"Ah, I think there's a club here. Have you visited it yet? I haven't been yet." He shrugged. "A pilot and an artist Utaku-san? You leave me to shame. I don't do much, really. Quite plain. I train, spend time with Yube, play baseball maybe. Hang out with the others from my unit on shore leave."

"Not many would say that fashion and makeup is something that makes me an artisan," she gave a wry smirk.

"And yeah, I was at the club last night. It's pretty cool there. Good music to dance to and their drinks are decent. I plan on going again tonight."

Little did she know she'd get ikebana poisoning to disrupt those plans.

"Oh? Well, I think I might also be there tonight, if you want to meet up? If I'm not bothering any plans, of course." He asked tentatively.

This was a miai, after all. Supposedly.

"Well, it's certainly more artistic than what I do." He shrugged. "What do other people call it?"

"I've no specific plans other than dancing and hanging out with who else is there, so sure. We can meet up there."

She chuckled dryly. "Vain is what people tend to call it. Or frivulous."

Jin nodded, hopeful, not knowing his hopes will be dashed due to shrooms.

"Ah. Well, I don't?" He offered. Wasn't much to say. "You do your duty with honor, and if you spend time with your preferences, that is fine. Is it something you've always been interested in?"

"From pretty early on, yes," she nodded, "but flying has always been my main focus."

"What about you though... did you always wanted to be a drop-trooper, or did that come later?"

"Same here. My family has served among the Drop Troopers since their inception and I was always a pretty excitable child. Sitting still, or patiently hunting for the Enemy was not suited for me. Jumping from the stratosphere into live fire? More like it." He smirked. "Has Utaku-san ever dropped using a chute?"

"Ah, fellow military-kid," she chuckled dryly, finding it was nice to have someone to easily relate to on that.

Rolling her shoulder to easen up some stiffness, Hyeon-ju sunk a bit more into the water. "A couple of times. We do excersises on it routinely, so that we won't forget what to do if we use it - not that we fly that often in atmo, but when we do we need to know how to use the 'chute. Also part of training early on to get used to the sensation of free-falling by going sky-diving."

"But... no, I've never had to like really do a drop with one. Not one where it was fully serious."

Jin smiled and gave her a short salute in respect and good nature. He did seem fascinated by the movements of her shoulders. "Yeah, that means you're just good." He smiled, hoping that wasn't too cheesy. "Flown anything besides a fighter, by the way?"

She chuckled a little bit, maybe finding the remark a little bit cheesy.

"Yeah, small planes, choppers, a lot of training starts with the atmo-bound aircrafts." Flying in space was a whole other matter all-together.

"What about you? Do Hare drop-troops start small with tiny jumps before learning to drop from pretty high up?"

Jin nodded, shuffling a bit in the water, his long legs stretching under the water.

"Yeah, same here. We start in closed areas, just to learn the gravchute, and how it works. Then we start jumping from plans, and then ships." He grinned. "And that's when the fun starts. Jumping from strato.." his smile was wild and cheerful. "There's nothing like it. Just you, the enemy fire around you, and your goal. Oh, and the ground. You jump as a unit, but don't stay together too long, at least if you don't want to be minced." His eyes turned wistful. "The wind rushing around you, knowing that your fate and your success lies in you and perfect timing...it's exhilarating."

Hyeon-ju winced slightly at the mental image of what it likely happens if they did stay too close.

"Sounds crazy." A dry chuckle. "I suppose a dose of crazy is good for making jumps like that though. One of my squad-mates would probably love to try it out someday - he's got a penchant for crazy."

"Do you think they do any drops for tourists here?"

Jin smiled. "Probably crazy." He shrugged. "It's certainly a duty with high stakes. Guess my future spouse has to be okay with that. All duties are hard, and can be quite deadly." He gave a nod towards Hyeon, certainly not downplaying her own danger. Hopefully. "But I guess knowing that your husband goes into anti-air fire only in his light armor might be something not everyone is willing to put up with."

He seemed thoughtful. "I'm not sure! It would be cool if there's some options here."

"Such is the life of a bushi," she said with a small wrinkle of her nose, "of samurai, really. In the old days, they would say that we live three feet from death, but that isn't any less true today in its meaning even if the exact wording is a bit antiquated. The katana isn't the main weapon of most bushi today, after all."

The Ice Queen was quite set in her view here. "A samurai that isn't ready for themselves or their partner to face death whenever they go into battle is being delusional. I don't see how such should affect your chances in this miai."

Jin fell silent for a short while in thought. "Ah, well, I sometimes feel what should be and what is not always meet." He shrugged. "I cannot say I am a perfect paragon of bushido, but I try my best. My lack of Courtesy is pretty obvious, I feel. Others would have similar failings. While we must always strive, I feel I need to realize what I am subjecting my future spouse to, whether they'll stay at home or continue with their duty." He smiled sheepishly. "I would not spend time on the household much. I feel I would go insane by the first afternoon."

"I do not think you have been discourteous so far, Ujina-sama," she remarked calmly, but well... she always thought that people in general could hold themselves to a higher standard.

"I am not a person who would want to remain at home for years to just... tend to the home. That is not me. I am an Utaku, I am a Sky Rider - my place is up there." Hyeon-ju pointed upward. "Among the stars. Flying. I personally look for a partner who can at the very least share responsibilities and homely duties with me equally."

Jin nodded. "Hai, I completely agree. I feel lucky, with my recent promotion, I have some leeway to have the household attended. Not much, but some." Perks of being promoted. "Not how I envisioned being promoted, but I'll take it."

He smiled. "Have you thought about piloting anything else but fighters? Capital shops? Transports?" Drop ships?

"Arigatou Utaku-san, I try my best. Battlefield etiquette is what I am used to."

Status was a perk, she admitted. Probably why the Phoenix seemed to approve of those with higher rank when it came to this miai and the eligibility of each participant.

"I mean, I'm not opposed to it, but it would be pretty wasteful to have a Sky Rider fly transports. Anyone can fly those. A Sky Rider is an elite pilot. It would be like asking you to only do parachute-jumps for tourists."

She gave him a reassuring nod. "Don't worry about it. I'm much used to such myself... well, I imagine there's difference between pilot etiquette and battlefield etiquette, but the sentiment is the same. Effective communication, honesty.

"Yeah, that's true. You wouldn't want the Emerald Champion handling scuffle between ji-samurai, after all." He nodded, agreeing. "It must be amazing feeling, flying like that. I'd like to try it one day, maybe."

It would be cool....if he doesn't crash. "Yeah, I assume we use different words, but clarity of communication is key." and pilot lingo is probably less colorful.

Jin would probably find full on pilot-lingo more confusing than crass.

"It's a shame that the only things to fly here are those ornithopters. They don't compare to flying a fighter at all. But well, if you need a ride anywhere out to the wilderness areas, I don't mind doing the flying for you and whoever you wish to bring along. I don't recommend taking trips out there alone considering how dangerous it could potentially be."