coastal | voicemail.

[who else cares this much, Kashuu.... honestly...... Lili probably only cares this much because she's from such a shallow and vain high society background, where even the jewelry you're wearing can probably make a statement about your wealth.]

But the material that they're made from is already rather flashy, don't you think?

[why are they taking this so seriously, the two on the page are so similar]

What would you even wear it with?

[though

she looks like she's regretting it as soon as she asks

is he going to start rambling-]

[LILI AND KASHUU DO, OBVIOUSLY.]

Is it? [HMM... He likes flashy things, though...

But yeah wow, her regrets will be real because that's exactly what he's going to do. He even takes a bigger breath than usual before he starts talking.]

I just got a really cute new top! It's black and plain but the cut is nice, so I figured, hey! I can pair this with something cute and sparkly! And these earrings kind of match a pair of heels I got the other day too. They're like, the same shade of gold, almost. But they don't look tacky or anything. They're practically like gold slippers straight out of a fairy tale! If it's just something really eye-catching at the top and bottom but everything else is kinda subdued, I think that would work.

[He said So Much.

And it's all probably correct when she thinks about the whole picture as long as his bottoms are also subdued and not any sort of outrageous print and he could probably still get away with his scarf or something similar to accessorize so there's still enough color for it to not be absurdly dark since he doesn't have a dark personality but.

She only fixes him with a Look.]

Gold heels.

Really?

[oh my god]

Hey! What kinda reaction is that? They're super cute!

[Kashuu would be the kind of person who would buy gold heels...]

I can show you and everything! Wait right there-- [oh it's already too late for Lili to try escaping, SORRY LILI.

He's stepping over to his closet, which is crammed full of Stuff™ to a ridiculous extent, and pulls out... Well, it's not hideously gaudy, at least...]

[ . . . not hideously gaudy but-]

You realize that's just impractical, yes?

[???? Kashuu, please.

at least she doesn't think they're the worst thing in the world]

[He's no wearer of sparkly golden boots, if nothing else...]

What about them is impractical, huh?

[Turning one over in his hand and looking at it from a few different angles, like that might magically reveal the impracticality that he''s apparently blind to.]

They're incredibly susceptible to getting dirty, you'd only be able to walk in pavement given how thin the heel is, and that design seems like the type of thing that should wait until a special occasion.

[ . . . . at least she's honest.]

Impractical.

[BRUTAL... But also good points...]

I don't have any special occasions to save them for, though! There aren't any dances or anything like that...

[Though now he's itching to come up with a pretty special occasions outfit for himself?!]

No balls? No social gatherings? No disgusting invitations to be scrutinized on the most shallow of expectations and deal with the careless whispers of other stupid nobility?

[Oh.

Apparently she hadn't realized.]

[He can't tell if she's relieved or what... But he'll shake his head, moving to place the heels back inside of his closet.]

Nope! The stuff hosted by CERES is no good and the last time I went to a really nice dance was way back when I first showed up here. I think it was hosted by a princess or something? [Waves a hand!] That one was nice.

[Even though that was also the night where a bigass alien fish died and Hotarumaru got bitten and they kidnapped a smaller alien fish and cut down some trees...]

It was probably nice on the outside but full of corrupt and annoying gossip on the inside.

[why is one of my characters shittalking the other

Anyway.

Lili shakes her head at that.]

Trust me when I say that you're not missing much.

[LILI YOU LEAVE NATALIA ALONE...]

People were mostly just gossiping about CERES, I think. [One good thing about having a #unifying enemy and all.

He also very nearly pouts at that - actually no, there's no "very nearly" about it. He's an actual 5 year old and he's not pleased with that!!]

I wanna go to more! A lot more! That party was my first one ever and it was just as pretty and fun as they always looked on TV.

[ . . . . . . . . augh.

Augh.]

You're always only ever interested in the glamorous aspects - people can be very disgusting and dark at the very same events, you know!

If someone's being that disgusting, just kick 'em out. It's not like the parties here are anything like stuff real nobles had to deal with.

[Where everything was done in the shadows because appearances were so important... Even Kashuu, who lived on the stark opposite end of the spectrum, knew that much about them. DANG NOBLES...]

[ . . . . and Lili just blinks at that, apparently taken off-guard.]

What... are they like then?

[???? are you telling her that mosley isn't just wandering around giving out half-assed compliments while ordering assassinations in the background]

[What kind of parties does Lili go to.]

They're just... I dunno? They're like festivals, but Western? [Kashuu Kiyomitsu, consistently being awful at describing things. GOOD WORK.] Or like a birthday party, but huge. Everyone was just dancing and playing games and eating! Eh, and fighting off creepy trees, but I mean, I guess nothing can be totally normal here.

[shitty noble parties!!!]

... Western festivals.

[Alas, even her birthday parties were pretty extravagant and.... shitty. Sorry, Kashuu.]

Then I guess if nothing goes wrong then that's acceptable....

[Guess who got kidnapped at her last festival.]

[Someone needs to throw Lili a birthday that doesn't suck, good lord.]

Sometimes a few things go wrong. [SWEATS...] But the things that go wrong usually just go wrong 'cause of CERES, not because people are being disgusting or weird or whatever it is you're worried about.

[it's up to you, Kashuu]

Not obviously disgusting - even my events wouldn't allow people to get away with that. [Anyone who stood out too much were typically asked to leave the premises while staring down a sword.] It's those who are not-so-obviously disgusting that are even worse.

[aka she's been tricked too many times before]

( So someone's clearly just gotten home and Kashuu and Lili might here a loud but casual, "I'm home" while Mutsu takes his shoes off by the door. Of course, he notices a pair of girl's shoes by the door too and he squints a bit, trying to figure out who they could belong to. He knows Lili has been around a bit to see.... ugh, that guy.

Whatever!!

He'll settle down for awhile and it looks like he's going ot mind his own business the entire. Maybe he'll send Kashuu some dumb pictures to hear him scream through the walls again! But after recent events, it's just a little awkward still. Not as bad as it was before but still not the way things used to be.

Maybe an hour or so later, there's a knock on Kashuu's door (something he never thought he would ever do in a million years, he's ready to die). After a knock or two, he'll open the door a crack and peek in, )

...What're ya doing?

( One can practically here that there's more he wants to say. He's just scouting the situation right now... )

[DON'T BE A RUDE SHIT PUNK, MUTSU!!!!

Actually, the knock is surprisingly polite, so even though Mutsu opens the door anyway, Kashuu doesn't bristle for once. He does look up from where he's standing though, and it's clear they're totally in the middle of a super serious conversation. A VERY SERIOUS CONVERSATION--]

We're talking about parties.

[Important... serious things...

He can tell there's more to it than that though, so he sets his hands on his hips and just waits for Mutsu to out with whatever it is.]

[Well that's not what Lili expected.

She blinks a little bit at the intrusion, trying to think who it might be?! Is it Namazuo, is it Haru, is it Tsurumaru aka is it someone that she needs to get a gift for--

But no, it's Mutsu.]

Oh. You.

[Lili's not going to bother rising from where she's seated with Cupcake on her lap..... but regardless she nods in agreement with Kashuu.

Yes. Parties.]

( Not that they can see from behind the door but Mutsu's fake tail may have gone up just a little bit out of curiosity. Or maybe it's something that was imagined... )

Yeah?

( . . . Well, then! )

I was wonderin` who was here. ( Since he saw the shoes by the entrance and all. ) I got some snacks earlier. ( . . . ) I can share some if ya haven't already.

( He's looking more at Lili than Kashuu when he speaks. But look, he's doing this beacuse he's a good host! That treats guests at sword haus! Kashuu lives here so he isn't important. )

'S cake from that place near the dojo.

( Kashuu might know the one. It's a cute little bakery owned by some cute refugees. It's nice cake!!! This is a totally innocent offer to share, really! )

[Is he offering to share snacks with only Lili while Lili is in his room keeping him company?? Because THAT'S SURE WHAT HE INTERPRETS THIS AS. Wow... Wow!! He could bring better snacks to Lili if he wanted to!]

D'you want any? The cake they have isn't bad.

[Which is a relatively placid thing to say, but he's asking Lili while he's looking at Mutsu and he's definitely starting to bristle now, like some rudeass territorial cat. The actual cat Cupcake continues to sleep in Lili's lap, totally undisturbed by these morons...]

[Okay but cake.

Despite the fact that Lili still isn't sure where she and Mutsu stand, she's also very, very familiar with being spoiled. So the idea of being given cake all of a sudden is perfectly fine with her.

It actually gets her to smile without her even noticing?! Wow.]

Yes, I'd appreciate that.

[And then glancing to Kashuu, still excited.]

Will you be having some as well?

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MEANWHILE

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