(no subject)

[covenantal]

Who: Yu Narukami (covenantal), Rise....bot (pseudonuyms), & YOU.
When: IC 6/26!
Where: Various.
What: Yu is having what would have been an average day. Except, on his way home from his job, he runs into ... Rise? And she's feeling a little more possessive than usual. That is, no one gets to have senpai but her. Please send help.
Rating/Warning: Yaaaandere. I mean, none, really.

---

[ A. WE WILL ROCK YOU ]

[ Truthfully, Yu has enjoyed his job at Bear Claws ever since he got here. Being a boxing instructor isn't something he could have ever seen himself doing, and the initial weeks had been kind of rough, but months in, he's come to truly enjoy it. It feels a little strange, in a way, to hold down one job for so long - he's used to switching, you see - but he's rather fond of the place. It helps keep him fit without needing ViViD.

(Ugh, ViViD.)

But today, he's not teaching. Today, he's dressed up in a typical boxing shorts - black with silver stripes - and a matching boxing robe, and he's standing outside his place of business, boxing gloves on his hands, and looking Incredibly Intense And Serious. ]

You!

[ Yes, you. ]

Haven't you ever wanted to learn the manliest of all sports, boxing?!

[ He is not wearing a shirt. Just the robe. And the shorts.

Akihiko, somewhere, please be proud of him...

(Earlier today: his boss had handed him the robe and said: You're going to be our advertisement today. No shirt. Show off those abs. Guys will want to be you, and girls will want to be with you. Get to it, Narukami.

... he's done worse things.) ]


[ B. KISS KISS FALL IN... WAIT. ]

[ Things have changed quite a bit for Yu over the course of the afternoon. Once he finished up at his job, he ran into Rise. Or, at least, who he thought was Rise at first. She'd chirped at him and taken his arm, none of which was anything new. (He was just glad he'd gotten to change into his warm ups before leaving.) They'd agreed to get something to eat together, and though something about her demeanor was striking him as odd, he was letting it go...

... until they arrived at their destination, and were seated at an outdoor table. At one point, he lets his gaze wander for a bit, simply lost briefly in unimportant thought as she chatters, and all at once, a bread roll gets launched - with surprising force - at whoever may have happened to be in his line of sight.

Which means it was you.

You just got beaned by bread.

While you're recovering from your crumb-y fate: ]

Rise! What are you--

Senpai! Don’t you know it’s rude to look at other people while you’re out with a pretty girl already?! Geez.


[ C. WE INTERRUPT THIS KIDNAPPING IN PROGRESS TO BRING YOU: ]

[ After that fiasco, Yu is frazzled, and more than a little unhappy to realize his initial hunch from the moment they'd run into each other was right: he's with Rise's robot, and not the girl herself. His main concerns right now are dual: ensuring this ends as peacefully as possible (without anyone getting seriously hurt), and making sure Rise herself doesn't find out. She'd only worry and feel awful, and he doesn't want that. It's hardly her fault.

Risebot, meanwhile, seems much more content now that they're on the same side of the table (despite the fact that there isn't really room for two chairs...), and is back to hugging his arm. Yu's expression is sort of flat, but he otherwise bears this stoically. ]

Rise... maybe we should go.

Go? You want to go somewhere alone, senpai?

[ Yu stares down at her with alarm, and feels more than a little uncomfortable with the slightly manic look she's giving him. ]

We can go anywhere you want! Just you and me... forever! We don’t need anybody else, huh? Nobody else matters.

[ With that Risebot is up like a shot, dragging Yu from his chair so quickly all he manages is a strangled sound. Rise is looking back at him as he stumbles, giggling and blushing a faint pink, and neither of them is looking where they're going.

Sorry about how they run right into you. They're just a hazard today, the pair of them. ]

Hey! Why don’t you watch where you’re going?! You could have hurt him!

[ Yu, for his part, stares at whoever they've run into with the slightly widened eyes of a person who Sincerely Wishes He Were At Least Five Miles Away Right Now. ]

... sorry. Are you alright?

(ooc: We'll be doing a conga line turn order for prompts B and C! Aka, no set turn order, whoever feels most natural goes next.)

Comments

B AAAA IT'S TIME TO THROW DOWN

[coastal]

[What did Lili do to deserve this today?

She absolutely just got smacked in the face by bread and by chance, it falls into her open hand after even as the other hand comes up to scrub at her face, brushing any crumbs off as her face flushes in shocked embarrassment. Then she locks eyes with Yu as Risebot's words drift into her ears - and confirm entirely that this isn't Rise because while she and the other girl may not get along (in Lili's world of "getting along") she has 100% certainty that she'd probably never be assaulted.

... At least not in the face like that. Cheap shot!

So there's a moment of pure rage as she takes the bread in her hand and flings it right back at Risebot, aiming to clock her right in the forehead—]

Stop pretending, you piece of garbage!

LILI WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS

[covenantal]

[ oh

my god

Yu meets her eyes, alarm warring with dawning understanding - as he realizes he's not the only person here who knows that this isn't the real Rise - and then Lili is fighting back--

And calling the robot a piece of garbage--

A million things go through his mind at once. Provoking this to the next level could be dangerous - just how strong is the robot? He doesn't know how strong Lili herself is, but if a real fight breaks out, there are bystanders here, too, and he doesn't want collateral damage. Besides, there's no way it wouldn't get back to the real Rise if there was an actual fight, and then she really would feel bad, and he doesn't want that, either.

This all happens in the space of about a second.

Then he's half-risen from his seat to grab the piece of bread, mid-air, just before it can smack Rise.

... the look he gives Lili as he continues to awkwardly stand there is pleading. ]

[pseudonyms]

[Oh. It's her. The Risebot recognizes the girl from the video feed the original Rise had a few days ago and it's still entirely less than impressed with Lili's behavior. It watches, eyes narrows and chin held high in a complete show of aloofness--at least until Lili calls it garbage and throws bread at the beloved senpai.

So it stands, banging its fists on the table to practically lean over the barrier and yell at Lili.]

What do you think you're doing?! Ugh, are you even thinking about what would have happened if he didn't catch that? How insulting can you get!

[coastal]

I was thinking that it would've gotten you to shut up - which would be an improvement for all of us!

[COLD AS ICE.

And... completely ignoring Yu's pleading look - or maybe she just isn't able to read it. Rather, she's reacting immediately and harshly as she tosses her hair over her shoulder, the picture of arrogance and also the posterchild for "Fight Me". So for Risebot, she has one more firm statement, her eyes narrowing.]

Get out of my face before you regret it.

[And then a similarly cold look to Yu:]

What do you think you're doing? Did you actually think this is Rise? Get it out of the public eye before it ruins her reputation and relationships by being a nuisance.

1/2

[covenantal]

[ okay ]

[covenantal]

[ Yu just sets down the roll and stands properly. He needs to calm the both of them down, somehow. After a moment's thought, he puts a hand out on Risebot's shoulder, placating. ]

It's alright, Rise. After all, nothing happened, and you're safe. We'll continue after this, so just relax, okay?

[ He releases her then, and looks over at Lili. She's ... not wrong -- it would be a good idea to get her out of public. He's been thinking that all along. In fact, after this, he's going to suggest they do just that. But is it even a good idea to bring the robot home anymore? Is it safe? Where else can he take it? These are all considerations he had on the way to the restaurant, plans he was thinking through. Now, though, there isn't anymore time, and he'll just have to think on his feet.

Which is what he does right now. He tilts his head, expression gentling into a smile. ]

You're know her, Lili-san? [ That brusque, harsh way of treating things... she's concerned for Rise, isn't she? ] I'm glad. I think she'd be happy to hear from you.

[ If nothing else, he's hoping she'll at least take him literally. Rise could probably use company right now if she doesn't already have any, in case this does get back to her. Right now, he's just trying to avoid this blowing up worse, and he can't tell Lili that with Risebot right there. ]

[pseudonyms]

[The robot's pretty pissed, there's no denying that. It doesn't like that Lili's seeing right through its plans, doesn't like that Lili even cares about the original's reputation. Don't they see? She doesn't matter, she's just--]

Useless. Who the hell even cares about her? If she really cared about her reputation she'd bother showing up and making an effort. [The robot's not impressed with its original anymore, but even when Yu releases its shoulder an arm snaps out to wrap around his wrist.]

Besides, shouldn't you be worried about HER being a nuisance? She's the one who's so loud and rude, interrupting our date like this. [Yes, she's talking about Lili. Yes, she's pouting now.]

[coastal]

[Yu Narukami did nothing to deserve this fate.

Particularly as Lili bristles as Risebot keeps speaking, her hands clenching into fists at her sides, a clear sign that she's going to erupt at any second out of pure frustration.

Lili doesn't know much about Rise - never cared to ask, really - but she knows that the other girl has done nothing to deserve this. Even as Yu speaks to Lili and says something protag-y as fuck, Lili's focused entirely on this slight that has been said about this girl that she considers a fr-

Acquaintance.

(Fracquaintance.)]

A date? [Her tone is pure, unobstructed ice.] You mean the way that you're clinging onto someone that holds the real, true Rise dear? You mean your shallow attempt at usurping the spot of someone infinitely more deserving when you yourself are nothing more than a piece of scrap metal?

Don't make me laugh.

[She turns her gaze toward Yu, shooting daggers.] Why do you continue with this farce? What's the point in pandering to this disgusting fake? Destroy it already - or at least leave it alone.

[covenantal]

[ Destroy it?

And risk ... what? He destroyed his mask and signed his own death warrant. What if doing so somehow signed Rise's? He couldn't ever forgive himself if he acted so rashly. Leave it alone? And let it run amok, doing worse to Rise's reputation, unsupervised? All he wants to do now is leave, get it out of the public eye. But he can't bring it home, can he? To the twins, to Rapunzel, to Rise herself. Especially not Rise.

Lili's anger is like clean, cold-burning fire. He recognizes all the signs that warn of the impending explosion, and tenses in response. This is what he needs to avoid.

For a moment Yu's eyes drop from them both, to the ground, hooded and thoughtful. This momentary hesitation isn't like him.

But he's made so many wrong decisions in this place.

Yu swallows and his jaw works, but he lifts his gaze again and looks at Lili. He hardly seems to notice that Risebot's got his wrist, and he doesn't try to extricate himself from her grip. ]

There's a need. Someone I'm looking after. [ Carefully, he takes Risebot's hand, glancing at her before looking back at Lili. The real Rise... this is all he can do for her right now. ] Lili-san... I promise, I'll explain everything when I can.

[ Looking at the Risebot properly now, and speaking low: ] We can go soon, if you'd prefer.

[pseudonyms]

[It's almost satisfying that Lili's reacting to the robot this way. It'll be easier to dispose of her than try to reason with her. If the original doesn't have any friends left, she has no reason to fight back and it can stay with Yu forever. Besides, the robot got the impression that Lili never cared for Rise much anyway. What's the big deal?

(The deal, it seems, is that robots still can't understand emotions and people all the time and seem to miss some big signs.)]

You wanna talk about laughing? What makes you think she deserves this either? Senpai didn't even want her when she was just herself.

[Minato. It's aware that the girl has feelings for Yu and that Yu instead chose someone else. It's aware that it's simply because Rise wasn't good enough. But it could be much better. It could be everything Yu needed and wanted, he wouldn't need anyone else. Nobody else could compare!

So really…Lili's a minor stepping stone to the greater plan.

It misses the way Yu's eyes bow to the ground, the way he doesn't even think to fight back immediately, misses all the things the real Rise Kujikawa would take into consideration. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that Yu's holding its hand and it smiles brightly, a pretty smile on an ugly machine. It threads its fingers with Yu then.]

That's why he has me. You heard him. There's a need. [It moves to lean into Yu's side instead.] We can go wherever you want, Senpai. Just you and me okay? We don't need someone like that following us.

[covenantal]

[ Yu goes quite still in her grip.

And then he stares down at the top of Rise's head with horror touching the edges of the shock on his face.

Senpai didn't even want her when she was just herself. ]

That's not what happened!

[ That isn't fair. That isn't fair to Rise. Whatever Lili may think now, of him, that's fine. Her opinion is already fairly negative. But to drag Rise into this, to imply that she was somehow lesser or unworthy--

He loves her.

It's just--

It's not--

Yu pulls away from Risebot, letting go of her hand, extricating his fingers from hers. ]

Don't twist events to suit your needs.

[coastal]

[Yu steps away and Lili steps in.

She doesn't understand - there was something there that affected Yu particularly - and she doesn't really care to pry at the moment. Rather, she's channeling all her cold fury and taking the opportunity as she sees it. Lili's always been prone to outbursts of anger, fists slamming into walls and nearly strangling her own king.

There's not a single moment of hesitation as she raises her hand to slap Risebot. Hard.]

You're being troublesome.

I'll destroy you myself if no one else will.

[pseudonyms]

[Maybe someday the real Rise will explain it, how much she cares about Yu, the things that've happened between them since she's arrived, but the robot's noticed these things and asked questions. The robot learned just enough and now sees fit to use it to their advantage.

The slap comes and the robot stumbles back, a high-pitched cry escaping its mouth as it reels from the shock of the hit. It pauses, eyes wide and staring at Lili before it doesn't bother speaking, immediately lunging.

It has to get past Yu first, but how dare she? How dare she, how dare she--]

How dare you! What kind of a reaction is that?! Who said you could do something like that?!

[covenantal]

[ He whips an arm out to keep her restrained. Not hitting her, of course, just holding her back from touching Lili. There's no love lost in his heart for Rise's robot right now, especially after what it said about the real thing, but that doesn't mean he'll permit a fight. Besides, there's no way he'll let it hurt Lili. ]

Lili-san... I understand. [ He says it with a certain heaviness. He's deeply unhappy over that comment it just made. ]

But I don't want a fight. [ Quietly, levelly. It's not an admonition, just a request. ]

[coastal]

[Lili doesn't find satisfaction in violence - not against other people. There's been plenty of times when her fist has chipped wood off walls or left dents in doors, but she's never been particularly glad to harm another person. Even if this person is a robot who stole Rise's face.

The lunge is met with Lili taking a step back, as if ready to fight just like she'd been doing every night at the dojo, certain that she can take on another girl her size even if she can't beat a samurai--

And then there's Yu.

Lili straightens, though admittedly slowly. She still feels her blood coursing with cold rage.]

Then get it out of my sight.

[Otherwise she can't promise that she won't make an even bigger scene.]

If you don't destroy it, I won't forgive you.

[pseudonyms]

[With Yu holding it back, the robot can't go much further but it meets Lili's eyes with a cold glare of its own. It doesn't seem too perturbed by the threat, and instead its mouth curls into a mockery of a friendly smile.]

No one's keeping you here. You can disappear on your own and leave us alone. [And it waves Lili off as nothing but an inconvenience. "Get it out of my sight." Ugh. Like it wants to keep looking at Lili either.]