorously.

This time, it was Yul's turn to watch as Mumei spoke. He could not have expressed what it was that he saw; in fact, he wasn't quite sure he recognized it, himself. But the yearning in her voice, the glint in her green eyes, they were all as clear as day. "Yeah..." Yul said, his voice a little rough. He cleared his throat. "I mean, I knew it, but I've never heard it explained quite like that." He tilted his head, looking at her. "But you really mean it, huh? Like, really really."

He set his chopsticks on the edge of his bowl, frowning thoughtfully. "I don't know. If you ask me, there's a lot worse than a life like that. Always exploring, finding new things... that's a Unicorn sort of thing, too." He grinned suddenly. "I've always said 'aim for the stars', but I hadn't thought about it being literal..." His gaze went briefly skyward before he picked up his chopsticks again.

It's her turn to avoid laughter induced choking, just managing to swallow something crunchy-crisp before a stifled bark of laughter. They were supposed to be quiet and all. "Oh, I'm sorry. but.. So...I'm sure that saying means something different for pilots, and it's not funny at all, really. But... The engineers I'm around are like, 'aim for the stars...if you miss, at least you'll die quickly as you flash freeze.'" She offers an apologetic sort of smile. 'Engineers have kind of a...morbid sense of humor."

"Ah...and the Navigators, um...'aim for the stars, if you miss you'll be embraced by the Void,' and that's actually a good thing, kind of? Not humor at all." She squirms self-conscious for one of the few times in her life. "I mean, it's a communion you don't come back from, but...I think a lot of elder Navigators would go that way if it didn't mean dragging a whole ship of people to their deaths."

"Sorry...that got kind of dark." She stirs absently at her bowl of noodles, eggs bits breaking into ever smaller white chunks. "Circling back," she mutters. "It is exciting to keep moving into the new, to see how worlds you've seen before have changed since you were there. The void is fearsome, but also unknown, so it's...exciting? Attractive?"

Yul's eyebrows went up a little, then a little more. For a moment, he seemed mildly daunted, then he smiled. "Wow, Nakauchi-san. That did get dark." His smile grew gentle, denying her self-consciousness. "Hey, it's been a fun time. We met by running into each other, and ended up sneaking up onto a roof. I think it's good to mix it up with a little real talk, too."

Lifting his bowl to his lips, he took a deep drink, then set it aside, letting his hands rest in his lap. "But yeah, that's how I'd describe it. Or..." Yul frowned. "Maybe not a pull, but a drive, at least for me. The unknown is out there, and I want to see it. Part attraction, part intensity." He smiled wryly, spreading his hands. "I don't know if I'm explaining it very well, but maybe you get it?"

He pursed his lips. "You know, every time I go back to someplace I've been, I'm always surprised by just how much it changes. More than I expected. Hmmm." Yul's forehead creased, just a little; he wasn't totally sure what that meant.

"Thanks." Mumei scratches at her half-buzzed hair, sheepish. "Wasn't planning to get quite so real. I'm not usually...well dark." She shovels bits of broken egg and the broken ends of noodles as he seemingly finishes his own bowl. Enjoying a quiet moment of just...eating and not contemplating death in the void.

And she listens, bowl resting in her lap. "No, no...that's exactly it! Especially if nobody's seen it before, but even if they have, that's not the same as getting to see it--or settle in and commune with it--myself. Maybe if there wasn't anything like that anywhere, I'd never think about it. But as soon as there is...I want to see it."

"But then...it's like the only way I see it is...how I did then. So it Shinjo's Grace in my head is always covered in autumn leaves, even if I know they must have spring and winter too." She sets the bowl aside, drawing her knees up before her, hands expressive. "But then I go back and it's spring! And part of me is surprised that the leaves are tiny and the air has no bite."

"Like...is it ever not hot and sticky here?" she chuckles. "I'll come back some day and be surprised that the fungal trees are covered in snow."

"Hah." Yul grinned. "I figured you'd understand what I mean." He leaned forward. "You said we should hit the dance floor sometime, and I'm still in. But I think, if we've both got the time for it, we should go up in one of those Ornithopters. Just you and me. See if we can find some stuff that no one's seen." He chuckled softly. "There's some areas where flying is discouraged, but you know what? So is this roof."

He settled back, resting his elbows on his knees, and chin on his hands. "If you're interested, anyway. But I'd like going up there with someone who really gets it." Yul's lips quirked. "Besides my squadron-mate Hyeon-ju, that is."

Reminded, Yul flapped the collar of his jacket, fanning himself; fortunately, he just wore a tank top underneath, although it was visibly clinging to his chest, just a little. "Maybe. I kinda hope it stops being hot and sticky, say, next week." He shook his head. "But I think I get what you mean. I can think back, and imagine how Shinjo's Grace looks season to season. I can't imagine the mushrooms with snow on top." Again, his lips quirked. "I'd kinda like to see it, though."

Her eyes meet his, still alight with the fire of topics close to the heart, and she nods, staying close. Her voice is low, clearing the short distance from lips to ear with ease. "I'd love to. There's so much to this world, and," she smiles warmly, "I trust your skill up there in your element." With a small quirk of the lips, that smile turns teasing, "Only fair since you trusted me in coming up here."

She makes no pretense of not appraising what she can see of Yul's physique beneath the jacket, letting a breath of silent appreciation linger before speaking again. "Hot and sticky wouldn't be so bad if the waters weren't full of nasty predators. Maybe it'll be cooler up where we can fly." She shifts to curl her legs beneath her and to one side, fishing out her communicator, battered and covered with worn lucky stickers. "Should definitely trade comm codes to set that up."

As she's scrolling to transmit hers, the name he'd mentioned clicks. "Hyeon-ju? The Utaku, yes? Same squadron and both sent here for the miai? What are the chances?" She shakes her head in disbelief. "You two were pretty competitive today, even in the healer's tent they were gossiping about you."