2022-09-24: A Step Forward into Satisfaction
- Log: 2022-09-24: A Step Forward into Satisfaction
- Cast: Rei Ayanami, Kaworu Nagisa
- Where: Tokyo-3, Free Japan
- OOC - IC Date: September 24, 0096 (2022)
- Summary: Kaworu stops by Rei's new home to check in on her.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
REI AYANAMI
no longer lives at the Manyoso facility.
The new address is out towards the western side of Tokyo-3, near where the ridge line of the mountains begins to interfere with the gridlike perfection of the fortress city. Here, there are substantial remains of what was once Hakone, even if the new rail improvement plan means that the train line stops only three blocks away.
But they are tall blocks. The building is almost like a piece of white staircase set among the brush and stone of the wooded landscape that lurks on slope and valley, always looking to creep back into the wet and temperate landscape of Japan. There are six apartments along a covered staircase, and a small building at the top containing several more. The building is older than Shinji Ikari, perhaps older than Colonel Katsuragi.
Rei's address is in the first apartment: the one nearest to the train station. Walking up to the place requires climbing a public staircase set next to the one-and-a-half-lane road which constitutes regular or vehicle access. Those who drive, presumably, park at the top and walk down.
Rei Ayanami does not drive. However, the plain white door, slightly dirtied with ghosts of black and a trace of iron rust from the nails, is brighter than it once was. There is a mailbox right outside, and even a newly installed doorbell/speaker interface.
Something rustles in the brush. It's hard to make out the side of the building this close, but there seem to be big, south-facing windows.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Tokyo-3 is an austere city. Yuta came by recently to shop for clothes, thinking it must be a fashionable place since Kaworu is always so well-dressed, but it's really nothing of the sort. It's a city built for practical survival reasons, and while there might be the occasional cafe or boutique peppered throughout the districts therein, it is not by any means a fashionable place. Probably the most impressive thing about it is what can't be seen--that is to say, the Geofront, and how the buildings sink into and emerge from it each day and each battle.
Even the buildings at the edge of the city are austere. Still, compared to the Manyoso and the broken-down apartment complex Rei lived in previously, it's an improvement. It's closer to nature; it's quieter and more peaceful. The buildings are old, and show their age, but are in decent condition, and show signs of recent renovations.
After walking over from the train station and climbing the staircase up from the road, Kaworu observes the mailbox and glances towards the brush. Then he presses the doorbell.
"Hey, First," he says amiably once the speaker comes to life. "It's me, Kaworu Nagisa. I've come to check in on you and your new home. May I come in?"
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
It's a place that is austere, perhaps barren, with most of its charm being rooted in what people will always bring with them no matter where they go - the culture of mankind, which may perhaps exceed the power of humanity itself - or what remains from what was once the general area of Hakone.
Rei Ayanami doesn't know any better. If there is anywhere where she belongs, it is here.
The electronic door signal -- signals. It sounds a little -- degraded, despite the new looking interface.
The speaker buzzes on without words of greeting. Perhaps you could imagine a ? coming out of it, if you were inclined to do so.
"Administrator," Rei says. "Yes. I need a moment."
A moment is approximately twelve seconds, as it turns out. When Rei appears at the door, which she unlatches and then opens -- without the hesitation that she held before -- she is wearing a plain white shirt and a pair of black leggings. Certainly casual wear around the house, suitable for the weekend. She has some dirt on her hands and forearms.
"Come in," Rei says, stepping back. There is a dividing wall, high enough for light to seep out from what looks to be a bright room, and a little concrete 'step' suitable for placing shoes. (It already has two pairs of shoes on it; Rei's usual school shoes and a pair of dirty training sneakers.)
"Do you want tea?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
It's very much like Rei to respond to a voice-only summons with only the implication of a sound. Kaworu's smile widens when he hears it. Or doesn't hear it, as the case may be. It's the reason why he takes the initiative to speak. Having confirmation that the connection exists is sufficient.
"All right," he responds, and waits. Twelve seconds is not much of a moment, but he waits just as patiently as if he'd been made to wait twelve minutes. The door opens, and Rei will see Kaworu waiting there in blue jeans and a low-cut, long-sleeved, black-and-white striped sweater (the black is thicker towards the shoulders, while the white is thicker towards the waist) over a V-necked white shirt. He pads in when bidden on his usual sneakers, which he takes off at the concrete foyer.
"Please," he says at the offer of tea. He doesn't need it, as they both well know, but he likes that Rei is offering him her hospitality and wants to accept it. He steps around her, around the dividing wall, towards the bright other room, openly looking around at their surroundings.
It isn't a nice place, so he doesn't say so. But it's certainly more spacious than either of her previous places. When he turns back towards her, he focuses in on the dirt on her hands and arms. "Were you in the middle of doing something when I arrived?" he wonders.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
Rei lingers in the little walkway, as if to observe. She rubs one arm with the opposite hand, and she nods to him once in silence, before moving to go on ahead.
That other room - enormous. Well, not that enormous. It's empty, except for a single small bamboo fern in a blue pot. The floor is bare, but the south-facing windows present a splendid light-filled view only somewhat marred by trees that have grown up, perhaps *after* the building was constructed, which don't impede light much but do add a little privacy. The windows also honestly need cleaning. There are odd things, like portholes, set in the wall. (Behind the wall is a stairwell going down. That's pretty dark.)
The kitchen space is not that big. But it's bigger than it was. Open, too. Rei fills the electric kettle from the tap.
A plastic-full tump. The kettle is clicked on.
"I was cleaning the bathtub," Rei explains.
Is there an air of mystery in this? Perhaps wonder? She says it a little slowly. Almost leisurely. It's the sort of fine grained nuance that only long familiarity can provide. Few people, taken in a grand sense, have known Rei as long as Kaworu.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
The view is lovely and sparkles with light dappled through the trees. Kaworu takes some time to admire it, standing a reasonable distance away from the windows. He takes in other details too, such as the fact that the windows could stand to be cleaned, and the portholes, and the stairwell heading down. It may not be enormous, but it's quite spacious all the same. One could probably have several people live here, unless the downstairs doesn't make the space of the upstairs.
It is a shame about the relatively small kitchen. He knows that was important to Rei--still is important. But there's space enough to cook, it seems like. Whether there's enough counter space is another matter.
"I see," he says. His smile widens a little at the slowness of her voice, almost as if she were luxuriating in the concept. "Lilim like to say that cleanliness is next to godliness, and I quite agree. A long, hot bath is an exquisite pleasure."
He pauses as he looks back over his shoulder at the rest of the interior--specifically, at the stairs. "Is the bath downstairs? Your new home seems much bigger than I'd expected."
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
"Yes," Rei says, about the bath.
The kettle hums, electricity meeting resistance and producing heat, as inevitable as anything.
Rei turns to look towards the dark staircase down. "Yes," she says. "There are three rooms. And the bathroom." ("Toilet," Rei says, indicating a door towards the side, probably to make the location of key elements clear; although Kaworu may have no use for the ones without baths.)
"Do you want to see it?"
The kettle begins to steam enough that Rei reaches up to get out cups. It's a mismatched set of ceramics in a cabinet that still seems dusty; they were almost surely left there, or else collected somewhere else (a junk sale?). The ones Rei have gotten out are clean. She puts in teabags from a bag of 100 green tea bags; and then pours.
"Ikari brought that," Rei says, looking towards the plant, sitting there, small, forlorn-- but it seems to be doing well.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Yes," Kaworu replies, about wanting to see. He doesn't make his way to the stairs just yet, though; the steam rising from the kettle indicates that the tea will be ready soon, and he'd prefer to take his time to look around the place.
The mention of Shinji naturally gets his attention, and he looks with Rei towards the little plant. "So he's already come to see you? That's just like him," he says fondly. "It does give a bit more life to the room."
He looks back at Rei. "Are you satisfied here?" he wonders. "You weren't satisfied with the Manyoso, so I'd like to know. It would defeat the purpose of finding a new home for you if you weren't."
A pause. After a second or two of consideration, he wonders, "Has anyone else been by to visit yet?"
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
A question has come.
Rei looks towards Kaworu as the tea steams. She picks up the cup.
Rei doesn't answer the question. She walks towards the dark stairwell, looking behind herself.
The walls are painted white and it was good paint, but they've gotten dingey. There are scuff marks. Signs that things were removed. Coming down and round the bend, there is a sense of being somewhere subterranean. There's a sharp turn. Doors are open, and the peculiar thing is that light is coming out of them. Rei, holding her tea cup, points at one of the doors. "I sleep there," she says.
She turns further, towards the bathroom. "The Commander looked, once. He asked what you did."
"Ikari visited," Rei says. "He brought the plant, and something else." At this point Rei opens the bathroom door and FINALLY, at long last, she turns on a light - it's a little harsh on the top, but there is indeed a tub. It is generously sized, all else being equal. It looks retrograde enough to be dowdy. There is a bucket of soapy water sitting in the tub.
Rei sips her tea. "You have visited."
"I'm satisfied."
"Can you hear the sound?" Rei asks, not clarifying.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Once the tea has steeped, Kaworu accepts a cup of his own. The haphazard ceramic, mismatched from one cup to the next, has a certain charm, and he admires the cup for a moment before drinking from it. He is unbothered by the heat, either on his hands or in his mouth.
Then he follows Rei, his pace leisurely and his footing sure. He takes in the dingy, scuffed walls, the sharp turn, and the open doors. He regards the one Rei indicates is her own room, then follows her to the bathroom, still in the process of being cleaned.
"Hmmm, I see," he says. Both the Ikaris, father and son, and now him. Yes, that sounds about right. His smile twitches up a bit to hear that Commander Ikari also asked if she was satisfied, but he doesn't remark on it directly.
Rei says that she is satisfied. "Are you pleased?" Kaworu asks; for it's good that she's satisfied, but there is a big difference between satisfaction and pleasure.
He pauses at the question. He listens, and considers. "Do you mean the hum, or the breath?"
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
Rei holds her tea cup with both hands.
A good question is asked.
Rei has another, more specific one. "Both," Rei says. "It's quiet. But it isn't silent. Like the Geofront, but quieter. It's louder, in the room where I sleep. Not loud." Not 'my room,' but maybe this is just a question of interior frameworks being formed in a particular pattern.
Rei looks towards Kaworu.
"Yes," she says.
...
Because (he) is there.
?
Rei sips her tea.
"The ninth Angel," Rei says. "You were the pilot of Unit Zero."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
'Yes,' says Rei. So she is both satisfied and pleased. Kaworu's glad to hear it, something that the warmth of his smile and the crinkle in the corner of his eyes conveys. He nods once as Rei describes the sound, both the breath and the hum, and looks again towards Rei's room, whether it's visible from the bath or not. He does have a tendency to look towards things whether they're within line of sight or not.
They both take a moment to sip their tea. Though Kaworu isn't especially affected by any temperature, no matter how extreme, it's a pleasant heat now.
He lowers the cup at the mention of the Ninth Angel. "Yes," he replies. His eyebrows furrow and his lips thin in concern; he knows how much it matter to Rei to be able to pilot. "Even if it was Commander Ikari's order, were you truly all right with that?"
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
"All right," Rei says, as if turning the words over in her head.
Rei looks at her tea cup in the bare bathroom. There is a faint sound from the water - perhaps a pipe that had, just, leaked, or that had, just, not been closed all the way. Rei had to fill that bucket from somewhere, and the tap to fill the bathtub is, of course, the obvious choice.
"... I was," Rei says, but the sentence stops. Not trails off, not turned into an assertive statement, an 'i was' of 'yes, that's completely cool to me.' It just stops.
Her eyes stay on her teacup.
"... It was frightening," Rei says.
"But, it was alright."
This makes her relax; her shoulders sink slightly, spreading out.
The door into "Rei's Room" is ajar. There is a box on what looks to be an old black dresser-drawer set, probably from some prefabricated kit and from its mild dilapidation, abandoned in place. That strange natural-looking light gently fills the room, like a cloudy twilight, and Kaworu can infer what is happening: there are fiber-optic strands bringing the light from upstairs.
That room has no windows. It's plausible none of them do.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
As Rei considers her words, Kaworu hears another noise. A soft, very occasional 'plip' of water. Slow, but rhythmic. Its precise source is a bit unclear with the echo within the bathroom, but that it's somewhere in or around the bathroom is certain. He listens for a moment; then, once Rei speaks, he looks at her.
It was frightening. But, it was all right. Kaworu nods. "As long as you're all right with it," he replies. "For what it's worth, I doubt Commander Ikari made that order out of ill intent to you. If anything, I imagine he wanted to keep you safe."
That, and he wanted to test Kaworu. He's been pushing a little harder on him lately, Kaworu's noticed. He doesn't mind. Gendo Ikari has always been a fearsome opponent, but Kaworu doesn't intend on backing down.
He drains his teacup while tension seeps from Rei's frame. Then he steps out of the bathroom to poke his head into the other rooms. Most of them are empty, but Rei's has some few furnishings--and fiber-optic lights to illuminate the dark. It needs it; these are fully basement rooms, with no windows even in the upper corners.
"The electronic lights are pleasant," he remarks, standing near the doorway. "Though the sunlight upstairs is pleasant too." He looks over at Rei. "What do you intend to do with the other rooms? It seems a bit more space than you would normally make use of."
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
Rei breathes out, a little louder than she did before.
"... I didn't think about that," Rei says.
"I was frightened, that you would be hurt again."
Rei sips the tea. It's about half gone. She isn't taking large sips.
"I don't know," Rei says. She turns her head, to look towards the doorway. Then upwards. "Plants will grow indoors, if you have plenty of sun."
"These rooms are harder. I don't know what they were for."
It seems pretty straightforward that these were bedrooms, but perhaps this one was the only one where some furniture was left in place. The one immediately adjacent has a door into the bathroom directly - the master bedroom. It would be a place to have a nuclear family, fitting perfectly.
"When I arrived," Rei says, "there was an animal."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Oh," Kaworu utters, momentarily startled.
He really still doesn't think of himself as someone worthy of other people's concern. Intellectually, he knows others care for him; it's just... so hard to internalize.
"Thank you," he adds, softening. "I'm touched that you were afraid for me."
He follows her gaze upwards; even though there's a ceiling and a floor and whatever insulation lies between in the way, he looks directly at where the plant is on the floor above. "Yes."
He looks back over at the other rooms. "It would have been good if there were windows. Even if they could only be small ones," he muses. "Perhaps you could have new ones installed, if it would be allowed."
Rei mentions an animal. Kaworu looks back at her. "Oh?" he prompts.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
"I didn't want Unit Zero" (her) "to hurt you," Rei says, not looking at Kaworu. She seems... shy, somehow, as she says it.
There is something different to think about. Something lighter, perhaps. Even Rei can recognize it.
"The back door," Rei says. "To the patio. It hadn't been locked. The animal pushed it open, and came and went in here. I suppose that it found the place pleasant, too."
Rei looks around. "It never came down here, I think. Perhaps it wanted shelter, from the Angels." A beat passes. "Civet. I opened the door and looked at it for a while. It left."
"Should I give it food?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Ah," Kaworu says with sudden understanding. Yes, it makes sense that Rei would be concerned about that. He offers her a reassuring smile. "It's all right. Unit-00 and I have an understanding. I don't know that she likes me, but I'm not sure she likes anyone. Justifiably so."
After all: she has no mouth, and she must scream.
"You and Unit-00 could become closer. More synchronized," he adds, the look he gives Rei turning considering. "If you two wish it, I'd like to help you with that." A beat of further consideration. "...Though if you don't wish it, I understand and won't offer again."
The back door to the patio... An animal--a civet--came inside. It left with no violence. And...
"Food is a bond," Kaworu remarks aloud. "Bonds are to be cherished, but they can also act as a chain that restricts one's freedom. A civet is a wild animal. It lives freely, and in exchange, it must fend for itself. To feed it is to give it security, but also to bind it to you with dependence--to make it your 'pet.'"
He pauses.
"If you wish to feed it, I won't stop you. But if you seek my opinion, I feel you should feed it only if you're prepared to take full responsibility." She might not need to take full responsibility. But she should be prepared for it.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
It would be possible to become closer with Unit-00.
Rei rubs the side of her arm again.
To synchronize with 'her'.
The Administrator has an understanding with 'her'.
I would be nearer to 'her'.
A replacement for 'her'?
If 'she' wishes it.
What is that thing I don't see?
A door that opens only once.
"It's frightening," Rei says. "I'll do it."
There is the considerably lighter other topic of a wild animal. Rei considers what Kaworu says.
"It won't die," Rei says, "without me. If I see it again, I wonder if it will know me."
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
"Very well," Kaworu says, and he sounds pleased. "I'll speak with Dr. Akagi about arranging more tests with both of us in Unit-00. But if you ever change your mind, let me know."
Indeed, the civet won't die without Rei. That is what it means to be a wild animal. But... will it know her?
"It may. It may not," Kaworu replies, perhaps unhelpfully. "But it is easier to remember when you have a bond."
Within the confines of a single universe, anyway. But that's a bit too heavy of a topic.