2022-08-30: DecuFes: Community Service!

• Log: DecuFes: Community Service!
• Cast: Kaworu Nagisa, Milly Ashford, Rei Ayanami, Gemini Sunrise, Mana, Rikka Takarada, Kaname Chidori, Sousuke Sagara, Shinji Ikari, Alloy Kaas, Kallen Kozuki, Asuka Shikinami Langley, Mari Makinami Illustrious
• Where: A shrine dedicated to Litra, Japan
• OOC - IC Date: U.C. 0096.08.30
• Summary: What's more festive than cleaning?! Nothing, that's what! Join all these promising young students as they enjoy their precious, dwindling summer days the proper way -- with back-breaking, manual labor and heated debate about the elusive nature of boutiques! Also, there's curry!

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<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Though the sun will soon set on summer, it still shines high in the sky on this particular August day. Since Tokyo-3 doesn't know how to have fun, their contribution to their students' irreplacable summer vacation is rounding up as many as possible (including volunteers ("volunteers") from other GUTS-affiliated schools), putting them on a train to the mountains, getting them to hike halfway up one of those mountains, and spend the whole afternoon scrubbing, sweeping, dusting, and otherwise cleaning a large stone-hewn Shinto shrine dedicated to the ancient kaiju, Litra (scientific name Littlalia).
        
        It's a hot and muggy day, as Japanese summers are, so students have been told to come in breathable clothes, such as their gym uniforms, though if they wear their own sports clothes, that's fine too. The cicadas drone throughout the forest, and the mosquitos thirst for blood; only the thick woods full of citron trees are any relief from the sun and heat. The citrusy smell of the bumpy lemon-like fruit is pleasant too.
        
        It might be little comfort, though, when everyone still had to walk twenty minutes from the train station and climb up a considerable stone staircase under a long set of torii gates before actually reaching the shrine itself. Those with injuries are exempt from the trip; those injured who've come anyway get to take their time and use what accomodations they need (inasmuch as Tokyo-3 Municipal can provide, anyway).
        
        Said shrine isn't completely made of rock, but the foundation and many bird-shaped statue decorations are, including a massive statue in the center of the clearing in front of the shrine--at five meters tall, it's supposedly a life-size rendition of Litra and is particularly tricky and dangerous to clean. (Asuka's almost certainly taking care of that.) The walls, roof, and interior are made of wood, though, and therefore need polishing; there are fallen leaves and sticks and branches around the grounds and the stairs, and those all need to be swept and the firewood gathered--and naturally, the tatami flooring needs to be taken out and beaten while the floors inside are mopped and the walls scrubbed.
        
        Of particular note: it's important that tatami not get wet, so those floors can only be cleaned once the tatami mats have all been removed, and they can only be brought back inside once everything's dry--and naturally, cleaning the roof and walls means all the gunk comes down onto the floor, so all of those things need to be dusted and polished first, too.
        
        At least there's a reward at the end of all this: the elderly priest who otherwise tends to this shrine has arranged for curry for everyone for dinner. Of course, while the ingredients and kitchen might be available, he'll need cooks to prepare it just as he needed hands to clean the shrine and grounds. So while the majority of the students present will be working on cleaning, a sizable chunk will be in the kitchens cooking, making sure the curry's ready for everyone later tonight. One of the students even suggested that they compete to see who makes the best curry--though who is going to do the actual judging is currently unclear.
        
        For his part, Kaworu is working in the portable outdoor kitchen, an apron around his torso and a 'kerchief tying back his hair. He's healed enough that he doesn't need to use his walking cane for this, but it did still come with him for the hike, so it hangs off of a citron tree branch on the edges of the shrine clearing. Folding tables and chairs lean nearby, not yet unfolded for use.
        
        Currently, he's humming and smiling to himself as he stirs a ladle through a massive pot of Indian-style black bean curry set on a gas burner. The kitchen isn't normally where he'd be found, but thanks to a certain friend, he's taken an interest in specifically curry and its kaleidoscopic variations. While he's not especially invested in the competitive aspect of things, he would like to test his skills in this particular matter.

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

Kaworu isn't the only one working the kitchen; while she was encouraged to take a purely supervisory role, she'd rather have more non-Student Council members out working on cleanup, which means she's put herself in a straightforward, unglamorous position: making rice.

This seems like it shouldn't be that much of a time-sink, but: for one, they're in the mountains, where cooking rice takes longer! And for two: this is a lot of goddamn rice! For three, this gives Milly something to do that excuses her from being a curry competitor. (It wouldn't be fair for her to compete, as President of Ashford's Student Council and de-facto leader of GUTS.)

As such, Milly finds herself moving from cookpot to cookpot, dealing with a truly enormous amount of rice. She brings a forearm up to her head dramatically, wiping some sweat off of her face. "... I was expecting cooler mountain air, but I guess that one's on me," she says, before fussing with her hair tie.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

Rei Ayanami's life is a meaningless void of unstructured time, so she didn't really need much invitation to join the parade.

Rei Ayanami has come forth with a slightly faded orange tank-top, gray short pants, and (a new addition) rice-straw sandals she probably bought at the train station, given that there were suspiciously tennis-shoe-like objects in her usual black nylon bag.

These garments were augmented by a cloth wrap around her head while working in the courtyard. Rei gathered wood and set it aside; when that had been largely done, she had moved on to sweeping. It is sweeping she is doing now, in slightly slow, efficient movements. Sweep - a pause to assess. Sweep - another pause.

Sweat is on her forehead, although she was able to use some of the remaining Sheryl Nome :tm: Pure Shield to avoid getting any sort of a burn on her clear-white skin. Sweep - pause. Sweep - pause.

<Pose Tracker> Gemini Sunrise has posed.

If Gemini had become good at one thing during her time in Neo-America, it was cleaning. To wit, she's come to the shrine in her usual cleaning lady ensemble, light clothing and a kerchief wrapped around her head. She had spent most of the hike up marvelling at the Japanese wilderness, the Japanese trees, the Japanese rocks, even some Japanese animals! And it all ended in a genuine, bona fide Shinto shrine! Just like Master Mifune would tell her about! It took two of Gemini's friends to stop her from playing out a samurai fantasy in front of the torii gate and get her focused on cleaning.

Once the cleaning started in earnest, Gemini had tasked herself with mopping the floors of the shrine once the tatami mats had been removed. Again, she had to be stopped from using the mop as a makeshift katana, but once she was on it, she was darting back and forth along the floor, pushing the mop in front of her and severely risking a slip on the wet floor.

<Pose Tracker> Mana has posed.

Mana's capabilities with cooking sit firmly in the 'can feed self, but please don't cook for other people' zone. She can make something technically edible out of scrounged or scavenged ingredients with no attention paid to taste, and she can cook premade, frozen, or microwave food; that's about it. She's never learned.

Which is why she is on cleaning duty. Nobody, including her, wants her to touch the curry preparation.

"I don't see the point!" Mana has mostly been drafted to help carry and fetch things - she doesn't look it but she is surprisingly strong, as working solo in a mech bay will get you. When she's not doing that, she's been hitting the tatami, or climbing up to scrub high things - she has no fear of heights. "You could do this with a vacuum cleaner, couldn't you? Some kind of sweeper drone, with soft teeth..."

Yeah Mana has never cleaned tatami before. She's from Britannia. It's not a priority.

(Mana herself is wearing a slightly more practical tank top than her usual sort of top, and her dark workout shorts, which are longer than the school-assigned gym clothes.)

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

A hot day, cooking and cleaning... Honestly, if Rikka could manage to skip out on it, she would. But Tokyo-3 seems pretty keen on drawing in 'volunteers', so if she doesn't take the bullet, someone else might have to. This is why Rikka finds herself on a train out to a shrine in the mountains, and then having to hike up one of the mountains.

...The last time she may have done this much physical activity in one day was when her class went out to the river. She found herself pretty exhausted, then, but for... entirely different reasons. Thankfully, today doesn't seem like it'll go that poorly, so she's comfortable taking some time to admire the shrine when they arrive at it.

A shrine dedicated to a kaiju... does Akane know about this...? It seems like something she'd like.

When the time comes for people to divide up duties, Rikka pretty quickly volunteers to join in on the cooking. She's not so much interested in the idea of competition, but she's much more comfortable working behind a stove than she is dusting and cleaning. She has to deal with that enough back home - cooking, too, but at least that's something she likes.

And so, today finds Rikka hard at work behind a stove, working on a curry dish of her own. She's dressed in Tsutsujidai's gym uniform, but she's also brought one of the Junk Shop Aya's aprons from back home to wear over it.

She was pretty up front about the fact that she's using today to try out a new curry recipe that she hasn't prepared before - it's a tomato-based curry from a recipe she found online. She's pretty focused on the task at hand, though she does occasionally look up to check up on the other cooks/competitors, and to see what the cleaning crew is getting up to.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname Chidori came well-prepared. Water, light clothing (a T-shirt, tight jean-shorts, and thin white leggings)...

and a bullhorn. She started out the afternoon helping Milly coordinate, dividing people up into teams and tasks, to a fair number of groans and moans. She's done little in the way of *enforcement*, however--she's got a guy for that.

Unfortunately for the gathered student bodies of the GUTS member schools, that guy is Sousuke Sagara.

Having spent a fair bit of time cleaning for herself, she's mopped her brow, cleaned her hands, and now steps over to help Milly and Kaworu in the kitchen. While one works on rice and the other on a stewing pot, she busies herself with slicing-and-dicing the ingredients for a pot of her own.

She pauses. "Oh! Uh, Ashford-senpai, could you look in the ingredients bag? There should be a jar with my name on it. I put together some curry spices last night."

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

One person from Jindai High Class 2-4 volunteered immediately for cleaning duty. It was, of course, their monitor in charge of trash (and umbrellas): Sousuke Sagara.

Sagara is used to doing heavy work in full uniform, so showing up in Jindai's sportswear is like shedding the training weights. When not allowed to wander off and find ways to 'help' that somehow always involve a projected casualties figure, Sagara is a reliable young man to have about, hefting supplies and lifting and moving tatami. By now, he's on a ladder, using a broom to bat down dust and cobwebs from the rafters.

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

While being voluntold to take care of the shrine isn't necessarily Shinji's idea of a good time, both cooking and cleaning are familiar and comfortable enough chores that the idea isn't miserable from the start. But cleaning a shrine is a different sort of physical labor than keeping a house or apartment clean, and he tried to gravitate toward the kitchens.

Instead, he somehow got his arms full of a rake, resigning himself to clearing the leaves and branches while, fortunately, spared the task of gathering firewood. ...Which he feels guilty about realizing Rei's the one who takes that task.

Ever meticulous in cleaning duties, Shinji takes a systematic approach. Line by line, the outdoor area grows cleaning and cleaner, leaves set in obnoxiously perfect, round piles.

As the curry cookies, he looks up forlornly to the kitchens, but then he smiles faintly. Maybe it would be nice to try someone else's cooking...

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Alouette, had come early. As soon as she were free of the doctors (Free in this case meaning they turned their back and lost sight of her) Alouette had made her way to be driven by ride share, to the closest drop off at the mountain. She was slowed on her climb by injuries, but only relatively. Still she hadn't wanted others to see it, which is why she had made her way here prematurely.

        She took a selfish moment to enjoy and take in the sight, before trying to thrust herself into busiment of preparation for the activity. Food prep seemed to be handled. So it was cleaning then. Alouette had gotten a change of clothes and was glad to change into it and out of the hospital garments. She had the remains of her plugsuit as well. But over a long sleeved, high neck body suit, was a long and very light material skirt. Somewhat unconventionally, it was attached to suspenders but something else must be keeping it in place. A similarly light material, she wears as a blouse, oor jacket, but tied at her waist. In her recent usual fashion, she is both completely covered, while seemingly not.

        Alouette checks in, intrigued by what is being prepared. The spices arouse the curiousity, and the hunger. She tries to sneak in a greeting before busying herself.

        "Kaworu! I'm here! I know it's early but, I couldn't wait. It's... I'm happy to see you."

        Alouette looks to everyone in the kitchen in area.

        "It's good to see everyone here. I am glad we could come here. I'll, um, get started on the, high things."

        This is how she would be found, cleaning the higher horizontal surfaces that others might have a hard time reaching, not gifted with her vertical measurements.

        As is usual with menial tasks, her mind starts to wonder, back to her injuries. She continues to obfuscate them and any pain she is in. But in quiet, and and alone with herself, she can't help but think about the battle. What she should have done differently. She shakes her head, trying to push that away. No she wants to see the others, to be present in the now... She hopes, they will be glad to see her, as she will be to them. Maybe some more than others... She can hope.

        Alouette completes wipping down one beam and moves to the next, hoping to finish in time to see everyone, not waste a moment.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Of all the events it would be natural for Kallen (Kozuki) Stadtfeld to skip on, one would think it's the excursion featuring heavy amounts of hiking and manual labor. Shockingly, she's here regardless! Of the many recent purchases she's made, a set of loose athletic clothes was a must-buy. She's been gradually retiring the frail and sickly side of her school persona after all, and, if we're all being honest, some people have more or less seen through it anyway. Even if she hasn't been called on it. The outfit she'd picked up was a bit of an oddity. A two-part workout suit, in a mix of silvery-white and some gold accenting. With a sprinkling of a rich, royal red here and there. Honestly she doesn't know what exactly drew her to this specific outfit, but it felt right when she was out shopping. And feels moreso now that she's out and wearing it.

Winding up at a shrine wasn't entirely surprising either... Kallen had spent a significant amount of time in the various mountains of Japan before the invasion. Hiking with her brother of course... but her mother had, back in those days, oddly stable work maintaining old shrines like this one. As such, when it came to doing the indoor work on the tatami, floor, and walls, she'd taken charge there. To ensure it was all done properly. If asked, she'll of course simply explain how her father has always been enamored with traditional Japanese culture and locales, which, to be fair, is completely true. He'd even been with them on a few of those trips.

As a result, she's humming an old, childhood tune while she works. Something from one of those shrine trips.

The idea of a curry contest does interest her of course. More than that, it gets her competitive blood boiling under her skin. That's really not a good thing for anybody though, so it's something she puts active effort into stamping down. For tonight anyway. Besides, cooking isn't her strongest point. She's not hopeless at it, but her tastes are... She likes spices. No human on this earth should be subjected to her Radiant Wave Curry... not that she calls it that, but it has a similar effect on the human body. Besides, with all the precise care that needs to be given to her part of the cleaning... she can't REALLY afford to go join the competition. Everyone is spared a grim fate on this day.

Probably two actually, given her luck. Since she'd probably wind up against a certain other redhead. Again.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        There is going to be a lot of rice needed to feed all these students, especially since it'll need to be washed first and it'll also take some time to cook. It's good of Milly to take care of that; it'll certainly keep her hands full for the time being. At least she's in the kitchen area with Kaworu, Rikka, and Kaname.
        
        Kaworu looks up just as Shinji gazes mournfully at the kitchens, and meeting his eye, he smiles at him warmly. Will Shinji enjoy his cooking...? It's another reason to strive to do well. For him, and for Rei, for whom he chose those black beans in his pot.
        
        Alouette greets him then, and he favors her with a broad smile, too. "I'm glad to see you too. I was worried after those injuries you sustained." He listens as she says where she intends to go, then nods. "Very well. I'll see you again soon. Please don't push yourself too hard, all right, Alouette?" He won't push her to do nothing; if she didn't want to participate, she wouldn't have come in the first place. Certainly she has good reason to not to.
        
        Once she heads off to help with the cleaning, he looks over at Rikka, who's preparing her own variation of curry. He watches with open interest for a moment--something Rikka no doubt notices--before wondering, "May I ask what sort of curry you're preparing, Rikka? That color is quite a rich red..."
        
        Kaname asking Milly to hand her that bottle with her spice mix pulls his attention her way soon after, though. "Oh? Are you preparing your own recipe?" he wonders, glancing first at her, then down at her prep work.
        
        MEANWHILE:
        As Rei sweeps the stone yard, a breeze rustles the leaves nearby her. Her rhythm is a meditative sort, one equal to any priest or monk--slow but steady. Shinji is more systematic, going line by line, but each have good approaches that steadily bring them closer and closer to one another... and to the stone statue in the center that a certain someone may well be scrubbing. If they're paying too much attention to their work, that someone might just jump down and scare them--if they're so inclined.
        
        Inside, Gemini's enthusiastic mopping ensures that the shrine floors get clean very fast--but it's also dangerous to run so quickly on a wet floor. As long as she makes sure to watch her footing, it should hopefully be okay, but if she's careless, then an excess of soapy water on a spot she's doubled over might just send her feet flying out from under her! With Kallen working indoors too, going in between helping with the floors and beating the tatami outside, she might be close enough to catch her in time--but maybe she's closer to-slash-more aggrieved by Mana, who complains about beating the tatami even as she does it.
        
        Sousuke and Alouette meanwhile, as two of the tallest people present, get to share the pleasure of cleaning the ceiling and the tops of the beams of the room next to where Gemini is. Both of them are efficient workers, something that each of them no doubt notices in the other. But do either of them say anything to the other about it? There's something to be said about companionable silence...
Asuka Shikinami Langley has connected.

<Pose Tracker> Gemini Sunrise has posed.

Unfortunately...

"Waaaugh!"

What every onlooker feared comes to pass. Gemini's feet end up getting crossed, and in the process of uncrossing, slip on the soapy floor and send the cowgirl flat onto her back! Fortunately for her, the bucket was a safe distance away, so she has not gotten completely soaked like she usually does when she slips in the theater, but she has gotten a bit wet from the suds. As a couple of students carefully rush over to check on her, she sits up and rubs her rear end, wincing a bit.

"Consarn...guess that's on me fer not watchin' my step...I'm okay, this happens all th' time!"

She pushes herself back up to her feet, gingerly stepping out of the wet floor with mop and bucket in tow. Luckily, she had basically finished the job and the floor of the shrine was shining clean, even with a small Gemini-shaped outline.

"Reckon I should probably sit out a bit 'til the floor dries an' we can git the mats back on."

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

"Oh, sure," Milly says, moving to the ingredients bag. She takes a quick peek inside, rummaging around before handing it to Kaname. "Here you go! I'm glad we've got someone defending the honor of the Deculture Festival Committee's curry cooking prowess," she notes, a little playfully. She checks up on each cooking pot of rice, transferring a few of them into a larger container for finished rice -- at which point she gets started washing yet more rice instead.

Rikka's curry gets a lean-over and a sniff. "Oooh, that's really distinctive. I can think of a couple of students who'd love that." ... there's some definite tomato sauce addicts at Ashford." After a moment, she adds, voice a little lower: "Is everything working out OK travel-wise? I hear your school has been... involved in some things lately."

She doesn't neglect her other partner in food prep, either; she scoots over toward Kaworu after giving Kallen a bright, enthused wave. It's good to see her less tired and sickly, lately -- it makes her feel a little better about getting her onto the student council. Kaworu gets a curious whisper. "I know it's not really much of my business, but I noticed when I was going over the rosters... you're enrolled twice. And in different grades at different schools, even. I'm not going to bother you if your circumstances are just that complicated, but..."

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname grins at Milly. "You know it. Even Sagara loves my curry," she boasts, looking over at him. It's nice to see him not causing trouble, for once....

She thinks a moment while she starts on her sauce, peeking over to get a whiff of Rikka's curry. "Y'know, there was someone at Jindai like that last year. Tomato juice every day. Never really got to meet her, but she definitely made an impression." She looks up from mixing, trying to think of something--and then, very briefly, her eyes go wide and she flushes pink. "... Oh. Right. I, uh." She gets quiet. "I think you might know her, Rikka-san."

        How she knows that, exactly, is unstated.

She stares down into the pot a moment, then glances up again, making sure everyone's hard at work before sliding everything from her cutting board into the pot and starting to stir.

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

It all started with the simple phrase 'Bet you can't...' from one of the various Tokyo-3 boys that want to date Asuka but are too afraid to approach her due to her spreading a disease amongst them known as Burakkuaitisu. It's very tragic. They've instead taken to challenging her from afar just to get her attention...

... and as a result Asuka has been spending her whole time here hanging from a rickety wooden ladder, without seeming particularly perturbed about the stability, it's propped up against the base of the statue without touching the statue itself because the statue itself is delicate - leaving Asuka hanging on the highest rungs with a void space between the ladder and the statue.

She has a kerchief tied over her red hair to keep the sweat out of her eyes, a pair of denim short shorts, and a black T-shirt with orange short sleeves. Every so often she dips a long brush with a handle in the soapy bucket down below, before raising it back up - dripping, as she's caught threading the needle of needing elbow grease, but without too much of it to prevent damaging the statue.

Scrub Scrub
Scrub Scrub
Scrub Scrub SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB

Bit by bit, the ancient marble statue of the avian Kaiju is uncovered, as it is cleansed of the grime of the ages.

"Is this a school trip or a way to skirt labor laws?" Asuka grouses at a not particularly low volume, "This is the worst festival event ever."

As Rei passes by in the courtyard, Asuka actually catches her out of the corner of her eye and notes...

... she's wearing the same casual outfit, that she always does. That one, single, casual outfit, and calls out to her, from atop her shaky perch.

"Hey Commander's Pet, are you really ruining your only casual outfit cleaning a moldy old shrine? Given how long it takes for you to make up your mind at a boutique, feels like it's going to lock you out of doing anything on your days off until after you graduate."

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka pauses, briefly watching Milly busy herself with the rice. It's quite an enormous undertaking, but someone needs to do it.

"Just let one of us know if you need to step away and cool off a bit. I'm sure one of us could take over until you get back." Rikka advises.

It looks like, as far as curry goes, there's three of them here - herself, Kaworu, and Kaname. Fierce competition... but no matter who wins, everyone's going to get their fill of curry, and that's the important thing - and Kaname apparently has gotten off to a head start!

"Oh, making preparations ahead of time... that's pretty clever, Chidori." Rikka comments. She looks up from her own cooking pot, then, as Alouette pokes her head in, offering her a smile and a wave. She frowns a little, though, taking note of Kaworu's greeting to her...

"It's good to see you too. Take care of yourself, okay?" She replies. In the mean time... it looks like her curry has attracted some attention!

"Oh, I decided to go with a tomato-based curry this time. There's this recipe I've been wanting to try out, but hadn't really gotten a good opportunity yet." Rikka replies. She looks toward Milly, then, as she leans over to take a sniff. "You think so? Well, I'll certainly try not to disappoint them! I've got Tsutsujidai and my family shop back home to represent, after all..."

She pauses, as Milly asks her question. How to answer that, exactly...? Eventually, she decides to go with -

"...Yeah, things have gotten pretty... complicated, lately. But I'm managing." Rikka replies. "...Thanks for checking, though - I appreciate it."

But, Kaname is interested in her curry, too, bringing up someone who enjoyed tomato juice every day... There's one person Rikka can think of who fits that description, which is only confirmed when Kaname says she might know her.

"Yeah, I think I might... I'm a little surprised you do, though." Rikka replies. "That's quite the coincidence, huh?"

What probably isn't a coincidence is the fact that Rikka settled on tomato curry specifically, but she's not about to say that out loud.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

Sweep, sweep.
Sweep, sweep.

Rei keeps moving. The dirt is migrating away from the paths; the way is looking clear. She glances, once in a while, when she stops - every thirty or forty sweeps - to wipe her forehead. There is an awful lot of courtyard, after all, though spaces both large and small aren't unfamiliar to her.

She can hear splashing with the faint scent of soap from the main body of the shrine. Rei's eyes turn towards Shinji, quietly, as she shares her wisdom:

"It's hot."

After this, though, they are near the statue - the centerpiece of the courtyard. The strange bird. A kaiju, or something else? Perhaps it is a god; perhaps the kaiju and the gods are the same thing. THe Second is paying homage in her unique and distinctive way.

And she brings something else unique and distinctive to the conversation.

Rei blinks. She looks at her clothing. First in front, then behind, as if looking for damage she had not detected directly. "... Boutique?" she says, but it's quiet enough that Shinji gets the unique experience of being the only one to hear it (unless other people come into the immediate area.)

After this Rei's attention returns to Shinji; her grip on the broom seems somewhat tighter, less relaxed.

"... It's nearly done," Rei says, looking towards the shrine's entrance, which not quite coincidentally points towards the curry kitchen.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

As she's been going back and forth, Kallen's been learning first-hand about some of the trials of trying to lead people in a task. It's not THAT bad though... she can think of a friend or two of her brother's who are so much worse. As she's going in-between on one of her swaps, she throws a smile and wave in Milly's direction. She's so much less anxious right now, in this setting. She feels... practically at home here.

Whenever she's out dealing with tatami beating, she tries to explain the important of proper care to Mana. After all, Kallen being Britannian herself, surely people would listen to her experience, right? Well... honestly she has no idea how well it might work out. Still. It's an attempt that's being made. Including some information on the making and importance of the mats. "Some problems just... can't really be dealt with technologically. At least not with what we have presently. Even putting that aside, there's meaning in the work itself, since..."

An explanation is mercifully cut short as Gemini takes to the air. Not that it was long-winded or droning... just passionate. This sort of culture seems to be something especially important to her, like a dam lacking a release valve, finally exploding.

Still, when she hears a scream, she makes her best attempt at running to catch Gemini, but... As she wasn't directly in the same room, even her reflexes aren't THAT fast. So she only arrives after the poor girl hits the ground. Still, she'll help get her back up onto her feet. Or lift her, if she twisted an ankle. "Sit and rest for a bit... what happened exactly? Did you slip, or...?"

<Pose Tracker> Mana has posed.

Mana does not consider that serious complaining. It's more that she's now trying to figure out how to build a machine for that in her head... it gives her something to do that isn't just physical labour. Mana works hard regularly, but dealing with cleaning out a traditional locale is not something she enjoys, not by traditional methods.

But she *did* get told to act at least a little more normal. Please. Learn how actual school works.

"It just seems kind of old-fashioned," Mana replies to Kallen - which isn't preventing her from actually *doing* the work, granted. "Just because we don't have it now doesn't mean we can't work on it! But it does have to be clean until then," she allows. "As long as the whole trip's not work. I thought this was a festival and I *know* that's not what the whole festival is about!" Mana understands intensity, but this just isn't what she's intense or passionate about. Ask her about something else. Really.

Which means she seems somewhat distracted, because mat cleaning doesn't actually take a whole lot of brainpower. And she doesn't spot Gemini going down until she's already gone, the clatter of a falling mop drawing her attention immediately.

"Oh no! Are you all right over there? I'm about done with the mats, so it's just waiting." Mana doesn't think Gemini looks particularly hurt from her fall (Mana falls out of things pretty regularly and she's used to judging impacts) and Kallen is checking her ankle, just to be sure. So Mana picks up the mop... looks at it for about five seconds...

...and scrubs the Gemini-shaped spot on the ground.

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Alouette had given Rikka a nod, and Kaworu a smile, the most assurance she was able to offer when he requested she don't push herself. Doing anything else, is alien to her if we're being honest. It requires being forcibly sequestered to her quarters at a minimum to keep Alouette from doing anything, when she has her mobility.

        When her cleaning allows and she catches glimpse of the other attendees, the other Eva pilots in particular, Alouette lights up, greaating them.

        "I'm so glad you could come, and that you are here. It, feels pleasant."

        "Hello, I'm Alouette Kaas. Welcome to the Mountain and Shrine. I'm honored to meet you."

        Alouette is second to check on Gemini, and stands by for additional help if needed. But seeing none is needed, and not wanting to create a situation of embarassment, she merely stands by until Gemini seems recovered, and moves on from the accident. But not before she notices the conversation between Mana and Kallen.

        "What do you mean, about the cleaning, and old fashion?"

        Alouette, Britannian Lt. Colonel among the Eva Pilots, is ignorant to many of the idiosyncracies of being Brittanian. If they choose to explain, Alouette si a willing listener.

        Having exhausted the locale's supply of high horizontals, Alouette returns to the kitchen to check if there is more to be done. It's not that she enjoys the work, the cleaning. But there is a piece of her, some, thing, that is content in the service aspect. Some part of her mind or conditioning that appreciates the simplicity of menial tasks, obedience, completing task after task, seeking simple praise and approval for it.

        Another part, rages against it completely. That part of her though, is quieter. Like it is caged, and locked away. Clinically secured for observation and testing in some lab. Nothing to worry about, or bother.

        Well done Alouette. Find another task. Be nice. Personable. Make others happy. Thats a good girl.

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Flustered as if he'd been caught slacking, Shinji's spine straightens with nearly a snap as Kaworu looks his way. He smiles nervously, his wave equally awkward, before returning back to his work. It's not a moment later that he gives in to the temptation to glance back up again, watching Kaworu and wondering what kind of curry he's putting together. It occurs to Shinji he's not familiar with any of Kaworu's favorite foods or flavors. It's almost September. There won't be a lot more time to figure it out, and even less time to do it without being obvious.

One would think that a day of cleaning would be a day without causalities, but one (Shinji, specifically) would be wrong! He startles at the apparent fall, and starts to head in that direction before noticing plenty of other people are already crowding the situation. "Is everything okay...?" he calls feebly.

But fatigue from both cleaning and the summer heat mean Shinji begins to wilt. He pauses his raking, leaning his weight against it more than he knows he should -- just for a moment...! -- before Rei bestows upon him important Ayanami knowledge.

"It is hot," he agrees, dismal and defeated with an extra slump. He frowns at her in concern, nevermind she looks no worse off than he does. His shirt is getting uncomfortably clingy against his skin... "Are you all right, Ayanami? Maybe we should --"

Asuka abruptly begins an entirely new conversation with Rei, and Shinji zips his attention onto her with mild alarm. Sadly, one of Shinji's weaknesses is being too cowardly to speak out against whatever insults Asuka is trying to throw. Asuka's... just like that... And Alloutte is already intercepting with a refreshment. Maybe that will help...?

He looks back to Rei. "...Do you need help finishing up, Ayanami?"

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Asuka rolls her eyes upon seeing Rei less than responsive... how unsurprising. It's not even worth trying to goad her most of the time.

Turning back to the task at hand, she keeps on scrubbing the Kaiju statue, well aware of the irony of someone trained to kill Kaiju now cleaning up a statue that worships one as a local god.

That she's putting so much sweat into prettying up right now.

Scrub Scrub
Scrub Scrub

A water bottle is thrust up her way by Alouette, and the scrubbing doesn't stop, though her eyes slide down to it. "Can handle it on my own." She says brusquely, because she has her pride - no matter how much she hates the task. However, her hand reaches down and grabs the bottle of water, before it can be retracted. There's no thank you given for it.

"If you wanted to go fill another tub for rinsing it once I'm done scrubbing, wouldn't say no. Just means fewer trips back and forth."

Propping the brush up, she unscrews the bottle of water, and takes a drink... before screwing it back up, putting it haphazardly in the pocket of her denim shorts, and continuing at her scrubbing work without saying anything else.

<Pose Tracker> Gemini Sunrise has posed.

Gemini chuckles as Kallen and Mana check up on her, the cowgirl clearly retaining a spring in her step and having remained alright.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Think I jus' slipped on some water. Happens all th' time!"

She sits down by the front of the shrine and gently pats at her back, trying in vain to dry her clothes off. She figured she was about done for the day after that little tumble anyway. Taking the time to rest, she looked around the shrine grounds at all the other students working. It felt weird for her to be spending time with people her own age. She had usually been by herself or with Master Mifune on the Texas Colony, and once she got to Neo-America, she was mostly surrounded by rich adults. Even most of the members of the Revue were older than she was. Even though she had barely even started attending Jindai before summer vacation came, she was still finding a sense of belonging she hadn't really found anywhere else. A smile crosses her face before...

A growl comes from her stomach. Cleaning was hungry work, and the fact that she could smell the food from the kitchen certainly wasn't helping things. "Y'all think the grub'll be ready soon?"

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sagara is otherwise not provably fond of food in general, but he doesn't protest to the claim of liking things.

For his own part, Sousuke...mostly just does his work diligently. He's worked under Melissa 'Full Metal Jacket is a great movie' Mao, so he knows that tarrying TOO much will end with doing hundreds of situps in the tropical heat. (that's not what will happen) (but he thinks it and that's useful.)

His partner in Tall Cleaning, Aloeutte, mostly receives a few looks of acknowledgment to make sure all the work is happening. Gemini's fall sees him look down from his perch. "Is everything well?"

Yes, apparently. His eyes scan up, spotting Kallen and Mana coming over to check as well, nodding to each. "Situation appears nominal," he reports.

<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.

"Ah~ the scent of honest labor!"

Mari Makinami Illustrious is here. Mari Makinami Illustrious has always been here. Didn't you know? She was just over at not here so maybe that's why she went unnoticed.

But the facts are, Mari Makinami Illustrious is here, and always has been,

immediately behind Shinji Ikari as she makes her chirping declaration.

Dressed in a pastel rainbow-plaid button-up, daisy dukes and a pair of pink sneakers that -looked- as cute as they did expensive before dirt got its sinister hands on them, Mari certainly -looks- like she's been working. Her reddish brown hair, done up in a loose bun to keep it out of her eyes, is damp with sweat, much like her heat-flushed cheeks. There are little smudges of dirt here and there on her clothes and her (~<3 otherwise pristine <3~) skin, and she's holding what looks like a well-used broom horizontal across her shoulders, tucked against the nooks of her elbows.

Where did she come from? Where was she cleaning, exactly? Both fine questions!

But the only answer is that she has been, somewhere.

And that somehow, despite the dirt and sweat and obvious exertion, Mari is still ~* sparkling *~.

She takes in the air, takes in the smell, takes in the sights (offering a little thumbs up to Asuka so hard at work and Alouette so eager to help!) and sighs before, with sudden verve, she unlodges that broom, spins it about, and rests it on her right shoulder, freeing her other hand to pat Shinji's own shoulder as she saunters past.

"'The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.' Take these words to heart, young pup~!" she proclaims with encouraging airiness, before she meanders her way kitchen-wards. After all, she's been working very hard.

Somewhere.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        It's far from Kaworu's intent to make Shinji feel like he's been caught doing something bad. When his fellow Child turns away, only to look back again, he'll find Kaworu still watching him, his crooked smile faint but no less fond. This time he waves back, laughs silently as Mari Maris her way into Shinji's personal space, and then returns his attention to his pot of curry.
        
        The research he's done based on the materials Shinji's recommended to him in the past state that one should taste one's cooking as one goes. Kaworu picks up a small, round dish and, after one last stir, brings up some of what he's made into the dish and tastes from there. The roux is thick and creamy, and the beans mash well between his teeth; the garlic and spices enhance the flavors and make the most of the onions, tomatoes, and potatoes. Yes, it seems quite acceptable.
        
        (It'll be quite acceptable to the others, too. It's a dish prepared recipe-perfect, but also prepared by someone for whom eating is optional. Whether technical prowess is enough to win this competition is yet to be seen.)
        
        "Hmm?" Leisurely stirring his pot, Kaworu looks over at Milly as she leans in to whisper about what she's observed about his enrollment history. He doesn't so much as bat an eyelash, nor does his smile abate. "Oh, you noticed that, did you?" he whispers back. "Yes, you could say that the circumstances are just that complicated. You have a rather sharp eye, but I'm curious; what prompted you to go over the rosters for two different grades at two different schools?"
        
        Kaname comments on someone who used to drink tomato juice all the time last year at Jindai. Kaworu glances at her again, but this time with a neutral expression, especially as she goes quiet and admits Rikka might know her. From Kaname, he meets Rikka's eyes. They probably both know her, don't they...
        
        He doesn't comment on the fact that Rikka chose to make a tomato-based curry. There's tomatoes in his curry too, after all. He does wonder if it would make Akane a little happy to know, though. How is she doing in her lonely city...?
        
        He then wonders of Rikka, "Where did you get your recipe from?"
BBSYS: Post 214, 'AAR: Gridman Attack on Central Dogma' has been published to NERV by Liam 7-020.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

"... I don't know how to put it," Rei answers Shinji, not really looking at him. Her fingers are tight around the broom.

She looks over her shoulder again.

"... This is an unfamiliar feeling. I had not thought--"

Rei sees a new shadow on the ground behind her. Her head turning around gradually, Rei lifts her kerchief-anointed head to look at the glittering, all but sparkling arrival of the Illustrious Mari. Rei blinks several times at her. Her head tilts a few degrees to the side. After this, Mari departs, and Rei seems to be standing up a little straighter and not miserably death-gripping a broom handle afterwards.

"Then," Rei says, "it's you, too?" to Shinji.

Her head turns to look towards the towering form of Alouette Kaas, who has come up to antagonize the Second. Well, not actually antagonize, of course; but to provide her with an issue other than harrying Rei about her clothing. Rei quietly raises a hand and, after a second, waves it.

Back to Shinji, who is just winning the lottery with a jackpot in number of words Rei Ayanami has spoken directly to someone. "Which shop is a boutique?" she asks him, quiet-even-for-her.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname nods a bit to Rikka. "Yeah. ...honestly, I kinda looked up to her." Her head snaps up as she hears Gemini falling, but once the Neo-American girl confirms she's okay, she looks back to her pot, stirring dilligently and giving it a brief taste before adding another generous pinch of powder. "Back then, she was..."

She looks over at Rikka. "... Maybe we can talk about this another time. Not really the best stuff for kitchen conversation, huh?" she smiles, digging down into her pot to cycle some new things toward the bottom. She moves over toward Kaworu after a moment, peeking at his curry. "So what've you got going on, Kaworu-san?" she smiles at him.

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

Milly could be a much higher-pressure presence here -- but this isn't the event for that. (The pageant, now... that might be fussworthy. But here? Milly is very content to be glue.) "Good. If your transit situation gets weird," she says to Rikka, "don't hesitate to reach out. I'm starting to reach 'first name basis' with most of the people who work at the visa office."

Milly's thoughts drift for a moment. Decent career path...? There's a lot of good she could do making sure that office isn't staffed by Blue Cosmos hardliners. It sticks in her head for a few moments. She's going to be over-credits no matter what... maybe she could look at some bureaucratic skills a bit.

Back to checking on several pots of rice and making casual conversation. "Does he, now. Does he love it enough that you can bribe him with it...? Because we might need a way to distract him from using that ladder to erect another guard tower eventually."

Kaworu asks Milly an interesting counter-question, and Milly takes a moment to assess his response. It's clear he's not hiding it; he's more worried about her motives than about being found out. "Submissions to the visa office," she answers; she sees no reason to lie. "With the change in Tsutsujidai's..." a strained laugh, "... situation, I had to resubmit a lot of forms. I needed a complete roster for a few of them! Anyway, I was mostly just curious."

... There's the mischief. "I can't have you using GUTS events to two-time on someone, Kaworu-kun~" she teases, giving him a small hip-bump.

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Alouette gives a thumbs up to Sosuke after Gemini falls and is checked on. There seems to be more to do, even if they ran out of the high spots.

        "If you wanted to go fill another tub for rinsing it once I'm done scrubbing, wouldn't say no. Just means fewer trips back and forth."

        Alouette was smiling from Asuka accepting the water bottle. She had responded as Alouette had expected would be the most probable response. Still, Asuka had given her a small allowance, and she would gratefully accept that.

        "Yes Asuka."

        Her affirmation is short and clear, and without pause Alouette leaves to go get another tub, and bring it back with water. The distance is irrelevant. The weight pulls at injuries regardless, and Alouette ignores them the same. She can't bring a smile during the effort, but she hides everything else about the pain that she can. She is unaware of how long it takes her to do it, but the wash tub is delivered in a timely manner.

        "The washtub Asuka. Is there more that would aid your effort?"

        Mari's arrival is as always, an affair. If there were anything that could be evidence to 'living in the matrix' because 'there's a glitch in the matrix' It's prety much everything Mari does. Her arrival and demonstration now is no exception. It leaves her mouth slightly agape and completely confounded. It defies all understanding of reality that ALouette knows. She doesn't have a problem with that, it's just, stupefying.

        Alouette blushes watching Mari. She turns her attention back to Asuka, which only causes her to blush more. A crimson flush from her collar bones to her cheeks. One that looking closesly, appears in a tight hex pattern under her skin. Alouette feels the burning, maybe too late to look away from anyone, and stare at the bucket.

        Do something. Say something. No one is noticing. No one is paying attention. Alouette's mind races at high speed trying to deal with the feeling. She turns to Rei and Shinji and their discussion still.

        "Shop... clothes. I can... Ayanami... Shinji too... I'll show you, If you, um... If you like."

        That was the worst attempt at offering help ever. What is wrong with her?

        "Uh, I mean... after after the today, the things, not now. I could show you the shops, sometime, if you like."

        Alouette only blushes more in embarassment. She tries to gain composure, looking around to see if Milly, Kaworu, Rikka, Gemini, Sosuke, Kallen, Kaname, or Mana, are witnesses too.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

Kaname looks back at Milly. "Well, maybe. Trust me, he won't be doing *that* again... can't guarantee he won't do something *else* that stupid, though. We'll see." She gives Sousuke a sidelong glare.

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Shinji is caught twice. His cheeks are reddening now, and not from the heat.

Now Mari is here and here is behind Shinji. An electric chill crawls up Shinji and makes him jump before freezing. How?! He watches her as if expecting Mari to, well, do some Mari-ing, unwilling to drop his guard until she seems sufficiently occupied with something -- or someone -- else.

"... Right. Of course," Shinji responds dryly, his shoulders not releasing their tension until she's sauntered well on past. Then he mutters to himself, pawing at his own head as if he actually expected to find dog ears: "Why does she always call me that...?"

Once the threat is gone, Rei's words come back to him. An unfamiliar feeling...? Has Rei never been hot before? Or know what overheating is...? It's good that everything's almost finished, but maybe he should take her somewhere to sit --

Which shop is a boutique?

Stunned, Shinji blinks back. His mouth opens, but it takes several more seconds for him to realize he has no answer. A boutique is a shop, but what makes a shop a boutique...?? "... I... don't know." When Alouette makes her offer, Shinji -- keeping his voice quiet because Rei started it -- turns to her: "Um. Do you know which shop is a boutique, Kaas?"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I hope I won't need it, but..." Rikka replies with a nod toward Milly. She means it, too. There's no telling how Tsutsujidai's situation is going to change in the future - she might be able to get around easily enough now, but that isn't guaranteed to be true forever. She might end up having to rely on Milly's kindness and connections before long.

Kaworu and Rikka's eyes meet, and it's clear they're thinking along the same lines. She looks back toward Kaname, then. She looked up to her...

...But, Kaname has a point, this probably isn't the best kitchen conversation.

"Yeah, you're probably right... I'd like to hear about her sometime, though." Rikka replies with a nod.

It's a reminder to get back to her own curry, which she works on diligently - mixing in some of the ingredients.

She looks up toward Kaworu, then.

"Oh, uh... I just found it on the internet." She admits. Which must mean she deliberately went looking for one... "I had to make a few substitutions on the ingredients, though, since we didn't quite have everything they asked for here. I think it should still turn out okay, though. It still tastes right."

Kaname asks about Kaworu's curry, though, so Rikka leans over to take a look, too.

"Oh yeah, that's a good question... What are you working on?" She asks, interested. "And how about you, Chidori, what did you decide?"

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Kallen has a few thoughts on the situation, as people gather. First on that list. "What do you mean it happens all the time? And... hmm. Judging by the smell? It shouldn't take too much longer." She's glad this Gemini girl is okay. She herself might not be of a particularly notable station like Milly or Kaname, and she might sometimes have conflicting interests with people here, but she still doesn't want anyone getting hurt.

Second, something sounds off about one of the girls who dropped in to check on things, miss Kaas. But beyond just that feeling from listening, she lacks any context to understand why that is. Still, at least she's picking up on... something. And with two parties at least somewhat engaged in relevant talk, she can shift gears a bit. "No, the whole festival isn't this, don't worry. It's mostly actual celebration and contests being hosted for fun, though... hmm. We might be using this shrine's grounds for something on another night? I seem to recall something about particularly beautiful stargazing opportunities in these kinds of locations. Something about romance, though THAT part might have just been students planning... mischief." A part of her is tempted to ask Mana to explain her ideas. And while she considers it might be a bit much... well, what can it hurt, right? "Seems like you have ideas for making the whole process faster. Planning toward a mechanical field in the near-future?"

Conversation drifts and skips around over time of course. And before she knows it, things have tapered off and the tatami are all finished, with nothing left to do but wait on drying.

<Pose Tracker> Sousuke Sagara has posed.

Sousuke receives from Alouette clear and direct instructions and by golly you'd think you gave him a steak. "Understood," he says, and clambers down.

In and out with the water, back up for patting down...helping mop up the floors...it's a lot of physical work but it's the sort of facility maintenance that sometimes you end up stuck with in a life like his. Besides: Cleaning is part of a trash monitor's duty.

He makes no promises that he will cause no problems. It's one of his charm points.

Blowing up the shoe lockers, that is.

<Pose Tracker> Mana has posed.

Mana has never met Alloy and has no idea what is 'normal' for her. Nor has she spoken to Shinji or Rei before. Though she did notice the blush, don't think she didn't; Mana doesn't have terribly good social graces, but in her that manifests as limited acknowledgement of boundaries (and sometimes appropriateness) and she was about to say something.

Fortunately, Kallen distracts her at just the right moment so she doesn't get into that. "What do you mean, the near future? I'm already a mechanic!" Mana draws herself up to her full height (she's pretty tall, actually) and jabs a thumb toward her chest. "I'm Mana! Mechanic and Vulture!" That means 'scrapper' and 'salvager' and a bunch of other things, though in kind of a derogatory fashion - not that Mana has ever shied away from the title. "Right now I go to Jindai, though."

She offers her hand to Kallen to shake. "Put 'er there!" Well, she certainly perked right up.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Kaworu continues not to comment on Kaname and Rikka's conversation. It isn't really his place... and if he wanted to know more about Akane's past, he could ask Shinji. He does listen, though, even as his eyes return to (who else) Shinji and the others. Alouette seems to be trying to strike up a conversation with him and Rei... and it looks like she's brought over a tub of water for Asuka. Kaworu's smile thins out at that last observation, but...
        
        Alouette jerks her head around nervously. When she looks his way, his smile has returned, and he gives her a little wave too. He might have been watching, but he's not judging.
        
        Rikka's answer makes him hum with interest. So she sought out a recipe that Akane would like, hmm... "I look forward to trying it," he replies.
        
        Then as Kaname peeks into his pot and Rikka leans over to follow suit, Kaworu steps to one side to give them room. "An Indian-style black bean curry. It's made with cream," he replies, absolutely unconcerned with the fact that these are his competitors. "I've taken an interest in curry recently, and it seemed like it would be an interesting recipe to try for today." He glances over at Rikka and adds, "Actually, she was the one who first taught me how to make curry."
        
        Milly explains her interest. Kaworu listens and assesses. That certainly makes sense. "Curiosity is the root of Lilim behavior, after all," he replies, which may or may not make sense.
        
        He does laugh quietly when Milly hip-bumps and teases him, though. "I would never. I know who's first in my heart," he replies with good-humored dead seriousness. His gaze turns fondly once again to Shinji, whose gaze he would be pleased to meet any number of times. (Maybe it's Shinji who's been catching him.) Then he smiles at Milly anew. "But some things simply can't be left alone or ignored."

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

'Yes Asuka.' That kind of deference would usually make her snap, but she saw the smile. So she decides to accept the effort.

Asuka just continues to scrub the statue while she's gone getting the tube. And when the tub is dragged back...

"Nah that works just fine." She says to Alouette, without looking away from the portion of Litra's wing she's currently working on. "Don't need anything else."

Mari has always been here.

Asuka just glances to the side, then double takes as Mari is just THERE behind Shinji. As she finds herself just staring at her for a while and her dumb perfect complexion and great fashion sense and for some reason the way Shinji and her interact...

... the thumbs up snaps her out of that thought, as she can't be caught looking, even though she was.

'happiness living within that environment.'

SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB...

Was that crack always there? Asuka does not comment.

However, she does overhear a snippet of conversation, and suddenly her head just snaps sideways - as she looks at the three of them, then stares right at Rei, "You really needed her to tell you? Commander's Pet - we took you to one! Right before going to Tsutsujidai! You bought the outfit you're wearing right now at one!!!" Pause, Asuka stares at her with an irritated expression. Then turns back to what she's doing, "... Why do I even bother?"

Mysteriously Shinji and Alouette somehow escape her wrath on this one.

<Pose Tracker> Gemini Sunrise has posed.

Gemini decides she ought to introduce herself as well. "Gemini Sunrise's the name! I live on Neo-America, but I'm also at Jindai!" She holds out her hand on the other side of Kallen.

<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.

Twirling about on her heel, Mari walks backwards towards the curry cooking-in-progress to offer Rei a little wink and a smile. It's strangely supportive.

Whether this is encouraging or unsettling is wholly in the eye of the beholder, like all art.

And so, committed to this path, Mari continues her backwards walk until she's reached the edge of that portable kitchen. Thereupon, the bespectacled girl spins about, broom now clasped behind her back and bristles bumping the heels of her sneakers as she leans in to scoop out the situation.

"Now what have we got here," wonders Mari, head craned but distance from the curry respectable.

Mari Makinami. Respect for personal space: none.

Respect for food preparation space: high.

It's fairly reasonable, to her.

"Ooo, looks like we've got a stiff competition. Fabulous max~" coos Makinami, grin aglow with the effusiveness of her praise. Blue eyes tilt Kaworu's way.

"Trying your hand at the fierce and illuminating world of cuisine, eh, Tabby Cat?" For some reason, she looks pleased about this fact.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

Shinji doesn't know what a boutique is either.

This does teach Rei something, if rather conditionally. Shinji does not recognize the term or does not have it close to hand; so it is a place for -- people who are not like Shinji.

That's got a lot of options, though Rei has seen enough underwear to estimate that the gender dichotomy is the likely one. Considering this, she turns her head to look back towards the flushing (heat stroke? embarrassment? did something embarrassing happen? is it my clothing? All these Rei considers in a twinkle of internal thought.)

"Yes," she answers Alouette with a nod, which leads her eyes to rest momentarily on Mana, enough to recall her later perhaps. Then back to Shinji, who is not only asking the obvious question but is taking the lead on it. Admirable, perhaps.

Rei sweeps some more dust off the path. "... I think hunger is making it hard to think."

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Kallen's not met too many Vultures before. One or two... mostly during her time in the arenas though. Still, she's familiar with the term. And with two people introducing themselves at the same time, she winds up holding out both her hands, to return the gesture to them both. "Kallen Stadtfeld, Ashford Student Council and... semi-frequent liason between GUTS schools. I know more than a few people who would adore talking to you, Mana. And... huh, the Neo-America colony? What brought planetside?" She can't help a little chuckle to herself, simply because of how that colony so angers so many Britannians. "Nice meeting you both." She'll have to set something up. Maybe a meeting with this girl could help get Nina out of her shell. Or it could explode disastrously, but better to take the chance, right? Alternatively... There have been some plans to get Rakshata into a position as a transfer teacher at Ashford. THAT might be interesting...

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

"Well, we've got a lot of festival left to go," Milly teases Kaname. "I'm counting on you to wrangle him, because if I have to there's never going to be any rice." She checks up on a few more pots. Drain, transfer. It's pretty rote -- just time-consuming.

She gives Rikka a little more space to talk -- though she is curious about Rikka's curry. "Substitutions are hard. To tell you the truth, I don't have the knack. ... most of the rest of the Student Council does, though."

Kaworu says he'd never two-time, and that brings a smile to Milly's face. "That's a pretty serious face you've got... whatever you have going on must be important." Her tone gentles a bit as she tracks Kaworu's gaze. "If you need date spots, just let me know~"

<Pose Tracker> Gemini Sunrise has posed.

"Heh, well, most of the schools on the colony are fancy hoity-toity private schools, and I knew someone who had contacts with GUTS, so we arranged a bit of an...exchange student situation!" Gemini answers in a way that's technically true, while sidestepping the fact that said someone was Dr. Sayla Mass of the Shuffle Alliance. "An' ta tell ya th' truth, I've always wanted to see Japan!"

Gemini unties the kerchief from her head and uses it to dab sweat off of her brow. Even though the people of the Neo colonies considered themselves Earthnoids, Gemini had grown up on the Sides and considered herself a Spacenoid at heart, and she certainly wasn't used to the muggy summer climate of Earth. "Shoot, sure gets hot down here, though! Up on Neo-America, it feels like even the streets are air-conditioned!"

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Alouette only has a moment before Mari is engaged with the curry details.

        "Mari Makinami Illustrious. It brings pleasing feelings to have your, company."

        Her voice is a bit meek, she is never sure what to say to Mari, not too unlike Asuka. The older woman has such a force of personality it can be like a crushing wave. and her voice trails off as she looks down when Mari passes by.

        Alouette only blushes harder at the admonishment in comment from Asuka, thankful that with Asuka behind her she can't see it. But as she speaks to Rei and Shinji, they can.

        "I, yes I know the shop boutique. I was surprised that such shops do not sell bows however. Asuka says you got your current clothes at a boutique. Instead of a bow shop, it seems to mean, a small shop, somewhat specialized or picky in it's inventory."

        Alouette reagards Rei, contemplating what she said. As she concentrates on this, and her expressed hunger, her embarassment, and other matters driving the flush under her skin fade.

        "Let me find you something to eat Ayanami. I will return promptly.

        Alouette would give a reassuring squeeze of her hand, but that isn't a gesture she has the liberty to make habit of. So instead she offers a smile, and walks toward the cooking area, with Kaworu, Rikka, Milly and anyone else.

        "Please excuse me, and forgive my interruption. Could I have, something vegetarian to bring to Rei? Something small, to hold her over until things are ready? Maybe something I could give to Shinji, and... Asuka as well?"

        Alouette patiently but earnestly asks of Kaworu, hoping not to be a bother, but also to help her friends.

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Asuka has a lot to say about boutiques and if Rei's been to one, but that still doesn't explain which kind of shop is a boutique...! And he's definitely too afraid to ask Asuka.

Alouette, thankfully, explains. Shinji looks back at her a while, then to Rei, then back again, slow to follow the logic to its defintion. A boutique is a shop that does not sell bows. But it does sell clothes, as long as those clothes aren't bows. A small, specialized shop. For clothes. Presumably.

"...Got it," Shinji says, with far too much uncertainty in his voice.

Rei's face flushes, and Shinji bristles with worry. He drops his rake, scrambles to catch it before it falls, and sets it against something more sanely. He nods to Alouette as she leaves to get Rei something to eat. "We might meet you inside...?"

Because... "Ayanami... You're not used to the heat, right? Let's sit down, out of the sun," he says more gently, trying to lead the way and checking to see if she intends to follow.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Glad to hear it. And I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone thinks of it." Rikka replies. That's largely why she decided to try it out here, of all places - she figures if anyone will give her an honest opinion about the taste, it'll be a group of hungry school kids. The fact that there's a competition thrown in on top of it just means she'll get a more exact answer.

Kaworu explains, then, what he's working on - an Indian-style black bean curry, made with cream... Rikka looks on, impressed.

"Wow, that sounds nice." She says. "Nice to know I'm not the only one trying something new, too."

She pauses, though, as he explains that she was the one who taught him how to make curry - meaning, she assumes, Akane.

"That..." She starts. She's surprised at first, but, after thinking about... "...Actually, I can definitely see her doing that."

She does seem to like feeding people. Teaching someone how to cook for themselves is a very similar thing.

It's about this time that Mari appears. Rikka looks up, giving her a brief wave of greeting.

"Well, we're all doing our best at any rate..." She comments... before glancing over toward 'Tabby Cat'. Fortunately, Kaworu has already explained to her what this means.

She looks back toward Milly, then. She nods sympathetically.

"Yeah, it's the kind of thing you have to just kind of... suck at for a while until you start figuring out what can stand in for what." Rikka replies. "I've been cooking since I was pretty young, so... I've had a lot of time to figure it out. I have a good teacher, at least."

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

Gemini's answer brightens up Kallen's face. Significantly. Someone who wants to learn about Japan? Oh, she's come to the right place. "What would you like to learn? I know it's not... typically Britannian, but I know a good bit about traditional Japanese ceremonies and the like. Perhaps I could recommend specific places you can visit too. Well-cared for shrines, for example. I know a few that regularly tell their related legends to visitors."

Even if she can't come out and talk about certain things. Pointing interested people in the right directions to learn, that's the least she can do. "I can't do much about the heat, besides helping you to the shade so we can sit and talk, while you drink some water." But really, that's still a good amount, isn't it? A distraction so she's not thinking about the heat, means she won't feel it quite so much.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        Mari approaches and, to Kaworu's very mild surprise, doesn't drape all over someone to get a look at the pots simmering with each individual curry. He turns his smile to her. "Yes," he replies, quite simply. "Shinji encouraged me to learn more about nutrition some time ago, and curry is such a broad and versatile dish--so different depending where in the world you are. I thought it would be an intriguing way of learning more about Lilim."
        
        Rikka's comments get her a broad smile of her own. "Thank you. It's exciting to try new things, isn't it?" His smile softens at her initial surprise. "Yes. It's very much her form of kindness."
        
        He dips his ladle into the pot, stirs a few more times, and takes another taste. A moment of reflection later, he looks over at his kitchen companions. "I believe I'm ready to serve, Rikka-san, Chidori-san, Miss Milly. If you all need more time, I'll take Mary and set up the seating."
        
        Either way, he'll turn the burner down to low and set a lid on his pot. It still needs to stay warm through mealtime, after all. Milly weighs in on his words, and Kaworu's gaze turns wistful for a moment. Then he shakes his head. "It is indeed important, but you misunderstand. We don't have that kind of relationship. Still, I appreciate the kindness of your intent."
        
        At that moment, Alouette comes over on Rei's behalf (and Shinji's, and Asuka's) to seek a snack. "Right now, all we have is curry and rice... Perhaps if anyone knows how to make 'rice balls'...?" He looks over at Chidori, Rikka, and Milly. Hopefully one of them knows how to make this eclectic yet ubiquitous snack, because Kaworu certainly does not. (It's a little more complicated than 'squeeze rice into a ball,' despite the name.)

<Pose Tracker> Asuka Shikinami Langley has posed.

Asuka tries to not to listen too hard to the conversation nearby anymore, it feels like's a microcosm of Tokyo-3 being such a fashion wasteland. Soon enough as everyone leaves the immediate area for food - or to escape the heat. "Tck." Asuka finds herself especially irritated at the pair trying to beat the heat - and simultaneously she finds herself finished with one side of the statue.

Dropping the brush in the bucket, she grabs the bottle of water and... just tosses it straight up with only a touch of backward momentum. And then she does a double backflip off the point of the ladder she's on, the two revolutions easy enough to miss unless one was looking at that exact moment. Sticking the landing, she reaches up, catches the water bottle as it descends - and jams it back into her pocket.

She's not really showing off, this just comes naturally to her, she's been doing gymnastics since... well, literally nearly the moment of her birth.

Grasping the ladder, she shifts it over to the other side of the statue, and pushes the tub over to the other side.

Then grabbing the brush, ascends, and starts on the other side.

Scrub Scrub
Scrub Scrub
Scrub Scrub

One Kensuke Aida, who did catch that, is mad he didn't have his camera rolling.

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

There's definitely something going on with the rest of the cooking contingent that Milly isn't aware of. She could press, and part of her is curious -- but honestly, she's getting a steady drip of interesting implicit gossip just from listening and taking notes in her head. She doesn't need to act to get more.

So instead, cooking. "I'm no slouch in the kitchen myself -- after the situation with our title changed," a faint euphemism for 'if anyone looked at us funny we'd fall out of the nobility's social circles in a hot second,' "I learned to cook a lot, but most of that's been on my own." Strictly speaking, the Ashfords are still wealthy enough to have staff -- but that gave Milly an appreciation for the possibility that wasn't a permanent arrangement.

When Kaworu says he doesn't have that kind of relationship, Milly's smile turns a little catlike. "Then I can give you the bigger list! I've got some spots that are friend-relationship-only... they have a tendency to lead to romances falling apart." Speaking of issuing prompts to get some interesting data...

It's at this point that she also loops back a bit and asks, "... Oh, and -- Lilim? I'm sorry, my Japanese isn't perfect." If they're going to do this on the school's dime, she might as well learn something.

<Pose Tracker> Gemini Sunrise has posed.

Gemini's face brightens up as well as her Japanophile Reactor goes into overdrive. "Well, butter my biscuits, you can tell me everythin'!" Oh, Master Mifune! If only you could see me now, in the motherland!

At the suggestion of moving into the shade, Gemini nods and heads over under a tree near the shrine, grabbing a bottle of water on her way and taking a big swig from it. "Nothin' like a hard day's work, phew." Of course, Gemini did this all the time at the theater, but she figured she wouldn't bring that up if nobody asked. Easier to keep her cover that way. She was still a pretty new member of the Little Lip Revue, and she really hadn't run into too many people planetside who recognized her, so best to just not mention it.

"The point of this is to give you at least something resembling a normal childhood, and it'll be hard to do that if people are hounding you for autographs, after all!"

...At least that's what Sunnyside had said.

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        Hearing that it was ready, whatever this curry is, seems fortuidous with regard to the needs of her comrades. Alouette looks around, but finds herself a bit lost.

        "Could I beg one of you to indulge me, in serving or preparing a portion for my friends, so I may deliver it to them?"

        There is a reserve in her tone, a guilt or, shame, or embarassment at her lack of knowledge and needing assistance at what seems a simple task. She tries to hide it behind a smile, but her stiffness may give it away.

        Her attention is pulled away by Asuka's gymnastic routine off the ladder. She pivots with a start in concern, and watches as she sticks the landing. Her heart begins to slow from its racing start, and she turns back to the cooks, suddenly aware of what she did, and avoids the eyes of anyone looking, hoping she'll avoid anymore embarassment and blushing.

        Alouette distracted and hoping she can just get some vegetarian food and get out of the kitchen and avoid embarassment, doesn't realize she is listening to the conversation between Kaworu and Milly, when Milly asks about Lilim.

        "The humans. Lilim. The ones we were made to protect." Alouette says it softly, under her breath. She wasn't part of the conversation and so it was more akin to, thinking out loud, while trying to figure out how to get food to the others. Alouette isn't completely aware she said it.

<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.

Before the Curry: 'It brings pleasing feelings to have your, company.'

"Aww. You know just what to say to send off this innocent maiden blushing!"

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mari is not blushing. The claim of innocence is dubious at best.

Upon the Curry: Mari detaches one hand from the sacred handle of her well-used (??) broom so that she may freely wiggle her fingers at Rikka, expression glowing.

"Ciao~" greets NERV's undesignated Child. "Don't worry; as long as you're putting your heart into it, it's going to taste amazing. Sentimental dishes are always my favorite."

Speaking of which -- Kaworu explains his motivations, and it inspires a cattish curl to Mari's lips.

Combined with Milly's, it becomes a dangerous twofold feline attack.

"Ufu," she voices.

"Smart choice. So! What have you learned about Lilim so far, Tabby Cat?"

Milly asks about Lilim. Mari looks perfectly ready to answer that herself, it seems -- but! Alouette appears, with a request. She looks along those gathered and, solemnly... she hands her loyal broom of many epic cleaning adventures Alouette's way.

Even if anyone else takes him up, Mari offers, her smile beatific: "I'll help!"

More hands means more snacks, after all. And Mari can be trusted with food preparation! Just look at that smile.

<Pose Tracker> Kaname Chidori has posed.

"It's my own blend," answers Kaname to the question of what sort of curry she's making. "It's supposed to be fairly sweet with a bit of heat to balance it out. I kinda cook a lot... usually end up with way too much, so I try to share. My friends' tastes are kinda all over the map, so the idea here is to have a curry everyone can enjoy, y'know?"

"I'd *like* to have beef, but that can be pretty expensive... chicken works really well with it, though, so that's what I've got instead." She watches it bubble a moment, and nods with confidence, turning the heat down so it can simmer. "Yeah, this should be ready," she nods, pulling a ladle up from under the table and dipping it into the sauce. She takes a little taste. "Mm. Yeah, perfect!" she nods.

Looking back up, she smiles at Mari. "I'd hope so! I'm pretty proud of my recipe~" She's about to say something else when Kaworu says something weird, and asks about rice balls. "That's not a Japanese word I've ever heard... but, uh, rice balls a are pretty easy. Just gotta get a bit of salt, like this..." She takes a bit of salt and spreads it over her palms, then handful of Milly's cooked rice and starts to press it together in her hands, shaping it into a ball. "Aaand... tada! Rice ball!" She holds it out demonstratively, smiling.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

Alouette explains Boutique. It means a small shop. Well, Rei thinks, that seems reasonable. The rest, though - there are missing elements. She nods wordlessly in probable gratitude to Alouette, watching her go for a moment. Then:

Rei looks towards Shinji. There is mild incomprehension - but -

- Well, he's not asking or suggesting much.

And it's hardly an unpleasant idea. "Yes," she says, a little breathlessly. She shifts the broom round, resting it over one shoulder in a surprisingly martial way (more from any other good idea on how to buck it around) while following after Shinji.

The passage is not quick enough for her to escape Asuka's immediate area instantly, although she is well on her way inside when she hears something clatter -- which makes her glance back in time to see the Second catch her own dropped water bottle with efficiency.

The splendor was missed, but she seems to be content with that.

As they get under shade, Rei realizes the pressure of the sunlight. She looks down at her hands, perhaps in memory of occasional sunburns, but they are not even really reddened. She takes a deep breath and lets it out, reaching up to untie the knot under her chin and shaking out her hair, which, other than being a little damp, is exactly the same as always.

Rei then looks at Gemini Sunrise.

Gemini Sunrise is an out of context problem for Rei. Rei is struggling a little with the concept of a clothing boutique, if grappling with internal logic to crest the issue. Gemini Sunrise is...

Is...

what would
the commander?
                the vice commander?
                the colonel?
                the administrator? dr. akagi
                                say in this moment

"Your Japanese is good," Rei says to Gemini.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka listens as Kaname explains what kind of curry it is. Her own blend - made so that everyone can enjoy it, despite her friends' differing tastes. She can't help but smile, at that.

"...That's a really sweet sentiment. I like that." Rikka replies.

And then, Kaworu.

"Yeah, it can be fun." She replies, of trying new things... and then smiles, at Kaworu's response. "...Yeah. It is."

Even if that kindness sometimes ends up being a little... uncomfortable. She never did eat anything, after Akane's declaration of war.

Rikka listens as Milly explains how she started to learn cooking. The situation with her family's title... She doesn't really know the situation with her family, but that explains a lot.

"That's good - cooking's an important skill for everyone to have." Rikka replies. "But, hey, let me know if you want some pointers sometime, I can teach you a few tricks you might not have figured out on your own."

It's at this point that Kaworu announces that he's ready to serve. Rikka nods, and takes a moment to test her own curry... before nodding again, this time confirming for herself.

"Yeah, I think I'm ready over here, too." She replies, taking a moment to adjust the heat to be more suitable for serving. But, Alouette requests food for her friends, and Rikka nods. Rice balls... Fortunately, Kaname's already on the case - and Mari offers to join in, too!

"I know how to make them, too - if we all pitch in, we'll have enough for everyone in no time." She says.

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

EVERYTHING might be a bit much to cover. Especially in one afternoon. Thankfully it doesn't have to all be a single afternoon. "Since that's a wide range of topics, how about first I give you my number?" But regardless of whether she accepts the phone contact or not, the conversation can resume easily. "Easiest to start with the topic you're most interested in. My specialty is shrine rituals, but by no means am I limited to that topic. So ask anything you like."

It's thus far a well-kept secret, where some of her specific hidden talents lie. Perhaps something likely to change in the near future.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

        It might be uncomfortable, but it's something Kaworu and Rikka have in common. Akane may not be his god, but they have a sort of bond all the same. He smiles back at her in silent understanding, before Kaname's talk of her blend pulls his interest back her way. "That sounds wonderful," he says warmly. "I'm looking forward to sampling yours, too, then."
        
        Milly meanwhile offers friend-date-spots, with the implication that they'd ruin a romance if a pair of lovebirds went there instead. Smile unfazed, Kaworu tells Milly with gentle force, "That's not necessary."
        
        He glances towards Alouette as she murmurs about Lilim; still, he doesn't remark on it, instead telling Milly and Kaname, "Oh, it's not a Japanese word."
        
        ...He doesn't explain what it means, but then, Alouette already said, didn't she?
        
        Alouette herself seems in a hurry to get food to the others. Kaworu considers her and Rikka, who says her curry is also ready, and Kaname, who quickly whips up a rice ball in demonstration. It's fascinating to watch in its simplicity, but he doesn't want to leave Alloy waiting for too long.
        
        "If you and I are both done, it seems like it would be faster to simply serve," he points out to Rikka. To Kaname, he says, "Thank you--I'll remember that for next time. If you could make just two more small ones for Alouette to bring to our classmates, I'll handle putting up the seating." He looks over his shoulder at Mari. "Mary, could you help me with that?"
        
        He'll move that way with or without her agreeing to help, though he has faith that she will. She already volunteered, even if it was technically for something else. The sooner everything is set up, the sooner everyone can have a full meal.
        
        Once it is just the two of them working on set-up, Kaworu remarks to Mari of what he's learned: "Lilim love spices. They'll shed an ocean of blood to attain them."
        
        ...He's not wrong.

<Pose Tracker> Gemini Sunrise has posed.

Gemini perks up and looks over to Rei. She must have been in the kitchen with the others. She still has her water bottle in her mouth, allowing the last of the water to drain into her gullet, taking a deep gulp and popping it from her lips. "Oh, uh, domo arigato! I had a lot of practice when I was a kid."

Her attention turns back to Kallen. "Oh yeah, let's swap numbers!" Gemini was so chuffed she thought she'd squeal! She's making a friend! Now, what to ask...Well, if Gemini can only ask about one thing, the answer is clear! "Well, to tell ya th' truth, what I'd most like ta know about..." She twiddles her fingers, hesitating a bit at how embarrassing this is going to sound. "...I wanna learn about samurai!"

<Pose Tracker> Shinji Ikari has posed.

Shinji glances back reflexively when Rei does, seeing Asuka pull off at least the tail end of her impressive stunt. He stares a little longer than he should before looking back where he's going. Miraculously, he doesn't walk into anything.

"How are you feeling?" Shinji asks Rei only once they're inside. He doesn't know a lot -- anything -- about Rei's personal history, he realizes. He wondered where she lived before this that so many things are unfamiliar and new to her. But then he thinks of the first moment he met her... when she was badly injured, being wheeled in to get inside a robot if he wouldn't. Shinji's not sure there's a lot Rei would want to talk about.

The indoors feels livelier with the chatter and closed quarters, which is saying something because the outdoors had Asuka and Mari in it. (This is an under reported danger of the outdoors in general.) (Mari is now indoors. No where is safe.)

"It sounds like it's almost time to eat..."

<Pose Tracker> Kallen Kozuki has posed.

...It would have to be samurai, wouldn't it? It couldn't be any other possible topic? Oh well. She'll take a deep breath, and power through. After swapping numbers. "That's a difficult topic these days. And one I don't suggest you ask about too casually, especially in public." Still, she promised, so she'll talk about them from a historical context. There are plenty ways to classify them and differentiate after all.

She's not chastising Gemini for her interest. After all, depending on the tale, there was plenty to admire about codes of conduct and loyalty, and adherence to the perfection of their school of technique. It's just that there are so many hardline nationalist groups. Especially the ones literally calling themselves samurai. Earnest and kind as Gemini seems to be, she'd hate to think the poor girl got cut down for displaying her interest in the presence of the wrong people.

<Pose Tracker> Milly Ashford has posed.

When Alouette remarks that they were 'made to protect' Lilim -- humans -- her brow furrows a bit. That's... something worth keeping an eye on. It's a little out of her depth, but that's fine -- she can poke at it later and see what jumps. These things aren't urgent, unless they are.

Kaname's curry draws an eye, though. "I'm really interested to see how that turns out -- when I try something like that, the flavor gets a little washed out... I usually end up aiming for spicy." As she moves to get the last of the rice ready to be served, her nose scrunches up and she admits, "That's probably why everyone insisted I handle the rice." Still -- it's a comfortable position for her.

"I think I'm a little sweatier than you want someone making rice balls to be, even with gloves on," she admits. "I know moisture's good for getting them to stick but that's probably not what they mean..." She finally finds a seat to slump into, just a bit overheated. "If you don't mind, I'm going to take a load off for a minute." Kaworu has enlisted plenty of people to serve, so... it's fine if she takes a second.

Her delicate, wavy curls flop forward a bit as she gets situated; this does a great job of hiding the confident smirk that crosses her face as Kaworu's tone gets more firm in its rejection. "Suit yourself," she says, content with today's round of data-mining.

<Pose Tracker> Alloy Kaas has posed.

        With everythings being ready Alouette had the experience of learning what 'Rice Balls' were and how to make them, as well as being able to take bowls of curry out for Rei, Shinji, and Asuka. Carefully she carried and balanced them to where they were to be seated. Alouette tries to wait until seats are taken to get food to each person, though in no particular order and without a word, just a smile.

        "Thank you, everyone, for... everything."

        Alouette glances around as she says it. It's soft, almost flat, but there's a soft smile pulled up at the corner of her lips. The pain is in her eyes, after doing much with her injuries. But her smile holds. Just an occasional short pained breath and her eyes tell.

<Pose Tracker> Mari Makinami Illustrious has posed.

The mystery of Lilim as well as her curiosity on what Kaworu's gleaned from his efforts so far, Mari commits herself to the culinary path. Miming rolling up her short sleeves with an equally resolved roll of her neck, the bespectacled student (?) flashes Rikka and Kaname a bright grin. "I guess we'll be partners in rice ball crime today! You have my sword."

She flashes a thumbs up Kaname's way for her swift rice ball work, before she, too, dives in. Shockingly, Mari is a very diligent cook, even if the process this time is a rather simple one. Like anything in life, the brunette throws herself into it without hesitation, salted palms rolling up a single bundle of rice with delicate and dexterous care.

She seems to take a bit more time with it than others might. Unfortunately, this means she only finishes one by the time obligation calls her elsewhere.

"Hum?" Mari wonders, wide curious eyes glancing Kaworu's way. The Evangelion pilot heaves a little sigh and sets down her finished rice ball. "I guess you don't have my sword after all! Sorry!"

Hands clapped together, head dipped, Mari offers a little, "Our collaboration was as enjoyable as it was brief~" to Rikka and Kaname before she wanders off to help Kaworu with the tables.

Behind her, amongst the collection of rice balls, is one that has been lovingly and expertly sculpted into a cute cat face.

<Pose Tracker> Gemini Sunrise has posed.

"Oh, sorry! I'll be more careful." Gemini realizes she's probably touched on a tricky subject. Mifune never told her about any of that...Oh well, she'd probably have to look into all of that later. She sees that the meal is about to be ready and picks herself up, heading over to the tables as she listens to Kallen's history lesson.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Yeah, you've got a point. Don't want to keep everyone waiting long." Rikka agrees after a moment of consideration. Dividing up their forces is good, but it's also good to know where to direct them. In this case, it seems like it'd be better to focus their attention on getting everyone fed. She nods her thanks to Mari for at least volunteering. "Yeah... Another time, though!"

So, while Mari and Kaworu get the seating ready, Rikka gets to work on assembling everyone's servings. And once the tables are ready... Rikka starts passing bowls.

She's curious to see what everyone thinks - how it tastes, and how hers measures up to Kaworu's and Kaname's... but ultimately what matters is that everyone gets to enjoy good food, and that they've had a good time while doing it.

<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.

Gemini demurs and cites a lot of practice when she was a kid. "I, too," Rei replies to her with a single nod.

She isn't deeply involved in that conversation. It's not as crowded as many places - and the serenity of the shabby (if now much less so) shrine is helping reduce the ambiance - but there are still people around. Most of whom, Rei does not know. Ikari is still with her, and she answers him with a look up, "Better."

She rubs her forearm, looking down and to the side. "..." Tension, but it isn't negative tension.

At which point -- Alouette shows, with her food. Rei accepts the rice ball and bowl of curry with a look of some gratitude, followed by some concern. "You should also rest," she tells Alouette, before eating the rice ball.

<Pose Tracker> Kaworu Nagisa has posed.

<poem>

       The curry is soon served up to all the attending students. It's delicious!! Even Kaworu's curry, a dish created by the least experienced hand (at this particular task), is a solid 'quite good.' Since there's no actual judge for this highly informal competition, everyone's opinion is sought as to the winner. Absolutely no one can agree on who the winner is, but with all this good food, how much does that matter?
       
       And so everyone will go home with full bellies and a sense of satisfaction over a job well done. ...that's the story, anyway. But the shrine does get fully cleaned, and the head priest is quite grateful for it. So maybe people will be satisfied over a job well done anyway.