Sumiko was a careful planner. She'd drawn up her days plan ahead of time; morning prayers, afternoon duty, evening exploring the sights. She hadn't intended to stay out too late, so after a visit to the sake house she decided to take a walk back to the embassy. However, it seems the paths were all very similiar...and she found herself somewhere that did not look like a large and very black building.

"...."

She took out her densai, and began doing some checks.

"Artificial islands...Hmm, I see where I went wrong" she said quietly to herself. At least it wasn't raining, and she wasn't having to wear her usual robes - this outfit was nicer and lighter after all, even if it made it more difficult to see her clan mons.

"One of us might be a stalker." A perhaps familiar voice is heard and Bayushi Senshuken greets her from the nearby beach bar. The Scorpion is in her swimming suit and without her mask. She holds a towel in her hands and uses it to dry her hair while walking towards Sumiko.

"Do you think that it is the villainous Scorpion or the devilish Spider?" She asks softly once she's close to the other woman.

Sumiko looked up from her densai at the voice in surprise.

"Senshuken-sama?"

It took a moment before she grinned and bowed.

"I'm sure it's not me, I took a wrong turn and ended up here with you. Did you change the signposts so I would end up here?"

"Oh my kami! Why didn't I think of that?!" She jokes and chuckles lightly. "If you are not a stalker and I didn't change the street signs, the mystery remains and the plot thickens, but you can always buy my assistance out in solving it. But I only accept payments in ice creams, I have to warn you." The Scorpion sticks her tongue our playfully before putting her mask back on. " What say you?"

"Senshuken-sama is an expert investigator then? Guarantees to prove what keeps bringing us together, whether it is by hand or by the Fortunes themselves?" Sumiko grins "well, I cannot deny such a generous offer, especially as you've come so prepared for the situation as well" she lets her gaze wander over the woman before going back to her face "so this is acceptable. Now shall we return to where you were to begin the uh, investigation?" she giggled.

She gestures towards one of the nearby low tables. A backpack and her helmet lie next to a few cushions and a half finished glass of ice tea is in the table.

"Ah, the Fortunes! Or the invisible hand of a masterplanner. Please, join me. Let us discuss the matter. I will let you examine me thoroughly if you believe that clues and hints are hid on me." She comments after noticing the Susumu's gaze on her body.

Sumiko chuckled.

"Very professional, I'm impressed. I wonder how long this will take to solve. Please lead on" Sumiko moved to follow the woman "have you been here long? I haven't actually visited this part of the city yet, it's really impressive. If I had my swimsuit I'd be tempted to visit the beaches."

"I came earlier in the afternoon but it was too crowded so I went back to my place and returned like half an hour ago. Where could Sumiko san have been all dressed up?" She asks with a smirk half hidden behind her mask. "I'm not curious or anything. It's part of the collaborative investigation." She adds with a wink.

The young woman looks behind her back as if trying to spot something or someone. "I believe that there are a few stores, not far from this place," she points towards the direction she was looking earlier, "that sell various things meant for tourists, swim suits included. Do you want us to head there and check if there is something you like?"

"It does seem less crowded in the evenings, I'll have to make a note of that" Sumiko nodded before looking down at her state of dress.

"Oh this? I had planned to explore the evening and night life, and felt my traditional style of dressing wouldn't fit in well. I went to the Golden Frog. You've seen both now, do you prefer traditional kimono or this?" She did a small pose "and I do own a swimsuit, I just don't have it with me now. I didn't expect to need a swimsuit at a sake house after all. Are you intending to go swim? If so then i suppose I should get one or I'll just be watching right?"

"I wouldn't leave you to go swimming." She protests. "That's clearly a behavior accepted after a decade of relationship and I only know you a day." Senshuken adds with a wink.

"The dress looks marvelous on you." She answers the Susumu's question after spending a few moments taking the view in. "So did the kimono. I can only wonder for other attires. But!" She raises her index to emphasize her next words. "Business first. What will you have and first assessment, could it be the Fortunes? Are we lucky? Are we unlucky? Have I planned all this? Have you? Will you be wanting to kiss me by the end of the evening?"

"So I have to wait a decade to see if it's true that a Scorpion can swim?" Sumiko replied with a grin, before settling to a more normal smile.

"That's very kind of you. I don't usually wear dresses, maybe I'll have to look into more in the future. However, hai, the investigation. Hmm...." she took on a thoughtful expression, studying Senshuken "while I certainly can't rule out a cunning plot, I don't believe it to be so. The Fortunes however? They're harder to predict. We'll have to look for the signs, did you feel a pull towards the Islands? A nagging feeling to look towards the entrance at precisely as I arrived? As for the last part..."

She leant in slightly, eyes on Senshuken.

"Who's to say it's not you who ends up wanting to kiss me, Senshu-chan?" she whispered, before sitting up straight again.

"What flavour do you like?"

The girl doesn't move an inch when Sumiko leans closer. She just keeps looking at her and when she sits up again, she smirks behind her mask.

"Well, for lip gloss, I'd say strawberry. For body butter, something with very slight flavour and scent, preferably fruity, as well, but you shouldn't worry. It is the last thing I'll be thinking in that particular moment." She replies quite seriously. Or with faux seriousness, at least.

Then she seems to be thinking for a moment. "Well, I did come to the beach twice in one day and I had just returned to my table when I saw you. And you getting lost. It is quite a coincidence."

The Scorpion takes her mask off in order to drink some ice tea and leaves it on the table after doing so. "Soooo? In case we both want to kiss each other, what's your favorite flavor?" She asks and quite casually bites her lower lip.

There was a laugh.

"I had meant ice cream, as I do owe you some, but as you asked..." she went silent, thinking back on a moment from what feels like long ago. A gentle smile crept onto her lips as she looked up at the sky.

"...Sometimes the best taste is the one that comes natural, don't you think? One moment, allow me to buy you some ice cream. Don't miss me too much" she rose, subtly putting her hand gently on Senshukens 'by accident' and giving her a wink before moving over to order the ice creams.

I wonder if you're thinking of me where you are, Jian.

"I will tryyyyy!" The Bayushi muses. "Haaaard!" She watches the Susumu walk away for more than a few moments and then checks her densai while waiting for her to return.

Sumiko wasn't gone long, ordering two very different flavoured ice creams - one flavoured with strawberries and one flavoured with chocolate. Carrying them back she paused to study the woman working on her densai for a few moments before approaching and placing them both down gently on the table.

"Researching hard?" she grinned, slipping into the seat near Senshuken "I do so admire people who give it their all."

She raises her eyes to look at the other girl and smiles while placing the densai on the table in front of them.

"My first racing season just ended with... mixed results, let's say. My engineering team is working hard and I was sent here, but this is no reason to stop checking on... things. The technological race between seasons is equally important." Her smile becomes even more broad. "Do tell me,though. What's your own passion, Sumiko san. And which ice cream is mine of course." The Scorpion stretches her legs and then returns in a more comfortable and loose seiza with her knee touching Sumiko slightly.

"Racing?" She moved closer, her shoulders brushing against Senshukens as the densai is placed between them "bike racing I assume? Did it go well? My passions are a lot less exciting than yours. I enjoy studying and learning, and researching. I'm also quite passionate about technology, although not as much engineering but I've never had a chance to explore more into engineering rather than not being able to do it. I'm confident I could do it without too much trouble. As for the ice cream?"

She reached over and put both of them between the two of them.

"Why not both? They're different enough flavours to share I think."

The Bayushi is by no means a shy person. She samples the strawberry ice cream first and the chocolate flavored one next. Her expression shows that she likes them both.

She sits in an even more comfortable way, almost leaning against Sumiko.

"Studying has never been my favorite endeavor but I really admire people who devote themselves in what fascinates them, whatever that might be. Excitement comes from following one's heart and not the path that we pick."

She takes the densai in her hands and browses through some articles and photos from the local network stopping from time to time to show them to the Susumu. "This is the bike I was driving last season and this is a photo of my best race so far. I had a few good placements, 5th, 7th and 8th, which are quite good for a rookie, and a few crashes, though. This court assignment is... my atonement for getting crashed. By the press." She chuckles. "Do tell me about your library, though. Your books, your notes, the most interesting trivia you ever came across, anything. I find them way more interesting than you seem to believe."

Sumiko snuck in a spoon to try a bit of each as well. There was a smile as she turned back to the densai, reading the articles.

"Ah, so you're assigned here because of a crash? Hmm, interesting. I suppose it's meant to teach you responsibility" she shrugged "the bike you were riding yesterday was impressive though, and I could see you had good control, I had complete faith in your abilities."

"Mm, my library is only small. Well, it's not my library sadly, I just worked there. It wasn't really much, but it felt welcoming because it still held old books, rather than everything digital. It had a digital network as well of course, which I kinda ran. Forgive me for assuming also, most people just find learning quite dull and I'm used to being considered less interesting for it" she chuckled "hmm, most interesting trivia...well, on this subject" she motioned to the book" there are around 890 pieces on a motorcycle, which is more than four times the amount of bones in a human body. So, four times more things you can break" she giggled at that "I more study history though. We've got data in the library on worlds liberated in the name of Rokugan, and if I was at home I could likely dig back nearly a thousand years back to when this planet was first freed."

She paused with a thoughtful expression as she dipped a spoon into the chocolate ice cream again.

"I wonder what is held on this planet in libraries here? Everyone tells the stories differently"

"Well, it wasn't just one single crash, if I have to be honest. But I'm not getting discouraged. Bayushi Suteppu sama was getting the same negative attention for a few years, but he is the F1 Champion now and everyone recognizes his talent." She winks and takes a spoonful of ice cream.

"It's not an awful assignment. I already had an apartment here and it is not that bad. I have friends and acquaintances, my family is close, but not too close." The courtier shrugs. "It's just court. It will end before we know it."

"I haven't studied the history of the planet so I cannot help you, unfortunately. In my family, history begins and ends with my mother reminding everyone that 'we are not just a random branch of the Bayushi family.'" she changes her voice to sound like a really old and infuriated lady. "'We hail from heroes and heroes, we should try to become. Senshu chan, you cannot only be a pretty girl on a bike just because you are the 4th in line.'" She laughs. "Parents, you know. How are yours?"