Michiya makes his way through the Silver Star department store, looking into the options for fashionable Phoenix clothing that are available. Milling among the displays of their latest produced clothing, he identifies a few candidate kimono that are particularly pleasing to look at, as well as some accessories.

He eventually settles on a finely crafted kimono in latest Phoenix style with a subdued local flower motif, the color of the flowers being very close in shade to the base color of the kimono. He also picks up a pair of silver netsuke, one of a local mushroom and the other of a feather.

After fitting and payment, he has the items sent back to his room at the Snow Maiden so that they can be prepared for him to change for the welcoming event that evening. He then goes about exploring the mall and seeking out other things of interest.

----

[-2 koku, -2 bu]

Nozomi wondered if her current apparel was not fancy enough for the dinner tonight. She wasn't particularly fashionable in her own right. Maybe she needed a friend to help her with it.

A man wasn't what she was looking for. However, he did seem to be an Imperial, and therefore a good person to meet nonetheless.

"Oh! Seppun-sama!" she called out. That was how one got another's attention, right? "How are the shops here? I worry... oh, maybe shouldn't say any of that out loud."

At the sound of the approaching Kitsu, Michiya turned and made sure she was talking to him and not some other Seppun that was not likely nearby.

"Ah, hello Kitsu-san," he says with a greeting bow. "I don't think we've had the pleasure of introductions yet?" He didn't think he was failing to recognize someone he should have. But her greeting made him think she might be someone he had seen before and forgotten.

"We have not," Nozomi confirmed with a warm smile, "I am Kitsu Nozomi, priestess of the Lion. I was... excited to meet someone else who seemed to be here for the miai!"

"I see," he says with a nod. "I am Seppun Michiya no Hanako. It is good to meet someone else here for the miai. I was just looking around at the local clothing and selecting something new for the banquet tonight. But I did so already and now I'm just looking around," he explains.

When one worked for a clothing company, and designed them to boot, one rarely did 'clothes shopping'. Instead, one did 'competition vetting'. Really, Fusako enjoyed doing so quite a bit. Going to malls was always an enjoyment besides, but in a place like this, it felt like an extra haven of culture.

Wearing a light and colorful dress, Fusako browsed around at the store fronts before making her way into the department store. It was hardly her sort of place, much preferring boutiques, but this is where the masses got their fashion, and it helped to diversify, even if it was more her father's sort of thing.

She spotted a Lion and an Imperial speaking, and glanced at them with very little subtlety, even if she made it a point not to interrupt their conversation, no matter how nearby she was.

"I see. Are you going with something bold or more traditional?" Nozomi asked. She peered at him afterwards, as if really trying to get into his motivations.

She glanced over at the Crane and then back to the Seppun. "Do you know her?"

"Well, most of the higher fashion they have here is the latest for the Phoenix. I'm going with something in their style but with some silver netsuke as accents," he says, pulling out the two pieces he purchased. Those he didn't need to send back to the hotel. "These are based on the nature of this place. A stylized mushroom and feather of the local flora and fauna."

Looking to the Crane, "I'm not familiar but perhaps we should introduce ourselves." With both of them showing attention to her, it was basically an open invitation to join them.

Fusako most certainly wasn't the sort to interrupt, and she wouldn't have if the two hadn't looked her way. Offering a graceful bow, she looked between the two carefully. "Kitsu-san, Seppun-sama. Here for the miai I take it?"

"Yes," Michiya replies with a bow. "I am Seppun Michiya no Hanako. A pleasure to meet you."

"I've been making the same assumption with every non-Phoenix here," Nozomi said with a pleasant smile. She then returned the bow. "Kitsu Nozomi, priestess of the Lion."

Her eyes went back towards the Imperial. "We were just discussing the fashion on this planet. I was wondering myself if it'd be better to wear the local apparel or, perhaps, what best represents us. Impress the governor here or show our own preferences to suitors."

"A fair assumption to make Kitsu-san," the Crane noted. She gave a faint smirk at her comment. "A interesting coincidence. Asahina Fusako, fashion designer."

"I hope to expand my wardrobe as I travel in the future to include styles from many worlds," he says with a nod. "This is just the beginning of that path for me."

The Kitsu rubbed her chin and looked pensively up at the ceiling for a moment. Then, her gaze went back to her conversation partners. "Fashion changes so often. It can be hard to keep up," she said wistfully, not truly bothered by the notion.

She nodded slightly. "And that is why it is a full time duty Kitsu-san. I am not one that believes strongly that there is a singular 'fashion' that must be chased after and emulated. Instead, I'm of the belief that only by finding our own fashion and style can we find our place."

"I've never really thought of it that way. Mostly I've been in very traditional clothing, handcrafted back on Rokugan. But I've always been dazzled by the many different clothing styles in the empire. There's just so much, it's hard to take it all in and parse it."

"It is nice when one can devote themselves to such things," Nozomi commented before turning towards the Imperial once more. She took him as a more traditional, rigid sort. "If not fashion, what information do you often 'parse' then, Seppun-sama?"

"I've mostly enjoyed programs about different worlds and new technology. I only have a basic understanding of computers but advances in computation, spirit machinery and ship technology are amazing to me. I also love documentaries on strange worlds and phenomenon. But I still have a lot to learn and I hope to do so in time."

"Ah. Another starbound individual, hm?" Nozomi asked with a warm smile. She glanced around the mall; it wasn't exactly a great example of the planet's offerings in terms of nature. "Do you read often then, Seppun-sama?"

"Occasionally, but I really enjoy watching and re-watching 'Strange Worlds'. It's one of my favorite programs," Michiya replies.