It had been a good morning for Yul. An early morning run, followed by bird-based competition. He'd done fairly well, and earned a bird. He'd seen Maverick safely back to the stables.

But now he had to eat.

He'd wandered around the mall a bit, looking for something, but it was all so unfamiliar to him. It was strange enough moving off of Shinjo's Grace into the wider Unicorn systems. Now, on a Phoenix planet, everything had changed again. Until...

"No way." Yul muttered to himself, staring up at the familiar sign. Tian Bubble Tea. A little taste of home, here on Asakase. Without even thinking about it, Yul walked through the door, drawn in by the familiar sights and smells.

Despite being a franchise, this location of Tian Bubble Tea had everything Yul might be familiar with, even the various cheesecake and mousse offerings.

It seemed he wasn't the only customer to-be there, however. The Kuni there was clearly having a disagreement with the staff. "I still don't get it. So you're telling me that I can order the Nebula tea, ask for less sugar but if I order it on special, I can't adjust it? It's the same damn thing! I'm asking for less, too. It doesn't make a whole whack of sense, don't you think?"

Yul was studying the menu, but it didn't really hold his attention, since he already knew what he wanted. Besides, there was something else going on.

He stepped a little closer, inserting himself into the conversation. "What about trying the Neutrino Wave?" He suggested, smiling casually. "It's similar, but the milk it uses isn't as naturally sweet. It's kinda like a Nebula with less sugar."

Another patron entered the establishment but he had sought it out with purpose and messaged a certain other Unicorn to meet him there. He had showered and changed after the Otori riding wearing a white button up well sized for his frame and black pants. He felt it was a good balance between looking nice and being casual that he figured would strike a tea date well. He hadn't spent hours thinking about it or trying on different outfits, nope, not at all.

Satoru looked around the place with an expression of curiosity as this was not something that they had in Spider space seeing a franchise from another clan was a somewhat interesting experience.

It was quite a challenge to decide on a wardrobe-choice for a date. Or rather a date that was a very casual kind of date on par with grabbing a coffee together. When the last meeting was both of them naked in the bath. Well, it was certainly a quite fine meeting then.

And with the oppressive heat today, she opted for a very casual attire that was practical and simple, though with accessories like her cool shades, and an armband jewelry and some colorful waterfall earrings made the entire ensemble appear casually stylish.

Seeing that her date had decided on a casual look as well was a small relief. "Good afternoon, Kuchiki-san," she greeted politely as she approached. "Is this your first time visiting Tian's?"

Satoru stared just a little as Hyeon-ju arrived but covered it up by clearing his through, very smooth "Uh yes Utaku-san, we don't have them in Spider space to the best of my knowledge. I thought since this is a place from Unicorn space it might be a good place to relax a little. A bit of familiar in what I'm sure is a very unfamiliar situation." he rambled just a little. nerves. He over thought most things and this Miai was no different.

he took a breath though. confidence, need to exude confidence. He gave her a small smile "So whats good here?"

"Well, bubble tea I'm sure you have on Spider worlds too?" What sort of freaks wouldn't have *bubble tea*?! Even Yakumo was frequently pictured by the paparazzi with a bubble tea in hand.

"Here you can get it with milk, or other milk-teas too. Classic matcha flavor, or hojicha (roasted matcha). Fruit-flavors too. They have a lot of cakes and pastries as well, with the specialties being cheesecakes."

Hyeon-ju gave him a scrutinizing look. "... I heard many outside the Unicorn are unable to handle milk."

"Oh um of course we have bubble tea, just I don't believe i've seen this exact chain before." he said his tone thoughtful "hmm I wouldn't say milk is a staple of my diet but I have had different animal milks before. When settling colonies you make as much use of everything as you can."

"This whole thing is about new experiences." He ordered a lychee milk bubble tea "I would like to try some cheese cake but I don't do sweets much would you like to split a slice?" he asked looking to her

"Yeah..." Eriko said with a good bit of skepticism as she eyed the Unicorn in the shop. "No. Nice try, pal. Let's not do that, as I'm trying to keep off the milk business. Ah-ah, not my thing."

She said as she waved off to the general direction of the non-milk section of their menu, certainly not a milk convert as some samurai here might have taken to ever since a Tian opened up in their area. "Not a lot of options otherwise, I guess better a sugar crash than the other sort of crash I could find here."

She clucked her tongue in annoyance as she brushed her hair behind her. "Whatever, ain't got all day to hangle, just Nebula me. The non-daily special one, you hear?"

"Of course, that is acceptable." For herself she ordered lemon-flavored milk bubble tea.

Seeing Yul there, but seemingly on similar business as herself, she offered a nod in his direction when their eyes met.

"What are places like these like on Spider worlds? Tea-chains and cake shops, I mean..."

"Hey, I'm not trying anything." Yul grinned, raising his hands. "You think I own milk stocks or something? Get a zeni every time they sell a drink with milk in it?" He shook his head. "I'm a pilot, Kuni-san, not a salesman."

He crossed his arms over his chest, his leather jacket rustling. "I gotta ask, though, have you ever tried milk? I hear some folks can't handle it, but I've had Crab sake. If you can handle that, you can handle milk."

He finished out the order with a slive of cheese cake and payed, he had read somewhere while preparing for the Miai that it was courteous to pay for someone on a date but he didn't know if Unicorn followed these same guidelines but he had to get out of his own head.

"Well not so different from this really. they look different obviously but function much the same. No milk though or cheesecake. more traditional pasteries and sweet cakes. But i have less experience in the places like this since my duty leaves me little time to spend in more civilized areas of our territory." he looks around the shop "Is this a good example of a place like this in Unicorn territory?"

"For cities and the likes, yes, Tian's a pretty common chain to find there." She put her hands in her pockets as they waited for their order to be made.

"They have more traditional pastries as well, such as moon cake when that's in season. Some of their stores have ice cream as well... very good sesame ice cream too. I'm mostly surprised to find them outside of Unicorn space, but... I can't say I have much experience in what is usually found in other clan territories."

Satoru nods along "yes I imagine that's true for most people here unless they are diplomats or were stationed with their allies or something. This is my first time away from Spider territory and its certainly different but not so different as I expected."

"From what you said yesterday, it sounds like it's a hard time to live on many Spider worlds, as they're colonies on some pretty harsh worlds."

She wondered if they had big cities like these, or those metropolises the Unicorn had floating in the Three Castles' system.

"Have you ever considered what it would be like living on other worlds? Considering... well, half of us here at the miai will marry out of our clans."

The more established worlds are not so bad Dark Forge where I grew up is very well established great big cities with lush jungle outside of them. Whispers while orbit locked is very nice in the twilight zone. Many worlds are indeed more dangerous with their influence of various spirit realms but, i don't know, I guess I've gotten used to it over the years. Its just how things are for me in my position." he explained thoughtfully.

I have thought of what living somewhere else might be like since i learned I was coming to a Miai the likelihood of me marrying out is quite high unless I perform spectacularly well, and if today's contest is any indication I will be performing decidedly average. But to your point I will do what I must, I can heal people anywhere and while I greatly enjoy what I do, I can adapt."

A small twitch of the eye as he mentioned today's challenge... that stupid bird...

If she didn't get that one served deep-fried with heaps of peri-peri sauce before her stay her was over, she'd be greatly disappointed.

"I am certain Kuchiki-san's talents will have a chance to shine later during the stay here. I thought my experience with the blessed herd my Family still maintains on Rakuen would be of help for me today, but I was mistaken." A sore spot. "But you are a shugenja, and a doctor. Skills that are prized by all clans. My abilities as a pilot might be less valued by some clans."

Eriko shot a gaze to look Yul up and down as thought she was sizing him up. "I don't know, maybe you do or maybe you don't. Kind of hard to get much when I don't know much about you. I can't say I've met a pilot who made their flying in milk to every corner of the galaxy yet but you might be the first. The galaxy is big enough for anything."

She backed away from the counter as the workers at the bubble tea house began to make her drink. Judging from the picture on the menu, it do look like something that was worthy of the Nebula name. "I'm Kuni Eriko and I'm sure I could take a lot but my stomach might be where I draw the line, especially when I'm abroad with a purpose."

He had missed her performance so he wouldn't have known to avoid the potential landmine but he noticed a nerve prodded when he saw it, tread carefully around a wounded Unicorn's pride "Yes well I doubt many had experience with such exotic creatures, I imagine they would be quite different from a horse. But pilots are prized in any clan as well, i mean the nature of most engagements between clans is in the cockpit or at least a fairly even split between that and ground combat. Any clan would be blessed to have a Utaku pilot join their ranks."

Something had piqued his interest in what she said before, so he double backed to it "So your family raises horses?"

Yul stood, waiting and smiling, as Eriko sized him up. "I give you my word." He said, semi-solemn, "-that I have not made a milk delivery since I was... six? Seven? And that was to my mother."

It was Yul's turn to order. "Neutrino Wave, half-sweet." He looked back to Eriko. "Purpose? Do you mean the miai? I mean, I guess it's important to take it seriously..." Yul frowned doubtfully.