2022-10-13: You Can (Not) First Date
- You Can (Not) First Date
- Cast: Shinji Ikari, Asuka Shikinami Langley, Mari Makinami Illustrious, Kaworu Nagisa
- Where: Tokyo-3 Shopping Arcade
- OOC - IC Date: U.C. 0096-10-13
- Summary: Have you ever seen something so horrifying in progress that you are momentarily stunned to the point that you can't even register it's real? And when you finally come to grips and are forced to admit that it's happening, you try to look away, but can't, because it's just too paralyzing in how flinch-inducingly mortifying it is? So much so it haunts your thoughts for days after? Because Kaworu and Mari sure have.
This is the account of the event known simply as Asuka and Shinji's First Date. Read at your peril.
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Shinji had invited Asuka out, and he had explicitly transformed it away from something he owed her in something he might have wanted to do for its own sake... under the stipulation that he would still owe her for that homework help. This is a relatively small price to pay for managing to survive the conversation and secure... a date.
That... is what this is, right? A date. He asked Asuka on a date, and she agreed. To a date. He knows he should have asked for more advice, but implying he had a date with Asuka suddenly felt unreal and mortifying, and what if went wrong, and what if Asuka didn't want people finding out about it yet, or at all? Shinji had not yet made it worth her while. He was going to have to do that. Somehow.
It's not a bombastic start: Shinji and Asuka already live together, and it's within his usual, meek way that he asks if she's ready to go at around the agreed upon time. He's dressed in jeans and dark button-up under his coat, and not like he spent over an hour agonizing over the idea of what was too much, and what was too little. He's clean. His clothes are perfectly unwrinkled. But that's Shinji's usual. Basic. Not fashionable.
No romantic gestures. No added bravado. It's just... Shinji Ikari, arriving with Asuka at the shopping arcade, after precious little conversation, awkward smiles, and only a scarce idea of what he should be doing, all of it drowned out from the anxious thoughts buzzing in his skull in their place.
His hands might be sweating. Or does he just think they are? There's no discreet way to check, and he slides them into his pockets. This is not a good way to look open, but now it's weird if he removes them...!
"So, ah..." Shinji's voice is already wavering. "Are you hungry, or...?"
Actually, they wouldn't have eaten all that long ago. He's not even hungry. Eating is a date thing, but it is a date thing that should wait until later. Unfortunately, it's already left his mouth.
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
Despite watching this video a hundred times in the university...
'You take the tippy tip-'
... Asuka watches the makeup tutorial again again as she applies it while facing the mirror in her room, with a perfectionist's diligence.
It's supposed to be a casual date, and she finds herself carefully measuring her response. If she dresses up too much then people might assume she's enthusiastic about this date.
Unacceptable. Noone must know.
There's no way Shinji could know how much effort goes into her makeup - but he might from how she dresses.
So she chooses a stylish red crop top, a pair of faded skinny jeans, a green military jacket - and a sporty pair of sneakers. She has a purse slung over her shoulder. The two have barely talked the whole way. Asuka certainly isn't facilitating the conversation.
You see. He asked her. Which means she expects him to take the initiative.
And when he does...?
"Hungry?" Asuka questions, as an eyebrow just shoots up, "Didn't we just eat?"
As she reflexively calls it to attention. And then she's just staring at him.
Just
Staring
Like she expects him to arrive at some answer of what they'll be doing first on the date, other than arriving.
The clock is ticking.
Asuka's stare in and of itself would make anyone feel like they're on some high stakes gameshow, where one wrong move and you've just out.
What are you gonna do Shinji Ikari?
What are you gonna do!?
<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.
It's quiet at the Manyoso Hotel. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that preludes the storm.
You can feel it, can't you? The way it shivers the senses. The way it raises the hairs at the back of the neck.
The way there's a draft in Kaworu Nagisa's room at the Manyoso while he's busy doing whatever it is he's doing--
wait, a draft?
"Tabby Cat~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
It begins with a sing song. It really doesn't matter -what- Kaworu is doing at the time. Because what he's doing -now- is being ambushed by five feet and seven inches of aggressive affection suddenly draping across his back, arms circling around his neck in a way in many other contexts should rightly be perceived as threatening.
And what Mari Makinami Illustrious is doing -now- is draping herself casually on Kaworu Nagisa with little to no explanation of how she got here, to deliver news of great import.
"The stars are shifting, Tabby Cat," she whispers. "The cosmic order is out of alignment. Something disastrous is about to happen."
Her lips curl cattishly.
"Wanna watch?"
It's not really a question so much as it is an inevitability. After all, Mari Makinami Illustrious has a plan. And that plan is--
N o w
"It's snoop time~"
Yes. The star-shifting moment of great import, the high-stakes moment Mari is very stubbornly insistent about dragging Kaworu off to, is --
Spying on Shinji Ikari and Asuka Shikinami Langley's date.
-She- can't think of anything more important to do right now, anyway.
And so it is that Mari Makinami Illustrious finds herself leaning casually on one of the pillars of the arcade just outside a restaurant franchise fresh out of Britannia lovingly named PIZZA OVERLORD. She's dressed casually, her clothes rather unremarkable in their khaki overalls and white cotton t-shirt way; if she's looking to hide, then she's doing it rather insidiously, making the most minor of cosmetic changes. The critical things that most people don't think of, yet completely changes a look. To whit:
1) The twintails? Gone! Replaced by a messily-piled bun.
AND, most critically,
2) N o M e g a n e
It's a glasses free Mari who leans on the pillar just behind Shinji and Asuka, casually slurping on her giant TYRANT GULP soda. As she informed Kaworu on the way over:
"The key to a successful disguise isn't in hiding yourself, it's in giving people reason not to see you~"
And so, Snoop Mistress Mari is on the case, casually watching Shinji and Asuka from over her shoulder as the beginning steps of their awkward first date grows even more awkward. It's just...
"Awwwww." <3
... so -cute-.
How could she not lightly stalk it?
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Amazing that it's over something as fraught as who would get to be first in Shinji's heart.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
* Earlier *
It's quiet... but not perfectly so. Kaworu doesn't mind the stillness borne of being largely empty, but to him, it's what Lilim have done with sound that makes this world worthwhile. He sits at the desk in his hotel room--though he's put in paperwork to find new lodgings, he ceded the first pick to Rei, and nothing acceptable has been found yet since--an open notebook before him and a little music box in his hand. The notebook is filled with musical notation and lyrics. The music box plays Ode to Joy, the metallic melody slowing down with each revolution. He listens with a fond smile, cranking the lever each time to slows to a stop.
A draft blows at his back, and arms wrap around his neck in a way that anyone else would find alarming.
"Good evening, Mary. What brings you here?" he murmurs without looking back. That only comes when she asks if he'd like to watch the incoming disaster with her. That's when he blinks over his shoulder at her, unbothered by the extreme proximity of her face. "Disastrous?" he echoes.
* Now *
"Ah," Kaworu says quietly, watching Shinji and Asuka from a distance. "Disastrous."
Some time ago, Kaworu and Asuka had shared a serious discussion about this very topic. The concensus was that Kaworu, acknowledging that Shinji didn't have those kinds of feelings for him, would cede his chance to her as long as she treated him better; while Asuka would accept his surrender, and in return wouldn't rub his nose in it. It's probably the most congenial the two of them have ever been with one another, this time or any other.
Still, while Kaworu might have stepped aside for the sake of Shinji's happiness, and while he might have even encouraged him to take the initiative and ask Asuka out on a date, that doesn't mean he really wants to watch.
For his part, he's dressed in pre-ripped jeans and a black hoodie scrawled with meaningless red text. As Mari's suggestion, on top of having the hood up, he's pushed his bangs back with a headband, and traded his no megane for... megane.
That's right. They've essentially swapped looks.
He stands behind the pillar next to Mari's, leaning against it with one leg folded upward and both hands tucked in his pockets. He isn't looking around the pillar; he's instead looking down at his smartphone, which is in selfie mode. Except he isn't taking a selfie. He's using it as a mirror to watch Shinji and Asuka without having to turn around.
As Mari coos over how adorably awkward they are, Kaworu allows himself a reluctant smile. It... would be good to watch over him. To make sure this was the best thing for him after all.
Even so, he murmurs to Mari, "You're enjoying this a little too much."
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
There is no way Shinji will ever know how much effort went into Asuka's makeup. He woefully understands so little of the concept. Girls wear it sometimes? If you showed him pictures of people and asked him to identify who was and was not wearing makeup, he would get it wrong in both directions half of the time, statistically no better than deciding via coin flip. Because he would be guessing. And second guessing.
Which is not say to Asuka's efforts a whole go unnoticed. He does not place why -- a good guess that he presumes it could be her outfit -- but maybe it's the 'atmosphere' or his own expectations for the day, but Asuka is... even more difficult to ignore than usual. Her presence is always like fire, demanding attention, as dangerous to look at as away from, and now demands it even more. Demanding it so much that, paradoxically, Shinji finds himself with urge to look away, like he'll overheat if he doesn't.
But Asuka has called him out and is staring at him, and he knows, he knows, he cannot look away. Shinji swallows.
"Um."
WRONG ANSWER.
"Right. You're right. I know! I just --"
Where have all the words gone? His heart is hammering and that's normal! Right?! That's how everyone describes these things! Fluttering chests and heated cheeks and sweaty palms and all the symptoms of mild terror are simply what it's like and he has to find a way to get over it...! It's a battle, remember. Just like a battle.
...It could stand to feel less like a battle in Shinji's opinion!
"Ar...Arcade...?" Shinji says, pointing in the wrong direction. It's a question. It's seeking permission in a way that does not inspire the concept of initiative. He turns, body first, then his head, and walks -- obliviously right at Mari and Kaworu --- before scrambling to correct himself with a nervous smile flashed as Asuka. "This way. I think."
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
Mari's plan is foolproof. Even if Asuka looked directly their way, she wouldn't see Mari and Kaworu. Let's move to a theoretical world where she did glance askance behind her, and she looked over them.
First Observer: A bit catty, but sports a bun, and no megane. A catty two-eyes at best? That's two less eyes! She'd pass the glance test.
Second Observer: A hoody four-eyes? Definitely not Fifth String, nor Catty. He passes.
Whereas Shinji has difficulty not paying attention to her, Asuka has trouble pretending like she's not paying attention to him today. She's trying to play it cool, which is difficult for her because when has Asuka had any level of chill, ever?
Right now however, she's staring at him, as he swallows, and his palms sweat, and he goes into palpitations. If it's just like a battle, Asuka looks like she's winning.
Internally:
'Um what? What's he doing?'
'Oh no he's panicking.'
'Why's he panicking!? Haven't I made this easy for him?'
'I don't think I could make this any easier!'
Asuka's mind gropes through every romance based media she's ever watched to understand interactions between two normal people on a date, of which neither of them are, since Shinji Ikari is not normal and Asuka is not a person.
'Okay he figured it out. Let's let him know he's making the right call.'
Asuka slowly tilts her chin slightly forward into a nod of approval. "That is what we're here for." However, it looks like she's scowling, because that's just how Asuka's face looks like most of the time when she doesn't know what face to make.
And as Shinji leads the way, Asuka hastens her pace to catch up beside him. As she tries to think of how to handle this from said normal human romance media.
As her gait picks up beside him, her right hand just swings lightly at her side and...
... her fingertips just happen to brush against his left hand in just that small motion caused by just the two walking. Asuka acts like she hasn't even noticed that it happened. Will he get the hint?
<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.
That's right.
Disastrous.
But yet so cute~
Bright blue eyes tilt up to peer at Kaworu as he casually watches the proceedings through his smart phone. Dark brows lift. Lips purse.
And Mari mouths two words in silent praise:
'Clever kitten.'
And back to her tyrannical big gulp she goes, slurping leisurely upon the straw and looking blissfully oblivious like she -weren't- spying on two awkward teenagers trying to learn How Be Date.
So in tune is Mari with her persona of Oblivious Bystander Who Really Enjoys Pizza Overlord (she just really identifies with the character) that her first response to Kaworu's murmured words is the raise of her brows and a blissfully distracted, "Well, the Tyrant Gulp does have three times more gulp~"; this, however, might just be the bizarrely not-bespectacled girl teasing Kaworu. It's hard to say. All the same, she allows herself to clue in to his meaning with a little "oh!" and widening eyes of realization.
She watches as Shinji stumbles his way through a guesstimate of initiative and Asuka's seemingly scornful response.
"Her highness still doesn't know the kind of impression she makes," muses Mari, oh-so-fondly, before her attention returns to Kaworu.
"What's not to enjoy? Two awkward young souls, tangled in that knotty mess that is humanity and hormones! Oh, how they stumble~!" She presses her free and to her heart; mildly, of course, because she's still undercover. That blue gaze lids, even as Shinji starts a scrambling approach their way.
"Who doesn't want to see the ones they love grow, one awkward, painful step at a time?"
She might have more to say, but the dating duo is getting closer to their snooping shadows, and so Mari just raises a finger to her lips briefly in a 'shhhh'ing gesture before she resumes her soda slurping.
Because she absolutely does not intend to move a single inch. That'd be silly! Why look suspicious when you can look natural? Besides --
She can't rightly tail them if she's not on their tail, now can she?
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
That happens sometimes. Sometimes one is so enamored with something that one's feelings for it are too overwhelming, and they have to retreat to not drown in them. And Asuka does have a ferocious aura, while Shinji, dear Shinji, has always been timid. Kaworu doesn't so much as blink when Shinji heads towards Mari and him, only to correct and scamble in the correct direction just in time; however, when Asuka brushes her hand against Shinji's, so light and casual that it could have just been an accident, Kaworu raises his bespectacled gaze and stares off into the distance for a moment.
At least Mari's enthusiasm about Big Gulps gets a brief giggle out of him. He doesn't really want to be here, but as long as he is here, at least he's here with her. Even if she might well be doing this to torture him.
She probably isn't doing this to torture him, Kaworu thinks. That kind of malice seems out of character for her.
"It seems difficult to believe she could lack that much self-awareness, but I'll take your assessment on its face," Kaworu tells Mari. She knows Asuka--she likes Asuka--far better than he does, after all. But...
'Who doesn't want to see the ones they love grow?'
"Mm," he murmurs, unsmiling. Then he breathes a soundless sigh. "Yes. You're right. Someone like the Second will challenge him to grow." (He knows Mari means both of them, but: Kaworu doesn't.) "He'll need that strength of character in the days to come."
Even if he'll miss the Shinji who cries. But it isn't about him, is it?
Still, as Mari gestures at him to hush up, Kaworu does so, focus still on his phone. Anyone glancing at his way would see a normal apathetic teenager hanging around messing with his phone and otherwise doing nothing, as apathetic teenagers are wont to do.
Once Shinji and Asuka course correct away from them and head into the arcade, Kaworu will flick a glance Mari's way, wait ten seconds, and then meander in after them. The phone's selfie mode will, at the same time, change to photo mode... and start to display the arcade's security cam footage from whatever camera Shinji and Asuka are closest to at the time.
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Shinji's attention is too Asuka focused and terrified to notice anything outside the immediate sphere around her. Arguably, this isn't a bad thing for a date under normal circumstances. Arguably, Shinji is not normal circumstances.
On the plus side, if he never learns he's being watched by a third and fourth party, he will not have to crumple to dust and float away in the wind.
Asuka is definitely winning, but not in the way she wants. Or that Shinji wants. Or anyone wants. Because Asuka winning means Shinji is losing, which is far from the ideal for either one of them. But Shinji, who does not consume romance related media, mostly has the advice of his friends.
There's a nod of approval, and Shinji lets out a small breath. Shots have been fired and they have not completely missed. Maybe he's not losing after all. He his gait and pace is awkward for a moment as he tries to find it -- don't go too fast, don't go too slow, but Asuka is naturally faster than he is.
Then, a touch. It very nearly burns. Shinji dares a glance in Asuka's direction and hesitates at the face she makes. Where Asuka scowls, Shinji has a default setting of looking uncomfortable, like his socks are wet and he's doing his best not to say anything about it.
...An accident. Surely an accident. Or did she...? No. He's... sweaty and gross right now. She'll hate it. Him, by extension. But if she did -- that's impossible, Ikari, what are you thinking?! Whatever he's thinking happens in the span of a flinch, Shinji lifting his arm up to adjust his collar idly, intending to subtly get it out of Asuka's way.
"S-So..." he starts, far too long a pause before he speaks again. "...It's... not really named for the arcade. Isn't that weird? I mean -- it has one. But it has more to do with the... architecture... or. Something like that." Oh, fantastic, he's rambling. And once he notices he is, Shinji shuts himself up. His knowledge of it kind of stops there, anyway. This is a bad subject, change it, Shinji...!
"You're usually playing older games, right?" Retro. The word he's looking for is retro. Even once they arrive at the arcade, he's lingering a little, and what he thinks he's doing is giving Asuka a chance to exercise the freedom of her own interests to wander toward what sparks the most intrigue.
This could also be described as lacking initiative. Again.
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
The hand moves up to adjust a collar. Asuka thought that plan was foolproof, it usually is portrayed that way? Unfortunately it's Shinji, so he might be especially dense, or terrified. And she can't just TELL HIM she wants to hold hands like completely normal couples their age are supposed to, right?
Right?
No of course not, he asked her out. It's definitely all on him. If she'd asked him out - a thing which her pride would never allow - it'd be on him. Certainly it's sexist in a way she despises but in the war between pride and gender roles, pride is probably gonna edge it out at the finish line.
And thus Asuka does not grab for Shinji's sweaty, gross hand that nevertheless she for some reason wants to hold???
... Hormones.
Asuka listens to him ramble on about the name of the arcade, and it having to do more with architecture, before he shuts himself up. And asks about her playing Older Games, "Yeah. Usually."
...
...
...
...
Is she going to name a single one? No, apparently she is not.
"Didn't realize you had such an interest in architecture." Asuka notes after a moment as she looks his way, "How does the architecture tie into the name?"
There see? Completely normal human interaction and follow up question. All Shinji has to do is give her an answer on what he was already talking about. Easy mode!
Kaworu on the cameras can see the awkwardness oozing from both of them in zoom.
However it's then that she realizes. Oh Oh! he's hoping that I choose the game? Well why didn't he just say so!?
Asuka's blue eyes cut a sharp arc across the arcade - and - "Come on. I think I see an old classic over there." Asuka then walks right up to...
"This works."
... DDR - Dog Drug Reinforcement.
A dancing game, that requires a lot of athleticism to keep up. Dare Shinji say anything?
<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.
No; despite all the potentially frightening things about Mari Makinami Illustrious or the potentially frightening things in her orbit, she'd never act out of malice.
Whether this makes the things she does and the reasons why she does them more or less frightening is really a question freely open to interpretation.
At the very least, it means that the brunette is an ineffable source of good cheer; as Shinji and Asuka divert arcade-wards, she casts a glance over her shoulder just in time to watch as Asuka's flimsy attempt at hinting towards a hand holding leads to the awkward tug tug of a collar. Her brows lift. She sucks up some soda (seriously, what soda is that, the color looks offputting--).
"Hummmm."
And so it is, ten seconds later, Mari is joining Kaworu, falling in at his side and slinging a companionable arm around his shoulders.
"There's nothing constant in the human heart, Tabby Cat, but there's one that comes very close," she informs her bespectacled companion, well after his commentary on Asuka has passed.
"'The one the heart is so often least aware of is itself.'"
So the snoopers follow, a healthy (very healthy, thank you, none of this is unhealthy) distance from the couple. As they slip into the arcade, Mari is there to leisurely follow them, except --
"Ahem."
"Ahum?"
Mari looks up at the young very serious assistant manager standing across from her. He very seriously taps a sign on the wall beside him.
'NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK'
"Aw. But it's just getting good...!" she protests. The Assistant Manager is unmoved, tapping the sign again. His vigil is one that shall not be compromised.
And so, defeated, Mari looks sidelong at Kaworu, eyes big.
"Carry on in my stead, Tabby Cat! I will be with you shortly. I just have to slay the beast real quicklike." She offers him a small smile, difficult to read in its intent.
"It might be hard, but you should stay strong. Maybe you'll learn something watching them learn something."
And with that, Mari begins a long, continuous slurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp to drain the contents of the monolithic Tyrant Gulp, staring the unyielding Assistant Manager square in the eyes the entire, harrowing time.
She doesn't actually need to drink. And in general no one needs or should drink this much soda.
But it's the -principle-.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Mari's casual contact does bring a slight smile to Kaworu's lips. Being close to the same height, it isn't awkward at all for her to sling her arm around his shoulders, and he's comfortable in her presence.
"There's a song that speaks of that, too. 'It's always hardest for one to see oneself clearly,'" Kaworu quotes back. "Among Lilim colloquialisms," should he really be saying 'Lilim' while he's supposed to be undercover, "there's also the saying, 'It's darkest at the foot of a lighthouse.' At least they understand this well about themselves."
This conversation pauses when the assistant manager blocks their way and frowny-facedly points at the sign. Kaworu regards it, then him, and finally Mari. She bids him go on without her.
"I'd rather not," he replies. "I'll wait here with you."
And so, as Mari starts slurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrping her Tyrany Gulp, Kaworu slings an arm around her shoulders and pulls her close to show her his phone's screen. "Here. Watch."
The two of them will watch, too, as Shinji and Asuka attempt to navigate both the arcade and the date. It really is awkward, the way they act around each other. At the same time, it's clear both of them are trying. Shinji may be afraid, but he's pushing himself forward through that fear; Asuka may be abrasive, but she's making an effort to meet Shinji halfway.
Kaworu may not be the biggest fan, but he can acknowledge that much. Whether Shinji will be able to keep up with Asuka on the DDR machine is another story, though...
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
This is definitely a scenario where Shinji is acutely aware he needs to 'be a man', as if Shinji has ever, in his entire life, managed to uphold any ideal of 'being a man', and as if Shinji has not tied it to a sense of self worth and asking himself if this continued failure has anything to do with why his Father is so disappointed in him. But Shinji does not want to think about his father right now. It just so happens that not being a man could also be why Asuka will be disappointed. Or the entire Evangelion crew, or his comrades, or... everyone.
Right now, Asuka.
Is she disappointed yet? This is still salvageable. Or at least, Shinji's still trying, even if he failed the test of letting Asuka hold his gross hand, and now he can't stop glancing toward hers. Don't be obvious, Shinji...! And do not look too low because crop-top, no not that high, either -- just -- look literally anywhere else!
Shinji pinches his eyes shut briefly to reset himself. Asuka does not offer any games she likes, or the type, or any follow up, and he falters. Yet... an olive branch. Of a sorts.
"Oh. Not. Not particularly. I just like... big things." Shinji do you hear yourself right now. (He doesn't. He knows he sounds stupid, he's not going to go wounding himself analyzing the finer points of it.) "Arcades are a series of arches. It's the, um, walkways that they created, with shops between..." All right, so maybe he actually knows something about this and feels dumber for knowing, because who cares about this? Shinji, apparently, who carries an admiration for large feats of engineering and architecture that aren't war related. Not that he's particularly adept at explaining what he's discovered in his idle curiosity. Has he created a mental image of anything at all? "But it doesn't have to have arches to be an arcade anymore... Only a lot of shops."
He frowns at the ground. "I bet people would be disappointed and confused without a game arcade, though..." Shinji should stop sympathizing with shopping arcades in the middle of a date, if not stop talking forever.
Thankfully, Asuka gets his hint despite him failing hers, and he perks back up to follow her. "An old classic...?" Shinji's interest turns to concern as he observes the DDR dance platform. The thing about games is they're supposed to not require athleticism, a thing Shinji has little of. Sure, Asuka was going to destroy him at any given game, but not in a failure-to-be-a-man kind of way.
Shinji's eyes narrow, just slightly, at the new foe before him. He squeezes his hands around his inner pockets to wick them of sweat. There is exactly 1 (one) thing Shinji is going to get right about this date, and that's paying for it. So deep is that expectation that even he cannot screw it up so long as it's never challenged. And he is prepared (no one will be blamed for being surprised) with the proper coins needed to partake, readying them... and nearly dropping the first, fumbling and frantic before it's properly poised.
"...Two players, then?" As if Asuka is going to do it by herself and let him watch. At her behest, his fate will be sealed, and onto the stage it is. If she makes him choose a song, pride and saving face will demand he not pick an easier one. If she picks... he is at her mercy, a trait Asuka is not known for.
There is a great slurping in the distance, but Shinji remains blissfully unaware of its meaning.
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
'I just like... big things.'
There's a slow blink of Asuka's eyes. Then her eyes flick down at her chest, then her eyes check Shinji's sight line. In her head she hears Mari taunting her about how big her... assets are...
... and does not hear that prolonged SLURRRPPPPP in the background.
However, despite the topic, Asuka finds she actually is interested in it? Maybe she can't sympathize with arcades these days needing to be gaming ones since she's interested in games, but he actually knows something. "Huh." Asuka actually doesn't sound unimpressed?
And then, they're at DDR. Shinji sees a new foe. Asuka sees a competitive game. She doesn't understand the concept of collaborative games yet even if she's finally grasped the idea of collaborative battles, thus this is her ideal. "Yeah sure, let's go head to head."
Hooking her bag over the metal arch that fences in the competitive dance floor... Shinji pays. But... Shinji's fate seems sealed when Asuka starts to flip through the song possibilities.
Asuka chooses a song.
The Difficulty select comes up.
Easy
Medium
Hard
Extreme
SAVAGE
ULTIMATE
Asuka's finger hovers over ULTIMATE. Asuka glances at Shinji out of the corner of her eyes. Suddenly her mind remembers Kaworu's question of whether she'll be gentle with him. The thought irritates her, however, it had actually allowed for some progress.
To Shinji's great relief, Asuka's finger hovers away-
-until a synthetic boop indicates she's selected one, as her finger hits SAVAGE. "Figure a warmup first would be alright." This is her being gentle!?
The SONG - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQDeuRKrNRw
Dance like you want to win Shinji Ikari!
<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.
Sometimes, dreaded [Big Things] are summoned by evoking their presence in word OR in thought.
*slurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrp*
That isn't the case this time. It's just wonderful timing.
Kaworu elects not to go on without her. Mari doesn't protest or insist; she just contentedly respects that choice as she drains that giant cup of its contents in a way that horrifies and dismays any and all onlookers brave enough to stare upon the abyss of a teenager's appetite for junk. Just as much as she, at least, is utterly unbothered by invoking the concept of Lilim while ostensibly in DEEP DISGUISE; in many ways, they're tigers of the same stripe.
And then an arm slings around her shoulder. The not-so-bespectacled undercover NERV (??) agent (??) blinks, takes a detour from her slurping to let out a brief and positively scandalized "oh my~!" for someone who is so frequently the one committing these nonchalant acts of privacy-invasion, and then -- quite comfortably slumps herself against Kaworu, the side of her head bumping against his as she dutifully watches.
slrrrrrrrrrrrrr*
... And slurps.
Her eyebrows are a climbing thing with every passing exchange she watches take place, painting a picture in video alone. Asuka and Shinji are conversing Sort of. Shinji seems unable to make a choice of game.
Mari's brows reach their apex when Asuka chooses for them.
*slrrr--pttpttt-tttt-pfffrtttrtrt*
"Ufu."
This would be the sound of Mari finishing the last vestiges of a deeply unhealthy amount of carbonated syrup-beverage now circulating through her system. Her smile is a dazzling thing as she casts it Kaworu's way. And then, unceremoniously --
"We are not allowed to miss this moment, Tabby Cat!"
She just kinda HUCKS that entire empty Tyrant Gulp - a mass of wax paper that could injure somehow by sheer volume alone - over her shoulder, and detaches from her silver-haired, incognito companion -- before grabbing his hand with intent to adventure -right- into the hallowed heart of the Arcade just as SAVAGE MODE is selected.
Behind them, the Tyrant Gulp hits the edge of a bench in such a way that it rebounds off it, soars past another person's head, and ultimately falls in the open trash can just a few feet away.
Mari shall not be Denied.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Big Things indeed.
Kaworu pays no mind to Mari's "oh my!"; after all, she leans right back against him, head bumping on his, right after she says it. It doesn't even occur to him that she might have said it as an indication of being scandalized. That just doesn't seem like her.
Of course, this means that the assistant manager has to watch these two teenagers essentially cuddle as Mari finishes her drink, but surely this is the price of being a dutiful assistant manager. At least he successfully defended this hallowed place from the feared outside food and/or drink.
As for the video, it's not so much Asuka choosing the game that interests Kaworu so much as her choosing the difficulty level. He catches the way she reaches for ULTIMATE, glances at Shinji, and then picks... the next level down, which is still SAVAGE. He clucks his tongue a bit. Still, she's... trying. That actually does mean a great deal. In time, they'll figure out to hold each other's hands.
Of course, at the same instant, Mari makes her declaration and grabs his hand with intent to drag him into the arcade. "Ah!" he utters, swept along on her current and following in her wake.
But he does laugh quietly as she does, a broad smile showing off his teeth. "As you wish, Mary," he says mildly and with humor as she leads him to the heart of darkness--rather, the arcade.
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Asuka does not look disgusted by Shinji rambling, poorly, about architecture and the history he valiantly did not go into. He'd probably get it wrong anyway. He might have already remembered some of it wrong as it was and she'll find out later somewhere and know! Why did he talk about arches?! But it is a little interesting how everything comes together to keep massive structures from collapsing -- STOP.
Deep breath, there's a new battle ahead. Shinji isn't a stranger to competition. It can be awoken in him. Now might be a good time for that, but it has to fight past bundles of nerves. He grips onto the metal arch of the dance platform, watching Asuka nervously.
ULTIMATE.
Shinji pales. Silently, he pleads, but he dare not beg aloud.
Asuka's finger moves. Hope dares glimmer --
Then it is dashed, nothing but dust.
"What part of 'SAVAGE' sounds like a warmup to you?!"
There is no time to argue. It is a cruel dancing thesis Shinji must write with his feet and the rhythm in his heart. Only faintly does he become aware of a possible audience, but that's about to be the least of his problems. And thus, Mari and Kaworu may bear witness to the massacre that begins.
ALMOST MISS MISS MISS ALMOST ALMOST MISS MISS
ALMOST ALMOST MISS MISS MISS ALMOST MISS MISS MISS
MISS MISS ALMOST MISS MISS MISS MISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
But someday, Shinji may notice, on those shoulders of his, that there are strong wings.
ALMOST ALMOST GOOD GOOD MISS ALMOST GOOD ALMOST GOOD GOOD
GOOD GOOD GREAT GOOD GOOD?! GOOD GOOD ALMOST GOOD GOOD
GREAT GREAT GOOD GOOD ALMOST MISS GOOD GOOD GREAT GREAT
Shine on and become a legend, Shinji!
GREAT GREAT GREAT GOOD GOOD GOOD GREAT GREAT GREAT
GOOD GOOD GREAT GREAT ALMOST GREAT GREAT GREAT
GREAT PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT MARVELOUS!!
ALMOST ALMOST ALMOST MISS MISS
MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS MISS...
MISS...
Shinji?
Shinji flops over the railing, panting for breath. His feet are still shuffling in a pathetic effort, but it would only be by a miracle it lines up with anything the dance station is doing.
And yet... And yet...!
Shinji makes a strained sound in his throat, forcing himself back upright. His eyes ignite as he watches arrows fly by, each reflected deep in his gaze. He ignores the burning in his thighs and the hammering of his heart. With a score dwindled to nothing, Shinji performs the last segment with fierce steps and a second wind of expert timing, feet desperately agile as they tap out the rhythm.
PERFECT, PERFECT, MARVELOUS MARVELOUS MARVELOUS MARVELOUS
Mathematically, it's unrecoverable. There's no way to even get a Clear where he's fallen and how much combo has broken, much less catching up to Asuka. Never breaking it again wouldn't save him, and still, occasionally, a miss. But Shinji persists, step after step, arrow after arrow, beat after beat, until the song, the game, and Asuka make him lose.
And he does not let himself collapse back over the metal arch again until the final arrow passes. More than his hands are sweating. The glowing glare of his brightly lit failure warms his back.
He whimpers a little.
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
"The part where it's not the highest difficulty!?" Asuka fires back reflexively. However there's no time to argue herself. Because gamer mode Asuka kicks in. Her focus becomes almost entirely on the game. Right now she takes the steps of the DDR game as if it were a particularly undemanding gymnastic routine.
After all, all she has to do is step in four places, in place - with perfect timing. What could be easier?
The steps start and-
PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT-
... It's only then that she remembers that Shinji could barely keep up with her walking home one day when she decided to walk more briskly.
'Oh right.' Her brain processes in parallel to the attention taken to the game. Despite her ability to do that, her steps briefly falter-
-GREAT GOOD MARVELOUS PERFECT PERFECT PERFECT-
Well falter for her. She grimaces as she misses three perfect opportunities. However, now her attention is on Shinji at his big MISS chain and she realizes just how dirty she's done him. Part of her is annoyed that an Eva pilot is so unathletic, that he's done so little training at all, that he has no sense of timing-
-however the parts of him that make him so normal, are the reason they were able to connect in the first place. That allowed him to ask her out.
Shinji may one day notice that there are strong wings, but he's not shining on to become a legend right now.
Asuka actually winces - PERFECT PERFECT GOOD GOOD MARVELOUS PERFECT-
And then he flops over the railing, winded, and Asuka keeps going, eyeing him out of the corner of her eyes. He didn't have the stamina apparently. He gave up apparently.
Asuka just focuses on keeping the chain going- which is as of this moment unbroken. However, her eyes shoot over as Shinji gets back into it, and starts getting his second wind, and her eyebrows fly up as he does better than he's done.
And he keeps going. And keeps going... until it's over and the game makes him lose - but he does pretty well despite that.
Does he really have that kind of competitive spirit after all... or... is it...
because he wants to
Asuka doesn't even look winded afterwards, there's a singular bead of sweat up in her brown bangs as she observes Shinji in this moment. "I win." Asuka says the obvious... "But that wasn't... that was..."
Asuka seems to struggle for a time, because she knows she did him dirty because she was thoughtless but he tried anyway, for her sake. And after a moment she just stalks right up to him while it's still like he's on the verge of asphyxiation from the sheer effort, as he's sides are still stitched from the sheer lack of oxygen.
And does something that may make his observers worried that she's ACTUALLY asphyxiating him.
Because she puts a hand to the back of his head and presses her lips against his, and holds them there against his, as he feels the gloss of her lipstick and both the warmth and moisture of her mouth and...
... keeps holding her lips against his. There's absolutely no movement there.
It probably ranks up there as the most awkward kisses anyone in the room has ever witnessed, perhaps most of all by the fact that Shinji can hardly breathe and his nostrils are likely inadequate to the task right now.
The Titanic, the Hindenburg, Second Impact. In this moment observers might feel like those disasters were footnotes of history compared to the smooch she's giving him.
... It's not stopping either.
<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.
It's an unenviable life, the path of the Assistant Manager. Valiantly, he has kept this arcade safe for another day.
But at what cost.............?
At least the cost isn't particularly his problem anymore as Mari Makinami Illustrious blows past him with Kaworu Nagisa in hand. Beverage-free, the duo are now the -world's- problem, and heaven help the world. An expert in navigating straight into the heart of disaster, it doesn't take long for her to usher them to where they need to be -- and just at the perfect time, to boot.
Situating herself at a nearby VIRTUAL ON arcade cabinet under the flimsy pretext of playing it and not gawking at the cataclysmic event that is about to unfold, Mari eventually foregoes any and all attempt to be discrete about a third of the way through the Cruel Dancing Thesis. Fortunately, by this time, both Asuka's domination and Shinji's... not... domination... have drawn a few curious onlookers.
Maybe to Shinji's great dismay, by the time he flops over, he's drawn even -more- people to watch. But Mari, for her part, looks almost --
Fond? Proud?
Like seeing a relative do something remarkable that makes you point and say, 'I raised that boy' with tears in your eyes.
(she does not actually do this)
"Hummm. I guess it's generally true that NERV's Puppy is impressive for short bursts," muses Mari; but what impresses her most isn't those brief strings of improvement...
... it's how he forces himself back up. Ignores his body demanding he stop and sprawl somewhere. And keeps. Going.
Mari whistles, looking sidelong at Kaworu with the waggle of her brows.
"But such staying power~!"
no
she refuses to apologize or amend that
What -also- catches her attention, because Mari's attention is a vast thing especially when it encompasses the (embarrassing) things that interest her, is how Asuka's own easy trip to perfection stumbles as she notices - as she starts to comprehend - the effect of her choices on Shinji. Mari ignores the string of high-impact sounds of her Fei-Yen taking an unholy string of unmitigated damage as she turns around fully to bear witness, arms crossing over her chest and head tilting curiously to the right. Her expression again lapses into something fonder as Asuka stumbles through her words in the aftermath of it all -- but the fondness comes from a different source entirely. Her lips part to say something --
Which is exactly when Asuka plants her lips on Shinji's.
Literally. Just. Affixes them.
"....................."
And in a truly rare moment, Mari Makinami Illustrious is left speechless as she bears witness to a scene more harrowing than even the gushiest and juiciest of Image Collapses.
Lips still parted, eyes wide with wonder, Mari watches, her mind racing as if trying to figure out the physics of what is occurring at this very moment. Some people look away. Mari does not. She does, however, grimace.
"Oohhhh-ho-hoooo this is too painful to look at--"
she says
while taking out her phone
to record it.
For posterity. Some things must not ever be forgotten, even as one universe collapses into the next.
Some things... must scar the soul.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
The world's problem... Yes, that is an apt and precise way of describing Mari and Kaworu. Especially Mari and Kaworu, working together.
The pale youth settles in next to Mari as she 'plays' the VIRTUAL ON arcade cabinet. They're close enough to Asuka and Shinji at this point, without being too obvious about it, that he decides to disconnect the hack into the arcade's cameras and tuck his phone into his hoodie pockets. He keeps his hands there as well, but that's just his usual.
It isn't long that Asuka and Shinji's dancing attract a small crowd, as DDR is wont. That crowd soon includes Mari and Kaworu themselves. This sort of thing is far from Shinji's wheelhouse, but even so, he presses on, even through his exhaustion, even through his uncertainty, all so he can live up to what he feels Asuka deserves.
It hurts. His insides hurt. Even so, he smiles with just as much fondness as Mari, if not more.
"He's always impressive," he murmurs back, affection perfuming his voice. As Shinji drags himself back upright--as he re-challenges the game and gets several good steps in, despite the condition of his body--Kaworu adds, "You see?" He smiles broadly, eyes squinting shut, as she praises his staying power. "Yes. He's wonderful."
Don't worry. Kaworu knows that Mari only speaks the truth. He only speaks the truth as well.
The light mood pops like a soap bubble when Asuka inflicts herself on Shinji, though. Mari delights in it, even as she grimaces. Kaworu only grimaces.
Yes. It is too painful to look at. He makes his agreement silently clear by averting his gaze to one side at the dusty, well-trodden floor.
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Easy would be easier. That's why it's called Easy!
Is it better or worse Asuka is not intentionally trying to torture him? This is not a question Shinji has the luxury to ask. Asuka is savage. Savagery is the perfect warmup for Asuka. There is no denying this.
Of course, she's perfect at it. Shinji musters the strength to look back at the screen and see the wide gulf in their scores. There wasn't a 'Miss' on her screen, not that he had much time to confirm while worrying about his own. But he knows there wasn't one. It's Asuka. It's a competition, but it isn't... just two scores compared, not a zero-sum game. It only makes the divide seem wider to know he could have kept up. They could have both succeeded. Shinji sighs somewhere in his struggles to catch his breath. There are so many more people watching than he thought, horrifically existing in the corner of his vision.
I win, Asuka says. Shinji can't even bring himself to demand a two out of three. He's not sure he can move. Or speak. And briefly, he wonders if he's falling, or something else, because Asuka's taken his head and maybe she's holding it up for him because he's fainted --
Her mouth meets his, and the entirety of reality, and every working thought, goes blank.
Shinji dares not move. Her lips warm and cushioned by lipstick, and his rough and dry from panting, the rest of his breath stolen by the shock of it with no easy way to breathe back in or out.
I don't know how to kiss, is the one thought Shinji manages to form. He does not know to, or think to, turn his head, to give his nose the extra space to breathe. But there's not enough experience to say it's wrong, that Asuka isn't giving him a kiss. Breathtaking. Paralyzing. Dizzying. That's what kisses are, presumably.
There are people watching, people jeering, and it only seizes up Shinji's will to act further, if he's got any capacity to think at all. It almost doesn't exist. Oxygen also does not exist and Shinji's wondering when it will be permitted to once more.
His lips were parted when she landed on them like something could happen. Nothing does. Nothing more than complete, utter stillness. A moment paused in time, like reality has glitched and frozen the two in place, because surely if time were working, some manner of affection would be on display.
Or. Motion at all.
Shinji's blue where he should be flushing red. His fingers claw around the metal arch to keep him upright instead of around Asuka. Eventually, the only movement he's offering is that his legs are threatening to give out.
Either Asuka breaks apart and Shinji drinks in air like a man who'd just been drowning, or she doesn't and he collapses to do that instead.
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
Asuka knows that when a boy does something for a girl on a date, his efforts ought to be rewarded, that's what every media she's watched has shown. She never quite got why that is, but she understands that's the way it's supposed to be. Shinji tried hard to keep up with her despite her stacking the odds against him thoughtlessly.
Asuka knows what a kiss is, she knows theoretically how to kiss. She has in fact, seen people kiss in real life. However, now that her lips are against his she panics, she blanks. What is she supposed to do, move her lips now? Use her tongue? What's she supposed to do?
Wait isn't he supposed to do that? Shouldn't he be doing that part? Why isn't he doing that?
People start to jeer, and one of Asuka's eyes opens and rolls towards whoever dares with a glare of death. However, she doesn't - move herself. Now she looks back at Shinji. Why isn't he doing-
She sees his fingers clawing at the metal arch to stay standing.
Instead of a rosy hued blush, he's starting to look closer to Eva-01 from the lack of oxygen.
He's struggling.
Asuka panics again. It's her fault again for not realizing he can't recover from that much physical exertion so quickly. Her eyes dart from side to side looking for an out, and then breaking contact. Shinji finds his lungs able once more to fill up with blessed oxygen.
Does she help him up?
No. No you see. She saw an out.
She's not even next to him anymore, she's storming right up to the crowd that formed - "HEY YOU! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM? HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN-"
-=-=-
~Five Minutes Later~
Asuka and Shinji are banned from this arcade. On account of Asuka nearly putting one of their hecklers through a cabinet.
Neo-Galaga is sporting a giant crack right now.
Asuka's still glaring at the attendant at the counter from the front from outside who's just staring back. She still hasn't asked Shinji even once about how he's doing or talked about what just happened.
<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.
Oh, this isn't going to end well, is it? Neither of them have any idea what they're doing. They've become a health hazard. Maybe even a public safety hazard.
This is a travesty. This is disastrous. This is--
"So adorable~."
Mari Makinami Illustrious probably stands alone in this notion but she stands alone by it -firmly- as she records the possible death impending of Shinji Ikari. The words might be cooed with saccharine glee, but that makes them no less sincere. She might be delighting in the absolute awfulness of this moment, but that doesn't lessen how sweet she finds it all.
How is this possible? Because Mari is -powerful-.
And besides -- what isn't cute about two damaged people groping their way along normal, human interactions. She's watching her Puppy and her Princess grow up, one horrible, mortifying moment at a time!
<3 It's sweet. <3
Eventually both good and terrifying things must end; this is the nature of life. Realization dawns on Asuka. She scrambles for an out. And she finds it --
In the jeers and hoops and hollers of the crowd that Mari and Kaworu currently find themselves a part of.
'HEY YOU!' she shouts as she stomps her way towards the faceless crowd that might have some familiar faces in it.
"Whoops!"
Mari Makinami believes this is a good time to make herself and Kaworu disappear. Which is why her phone, its duty done, is tucked away, and her arm loops into his.
"Don't worry," she assures, "we're going to fit right in, in just a few--"
'HAVEN'T YOU EVER SEEN-'
People start to run. Someone shouts desperately for ARCADE SECURITY.
"--seconds. I know my Princess~."
And so, as Mari looks to drag Kaworu away, they get lost in small crowd that is 'people fleeing from the wrath of a hormonal teenager.'
It is frankly frightening as the crashing sounds would suggest.
But it's part of why Mari likes Asuka so much!
~ <3 ~
Mari and Kaworu leave in peace after Mari makes a detour to nag the Assistant Manager into compensating them for the, in her words, "ruined date."
She's not technically lying. She just forgot to specify whose date was ruined.
Anyway that's why Mari is currently just outside the arcade holding onto a stuffed off-brand Pokemon called Plonkachu that looks a little deformed and she finds adorable. It would have cost her twenty whole tickets. But she got it for -free-.
This, to her, has been an absolute win.
"So," she begins conversationally to her silver-haired would-be date; she's currently rewinding and rewatching and rewinding and rewatching the events like a John Madden play-by-play.
"Thoughts?"
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
Pandemonium breaks out. Kaworu continues to not look. It's for the best that Mari grabs him by the arm and yanks him out of the arcade, to join in with the crowd of fleeing patrons.
It really is a terrible sight. Just, all of it.
He doesn't respond to Mari's cooing or her reassurances, though he does shoot her a glance when she hooks her arm in his to make it clear he hears and acknowledges. Asuka's violence is well-known to him, too.
A short time later, Mari cons the assistant manager out of a plush, and the two of them sit together outside and to one side of the arcade. As Mari plays and replays and re-replays and re-re-replays the video she just took, Kaworu leans on one of the pillars, staring into space with no particular expression. Even if he had one, it might be hard to see with the lights glaring off the lenses of his glasses.
His thoughts?
"They're both trying their hardest," he says softly. "It'll be difficult early on, but as long as they both put in the effort to understand each other, they'll grow gradually closer and more at ease with each other. The important thing is to not let tonight discourage them." A beat. "If they can do that... surely they'll be very happy together."
He sounds like he might be trying to convince himself.
<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.
Shinji, unfortunately, recognizes no reward, nor a place where he should do something, or know something, or know anything. Later he will have the space to think, is that what kissing really is? Surely, perhaps, kissing is more than that? Otherwise people would not make such a big deal of the gesture.
Right now, he chokes, blue and gasping and face free as he crumbles on the dance station. Blue finally gets color back, and the color goes straight to the red it should have been earlier, ears ringing with the memories of jeers. But only memories as Asuka, not normally a merciful creature, extends a great mercy to Shinji by threatening her violence on everyone else.
He's not sure how much time it takes to recover after that, only that he is now a criminal. And although he did not instigate any of the violence personally, he, for once, does not try to whine his way out of the responsibility.
What happened in there may have, in fact, been a crime. It was bad and Shinji should feel bad.
(Shinji does feel bad.)
For a while, he awkwardly, nervously watches Asuka as she glares at the attendant, no doubt feeling more than justified about what happened. Usually, Shinji's too timid to put up much of an argument about it. Today... well, Asuka putting someone's head through a cabinet is hardly in the top three of embarrassments, so...
Shinji looks at the ground a while instead, fingers at his lips. Contemplation turns to horror in his eyes, and he simply shakes his head.
"M...Maybe we should go," he suggests meekly.
It would have helped, Shinji, to say where.
<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.
Indeed Mari is right, Asuka did not notice Mari or Kaworu in her act of indiscriminate violence. They melt away, one Plonkachu richer after their teensy tiny act of fraud. Whereas Asuka and Shinji are left out in the cold, literally. Asuka's still glaring.
Shinji is looking at the ground. And then-
'M...Maybe we should go,'
Asuka's sightline shoots over to Shinji, and instead he becomes the victim of her glare instead. Because their date was an arcade date. A date at an arcade. The date part seems intrinsically tied into the arcade part.
Ergo, now that there is no arcade, there is no date. Leaving means the date is over.
Would that really be so bad? But Asuka doesn't want to admit, most of all to herself that this whole thing has been awkward and embarrassing and awful. Doing so is like admitting defeat...
... and she's only ever done that once in her life.
Shinji doesn't suggest where, but it sounds like the date will be over the moment they leave. Won't it?
"Fine."
Asuka says, and then out of nowhere she just grabs Shinji's hand and with a tug starts leading him off away from the arcade. Because even if things get more awkward and embarrassing and awful, at least she won't be admitting defeat this way. That would be the far worse blow to her pride.
"We're going somewhere else."
Asuka declares as she basically drags him along - to her credit gently, she gentlllyyy drags him along, she's just fast walking rather than taking off and making Shinji eat pavement. This may be a great relief at least to Shinji, because it means that Asuka has decided where for him right?
"You figure out where on the way."
Nope.
Still horrible.
<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.
Rewind, play. Rewind, play. Rewind--
'If they can do that... surely they'll be very happy together.'
Pause.
The video is left to rest for now as Mari pockets her phone. By this time, Shinji and Asuka have emerged, one fidgeting, the other glaring. She lets them be from her attentive Eye of Sauron (Eye of Nyaaron??) for a few precious seconds at least, because something else has come up. Something that directs her attention Kaworu's way, where he leans on that pillar, expressionless.
"Hummm."
It's leisurely, the way Mari stretches her arms over her head, Plonkachu dangling from her hand in all its slightly-more-orange-than-yellow glory. It's similarly leisurely, how that stretch carries her aaaalllllll the way up onto her feet from where she sits, or how she meanders her way -over- that bench - literally - as casual as can be for how unorthodox a move it is.
And it's leisurely how she just sort of - hops - in front of Kaworu, until all that is Mari dominates the entirety of his field of vision.
She offers a smile. And she leans in, to press a little, consoling kiss to the top of his head.
"You still have a lot to learn about Lilim, Tabby Cat," she murmurs, echoing the words she told him back during their first round of questions. "But that's a good thing. Don't you think?"
She could say more, but instead -- what once was a Mari dominating Kaworu's field of vision becomes a Plonkachu, as she offers her ill-begotten gains as a gift to her silver-haired friend.
"A Plonkachu, from me to you." <3 She waggles the thing, and then offers, in a voice pitched higher - with a little, off-putting wobble,
"Don't forget what Plonkachu says about being selfish~!"
i-is that what she thinks plonkachus sound like
why is it so unnerving
Mysteries for another time. After all -- their prey are (gently!) dragging and being dragged away.
"Well," she exhales, expression bright. "I guess it's on to phase two!"
What is phase two?
That's an exciting mystery they're going to find out -together-.
Kaworu, Mari,
and Plonkachu.
<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.
It isn't as though Kaworu is ignorant of how poorly the date went. By any rubric, it's clear neither Shinji nor Asuka had a good time. All the same, he gave his honest opinion. Even if it went badly this time, it doesn't change the fact that they both care about each other. As long as they don't let one bad experience stop them, they'll keep trying until they do start having a good time together. Even now, Asuka is refusing to let this date end just yet, and her fire will surely inspire Shinji. And once they figure themselves and each other out, then they'll make each other happy.
Kaworu wants that for Shinji. He wants him to be happy. He doesn't want this miserable experience for him.
Yet even if it had gone well... he still wouldn't be happy himself.
But why should that matter?
Suddenly, Mari takes up his field of view with a sunny little hop, then leans in to kiss the crown of his head, just past the headband. Kaworu stares at her, nonplussed, as she tells him that he still has a lot to learn about Lilim. The confusion is clear in his eyes, even past those spectacles. What she says may be true, but how does that apply to this situation?
He doesn't actually ask that. He gets Plonkachu'd first, driving him further into being nonplussed.
But then Mari does her eerie, off-putting voice work, and--perhaps the greatest proof that he isn't human yet--it makes Kaworu break into a faint laugh and a smile. "Sorry, but I haven't ever talked to Plonkachu before, so I don't know what they say about being selfish," he says dryly, meeting Mari's gaze. "I do recall something someone else might have said on the matter, though."
He won't take it to heart. But it does make him feel a little better to have her remind him that she thinks he should be more selfish.
The exciting mysteries will continue for the night. And later, when Kaworu returns to his room at the Manyoso, he'll place the Plonkachu on one of his shelves.