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[Oh good, a sparring partner! Though he doesn't particularly see the difference between sparring and straight-up beating someone up, since they're pretty easily exchangeable in his experience...

But Lili, that doesn't even make sense. Here, he'll even be kind enough to point that out.]

It should be obvious all the time! I am a sword, you know.

Yes, yes, you're a sword and you have a sword and you use yourself to fight or something along those lines -- it's a very strange affair!

[Listen.

She's not wrong.

But still she's just going to raise a brow as she makes her point.]

Yet you can walk and talk and you have your own opinions - apparently enough to make a blog about them - it's different. You're different.

[She isn't wrong at all, why is he from bizarro-land where swords wield themselves into battles against other swords across space and time.......

She isn't really wrong about that part, either?! He can't argue with that at all.]

...Yeah, well. I guess most of my comrades say I'm like, one of the most "human" of us.

[Since he cares about fashion and food and blogs and he likes going out to aquariums and making friends... More than one person has been like "WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH BEING A GOOD SWORD THOUGH", and he honestly doesn't ever have an answer.]

But it's not a bad-different or anything, yeah?

[That.... manages to confuse her and she blinks. Once. Twice.]

No, of course not. Don't be stupid.

[And she prickles a little bit because--]

Did someone tell you it was bad?

[SHE'LL FIGHT THEM.]

[Please go kick Dotanuki's ass Lili, he'd pay to see it...]

Not really! [His comrades are dumb and socially stilted sometimes, but none of them are outright malicious. No one ever says cruel things intentionally.]

Some of 'em just think it's pointless, is all. And I mean, it's not like you need blogs or parfaits or carnivals when you're made to fight, but- [A sloping shrug.] -I like all of that stuff, so whatever.

[WHATEVER.]

[TRY TO STOP HER.

But she still huffs a bit at that, her feathers ruffle a bit -- other swords are telling Kashuu that what he likes is pointless?! That's not okay.]

How idiotic. It's absolutely "whatever".

[ . . . . yeah. But she just frowns at that.]

I'm sure you're made for more than just fighting. If you like all of those things, then you should get the chance to enjoy them.

[And she'll rip apart anyone who says otherwise!]

Well, I kind of was made just for fighting. I'm not a display sword or an offering or anything like that.

[But the thing is, he also knows what happens when a sword made for fighting can no longer fight. That's why he doesn't mind looking elsewhere for things that he can be good at - because at least then he'll still have some worth even if he ends up in a situation like before.

But that's all gloomy and awful and so he waves around his mask-holding hand as if to wave the topic itself away.]

But yeah, it's a total "whatever"! I'm always telling those guys that they need to expand their horizons a little more too, but some swords are only happy if they can be swords, y'know? I spent a long time with a guy who's exactly like that. Their heads are usually suuuper thick so it's hard to get anything through!

I don't mean like that...

[Because okay yes, she's not sure what other purposes swords have if not for fighting? But she's always so bad at choosing her words.... Even as he goes on, she's just going to shake her head.]

I don't understand.

You don't have to see yourself as... just a sword, right? Because you are a sword but you're also a lot more than that, because most swords they're just - well, they're blades and metal. But you have a voice, and people who care about you, and.... and things like hobbies and what you like to eat and you're all very different from each other!

If you're different from everyone else then it's just like how people are.... And I think you're acceptable as you are, as both a sword and a type of person.

["""Acceptable"""

Yeah, that's as close as she'll get to admitting that she likes him as he is. Her wording was already very clumsy.]

So I hope you don't listen to them at all -- I'm rather sure they're going about it all wrong.

[ACCEPTABLE.

If the topic wasn't something he was relatively uncomfortable with, he'd entirely call her out on that... But it is discomforting, because he has - and likely always will - struggle to balance his identity as Kashuu Kiyomitsu the sword, and Kashuu Kiyomitsu the tsukumogami with a voice, people to care about, hobbies, and favorite foods.]

Aha... Hearing something like that isn't bad at all. [But then he's bouncing forward again, flipping the mask from one hand to the other.]

But! We should totally figure out how to get rid of these things, shouldn't we? It's hard to be cute when you're carrying around something super ugly and creepy. I don't like the looks people have been giving me, either.

[ . . . . she blinks a little bit after him. Tilting her head.

Was what she said good then?

It makes her a little bit happy.

Then she's following after him, because she really.... really doesn't want to be alone in this crazy place anymore.

As for the mask--]

Well, they manage to get the useless people out of my way pretty quickly.

[So she's not getting harassed by carnies.... so they're not all bad.]

Geez, you really don't hold back at all, do you?

[Lili the verbal stampeder...

Either way, as soon as they start moving again, the carnies are definitely back to their "QUICK, LOOK AWAY" routine. Kashuu wasn't exactly a fan of their harassment either, but this is almost worse to him...]

This is stupid! They won't even look at us!

[No.... No, she really doesn't. But that kind of reaction manages to get her to be confused....]

Do you.... want them to?

[????? Kashuu????? what masochistic behavior.....

As far as she's concerned, not being bothered and harassed by aliens is a little bit of a blessing. She's kind of just going to stroll around like she owns the place now - though at the same time she's looking for an exit.]

[He's a moron who makes no sense...!! Don't question his logic or his do-m streak...]

I mean, I didn't like it when they were shouting stuff or whatever, but I hate this. They're acting like we're super dirty.

[He's not even looking for an exit at this point?! He's too distraught over the fact that they aren't being heckled by aliens... Good work, Kashuu.]

[Kashuu? No? Help her?]

But we're not.

[A slight huff!] You worry too much about what others think of you. Especially when it's lowlives like these creatures. As far as I'm concerned, their opinions are worth less than dirt.

Well, duh. [A DOUBLE DOSE OF RUDENESS. Some of the carnies are probably insulted but too freaked out to pick fights...]

But I still don't like it! [He hates it when people don't pay attention to him??

It's also paralleling his days by the riverbed a little too closely, but-- at least it's only the creepy carnies who are ignoring them here.]

Besides, isn't that really weird? Like, what about these masks do those guys find so bad? They're ugly and creepy, but a reaction like this is way too extreme!

[ . . . . well. It's fair. Lili sighs then as she looks down at the mask again -- it's unsettling even to stare at it for a little too long. So maybe she gets what they're unnerved.... but now that she's looking past the mask's uses and annoying factors, it's hard to ignore that it is causing a pretty startling reaction.]

Nothing like this has ever happened before?

[It's not like she has a point of comparison. Maybe these people just really don't like scary masks. She can't blame them?]

[He wouldn't blame them either, this mask is creepy... There's a reason he's not holding it in a place where he might easily catch a glimpse out of the corner of his eye or something.]

Nope. [Shaking his head! Nearby, a couple of booth-runners duck away from them...] Geez... Definitely not. I'd remember if something like this happened! But I guess the whole "actual carnival thing that isn't just a ViViD level" is new, too.

[He doesn't yet know that Aria is a returning troublemaker, alas, but he will add:]

That lady who handed them out was pretty freaky too, wasn't she?

[Lili glances at the booth-runners ducking away and simmers for a second. They're lucky they already ducked or else she would throw the mask right at them...... stop making Kashuu uncomfortable!

Ahem.]

Oh.... [Well, Lili actually talks to people sometimes without strictly offending them (a lot) so she blinks.] I was warned about her before I went in, apparently this isn't her first time making a mess here.

Do you think she's capable of magic of some kind....?!

[Lili, a good friend in these trying times...

Though that miraculously is enough to distract him from his plight here?! He'll go back to being salty about carnies ignoring them in a second, but he's definitely looking alarmed by that.]

Seriously—? So she's like, an encore performer or something? No way can that be good! If it's magic, we'll have to go talk to Haruji right away. He can probably fix it.

[That isn't how Haru's abilities work at all but HE HAS SUCH FAITH.]

[Ah.

Well, she admittedly huffs a little bit at that now that he's snapped out of his self-conscious thumb-twiddling--]

Does that mean you'll finally help me find the exit?

[god.]

[WOW, LILI. He was having a Moment™... But he'll make a little huffy sound at that, and answer the question by glancing around from one side of their little alley to the other.]

...Well if we just go as far as possible in one direction, we'll come to the fence eventually, yeah?

[Shut up about your Moment, Kashuu.

But she still looks.... really unimpressed with that plan?! Ah, Kashuu, she likes you, she really does, but good lord.]

And if we're on the wrong side? Walk all the way around the carnival to get back to Residential District?

[She wants to go home and have some tea and never go to another carnival again, ja feel.]

[HE SAID HE WAS BAD AT STRATEGY. This is it, this is the height of his ability - "just walk a lot and we'll get there eventually".]

Sure! The subway's still running at this hour anyway so even if we're really tired, it should be fine, right?

[?????]

You'll just drag me around everywhere....?!

[She can already imagine how much her feet are going to be complaining at her, why is this the sword that she likes, why can't she just turn around and walk away right now.]

[SHE PICKED HER STARTER, now she's stuck with him until he dies.]

I can carry you if you want? [It's hard to tell if he's teasing or being serious...]

But I guess if you really don't wanna do that much walking, we can just look around for some directories or signs or something. Or landmarks, I guess - I know there was a candy apple cart pretty close to the entrance.

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