[video]

[cobbledtogether]

...Akiha-sama.

[That's the first thing Lambda says when she appears on the Vine. Which, despite her broadcast clearly being addressed to one person, has not filtered the message in anyway. If possible, Lambda looks even more unamused than normal, and a peek at the background of the video reveals she appears to be standing in the interior of...]

[...A luxury spa? Since when did the Gardens have one of those? As if to clear up the confusion on that very subject, she continues:]

I have detected another anomaly within the mansion.

[She finds walking into one of the wings only to find it has been replaced with something completely foreign to be rather troublesome, it seems.]

Comments

[ritsu_kouyou]

What about when it's not braided? It's very pretty. Silky...

[cobbledtogether]

It would be difficult to manage and likely to hinder my efficiency in battle, should the need for combat arise.

[...]

Do you like my hair, Akiha-sama?

[ritsu_kouyou]

Didn't we just go over the likelihood of combat? A lady needs to be prepared for more than just the next fight.

[She brushes out a section and then drapes it down Lambda's front before starting on another.]

Very much so. It's finer than even my own.

[cobbledtogether]

...? What else?

[She runs her fingers through the portion Akiha has just finished with, evidently studying it.]

...Then I like it also.

[ritsu_kouyou]

[That gets a small chuckle.]

Why does my opinion regarding your hair color your own? It's your hair.

[cobbledtogether]

If someone else appreciates it, it serves some function.

[ritsu_kouyou]

And it doesn't serve a function if you like it?

[cobbledtogether]

...No. If it is neither functional nor a hindrance, there is no need to have an opinion on it.

[ritsu_kouyou]

Opinion has little to do with functionality or hindrance, but everything to do with feelings. Aesthetics are important.

Such as the quality, length and color of your hair.

[Another section is draped down Lambda's front.]

For example, how does your hair make you feel when you look at yourself in a mirror? And 'nothing' or some cyborg version of the same thing isn't allowed as an answer. Think about it before replying.

[cobbledtogether]

[She thinks. She does so for a long while. Ultimately, the best answer she can come up with is:]

...Its appearance is not important to me. As long as it does not hinder my ability to perform according to my programming, it is fine to leave untouched.

[Which is arguably breaking the one condition she had been given, but it was the closest to an actual opinion she could come up with.]

[ritsu_kouyou]

[Akiha let out a long sigh and mumbled half under her breath.]

You need a girlfriend or someone...

[cobbledtogether]

...? Akiha-sama?

[She doesn't get it.]

[ritsu_kouyou]

...

[She didn't know if she wanted to touch that subject with a ten foot pole.]

...you do know what a girlfriend is, correct?

[cobbledtogether]

Girlfriend- a female friend; a woman with which an individual is romantically or sexually involved.

[She totally knows what words mean, what are you talking about.]

[ritsu_kouyou]

B-being sexually involved with a woman doesn't mean she's your girlfriend!

[cobbledtogether]

...? Sexual involvement is not a potential criteria?

[ritsu_kouyou]

Potential, yes, but just because one might be sexually involved with a woman doesn't automatically make her a girlfriend!

[cobbledtogether]

Then what criteria must be fulfilled?

[ritsu_kouyou]

An agreement to be in a romantic relationship together with shared feelings! Sex is only something that naturally comes to pass.

Sometimes sex can just be for fun with no strings attached!

[cobbledtogether]

The nature of the relationship is determined by negotiation between the involved individuals rather than behavioral factors such as the presence or absence of sexual activity?

[Hm...]

Then what is the appropriate term for a woman with whom you are sexually but not romantically involved?

[ritsu_kouyou]

N-no, there are behavioral factors involved, but there does need to be a mutual agreement to be in such a relationship.

[If Lambda were to look up at Akiha, she would see the girl with a somewhat red face.]

As for women one sleeps with where there isn't romantic involvement... Friends with benefits tends to be an accepted Western term for it. F-friendship isn't required, though. It is entirely possible to really dislike another and still want to engage in sexual activity with he-- THEM... With them!

[cobbledtogether]

[Lambda takes that precise moment to glance up at Akiha and tilt her head slightly, obviously confused by her response. This is more complicated than she had anticipated.]

Which behavioral factors are required? Does the absence or lack of mutual agreement take precedence over these factors? [...] Then "friends with benefits" does not necessarily express the tone which characterizes the relationship and may in actuality be a misnomer? Should more specific terminology not be required, then?

[ritsu_kouyou]

There are no required factors! There isn't a specific formula! There just needs to be a certain level of a varying number of behaviors in coordination with an agreement!

[Akiha's face is just getting redder and redder. She's flustered enough about this subject that she might be pulling a bit on Lambda's hair as she continues to brush it.]

J-just call it 'sleeping together'. That applies to any couple that are having sex regardless of the type of r-relationship.

[cobbledtogether]

...Understood. [She pauses for a moment, seeming to consider something. Then, she says:] Akiha-sama, you are handling my hair with more force than is necessary or comfortable.

[ritsu_kouyou]

O-oh!

[She lets go and looks down.]

S-sorry.