2022-12-14: Knitting
- Cast: Yuta Hibiki, Rei Ayanami
- Where: Tsutsujidai
- Date: U.C. 0096 12 14
- Summary: Yuta Hibiki sleeps still. Rei comes to visit him and encounters a certain knitting samurai.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
After Eisen's scolding, Max made a concentrated effort to be seen eating. He even agreed to rotate positions with his comrades to give the hospital staff the impression that he's resting... Which isn't exactly what Eisen asked him to do, but it's progress.
And so, Calibur now sits beside Yuta's bedside. The lanky samurai has dragged in a stool from somewhere so he won't have to removed the swords at his back -- though he's armed with a different weapon, today. Twin steel knitting needles click and flash. Red yarn rests in Calibur's lap, as does the length of the scarf he's currently in the progress of creating.
A father's duty is to keep his children safe and warm.
Yuta looks rather the worse for wear, since Rei last saw him. A trio of tubes disappear into his mouth, helping him breathe safely. An IV drip trickles into his hand, and soft restraints hold his ankles and wrists. So he doesn't panic upon waking and hurt himself, Eisen had said, but Calibur still has a lingering feeling of distress at the sight.
Entering the hospital would be easy. Things like 'visiting hours' have been thrown out the window in the wake of the crush of patients from the latest battle. It should be simply a matter of finding a doctor to ask where Yuta's room is and navigating there.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
Nobody's told Rei to eat, but she has kept up the habit. It's for the best, in the final analysis.
Rei had managed not to find Yuta during an early journey to this hospital. The feeling is strange inside of her. Guilt? Regret? Something else? Perhaps a certain degree of shame, something that she has felt only dimly. Perhaps only once; when dawning awareness was brought to rather sharp mind by the words of a certain redhead. But not one here, now.
Rei does not announce herself. If her footsteps made sounds, the hospital's chaos ate them. She found her way. And now -
"What is that?" Rei asks Calibur, as she comes in; but when he looks to Rei, still clad in her plugsuit, he can see she is looking towards Yuta.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Calibur, if Rei startles him, doesn't show it. He glances up to Rei as she enters, needles still in motion even as he looks away.
"Y--you're one of the NERV children. Rei. R--right?" Calibur asks. Then, his gaze turns to Yuta. There may be the barest hint of his shoulders slumping. Even if his motivations lie closer to fixing Junk than caring for Yuta... He's still fond of the young man. Calibur has been surprised to find out he can't simply shut those feelings off.
Knitting needles are placed on a very small bedside table, and Calibur stands, pulling a folding chair over for Rei, should she want it. "H--he took a turn for the worse. The first surgery wasn't enough. O--one of your comrades arrived just in time."
Calibur brushes some of Yuta's hair away from his closed eyes, then sits again. "Yuta is no longer in danger. B--but the doctors do not know when he will wake."
Soft music plays over the scene. Upon that bedside table also rests a tiny wireless speaker and a perhaps-familiar phone, bearing a charm of twin music notes. Resting on a corner of Yuta's bed is a brilliant red scarf, an identical hue of the one Calibur is currently knitting. This one, however, has clearly seen better days. It's discolored, and a few of the tassles are stuck together. The discoloration takes the form of a red-brown stain, soaked in deep to the yarn. It's a grim sight.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
"Yes," Rei confirms to Calibur. She has no reason to lie.
His eyes meet the same place Rei is looking at.
Rei turns her head slightly, to focus on Calibur.
He speaks truth to her. It hurts. Like swallowing glass. But the truth passes nonetheless, and her head tilts downwards. "... I understand," she says, softer than her usual refrain.
Rei doesn't sit down yet. She walks towards the little bedside table; seeing the scarf, hateful color soaked with terror, she nonetheless reaches for it, resting her gloved hand upon it. She picks up some of the fabric, just a little, an then sets it down.
There is silence, from Rei, which the soft music fills.
"Is it a recording?" Rei asks Calibur, not looking away.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Calibur watches Rei touch the scarf. His face is expressionless -- though in a different way from the young lady's. Still, he wonders how much they have in common, watching over this boy.
"Y--yes." Calibur looks to the phone. "Kaworu left his phone here. M--max thought music may help Yuta wake, but none of us had many songs. K--kaworu has many."
"Max would say." He begins, slouching down in his chair. "P--please speak to Yuta. Max believes the voices of the people he loves will reach him."
Calibur looks to the side. He doesn't believe in this idea as much as Max does.
A notecard is fished out of Calibur's somewhat-rumpled suit. It's been a long few days. Tiny, messy notes are scrawled all over it. It seems, for all his skill with swords and knitting needles, Calibur's handwriting is a disaster.
ask visitors to talk to Yuta
ask nurses for fresh IV dressing
ask doctors for updates
KEEP SWORDS HIDDEN
eat something once every 4 hours
meet with dr. daiwel for training
ask visitors to use psychic powers
His eyes come back up to Rei. "D--do you have any psychic ability? We had a 'Newtype' here, who tried to reach Yuta. S--she was unsuccessful. Max wishes to try again."
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
Please speak to Yuta.
Rei does not quite discern the note, when Calibur pulls it out and checks it, as if for guidance.
Do you have any psychic ability?
Rei seems about to say something, but there is a hesitation, followed by a soft but sincere, "No," and a tilt of her head.
Her arms fold again, for long moments.
"... I only have a few songs," Rei says, finally; "can you stop the music?"
She takes several deep breaths afterwards. She almost seems to hum.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
"T--that's alright." Calibur murmurs, shoving his notecard back into his jacket somewhere.
Rei is quiet. Calibur is quiet.
Wait, is she going to sing? With a nod, the samurai leans over and presses pause on Kaworu's phone, looking back to the young lady expectantly.
The little kaiju girl always talks about song spirits. Maybe they exist in live music, rather than recordings? Calibur thinks back to the Christmas concert in Tsutsujidai park, before everything went to hell. The repli-compoids in attendance had seemed more aware than ever...
Not that Calibur was concealing himself nearby to watch over Yuta and Kaworu.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
It would be reasonable to think, given the space of sound, that Rei would simply burst into song as she willed. Nonetheless:
"... I wanted you, I think, to be there," Rei says, "to hear this song."
"It's not complete," Rei says, "because she isn't here."
"... I'm sorry," Rei says, one more breath, and
"Ave Maria,
"Gratia plena
"Maria, gratia plena
"Maria, gratia plena
"Ave, ave dominus
"Dominus tecum
"Benicta tu in muleribus
"Et benedictus
"Et benedictus fructus ventris
"Ventris tui, Iesus;
"Ave Maria...
A pause. Rei nods along, silently, as if keeping time. She swallows dryly; her voice is not strong, even if the tone is sweet.
She isn't done:
"Ave Maria; Jungfrau mild,
Erhoere einer Jungfrau Flehen,
Aus diesem Felsen starr und wild
Soll mein Gebet zu dir hinwehen.
Wir schlafen sicher bis zum Morgen,
Ob Menschen noch so grausam sind.
O Jungfrau, sieh der Jungfrau Sorgen,
O Mutter, hoer ein bittend Kind;
Ave Maria...
She nods her head a bit longer, but then says - a little thickly - "I know the rest. But, I do not know if I can continue."
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Rei's voice cuts through the noise and chaos of the intensive care ward. The necessary tasks of the nurses and doctors continue, but all chatter has gone silent. Even if her song isn't perfect, it's a rare moment of beauty in a place consumed with pain and fear.
Calibur is not immune to this. His eyes go wide as he listens, and he seems captivated by Rei's singing. Leaning forward as she goes on, a slight smile comes to his face. Yuta... He really is loved. A song like this could never come to be without love.
"T--that was beautiful." Calibur murmurs, rummaging in a corner for an unopened bottle of water. He's created a little stash there -- mostly for Max's benefit. It's offered to Rei. "Here."
As Calibur hands Rei the water, a soft round of applause can be heard from the adjoining rooms. Hospital walls are terribly thin. A few "thank you!"s can be heard, before the ward returns to its usual cacophony.
"Y--you have done enough. Thank you." Calibur says, managing to keep that little smile on his face. "Max says the voices of his loved ones will reach him. I--I didn't agree. But now."
A glance to Yuta. Nothing seems to have changed. The young man hasnt' moved, or shown any signs of recognition or waking. All the same, there's a lighter atmosphere in the room. Much of the previous gloom has been banished.
"N--now. I feel he will hear you."
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
'T--that was beautiful'
Rei does something else she rarely does; she blushes. It is a deep pink that crosses her pale face; she hugs herself as she does it, her hands soon coming up with a faint slick-stretching noise as the plugsuit is dragged against itself. She looks away from Calibur for a moment, shifting back and forth in place, slightly; just a little.
"... I don't... I've only been practicing a little while," Rei huffs.
Seconds pass. She regains some composure. Her attention turns towards Yuta (she doesn't really quite dare to look at Calibur).
"It's strange," Rei says. "'he' is here. But it is as if he sleeps."
"Are you his guardian?"
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Calibur hasn't noticed the plugsuit until this moment. He looks at it curiously. Huh. Kids really do dress strangely these days. He can't imagine having more than one outfit.
Rei's bashful denial of her talent is met with a quiet acceptance by Calibur. He can understand having to practice new things. "Y--yeah. I've only been practicing some things for a little while, too. It's admirable to improve yourself."
Yuta sleeps peacefully, his chest rising and falling in a steady, mechanical rhythm. There's an empty feeling to his body. It's functioning as it should, really, but... nothing more than that.
"I--I serve Gridman." Calibur says, a soft note to his voice. "But I have grown fond of Yuta. H--he is Gridman's partner in this world. I should be focusing my efforts on repairing Junk. B--but Max believes Yuta requires care. So I'm here."
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanamia has posed.
"Serve Gridman?" Rei asks, quietly.
"I thought you all seemed kind. Even the small one." (Rei never learned her name.)
"... I have another question, too," Rei says; with that almost-shyness.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
"Y--yeah. I am his sword." Calibur says, perhaps speaking a bit more literally than one might expect. "Gridman's mission is my mission. A--all of us, are here for that one purpose alone."
Calibur has to keep telling himself that. If they're only here for Gridman, then he's not a failure for allowing Yuta to get hurt.
"The small one" gets a grin from Calibur, though he quickly returns to his placid expression.
"What is your question, R--rei?"
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
"When I arrived, I saw you were making something, with chopsticks," Rei asks; "What is it?"
It's a somewhat ambiguous question, but most of them are, on some level.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
Calibur retrieves his knitting needles and half-made scarf and hands them to Rei. "I--it's called knitting. You weave the yarn together to create something new. I--I made Yuta's scarf this way. I--I have two more to make."
Indeed, if Rei looks closely, she'll be able to see how each new stitch is linked to the ones before, and presumably, will be linked to the ones coming next.
<Pose Tracker> Rei Ayanami has posed.
"... May I watch, how it is done?" asks Rei, who is standing right near that seat, offered to her.
Weaving an object. Three dimensions, from one.
<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.
"Y--yes. Please sit down." Calibur takes the knitting-in-progress back. "I--if you find yourself interested, I'll teach you how it's done."
Click, click. One, two. Calibur's usual speed has vanished, and each movement is deliberate and slow. The yarn curls around the needles, weaves into itself, and is locked into the chain along with its fellows. Click, click.