2023-07-06: Mess Hall

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<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

                EARLIER
        
        It's strange how long a psychosomatic injury can linger. After experiencing the sensation of having his forearms impaled during the battle against Sahaquiel, Shinji had to have them both bandaged up and splinted, only barely functional for finals, from which he's only now returning. If they were 'real' injuries, he definitely wouldn't have gotten off that light--might not have forearms at all. Yet if the injury is all in his head, why did they need to be bandaged and splinted at all?
        
        Shinji wonders about these things. Shinji wonders about many things.
        
        Shinji wonders, in particular, why his father has called him to his office. His feelings aren't so much mixed as shaken and stirred; normally, he'd assume it was for something bad, but his father had praised him the other day. Good work, Shinji--words that had shocked him at the time, so much he could only blurt out something small without thinking about it, and then stare.
        
        He stands before the door to the office of the Commander of NERV--takes a deep breath--knocks to signal his arrival--and enters once bidden.
        
        Kaworu half-turns to smile at him. "Hey," he greets him, warm and accepting as always, hands tucked into the pockets of his school clothes, same as Shinji's save for the color of his undershirt.
        
        Shinji automatically smiles back, the tension in his shoulders easing at the sight of him. It always makes him feel better to have Kaworu around, so much so that even as his father glowers at him from his desk across the frankly enormous room, hands folded over his mouth to make his expression unknowable, it isn't... too intimidating. Shinji takes a few steps forward to stand next to Kaworu, glances at Fuyutsuki standing next to his father's desk with his arms folded behind his back.
        
        "You, um, wanted to see me, Father?" he offers.
        
        "This won't be long," Gendo replies. (Shinji thinks, I figured not.) "A new type of entry plug has just arrived, designed for two pilots based on the experiments we've run with the Fifth Child. As of today, he has been designated your support, and you and he will pilot Unit-01 together."
        
        "O-oh!" Shinji utters, eyes flying wide. A part of him wonders, Why me? He's never piloted with me before. The rest of him bites that thought back, because the idea is actually the best news he's heard about anything in a long while and he doesn't dare ruin it by questioning it. So instead he says, "All right, I understand."
        
        And he thinks that will be it. But then his father says something he doesn't expect:
        
        "I have high expectations."
        
        Shinji's heart leaps. Not 'Don't disappoint me,' as if he expects to be disappointed, but 'I have high expectations,' as if he expects something from him.
        
        Good work, Shinji.
        
        "Y-yes, sir!" he stammers, standing up straight as he grapples with a smile.
        
        "That is all," Gendo adds, but that's fine. If he said anything more, Shinji frankly wouldn't believe it.
        
        
        NOW
        
        "Whew... my heart is still racing," he admits to Kaworu as the two of them walk together through the meandering halls of the Geofront. "I honestly didn't know what to expect. I didn't..." He hesitates as they approach the mess hall. "I didn't think he'd say that to me. I almost thought--the other day--that it was, you know... that I imagined it. Or I hadn't heard him right."
        
        "You didn't imagine it," Kaworu reassures him. It is reassuring, too. Kaworu has a way of talking that makes him sound like he's always certain about everything. Shinji doesn't know how he does it, but he always admires it about him--especially now. "Does that make you happy?"
        
        "Actually... it does, a little." A smile creeps up his lips. "It doesn't make everything okay, but... I feel like maybe things will be a little better now." He pauses, spotting several vending machines in the mess hall. "Hey, do you mind if we get some drinks? I could really use one right now."
        
        "Not at all," Kaworu says, and they walk together over to the machines, possibly passing a few others already in the mess hall. The line for the serving counter, where one can get meals from the kitchen, is a little further down the wall, but Shinji doesn't pay attention to that at the moment. He instead takes a moment to search his pockets for change while Kaworu serenely waits. 

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        There are indeed others in the mess hall. Two of them are sitting at the end of one of those long tables you often find in mess halls. In front of them are mostly empty food trays, suggesting they appear to have finished their meal and are just relaxing.

        One of them is Chloe, seated at the end of the long bench in her usual uniform, the insignia of Prometheus emblazoned on chest.

        The other is not actually sitting on the bench opposite Chloe, but instead in a wheelchair that she has rolled up to the end of the long table. She's definitely not wearing a uniform, but rather a long white dress, with a black ribbon tied around her neck and a matching bow on her head. Clipped to her dress is a guest badge, naming her as Coco Coconoe.

        The two are simply having a friendly conversation, Coco tilting her head at Chloe and asking, "So the Geofront really is that different from home?"

        Chloe nods a little, confirming, "Yes. For one, Augmented Shibuya is classified as a Layered. And a unique one at that. The design came from Professor Julie." Pause. "Well, except the layout."

        Coco nods along in understand, before she laments, "I wish I could see the differences myself. I still vaguely remember what our home looks like." Given that her eyes have been closed and remain that why, it suggests why she might not be able to notice the differences herself. Coco nonetheless giggles a little, "Perhaps I should get you to describe this place in detail?"

        Chloe doesn't seem to mind the suggestion, saying, "I can do so if you'd like, Miss Coco."

        As Chloe takes the small joke seriously, Coco quickly waves her hand to dismiss it, "No no, it's fine! There's no need to do that."

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


Rei Ayanami stands in the lunch line.

Rei is wearing a plain T-shirt in a faintly washed lilac-purple hue which is set off by a skirt with a brass snap at the front and somewhat energetic pleating. Her shoes are the same ones she wears to school. She also has a familiar black nylon bag slung by a strap over one shoulder. She stands, hands at her sides, gazing at nothing in particular and waiting.

Marking time -- and waiting for food.

The lines advances a step and so too does Rei. Then another step. As the queue makes a slight turn with the contours of the Geofront, one of those subtle things you don't even really notice in the room shape, Rei turns her head too. Her expression brightens without moving her lips at the sight of Shinji over by the vending machines.

Rei looks towards the front of the line, which she estimates at seven further individuals. Six, soon enough, because someone just wanted a thing of salmon salad to put on a rice plate (grody, but whatever). Rei looks back towards Shinji and Kaworu then. Her eyes turn momentarily towards the approaching Chloe and Coco. Rei then slips a hand into her bag and draws out...

a smart phone.

Rei glances down at it.

Her thumb moves through an interface that has become increasingly familiar.

A text message is sent to the two boys, who may find themselves, abruptly, in a three way chat.

> i am in the food line.
> ?

Illuminating. Having done this, Rei looks ahead, although tragically, there are now *four* people ahead of her...

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

It's not frequent Guy Shishioh has business down in the Geofront, but today's such a day! The Acting Chief of GGG Green cuts a striking figure as always, with that lion mane of auburn hair and the black and gold coat of his office as Chief. With an Angel offensive underway, he's presumably in the area for strategic planning with Misato and other senior staff, maybe a rare personal meeting with Gendo and Fuyutsuki. At the moment, however, Guy has...

...already gotten a hamburger and is sitting at the tables.

One thing Guy does with his status as the Superhuman Evoluder is try not to set himself apart. He had quite enough eof that when he was a Cyborg and half the time had to sleep plugged into a wall. So rather than set himself off to some isolated table, Guy is right out there.

He does, however, wave over as pilots he knows arrive. 

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         Meanwhile, what is clearly a member of GGG has also made her way to the mess hall, letting out a surprised whistle. "Whew! Didn't get amenities like this in military work." The woman who was clearly a rookie had been oohing and aahing at the Geofront all day, having been brought in for a look around.

         She looks at the increasing line and notices a growl from her stomach. "Well, probably can't hurt to see what the grub's like...hell of a line, though." Her eyes then dart over to a man who is clearly the acting Chief of GGG Green and widen as she waves her hand to him and calls out. "Chief Shishioh! Didn't expect to see you here!"

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

        A moment later, Shinji draws out a fistful of change and begins clinking coins into the slot. He presses a button for unsweetened green tea. Kaworu doesn't ask for any drinks or make a move to get one of his own; this is normal for him, and Shinji has come to accept it. He bends to retrieve his drink, but winces and drops it on the floor.
        
        Kaworu is on one knee and picking it up before he can recover. "Are you all right?" he asks, offering the chilled bottle to him.
        
        "Yeah, I just got a twinge in my wrist..." Shinji takes it--but then Kaworu rests his hand over Shinji's and settles the bottle over his bandaged pulse.
        
        "Is that better?" he murmurs, meeting his eyes.
        
        Shinji stares back for a moment, color rising in his cheeks. Then he smiles. "...yeah."
        
        A text notification sounds on his phone then. The two rise, Shinji checking his phone while Kaworu tucks his hands in his pockets and looks up at someone behind her shoulder--and then Shinji turns around to look at the same person.
        
        "Ayanami! I didn't see you there!" Shinji says, smiling at her. He walks over to join her, Kaworu in step, as he keeps the bottle to his wrist. "How did finals go for you? They were pretty brutal for me... even without this going on."
        
        He lifts his other arm to show what he means--but then pauses as he takes in Chloe and Coco over in the corner. He'd been looking at Kaworu when they entered, so he hadn't noticed them at first. Neither of them look familiar to them, though Chloe sounds familiar, at least. One of them is wearing a guest ID, the girl in the wheelchair... What are they here for, he wonders?
        
        "Warrant Officer First Class Chloe. We meet again," Kaworu says then amiably. "Who's your companion?"
        
        "Oh," Shinji murmurs to himself, eyes widening--that's where he recognizes her voice from; she was part of the Sahaquiel mission, too. He gives her and Coco a shy sort of nod--even now that he's sixteen, he's slight and short for his age. When Guy waves over at them, he gives him a nod back too. Shinji is more familiar with Guy--who isn't?--and significantly less so with Lina, but they haven't talked much, and he doesn't know what to say.
        
        Kaworu simply gives Guy and, as she enters, Lina a friendly nod. No doubt he and Guy have already spoken earlier today as part of the anti-Angel mission discusions--plus Kaworu was just up at Orbit Base for a day or two. He only got back to Tokyo-3 and the Geofront this morning.
        
        How are his finals going? No need to ask. He doesn't go to public school for the education. 

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        "As you wish." Chloe definitely seems to be accommodating Coco as much as she can, which may hint to the nature of their relationship. To a degree.

        The mess hall is a somewhat busy place. Lots of people coming and going. For the most part, Chloe doesn't recognise them. But a few familiar faces do begin to show up. Familiar voices too. Some Chloe has met personally, or in missions. Others she recognizes from dossiers that Prometheus has compiled on people of import amongst its allies. Noticing Rei some distance away in the queue, Chloe does give her a simple nod in greeting.

        It's not long before Shinji and Kaworu have entered the same general area as the two and Kaworu specifically greets Chloe. In response, Chloe stands at attention to greet him back, "Administrator Nagisa. Hello again."

        Chloe gives Shinji a nod in return as well, "Pilot Ikari." Her eyes glance at the bandaging he wears, recalling the incident with the Angel. While her own link to her Makhia isn't as strong that between an Evangelion and its pilot, she nonetheless understands enough and so doesn't bring any further attention to it.

        Instead, Chloe turns her focus to introducing her companion, "This is Coco Coconoe. When I am not piloting a Makhia, I am assigned as her bodyguard."

        Coco turns her head in Kaworu's general direction, smiling warmly, "Hello! It's nice to meet you. My parents are members of the ruling council of Augmented Shibuya, the underground city that Prometheus protects. They are currently here on business, so I am visiting! This seems like a wonderful place."

        Those with the sense for it will be able to tell that this young woman is a strong Newtype.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


Rei Ayanami gazes upon the familiar mane of the king of braves. Her current angle means she is sort of on his four o' clock. (There it is again. Four.)

The arrival of Lina is a new and unfamiliar figure who Rei's eyes track for a moment, but then Shinji is approaching her and her expression warms even further. She lets her arms fold loosely as Shinji comes nearer, one elbow resting on the top of her bag. "With mediocrity," Rei answers Shinji, with immediate shoot-from-the-hip honesty. "Did you study?"

Rei's regard then turns towards Coco Coconoe, whom she seems to study for several seconds. "Augmented Shibuya," she echoes. An underground city.

That's rather familiar, isn't it?

Rei, for her part, turns her head. Because it is now time to order.

Today's options are

BURGER
SALMON SALAD (as foreshadowed earlier)
and
AGETOFU,

With any of these coming with appropriate sides.

"Agetofu set," Rei informs the clerk. Shinji can probably sneak in here if he is willing to be rude. Rei emerges about thirty seconds later with a tray and walks past Chloe and Coco, looking at them curiously from the other side. A quick scan of the 'horizon' and then Rei takes an otherwise-unoccupied table. It is no more than three meters from the Shibuyans or Guy. And perhaps others.

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

Guy flips an informal wave to Lina. "Yo, Lombardi. What's got you down here, today, just getting the lay of the land?"

A similarly simple nod to Kaworu; they've seen each other quite recently, yes. "Shinji Ikari, right?" Guy says instead, and gives him a smile.

He allows himself one piece of Evolual vanity: Even eating, that smile is pristine white.

"Don't think we've seen much of each other. Hear you'll be flying with Nagisa together, now. Let me know if you could use any pointers for cooperative exercises. GGG's got programs for those." ...usually those programs involve attempting to bring the hearts into union enough to merge, which MIGHT DO SOMETHING WEIRD IN AN EVANGELION, but...well, those are the kinds of possibilities that don't come up in many briefings.

"Good work with the Eleventh Angel, by the way," he adds. "That...looked rough. "

He half turns as Rei occupies a spot that is Separate but Close, which he deems to be very in character. ...for now, he just accepts her presence with a nod. "Ayanami," he greets. They haven't spoken since the Tsutsujidai sealing incident, have they? "Good to see you well."

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "Heh, yeah. Hell of an HQ we got here, huh? Sure beats the moon." Lina also provides a friendly wave to everyone else in attendance.

         "Administrator Nagisa, good to see ya again!"

         She points to Rei. "Ayanami, was it? Pleasure."

         Over to Chloe and Coco, a tingle in her head gives her pause. Yeah, no way was Lina the first Newtype NERV had in their ranks. Though man, has it been that long since she's flexed her mind muscles?

         And then over to Shinji. "Ikari? You mean like Gendo Ikari Ikari? Lina Lombardi, I recently joined up with GGG Green."

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

        "Uh--Miss Chloe," Shinji says by way of greeting, because Warrant Officer First Class is kind of a mouthful. He catches the glance she gives his hands, and wonders if she's going to say something--but she doesn't, which is a relief. He looks over at Coco as she's introduced, but doesn't interrupt, only offering a polite, "Hello."
        
        Neither of course does Kaworu, who smiles back at Coco. He does sense that about her, as surely as Shinji does not. He doesn't say anything about it, though. NERV and the world at large are full of unusual people--something Kaworu knows very well.
        
        "I see. So that's what brings you here," he instead remarks conversationally. "Tokyo-3 is a city built with defense in mind, with the Geofront at its heart. If that's something that appeals to you, you'll surely enjoy the rest of your time here. Augmented Shibuya seems like it would be a fascinating place to visit in return, someday."
        
        As the two of them converse, Shinji focuses back in on Rei. He'd almost laugh at her usual blunt sincerity if it didn't hit so close to home. He grimaces, switching the press of his tea bottle to the other wrist. "I tried to... I think I probably passed, at least..." Even, he thinks, if it might be out of pity rather than because he actually made the grade.
        
        He lets Rei go ahead to put in her order, though--he does not cut, though hanging with Rei means he's not too far behind her in line. After some prevaricating, he'll get the salmon salad set. Kaworu, of course, only gets in line to keep him company, and doesn't get anything for himself. Before long, the three of them sit together. Kaworu favors Rei with a fond smile, and his eyes linger on hers for a moment.
        
        As they sit, though, Guy greets Shinji of his own volition. He startles, sitting up straight. "Oh, um, yes, sir!" He doesn't stop looking startled when Guy mentions him and Kaworu being assigned together--though a moment of thought lets him realize, oh, obviously he'd hear about it. He's more than important enough for that. He thus relaxes... a little... and offers a small smile. "Yes, that's right. We'll be piloting Unit-01 together in that new entry plug, since Kaworu's Evangelion's still under construction... though I guess it might get completed soon with the, um, the new budgets opening up for that?" he adds, looking over at his companion.
        
        "Yes. But it's a bit different from other Evangelions, so it will still take a while longer. Unit-03 is likeliest to be completed first; for all its construction woes, it's still the closest at this time to being finished," Kaworu replies.
        
        And that's oddly relieving to Shinji. Now that he and Kaworu are going to be piloting together, he realizes he would hate it if Kaworu had to leave him so soon. The mention of the Eleventh Angel gets his shoulders to tense, and he grips his tea bottle, its condensation running down his fingers.
        
        Spiraling, gouging, the sensation of a lance through his palms, searing and shredding flesh--bone--ligament--all of the weight of an Angel massively bigger than even himher--hisher fingers left with only the barest modicum of functionality--and all he can do is scream, and struggle, and beg Asuka and the others as he holds on--
        
        But he did it. And it was good work.
        
        "Thank you," he agrees quietly, the ends of his lips curving just a faint bit upwards. Clearing his throat, he adds, "A-and thank you for the offer, Acting Chief Shishioh. I'll let you know if we need them... though knowing Kaworu, we probably won't." He gives Kaworu a furtive little smile, which Kaworu doesn't hesitate to return in full.
        
        He pauses when Lina greets him like that, though. "Oh... Yes, he's--he's my father," he says, and finds the usual cocktail of negativity isn't there, or at least isn't as potent, when he says so. Still, he adds, "He doesn't give me special treatment or anything though, don't worry." A pause. "Oh, I see... Congratulations? Acting Chief Shishioh seems like he's a nice boss, at least."
        
        Which feels like a weird thing to say when Guy's right there. At least it's not something bad? As for Kaworu, he lets Shinji take point on the conversation, but he maintains his friendly, easygoing air as he watches him and Guy and Lina converse. 

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        Coco listens intently as Kaworu describes the purpose of Tokyo-3 and then brings up the topic of visting Augmented Shibuya. Coco softly claps her hands together in excitement, "That's actually why my parents are here! They're working to try and build greater interest in our city and encourage visitors. After all, it's a bit isolated and our society has become a little insular. Augmented Shibuya was built for much the same purpose as Tokyo-3!" Coco actually starts to go off on a bit of a tangent in her excitement, "In fact, protection and safety has been a common reason for the formation of towns. I've read that in ancient times, people would gather around castles in order to use them for protection against invaders. And additional walls would be built around those villages as they grew. It's only natural that we all want to feel safe."

        This tangent does actually end up leading somewhere as Coco turns her head a little, now addressing the gathering group at large, "Which is why I'm grateful to many of you, who have taken it upon yourselves to protect others." Moving her wheelchair away from the table a little and turning so she can be seen by the group, Coco leans forward a little in a bow, "On behalf of such others. Thank you!"

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


"I think you've done well," Rei assesses Shinji's academics. What does Rei define as 'well'? It's difficult to tell, but it seems to come from herself. Her eyes rest on Kaworu's for a moment. There is a faint wrinkle in them. The tiniest suggestions of joy.

Then, food.

Rei cracks her chopsticks.

And then she looks towards Guy AND Lina as they both look at her! There is some blinking as she gets the chopsticks into her right hand. (Though there is no bandage, the alert eye might see that her skin is still reddened and somewhat inflamed, and that she's holding her hands rather tenderly. But what can you do but live with it, in cases like this?)

"Yes," Rei says to Guy. He gets another of those not-a-smile but close to it looks. "You were very, courageous." A small pause to recall the exact turn of phrase. Wit? Or just a note of hesitant camaraderie?

To Lina, Rei says: "Yes," and then blinks at it. A pause as she looks at Shinji and brings up the fact that he is the son of the boss.

"If Unit Three is completed, another pilot must be found," Rei says, before she picks up some tofu and puts it into her mouth. Her eyes turn towards Coco as she leans forwards in a bow. The tofu remains partway in her mouth.

Rei simply swallows it because she wants to say something back, and she does. "It is why I pilot the Eva," she says towards Coco, though not very loudly.

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

"Geofront's no outpost. This operation's even more concentrated than G-Island City was back during the start of the Zonder invasion." Though...he doubts the Geofront could escape calamity the way the Hexagon did, too. Considering the battle against Sahaquiel, he has to wonder why the Angels all seem to come here, in the end. Did NERV find something here? Or bring it here?

"It's not that uncommon," Guy notes, regarding Shinji's relationship to the boss. "My dad was one of the GGG leaders too, once. Once you know you have an enemy like that, you start to look to who you trust most." He chuckles, lightly. "Well, I guess fortune kind of forced Dad's hand, though..."

Getting hit by EI-01 nearly killed Guy. Leo Shishioh had two choices: Involve his son at the very epicenter of G-Stone research, or let him die.

Guy's not the kind of psychic who can sense the thoughts going on behind Shinji's eyes. Still; he knows what it's like to be Fused to a machine and feel its pain as your own, and he thinks he senses some of that lingering in Shinji's pause. "You're welcome," Guy says, with a serious dip of his head. No need to push it more than to take it seriously. His face cracks into a grin when Shinji calls him a nice boss. "That's the goal," he laughs. "I leave the hardass stuff to Akamatsu. He doesn't act like it, but that guy used to run a whole engineering company right in the middle of the Algernon outbreak. Man knows how to keep a ship running."

He chuckles at Rei's use of his favorite word. "When the chips are down...sometimes all you have is whatever you can build out of the fear in your gut. Victory goes to those with courage." He nods, firmly, to his own wisdom, and chomps into his burger.

Coco surprises him, though, with that heartfelt display, and he turns, letting that smile of his turn to its heroic proportions. "Everyone comes here for their own reasons. Honestly, not everyone starts this life on purpose. Sometimes it seems like very few do. But...it's work that has to happen." He laughs, partly at himself. "So you're welcome, I suppose."

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "Heh, yeah, don't worry about it Shinji. I haven't met the guy yet, but from everything I've heard, the man's a real hardass, so I wasn't even suspecting. My papa is..."

         A beat.

         "...was...kind of a big shot in his own right, too. I know what it's like in that shadow." She didn't like saying "was." He was still out there, she was sure. Past tense felt like giving up. But she just had to deal with that for now, she supposed.

         "And hey, thanks! Everyone at GGG is really nice, I've noticed. It's...kind of hard to get used to. I used to be a PMC, and then served in an autonomous Federation cell after that, so I'm too used to people having all sorts of agendas. I'm also not too used to actually talking to the giant robots, heh."

         At Coco's heartfelt sentiment, Lina gives a bashful laugh and covers her face for a second. "Well, I technically haven't gotten out on the field yet since joining up, but thanks for that. Putting ourselves in danger so the innocent don't have to is what a soldier does, after all."

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

        "I hope so," Shinji tells Rei. "I hope you didn't do too badly, either."
        
        Rei brings up the obvious then: when Unit-03's finished, it's going to need a pilot. While there are more Evangelion pilots in the world than just the five of them here in Japan, the others also have their own Evangelions--and they got called back to their countries for various reasons. They wouldn't get recalled here, to pilot a totally different Eva.
        
        "I wonder if we'll get introduced to someone new soon," he says, pushing down the thought that maybe he'll end up losing Kaworu has a partner sooner than expected after all.
        
        Kaworu, meanwhile, says to Coco, "That's true. Since its infancy, mankind has sought to band together to protect themselves from forces that would destroy them. Whether a village, a city, a castle, a Geofront, or as individuals, they seek safety, and so construct walls around themselves." He chuckles faintly. "Perhaps it's instinctual?"
        
        Shinji gives him a confused glance. Still, Coco bows to the group, so Shinji quickly turns around and bows back. "O-oh, you know..." He trails off, then asks, "So, um, Augmented Shibuya--where exactly is that?"
        
        "It's located on the African continent," Kaworu says.
        
        Shinji gawks. "What, really? But Shibuya's a ward in Tokyo!" He stares at Chloe and Coco, confusion in his eyes. "Why did they name an African town after a Japanese one?"
        
        He falls quiet as Guy weighs in on fathers and them involving their sons. Shinji isn't that familiar with Guy's past, but... looking to who you trust must... "Do you think my father trusts me like that?" he wonders quietly, looking over at him. After all, as one of the top leaders of NERV, he must talk to his father a lot. Would he know...?
        
        He does laugh a little, relaxing, as Akamatsu comes up. "I guess it's easier when you can let someone else be mean for you, huh." He looks over at Kaworu, considering. "You're nice no matter what, though."
        
        "Do you think so?" Kaworu wonders.
        
        "Yeah. What do you do when you have to be mean? Have you ever had to be?"
        
        He thinks for a second; then, with the air of an admission, he says, "I've had to be stern with the Second a few times."
        
        Shinji laughs quietly. "That's just like you."
        
        Work that has to happen, though... Although it's Guy who said it, Shinji glances over at Rei. It's a bond, she'd said once of the Eva--her bond with everyone. And: Don't you believe in your father's work? Because it's work they have to do to keep the world safe. ...Maybe he's come to believe that for real.
        
        He doesn't miss Lina's use of 'was' either. "Oh... I'm sorry," he offers, unsure of what else to say. He listens to the rest of what she says--as does Kaworu--but he wonders if he could really be considered a 'soldier' like she is.
        
        There is an excuse to not go into that right in front of him, though, so he cracks apart his chopsticks carefully and starts eating.

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        A few point out their reasoning to Coco, such as Rei, Guy and Lina. To them she smiles, replying, "Whatever reasons may have led you to this place, it is undeniable that you have saved lives. That's what matters!"

        Kaworu speaks to the source of their need for safety and Coco nods a little, her face turning a little more thoughtful as she considers it, then agrees, "I think it is. The instinct for self-preservation. One that I think all life shares! To some degree or another. It's a shame that it sometimes results in conflict..." Is she speaking about the Angels? Hard to say, since it could also simply refer to the infighting amongst humans.

        Shinji thankfully brings up a change in subject, one which Coco is happy to go with, "Your confusion is understandable! We don't often use the name, instead calling it by its nickname, the Underground City." She sighs with amusement, "Not a particularly original name. But it's one that has stuck."

        It is actually Chloe who further explains though, having been quiet through much of the previous conversation, "The city's founder is a former resident of Tokyo. I expect she chose the name out of nostalgia. And the fact that she designed some aspects of the city's layout to match that of the ward. The descriptor 'Augmented' comes from the fact that most of the city's features are displayed via augmented reality optics."

        Coco switches in with Chloe with nary a beat, explaining further, "Most of the city's appearance, decorations, signs and so forth are only visible through specially created lenses! Most people wear contacts throughout the day in order to see them."

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.


Rei nods faintly to what Shinji says while picking up the bowl of miso soup to take a spoonful. Then a bite of rice. "It could be," Rei answers Shinji. She continues to eat, and it may be nostalgiac to Shinji; after some intrusions by Asuka upon the rooftop where she commonly ate lunch, and was able to have a few peaceful shared moments with Shinji...

... she stopped eating lunch on the roof.

At least, most of the time.

Rei's eyes fall on the backs of her hands. Then she looks towards Guy. "Yes," she says. "You should speak of courage with Mari as well."

* Optional side conversation unlocked.

Rei's attention turns to Lina then as she speaks of hidden agendas. "... Is that common, in the Federal army?" she asks her, and it sounds like a genuine question. There is no irony there.

As she picks up the rice bowl, she looks towards Lina and thence towards Chloe as she is given a good question. Why is it named Shibuya? And Chloe, rarely for such things, has a clear answer.

Meditating upon it, Rei thinks of the old Tokyo, and the new wards found throughout Tokyo-3 -- even if they are, for the most part, simply glorified neighborhood names, not the great sprawling realms that could be boroughs or counties in their own right when Tokyo was at its peak.

"Then," Rei says about the contacts, "it must be an empty place, if you don't have them."

After this, Rei finishes her lunch and proceeds to take a surprisingly large number of capsules she fishes out of her bag. This seems to be ordinary behavior (or at least, it wouldn't surprise Shinji at this point... and perhaps not Guy, either), but it does keep her from saying very much.

<Pose Tracker> Guy Shishioh has posed.

"The Super AIs are some of our most reliable members," Guy affirms, with a nod. "You'll get used to it." He asides to Rei, "ShouRyu says hi, by the way." Then, answering Lina again: "Hopefully soon, we'll be able to welcome back Goldymarg, Choryujin, Gekiryujin, and Tenryujin, too." To say nothing of the hundreds of other staff still lost to Triple Zero.

...Mikoto...

...he doesn't let it show. Shinji's question he meets with a light chuckle. "Well...I can't say every family's the same, I guess. We don't talk about that too much. But...I can't imagine he'd have got you involved if he didn't want you to be here. All the fathers I know are like that, honestly. Reluctant to talk about their families and how important they are. I didn't find out Chief Taiga had a kid until I was Chief myself!" He laughs at that.

<Pose Tracker> Lina Lombardi has posed.

         "Don't think anything of it, Shinji. It's...kinda complicated."

         She crosses her arms in response to Rei's question. "Well, when you're working with about 6 different military forces, everybody's kinda got their own goals going on. It's honestly kinda refreshing having everyone on the Orbit Base be so...open? I dunno." She shrugs and gives a half-breath, half-chuckle.

         She turns to Guy with a smirk. "Well, if all of them are as loud as Mic, I'd better invest in some earplugs then, ha ha!"

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

        It's undeniable that they've saved lives... Though Coco might not be talking to him, Shinji ducks his head and smiles. After the way the news reported on Sahaquiel, he actually can believe that now. When she does address him, he nods--to her, then Chloe, then to Coco again. "So it's because a Japanese person made the town... That makes sense."
        
        A city you need VR to see... It sounds incredible, but also a little dizzying.
        
        To Coco, Kaworu simply smiles with a shade of resignation. It doesn't matter if she's talking about the Angels or not. "Yes."
        
        Will they meet a new pilot, though? It could be. Shinji smiles a little. It's such a Rei-like response. "I guess we'll find out sooner or later."
        
        Talking to Mari all by itself would require a lot of courage, in his opinion. He keeps that opinion to himself, though--even as it strikes him all of a sudden that Rei calls her Mari, and not Makinami or Illustrious or something like that. Even Kaworu, who she's dating, she calls 'Nagisa.'
        
        They must be even closer than Shinji had realized.
        
        As much as that suddenly stands out to him, he doesn't notice the sadness Guy hides. Rather, when Guy admits that every family is different, but in his experience, fathers are awkward beings, Shinji wonders only about his own situation. Is that really true? He knows he wants it to be true, increasingly. But...
        
        Well, it's complicated. Just as Lina says. "Mm," he murmurs in understanding. He... definitely gets that.
        
        It's complicated, but... after the last battle, and today, it does give him hope.
        
        When he gets to eating his salad, it's with a little more gusto than usual. Kaworu watches him with a fond smile.
        
        It's a good time, overall, to enjoy a nice if simple meal with compatriots. 

<Pose Tracker> Chloe has posed.

        Chloe is not surprised that Rei is one to choose to consider what the city would look like without the lenses, where many might first focus on what it would with them. Chloe herself is none too fond of all that the technology can assault your senses with. So she is the one who replies to Rei, "Yes. Without the textures that give the city its appearance, it is completely without detail and white. As even painting the structures or streets with colour is unnecessary."

        But Coco, concerned about how this might give people pause, quickly adds, "But there are also versions of the lenses in glasses form, that are freely given out to visitors. So that they can enjoy the same sights as those who live there!"

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