coastal | voicemail.

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.

[ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

and she's just gonna

START WALKING AWAY IN A RANDOM DIRECTION]

Shut up!! We're leaving!

[AND SHE WILL NOT BE CARRIED.]

[LILI THAT WASN'T THE PLAN...

But he'll trot after her dutifully anyway, like a true king moron.]

Are you heading in the right direction?

It's fine.

[That's a no.]

Like you said, we'll just walk wherever we need to go!

[Both of them. Walking. On their own two feet.]

[SHE SURE DOES CHANGE HER TUNE FAST...

But Kashuu doesn't seem bothered by this, considering he can walk 500 miles and 500 more in heels without actually breaking a sweat most days.]

Maybe once we leave the fence, we'll actually be able to get rid of these stupid things...

[A tilt of her head at that as she does look back at him.]

Don't we-- [A pause. Re-evaluation.] -- you need to keep it so that you can show it to Haru? Since it might be magical....

[And now she's completely misunderstanding Haru's powers.]

If this thing itself is cursed, it prooobably already passed the curse on to us. [Where did "curse" even come from here.]

Sooo... I dunno, I guess we can keep one just in case, but I don't think it'll matter too much.

[Almost too immediately and perhaps sickeningly sweet:]

Thank you for volunteering to keep yours then.

[LILI.]

And it's super nice of you to volunteer to carry it for me!

[Two can play this game. He feels no shame here okay, he'd feel 100% guiltier if he was talking to like... Atsushi or something. BUT NOT LILI.]

[ . . . . well.

She huffs.]

Only until we get out of this stupid place, alright?

[But.

If she takes it from Kashuu, does that mean the aliens will stop avoiding him? If that'd make him feel better....]

[WAIT NO. NOW HE FEELS GUILTY?! He didn't actually expect her to seriously go along with him...]

—I'm just kidding, you don't have to. [If it really is cursed, he doesn't want her hanging onto it!]

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