2022-06-05: Moving Day

• Log: 2022-06-05 Moving Day
• Cast: Kaworu Nagisa, Mari Makinami Illustrious, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Shikinami Langley
• Where: Middle Hakone, Japan
• OOC - IC Date: June 5, 2022 (0096)
• Summary: In preparation for Shinji Ikari's birthday the next day, Kaworu, Mari, Rei, and Asuka go to his old hometown to retrieve the belongings he left behind and hasn't yet gone back to collect when he first came to NERV.

---

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Although Free Japan was able to avoid the yoke of Britannia, that doesn't necessarily mean it's significantly better off than Area 11. Sure, they get to keep the dignity of being "Japanese," but there's still parts of it with poverty, crime, damaged infrastructure from the war... Power is abundant and cheap, which is great, but it can and often is a tough living.
        
        Middle Hakone is a fine example of that, and that's all about it thatis fine. Driving a moving truck in was... not precisely easy, considering that the Britannian highway that was halfway built and then abandoned when it became clear this region wasn't going to be part of Area 11. Still, it gets Kaworu, Asuka, Mari, and Rei to where they need to go, past the Ramen Burger, past a massive footprint left behind by the Fourth Angel as it passed through the area on its way to Tokyo-3, past the local train station, at last to a three-story building just a few blocks beyond.
        
        There's no one inside the apartment itself. Misato had contacted the landlord on their behalf earlier to make sure everything was okay to get moved out, and the man who Shinji used to live with--his former teacher, Mr. Matsuda--apparently cut and run sometime after Sachiel's attack. Or maybe he died. It's unclear. The only reason why Shinji's things haven't been thrown to the curb is because the rent is still getting paid, and the landlord seems more than happy to let one of the rooms be a storage unit.
        
        The apartment next door is still untouched, too. Supposedly the ghost of the woman who lived there, Mrs. Nyogen, haunts the place after she was consumed by DG Cells. It's true, even; Kaworu can tell at a glance. But that isn't why they're here. After giving that other door a long, considerate glance, he inserts the key he got from Misato in the lock and opens the door to what was once Shinji's home.
        
        "Hopefully it shouldn't take more than a few hours to move everything," he comments as he walks inside, removing his shoes at the foyer. Sadly, there aren't any slippers to greet the group, so they'll have to walk around in their socks or bare feet. "For the moment, let's take inventory, organize, and pack."
        
        They don't want to still be here after dark, after all. That's when the Jama cultists come out.
        
        At least it's Sunday, which means they have the whole day to work on it; June also means that there's plenty of daylight left. The interior is... dusty. It's been a long time since Sachiel's assault. Cluttered, too. Fortunately, though, the clutter is well-organized, and since both residents left at approximately the same time, there's no food mess or stray garbage. (No one open the fridge/freezer, though.) The kitchen's been mostly emptied out, but the supplies are still there, ordered by size and frequency of use, some burn marks on the little gas oven. A first aid cabinet in a closet has seen a lot of use; so has the little desk near it, that still has a sewing kit and a few notebooks of tight, rigid writing.
        
        Shinji's room is further within. It's easy to identify; his cello is in there, kept in its case with a little lock and chain around it. There's a couple of holes in the wall, a stack of books, and a radio. It's clean beyond the layer of dust. Easy enough to manage when there's nothing else in the way of decoration.
        
        On the whole, it's a loveless little place. As Kaworu steps carefully throughout it, his usually easygoing mien is somber.

<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.

Mari Makinami Illustrious enjoyed the ride.

This is to say: when the trip was proposed, she was perhaps the first to invite herself along. She was also the first to offer to drive. She did this in earshot of one Asuka Shikinami Langley, which then, by the well-known rules of cause and effect, triggered a series of events that ended up with Asuka behind the driver's wheel, and Mari happily in the passengers with one (1) Rei Ayanami, relaxing and looking primly content with having been forced to laze about with the wind in her hair.

She also makes sure the trip is entertaining, or at least distracting, on several occasions, including but not limited to:

        1) Singing
        2) Trying to convince Rei to sing along with her to a particularly old song by Minmay called 'My Beautiful Place'
        3) Fondly teasing Asuka in various ways that inevitably risk her concentration and their collective safety including several protracted, circular discussions and, at one point, leisurely walking her fingertips alllllll the way along Kaworu's shoulders so that she could tickle the back of Asuka's neck suddenly and without mercy.

        Even Kaworu-buffers and the threat of explosive truckdeath cannot stop a determined Mari.

That said, they are all clearly still alive by the time they make their way past the Fourth Angel's lasting impression on Hakone and reach their rundown destination. Dressed for summer in a light purple loose straight top tucked in the front of a pair of denim cutoffs, the loose drape of its back partially obscures a patch of AEU Britain's flag stitched into the back pocket as she wanders her way in, flip flops abandoned in favor of bare feet even at risk of... whatever might be lingering in this abandoned stretch of human accomplishment.

She pauses, briefly, at the hall leading towards Mrs. Naguya's apartment. She sniffs the air, and tilts her head.

"Mm."

And with that, hands clasped behind her back, Mari now finds herself within Shinji's room, largely quiet as she inspects what could only generously be called the shoddy shape of the place.

It's perhaps unsurprising to those who know her that the first thing she gravitates to is the books. Perhaps less so that her gaze inevitably drifts towards the locked cello as she thumbs her way through a tome.

For now, she remains silent, as if willing to let the others absorb the atmosphere before she says anything at all.

Rei Ayanami tosses a coin: Tails

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

The ride over is a strange thing for Rei Ayanami on numerous levels. It is, objectively, the longest period of time that she has spent in close proximity to other people since--

-- well --

-- ever.

Rei didn't have a lot to say on the ride over. She looked out the window. It might be reasonably wondered if she fell asleep, but she did turn her head to look at some other things passing by. It may be the longest land journey she has taken in the past without Section 2 supervision.

Instead -- she is encouraged to sing.

Rei ignores the request twice. On the third time, she begins to consider it, still without reply.

Until the song comes around again on the damnably small Tunes Tape and--

"Byuutiful pureisu; in mai haato," Rei -- sings? It seems like she doesn't quite get the idea. It's sort of an attempt to imitate the singing, and it comes out flat and soft.

It's quiet enough that Asuka might not hear over the open window. Then again:

Arriving at the location, Rei approaches. She pauses for several seconds in front of Mrs. Nyogen's doorway, staring at it. It's probably long enough to get told by someone (Asuka) 'wrong door,' but she knows that damn well.

In the actual place, Rei looks around. Prompted, Rei takes off her sneakers - her own travelling clothes were (thankfully clean) gym-class T-shirt and sweat pants together with a shoulder bag in NERV-issued black nylon fiber. She left it in the truck, so it can't be that urgent.

In the kitchen, Rei opens the refrigerator. She leaves it open for several seconds, perhaps in wonder, and then closes it. She then goes into the bathroom, where she recovers fairly quickly.

And as for the room itself:

It smells of Ikari...

"Are we only taking personal goods, or the entire contents of the residence," Rei asks Kaworu, folding her arms as she gazes at -- books, the cello...

The breeze.

Rei looks at the wall with the little draft holes in some sort of mystified confusion. An outside context problem, somehow.

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Asuka was finally issued her Driver's license by the OCU... is what she'd like to say but they definitely sent her a a Provisional one after her military exemption application was only 'partially' approved. Woe be unto the bureaucrat who answered the phone that day.

As it stands though, when Mari offered to drive, Asuka promptly snatched the keys out of her hand. "As if I'd let you drive. We want to actually be out of there by nightfall, not deal with one of your harebrained schemes." Unknowingly playing right into her hands.

Asuka is a surprisingly good driver, albeit an unsurprisingly aggressive one - she definitely gives Misato a run for her money at least. Nevertheless she's quick to blare the horn, quicker to try to pass slower moving vehicles with the truck.

She deals with Mari's 'distractions' in the following ways.

        1) Turning the Radio Up. Way Up. Which may start a war over the dial.
        2) Suddenly tapping on the brakes at random to attempt to jolt the pair and force Mari to latch onto Rei given their position. (She did not hear Rei sing, a shame!)
        3) Some alternatively grumpy and flustered back and forth... and when the tickle to the back of her neck comes she totally didn't see it coming. Leading to a perilous jerk of the wheel and nearly ramming into a Photon Power Research Institute Truck. Then some yelling.

However now they're here. Asuka is wearing a pink tank top with spaghetti straps, a white miniskirt with belt at a messy angle indicating it is solely there for fashion rather than function, white sneakers with athletic socks and a light pink jacket tied around her waist.

"What a dump." Is Asuka's succinct evaluation of the place with crossed arms, as she cants her head at Kaworu's statement and slides off her sneakers. Gravitating eventually towards the radio, clicking it on to see if it even still works as she searches about for any signs of music that surrounded it.

He's a boy, or else she might have started by looking for whether there were any dolls...

"As if he'd want some seedy con artist's castoffs." She answers Rei, even though she asked Kaworu.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        It certainly was an eventful trip from Tokyo-3 to Middle Hakone, and it'll no doubt be an eventful trip back. Kaworu enjoyed it, at least. And when Mari finally convinces Rei to sing--he hums along, eyes shut as he smiles and basks in the sound.
        
        It's naturally a perfect opportunity for Mari to sneak over his shoulders to tickle Asuka, so even without the brake-jamming, as a moment, it doesn't last long. But he's grateful for it all the same.
        
        All considered.
        
        He doesn't really mind Mari's presence. Although he's come to realize she knows more about him than he'd like, she doesn't seem like a threat so far... and she does seem to care about their fellow Children, too. As for Asuka... Kaworu didn't *really* want to invite her, but it would make Shinji happy, so he did anyway. Rei, he'd already invited some time back--and now here they all are.
        
        Well, technically all that was for arranging Shinji's birthday celebration tomorrow. But this is part of that, so it still counts.
        
        His clothes are simple enough. A red-and-white striped shirt, a black spring jacket with the sleeves pulled up to the elbows, black slacks, and white socks under slip-on black shoes. As a look, it makes him look oddly French. All he needs is a beret.
        
        And though it's him that Rei asked, it's Asuka who answers, so crisp and immediate Kaworu gives her a lingering, curious glance. He doesn't chide her, though, and soon looks back at Rei. "Mr. Matsuda seems to have abandoned the residence, but there's no guarantee he won't return eventually. We should only take the things that belong to Shinji. Lt. Col. Katsuragi gave me a list of his things."
        
        He tucks the keys into one pocket and replaces it with a handwritten list. It's difficult to decipher, but fortunately, it's not very long. The only furniture that might be considered Shinji's is the desk and his bed and nightstand, and he already has all those over at Misato's. It really looks like it's just going to be personal affects--though of course there's also the kitchen goods. (An open window will clear out the smell soon enough. But seriously, that fridge is best left undisturbed.)
        
        When Asuka clicks on the radio, it starts playing a languid jazz instrumental; looks like it hasn't been long enough for the batteries to run out, especially since it hasn't been used for at least half a year. Mari of course can flip through those tomes as she pleases; there's a lot of them, and they might end up pretty heavy, but it should be all right once they bring in the boxes and start packing everything up.
        
        For his part... Kaworu stops next to the locked-up cello, his expression tender, a faint smile on his lips. He brushes his long, slender fingers along the neck of the cast, kneeling down until he reaches the chain's lock. It falls away at his touch--did the keys Misato gave him include a key to the case, or is the lock just that dilapidated--and carefully, reverently, he opens it up to reveal the instrument within. It's far from pristine, but it's also still in good condition. Seating himself on the bed, Kaworu takes the cello and its bow, rests it on his knee, and plays a set of scales legato. It's slightly out of tune, but the sound itself remains beautiful.
        
        He doesn't argue with Asuka that the place is a dump. But there are treasures within all the same.
        
        "This should take even less time than I'd anticipated," he remarks as he adjusts the knobs. "I don't believe we need to bother with his teacher's room. I imagine Shinji's replaced whatever he left behind in the bathroom as well, though we could take a look all the same."
        
        He plays another set of scales. They're now pitch-perfect.

<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.

'Byuutiful pureisu; in mai haato,' the lapbound Rei sing-speaks, like the Mythical Shatner before her.

Despite how unusual it is, how it seems to fail to grasp the concept of singing itself, Mari Makinami Illustrious doesn't laugh, or tease, or criticize. She just listens openly, as her blue eyes drift towards the horizon beyond her open window. Her gaze half-lids. Her smile grows distantly fond.

"Hmmm. It's not the same," she says. It's not the same as Minmay? As the melody of the song itself? Or--

"... but I like it. You've got your own kind of charm, Vanilla Bean. Don't forget it."

Whereupon, her fingers start waltzing along Kaworu's shoulders and--

~ * ~

'What a dump,' says Asuka.

Mari pinches her book shut between middle finger and thumb with the slap of paper on paper.

"You can tell a lot about a person by the way they keep their room," notes the bespectacled NERV pilot. "Their feelings etch into the state of their surroundings like a mark of themself, screaming 'notice me!' ... Or a scar."

Somehow, in the intervening space, she has insinuated herself beside Asuka, looking at her sidelong with an intrigued spark in her eye.

"Are you interested in noticing, Princess~?"

Swiftly she is straightening up smoothly once more, book clasped between both hands behind her back as she bobs her way through her sparse surroundings. The state of the place doesn't seem to bother her - or, perhaps, surprise her - but she does take a moment in which she looks sidelong in the direction of the missing instructor's quarters as Rei and Asuka speak of the "con artist."

"..."

Whatever was there in her expression, it's gone again by the time she pivots with pitch perfect timing to face Kaworu as he takes out that cello. She considers it, curiously.

"'Living unloved is like clipping a bird's wings,'" she quotes, presumably of the abandoned state of the cello. She watches as Kaworu tries it out; she doesn't even judge this flagrant use of someone else's property because really who is she to judge. She's just curious.

He plays another set of scales.

        And she hums along, in perfect time, voice sweet and simple.

"Aah, that's a satisfied sound of an instrument being used right~."

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

In the truck, earlier: Rei looked over at Mari - something she has to contort a little to do - when she's addressed.

"... is that so?" she asks. Her eyes seem -- focused, at least. Not quite smiling. But awake.

HERE, NOW, IN AN APARTMENT WHERE SHE HAS THROWN UP: "Perhaps the vehicle wasn't needed," Rei says, though she has a poor idea of how many books and how much they weigh. Rei owns two books that aren't from school, and one of them she has to write herself.

Kaworu brings out the cello. Rei's head cants a fractional inch to the side, to match the alignment of the cello, almost. He plays - adjusts - plays again.

Rei's arms fold before herself, loosely. Defensive posture, perhaps. Or simply because she is in a place where she is moved to think. About what? Enigmatic. She steps over, nearer to the bed; she looks down at it. Watches it for several seconds.

"I didn't see if it was unusual," Rei says. "I don't know what boys keep in the bathroom."

Could be anything. Her head turns towards Asuka, but she doesn't quite look at her.

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Asuka sideeyes Mari as she speaks of how a room reflects the feelings of the person who keeps it. Asuka's eyes sweep around the room... and what she sees is a sad sense of neglect. A boy who should have gotten a chance at a normal life. Normal affection.

        Not this.

Mari though manages to break her out of it expertly by teasing her 'Are you interested in noticing, Princess~?' "Of course not." She huffs, feigning disinterest, "Who'd notice anything Stupid Shinji does in the first place?"

Asuka gives the radio a vaguely surprised look at the radio as it comes on and actually leaves on the Jazz instrumental for a while as they work... perhaps because she thinks it might dissuade Mari from singing as they work!

She starts to work on inventorying the contents of the Night Stand, then once she's done - she hefts the empty night stand up under a single arm as easily as she might pick up a book bag for school. Taking it outside the apartment and placing it down to be retrieved later.

Back inside again, she catches wind of Kaworu tuning the Cello... and says nothing, merely glancing out of the corner of her eye. When Kaworu plays the scales again... *click* ...the Jazz instrumental goes off on the very first note of the scale, as Asuka uses that moment to place the radio amongst the pile of belongings she's started compiling for the trip.

Hearing Mari hum along, then express pleasure at Kaworu's tuning causes her to wonder, then mutter, "Should have known a Catty Four Eyes like her would be interested in that kind of thing." She thought Mari's thing was singing, but apparently her musical interests are much more broad... maybe? She's not sure, just a compliment might mean nothing.

Though then Rei brings up what boys keep in the bathroom, as her head turns faintly in her direction and Asuka gives a small shake of her head, "What's there to know? Hopeless. I'll check it." With that she promptly turns around and strides off towards the bathroom...
...
...
...

"That is the saddest medicine cabinet I've ever seen in my entire life." She says when she returns, bringing nothing back - as she's determined there was nothing of value.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        'You can tell a lot about a person by the way they keep their room. Their feelings etch into the state of their surroundings like a mark of themself, screaming 'notice me!' ... Or a scar,' Mari opines.
        
        "How do you keep your room?" Kaworu wonders conversationally. (He leaves the exchange between Mari and Asuka alone.) If there's anything inappropriate about a boy (or more accurately, someone who presents masculine) inquiring as to the details of a lady's room, he minds it no more than he does playing someone else's instrument.
        
        Really, far less than that. Though it may not be his property, though he may be using it without permission, Kaworu at least treats the cello with such delicate care and precision that there's no fear of his damaging it. Indeed, after tuning it, it's better off now. He smiles broadly at Mari's humming and comment. "Yes. It's only right that it be made ready to see Shinji properly after so long apart," he replies. "A hoarse, unused sound doesn't suit him."
        
        When he returns the cello to its case, it's with that same infinitely tender care as when he handled it in the first place--as if it were one of the wonders of the world that he had been momentarily blessed with. The latches snap back into place with a sharp 'ka-klik,' and he returns the chain, but doesn't lock the lock again. Asuka's business as usual, but it seems she's decided to put the radio away sooner than later... More's the pity.
        
        "Perhaps," he says to Rei, of maybe not having needed the truck; an SUV or something similar indeed probably would have done just as good a job *and* had more room for all of them too. "But we have it now. We may as well make the most of it."
        
        Asuka meanwhile checks out the bathroom, and comes back having declared it all garbage. Kaworu makes a mental note to double-check it himself, just in case. "Let's get to work, then," he states.
        
        It takes several boxes to load everything up, especially since the kitchen appliances in particular need to be wrapped up before getting packed. However, within two hours, everything is packed, sealed, and set away in the truck. There's plenty of space to bring Shinji's furniture, and as the four of them take one last look around the place, there is the option to take them down too. Shinji might not need them, but it might also be nice for him to have the chance to decide what to do with them.

<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.

        How do you keep your room?

Is this an inappropriate question?

Then Mari's appropriate response to an inappropriate question is to twirl on her heel, and flash Kaworu a wink the moment she faces him.

"You'll have to find out for yourself~."

Without even a single blink.

If you don't count the wink.

It's at this point that Mari takes to slowly dancing her way through the small confines of that apartment in time to the jazz playing on the radio; her humming continues on to its rhythm, her answer to Kaworu's remarks on Shinji's suitable sound being the bloom of an enigmatic kind of smile, enigmatic in the way it is deceptively difficult to read beyond a surface-level amount of pleasure. It's a smile that only grows the very second Asuka mutters. She shimmies her way casually over to the bathroom just as Asuka disappears within it.

By the time she reemerges, Mari is leisurely spinning past, one hand fingersnapping its way along to the music.

"Her Highness demonstrates disinterest most adorably," croons Mari Makinami Illustrious, in that deferentially sing-song way of hers that complements her sparkling smile perfectly.

It's there that her spin comes to a stop, alongside her dance, perfectly timed to the end of the jazz number. She snaps her fingers one last time, and she flashes a grin.

"Alright. I have our plan of attack ready~."

Was she taking stock of things and the best procedure to pack them up while she was dancing-- of course she was.

Said plan of attack is actually rather efficient and effective, if people deign to follow it. She doesn't try to force it, really; she just divides labor between them all with a series of suggestions on who should take what on Misato's list, and in what order. Some things are based on preference, some on more esoteric decisions. The cello is included for Kaworu's tasks. The sewing machine for Rei. The notebooks for Asuka.

The books for Mari, of course.

She does insist, however, on the furniture. Even if it means she'll be the one taking on the task. She seems quite set on this.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

Rei trusts in Asuka's judgment. Why not? Asuka has lived with at least one boy. Presumably, Rei would reason if she thought it through, she knows what sort of items Shinji Ikari would procure and keep in a shared bathroom. If anything stood out she would note it.

But - her brow furrows at the statement that it's a sad medicine cabinet.

Kaworu says something thoughtful from an unexpected direction. "... Yes," she agrees with his judgment. Both before the re-sealing of the instrument in its weighty splendor, and afterwards; she does not say the word again though, opting for a single firm nod.

And now Rei actually does something other than stand there looking goggle-eyed around: with minimal prompting, she puts items into boxes, with relative skill if without any particular clear knowledge of their role in a household (she mostly sorts by weight and structure).

Of course, Mari provides further prompting. Rei seems willing to do what she says. Whether this is because of a lack of a better plan or because Mari was charming and taught her the true heart of song is a mystery (it's probably the first one, mostly).

The sewing machine is confusing to Rei for a moment. She has never seen one before. Eventually, she figures it out; she carries it out. On the way back, she brings her black bag and stops at the kitchen sink, where she takes approximately fourteen different pills out of a case. She has to dip water out of the tap with cupped hands, at least, if left to her own devices.

After this, despite an additional two minute break, Rei seems visibly tired. She moves more slowly; she is even sweating. While moving the desk - which she does seem to manage, if clumsily - she asks Asuka something (literally 98 minutes later):

"What made it sad?"

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Asuka TRIES to act uninterested at Kaworu's question of Mari, but she kind of fails - it's perhaps easy enough to see that she's just not working in those moments... because the only way she gets Mari details is when they come in a way that doesn't offend her pride. Thus, JUST ASKING is entirely off the table.

But hey something Mari gives for free??? She will take it. When she gets nada other than a tease Kaworu's way, there's only a muted sigh of unsurprised disappointment.

Trying her best to act uninterested in the Cello - and music therein, as she heads in and out of the bathroom Mari spins past her as she fingersnaps in time to the rhythm. The surrealness of the sudden ambush sends her crosseyed, before she looks away, grumpily, "If I were emptying the garbage into a dumpster you'd call it adorable." She complains, "Just what's adorable about anything I do?" A beat as she answers what was obviously a rhetorical question, "Nothing. That's what."

Mari however lays out a plan of attack. And Asuka lofts an eyebrow, but she doesn't actually complain about having a plan of attack. It's just... when she insists on the furniture, "What? Why? It'd be quicker for you to just let me tackle the rest right now..." She grouses, but ultimately cedes ground and goes over to the notebooks.

Surprisingly Asuka spends time... dusting off the notebooks, more gently than one might expect, before working on carrying them out and putting them away in a box meant for this occasion.

However then Rei asks 'What made it sad?' "What are you even asking, Commander's Pet...?" Asuka says, as if she'd already forgotten what she'd said, eyeing Rei's sweat covered brow. It takes her a moment, but then she remembers...

"You really waited this long to ask me about that...?"

After a moment though, perhaps shockingly, Asuka gives a straight answer... "Because there's nothing, but a few cough drop wrappers and empty prescription bottles for heart medications that expired years ago. You'd figure a guy who didn't throw out Stupid Shinji's stuff wouldn't bother tossing out medications he kept around for him in case he got sick right?"

Asuka asks, as if she expected Rei not to follow her logic... "But he didn't... because there were never any for him to begin with." Asuka doesn't sound upset about that, no more than usual... as she shrugs her shoulders and waves at her dismissively. "Let's get back to work, you've had enough of a breather."

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Some might blush at Mari's wink, at the way it adds a kiss of suggestiveness to her answer. Some might sputter or protest. Kaworu continues to smile back, unfazed. "I'll look forward to it, then."
        
        It's still unclear if he understood anything inappropriate about this exchange.
        
        He doesn't comment on Asuka being adorable or not, at least. The exchange does prompt him to wonder of the three, "Do any of you play any musical instruments?" (He doesn't add 'yet,' though he wants to.) "It would be nice if we and Shinji could all play together."
        
        ...is he including even Asuka in that? It does seem like it, but...
        
        Meanwhile, when Mari makes her suggestions on how best to make the move, he follows along with her plan. Once the cello is transferred to the truck, he works on boxing up the kitchen appliances--which means he's present when Rei takes a break to swallow over a dozen pills with a handful of water. Kaworu watches her with a concerned frown, but doesn't interrupt.
        
        He helps out with the furniture, too, regardless of what Mari says. For one, they're simply too bulky for a single person to move alone, and this is a three-story building with no elevator. As they all take a break, and Rei asks her question, Kaworu glances her way slightly and listens to Asuka's answer.
        
        "..."
        
        Ah... so that's why. If that's the case... he can actually trust her a little after all.
        
        Once everything is securely in the truck--furniture, boxed-up items, and all--Kaworu turns to his companions with hands tucked in his pockets. "Good work, everyone," he says with his usual smile. "Thank you all for helping out with this--except for the Second, who of course needs no thanks." Is that a joke...? Either way, he looks at Asuka and Rei as he continues, "It'll be a long trip back; would either of you like to stop somewhere to eat or drink before we leave?"
        
        Perhaps notably, he didn't include Mari in that. But not for spite...?

<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.

It is indeed wise to preempt an answer to what is obviously a rhetorical question, for in those scant seconds before Asuka follows up on her complaint, Mari Makinami Illustrious' lips part in probable preparation to deliver an entirely too long list of answers to that question,

        Just what's adorable about anything Asuka does?

Mari's mouth shuts.

Crisis -- averted.

And then she flashes Asuka a conspiratorially sly look that all but screams, 'next time.'

Crisis -- averted...??

The next question, however, is from Kaworu, and it expects answers. Her response is simple: "I'm a vocalist or I'm dead," as if there were no room for doubt in the slightest. It does, however, prompt a curious look Rei and Asuka's way.

"And what of our Vanilla Bean? And our Princess...?"

It's a question she's patient enough to wait for, until it's time to start packing; Kaworu insists on helping with the furniture; Mari ultimately doesn't stop him. It's decently heavy, modestly bulky, but it doesn't seem to bother Mari overly much.

Clearly, her cheerful spirit remains utterly undefeatable.

In the aftermath of it all, Mari is seated luxuriously on the hood of the car, the heat absorbed from the sun radiating along her back and giving her the content expression of a cat basking in a sunbeam. Her eyes shut, one leg crossed over the other and foot dangling off her knee back and forth, she seems content to wait for the others to get ready --

Before Rei's belated question comes.

Mari cracks open one sharp, blue eye to peer at her, and Asuka. She listens to the Second Child's answer from afar.

Her smile gentles and her eye shuts closed once again.

"Hm, hm." o/`

It's only when Kaworu addresses them all that the bespectacled, would-be Child sits up straight on the hood, legs sweeping easily off the edge. Her response is a casual salute and an, "Aye aye, administrator!" before that half-lidded gaze rolls towards Asuka.

'Except for the Second,' says Kaworu, in what is -- a joke-- with Asuka--?

She almost looks proud.

Which doesn't stop her from very deliberately leaning in to mouth 'thank you' to Asuka in specific, before going back to her hood lounging. Notably --

She doesn't pipe up in the slightest when it comes to the matter of food.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

'What are you even asking?'

Rei looks at Asuka.

'You really waited this long--'

Rei looks at Asuka.

Rei gets the explanation. Sometimes, you just have to wait it out. Her lips thin for a moment.

"Perhaps his heart recovered," Rei says, having had the concept raised to her of someone NOT REFILLING THEIR MEDICATIONS. This journey has had multiple small revelations for Rei; this one is somehow ominous, in a way that 'the strange machine that sews clothing' or 'the smell of a boy's bedroom' were not.

The Administrator has better things to say. During the tail end of the labor, Rei answers - while looking at the appointed vocalist - "I play the viola." Despite the fatigue, and perhaps the effects of that impressive quantity of pills she choked down catching up with her, Rei does not stop moving objects. When she is on the other end of something, it does not wobble or shift.

And then, at the end, as Rei wipes her forehead with the back of her hand, the sweat on her skin starting to dry. A question is posed to her as well as the Second. In the background, the indeterminate - the woman with glasses - the one who gave her another name, unasked and unsought - lounges upon the hood of the operational vehicle.

He is asking me again.
He asks me. He asks the Second.

Rei blinks slowly, once.

What happens if I do not give the same answer as the Second?
An eigenstate. The wave-function is not collapsed.
If I decide in one way, it may--

Rei's stomach makes a subtle sound, but it is louder than her speaking voice often is. Her vision swims faintly.

One vector is decided.

"I would, like to do both," Rei half-echoes Kaworu.

Position determined. Motion as yet unknown.

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Crisis--averted...??

Asuka gets this intense sense of dread about her as she considers that look Mari gives her as a PROMISE towards future chaos. What has she done????


Asuka looks Rei dead in the eyes and says, "What are you stupid? Just think for a second of everything we just drove through Commander's Pet?" A short pause, as she gives her a sharp look, "Does this look like the kind of community where hearts just miraculously recover?" That is perhaps a bit more even-handed of Asuka to suggest everyone is suffering here... perhaps including the con artist teacher... but in no way does she feel that is some excuse...

Kaworu asks if they play any musical instruments. The real answer is 'no' and she might have said that but then 'It would be nice if we and Shinji could all play together.'

Mari's answer that she's a Vocalist or she's dead is unsurprising... however Mari's next question halts any reflexive answer, 'And what of our Vanilla Bean? And our Princess...?' Ordinarily she'd have said 'What are you stupid? When are we going to have time for that?'

But...
Without occupation to tempt Asuka Shikinami Langley -- what would she do?
it just sounds like it'd be a really boring life if you did that--"
Asuka_Shikinami_Langley %r %rAsuka scowls suddenly as Rei answers that she plays the Viola, embarrassed at the fact that she suddenly finds she WANTS to play too... "As if I'd want to play with any of you." Her pride however demands she not indicate that - as she gives a surprisingly vague answer. Can she? Can't she? Mari might know better than anyone else there, given that it was not on the list to an answer of a certain question...%r %r"What would you even be trying to do there with Stupid Shinji Fifth String - try to create the world's most miserable Cello duet?"%r %r... ... She actually wants to know, because if she's going to learn an instrument, it needs to be a competition.%r %rEventually they're finished moving everything outdoors to the trucks, Asuka acts disaffected at Kaworu's exclusion from the thanks, just eyeing Mari spread out the hood like some feline supermodel. Getting mad openly at Kaworu would only imply she wants his thanks. And she doesn't. Mari mouths 'Thank you' and Asuka pretends she didn't see it as she redirects her grumpiness at Kaworu towards her, "Already claimed your seat for the return trip?"%r %rAsuka please don't put ideas in her head... this whole part of the cast can't spend the next half a movie in the infirmary.%r %rHowever, Kaworu's question, actually causes her to pause, then tap her arm... followed by a roll of her eyes at Rei's non-answer answer. "We're stopping at Ramen Burger on the way back." Asuka decides for them all, "We'll grab a bunch of Chicken Karaage for the party while we're there, no reason to go all out for Stupid Shinji." Will she tell all of them that she heard Shinji say that's what he wanted for his party - and that it is in fact 'all out' for what he wanted???%r %rNever.%r %r

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Crisis--averted...??

Asuka gets this intense sense of dread about her as she considers that look Mari gives her as a PROMISE towards future chaos. What has she done????


Asuka looks Rei dead in the eyes and says, "What are you stupid? Just think for a second of everything we just drove through Commander's Pet?" A short pause, as she gives her a sharp look, "Does this look like the kind of community where hearts just miraculously recover?" That is perhaps a bit more even-handed of Asuka to suggest everyone is suffering here... perhaps including the con artist teacher... but in no way does she feel that is some excuse...

Kaworu asks if they play any musical instruments. The real answer is 'no' and she might have said that but then 'It would be nice if we and Shinji could all play together.'

Mari's answer that she's a Vocalist or she's dead is unsurprising... however Mari's next question halts any reflexive answer, 'And what of our Vanilla Bean? And our Princess...?' Ordinarily she'd have said 'What are you stupid? When are we going to have time for that?'

But...
Without occupation to tempt Asuka Shikinami Langley -- what would she do?
it just sounds like it'd be a really boring life if you did that--"

Asuka scowls suddenly as Rei answers that she plays the Viola, embarrassed at the fact that she suddenly finds she WANTS to play too... "As if I'd want to play with any of you." Her pride however demands she not indicate that - as she gives a surprisingly vague answer. Can she? Can't she? Mari might know better than anyone else there, given that it was not on the list to an answer of a certain question...

"What would you even be trying to do there with Stupid Shinji, Fifth String - trying to create the world's most miserable Cello duet?"

... ... She actually wants to know, because if she's going to learn an instrument, it needs to be a competition.

Eventually they're finished moving everything outdoors to the trucks, Asuka acts disaffected at Kaworu's exclusion from the thanks, just eyeing Mari spread out the hood like some feline supermodel. Getting mad openly at Kaworu would only imply she wants his thanks. And she doesn't. Mari mouths 'Thank you' and Asuka pretends she didn't see it as she redirects her grumpiness at Kaworu towards her, "Already claimed your seat for the return trip?"

Asuka please don't put ideas in her head... this whole part of the cast can't spend the next half a movie in the infirmary.

However, Kaworu's question, actually causes her to pause, then tap her arm... followed by a roll of her eyes at Rei's non-answer answer. "We're stopping at Ramen Burger on the way back." Asuka decides for them all, "We'll grab a bunch of Chicken Karaage for the party while we're there, no reason to go all out for Stupid Shinji." Will she tell all of them that she heard Shinji say that's what he wanted for his party - and that it is in fact 'all out' for what he wanted???

Never.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        'Vanilla Bean,' hm. Kaworu has of course noted this nickname already by now, having spent most of the day with Mari and Rei (and Asuka, but she's irrelevant to this part), but it's as always a curious name Mari's chosen. Maybe as he gets to understand flavor and cuisine better, he'll understand that nickname better in turn...
        
        For now, though, he chuckles at his companions' answers. "Being a vocalist does suit you. You have a fine voice," he tells Mari. When Rei states that she plays the viola, he outright beams at her, smile so broad his eyes squint shut. It turns into a wry, crooked smile when Asuka huffs and protests the very idea of playing together with anyone, but then wonders what kind of lame cello duet he's out for.
        
        "No. If I were to play a duet with Shinji, I'd be on the piano. Or perhaps the violin--I used to play that primarily--but I've come to prefer the piano. It's more collaborative, less demanding of the spotlight. The violin is sometimes called 'the queen of musical instruments.' To see how some violinists can act about their performances, one can understand why. It is genuinely a beautiful instrument, and I do enjoy playing it, mind. I simply don't care for the attitude," Kaworu replies, smiling the whole time. He catches Mari's eye momentarily, smiling wider, and adds, "In that respect, it would suit you well, Second."
        
        Like many things so far today, he doesn't weigh in on the fate of Mr. Matsuda, or his part in the medications that were left in the bathroom. He does watch Rei for a moment as she discusses that with Asuka, but... At this point, there are other things to focus on. Like food, for instance. Rei's stomach answers for her, and Kaworu smiles at her fondly as she voices her stomach's opinion in her own words.
        
        It's just as well for that reason that Asuka declares that they're heading to Ramen Burger, even states that they're going to get a bunch of food from there for the party the next day. "All right," he says mildly. "But we should see if we can get the prepared ingredients and ask for instructions on how to cook them." He catches Rei's eye this time and continues, "I'm sure they'll taste better fresh."
        
        Either way, they have a plan on what to do, and need only pile into the truck and do it. Ramen Burger doesn't have a lot of vegetarian options, let alone vegan, but Rei will manage to find something filling. As for Asuka and her decision...
        
        They might need to swing over to a local store and buy a cooler and a bunch of ice to put all that in. But that's fine. They've got time left before they need to race the sun.