2022-05-17: The Hedgehog's Apologia

• Log: 2022-05-05: Just A Foolish Girl
• Cast: Asuka Shikinami Langley, Alloy Kaas (Alouette "Alloy" Kaas)
• Where: Tokyo-3 Municipal Junior High
• OOC - IC Date: May 17th, UC 96
• Summary: Alouette tries to apologize for a past misunderstanding. But is it truly that easy?

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<Pose Tracker> Alouette Kaas has posed.

The school attended by the NERV Children had been dismissed for almost an hour, but at least two of them remained in the building. Japanese schools have students participate in community service by having some students remain after school to clean the building. It's a rotating schedule with each grade assigning a class to clean the rooms for their "Year". It's probably a practice more countries should adopt, but for foreigners it stands out as distinctly Japanese, or "Elevens" as Britannian's call them.

This week it fell upon the class that the NERV Children were in. Most of the duties were complete and most had gone home, but in their own classroom Alouette Kaas was working in silence with Asuka Shikinami Langley. Over the hour as other students left, the silence became defeaning.

Standing up from the corner, the end of her sweeping and brushing, Alouette turns to the empty room and watches Asuka for a moment. Does she remember what happened in the med bay the other day, she wonders to herself. Her heart begins to race but she fights to control her breathing, a dreaded moment approaching.

A hard swallow.

A step towards the teachers desk.

Another step. Calm.

At the white board, she turns like she is facing the whole room, but it's one person.

        "Asuka."

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Asuka has said nothing about what happened in the med bay. Not to her, not to Kaworu, nor Shinji... nor anyone. It's unclear what she remembers, and how it lingers in her mind. Likely she chalked it up to just being some quirk of her REM cycle after that day.

While it is silent as they clean, that does not mean that Asuka is ignoring the person cleaning in the room with her. No indeed, something is simmering slowly, like a pot whose lid is inevitably going to have too much pressure to contain. Asuka is currently separating trash because SOMEONE forgot to do it properly, leading to her needing to sort out which can be incinerated and which needs to go to the dumpster instead.

She's not really paying attention to Alouette in this moment, as she heads towards the front of the classroom. And then her name breaks the silence... Asuka looks up, and over her shoulder almost casually, her expression as neutral as it can get in how annoyed it looks. Her mood beneath anything but neutral.

"Yeah? You got something to say to me, Tako-atama?" Before she then adds, "Let's hear it - see if you can still talk a big game today."

To her that shift in Alouette was so strange, but she can't even pretend to dig at her motivations. All she knows is she got called out, and that's not something she can just let go.

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Kaas has posed.

That Asuka sounded like Asuka helped calm her down, and brought a smile to her lips as a smirk. Alouette looks away to the desk to hide it until she can supress it. When she looks up again, she has as best a mask as she can manage with the situation. Her silver flecked orange eyes, or maybe the otherway around, they burn still.

Alouette tosses her hair back and scoffs in an reproduction of what Asuka has often done. But it isn't natural to her, so Alouette does it like an anime character, dramatically!

        "There's plenty of time to show you why Second is your name. Are you so ready to be shown your place that you want us both to ditch and get suspended?"

Alouette leans forward and slams her hands on the teachers desk. She is definitely throwing the intensity. Is it medications still?

        "This isn't about that Asuka Shikinami Langley!"

Alouette rises up again, till she stands at her full height. She seems taller, wearing the boys uniform instead of the girls. What is up with that anyway? Alouette makes a slow half circle around from behind the desk to the front. It closes the distance a bit, but the soft squish of the sandals is the only odd sound in that interim. It's an odd suspense.

        "I'm required to apologize for what happened after the Simulations, when you couldn't beat me. So, whatever, I apologize."

Rolling her eyes, Alouette is pushing the attitude and cockiness. It hurts her to be so dismissive of it. The covenant demands that she be alone. Asuka has others that love her. Maybe even others that feel that feeling Alouette has. Follow through.

        "Sooo, I apologized. *sigh* Now, I give you retribution. It Doesn't. Change. Anything! You are Second and you will always be Second. But, I Err'd and for my injury, you are to decide my punishment. Whatever you want of me, say so and it will be done, My warden or executioner."

Alouette's fists are clenched. Anger. Defiance. Fear. Sadness. She watches Asuka silent now, clenched Jaw, through her burning eyes. Each tick of the second hand on the wall feeling like a stone added upon her back.

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

"Big talk from a girl who can't even dress herself properly without asking for help." Asuka says as she leaves the garbage where it is, performing a half turn to look at her with narrowed eyes. "You gonna call me a lost little girl again? Because from where I'm standing there's only one - and she's standing at the front of the classroom quaking in her boots."

Asuka doesn't even address the implied challenge yet, because indeed she doesn't even want to leave and get suspended right now. It's too much trouble for her to deal with right now. She can always challenge her in the simulators after if that's what its going to take.

However, Alouette interrupts that train of thought with a slam of her hands onto a desk. What's with this girl? Asuka doesn't know what to expect with these unpredictable shifts from one moment to the next. However... an eyebrow then shoots up as Alouette apologizes. Asuka gets this strange sort of Deja Vu. Didn't this already happen? However, that was in a dream.

Ordinarily she'd respond as she did in the dream, like she doesn’t care, it was just Alouette playing power games... but Alouette threw in 'required' 'when you couldn't beat me' and 'so whatever' "Even your apology pisses me off. You couldn't beat me either." Asuka's own hand thumps down on a desk right beside where she's standing. "You're 'required' to do it - so 'whatever'? Who'd be satisfied with that? Lemme guess, /Fifth String/ ordered you to do this?" Her other hand just points at her, "Well you can stuff it, and he can stuff it too! I don't want your apology."

Not if it's coming from a place like that.

However then she says its her 'retribution'. It doesn't change anything, how she'll always be second. However it's so strange to her. "Are you trying to provoke me!? What is this? Do you have some fetish for abuse?"

Any punishment she wants - however it sounds like she wants it. And Asuka feels like she's being messed with. Crossing her arms, she stares at Alouette, peering at her like she's deciding what kind of punishment to give her.

She's been in there for 33 hours!
If IT dies, there are more. IF, it dies then it means it wasn't good enough.
IT! IT is ten years old. Stop getting attached to it. It is just a weapon.
Protect her

"No. You want this too badly. I'm not playing your games. If Fifth String didn't care enough to punish you then it's not my problem." She gives her a dismissive wave, "Do whatever you want."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Kaas has posed.

Alouette follows Asuka'a hand as she hits the desk and then her eyes track back to the red headed girl's own. Alouette is pushed, she pushes back.

        "Oh surprise! Asuka is pissed off!"

Alouette takes a small step to narrow the space between them. While she may sound defensive, her posture is more aggressive. Her arms for the moment, stay low to her side.

        "I tried for over a week since Fifth told me to apologize and let you figure outa punishment how to tell you I apologize in a way that wouldn't piss you off. News fucking flash, everything pisses offS two seven eight! Everything!"

Alouette turns and kicks desks out of the way. It gives her room to pace a few steps, while she flexes her fingers out and down. She steps about in her circle rapidly before turning back to Asuka.

        "I have no idea what a fetish is. Am I trying to provoke you? Yes, because otherwise you put on a mask of apathy, can't just be friends, with Asuka Shikinami Langley."

Alouette raises a bandaged wrapped finger and points at Asuka accusingly.

        "They didn't teach how to make friends. They taught other things. I think you're a great pilot, maybe as good as I am. I feel things for you that are amplified by combat and LCL. You're a bitch, and I am maladpted. But I think we could be friends. We can't run away from the truth."

Alouette drops her hand and takes a step back. She adjusts her uniform, straightening it up except for the tie. With a heavy sigh after all the energy just spent, but still being angry and ramped up.

        "We are both products of abuse, made to be weapons. Tell me. Is that what we remain? Or have you become more? A lonely little girl? Or the best weapon."

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Alouette's return fire causes Asuka to just loft an eyebrow as if unimpressed. Not answering her right away. Though the moment that she CONFIRMS it was Kaworu who put her up to this, she balls up a fist at her side, obviously livid. Though that's nothing compared to when she says 'two seven eight' As Asuka's expression just freezes, and her expression grows... just cold - then hotter than ever.

She stands there just staring at her. Listening to her. Not saying a damn thing. Waiting for her to finish. And then Asuka just strides across the room with an angry gait, and moves up to Alouette, trying to pin her against the whiteboard with an arm over her collarbone. Though she doesn't strike her. Her other hand holds up a finger that she waves at her with angry emphasis.

"My NAME is NOT 278! There is no 278! There is no Shikinami Series! JUST ME! ONLY ME!" As she shouts in her face. "IS THAT CLEAR?"

There's a tilt of her head with those blue eyes to try and catch Alouette's to make sure she knows. "What is this about to you? A pity party? Trying to make me feel bad for you because they didn't teach you how to function when you're not in an Eva? Is that it? What was your approach even? You think coming at me like /we're the same/ will convince me and that we'll both have a good cry after about what we are and where we came from and then we'd be /best friends/? Was that your plan?"

Asuka eventually backs the pressure off her arm, sounding mildly disgusted, "Well you're /not/ like me. Because I worked hard to learn to do everything by myself! I didn't whine at anyone to go easy on me. You don't hear me complaining about what they did or didn't teach me! You don't hear me complaining about how they /treated/ me! You don't hear me complaining that my purpose is EVA!"

Asuka gives her this intense stare, as she tries to push her further to see how she reacts, "You know one thing about me - and you act like you know me. Well guess what genius? You just proved you don't know a damn thing."

<Pose Tracker> Alouette Kaas has posed.

Alouette is surprised more by the strength than the speed of the pin to the board. The move clenches her fists and she glares gritting her teeth. Through Asuka's tirade of her name, that was expected. The condescending part wasn't a surprise, though it wasn't welcome either. But Alouette growls through.

When Asuka eases up, Alouette tries to reverse, knocking Asuka to the floor and putting a knee against the diaphragm, which would make breathing difficult.

        "Was is a TBI or a labotomy that made you this stupid?! How can you protect anyone? You're such an idiot!"

Alouette looks down at Asuka if she were successful at pinning her, pressing the knee for just a moment, before returning to the previous pressure. She begins mocking her head tilt and her words.

        "I did /this/ I did /that/. You survived. We all did. You're a bloody idiot."

Alouette fights every urge to pour into her memories with the Geass. After a silence punctuated by her loud breathing and possibly Asuka's impaired breathing, Alouette rolls to her feet. She grabs Asuka's bag from it's place in the classroom and storms towards EVA 02s Pilot, trying to quickly get her to her feet and shove her out of the classroom. Alouette tries hurridly to force Aska out, so she can fix the room and avoid a fight. At the door she would do everything to get Asuka out.

        "Get the fuck out of here Asuka. I do know one thing. I know two things. But you don't know any fucking thing. Stupid Shikinami."

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Asuka doesn't exactly expect retaliation when the weight eases off of her arm. Thus caught flat footed, she's quickly shoved to the ground and pinned against it. "Y-" Asuka can't quite get out whatever angry comment she wants with that weight on her, as it's taking most of her strength just to make her chest rise at all. Instead her hands reach up as if she were going to cuff both of the other girl's ears. But it's hard to get leverage from this position, which causes her to miss her mark during those few seconds.

"-DIO-"

Set to hiccuping even after, as the weight is let up off of her. The girl growls but that's interrupted by a spasm in her chest. However she's recovering quickly, already up on her feet as Alouette comes back with her bag. Taking it, she shoves her arms away even as she tries to herd her out of the classroom.

"You get... that one... for free." Asuka growls, every few syllables punctuated by a hiccup. It's not like she doesn't want to start a fight /IMMEDIATELY/ - as her pride demands she react to this kind of challenge, but she's acutely aware at this point that it's not just her school she'll get in trouble with for fighting. It's Kaworu too. Feeling thoroughly entrapped in this situation - being both at school where she's in thin ice - and sent by Kaworu into this situation he's likely to hear about it... having some attempt at a apology she was commanded to give turn into /THIS/. It feels to her like she was set up, that Alouette did everything to piss her off purely so that she /would/ get in trouble.

"You wanted... punishment... though? ... Fine. Never... bring up /ANYTHING/ about where I came from... /EVER/ again." She finishes enunciating that final pronouncement. "... that's your punishment."

Then she shoulders her bag, turns around and storms off. Asuka doesn't have any friends. There's a reason for that. Alouette was engage in a Sisyphean task trying to become friends with her in this way. However, it's not impossible that could change in the future. It's just going to have to be on Asuka's terms of hard work and self-reliance.