coastal | voicemail.

[ . . . . who ran off? Lili's squinting, trying to figure out how Kashuu managed to project his voice without moving his lips again? That's also a really weird thing to say -

And then she's just going to turn to look behind them.

Two Kashuus.

Two of them.

Give her a second to try to pull her arm away so that she can just wordlessly walk away from this situation.]

No. Absolutely not.

Wait, wait, wait!

[HAHA good luck trying to pull away from this Vice Grip. Kashuu's arms are locked firmly around Lili's and he's not letting go...

Which prompts Kashuubot to do the same with her other arm, because he can't be left out??]

Hey - would you cut that out already? Like, seriously! Get your own friends!

[Kashuubot sticks his tongue out RUDELY and responds with a snappish:] Why can't they be mine too, huh?

[Oh god.... Even with his noodle arms there's no denying he's stronger than her! And then there's another Kashuu pulling on her other arm and hONESTLY FOR A SECOND, LILI'S LEG IS GETTING RAISED LIKE SHE'S GONNA KICK KASHUUBOT.

But then he looks so much like Kashuu.

Falter.

Turning to real Kashuu like a very confused and concerned animal.]

Make him let go of me immediately!!

[Kashuu's just going to be a brat about it, oops. CLEARLY LILI IS THE COLLATERAL DAMAGE HERE.]

Hear that? She wants you to let go.

[At which point Kashuubot's expression falls, ah... He turns his face toward Lili, looking very distressed!]

Hey, if he can hold onto your arm, I can too, right? [Though Kashuu promptly cuts in with a shooing motion!!] Nooope! Wrong! Just go home already.

[STOP MAKING THAT FACE AT HER.

Lili's just going to fumble for a moment before shaking her head firmly even as she faces Kashuubot.]

No, no, you can't! I don't know you! Let go of me immediately!

[Trying to shake Kashuubot off that arm!! Even as the arm that Kashuu is clinging on to snakes around a bit to hold onto him right back, her grip nervous and a little distressed because something foreign is still touching her.]

[He should be more worried about Lili's well-being BUT NO, he's mostly just pleased that he's able to laugh at this bot's misery. HAHA, BOT! That's what you get for trying to steal his cute face!!]

Byeee! Take a hint, stop being annoying and get outta here already!

[Why is Kashuu so Rude™...

And why is Kashuubot so ANNOYINGLY DETERMINED. His grip just locks tighter in turn and he's looking so, so sad! So very sad! Right at Lili, with the sad intensity of a thousand sad suns!!]

Please? Can I at least like, come with you guys?

[KASHUU IS THE WORST, THIS IS FACT.

Except there's just a tighter grip on her arm even though she's still trying to shake him off and then a sad, sad, sad look and there's still something in Lili that's totally ready to kick him off, just do it, just do it. Except when Kashuu's face on this robot already looks so sad, she can't bring herself to kick him.

Even though he's not Kashuu. It occurs to her for a moment to be mad, maybe, that she's being played but there's so much information overload there that she kind of just freezes a little bit.

"A little bit" meaning for maybe a full minute.

Then with an aggravated noise, she's just going to bury her face in the actual Kashuu's shoulder if it means she doesn't have to look at Kashuubot anymore and whine loudly-]

Make it stop!!

[Kashuu will try to shield her from Kashuubot!!

Though that's a bit difficult, considering he's still commandeering one of her arms and all... Unfortunately, stubbornness is one of Kashuu's key traits, and thus one of the biggest things Kashuubot has locked onto. He shakes his head!!]

C'mon! I'll be extra quiet and everything!

[Kashuu's not having this shit, though?! He just reaches over and tries to shove his rude robot off forcefully... Bye Felicia.]

Just cut it out! Seriously, it's pretty sad if you can't even make your own friends.

[BLESS KASHUU FOR NOT HAVING THIS SHIT because Lili's pretty much at the end of her rope. There's a tug on her arm still when the robot is getting shoved away and it makes her cling more onto the real Kashuu because he's familiar.

The robot is familiar too bUT HE'S A ROBOT, THEY CAN'T BE TRUSTED.]

You can't send it on a task or something....?!

[That's what the robots were originally here for, right?!]

[Oh-- That's a good idea!! GOOD THINKING, LILI.]

Right, right! Hey, finish up my grocery shopping for the night.

[He doesn't even need groceries?? Haru does all the shopping for the house, but no, apparently that duty's been relegated to Kashuubot now, who is basically wearing the exact same petulant expression that Kashuu himself always wears when he gets a sour deal.]

...But after I finish, can I come back?

[UGH, THE STUBBORNESS. Kashuu hates it now that he's on the receiving end... Waving a hand!!]

Sure, sure. I'll text you a list of things to get, so just like, go get a headstart at the store.

[Kashuubot is very. Very slowly... VERY SLOWLY AND RELUCTANTLY... letting go of Lili's arm.]

[LILI IS OCCASIONALLY CAPABLE OF A GOOD IDEA OR TWO.

Still though, she's just going to peek a little bit when the exchange is happening, listening to the two of them.... even though it just sounds like the exact same voice talking to itself. God. This is the worst.

When her arm starts to be released, she snatches it back as soon as she can, immediately using it to cling onto the actual Kashuu's arm stubbornly because he's Safe. He's safe and he won't mess with her like a dangerous robot could and she'll be embarrassed in like 0.2 seconds but right now she's going to indulge in letting someone else protect her.

Even as she huffs and tries to help just a bit with a glare at Kashuubot.]

A-And make sure you're thorough! If you rush and end up doing a sloppy job, that's unforgivable!

Right, right! I'll do a good job.

[Kashuubot offers Lili a bright smile like he's trying to earn back a few of the favor points he might have lost by stubbornly barnacling onto her arm...! But with that, he'll turn and brush past them in the direction of the market.

Kashuu waits until he's out of sight before sighing pretty loudly UGH.]

That guy's been bothering me nonstop. It was kinda cute at first, but now it's just way creepy! Y'know, it even stole my clothes the other day. Rude!

[So rude?!]

[Leave, Kashuubot.... Leave and never return.

Still though Lili's just going to sigh then even as she rests her forehead back on Kashuu's shoulder, feeling entirely drained because of that whole thing. She feels like she's aged a thousand years.....]

You actually activated it? What did you expect to happen? Of course it would turn out badly! Now I have to deal with it to--

[She raises her head to pout and frown and generally complain and]

[wait they're so close, she's holding onto his arm with both of her own that's

whispers into the wind

no]

[SQUEALS AND LETS GO SO FAST THAT SHE'S OFF-BALANCE

the life and times of lili an]

D-Don't just let me hold onto you like that?!

[like it's his fault]

[REACHING OUT TO CATCH HER so she doesn't topple over... Lili, please?!]

It's fine, isn't it? I don't mind it!

[Of course he doesn't... AND AS FAR AS HER SCOLDING GOES, his expression sours a little and he shakes his head.]

A-ny-way, it's not like I activated that thing on purpose. I was just leaning in to get a closer look and bam! Some idiot knocked into me and I fell over.

[Right onto the button, as his luck would naturally have it.]

[Kashuu, constantly saving Lili from landing on her ass. Amazing. Still though she'll take the steadying arm and then not!! Latch back onto him!!! No, none of that anymore because the offending bot is no longer here!]

I-I mind it...!!

[Eh.

Sorta.

A lot of her usual personal space rules have been waived just because she likes Kashuu and trusts him.

Still though, at the explanation she's just going to give him the most unamused look.... God....]

That would happen to you....

[that's not constructive at all, lili]

[It's okay, he'll just pick back up where he left off with the latching... NO ESCAPE, NO ESCAPE.

He also totally ignores that since if Lili actually minded, she'd shove him or something, clearly!!]

Look! It's not my fault. It was just bad timing or whatever.

[HUFFS AND PUFFS... But he'll pull his CereVice out then, presumably to text a ridiculous impossible list of groceries, and then starts walking forward again.]

Let's just go shopping already, okay?

[WELL.

He's not wrong. There's a bit of discomfort and Lili lifts her other hand as if she's ready to shove him off but.... no.... If he's been dealing with a robot trying to take up the attention of others that he craves too then.... fine.

It's the first time that she also wonders if maybe she's being weaker with her resolve? Weird.]

You're so quick to just let the robot roam free.... You don't want to think about how to get rid of it?

[She's down for shopping but also like ? Multi-tasking?]

[Multitasking, ew... He just wants to go shopping to take his mind off of this!! But he'll consider that while walking, sighing in a somewhat conflicted way.]

Yeah, but I think it's gonna be pretty hard to take down. There's no off switch and its freaky skin stuff heals right away.

[Which at this point, he doesn't know if that's a Robot Thing or if the robot is copying his own innate healing abilities...]

[Lili's answer comes too quickly, but when you're talking about someone that you can't hurt, that's a nuisance, that's impossible to really quiet-]

You could always contain it somewhere and secure the area.

[--locking up problems like that is what comes to her first.

Even if she's not entirely conscious of the connection she made.]

[LILI... That's a bit of a worrisome first option to arrive at, and so quickly?! Granted, it's an okay one... Kashuu's not a big fan of Extended Time-outs, though. Not even when it comes to rude identity-stealing robots, apparently??]

It'd probably find a way to escape. I mean... [He almost says "knowing me" BUT HE WON'T GIVE KASHUUBOT THAT VICTORY.] ...I just have a feeling.

[Alas, such was her childhood.... Though she can just as easily agree-]

It's true. If it's as stubborn as you, it would be impossible to keep in one place for long.

[ . . . ]

You really are such a difficult person.

[NOW THAT THEY BOTH HAVE TO DEAL WITH... ANOTHER... HIM.]

[LOOK, HE'S SORRY THAT HE'S SO DIFFICULT AND STUBBORN. Dealing with other difficult swords is one thing but this is just next-level?!]

I know! [And yet he still owns it like he's vaguely proud... It's part of his identity okay.] But I don't know what to do to make it so that thing is less difficult! It's just getting creepier and creepier.

[But oh, there's his favorite shop - time to swing in!!]

[STOP BEING PROUD OF MAKING PEOPLE'S LIVES HARD.]

It is creepy!

[And then they're at the shop.

And Lili pauses because she wants one of everything.

What were they talking about.

Oh-]

B-But you can't just let it keep roaming around like that! It could do something to you...!

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