Thread #6375149
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May 5th, 2015.
It's final weeks on Tokyo-3's Municipal First Junior High School Academy and it's been hell on all the students.
Thankfully, you're too old to be going through math exams, mister school counselor! It's your 4th year since you've been hired to take care of these kids, and so far, it's been an alright job.
Having majored in said field straight after your degree in psychology, you were more than happy to have some security as opposed to dealing with flaky patients and the usual folks who just walked away after a "free trial". Frankly, from Cognitive Behavior to psychoanalysis, all forms of therapy were subjects you loved to deep dive in your free time despite being done with college for a while, and that's exactly what sets the mediocre scholars apart from the true specialists! Now if only your pay wasn't barely above minimum wage despite all your efforts...
It wasn't any school, no less. Tokyo 3's First Junior High's students were all, in one way or another, motherless. Either by accidents, coming from adoption, divorce, it was almost certain that no child from that school ever had both sets of parents in the house, and you knew very well what that meant. Extra steps went into advising teachers and staff, Parent-Teacher conferences, workshops, class conferences... Really, everything that involved giving support to students had to go through you first, and while it was exhausting work, none of the classes ever had a major fight thanks to 29 year old Date Kurono at their service.
Since finals week meant everyone was either silent in class, studying or going straight back home, it was an unusually leisure day for you, which given how active you were used to be there, meant you were tapping your feet at your desk in the teacher's lounge while everyone else your age was either in class or silently checking papers. Not like you were super friendly with any of the staff or anything, for they weren't much more than colleagues.
You barely had the social battery to socialize your way into a full shift, so you couldn't imagine having to balance that out with being an extrovert, which meant having no work to do and being stuck in your head was all the more alienating, since all you had left then was to ruminate about the past.
Really, why did you choose professional babysitting as your calling? Guess it all started back in the 80s when you were born, back when Tokyo 3 was just called Tokyo, your parents were an aspiring couple, each renowned in their own way, with your mother always being needed her job thanks to her revolutionary discoveries in neuroscience, and your father being a famous athlete, rising up the ranks to get the Japanese Lightweight Boxing Belt, aiming to go for the world.
Despite having big shoes to fill, back then you were too busy choosing who you should spent the most time with when they actually were home.
>Mom, she was from your field, afterall.
>Dad, who wouldn't love to have a boxing star for a father?
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>>6375151
>>6375196
>>6375200
Your father Daigo was cool and all, but the real breadwinner of the house was always mother Ayane, a real shocker for the age they lived in. Your dad was no slouch either, but the sheer disparity in earnings definitely gave her more power around the house than throwing punches ever could.
Naturally, she then became a role model for you, you wouldn't have gotten your current job if it weren't for her, after all. Half of your parents bedroom was occupied by this big stack of books that peaked your curiosity for the brain to your father's brawn. What was so important in her studies that made her work tirelessly overnight even at home over spending time with her son?
It's not like she was intentionally neglectful, in retrospect, it was as if she was weirded out by your having a preference for her than for your father, assuming you would gravitate towards him thanks to your mutual bond of being men so she could better work without interruptions. She knew better than to outright say it to your face, but in your early years, you were a distraction from her work at best, and a nuisance disguised as maternity leave at worst.
That was, until you were around 10 years old: After sneaking to her bookshelf once more and taking out a copy of The Future of an Illusion during house cleaning, you slipped on the floor and the book fell right on the bucket of water. You were quick to take it out, but several other files fell out from the book, almost as if she was using this cover to keep her research hidden.
Ayane was quick to hear your panicking, and while her handwriting was so rough only she could decipher it, as soon as she saw a file with the words "A.T Field" tearing in half like paper mache, it was as if she became possessed.
It was the only instance you recall where you truly felt fear from her, uncharacteristically lunging at your throat, digging her nails on your skin with enough force to draw blood.
"Who said you could mess with my stuff, you little brat?! Do you have any idea how important that is? I can't afford to miss a day in my deadlines when so many lives are depending on me, and this is how you repay me?!"
After the 5th "I'm sorry!" you managed to squeeze out from your throat, her grip loosened, almost as if snapping back to reality and realizing the violence she was capable of doing was just as terrifying for her as it was for you. Whatever she was doing, it was not worth killing you over it.
"No... I'm sorry, Date-kun. I didn't know you were interested in my books. I'll help you out in reading them if you want to, some might be too tough for a kid your age. Just... Don't touch that shelf without my permission anymore, ok?"
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>>6375279
Her demeanor around the house changed after that incident, guess yearning for her attention for so long finally paid off. She made an active effort to teach you now that she saw you two sharing something in common. Not only she was a very good teacher, she was also very passionate, going on to explain several concepts in your free time without so much as having to check on the books she gave you. However, she was still very dismissive about answering questions about her job or anything related to it. The most you could squeeze out from her was in few very short sentences:
"I get a few trust funds from the government to do something important. That's all you need to know."
"Bringing friends around the house? No need, your father already does that for me."
"Stop asking about the A.T Field. Anyway, about pervasive developmental disorders..."
Maybe she knew all that info she had about the human brain made her all the more aware to keep her emotions in check, only the more ironic that despite all her knowledge, it didn't help her out in feeling more human. Hell, if anything, it likely made things worse, since being aware of your faults without being able to do anything about it was twice more agonizing.
You don't think she ever forgave herself for choking you, though. There were more than enough times you couldn't sleep in your teenage years, and when you got out of your room for a walk, there she was. Smoking in the balcony, staring silently at you with her signature frowning face. Thinking. Analyzing. Judging. Never bothering with small talk about her feelings to let you know if it was about you or not.
Your dad, on the other hand, knew he wasn't the favorite, yet he still tried to compensate it by being a lot warmer and outgoing with you. He tried to get you into his own passion by always driving you to see his fights. Given how easy it was to matchmake in the amateur scene, he promised to keep himself at a winning streak until you graduated high school at the very least, and with a perfect 20-0 win/loss rate, he was making his name known as a local celebrity. Much to the chagrin of his wife, he always invited his coach and gym partners to celebrate his wins over a drink, as well as trying to give you private lessons so you could better defend yourself, which meant stopping whatever you were doing to humor him a bit with a sandbag.
In retrospect, is it even fair to say you cared about boxing at all?
>Not really, you weren't much of a fighter.
>Sort of? If anything, you learned how to take a beating thanks to him.
>Absolutely! If it wasn't for counseling, you could easily be a PE teacher!
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>>6375293
>Not really, you weren't much of a fighter.
Dear old Dad seems nice, but we fabored Mom then and now, and took after her the most.
>being aware of your faults without being able to do anything about it was twice more agonizing
Ouch, right in the feels... Interesting premise for a quest, OP! I'll be following this closely.
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>>6375386
>>6375399
Thanks! Guess I should write something for a heads up! Idk if twice a day is too much or too little for updates but that's the best I can do on the regular, if you got any questions I'll be sure to respond, I'll try not to have any rolls since the importance of therapy is on the talk and not the rolls, so write ins for dialogue options will be accepted when prompted!
>>6375316
>>6375348
>>6375396
Writing
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>>6375503
>Idk if twice a day is too much or too little for updates but that's the best I can do on the regular
An update every 24-ish hours is typical, but many quests do two or three a day when the QM has time. Your pace should be fine.
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>>6375316
>>6375348
>>6375396
Sucks to be a dad sometimes, as soon as your mom started giving you lectures, National Champion Daigo Kurono knew he was fighting a losing battle, but he sure put a good fight while he could!
His opponents rarely went the distance against him, and the decisions were overwhelmingly in his favor provided they did last all rounds. The crowd always went wild when he landed a clean hit or went for a knockout, and the few times you saw your mother smiling from ear to ear was when she could afford to go with you and watch his fight from the front row seats. He was generational talent, if Japan's ever seen one!
Only problem is, you didn't really inherit his passion for the ring, you just went along with it because you couldn't say no to him while he was so happy. Not that you didn't try to get into it, you liked running in the treadmill and jumping ropes just like any other kid so you at least had the genes for the athletics, but even with full gear on, Dad's little love taps felt like getting hit by a bulldozer while he only pretended to be hurt by your puny 1-2 punches. Judging by his fights, he just had an abnormally high pain tolerance, never did you see him even flinching if his opponent landed a hit on him, and while you weren't exactly in his ball park, sometimes he got a bit too serious for your liking.
Were it not for his good intentions and coaching, one would call it parental abuse when he knocked out your last baby tooth with a right hook during a spar. He was quick to apologize and check on you, but since that didn't bring you down, you smiled at him with your broken snaggle tooth, pretending to be tough as you coolly exclaimed:
"You took your gloves off and the ref didn't start the count! Disqualified! I win!"
You two laughed all the way home as he congratulated you, but one glare from your mother made the champ turn into an instant jobber, and after a stern talking to, your dad promised her not to take you to the gym for training.
Still, not only was it good PR for him to bring you around some events, the popularity that came with being Daigo's son made sure no one messed with you at school. You might have been small fry compared to actual trained adults, but all you needed to do was mimic his boxing stance, and all attempts at bullying ceased in your class thanks to your intimidation.
"It's fine, kid. I can tell your heart's not there. I can see the sparkle in your eyes when your mom hands you a new book, and they don't show up when you put the gloves on. Dad's not mad, if anything you found what you liked a lot earlier than me!" He said, admitting defeat as he tapped at your chest with his finger. If there's anything that's gonna carry you into a successful life, it's passion! More so than talent or hard work, if you love what you're going after, it's already yours!"
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>>6375536
"Passion?" You repeated quizzically, as if tasting how the word sounded from your lips.
"Yeah! Can you believe it? so many people out in the world live a full life being passionate about nothing, sports, science, money, girls? None! It's like they don't believe they have the free will to be whoever they want to be!"
"That's no good..." You shake your head.
"Right? This is why we raised you, young man! Me and your mother had nothing on our names when we were classmates, and look where we are now! All because we knew in our hearts, that if we could put a smile on someone's face and motivate the world to be better with what we did, then life was worth living! And if that's what you wanna do, who are we to stop you?"
Dad sure had charisma, no wonder the mic was always on him, he was a natural speech giver! You truly felt like the best mix of what they had to offer, and with so much trust in your potential, there was no way let them down... Until tragedy struck.
September 13, 2000. Your father had just won his first bout in the OPBF at the Tokyo Dome at the 4th round, his 21st victory would be his last, as a small meteorite struck the south pole, though only 10cm wide, it hit the earth at 95% the speed of light, before anyone could even realize what happened, 2 billion lives were lost from the seismic obliteration of the ice caps, and with the wars for resources that would soon break out, half the population would be wiped out in the span of a year.
You could never forget the best day of Daigo's life turning into his worse. A sudden flash in the sky, a gust of wind, the car being thrown into the air, his leg being crushed beyond repair as the vehicle hit the nearest pole, much like his dreams, the boxing world, and your home, thanks to the earthquakes that came to follow.
Despite your father being a wreck in body and spirit, your mother insisted on moving to Matsumoto City where your grandparents lived as soon as possible. Not a day later, Old Tokyo was suddenly destroyed by an atom bomb in a terrorist attack, annihilating its population of 500 million people, along with everyone from your past lives.
It was a bit too much for a kid entering high school to bear. Aside from your relatives, everything you knew about your past life was no more, and though both you and your parents would eventually bounce back from this, you developed a coping mechanism that you have yet to get rid of.
>You got too paranoid to let people in your life again, who knows when they might be gone too?
>Survivor's guilt got the best of you. If anything bad happened, you would never live it down.
>You got too obsessives, you lost too much already to not get what you wanted.
>You started drinking and smoking early. The numbness made things easier, and you could quit whenever you wanted anyway...
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>>6375600
>>6375929
Growing up, you got used to waking up at night and smelling the smoke from your mother's ash tray, the wind always blew from the balcony to your room, so it was hard for the scent not to turn into a guilty pleasure eventually. After the Impact, she went from a pack every two weeks to almost a pack a day. If the smoking was keeping her afloat, maybe there was some secret elixir on that pink vanilla that was worth checking out.
Just like she did, you took mom's lighter from her purse and tried your first smoke. As most first smokes go, you inhaled too much and started coughing, which alerted your mom and your not so sneaky idea to do this in the house while she was there.
"What do you think you're doing?" She asked, her icy stare from across the room made you freeze as you expected at least, a few unkind words. Instead, she approached you, examined the ashtray, and took your cigarette to her mouth to show you how it's done.
"Don't suck in more air than you usually do, or else it's gonna be tough to blow it out. Holding it in doesn't do anything. Also, don't smoke the pink ones, or people might give you looks. If you don't like the taste, you can try the cacao flavored ones. They're black so it's a bit more presentable for men like you."
Whoa, no sermon, no grimacing, no slaps, no choking? Instead of reprimanding you, she just decided to puff it and pass it to you? Maybe she decided that there were too many bad things happening at once to start an argument over you having an edgy phase.
"Guess this is what I deserve for setting up a bad example at home. Your dad's hospital bill is sky high, and here I am buying more cigs instead of saving money for his prosthetic leg... Just promise me you won't get addicted like I did."
"I won't!" You nodded. Technically, it only became a habit for you once you tried the Black Devil Cacao Flavored cigs she recommended, so you kept the promise to this day, even if you're the only gut that doesn't put the cigarette out at school.
To conclude your research... Cigs didn't really do much for you. They just gave you a new itch that felt like a problem being solved once you smoked thanks to your dopamine receptors, until you had to scratch the itch again, growing more anxious the longer you took to come back, judging by how your mom smoked, it was easy to see she was in the same boat.
"Be kind to your father for me, Date-kun." She said, staring at the ceiling. "Boxing was everything for him. Now his only accomplishments will only be lived vicariously through us. And without his leg... I'll have to put in twice the work."
"How? Can you work from here?"
"Haven't you seen the news?" She forced her frown upside: "A new Tokyo will be built right here in Nagano, and wouldn't you know it, your mother got in contact with a few people here and landed herself a new job! I might have to travel a bit for it, but the pay will be better--"
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>>6375959
"I haven't seen the news." You interrupt her, catching her off guard.
"Huh?"
"Grandma has no TV here. Plus, we we've been going in and out of hospitals for the past week for him. We didn't have the time to sit by and watch TV."
And with that, you had successfully broken the script she made to explain her new job for you. You weren't suspecting any malice from Ayane, but it was awfully convenient for her to suggest the move to Matsumoto City a day before the nuke dropped in Tokyo. It was in her nature to stay calm under stress, but the timing to suggest that despite being able to treat him in Tokyo while the second impact just happened felt like superhuman intuition. Her stress wasn't coming from unexpectedly having to grieve the city she lived in, but from the upcoming job she would have to do while still keeping quiet. Someone gave her a heads up, you just couldn't prove it, and that thought was flaring in your head for the whole day.
Mom was far from stupid, she realized she made a slip and taught you enough about body language and reading between the lines with people to catch them in their contradictions. Almost as if in a Mexican standoff, she took her lighter and slowly placed it in her lab coat pocket, poking her finger through the fabric, as if knowing there would be consequences for any additional questions you made.
One of the first things you learned about talking therapy was that sometimes, finding out what the patient is hiding should not take priority before treating their traumas. After all, what's the point of knowing they have suicidal tendencies if it comes at the cost of forcing them to be actively suicidal to reveal that to you? Giving them stress is part of the process, but the intent is to make them think about their situations with the right mindset, and that comes with the right approach.
Is your mother really going to be your first test subject for that? She's never once told you about her job, not even to your father, but knowing her, she already knows all the methods you would use to coax her into talking, and there was always the of chance she would just shut you down or walk away, like she usually did when when felt like she said all she had to say. An advantage in power, influence around the house, knowledge in the field, and overall life experience...
Maybe you were more afraid of your mother than you would like to admit...
>Squeeze some information from her. (Write-in)
>Let it be, there's already too much stress around the house as is.
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>>6375979
"Are they good guys? The ones you're working for?"
Simple, no pressure at all. If she says more than she should, it's on her.
"Hm..." She adverted her eyes from you, not in deep thought about whether they were good or not, the way her brow furrowed showed clear signs of hatred to at least a few of her superiors. She was more so questioning how to explain it to you without giving too much away.
"I know what I'm doing is right." Her voice cracked when she spoke up, showing a little bit of uncertainty in her own affirmation. "But I'm not so sure about what the others will do with what I gave to them, so that's why I'm there. It has to be me, someone else would give too much leeway to the boss."
So your mom's fighting corruption from within? She appears to be a respected member of her project, at the very least, but it seems she's not even sure of how much control she has in this project now that it's gotten the spotlight.
"No point in hiding things from you, huh?" She said, despite you not digging for more info "Guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree, studying made you good at being nosy and subtle at the same time. Tell you what, things will get really crazy in the coming years, and when the time is right, I'll point you in the direction of the truth. Sound good enough for you?"
"Absolutely!" You smile to her, given how rarely trusted she seemed to be in her work, your confidence in her gave your mother a more natural smile compared to the fake grin she gave you earlier.
"Good. Keep studying until then, I won't let you down if you don't." She said, pulling her lighter out and pushing the button like it was a trigger.
"Bang."
Maybe she was trying to lighten the mood by being silly? The way she said it in such a flat, monotone voice felt like an awkward non sequitur more than anything else. Instantly realizing the joke did not land, she slowly put her lighter back where it was and sidestepped into the hallway, letting you finish her smoke.
It shouldn't take a psychiatrist to tell you being on the spectrum like that was probably one of the reasons her social life was nothing noteworthy.
Nonetheless, things really started looking up for the three of you. Making friends in a new high school was tough, but you managed to graduate without much worry. And though you barely saw your mother aside from the weekends, that gave you more time to support your father as he reinvented himself, working on a food stand as soon as he got his new leg. Not only was it your first job, it was also a chance to keep an eye on his drinking when he started missing his old life, which in turn, only made you start drinking along with him.
Just when you thought you could get over what happened in Old Tokyo, September 13th got the best of you again in 2004. You would forever curse that day to the point of painting it black on every calendar you had like it never existed.
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>>6376253
You came back from college, just like any other day. You didn't think anything was wrong since your home was usually silent until you showed up. Only this time, the silence was deafening even with every family member present.
Your mother was laying on top of your dad, eyes wide open, one hand clutching a knife, the other one holding her slit throat. Your father had multiple stab wounds, his blood being mixed in with hers in a gorey fashion. Husband and wife, together in death.
You didn't have the strength to scream, or even to call for help. The shock was so strong that you instantly went in denial? Mom and dad killed right at your doorstep in a murder-suicide? Unreal. So unreal in fact, that you walked right over them to get the drinks you had on the fridge, maybe if you drank enough, this feeling that you were going mad by that scene would go away.
You took one swig of whatever dad had in his stash and stared at the scene again. Nope, still real.
Another swing, nothing changed. In fact, now you were feeling worse.
By the time you had emptied the bottle, you were screaming and breaking furniture around the house until everything became a blur. What happened to living with passion? To pointing you to the truth once the time was right? Were they lying the entire time?
All you know is that once you came to, you were in a padded room, institutionalized in a psychiatric ward for your own well being, the three weeks after that were just several people making sure you would not attempt what you had done a second time, though you would relapse every now and again anyway.
That's the best way to describe adult life, really. A blur. You graduated and work your job like every other man with a developed frontal lobe your age. Dealing with kids and their problems feels like light worked compared to sorting yourself out. The next generation give you a a glimmer of hope that people can work through their issues, but the more you stay away from your job, the more you think about why you can't get over yours.
Try as you might, it's impossible to get rid of that still image burned into your retinas, especially after the investigations concluded that Ayane killed Daigo over... an argument about cheating? Did that really make any sense to you?
>Maybe it was true, there was a lot about your mother you didn't know.
>Her? Cheating? Never! She loved your father, it's not in her heart to do something like that!
>It was a cover up story. Her company found out she was doing something they didn't like and wanted to silence them both.
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>>6376269
>You love your mom, but she was unstable. Maybe it was more complicated. Maybe the stress of the last few years, and drinking, and an episode all compounded to cause what happened. You've dedicated your life to trying to prevent such occurences by helping people.
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>>6376269
>Maybe it was true, there was a lot about your mother you didn't know.
But only maybe.
It could have been anything. It could be a cover up, mind control, coercion, any of that conspiracy shit, yes. However, her work life was so private, she could've been cheating. Just because of the stress, or to manipulate a colleague for influence in the workplace, because of how important it was to maintain 'the right path'. It would be easy then for her to react badly to dad being understandably upset, given that she's doing it for a cause, or just because she's the breadwinner and all that.
Or, maybe, just maybe, this is her sick way of "pointing us in the direction of truth". Maybe it was the only way she felt she had. But only maybe.
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>>6376281
She did historically react badly to people digging into her work. She almost choked us out as a small child. maybe Dad discovered Mom knew about Tokyo before it happened, and confronted her, and that's what caused her to snap?
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>>6376273
>>6376281
>>6376358
It's hard to really gauge what happened then. It could have been anything, really... The stress from the job and keeping everything private might have had more implications that you previously thought.
Therefore, having mixed feelings about your mother was something you did not take pride in. Sure, she became a murderer later in life, and it was hard to deny she's always had a few violent tendencies... But perhaps it was exactly how avoidant she was that made you crave for her validation. Every smile given in her lectures, every nonchalant thumbs up when you aced a test... None of it was fake, she did feel proud of the man you were turning into... She also went ahead and did what she did with no real explanation.
There is no such thing as a monster. All humans, from the ones you love to the person you hate the most, are all capable of feeling the same emotions you do. As much as one might disagree with their actions, every decision someone takes is done for a reason... You just could never figure out what hers was.
But you knew what to do after that happened, prevent children to ever feel like they were alone in the world. It was the only thing that kept you moving. Screw your social life, adults are just grown up children, so you might as well support them earlier than deal with their issues when it's harder for them to move on.
Eventually, you graduated, and despite having a tough time finding a school, finding a school specialized in taking care of children with problematic backgrounds felt like the job for you, despite being in another city. Thanks to the economy, Hakone became the new capital: Tokyo-3 a military-heavy city so advanced it went underground in case of earthquakes or any other surprise interventions from other countries.
"Kurono-San." The teacher from Classroom 2-A broke your sulking session, bringing a girl in bandages and wearing medical adhesives in her eye.
"Yes?" You went back to autopilot mode. Despite all the thoughts running in your head, once you started socializing, you became very straight and to the point, part of the job, maybe.
"Rei here finally decided to show up despite being in medical leave." He said, pointing to her both arms being in casts. "She was having trouble picking up a pencil, so I thought it would be ok if you helped her out in your office."
Makes sense, if she were to say the answers out loud in class, it would disrupt the other students at best, and make them all copy her at worse.
"Sure thing. Come with me, Rei." You gave her a warm smile, despite her lack of reaction to it, she followed along as you took the exam papers from the teacher, as well as grabbing a pen from your the table you were sitting.
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>>6376578
Rei Ayanami was a weird child. Every teacher had to report something to you so you could keep a record on their history, job aspirations, and maybe if they were prone to trouble. But despite her blue hair and red eyes giving her a striking appearance, she made an effort to be invisible. None of the other kids appeared to be close with her, you had never once heard from her parents, she always walked home by herself, and be it in or out of class, you were lucky to hear her say a single word.
More worryingly, ever since the start of the year, Rei was showing up to class in increasingly worse conditions. First it was a few light bruises, then some added lacerations, she often stopped showing up school to recover, and that's the last you've heard from her for a good week, but since not showing up in finals week meant she would potentially lose the year, her hands were tied and she showed up with an eyepatch and all for the sake of her grades.
"Here you go, Rei. Just say the answers you think is right and I'll write it down for you. I can read them out loud for you if it's too straining." You handed the paper back to the mysterious girl, to which it didn't take long for her to show her smarts:
"A."
"C."
"False."
"Marcus Aurelius."
"9600 Milliliters."
You had to give it to her, she was far from average in her rationale. Fast, too. It was like seeing a calculator working. Her voice was as emotionless as her face, soft and cold at the same time... Such attitude only made you more curious as to what was happening to her outside of classes for Rei to have her potential capped like this.
Good for you, she was already on your office. Kids always feel one way or another when they are sent to you, so it's good to feel like you're naturally interacting with a student sometimes.
"Could you wait here for a bit? I know you're finished, but the other students haven't exited the class yet." You checked your watch, knowing the other kids wouldn't leave for another 30 minutes.
"Hm-Hhm." She said, still staring through the desk, as if the exam papers were still there.
30 minutes, that was all the time you had with Rei. Perhaps breaking the ice with her would be beneficial.
Remember, Date. Don't be too pushy, make the kid feel comfortable enough to speak on her own. Be friendly. Be sensitive.
>Do you need any help with your bandages?
>Must have been difficult to study for this week.
>How was the test for you, feeling confident?
>Write-in.
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>>6376580
>Must have been difficult to study for this week.
A child in abusive cirucmstances may be averse to being touched, especially by an adult. She obviously has no academic difficulties. Thus, I vote for this: an indirect way to ask about her state and her home.
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>>6376620
>>6376626
>>6376758
"So how was the test for you?"
"Good."
Instant response, no physical reaction. Pause. No noticeable movement, barely even blinking as she kept her posture as straight as an arrow.
"Must have been difficult to study for this week, feeling any confidence on what you answered?"
"I'll manage it."
Her tone of voice is still very plain, neither evasive nor defensive. It's a matter of fact for her, exams like these are light work for her, especially compared to what she could be dealing with at home.
"Good, with answers like these, you shouldn't be too afraid of your upcoming scores next week." You eavesdrop at her exam paper, she's at least getting a passable grade, despite using no arms. Impressive, to say the least.
Silence. You'd expect her to say something after reassuring Rei that she'd be fine, but still, nothing. Even her breathing is barely audible in the room.
You've dealt with students who retracted into themselves before, yet this doesn't feel like retraction. It's more like she's passively absent. Not out of malice, but due to not knowing how to do more socially than what she's already doing. It's like talking to a soldier, everything for Rei is only on a "need to know" basis. Very few people out of school must talk to her other than what's absolutely necessary. These lack of social skills don't come from disinterest or from repulsion, but ignorance.
You gave her some time to say something, around 10 minutes, just to be sure, yet Rei did not budge. Not once did she turn around out of curiosity if you walked away to get some water, always staring at the window with her good eye.
After the bell rang, Rei carefully stood up, waiting for you to leave with her to hand the exam to her teacher so she could go home.
"See you tomorrow, Rei!" You said, not thinking too hard about it, yet that unconsciously activated a slight reaction for her, making her turn around just before she could disappear into the hallway.
"Will you answer the questions for me again?" Despite the way she worded it, it felt like this was Rei's way of asking her counselor 'Is that an order?'
Why not test her free will, see if she's capable of choosing what's best for her on her own?
"If you feel you can pick the pencil up, you're free to do it on your own, but I'm always here to help if you think it's too much. Plus, your teacher might just pick you up if he notices you struggling."
"Understood." She nodded and left, not in a rush like her classmates, happy to be free for the day, but not slowly limping, like someone in her condition would be expected to do.
On the following day, You were startled to see Rei in your office before you even showed up, trying to pick up the pencil with her less damaged arm, practicing handwriting with her non dominant hand.
She wasn't one to whimper, yet the slight discomfort in her face proved that she felt pain just like any other girl.
>Help her out.
>Let her be.
>Write-in.
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>>6376807
>>6376889
>>6376905
"Do you need any help?" You asked, smiling warmly as you waited for her response.
"I can do this." She replied. Again, not stating this out of confidence, but as a fact. The test was the least of her worries today, most likely.
Going into Class 2-A to inform the teacher about Rei and getting her papers, you come back so the blue haired girl could begin her brainstorming. Not once did she ask for help, despite the pencil and eraser dropping out of her hand several times. The best you could do was pick them up whenever they fell out of her desk, yet she remained as silent as always.
Sometimes letting a child do as they please doesn't do much in getting them to feel more comfortable with you, especially if it's in their nature to shun others out. That's fine, at least you have a pretty good idea on how she treats most people. You're more interested in knowing if there is an exception to the rule.
"...I'm finished." She looked up after she was done with the exam, as if asking if she could go to the bathroom. She took about an hour longer to finish thanks to wanting to do everything by herself, yet it was more than enough time to complete it.
"Leave it to me, I'll hand it to the teacher." You promise to do the same as yesterday. "Only one more day and you'll be free to do something else."
"...Free?" She repeated with confusion, her pupils dilating as if questioning if there was anything else to do in her free time.
Hmm... No hobbies, no friends, no emotion, no apparent family connection. She really has very little going on, so it must be difficult to look forward to any sort of leisure time.
"Nevermind." You say, not wanting her to think too hard on her issues at home. "See you tomorrow?"
"...See you tomorrow..." She said, feeling more invited now that it became a bit of a habit. The careful way you worded still felt like giving her an option to refuse, yet for someone who isn't used to making active choices, perhaps anything an adult in power says to her might seem like an obligatory change in priorities.
On the third day, things went as usual, she winced a lot less, either due to her getting better or from upping the dose on some painkillers. This time, she waited for the bell to ring and delivered her exam papers personally, as well as saying something you didn't expect at all:
"Commander Ikari wants to speak with you. In person." Rei uttered, as if you were meant to know who the hell that was. Her guardian, maybe? They didn't share last names and she didn't call her 'Father' so it doesn't seem like they are very attached.
>Who is he, your relative?
>Do you know why he wants to meet me?
>Commander? Is your family in the army?
>How can I get in contact with Ikari-San?
>Write-in.
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>>6377024
>>6377040
>>6377081
>>6377168
"Commander Ikari, you say?" You try to recall if that name was ever in the records during parent and teacher meetings, yet you don't think an Ikari Ayanami showed up in the 2 years she was here. "Can't say I know him, is he a relative of yours?"
Rei looked confused, not knowing how to address the relationship between her and the commander.
"Commander Ikari... He's..."
Give her time, this week is probably the most she's ever spoken in her entire life.
"He tells me what to do... And he cares for me..."
Weird way to describe a guardian, orders come before affection, noted.
"Any idea why he wants to meet with me?"
"No." Her reply was more firm this time, easier for her to respond to yes or no questions.
"Are you sure, nothing whatsoever?" You pressed her anyway.
"...You might be useful." Rei said, in deep thought.
Odd choice of words again, what is he, a cult leader?
"Follow me after class is done."
Weird, this is what you usually say to students or their parents, not the other way around. What exactly did you to do to draw attention from Ikari-San? Did she say something to him about you? It's not like you did anything...
"Sure, but first, you gotta finish your test!" You say, handing her the usual sheet and pencil.
"Roger."
...
After the bell rang, you excused yourself to school principal, and with his permission, you followed Rei. Not to her home, but to a suspicious black car, to which the blue haired student nonchalantly opened the door to the man in black waiting to start the engine.
"Come inside." She said without batting an eye at your direction. "You are safe."
Perhaps she was trying to be reassuring, but the deadpan way she communicates isn't doing any favors.
"Where are we going again?"
"The Geofront. NERV's headquarters"
"NERV's Headquarters?!" You nearly jump away from the car, wondering when did you get important enough to have a meeting with anyone there.
"Do you... Not know what NERV is?" Rei tilts her head, finally showing obvious confusion.
"Of course I do!"
NERV. A branch of the United Nations, their military and technological investments turned Tokyo-3 into what it is today. The offroads are always filled with thanks and battleships roam the coast in hopes of keeping Japan safe, but given how the peace treaty was never once broken between all remaining countries, you've always wondered why they invested so much in troops and nukes if Japan was competing in an arms race against itself.
Urgh... No time to fuel your paranoias, Date... You're a civie, not a recruit! Rei is the child of NERV's CEO, she said something about you and wants to have a word with ya, whatever else is in the company's trenches doesn't really concern you, does it? For all you know, he could be waiting with some 'thank you' gifts for realizing Rei was coming home looking like a battered housewife and he didn't do a thing about it.
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>>6377228
"Hey!" Rei's chauffeur shouted, snapping you out of your thoughts as he impatiently look at you from over his sunglasses, rolling down his windows. "Are you coming or not? We don't have all day here!"
Terrible words of encouragements... From his tone, it's sounding more like Gendo wants to drive you into a nice sunset and get a bullet behind your back like those old crime moves you watched with your dad growing up...
Do you feel safe going into Japan's top military base just for the sake of a pep talk with a student?
>Oh, the things you won't do for a child's future... (Get in the car)
>Actually, you don't really feel safe going there... (Excuse yourself)
>Talk to Rei (Write-in)
>Talk to the chauffeur (Write-in)
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>>6377265
>>6377269
>>6377273
Well, you can't really postpone a meeting with one of the world's most important men in current history and not look like you're in the wrong, right?
Sitting besides Rei, the ride is silent and leaves you anxious. Though the driver isn't hitting the gas, the engine was the only audible sound throughout the drive, though you paid no mind, this isn't about the cars, it's about Rei and her... guardian.
Upon arriving at NERV's HQ, Rei exits the car and silently follows the man in sunglasses, prompting you to do the same. The Geofront really looks like an underground metropolis. It already looks big from afar, but upon entering it through the front gate thanks to Rei's ID Card, you realize NERV's building has an elevator that goes down for over 20 floors... Were it not for your two companions, getting lost would be as easy as taking two steps away from the front door.
With a beeline towards a gondola that shows you a few holes where the buildings from the surface go when in case of emergencies, you take an elevator from there in a pyramid-like building.
"We're here." Rei's face lifts up, signaling her bodyguard to leave them at that floor. No wonder she doesn't talk to anyone, Commander Ikari must be very busy to even leave his office.
After knocking at the door, it automatically slides open, where the man himself was sitting down on his desk, with no other furniture to speak of. The closest thing to decoration this place had were the painted floor tiles, and the clear windows from all sides.
He's the only one with the right to sit down in this room, great...
"Commander Ikari..." Rei surprisingly blushes, smiling to see him as the commander quickly grins at her, before returning to his stern, intimidating expression.
"Date Kurono in the flesh... It's been a long time coming." His voice is stern and throaty, you can tell where Rei got her inflections from, although he seems to use it more to his advantage, sounding more mysterious and intimidating on purpose.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, sir." You salute him, despite noting how weird it is for him to treat a school counselor like a long lost acquaintance, maybe he watched your father's matches, you're pretty much a scrawnier version of him since you grew up so you get that a lot.
"It's a very small world indeed, to think Ayane would find her way back to this project through her only son... I assume you must be as much of a moralist as she was."
Ayane... This is the first time you've ever heard from a coworker from your mother! And here you thought he invited you to argue about Rei...
Judging from his demeanor, the commander appears to be a very no-nonsense type of person. Smalltalk or badgering won't get you anywhere, so whatever questions you ask him, he's already considered whether or not you should know what information before you finish a sentence. That's just how chief executives tend to be.
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>>6377369
>I assume this is about Rei Ayanami's performance in school?
>My mother had previously worked with you? I was not aware of that, sir. What was she like?
>I'm afraid I don't have the same qualifications as my mother to help you in any projects, Commander. She was a neuroscientist, I was barely in a lab in college.
>Write-in.
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>>6377370
>My mother had previously worked with you? I was not aware of that, sir. What was she like?
GO with the flow. He'll steer us to the convo he wants to have, and he will not have a conversation he does NOT want to have. That's the kind of man this is.
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>>6377626
>>6377666
No need to for countertransference here, you can be honest about your feelings when it comes to something that concerns you and Ayane, it's fine to act like a human being with real emotions for once, so you give it a try...
"I'm sorry sir, I was not aware that my mother had worked with you... Could you tell me more about her? How was she like and such?"
"...You knew that little about her?" Ikari seems taken aback by your statement, a hint of sincerity escapes his stoic exterior as he turns his head sideways and adjusts his gloves.
"Ayane was a genius, stubborn to a sickly degree, too. She made sure to supervise and command every nook and cranny around her research, yet it was exactly her perfectionism that always lead us forward. To come up with the theory of A.T Fields by herself and see it being confirmed in her lifetime is an achievement very few scientists could dream of see it happening. She was good friends with my wife Yui... It's a shame what happened to them."
Wife, past tense. So he's a widower... You weren't expecting to have something in common with someone so important a generation away from you, yet these statements seem to come from the heart.
"A.T Fields...?" You could never forget those words, seeing the A.T Field files being destroyed is what nearly made her kill you before your father... Whatever it was, it probably gave him the position he has nowadays...
"So my mother worked at NERV in the past?"
"Not NERV, but an affiliate R&D team from the U.N. We've became acquainted at the Artificial Evolution Laboratory."
Which begs the question...
"So what is the A.T Field? She never told any of us about it."
"I assumed she didn't." He sternly replied, letting the silence sink in as his voice echoed through the room as he decided whether or not you had a right to know that information.
"...Simply put, the Absolute Terror Field is something all intelligent life forms have. A natural psychological barrier that lets us know who we are metaphysically in our world. A force fueled by our ego that gives us our identity, as well as the force that drives our impulses to attract and repel others with similar capabilities."
"And my mother found that out on her own?" That's the first time you're hearing of such discovery, no wonder she looked so tired all the time...
"Not only that, she also theorized that one could also control his own A.T Field should it be properly augmented with the right equipment. She did not want to conduct any experiments with live humans, since even if that proved her point, invading one's ego and brain for the sake of having 'minor PSI abilities' was inhumane for her. That is where Yui and I stepped in to fund the Evangelion Project."
"Evangelion?"
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>>6377675
"In a few months from now, an extra terrestrial life form is expected to invade Tokyo-3 and attempt to destroy the earth, with more to follow suit in the near future. Creatures that are immune to conventional weapons due to having a mastery of their A.T Field, called Angels." He pauses to gauge your reaction.
"What?!" You wanted to call him out on his lies, but it would explain all the military presence around Tokyo and what they were preparing for, as well as the high tech involved in protecting civilians from a few strong earthquakes throughout the year. "How strong are we talking about?"
"Are you old enough to remember the 2nd Impact?" He asked, not a slight change in his tone. Is he implying that the comet strong enough to disrupt the planet's orbit so Japan is forever stuck in an everlasting summer also their doing?
"Why does nobody else know this?" You placed your hand on Ikari's desk as you hunched over from the panic, you were too sober to hear all of this without having a heart attack.
"Civilians are being notified of this around the earth as we speak. People like me have known about it for years, yet it could only become public information after we developed our own weapons to reassure them that humanity stands a chance against them."
"The Eva Units..." Rei whispered from the doorway, being so silent that you forgot she was still in the room.
"A humanoid, multi purpose battle weapon manually controlled by us. Word got out to the Human Rights Committee that they were not powered by an electric cable, so we are legally obligated to provide psychological aid to the Evangelion pilots for the project to remain funded. Since your mother was related to our old branch, your above average performance in your field, and the fact that you have already established contact with the first pilot, we at NERV thought to formally give you this opportunity to aid humanity by tending to our pilots and their well being."
Despite the weight of the world suddenly being dropped on your shoulders, this is a one in a lifetime chance... Who knows how much money they would pay you for this job, but all of these revelations are just too sudden for you to wrap your head around!
"Commander, I am glad you would consider me for this position thanks to my mother, but I think you've made a mistake here, I only deal with children, I would not know how to treat an adult soldier with PTSD from fighting aliens--"
Hold it. He said you already know the first pilot?
Gendo is quiet, waiting for you to realize who it is. Rei, likewise, stares back at you, their line of sight converging as if you were not there between them.
REI is the pilot?!
>You're putting a 14 year old out there to deal with the fate of the world? Are you insane!?
>Can't ANYONE else pilot these Evas?
>I don't believe you, you better have proof for this!
>What am I even supposed to do help you?
>I expect to be heavily compensated for this!
>Write-in.
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>>6377683
>Can't ANYONE else pilot these Evas?
>What am I even supposed to do help you?
Our moral outrage will be unproductive. He considered Mom a "moralist" after all, and yet here we are.In fact, maybe this is our chance to learn what happened to make her lose her mind and kill Dad...
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>>6377683
>Can't ANYONE else pilot these Evas?
This is self evidently unethical, but if there's no other way with the stakes involved, then that's all there is to it. But we have to know that first. We'll have to put aside the offence we may cause Rei by questioning her abilities.
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>>6377686
>>6377689
>>6377779
Easy there, Date. As absurd as this sounds, snapping at the most important man in Tokyo-3 would have dire consequences. Breathe in, breathe out... Rub your temples together, if you have to.
"Isn't there... Anyone else who can fight these creatures aside from children?" Is the only sentence you can spit out without accumulating some venom in your system.
"Negative. Only children can pilot the Evas."
"Why?"
"That is classified information."
There it is. You were wondering how long it would take for him to start playing that card on you.
"Fine... What do you want me to do with Rei, then?"
"To better control the Eva and the A.T Field, a pilot needs to be synchronized with its system. This comes with a clear mind, and with preference, no emotional baggage. Rei hasn't been able to synch with her Eva for the better part of 6 months. We were hoping that some private counseling would do her well."
Again with 'Rei'. If she is his daughter, he really doesn't treat her as such...
"Come here once a week. We'll provide you a room and her phone number. Planning for meetings ahead or for more throughout the week is something you two should be able figure out for yourselves."
For as much crazy bullshit Ikari just spew, his request is actually pretty fair. It'll be like working as a private therapist, but only for a single client. Rei's situation might be something no teenager should be dealing with, but again, if she's your student, you have the responsibility to make her life easier...
"Is she the only pilot I'll be treating?"
"There will be more. Keep an eye out for the transfer students in class 2-A. I would advise you to keep your day job."
So you'll be working full time for him, aside from everything you deal with in school, there are 3 kids to always be watching in campus...
"How much do you earn for your current job as a counselor?" He asked for your salary, threateningly so.
"Monthly? 300.000 Yen, sir." Not a bad income at all, especially for someone who lives alone, yet the living cost of Tokyo-3 only gets higher every year, and since you weren't the best at budgeting thanks to your vices, you were always scraping by when it came down to it.
"NERV is more than capable of tripling your income should you accept this contract for the rest of the year."
Ikari Grins as he spreads a sheet on his desk. A masterful spike in pressure. He just made you feel like your money is worth pennies compared to what NERV has. What he's offering for one session a week is something not even the scummiest of therapist would dare suggest to scam ignorant millionaires for a starting price.
Which is exactly why you should doubt his generosity. Money like this is lifechanging for anyone, and people who are paid above their grade are usually expected to do some dirty work, in your case, that would likely mean avoiding standard protocol and having your lips extra sealed...
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>>6377810
"And what if I refuse?"
"You are free to do so. Someone else can take your job."
He didn't budge in the slightest from you testing him. And given how much you trust yourself a lot more than you trust other adults, your mother's words echo in your head as you consider your options.
"It has to be me, someone else would give too much leeway."
>Sign the contract.
>Check the fine print. There might be some funny business involved with taking this job.
>Ask further questions to Commander Ikari.
>Check what Rei thinks about this.
>See if you can bargain for something that could help you out while working.
>Write-in.
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>>6377811
>Check the fine print. There might be some funny business involved with taking this job.
And between reading
>Ask further questions to Commander Ikari.
>Check what Rei thinks about this.
Ask a bit more about the synchronizing and see what either of them think the issue might be.
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>>6377853
>>6377870
>>6378014
Squinting your eyes, you take the paper from Gendo's desk and observe the fine print in the contract, just to make sure you actually agree with everything the commander wants you to do:
'The contractor shall provide exclusive psychological assistance to the Pilots assigned to the Evangelion Project. In exchange for that, the pilot will also have relative access to classified information regarding The Eva Units, The Pilots, and the reports of their status post combat,
General reports about the pilots and their mental conditions must be updated on a weekly basis and may be requested at any time. Traditional medical confidentiality may be suspended when strategic interests so require. Additional remuneration will be given to the contractor thanks to the operational risk, lifetime confidentiality and unrestricted availability that comes with the job.
All information obtained during their services is property of NERV.
The obligation of confidentiality has no time limit, exceptions, and is not dependent on the duration of the contract. Any breach shall entail appropriate legal and administrative consequences. Additionally, NERV is not responsible for potential exposure to traumatic events, hazardous situations stemming from the combat with the angels, or classified information that could lead to psychological damage.
In case of resignation, dismissal or death from the contractor, their families will still receive the benefits from their life insurance.'
They're giving you life insurance, as well as saying you're completely expendable and may get a bullet in the head for speaking too loud? Weird...
"Who is going to inform me about synchronization rates?"
"Don't expect me to meet you often. Any questions regarding the technical aspects of the Evas and the pilots' health conditions should be delegated to Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, their personal doctor should fill you in on what you lack."
Translation: He won't bother telling you, but you're free to explore and nag other people about it. Maybe.
You turn over to Rei before signing the contract, wondering if she has a say in this.
"Rei... Do you trust me for the job?"
"...Commander Ikari seems to trust you... If he thinks you can help me better fight the Evas... Then I will cooperate with what you order me."
Very decisive for her, but she still needs to have a mind of her own. Her response felt more like a byproduct of Gendo accepting you as her counselor than her having any strong opinions of you.
Ikari won't let you know anymore unless you sign the contract and get permission to talk to the doctor, and further questioning Rei will likely tell him to save it for when you're in a room with her. He is smarter at manipulating people than you judged him for.
>When do I start?
>Don't worry, Rei. I won't let you down.
>Can I meet this Ritsuko Akagi after I sign the contract?
>I'm sorry. I don't think I'm the right man for the job.
>Write-in.
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>>6378070
>Write-in.
Additional question: since this is a top secret facility, how broad is confindentiality clause? Obviously we cannot tell anybody anything about Rei, EVAs, Gendo or specifics of our future job. But is it forbidden to even mention this job to laypeople at all? If so, will we be provided with cover story?
Then
>Can I meet this Ritsuko Akagi after I sign the contract?
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>>6378074
>>6378203
"Just one more question, sir." You ask, already earning furrowed brow to your boss-to-be. "How broad is the confidentiality clause? Can't I say anything about it to other civilians? People at my work will ask me something when they see me busier than usual."
"You can say you work at NERV to your school." He replies as if you asked if water was wet. "You will have access to a level 1 ID card and your own nametag, so you can even prove you're an employee. Just don't say anything that could compromise the privacy of our project, or the pilots. Whatever you find out about them from your sessions stays in that room."
Standard patient-therapist confidentiality then. It just has a few extra steps and a larger sum of money to it.
"Can I meet this Ritsuko Akagi person after I sign this contract?" You take the pen in his desk as you wait for him to respond.
"Tomorrow. We'll need time to arrange your office."
"I assume that's when I'll be starting?"
"Correct, be here at noon."
You haven't even signed your name on it and he's already giving you orders... Guess being tangentially related to his wife will not do you any favors here.
You finally write "Date Kurono" in the dotted line, as well as your address and bank account information.
"Welcome to NERV. You will be paid in advance. Dismissed."
What a warm welcome...
"Am I... Leaving as well?" Rei asks, wondering if she was included in his dismissal.
"You still have work to do at the lab. Plus, Dr Akagi needs to update your health reports for Kurono's sake."
"Understood."
Well... Good news, Rei isn't being beaten at home, nor is she self harming, and you were compensated greatly by finding that out. The bad news is... she's actually in mortal danger and so is everyone else on the planet. You're still having a hard time wrapping that concept around your head, but given Rei's lack of shock from the revelations, Ikari didn't appear to be lying.
"Commander Ikari... Found out about you from me." Rei spoke up in the elevator with a sliver of courage. "He is not used to hearing me talk about other people from school. As soon as he heard your name, he told me to lead you here."
She seems to be making a bit of an effort to speak up now, cute.
"Goodbye, Rei!" You wave at her as the elevator door closes.
"...Goodbye."
Upon exiting NERV HQ, you check your bank account, and the numbers really do not lie... You are 500.000 Yen richer... and you'll be getting that much money up to the end of the year... No more credit card payments, no more debt, no more walking home on foot, no more late night struggle meals, you have money now!!!
You can barely contain your joy as you wonder what you should do with your first double income paycheck.
>Beer!
>Beer AND cigs!
>Books, you need to sharpen up on your studies for Rei.
>A brand new kitty-cat!
>Save it for a car.
>Nothing, for now at least...
>Something else.
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>>6378322
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>>6378477
First things first, Date! Not only Rei needs your help, but all that's left of humanity by extension! Plus, you're not even a trained therapist per se... Sure, you've had to counsel some kids off school sometimes as well as some adults in college for internships, but this is a little bit above your skill level... Then again, you don't think Rei is qualified for her position either, and you don't see her complaining... Again-again, that's likely her biggest issue, not complaining enough. Now there's something you could look into.
Hopping into the local library, you take a look at the psychology section to see what stuff you don't have that could add onto your repertoire. Hayao Kawai did some really good essays on Jung and how he applied his views to Japanese society... Let's get The Japanese Psyche... On the Conflicts of the Child's Soul... The Ego and the Unconscious, that one's hard to find nowadays! You have the feeling a quick re-read about Anima and Animus will help you out if future pilots are a bit on the rebellious side...
As you show up on the counter to check out the small library you've accumulated with your brand new job, a familiar face shows up:
"Hiya, teach! How's it hanging?" A girl in glasses did a small twirl after recognizing you.
"Mari? What are you doing here?"
Mari Makinami was the first student you dealt with when you started working at your school. She had an eating disorder thanks to her mother being obese, and you had the misfortune of catching her bulimic activities during lunchtime. Despite feeling very ashamed of it, you showed her how she had no need to feel shame in her body. Just an average monday for you, but it meant the world for her, as she would soon become one of the most popular girls in her class after upping her calories. To see her being so cheery and playful today is a punch to the gut to whenever you think your job is worthless.
"Don't you remember me graduating last year, silly? I didn't pass the entrance exam for the uni I wanted, but hey, I still found a job!"
"Happy for you, glad your smile is still as strong as ever!"
"Speaking of 'same as it ever was', that's a lot of psych books you're taking home! Are you switching jobs?"
"You could say I got promoted, lots of responsibility come with that."
"Yaaay~ Good on ya, teach! Or should I start calling you doc?" She tilts her head while you pay her in cash. "Are you gonna celebrate the occasion?"
"I might, think I'll go to the bar after this--"
"Can I come? I turned 18 last month and it's super hard to go out with my coworkers when they're all randos twice my age at least! I want my first drinks to be paid by a guy I know! Plus, I can hear all about this new cool job you have! Preeetty pleeeaaseee?~"
Yeah, not much has changed with her. You're still a hero in her eyes, but you're not sure about sharing drinks with a teenager, especially with your seasoned liver...
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>>6378537
"Don't you have a job to do?"
"So do you! You don't see me telling you how to talk down to kids, hmph!" She crosses her arms, already expecting a rejection from you.
You hold your tongue not to say 'you're still a kid to me, Mari.'
>Sure, my treat.
>Is your shift ending soon, at least?
>I'll pay for your food, but I don't wanna see you drinking, missy!
>...Fine. Don't tell your mom I'm doing this, ok?
>Actually, I'm not drinking today. I forgot I have some other stuff to do.
>Write-in.
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>>6378541
>Is your shift ending soon, at least?
Just keep professional boundaries in mind. Don't overdo it, and absolutely do not let her drag us to a second location. I've read enough lewd doujin to know what this chick's angling for, and it's professional misconduct.
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>>6378545
>>6378760
>>6378763
"Is your shift ending soon, at least? I don't want to put you in any trouble."
"Yeah-yeah! Just give me like, 30 and I'll close the place! Plenty of time for you to read, right?"
Nodding, you take a seat and read a bit about The Ego and the Unconscious, wondering how you could apply that to Rei, if possible.
The girl has little ego and not a very broad sense of self, from what she showed. Any emotion from her seems to come with due permission. You don't see any semblance of a persona being formed when she tries to socialize, why would she need to mask something when there's nothing behind the mask, no?
Unless... There really is something she's hiding from even herself. Perhaps stimulating her ego might be good in order to make her have more of a backbone and better opinionate on... Well, her own life. This isn't new for you, but it is for her, so you better tread carefully, the hows and whens are always the most difficult part in getting shy students to talk. Even so, Rei doesn't appear to be shy from a lack of confidence or skill, especially if she's been signed up for the task of fighting extraterrestrial beings... You can only assume she's been trained to do this since birth... Which would explain why she doesn't know how to do anything else--
"All done teach! To the bar we go!" Mari shows up behind you with her keys and a purse, leaving you to figure Rei out to a later date.
Sake Heaven is a pretty raunchy name for a bar, but it's the one where the drinks were cheaper, so you had to make do with the one closest to your block. It was clean enough, the music wasn't blasting, and the regulars were usually alright. You got a few looks for bringing a girl in, but no one really said anything, so perhaps you still look young enough for no one to notice the age gap. It's probably due to you always drinking by yourself than the girl being younger.
"Cheers!" She said, taking a big chug from her mug before toasting, ruining the sacred ritual of cheering drinks.
"Cheers..." You gulp the whole drink down, barely feeling anything as the beer she ordered felt like water compared to what you usually had. "I guess I'll order something else."
"Can I have some?"
"Only if you pay."
"What the hell, teach? You took like half of my bottle and I can't have a sip?"
"You can, but I'm not buying you anything you can't afford."
"Not cool, teach..." She frowned, expecting the richer adult to buy her drinks.
You drank enough to feel the light buzz you usually felt, anything after that and the hangover starts kicking in later. That and the existential crisis, though drinking with a girl that gave up on competing for who drinks the most after feeling the bitter taste of raw alcohol makes it better than being sprawled out on the floor drinking your usual milky sake bottles.
Until the news came along on TV:
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>>6378803
"We interrupt this current program to tell you the breaking news coming straight from Tokyo 3. Nerv's commander in chief Gendo Ikari has made an official statement along with the U.N that extraterrestrial beings are expected to invade the earth."
"Should humanity fail to defeat these threats, the destruction of the earth will be imminent by the world ending scenario described as the Third Impact, a follow up to the explosion 15 years ago that will spread throughout the entire planet."
"Luckily, NERV has responded accordingly. By uniting all international military forces together in Tokyo-3, Gendo Ikari has made an effort to create man-made super weapons called the Evangelions. Three Eva Units are expected to be deployed in combat against these monsters. The first one being Eva Unit 00, exclusive footage from this mechanic weapon was finally shown to the public earlier this afternoon."
Everyone in the bar is silent as the gargantuan machine is shown on screen: A scientist is standing close to its feet for scaling, the poor guy seems tall, but the blue, one-eyed unit was so big the man was barely a quarter of the way up in its heel in height level. It's at least the size of a skyscraper, and despite having humanoid design, its metallic exterior made it seem menacing despite not even having a pilot inside.
"What the hell was that about? How can they just drop this bomb on us without saying anything?" A few bartenders speak up after hearing the news.
"I'm gonna need another drink for that..."
"Who the hell is the pilot? All of that and they didn't even reveal us that?"
"Is this what I'm paying my taxes for?"
"We're all gonna die!" A more freaked out drinker spills his glass on the floor in panic.
"Hey man, don't make it harder for me to clean the place..." One of the workers sighed as he tried to take the glass away from the drunken bastard.
"Haven't you heard the news? The government just said giant monsters will show up in our city? How can you stay calm in a situation like this?" The drinker snapped back, growing more frantic. "Do you really think they'll be helping us out? How could they hide about making a giant robot right under our noses like that?"
"Mister, I think you've had enough drinking for the day..."
"Shut up!" He tried to strike the worker with a bottle, but the man managed to duck as the glass slid through the attacker's hand, flying right on where Mari would be if you didn't bring her head under the drinking table Missing two people, it hit the burly guy behind her, shattering on his back as he angrily looked back at his assailant.
This could quickly escalate into a barfight...
>Try to deescalate the situation.
>Help the waiter kick the guy out.
>Introduce yourself as a NERV worker and reassure that they'll be fine.
>This doesn't concern you, there's still time to run out the door.
>Something else.
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>>6378905
>>6378944
>>6378948
Mari didn't drink enough to not know where she is, especially judging by the scared face she just made, yet she is a bit too wobbly to make a quick exit. There's some glass on her back, but she doesn't have any cuts anywhere, good.
You stand up, take Mari's hand, drop a few bills on the counter, and make a beeline towards the door before the burly man could throw a punch at the drunk guy panicking at the bar.
You could still hear the TV speakers from outside, blasted by a few people outside who were on their phone, the announcement being important enough to be shown in all channels.
"The estimated arrival of these extraterrestrial being knowns as angels are not precise, yet they will be coming individually, they do not prioritize the destruction of human lives, so provided people follow standard emergence protocol, the Evangelions should take care of everything."
"...Can you find your way back home on your own?" You say as you let go of Mari, who leaned against the wall.
"I think I can... Would be cool if my handsome, rich, manly teacher brought me home safely tonight, though~"
"Don't push your luck." You roll your eyes, rejecting her on the spot. You're old enough to understand the implications and not to reciprocate, even if she is technically of age now.
"Meanie!" She sticks her tongue out, admitting defeat.
As you crossed the road with her, you were about to turn over and say your goodbyes, before Mari stopped right by the sidewalk, staring at the people around, all gossiping and nervously discussing the current news.
"Teach... You think the crazy guy back in the bar had a point? I mean, not in trying to hit me with glass, but in the not trusting NERV and being afraid of these angel creatures part... I'm kinda scared of what's going to happen, and just after I finally got things figured out for myself..."
After dealing with both Rei and Gendo, getting a read of someone like Mari feels like a big change of pace. Her worry is plastered on her face, with a tinge of guilt coming from ruining your big promotion day, even if it wasn't her fault. Her cheeriness is a good front for most problems in her life, but sometimes, it cracks.
That's the hard part of being a counselor, or more recently now, a therapist. You're not exactly a friend or a family member to who you help, but since you have to hear about their lives on the regular, you can't be a stranger to them either. You have to forever live between those two terms and push away whenever you notice something more developing. Be present and feel real, but don't get attached or too active in their lives.
So, should you be inspiring, or say your real thoughts in situations like these?
>I don't know, I'm kind of scared too, to be honest.
>We'll be fine. Plus, you can count on me if things get rough, ok?
>Of course we'll be fine, I'm working at NERV now!
>Write-in.
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>>6379016
>>6379019
>>6379023
"I don't know, I'm kind of scared of these angels too, to be honest... I mean, if they're as big as the Evas, there's not a lot we can do if they show up." You admit you are powerless to stop them, as is everyone else in Tokyo-3 who doesn't work directly at NERV.
Mari hangs her head low, teary-eyed. Her fear of death is a lot stronger than she lets on...
"But, and that's a big but... I think NERV has a good plan to defeat them, so we shouldn't lose hope just yet."
"How can you be so sure?"
And that's when you flash your new ID Card, showing you work there to someone you trust.
"I'm not in the front lines, but I'll do my best to keep us all safe, in whatever way I can."
"Teach!" She tackled you into a hug, feeling a lot safer thanks to your reassurance. "So that's why you were flexing your cash now! You're saving the world for me!"
"Not exactly... I'm just counseling the pilots."
"Whaaat?! But that's the most important job of them all! Making sure they're as stable and level headed in combat as you are in your regular life and all... That's tough as nails!"
As stable as you are? God, you hope not...
"That good enough to keep you going?"
"For sure! And thanks for paying for my drinks! Be seeing you soon!" She skipped and hopped her way home, making you realize you really did what she asked thanks to the bar fight. Sneaky little brat...
On the following day, you take a look at NERV HQ from afar after a night of revisiting the basics of talk therapy. Testing your ID Card, the metal door slides open as a few armed men come to inspect you for the weapons you don't have.
Following that, you are handed a beige uniform that really highlights your body frame, as well as a map for the first floor of the building where your office is. You feel glad about not having to walk through the maze that is this place. Just from seeing how many buttons the elevator had when you took it with Rei, having a room right next to the front door was the most convenient thing that could happen in this job.
The place looks extra cozy. You can still smell the fresh coat of paint on the walls, the small assortment of potted plants, and the padded walls, soundproofed for the sake of privacy. There is a waiting room with a bathroom to the right, along with an alarm, a fire extinguisher, and a door where you and your patient will be talking. two comfy chairs, a stashed bookshelf, an alarm clock turned over to your chair, a warm light lamp, and a smoke detector flashing a red dot on the ceiling, accompanied by a speaker on the wall in case of emergencies.
Nothing seems to be out of place here... Good thing you came an hour earlier, since it gives you plenty of time to get to know the place before Rei arrives.
>Send a text message to Rei, tell her you're already here.
>Look for Ritsuko like Gendo instructed you to.
>Give your office a more thorough look, there might be something you missed.
>Talk to a few workers outside your room.
>Something else.
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>>6379240
>>6379290
>>6379295
Asking around for where Ritsuko was, NERV officials point you to her office. Officials in plural, since the square layout of the HQ was so convoluted, you had to repeat the question to around 20 workers there.
After going up, down and all around the floors, you finally bump into her office, with the titular doctor opening the door right as you approached it. A young looking woman meets your gaze, her short blond hair being her most striking feature compared to the other women with natural hair around NERV. She strutted along the hallway with a sheet of papers before acknowledging you with a smile.
"Doctor Kurono, I presume?" She stopped to greet you with a handshake, the warmest welcome you've gotten so far here. "Commander Ikari filled me in on who you were. It'll be a pleasure working with the son of Ayane Kanzaki like my mother before me did."
"...Kanzaki?" You asked out loud as you shook her hand, wondering why your mother used her maiden name if she was already married to your father when working under NERV, brushing that question aside, you focus on a more comfortable topic. "So your mother was also involved in the Eva project too?"
"Affirmative. Thanks to her, we have the glorious Magi System here and in other NERV facilities around the world. The trio of supercomputers of the highest degree that can control any electric devices here, from the cameras to the Evangelions. It's also how we monitor things like synch rates, A.T Fields and whatever else that can happen during our war against the angels. I was already interested in following in her footsteps long before she passed away, so I was very happy that Commander Ikari called me to continue her work as soon as I graduated."
"I see... Sorry to hear about her passing..."
"It's fine... I've had a long time to put that behind me."
Your therapist brain highly doubts that, but you'll drop it for now. No need to be nosy and pry on the private life of your superior."
"Hope your office is to your liking, I haven't spoken with many therapists, so I had to guess how they tend to arrange their working spaces. It's very different from what we usually have here."
"It looks great, actually. Thank you for your help."
"Likewise, if there are any questions you have about your work here, I'm all ears."
She seems a lot more knowledgable about the ins and outs of this place compared to Rei, and a lot more willing to explain concepts in detail than Gendo, so this is a perfect opportunity to ask about...
>The Evas
>The Angels
>NERV
>Rei
>Gendo
>The Magi System
>Something else.
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>>6379544
First topic:
>The Evas
Second topic:
>NERV
We need to know, what Rei dealing with and her work environment to effectively help her.
Then, if we have enough time.
>Rei
It is valuable to know how she is perseived by others.
If we have even more time:
>Gendo
And if somehow we have even more - just ask everything.
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>>6379557
>>6379671
>>6379753
>>6379765
"So you're the lead scientist regarding the Evas, right? Can you tell me more about them? As much as you can, if possible. I have no idea how they work yet, so whatever you can throw at me to better understand what Rei does would be useful."
"Of course. What exactly are you curious about?" She adjusts her coat as she invites you to the bench at the hallway.
"Well, for starters... How do you turn it on? Any reason in particular children need to pilot it?"
"It's a bit of a convoluted process, but I can give you the rundown. Basically, the pilots are submerged in a liquid named Life Connecting Liquid, or LCL, for short. It's what helps them be synchronized with the Evangelion, as well as preventing them from being thrown around the cockpit from sudden movements. After that, they are placed in their entry plug and placed inside the Eva Unit by what would be their spine and are ready to begin moving."
"Wait, doesn't the liquid drown them?"
"Liquid breathing. Think of perfluorocarbon, but lighter on the lungs and it gets absorbed in the body once they're out of their entry plugs. If you can stand the light taste of blood that comes in without puking you can pretty much breathe underwater. That's where a lot of pilots fail, though."
"Sounds like a revolutionary discovery, why haven't people used more of this LCL thing in hospitals and such?"
"It's not easy to produce it, despite how much we have it, it's still somewhat experimental. Given how it's still classified information, we might make it public in the near future, provided there is a future."
She just gave you like, 4 different excuses all neatly tied into one, seems like she really doesn't want to explain where the LCL comes from, so you better change the subject.
"Ok... But what happens after the Eva turns on? How do they control them?"
"Rei has a simulation test today, so we can show you how it works before she gets in the actual Evangelion if you wish. The Evas seem to have a mind of their own when it comes to synchronization. It doesn't turn on until the high 20s in percentage rates. 40 to 60% is where they work as expected, 70 to 80% is great and the sweet spot for strength, A.T Field power and reaction time, but it's also where it starts getting dangerous for the pilot, we have never seen Rei get further than 83% without it going haywire."
"Shouldn't higher synch rates be a good thing?"
"Yes and no. By turning the Eva on, the pilot's A.T field becomes one with the unit, thanks to that a single brain is making the Eva move simply by imagining it moving. For instance, if a pilot looks somewhere, the Eva will turn its head, the only thing the controls in cockpit to are related to more advanced movement such as jumping, grabbing and using weapons. That comes with the drawback of the Eva's body feeling too much like their actual bodies, so if the Eva loses an arm, the pilot will feel like their arm was severed as well."
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>>6379852
"You still haven't explained why kids need to be the ones going through all that."
"Their minds are more sensitive given their frontal lobe hasn't fully developed yet. We have tried with older teenagers and even adults, but Rei is the first one that managed to make the Eva move properly above 30% Synch Rates, and she's been groomed as a pilot since the cradle. It might sound cruel, but we are out of options for pilots. It has to be done by teenagers in this age group."
"Worst case scenario, aside from dying... What could happen if the Synch Rate goes too high or too low?"
"Nothing if it's too low. If it's too high... The Eva unit goes berserk as the pilot's ego breaks. It might run out of energy eventually since the umbilical chord it uses as a power source only works for 5 minutes without it, but if it doesn't it will start pulling energy from the Pilot's ego pool, it's own sense of self, destroying his A.T Field from the inside and potentially liquefying them as they become one with the LCL and the Eva."
"...How do we stop that from happening?"
"We keep them in check. Their egos shouldn't be too high, nor too low during fights. Emotional responses should be kept in control, and for that, we have to train them for these conditions. Worst comes to worse, they can avoid danger by ejecting their entry plug with an escape button inside the cockpit, and the Magi system can shut them down remotely if they panic or before they die from the shock of their mental injuries. Given how the A.T Field is strong enough to withstand an atomic bomb, they are safer inside the Evas than outside it."
You take a good minute to stare back at Ritsuko, making sure she realizes how absurd this sounds to the average man. A situation like this is sure to inflict traumas on anyone prepared solely to watch the occasion from a distance, let alone be the center piece.
"I know this sounds bad, Doctor Kurono, but it was either that, or letting the world be destroyed without putting up a fight. I can't say I like the idea of Rei dying when I've been seeing her in the lab since she was a little girl, which is why we are making sure that's not a possibility."
"It's something that'll take time getting used to, I'm sorry..." You place a hand on your forehead, already thinking of the next smoke as you wonder how many ethical problems you'll run into just on your first day at work. "How long has NERV known about the Angels?"
"Some time before the Second Impact, around the early 90s, I believe. We will have to fight 15 angels in total, none of them having anything in common aside from an energy core that keeps them alive, and an A.T Field."
"What are they aiming for?"
"The Geofront. We store enough energy in NERV HQ for them to be attracted to it. Should the seize our power and absorb what we have, the world is gone and we'll all turn into LCL."
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>>6379858
"And you told me Rei has piloted the Eva since the cradle? I still haven't figured out if she's Gendo's kid or not."
"Not exactly... It's complicated. Commander Ikari has been taking care of Rei ever since she was little, and they certainly respect each other in more ways than one, but it feels wrong to say they are biologically related. You'll have to ask her what she thinks of him to get a better opinion."
"No background, no mother, no anything?"
"None at all. Doubt she remembers it, either. It's a secret only the Commander knows, I'm afraid... She certainly gets special treatment to be considered family, but her surrogate father is too distant and hard to talk to for just about everyone at NERV."
"Sins of the father, then. Learned behavior sticks onto kids and hurts them before they can even realize it." You say, not trying to think of yourself.
"Speaking of her..." Ritsuko pulls out her phone, with a Camera showing Rei entering Nerv HQ. "There's something I'd like to ask you before you went ahead and spoke with Rei. Since we are expecting to test Unit 00 today, would you rather speak with her before or after we run our tests? Regardless of how it goes, the Rei Ayanami that goes inside the Evangelion will be somewhat different from the one before entering. Given you're her therapist now, what would be more useful for your counseling?"
That's a good question, actually. You're still very much in the dark on seeing the Evas moving, and since Rei is programmed to show Unit 00 functioning as marketed towards the public today, she might have something different to say before and after the ordeal which you might not be so sure of if it's worth waiting a week to get into...
>I'd rather meet with her now so she's ready for what's to come.
>Maybe after the experiments would be better. I need to see how the Eva works before casting judgement on the project.
>I'll ask Rei when she would rather have a session and go from there. Her voice matters in this as much as ours do.
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>>6379865
>Maybe after the experiments would be better. I need to see how the Eva works before casting judgement on the project.
We know what she's like now, since we spoke recently. Let her go in fresh, see what a day of "work" does to her, and then we can understand what to expect and begin planning for how to guide her through this. Remember: don't get TOO involved. We're a clinician here.
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>>6379866
>>6380160
>>6380174
"Why not let Rei decide for me? Her lack of agency towards her own life is noticeable even for a stranger like me, perhaps stimulating her ego might have positive effects. Make her feel like her voice matters as a pilot."
Ritsuko gives you a look, as if she was about to disagree on your point, but hesitates for the sake of keeping her professional posture.
"Very well, come with me then. The testing will be in the lower floors."
Oh, great... At least you won't get lost now that you got someone who knows her way around the facility.
A few turns and stairs later, you've found an elevator and waited a few good minutes to reach the floor where Rei was, this time, she was wearing a weird white and blue bodysuit, with something akin to a tiara showing in her hair.
"What's that she's wearing?" You turn over to Ritsuko as you step into the hallway.
"Plugsuit and an Interface Headset" They help synch rates and in monitoring her health condition."
Looks more like a regular one piece swimsuit to you, but sure. Not the weirdest thing about this project...
You wave at Rei as she adjusts her suit. "Hey Rei, I was wondering if you would rather have the session before or after the tests and walking around for the public."
"Were we not scheduled for a private meeting in a few minutes?"
"Well yeah, but I need some more information about your work since no one's ever seen it before."
"Then why have you not planned ahead with that in consideration?"
This would sound offensive if it came from anyone but her, the lack of any anger or disdain in her voice makes it a half baked effort in questioning your methodology, she was bothered by the inconvenience, but showed the emotional intensity of someone who just woke up from a nap.
"The synch tests are regularly schedule, but we cant really plan ahead for Angel attacks or planned external events, so a change in the schedule for you two is bound to happen eventually, you two are flexible enough to deal with that, right?" Ritsuko winks, subtly telling you not to be bothered by Rei's comment.
"Is that an order?" She tilts her head.
"It's a choice, Rei. It's either now or later."
"..." She freezes, not being used to having an active choice, ever.
"I'm sorry, Sensei. Piloting the Eva is my top priority."
"It's ok, Rei. Make sure you can move it before talking about it." You reassure her that it's only a minor setback to you and your work.
"Before that, she will enter in a simulation body, just to make sure her readings are stable."
After being separated from Rei, you are taken to a room with reinforced glass showing a giant, humanlike torso being held in the air by several metallic chords, with a large pill shaped contained being placed in it's back.
As a monitor lights up, you see Rei closing her eyes and focusing.
"Readings have stabilized at 53%."
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>>6380336
"Is that good?"
"After months of training? Very underwhelming... Combat scenarios tend to make the synch ratio fluctuate a lot thanks to all the impacts that come from fighting. If the ratio drops below 20% at any point, the Eva automatically shuts down and they have to turn it back on by reaching the minimum synch rate, which is a death sentence in combat."
"Like killing the engine in a car."
"Exactly. As is, Rei can definitely put up a fight against the upcoming 3rd angel, but it will be a very close call, especially if she cannot take control of Unit 00 today."
"Third angel? What happened to the first two? Have we fought them already?"
"Their origins are classified information, but no. Rei hasn't fought them, they are nothing to be concerned about for now."
You're going to run into the world "Classified" a lot here, be it from Ritsuko or other NERV officials, though with this particular doctor, she definitely knows a lot more than she lets on, if her concerned look to whether or not you'll raise any following questions is very telling.
"And what exactly happened the last time Rei tried piloting the Eva?" You change the subject as you stare at Rei's nose blowing bubbles as she slowly exhales the LCL in her plug suit, the orange substance tinting her appearance in the simulation body.
"It almost turned this room to shreds, it held its head, started punching where Commander Ikari and I were, and it kept moving even after we ejected the entry plug from Unit 00."
"Is that what caused her injuries?" You wonder, noticing how her Synch Rate dropped a few percentages every time her casted arm bumped into the control panel. Her eyepatch was taken off, yet her eyelid was still somewhat bruised.
"The ejecting program of the entry plug is expected to launch the pilot away from the battlefield at a high speed from anywhere in a 10 kilometer radius. Since the Evas are observed in closed scenarios, the entry plug ricocheted a lot in the walls until it finally stood still. The commander rushed into the room to see if she was alive, but she broke plenty of bones."
"Commander Ikari saved her?"
"I was as stunted to see it as you are. I've never seen him so worried about someone before."
So the man does have a heart after all, that explains why Rei sees him in such a positive light.
"And how long ago was this again?"
"7 weeks. You'd be surprised at how fast she healed."
"Kids and their metabolism, a sick day turns into a sick week for me whenever it happens." You shrug, searching for a lighter while you wait for the test to be finished.
"Ever thought of taking it easy on the nicotine? Maybe that'll help." Ritsuko giggles, prompting you to place the lighter back in your pocket.
"All the time..."
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>>6380347
After a few minutes, her percentages reached a maximum of 59 and a minimum of 44%, and between checking her pulse, blood pressure and brain activity all within the simulation body, Ritsuko gave a few signals to her staff to let her go.
"Good job today, Rei! You can exit the entry plug and proceed to the next room."
Hearing that, her eyes finally open as she waits for the entry plug to spill the LCL away from her capsule in highly pressurized squirts from its holes
You are then taken to another elevated room where you are at an eye level with the intimidating Eva Unit 00, several other workers are now walking amongst you, but you're the only one that's still taking in that this will be the actual main weapon against the angels, all piloted by a girl who barely speaks in class.
Ritsuko wasn't joking, you really need to lay off the cigs with how much you're huffing and puffing from walking around here if the blurry glass is anything to go by.
"I wouldn't stay so close to the glass if I were you." Ritsuko warns you as you step aside. "Not saying it will go berserk again, but after seeing how few punches it took for this protective glass to break... It's best to be careful."
Hearing that , you walk all the way to the furthest space back in the room, watching the lights go off on the monitors at the safest of distances.
"I don't think you need to go that far, but sure..."
Plenty of technobabble gets thrown around between the NERV scientists that you should be paying attention, but you were more worried about the giant handles of Unit 00 slowly letting go of its extended shoulder blades. The ground shakes beneath you as the Evangelion reaches the ground it's eyeball starts to spin and light up.
"SR spiking to 60%! 68%! 79%"
"Is it going berserk again?"
"Be ready to eject the entry plug!"
"Rei!"
The giant robot barely manages to take a step forward as its torso shakes and jolts uncontrollably, you hear a few yelps from Rei as she attempts to regain control by holding the Eva's head and crouching to the floor. Curling into a ball, it then proceeds to spasm with its stomach up as Rei desperately fidgets the control panel's buttons, looking like a giant having a seizure.
"Can she recover?"
"Her ego barrier hasn't been broken yet, how many minutes does the internal battery have?"
"2 Minutes left!"
"It doesn't seem to be attacking this time... Let's wait it out and see what happens." Ritsuko holds the thought of saving Rei as she audibly panics inside the entry plug.
"SR rates dropping, The first child's vitals signs are stabilizing..." Despite not trusting Ritsuko's call, seeing the Eva slowly stop moving and trashing around the floor seemingly paid off. After a brief few seconds, The unit holds it's head as if feeling for any bumps, before standing up.
"Rei? Do you copy?"
"...Yes." She proved to be still responsive inside the plug, alive and hopefully well.
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>>6380363
"Are you injured? We can stop the simulation if you'd like." Another one of Ritsuko's assistants asked, yet she refused.
"I'm fine."
Ritsuko exchanges looks between her coworkers before nodding.
"Attach the Umbilical Cable. We'll be alternating between VR Training no. 2 and 3."
At Doctor Akagi's command, Unit 00's shoulder blade opens a metallic compartment that pulls out a knife from its body that seems to be as large as a two story building.
"Eva Unit 00 was still very much a prototype to the rest of the Eva series before it went berserk. Though the damage to its internal structure was very minimal, we figured we could give it a few weapons so future builds can have them on default."
After a few grunts from Rei, she starts slashing at the air as a whoozing sound hurts your ears.
"What's that noise?"
"The progressive knife vibrates its blade to increase it's sharpness. An angel's energy core can only be cut by something that can divide at a molecular level. Despite it's size, it's a house sized scalpel if used in the right way."
The room the Eva is in darkens as a projector screen appears from where you were, giving a POV from Rei's cabin as she her monitors show some cardboard giant creatures with a few dotted lines, pointing the direction in which she should swing her forearm as well as a counter for how fast she does that.
"So, Kurono-San. What are your thoughts?" Ritsuko seems very proud to show what both your mothers were secretly working on, yet you are not so sure yourself about what to comment on...
>It could have gotten a lot smoother at the start.
>Do you really think she is ready to fight an Angel by herself?
>I'm surprised she's not already scarred for life...
>Where is the A.T Field?
>Write-in.
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>>6380381
>>6380408
>>6380480
"I have heard a lot about my mother's A.T Field research, but I have yet to see that in the Evangelion."
"You're a school counselor, correct? I imagine you have to hear a lot about middle school-level physics lessons. Do you remember about Newton's Third Law of motion?"
"Yeah, for every action there's a reaction equal to the force placed in an object. It's why we don't sink to the floor from gravity, the floor can withstand our weight and push us back just as much as we push it."
"Correct. But according to Newton's third law, this facility shouldn't be able to withstand the Eva Unit trashing around like it just did. It's weight is too heavy not to sink the very floor it walks on."
"Then how come we're all just fine?"
"The A.T Field." Ritsuko points to a nearby monitor that was showing Rei's brain waves, and how it's pattern was being amplified thanks to the Eva and the LCL to superhuman speed. "I did not eject Rei due to noticing her A.T Field was still stable enough not to destroy the room like last time."
"Wouldn't that hurt her in the process as well?"
"Yes it would, but there is a limit to how much force she can do with her blows without taking damage herself. It's why we try not to let the synch rate too high for the sake of their safety. Technically, a human has enough force in its jaw to bite it's own thumb off, but the pain threshold makes us realize we should not do that to our own bodies. Now, if someone is insane enough to overcome the body's natural pain responses such as in an adrenaline rush, they can do extraordinary feats, like lifting a car with their bare hands. But that comes at a cost..."
"Same with the Eva and the pilot then, got it... So I'm seeing the A.T Field without seeing the A.T Field?"
"Think of it like the wind. You can't usually see it, but if it's strong enough, you can see tornados or typhoons forming thanks to its power. Plenty of Angels should be able to attack solely by manipulating their A.T Field to form barriers, power waves, and deflect conventional attacks by simply controlling their own fear of the unknown. Naturally, the only thing that can break the A.T Field is another A.T Field, but weapons such as the progressive knives or positron rifles should help when in possession of the Eva Units."
"Is Rei's A.T Field strong enough to appear in front of us?"
"We can definitely test that... Rei, deploy your A.T Field."
"Roger!"
Unit 00 crosses its arms, blocking any upcoming attack as the simulation transforms into another Evangelion throwing boulders at Rei's, making her A.T Field expand at the appropriate timing.
There, you can finally see it. Tiny, octagonal waves forming from the Evangelion's core being pushed out of its body, flowing in a grid pattern, shielding Rei and flowing backwards whenever it perceived an impact.
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>>6380590
"Do you really think she is ready to fight an Angel by herself?" You finally tell Ritsuko your thoughts by asking her the real question.
"... I would rather see her fully healed from her previous wounds, but as you can see, she is definitely doing her best. I'd say she's doing better than expected, given her conditions-"
"I am not asking about her, Doctor. I'm asking about the angels. What are our odds?" You interrupt her, concerned about the upcoming threats.
"...Not the best. Which is why we'll be contacting the second child in a few weeks from now. Hopefully they can both fight The 3rd Angel Sachiel together."
"Is his Eva Unit ready? Where was he training?"
"Unit 01 is in the Geofront, however, Pilot Shinji Ikari will have little to no training by the time Sachiel arrives, which is why we are focusing on Rei to handle the basics first."
Damn... For someone who has been planning for the arrival of the angels for over 20 years, Commander Ikari appears to be using the most desperate measures possible to even hold a chance against them--
"Wait a minute, did you say Shinji Ikari?"
"Correct, the second child will be his son. You will be having private sessions with him as well." Ritsuko coldly declares.
You mean this madman will be putting both his kids to prevent the third impact, and one of them doesn't even is being kept completely in the dark about the Evas?
"I wish I knew about this sooner..."
"For a civilian who just started working here, you are being filled in with as much information as I can give, Doctor Kurono. I can't give you information you are not allowed access to."
"Not even the about the A.T Field?"
Ritsuko seems to hold back a gulp. She did tell you her mother worked with yours, so she is not ignorant of your situation. Even if she didn't, her being the head honcho for R&D means your background couldn't possibly be a secret.
"...I could maybe ask for permission regarding Ayane's research, if that's what you are interested in. Just know that it might take some time." Ritsuko seemed to oddly empathize with your situation. For the first time here, you were greeted with a 'maybe' instead of a flat 'no' when it came to more classified info. Maybe it would do well to get on her good side...
After running some more simulations, Rei is finally allowed to leave, still wearing her plug suit, she coughs her way back to where you were, waiting to be guided back to your office.
...Where was your office again?
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>>6380611
Embarrassingly, you stopped dead in the hallway to ponder the way back, only for Rei to help you out:
"This is the way back to the elevator."
Huffing and puffing back to the stairs, you try your best to hide your face in shame by just how tired you are, going from staying still in a chair smoking for a 9 to 5 to running a marathon on weekdays is very tough, maybe you should buy a bike to get into shape for this...
Here we are... bright, warm room, two comfy chairs, the clock turned to you. After all that rodeo around the HQ, you are happy to sit down with a cup of coffee. Just you, Rei, and her deadpan stare.
Taking a notebook and a pencil, you are ready to begin noting down whatever happens in your sessions. Be it her behavior, themes discussed, problems found and your strong interventions, you need to remember everything so there's a sense of comradery between patient and therapist.
Only problem being... You're talking to Rei.
There she is, staring dead center into your eyes in her plugsuit. No discernable movements at all, no questions to ask. You're used to having to deal with quiet students when they are called into your office, but that's because you were warned of what they did or what they needed to be told. Neither Ritsuko or Gendo told you anything but "keep her stable" as if they did not even know what was wrong with her aside from having to save the world and the pressure that gave her.
...Is she even feeling pressure? Doesn't really seem like it. What's keeping her so quiet in the midst of this chaos? Should you keep it professional and only mention her problems with her duties, or can you delve into her personal life?
She is obviously not going to make the first move, so letting the silence sit will only make it awkward for the both of you.
>How do you feel about piloting Unit 00?
>Are you worried about the Angels?
>Do you know other pilots are coming?
>What do you think of Commander Ikari?
>Do you know why you are here today?
>Something else
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>>6380646
>>6380685
"Do you know why you are here today, Rei?" You ask in earnest, wondering if she knows what therapy was.
"I was there when you were hired to take care of me." Rei was quick to answer, still as expressionless as always.
"No, I meant if you know what therapists do."
"They... talk to people." She pondered, not knowing how to elaborate any more than that.
"Yes, usually about people's problems, or whatever else they are dealing with."
"...I am not sure I have anything to report."
Hm... She appears to be somewhat bothered by having to think for herself on what to do, being too accustomed to following orders for a living would do that to you no doubt...
"Let's start with something basic, then. How do you feel about piloting Unit 00? It's a big responsibility, no doubt."
"It's my duty. I have to pilot it."
"...Anything else to report?" You try and play around with how used she is to objective and direct military dialogue.
"None."
Well, she definitely replied faster...
"Do you do anything for yourself when you are off duty?"
"I go back to my apartment."
"...Anything else?"
"I sleep, eat, dress myself and go to school."
"That's your routine, I was referring to anything you liked doing, hobbies, favorite food and such."
"Food? I eat bread."
"Do you also drink water?"
"Yes."
What a thrilling life indeed...
"Do you have anyone to talk to in school? Any plans for the future, maybe."
"I was made to pilot the Eva. I see no reason to do anything unrelated to that."
So she really has nothing going for her... It would be sad, if she didn't seem oddly fine with it. You wonder what's the point of being her therapist if you got nothing to work with her-
...Wait a minute. Yeah, that's her problem! She's used not to think for herself, for her to better pilot the Eva, she needs a bigger ego, a better sense of self. It won't be easy, but perhaps making Rei tap into a natural personality by herself is exactly what NERV is asking you to do! It won't be easy and it certainly will take more than a year, but at least she is calm and nonconfrontational by default, so you won't deal with a lot of aggressive denial or justification of her actions... hopefully...
Noting that down, you ask her a key question that explains a lot of her behavior.
"So how would you feel if you failed in your mission?"
"The world would end. There is nothing to feel from that."
"No, I mean if you died, don't you fear death?"
"If I die, I can be replaced."
Yeouch. Now a healthy thing for a kid this age to think she's replaceable, people usually save that for their 20s and 30s.
>So you think you are expendable?
>People would miss you if you died, don't you think it's best to keep living for them?
>Would you miss anything by not being alive?
>Don't say that, you are your own person, plenty of years to keep living, too.
>Something else.
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>>6380998
>>6381039
"Would you miss anything by not being alive? People, places, experiences you haven't had yet?"
"...Commander Ikari."
"..." She didn't say whether he would miss her, or if she would miss him, so you stayed silent in hopes that she would elaborate.
She never did.
"How's your relationship with the commander, Rei? Assuming you'd both miss each other, there must be a lot of stories shared between you two."
"I wouldn't be here without him."
Is she referring to the incident with Unit 00, or in general...?
"Yes, I heard he helped you out when your Eva went berserk, which is the responsible thing to do. Does he do anything else?"
"I see him a lot. Sometimes he appears in my synch tests and he tells me about his work." She smiled like you've never seen before, emotional honesty like that is hard to hide, especially in a girl with such repressed emotional conditioning. She likes him, you'd dare say she loves him. Perhaps not as a father or a friend, but something in-between those two terms. Asking about the commander seems to be key here.
"Yeah, he would miss you the most, I think, but there are plenty of people that you can speak to without him."
"Why would I do that?" Her smile disappears as you finish your proposal.
"Well, it's a big world out there, lots of people to meet. If meeting someone you'd like such as Ikari can make you this happy, imagine if you had two, five, maybe even ten Ikaris to share your time with."
Rei suddenly places her hand at her heart, shocked to feel something.
"What is this feeling...?"
"Anxiety, maybe?" You take a wild guess.
"I don't usually feel this unless I'm inside the Eva... Is it bad?"
She doesn't even feel the slightest arrhythmia unless someone pushes her to have emotions? What an oddball, it almost makes her seem charming, a baby processing its emotional intelligence in the body of a teenager.
"I guarantee that its not nearly as bad as whatever you'll do in the Evas, so don't worry. It should go back to normal in a bit."
"Ok... Anxiety." Rei tests out this new word she just learned while you wonder if she only felt her heartrate increases when things went wrong.
"Does anything else unusual for you happens while you pilot?"
"Sometimes, I hear voices. Not from the comms, but from the inside the Eva. It sounds like me, but I'm not the one thinking those thoughts to myself."
Psychosis, maybe? Could just be intrusive thoughts, Ritsuko did say brain waves were amplified in the LCL...
>What do the voices say?
>Does that happen anywhere else?
>Have you told anyone else about this?
>I'm glad you feel comfortable sharing this with me, that's what therapy is all about, and I'm here to help you out on this
>Write-in.
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>>6381420
>>6381446
>>6381597
>>6381672
"Well Rei, I'm glad to say you feel comfortable in sharing this information with me. There's usually a lot of shame that comes with people speaking out about what they hide from others, but that's what therapy is all about, overcoming shame from yourself and being safe in your own skin is what therapy is all about."
"...My own skin?" She stares at her hands, taking your sentence in a literal sense.
"Exactly, and I'm here to help you out on this if you are willing to share more about this condition you are having. Does it happen anywhere else?"
"No, only inside the Eva... It only happens every now and then."
"And what do they say, exactly?"
"..." Rei is in deep thought, either trying to make sense of what she heard, or simply wonder if she really is comfortable with sharing that with you.
"It is hard to say. The voice seems to be mine, but I only hear it in whispers, not loud enough to hear."
Considering how raspy her voice is, if Rei is saying the whispers aren't loud enough to hear, they must be inaudible to anywhere but inside her brain.
"Anything would help, really. Even if it's a word, it could go a long way."
"I'm sorry... I really don't remember."
There's a hint of sadness in her voice as she places her hands in her thighs, looking down with some inhibited disappointment in herself, she wish she could help you out on this, but there is not a lot to discuss other than that, until...
"If you want, maybe I can get in the Eva again and hope for another malfunction."
"N-no thank you! There's no real reason for you to do that!" You lose your cool for a moment, dumbfounded that she would suggest a near death experience just for the sake of a better case study.
"Perhaps Ritsuko could help you, then. She keeps my medical records and does regular checkups on me."
"And how often is that?"
"Once a week, I am scheduled to show up there after we are done here."
Awfully regular, even for a child soldier. What condition could she have that requires all those checkups?
Since everyone here is so sensitive to giving you regular information, maybe it would be easier to squeeze some info about the Evangelion project and its secrets if its coming from a younger mind... But would what be the right thing to do? Are you doing that to help Rei, or for your own benefit?
>Are you close to Ritsuko?
>Do you have any underlying health conditions?
>Does piloting the Eva make you feel any different?
>You are quick to hurt yourself for the sake of others Rei, that's not good.
>How are you feeling about appearing in public later today?
>Write-in.
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>>6381875
>How are you feeling about appearing in public later today?
I'm expecting a "I go to school everyday" response at this point. Still, better than telling her not to hurt herself for the sake of others. She's so literal minded, it might interfere with her defending humanity.
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>>6381881
>>6381882
>>6382005
>>6382084
"Do you have any underlying health conditions for these many checkups? Most people don't have to take a blood exam more than once a year if they feel ok."
"Ritsuko has said I need to take regular LCL baths to better stabilize myself with the Eva." Rei perks up, there's something you didn't know about...
"Is the LCL toxic in some way?"
"No. On the contrary, it makes me heal faster from my wounds."
Makes sense, Ritsuko said something about the LCL being a revolutionary discovery for medics. If you can breathe it like its oxygen while running through your body, making you heal a little faster is not that far out there.
...Screw it, let's test our luck to see if she knows something:
"Do you have any idea what the LCL is made of?"
"No. All I know is that Ritsuko puts me in an isolation chamber full of it. My body temperature feels warm when I float there, it's easy to fall asleep and lose track of time there."
She seems to like something, at least. Shame it's getting lost in a tub by herself for hours on end.
"And do you hear the voices when you are there?"
"...No. I only hear them inside... The Eva." This 'no' was a lot slower. She might be good at hiding information, but she's not a good liar, the LCL baths have something to do with her dissociation.
"Do you feel any different by piloting the Eva? Does anything there happen that you don't notice everywhere else?"
"My body feels what the Eva feels. I am too used to the LCL to feel bothered by it. But sometimes I do get headache and some lingering pain from what happens to Unit 00"
Phantom pain? it only gets worse... You hope the MAGI system really is fast enough to turn the Evas off remotely before they die...
"About the mission you have later today, how are you feeling about your public appearance? There will be lots of eyes on you, do you think anything will change?"
"At 1700, The Eva Unit 00 will be deployed at the outskirts of Tokyo-3. I shall carry Captain Misato Katsuragi in my hands to show the Evangelions can safely escort humans without destroying them with A.T Field repulsion. Extra attention should be given with stepping around the city, as the Unit could damage important avenues, or crush small animals and children. Captain Katsuragi is also prone to erratic, unpredictable behavior, so not letting her fall off on her own is a concern for-"
"Oh no, I'm not asking you for a briefing. I was more interested in how you felt."
"... You keep asking that question. 'What do I feel'... I don't know how to answer that... It's a difficult question."
Really now?
"Why are you always asking me how I feel? Is the way I feel things wrong? What do you want me to feel?"
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>>6382260
There it is. Transference, you were wondering when that would happen with Rei. Pass enough time with anyone in a closed room asking them questions and they will start treating you like you have all the answers. Any unresolved conflicts brought to the table will be dealt as if you are the one involved with it. When she asks you what she's supposed to feel, it's more like she's asking herself, as well as all who failed her in her upbringing. It's not uncommon for one to become a father figure, or at least some sort of mentor for the patient in psychotherapy. It is a delicate relationship built with each following question that can be diminished with any poorly timed response or from pricking too much at their brain.
Naturally, you'll need to do your own countertransference when someone brings something up that hurts you due to being related to your own previous experiences, but given how little life Rei has lived, it doesn't seem you'll have anything in common with her to worry about that for now.
She patiently waits your response as you look towards the clock: 5 minutes left. That's the perfect bait every therapist loves to use. Give them a big question to think of when they're out and about, it's mental homework for them to figure out until you see them next week.
"Kurono-Sensei. What should I feel?" She repeats, sternly. She really seems curious on how you will respond.
>You rely too much on orders Rei. Not everything is an obligation.
>More. You should feel more and think on what these different feelings mean for yourself.
>That's not something I can tell you, only you are inside your head.
>You're not wrong for feeling anything, it's just that you should be more aware of your emotions.
>Write-in.
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>>6382273
>You're not wrong for feeling anything, it's just that you should be more aware of your emotions.
It's not ipt to us to tell her to be more emotional or expressive, nor is that strictly necessary. But she shiuld underrstand who she is and what she wants, for the sake of her performance and her well-being. She can't properly monitor stress levels if she doesn't realize she's stressed to begin with, or grow her ego without any understanding of her own preferences.
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>>6382329
>>6382385
>>6382395
"You're not wrong for feeling anything, it's just that you should be more aware of your emotions."
"No one's ever said that to me before."
"Well, simply put, it's because people usually do that on their own. They go do something they haven't been told or ordered, and then they figure out if they like it or not. Going outside, reading a book that seems interesting, finding out about their favorite food... It's all something that no one has to teach you, because subjectivity can't be taught by anyone but yourself."
"But that sounds... difficult."
"I can understand that's unknown territory for you, there are lots of things to do out there in the world, so many that it can be overwhelming, but once you figure out what you like and have a baseline on what to work with, things will be a lot more pleasant. By the time you find out what you enjoy, you'll feel happy to have taken that risk..."
"And what should I do to make myself happy?"
Tough question, usually you'd give more direct advice since she is a student in your school, but you don't know how attached you should be with Rei here, so let's try the middle route...
"Our school has a library, no? You could go there for more than studying, books can be a great source of fun. Lots of genres to explore than what the math teachers throw at you." Or at least, that's what you learned from personal experience.
"...Roger."
Damn it, guess she mistook that for an order too... At least it's gonna keep her busy for the next week.
The alarm clock beeps, session's over.
"I hope to see you here next week, Rei."
"...Aren't you going to see Unit 00's public appearance?" Rei stood up, confused as to why a NERV staff wouldn't watch their most important operation yet.
She's not completely one track minded, but given how the Eva is all there is to her routine, she is quick to revert to factory settings.
>Sure, Iet me just finish this report for the session.
>I don't think so. It's gonna be everywhere on TV, so it's not like I'll miss it either way.
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>>6382639
>>6382707
>>6382721
>>6382776
'Clinical Notes: Rei Ayanami. Age 14.
Context: Nerv Affiliate, Eva Unit 00's Pilot
Session 1 - General background established. Patient is extremely quiet and conservative in her speech. Irregular visual contact unless her curiosity is peaked. Social isolation resulted in lack of self preservation or emotional intelligence
Prognosis: Potential development of interpersonal bonds and a better sense of identity once she is pushed in the right direction.'
"Sure, I'll be there in a minute, Rei."
You're starting to get used to Rei leading you everywhere around NERV HQ, maybe you should plan to enter the building with her to make things easier.
Well, this wasn't so bad for a first session. Either for Rei or for you. Things might change between your relationship of counselor and student back in school, but Carl Rogers would be proud of the way you dealt with things today. You can only hope the other pilots are this easy to understand and observe their progress as you go along.
After a cigarette break and several different elevators, you are greeted gain by Ritsuko Akagi, who tells you to place your report on her desk as she speaks with a few other staff members. She's busy tending to Rei as they prepare to show Unit 00 to Tokyo-3, yet their escort is nowhere to be found.
Suddenly, a young woman in a red beret spins you around, almost knocking you over as she runs past you in a flash. You think you heard a "Sorry!" as she brakes right next to Ritsuko, who crosses her arms and growls at the soldier, nagging about her being late.
"A few more minutes and we'd have to cancel the mission, what took you so long?"
"Oh, nothing major! I forgot the keys to the car so I lost a few minutes searching for them around the house. Then when I got here, I realized I left my ID back home! And then when I finally started driving back, I noticed my tire was flat! These sort of things just happen, I guess..."
"Yeah, you'll be a nothing major if you get promoted without figuring yourself out..." Ritsuko audibly facepalms as the captain hides her embarrassment with a loud giggle.
Is this a good time to socialize?
>Introduce yourself to the captain.
>Inquire more information about the Eva project with Ritsuko.
>Check on Rei.
>Get to know some other faces at NERV.
>Stay in your lane and wait for the Eva to start moving.
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>You can only hope the other pilots are this easy to understand and observe their progress as you go along.
Oh you sweet summer child...
>>6382958
>Introduce yourself to the captain.
>Get to know some other faces at NERV.
Meet and greet! These are our coworkers, after all.
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>>6382968
>>6383048
>>6383118
Bumping into the captain is not the best way to introduce yourself to her, maybe saying hello with your name and occupation is more of a proper greeting.
"Ah! We have therapists now?" She shakes your hand with the force and intensity of a bodybuilder. "Awesome! I always wanted to test one out."
"He's not for the staff, Captain." Ritsuko cuts her off. "Dr. Kurono's services are strictly for the Eva Pilots. Besides, he's not from your department, so he preferably answers to me."
"Hmmm? Awfully possessive of you, Ritsuko! Getting the hots for the new guy? How bold! And here I thought you were gonna be the old cat lady of the friend group!"
"Sh-shut up! That's not..." Ritsuko stammers, thinking of a comeback, but losing the timing while staring at Captain Katsuragi's smug face makes her stay silent while her friend's laughter grows stronger. They appear to know each other for quite some time judging from this little interaction. The captain is the most lively person you've met so far at NERV, which seems to concern the overly serious Ritsuko on whether or not that will compromise her mission.
"Sorry, sorry! Couldn't help it! But you should have seen your face!"
"Could you take this any less seriously? You know you're going to be crushed into LCL if this mission fails, right?"
"But that wouldn't be on me now, would it? That's on you and Rei-chan for not calibrating the Eva right! And another thing, I can't die yet!" She taps at her stomach like a gorilla. "This liver here has much to live! Plenty of beers and cigs I haven't chugged down my throat yet!"
A comedian and a drinker? Oh yeah, you two gotta hang out someday.
"I wouldn't mind getting to know more people here, actually. Is there anyone else in particular I should know more about?" You inquired, leading the captain to point to a few people in particular in the upper floors.
"See the old guy on the right? That's our second in command, Kozo Fuyutsuki. Whenever Commander Ikari doesn't want to show his face, which tends to be pretty often, he'll show up instead and have a word with people round here. To his left are the three first lieutenants we have: the one with glasses is Makoto Hyuga. He's a bit of a book nerd, but he gets the job done. The girl is Maya Ibuki, not to talk smack about your profession, but she might as well be a therapist with how much she lightens the mood when she's around, I think you'd get along pretty well with her, given what you do here. Then we get to Aoba... Not a lot I can tell you about him, though. He seems to be more on his own."
"I ask for people to share a drink with and you give me first lieutenants? A bit intimidating for a shrink, ya think?"
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>>6383270
"Oh no, Not everyone here is on the military, Kurono-san! I'm just telling you the pecking order and who gets to order who: First there's Gendo, then Fuyutsuki, me, then the first lieutenants."
"Aren't you forgetting someone, Captain?" Ritsuko waves at her. "I have never once served in the military, yet I still give orders to those three every day of the week just as much as you do."
"Only when it comes to your nerdy stuffy! If we're talking military operations, when Gendo and Fuyutsuki aren't around, that means I'm the one in charge of all or NERV. Ritsuko might have some fancier words in her vocabulary, but if you need someone to put a bullet between someone's eyes, you'll pick me every time!" Captain Kitsuragi buffs her chest, proud to show her badge.
"Oh, please. Even the janitors here can have access to gun training and a 9 MM if they ask the lieutenants. If it had to come down to it, I doubt I would hesitate to shoot either."
"Uh-huh. Isn't that what they all say..." Misato scoffs back at Ritsuko.
"Wait, so even I can have a gun here?" You scratch your head after hearing that.
"It would take a few days at target practice, but yeah. You can ask Hyuga-san for more info if you're interested" Misato smiles, already seeing that she won you over with the promise of packing some heat.
"If civilians are more to your liking, I can point you to the girls who work with me at the MAGI system." Ritsuko points to a few women in the computer room. "Each supercomputer is too big to be monitored at the same time, so we have Kaede for Casper, Satsuki for Melchior, and Aoi for Balthasar."
"What do they stand for?" You ponder.
"Casper applies for the A.I that incorporates my mother as a woman. A living, thinking being that considers her role in society for the greater good. Melchior is the most objective side of the Magi System. A scientist through and through, only objective analysis and practical solutions. Balthasar was meant for her as a mother, but I heard Ayane shared some ideas with Naoko when they were coworkers, which made it the more moral side to balance things out between the two sides. They all work in consensus to think in real time for the best possible solutions on all battle scenarios we may have."
You're not sure what Ayane and Naoko did at work, but even you're not fully sure if your mom is winning any mother of the year awards, so you worry on how effective Balthasar can be...
Still, you see an opportunity to make a few more friends here if school doesn't keep you too busy. It all depends on what you're more interested in first, getting to know more about your mom through Ritsuko and her subordinates, or gun training with the tomboy who's a bit too chill for the world ending scenario she's taking care of.
>Gun training sounds cool!
>I'd like to know more about Naoko and Ayane.
>About Rei...
>About the mission...
>About Gendo...
>Write-in.
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>>6383315
As in if I got a degree? Not really, I majored in philosophy which is a close second. My GF is a therapist though, ever since we moved in together it's been interesting to hear her horror stories about people going cuckoo throughout the years and how she switches personalities going in and out her job, so everything I say here comes from asking her stuff and reading her recommendations. Best not to take anything as facts when it's hybrid knowledge and such.
I guess this is a good time to ask for some feedback? I don't think I got any psych stuff wrong so far but I could be mistaken, hopefully the rest relating to the quest is at least interesting to read
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>>6383287
>>6383288
>>6383302
Part of the Magi system was made with your mom in mind? What else, did she put her brain in the Evas, too? What else hasn't she worked on here at NERV? When she told you about pushing you in the right direction when you were a kid, you didn't expect her to stop helping you as soon as you reached her company...
"I'll go check out on Balthasar, could be useful later on." You excuse yourself as you hand over the report file to Ritsuko.
"No prob, new guy! Cya!" Misato waves as Ritsuko throws her a suit similar to Rei's prompting her to change and get the mission ready.
Explaining who you are to Aoi, the girl with large glasses and a bulging forehead is quick to show you the console commands for Balthasar, shooting a rapid fire line of commands to which you can barely read before it gets pushed off screen.
After a few presses on her keyboard, Aoi shows what appears to be a chatroom between the three Magi Supercomputers, evidencing their thought process clear as day to whatever moral decisions they need:
Balthasar: Captain Katsuragi appears to be running late.
Casper: Operation Catwalk can be assigned to anyone other than Captain Katsuragi. The only requirement for the JSSDF to approve the use of The Eva Units is for it to move around Tokyo-3 Carrying a live human.
Melchior: Captain Major Katsuragi is a well known and respected member of NERV, having direct communications with the JSSDF. The only accepted substitutes would be Kozo Fuyutsuki or Gendo Ikari.
Casper: Incorrect. So long as the escort is alive and unharmed during the expedition, anyone can do.
Balthasar: The Captain being 3 minutes late to the operation is negligible and a comprehensible time period to explain due to general delays for the Japanese Strategic Self Defense Force. Moreover, untrained officials could be prone to panicking and compromising the operation.
Reaching Consensus...
...
Captain Katsuragi shall not be penalized for her delays. However, 3 minutes without direct orders is plenty of time for angels to enter the Geofront and begin a Third Impact Scenario. If she does with to be promoted to Major, Katsuragi should be advised to be more punctual in her meetings to better fit into our schedule.
So Balthasar is the mediator, Casper is the pragmatic, and Melchior is the humanist? You don't remember your mother being much of a middlewoman, perhaps that was different when she wore the lab coat...
"And the MAGI system does this all day?" You ask Aoi.
"All day, every day! If it weren't for our solar panels, we would have to borrow electricity from several city blocks just to keep the MAGIs running. They do this for every important decision we input in real time, so somebody needs to filter out the important parts."
Aoi types in 'Operation Catwalk', so a screen can pop in next to the monitor showing Rei entering Unit 00.
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>>6383455
Casper: Unit 00 has been deployed. Initial SR at 39%. Adjusting A.T Field in order to allow exoskeletal cushioning.
Melchior: Misato Katsuragi is being placed in Unit 00's hands by a helicopter.
Casper: Rei Ayanami has turned on her console and is ready to depart.
Balthasar: Drones in the area are monitoring the outskirts of Tokyo-3, route should be safe provided the first child follows their lead without tripping or making any misinputs.
Casper: Currently walking speed of Unit 00: 60km/h.
Barely moving, and it's already as fast as a car? Makes sense, given how large the legs are...
You start to zone out as you focus on the single screen Aoi left you to look at while she monitors somewhere else. The blue giant walking around town seems to draw the attention of multiple onlookers with wildly different reactions. Some start running away, others are inspired and salute the captain waving and jumping around in Rei's hands, some bold individuals even try to get closer to take pictures at better angles from their windows. It's the event of the year no doubt, one that shows how much humanity can achieve by uniting their best scientists into a single project.
Melchior: Misato has tripped and is currently suspended in-between the gap of Unit 00's fingers
Balthasar: Make sure to alert Rei of the situation, she might not be able to hear Misato over the sounds of her own footsteps.
Some people gasp in shock in seeing Misato make a misstep into the void of air in Unit 00's hand, but a closeup shot at the Captain shows her clearly not holding back her tongue, you don't need to read lips to see how many curse words she's spewing thanks to her own mistake.
"No problems so far!" Aoi lightens up as she watches Rei crouch down to put Misato in a more flattering position. "So, what do you think of our little baby? 7 months in the making finally lead Rei-chan to show her face to the cameras! Thankfully, the other units won't need to have so many tests thanks to what we learned with her prototype build."
Really, has this project gotten any less scarier now that you've seen Rei and the Eva in action?
>Of course! You trust Rei to get the job done.
>It'll take a lot to save humanity and it won't be easy, but that's what you're here for.
>It's not the Evas you should be scared about, but the angels.
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>>6383478
>>6383516
Save it for when you're home alone, Date. That's the one advantage you have over your mom to not go into a murdering spree.
"No reason to be afraid of Rei and the children when there are more ill intentioned creatures ready to kill us on the spot. The angels should be our main concern."
Aoi nodded, her confidence in the project being bolstered by your inspiring words.
It's interesting how you have to play the part in both your jobs now... Comparing the two, you've never really had that many close friends there to call anything more than acquaintances, but maybe the more urgent threat of the angels might push you into being a bit more bold socially, either here or there. Much like your own patient, you can already notice that overexerting your social muscles will leave you very exhausted, so only time will tell when occupation 1 will get in the way of occupation 2.
You stay by the monitors watching, only occasionally leaving when a benevolent soul said they were going to get drinks at the local food dispenser, prompting you to find a hallway full of vending machines to which you could see yourself eventually calling the assorted goods you brought from there dinner. It's a common dining spot from what it seems, so hopefully you'll run into some popular and familiar faces.
With Operation Catwalk being finished an hour later, you finally find your way back home and crashed at the couch. You haven't had much time, or will, for that matter, to clean the house, yet before you could get used to the scent of burnt cigarettes in the carpet until you fell asleep, you remembered something very unfortunate...
The Vice Principal asked you to buy a new class pet for Class 2-A.
The school usually gives you a share of its budget to handle some extra curricular activities, and the best way to get the kids in class to show they are social, empathic beings and not complete psychopaths is that they can take care of the little creature that's in the class. It's a common topic between students that encourages socializing, who gets to feed the pet, who can take it home for the weekend, who gets to keep it at the end of the semester based on who treated it the best, who treated it poorly and is prone to getting bullied in class for it, such and such.
You always wanted to buy one from the store to keep to yourself, but money and now time were always a constant reminder of how its best to live off alone than being neglectful of someone who needs you.
The following day is an errand run to figure out what pet store has the best deals, which races would be more appealing to little kids, and what animal would not grow too big to become a nuisance to keep at school or pose a threat to the kids.
Eventually, you found a store that didn't force you to pay out of pocket, so all that was left was choose which one.
>A dog.
>A cat.
>A baby chick.
>A bird.
>A hamster.
>A fish tank.
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>That's the one advantage you have over your mom to not go into a murdering spree.
Well now THAT'S not a healthy idea to internalize, Date...
>>6383863
>A hamster.
This is now a Hamtaro/Evangelion crossover fic. There is no escape.
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>>6384232
Short answer? No.
Long Answer?
He's functionally sociable and people find him somewhat pleasant to be around, but that's about it when it comes to his social interactions, having to work with people for a living means he prefers being in his own head with nobody to bother him in his off time, sometimes (Most times, really) for his own detriment.
Every now and then I'll try and give him a social interaction with a named character and introduction and all, but I felt like Mari was a good example to set the mood on how he mostly goes "Oh yeah, You exist and remember me. Oh well..." on how he sees other people so don't expect him to talk to anyone not mentioned previously. Losing friends and family at a young age and then being put into a mental hospital might do that to ya. We'll have plenty of time to explore and even go against that to better his character and life, but with eva being eva... expect lots of ups and downs.
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>>6383863
> Eggs
In sixth grade, our sexual education homework assignment was to paint an egg to kind of look like a human cartoon character, dress it up in cardboard clothes, and carry it around with us to and from school, just like parents on bring-your-kid-to-work day. Winner of the contest was the last person with a broken egg. Gosh it was a pain, and it did a pretty good job of discouraging us from being teenage parents. To this day, my Dad blames that school for making me a perma-virgin.
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>>6383865
>>6383869
>>6384448
Let's see... which one of these haven't you bought yet? Class 2-B already has a beagle with a really loud and obnoxious bark, and kids don't like to have the same pet since they wanna be unique... Class 2-C almost lost their bird since one of the kids wanted to see how far it could fly out the cage, which was a terrible idea... 3-A got a fish tank and it turned into a popular attraction, so 2-A would feel jealous to only have a few fish there... Plus it's hell on earth to set it up when it arrives.
That leaves the cat and the hamster. Hamsters are very delicate and stressful little rats due to living as prey for their entire lives. If the class is too loud, which 2-A isn't, it might just start eating itself to death, plus it likes to sleep during the day, so kids might bother it a bit too much. It's more of a good pet to share between 2 to 3 people at most, not the entire classroom, which is why you have yet to pick it this year.
Cats, on the other hand, a lot bigger and independent. They're a lot like humans, in a way. Very selective when it comes to who they like, remembering who treats them well and scratching who they want to keep their distance from. A lot of fur will shed even if they stay at their cages, and most people love cats anyway. Except those weird people who torture and kill them for fun. Hopefully none of them are in your school...
Unexpectedly you find something exotic on the other side of the pet store, a turtle in a small aquarium laying eggs, several, in fact, more than you can fit in your hand and enough for the whole class to keep one while sparing you the trouble of buying a new animal every year if you make a little game on which kid takes the longest to break their eggs... It's cheap, yeah, but you can give them money, a gift or even the turtle itself if they win. They are life partners, so even if they're low maintenance and don't give a lot of social stimuli, having a turtle that lives up to your old age is a sign of how well you can treat something outside your own body...
Hmmm...
>Get a cat.
>Get a hamster.
>Get the turtle for the kids.
>Get the turtle for yourself and give the eggs to the kids.
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>>6384566
>Get the turtle for yourself and give the eggs to the kids.
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>>6385098
Look at how cute she is, swimming around on that glass box. The sand pit she's playing in is so small, the water is barely deeper than a puddle, yet she appears to be having the time of her life as she splashes up and down. Yeah, she's perfect. The kids might get a little bit disappointed that they're getting eggs instead of dogs or cats, but hey, you need something in your own house to boost morale too.
"How old is this cutie?" You ask to the pudgy guy with glasses behind the counter, pointing to the turtle.
"16."
"And already laying eggs at this age?"
"This girl started ovulating when she was 13! What a slut, right?"
"..."
Don't comment. Don't respond. Don't even acknowledge that comment. Let it pass and hope he changes the subject.
"She'll keep laying eggs until she's around 30-something. Sea turtles are growing fewer in numbers thanks to the rise of sea levels and more predators being around, but she's still at an affordable price. 9.000 yen for her. If you take the aquarium, I'll give it a discount and round it out to 50.000 plus delivery"
"Sold."
You would hesitate a lot for this amount of money with your old paycheck, even if the school's budget covered you for it, but hey, now you can actually deal with buying boujee stuff!
After paying some more for the food, you place her right beside the window in the living room, close to the TV so she can watch reruns of your father's fight at the Tokyo Dome which you still have in VHS, or maybe the boring news they keep showing about the Evas, you don't know if she's a political reptile or not.
...Damn, you haven't even named her and you're already growing attached. Is this a good thing? Are you even responsible enough to take care of another life in your home? This is like taking care of a son for 80 years! What if she dies? What if you forget to feed her? What if you're gone for a while and somebody needs to take care of her?
Man up for once, Date! You already bought the damn thing, so it's too late to second guess yourself! She's your life partner now, own it! You two are gonna have mad parties as you make her aquarium look like the best resort in this side of Japan! Now matter how murky the water gets with her poop, you'll clean it with gusto because like it or not, she'll be listening to you every day and will indirectly help you out with the kids!
It's you two against the world now!
You and... erhm...
You were never good with names... What's good for a female turtle that swims around and hides in her shell when you get too close? You thought of going the lazy route and just naming it Junior, but since she's a girl...
>Chibi.
>Koopa.
>Queen Kamehameha.
>Tama.
>Motoko
>Honey.
>Something else.
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>>6385212
>>6385215
A bit of a mouthful, but hey, if King Kamehameha never named any of his wives as such, then Queen Kamehameha will rule all over Tokyo-3! Hawaii's been flooded ever since the Second Impact anyway, who's to say she hasn't reincarnated in this turtle?
You spend a few minutes cutting a paper crown from your notebooks to give it to her. Queen just ended up eating it instead. Can turtles even understand the concept of gifts?
Perhaps not, but she sure understand the concept of biting! She almost ripped your finger off when you tried taking her eggs away! Not much royal behavior from her, if you ask yourself... they're not even fertilized, calm your shell, lady!
A quick search on the internet revealed that you only need to feed her every other day, the real important part is making sure you don't mix up sea water with tap water when placing her in the aquarium. Guess that means more trips to the beach, maybe you should but some sunscreen... Expenses, expenses...
"You're giving us... eggs?" 2-A's class president asked as she hanged her head low in the following day. Her disappointment was immeasurable as she wondered how she would explain that to the class.
"Don't be like that, Hikari-chan!" You forced a smile as you tried to convince her (and yourself) that this gift wasn't lame. "You can share it with a partner in class and stuff! Maybe draw a face on it so you know which one is yours. And guess what! I'll give it a treat to those who can keep their eggs until the end of this semester!
"Really?" Her face lights up, "What's it gonna be?"
Ah, shucks... You haven't really thought that far ahead...
"It's a secret for now, don't worry!" I trust you to explain it right to the other kids.
"Date-Sensei..." She pouted.
Hikari Hokari was a responsible girl. She didn't have a mom at home like most kids in 2-A, yet she more than pulled her weight, cooking and housecleaning for her two sisters while her dad was at work. And not only that, she had enough brain space to be the class prez! Kid deserves a raise, especially since she's not even being paid, which made you feel guilty whenever you had to inquire her with something that would take more of her time.
"Say, Hiraki-chan, how do you feel about Rei?"
"Ayanami-Chan? Not much. I tried talking to her a few times, but she never replies back to me."
"Does anyone treat her badly?"
"Not really... Most times me and the girls even forget she's there."
This is an interesting moral decision... Should you try to push Hikari to keep an eye on Rei, or leave things as they are? You want Ayanami to be more sociable and at least find one new friend, but isn't that stepping a bit out of line for a therapist?
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>>6385617
Well, it depends on which job you value the most, are you a school counselor, or a NERV staff first?
>Tell her to try and make an effort to socialize with Rei.
>Tell Hokari to keep an eye on her.
>Instruct Hokari on telling Rei about the school clubs, she might grow interested in one.
>Leave things as they are.
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>>6385619
>Instruct Hokari on telling Rei about the school clubs, she might grow interested in one.
A nice middle ground. If she doesn't accidentally interpret an order, Rei won't join anything of her own volition, but we can use it as a springboard for our next session.
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>>6385632
>>6385672
"You think she'd enjoy any extracurricular activities?" You incline Hokari to showing Rei the ropes.
"Doubt it. She's not good in track and field, but she does like swimming. The competitions are pretty intense, so I don't think she has it to go pro."
"Anything that makes her a bit less lonely would do well, really."
"She could join in at any time she wanted..."
"Just remind her, maybe she's too shy to get over the fear of making the first step."
"Alright..." Hokari shrugs, doubting as much as you that this would work, but hey, an attempt was made. You got a job to keep so no body helicoptering her around.
"Date!"
Only one person had the balls to call you Date in school, and it was the principal himself, Shun Yamadera. Not many people put you in high alert, but whenever the principal needed something done, it had to be done fast. A real pain in the ass to work with, typical geezer who got the job 30 odd years ago when the market was accepting anyone with a pulse, and now that the bubble economy burst, he's too stubborn to quit his only source of income, even if he'd rather drop dead in his job than retire. You'd be surprised on how many people live out of spite alone.
The Vice principal is a lot nicer than him so he gets off on taking the credit for the poor sap who's too meek to impose himself, so the best he can do is give you a look while your ears are ringing from his shouting, and your face is moistened by the delicate molecules of saliva that go out of his dentures when he talks. A lovely person, really. He makes Gendo look easygoing by comparison.
"So yer working for NERV now, huh? Your new boss just gave me the news!"
Weird... You recall Gendo saying something about privacy.
"Is something the matter?"
"Gendo Ikari's son is coming right to this school! And he's gonna be piloting those Evangelions they showed on TV! Care to say anything about this?"
"I... Didn't mean to keep it a secret, Yamadera-San. If you're worried about being their therapist taking me away from this job, I assure you I can deal with the workload."
"Well, you should have considered that when I hear there are two kids in our school that are piloting giant robots that are going to force us to build Tokyo-4! You don't think kids will be scared shitless of that Ayanami girl now?"
You gotta hand it to him, he made a really good point. Being an EVA pilot might further alienate the two, especially when being somewhat raised by the same father.
"Days like these make me real glad I lived a full life. If two kids are all the JSSDF has to protect us, we're all dead. Worst part is gonna have to pretend this is not going on while everyone's dying left and right."
With so little faith he has in the world, you can only hope Sachiel blasts his home when he shows up.
"How much the bastard's paying to babysit that kid?"
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you that sir." You try to remain professional. This isn't the first time he tries to get a reaction out of you for fun.
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>>6386438
"Ah, so it's more than you get paid here, huh? Good. Spares me the trouble of having to think for a reason to cut your salary."
You can never tell if he's joking or not with these statements...
"Was there any reason you called me h--"
"Of course I called you here for something, you idiot! You better be extra careful with these two from now on! The whole world has our eyes on our school, so if anything bad happens in our school, it might as well get us all killed!"
How redundant, Captain Obvious. As if you weren't aware of that yourself.
"And another thing! The P.E teacher is on sick leave, so you'll have to do the evac drills for the kids today!"
"M-Me? I'm not even physically active, sir."
Is this guy so cheap that he couldn't even afford a substitute?
"It was either you or me, and I see you walking back home to your apartment just fine on monday to friday, so you better instruct these brats on how to escape from monster attacks!"
At least now you know why the underground systems were so intricate... Earthquakes were never that strong or common here to warrant this much gear. For the first time, NERV and the JSSDF have joined hands and explained how the buildings that go down in Tokyo-3 have always had reinforced underground levels inaccessible to anyone but the MAGI System and their developers. Umbilical cables, progressive knives, rifles and axes all sprung from under the pavement when all cities were safe so your home could be turned into a colossal battlefield. Your rent was always sky high, but it was now justified thanks to it being angel-proof. Hopefully... At least others won't be as lucky, living in high risk areas that can collapse right on day one of humanity's long battle against the angels.
Making sure to study the city's underground floors and hallways, you make a few tours there with the keys the vice principal gave you, and then show the kids all the safety measures they should do in case an angel is here. Things such as where to run, to never walk against hordes, and generally follow adults and groups of people they know.
The kids didn't seem to happy to miss their school club activities, but it was either that or burying their heads in the sand when trouble came along.
It was an exhausting week all and all, but you got your job done by answering any questions the kids had.
When Friday finally came along, you were ready to place the keys to your room back in the Principal's office, only to find a file containing the new student's background, address and information promptly named "Shinji Ikari: The Third Child."
Third? The First One was Rei, alright, but what happened to the Second?
Considering this information is always passed down to you anyway, the principal wouldn't nag you too much for taking it home, but to think he would show up so early... Judging by how NERV told you, he was supposed to get here a lot later, did something happen in the schedule?
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>>6386461
Good to know you can trust NERV and Commander Ikari to give you a heads up with as much accuracy as Yamadera-san. If they're keeping secrets towards each other, what boss are you ever going to trust?
>Give the file a look.
>Wait for the Principal to show up.
>Leave that there, if it was important, he would have called you.
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>>6386465
>>6386528
'Shinji Ikari, born on June 6th, 2001. Single child. Address, TBA Son of Gendo Ikari and Yui Ikari. Raised by his homeschool teacher after the allegations of murdering his wife and being related to the murder-suicide of another coworker and her husband. Despite the trial declaring Gendo Ikari innocent, he never bothered to raise his son, causing to be withdrawn of social connections.'
That lines up with how remorseful the commander was when he mentioned Yui and your mother... You wonder if it's worth looking into this. When you were institutionalized, they tried their best to keep that story a secret from you, and every time you tried to look for more info on your own, you spiraled into a relapse thanks to the memories of the crime scene flashing back into your vision. Your old therapist told you it was best to let it go and avoid triggers to that trauma, yet it seems hard to do that when the kid you're gonna be working with and his problems stem from the same place.
...Did Gendo really do it? This is the first time you're hearing about this. He doesn't look like a killer type, but if your field taught you anything, its to never judge a book by its cover.
You're not sure whether to confront Gendo about this yet... There is much you don't know, and with Rei's next session already being tomorrow, you keep wondering what's the best course of action to finding out the truth.
Then it dawns on you. Shinji will be enrolled in school by the end of May, not even 14 years old and he'll be gifted with a brand new EVA Unit to start his journey into puberty. He's even younger than Rei and by a few months no less, so they can't be siblings from the same mother, no matter how much they look alike...
There is no right path to pursue transparency here, so you doubt you'll get much from interrogations... But why not let him interrogate you instead? For all he might know, he might be out of the loop about the Evas according to Misato, thinking his trip to Tokyo-3 will just be for the sake of meeting daddy dearest.
>Call Shinji and give him the heads up.
>It's best to ask Gendo first.
>Ritsuko said something about showing you your mom's files, be patient.
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Now that, what did Freud say again about impulses? Right! They make you obsessive and listening to your first thoughts make you look like madman! Or was that Lacan...?
Anyway, you're in no rush to stalk Shinji when he'll be here in under two weeks. Ritsuko did say she was looking into your mom's files, but how much can you trust them if Gendo himself can't even reveal to you that he was related to your mom's case?
Whatever... Guess you'll show up early on Saturday and figure things out with her...
"Good morning, Dr. Kurono!" Ritsuko gave you a greeting as you entered the smoking area at the Geofront, already seeing her with some paperwork on her hands, you were encouraged to ask the big question:
"Hi Dr. Akagi, Are those files for me?"
"Not all of them, but I do have something for you."
"Oh, thank you!"
Yes! you'll finally hear something from official records! You eagerly take it from Ritsuko's hands as you pull open the sheet of paper to read what NERV has on good old Ayane.
'Name: Ayane Kanzaki A.K.A Ayane Kurono.
Date of Birth, 03/03/1962
Date of Death, 09/13/2004
Lead director of the A.T Field research and development project, having partnered with Yui Ikari to-- '
Huh, this line over here is covered with black rectangles. Must be classified information. No matter, guess you can read the rest.
'After experimenting with -- , Dr. Kanzaki avoided by discovering that over 0.0001% of people in the world are able to resulting in direct orders to -- . Going against her word resulted in the death of over -- , which made her the lead scientist of Gehirn in A.T Field related -- and after changed their base to Tokyo-3 to form NERV thanks to the accident related to Yui, to which Gendo, Ayane and were present as witnesses to --'
Is Ritsuko playing a prank on you? This is barely legible with how much censorship there is in these files!
"Sorry, Doctor. This was the best I can do for now. I can understand your interest in your mother. Really, that's something I unfortunately relate to and it's why I volunteered for the background check on you for Commander Ikari, but the fact of the matter is, corporate keeps its cards very close to its chests. They don't know if you're doing a good job so far, so they won't let you know the whole story. Even if you're employee of the month for a year, there is still some things not even me or Captain Katsuragi are aware of."
"It's just how NERV likes to run things, huh? Only tell people when they barely got any time to react. Would explain why people were so shocked to find out about the Evas here."
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>>6387161
"I didn't get to this position by running my mouth and going against the current, Kurono-San. Some information needs to be held for a while, being left to simmer until the time is right to reveal them."
"I am aware, Be it in or out of work, things tend to simmer a lot for me."
Ritsuko takes quite a large puff of her cigar, feeling offended that you were taking your frustrations out on her. She knows. A lot, judging by her occupation and the time she's here, she just doesn't know what to say right now, either on or off the record.
You stare at the ceiling. There's a camera there to remind you that this place is constantly being surveilled. Even if they don't got mics, they could always read your lips.
"There are over 200 pages worth of records naming one called Ayane Kanzaki. These ones were the most relevant files that could be handed to you. I'm sure something might pique your interest if you check the rest of the paperwork more carefully. Maybe I can even answer some questions you have about Dr. Kanzaki, just don't let that take over your work here, please. We all have our problems to deal with when we exit HQ, so its best to not bring up unrelated stress into the fight against the angels."
You sigh, taking a puff of your own cigarette. Seems like things won't heat up until the first angel arrives and they see if you are making a difference for Rei and Shinji.
Well, since we're still in the calm before the storm, it means there's still time to fish for clues until Rei arrives.
>You said you related to me, how come?
>I apologize if I came off as too pushy. It's a sensitive topic for me.
>How is rei? Has she been acting any different?
>Who are the other Eva Pilots?
>What brand do you usually smoke?
>Keep quiet and try to make sense of the other files.
>Write-in.
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>>6387167
>>6387188
>>6387244
"Sorry if I came off as too pushy, Doctor. It's a sensitive topic for me, I doubt I'd even be here if it wasn't for that..."
"Likewise, we all have our issues, I didn't mean to be disrespectful." Her cigarette lights out, as Ritsuko checked her pockets, she realized she smoked the last one in her pack.
"Is that a Mevius you're smoking?" You are quick to recognize her brand.
"Yeah, you got any? I've tried going for cheaper brands, but the filters are even worse..." She was about to complain when she realized you were smoking chocolate flavored Black Devils."K-Kurono-san... that's like, one of the most expensive cigs you could go for in Japan."
"Which is why I only go for a pack a week. Still awful for my previous budget, but who knows. With my new salary and added stress, I might go for two a week."
"It's still less than my share... working 6 days a week since I've finished college is something I don't wish upon my worst enemy."
"Working in general is always stressful, you think you're doing something you like, but it's more of a 'what you hate doing the least to keep living' kind of deal. Even if you find something genuinely fulfilling, others will find a way to take the fun out of it."
"Huh... And here I thought psych majors were the types that had everything figured out..."
"Oh, a lot of them like to pretend they have, I just don't bother keeping face when it comes to that. My smoking habit is older than the Commander's son, for crying out loud." You pull out another cig from the pack, giving one to her as you light them up.
"Wait..." Ritsuko does the math in her head, realizing you started smoking when you were underage. "Who hooked you into cigarettes from such a young age."
"...Mom."
The blonde scientist turned her head over, covering her mouth. Her smirk is still somewhat visible from the angle she's smoking, she thinks you're a total momma's boy, doesn't she?
"Hey, if you can't beat em, join em, right? For what it's worth, I smoke a lot less than she did.
"Oh no, I'm not one to judge..." She says, judgingly. "It's just that you're very Freudian for someone who's trying to go for the CBT route on Rei."
"I'm not interested in breaking gender roles. Living in fear of becoming one's own mother is more of a girl thing than a guy thing. I'd rather embrace the good that came from how I was raised."
You accidentally hit her too close to home, judging from how fast her smile dropped. You weren't even trying to offend her, either... Is making small talk with coworkers supposed to be this awkward? No wonder you save your breath for the job...
"How's the chocolate?" You ask her after she finishes her puffs.
"Good. Feels like I'm eating a candy bar."
"I've rarely had one after I started these. Might get lung cancer one day, but at least I don't have diabetes to worry about!" You joke, earning a laugh and improving the mood.
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>>6387300
"Ever managed to quit?" She asks you, itching for more, but not being too proud to beg.
"Going cold turkey never works, don't think it'd be any different for me, but doing it for so long is starting to affect my lungs. I don't wanna run out of breath when the angels attack. What about you?"
"No point in quitting for health reasons if we die the next day. Until we defeat all the angels, I have no reason to quit."
Hey, this is a perfect time to look cool. If you're manipulating for social cred, it's not manipulation, it's performance.
You adjust your coat, slick your hair back and offer her the pack of Black Devils you had.
"I'll hold you to that promise. In exchange, I'll see what I can do to improve my cardio."
She was not expecting you to give her the whole pack, but she accepted it wholeheartedly, like Queen Kamehameha when you fed her algae. It worked, damn, you're so cool.
"Thanks... I'll try to make it last through the day. Thankfully with the amount of stairs I climb to check the MAGI system every few hours, I think I meet more than enough for my quota of steps per day. How are you gonna stay in shape, though?"
>Misato's in the military, right? I could always get tips from her.
>My dad was a boxer, I can train by myself if I remember how he did it.
>My school has a PE teacher, I'll ask her when she gets out of sick leave.
>An graduated student of mine named Mari always asks me to bike with her, maybe I should try that out for once.
>Same as you, I'll keep waltzing around the HQ some more.
>Write-in.
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>Rewatching NGE with my boyfriend
>Get to episode 23
>Asuka has had her meltdown and says 'I don't care now' or some such
>He scoffs and says "Shouldn't these kids be in fucking therapy or something? Like twice a week?"
>Immediately think of this thread
QM did you have the same thought?
Because both of you are right.
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>>6387605
Hehe, great minds think alike!
Eva's been one of my favs ever since I watched it when I was a kid, revisiting it through some video games gave me the idea to live through the story not as a pilot or someone who can directly fight in dem robots, but maybe course correct itOr make it worse, evenby being a responsible adult figure around the kids. I'm still very much figuring out where to take our boy Date here when it comes to characterization and how much he'll know about Tokyo-3, NERV, and general worldbuilding as I go along so pardon me if some updates feel less significant than others.
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>>6387671
Yeah, the one on the DS where you also have a campaign with Asuka. I thought "Damn, why can't I raise all the pilots at the same time and contribute directly to the story aside from what ending I get? Lame."
We have a lot of Eva games that expand the universe and have pretty fun interactions with the cast but they rarely have any good gameplay, so I thought a play by post would be a great idea, the 30th anniversary special was the oomph I needed to start this thing and it's been very fun so far!
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>>6387310
>>6387671
>>6387706
>>6387735
"I got plenty of options, really... There's the PE teacher in my school that can give me a few drills, I could try to remember my dad's dieting and how he trained for fights... Oh yeah, there's this girl, Mari? Student of mine who graduated and keeps nagging me about riding a bike she got from her dad, but I never bother talking to her. Feels weird being a guy pushing 30 still being friends with teenagers."
"...But isn't your job all about talking to teenagers? I thought you would be used to it by now. Judging by how many options you have, it seems you're pretty popular thanks to your commitment to what you do."
Ritsuko made you think on how you tend to underrate yourself when it comes to your social skills. If people do like you so, how come you only feel at ease by yourself?
"Well, if you can't choose right now I'd recommend seeing who's available. Nothing's stopping you from doing all of them if you can make time in your schedule."
"I guess that's the hard part in wanting to do everything in life..." You stretch your back, already preparing to be sitting down for a few hours. "Didn't think I would see someone here trying to counsel a counselor, but I appreciate it, Dr Akagi."
"Please, you can call me Ritsuko." She smiles, playing around with her lighter.
"And you can call me Date. I have studied enough to be called a Doctor, but that title never felt right for me. I don't open people up or hand them prescriptions. I just give them a lot of words to hear."
"Yes you do." Ritsuko takes a few steps backwards, squinting her eyes as she stares at your face.
"Is there something in my nose?" You rub your hands over your face, wondering what she was staring at.
"...Nothing. I guess I was misjudging you based on what Dr. Kanzaki told me about you. Either it was motherly bias, or you have changed quite a bit from her descriptions... See you around."
Wait a sec! She can't just up and leave after dropping this bomb on you! You take a step forward as she turns around into the hallway, but as soon as you step in, you bump into your waiting client.
"Kurono-Sensei." She looks up, expectantly. Is it already time to start the session?
You check your watch, you are 2 minutes late, she was probably wondering where you were... Damn, so much for commitment...
...
"I won't be attending our next session next week." Rei says as soon as she sits down on her chair.
"Why is that?"
"Commander Ikari said Sachiel is drawing near us. I need to focus on our synch tests before The First Child arrives. Whatever I can say here will not be as useful as our meeting after the angel attack."
Those words felt very quoted to come from Rei herself. Gendo said that, not her.
>What do you know about Shinji?
>Do you know who the second child is?
>Are you losing any sleep over Sachiel?
>How do you know the angel is coming?
>How's your turtle egg?
>Have you joined any clubs?
>Write-in.
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>>6387920
>How's your turtle egg?
>Have you joined any clubs?
Some normalcy, before shop-talk, and then...
>How are you feeling about Sachiel?
Don't ask a leading question or imply she should be stressed. Don't probe for info to sate our own curiosity. Just bebthere for her as a therapist. That's my thinking, anyway.
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>>6387921
>>6387923
"Did you get your turtle egg?"
"Yes."
"How was it?"
"The egg is small. Very hard. Fits in my pocket. I have placed in a padded shoebox in my bedroom."
"Ah right, I forgot you live by yourself, right?"
"Yes. Commander Ikari pays for my rent."
"So you can cook, do your laundry, clean..."
"Yes."
"Good, no one's going to harm your egg if you're careful."
"Yes."
Give her time, she'll get better at small talk eventually...
"Do you think you're going to win the prize? Class 2-A has plenty of students who are delicate and caring with their items."
"I don't know, but a few already lost theirs."
"How come?"
"When Hokari-Chan gave the eggs, one of the students, Toji Suzuhara threw it back at her, he complained that he wanted something 'cooler than a stupid turtle egg' and threw it at her."
Toji? How could you forget him? He's the class jock who's always nagging at Hokari. You're pretty sure he likes her and doesn't know how to draw attention to her aside from being a jerk.
"Did she get hurt?"
"No. She dodged it. The egg hit me instead."
"Well, and what did you do about it?"
"I went to the bathroom and cleaned myself."
"Did he say anything? Apologize, maybe?"
"If he did, I didn't hear it. It doesn't matter anyway. It only hit the back of my head and splattered on my clothes. I had a spare."
If she is that unbothered by people being rude at her, you wonder if she'll even make a sound when an angel gives her any serious damage... You'll have a talk with Toji for his behavior later... Speaking of which:
"How are you feeling about Sachiel?"
"The same as before."
"Which was?"
"Nothing. I was made for this mission. Either I succeed or I don't. I will try my best, but anything can happen."
Weird to hear her say she has no expectations, but at least she's not losing sleep over it. In fact:
"Have you been sleeping well? I imagine those LCL baths give you some far out dreams while your body is floating around."
"I... Don't have dreams."
"Really? How's it like for you?"
"I close my eyes, time passes. I open my eyes, time has passed. A jump forward, never backwards."
Noted. Androids don't dream of submerged sleep... Either she doesn't remember her dreams, or she's not getting enough REM sleep to reach that level. Given the stress she's suppressing, this could be a possibility.
"I have tried... having fun, like you ordered me--"
"Not order, advised."
"...Advised me to." She says, her body language visibly dropping after being corrected. "I tried going into a few of the school clubs after Hokari-chan told me a little about them."
"Did you choose any of them?"
"I wondered what I was already good at. I liked being underwater and I read a lot. So I tried the experimental class for the swimming club and the book club."
"Good! I'm glad you're trying something new, Rei! How was it?"
"I can hold my breath underwater for up to 3 minutes, people seemed to be impressed by that."
You sure are. It's more than your lungs can hold, for sure...
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>>6388162
"Not bad for a beginner! But what about swimming?"
"I started getting sleepy when I entered the pool. The others complained I wasn't doing my best. They recommended me the dolphin kick technique. I tried that for an hour."
"Did you win?"
"I was in second to last place."
"Well, at least it wasn't last. You could improve if you wish to."
"I don't want to get better at swimming. I'm fine with how things are."
"Really? But I thought swimming would be relaxing for you."
"It is. It puts me to sleep. Swimming clubs want me to be energized. I can't be both at the same time."
Her brain associates wetness with falling asleep. From what you know, swimming lessons are great for regulating your circadian rhythm, but being in isolation chambers for hours on end means she gets plenty of sleep and doesn't need any more of that. Rei is pretty quick to say when she doesn't like something. Yet actively enjoying activities seems to be a lot more dubious for her...
"What about the book club?"
"They were already reading a book when I showed up."
Pause. I guess she is starting to understand that when you stay silent, you want her to keep speaking.
"It was named I Am A Cat by Soseki Natsume."
Good book, actually!
"I remember how good you did at your exam week, surely reading something for fun made it easier for you to read it, what do you recall from it?"
Rei takes a long pause and breathes in, as if bracing for something:
"I am a cat. As yet I have no name. I’ve no idea where I was born. All I remember is that I was meowing in a dampish dark place when, for the first time, I saw a human being. This human being--"
"Wait wait wait!" You cut her off by crossing your forearms. "I didn't mean for you to recite the whole thing down for me! I wanted to know your opinion of it."
You actually wondered if she knew the entire book off the top of her head. If so, impressive, either she is a genius, or she really has nothing else to do and repeats the same commands given to her ad nauseum when left alone.
"The cat is an interesting character. He does not understand the humans."
Of course the humor of the book would go over her head. It makes sense that she would relate to the one character that doesn't fit in human society.
"Did you get to interact with anyone in the club?"
"No, but they said I could join next week if I bring a book and write an essay about I Am A Cat."
"But do you have a reading habit to meet that match?"
"I have read all books the teachers in school told us to."
"Aren't you supposed to only read one part from them? The ones important for the semester?"
"I just read it again if I forget something."
So she does have a reading habit. A compulsive one, even.
"I asked if I could talk about the books from class. They... Laughed at me..."
The brief pause she gave implied that she was hurt by the ridicule, even if her face and voice stayed the same.
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>>6388190
"Don't be discouraged by that, Rei! Take it as a challenge! I bet that if you give them an interesting recommendation, they will see that you can be just as versed into literature as they are!"
There is potential here for Rei to become a really good bookworm. Judging by how she is now, you'll doubt she'll ever become a socialite, but introverts can find pleasure and pride from being versed into their hobbies. It only makes them feel more special when they are paired with other people who share their interests, making their bonds rare, but uniquely positive. Only problem is, if she doesn't even know her favorite food, how will she make a good pick?
"There are several books in the school library. I don't know where to start."
Guess picking a genre is a good first step, how about...
>Poetry.
>Fantasy.
>Romance.
>Erotica.
>Manga.
>Nonfiction.
>Something else.
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>>6388195
>Nonfiction.
Tell her to look at it from a perspective of observing human behavior and relating them to practical takeaways like tactics. Military history could be a good place to start. Be like the cat, Rei-chan! Watch, listen, learn, and make a place for yourself in humanity's heart!
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>>6388199
>>6388426
"Ever thought about nonfiction books?"
"What is that?"
"You know, books that don't talk about made up stories."
"Like the ones in school?"
"Not quite. Nonfiction can mean a lot of things. From a man writing his own biography to a case study about a particular event in history. Plenty of fiction writers dab into nonfiction, be it on essays, letters, diary entries, all of it also creates a narrative about who they are, and it helps us better understand their motivations when writing certain things."
"Where should I start?"
There we go! She's finally showing interest, be it in her own way in, something you're talking about! What would be a good fit for Rei...?
"Well, you'll be doing a lot of tactics commanded by your military officers. Learning a bit more about how humans behave and why they do it will help you understand them a lot better."
"Kawasaki-Sensei has taught us about World War I and II in class."
"Yeah, but on a surface level, I fear. There is a lot more to know about human history than what a teacher can tell you in his classes. If you really want to know more about it, you should read and process that information by yourself. There are a lot of interesting wars aside from the big 2 everyone always talk about, and they all have interesting historical figures."
Rei blinks after a brief pause.
"Such as?"
Now it's your turn to stop and think, recalling what the local library had for her...
"I think I saw The Art Of War by Sun Tzu there once, it's a good start. He was a great strategist, but also a philosopher. His language is very direct in that book, so much that one might think that he's just talking about how to win large scale battles, but if you take it in other directions, you can also apply that knowledge to things other than fighting!"
Jackpot! Philosophy is a hard sell on kids, give Kierkegaard or Nietzsche to the wrong kid and you've successfully ruined their lives as they will keep quoting him instead of forming an actual personality. Rei clearly won't have that problem, but she needs to interpret something that speaks to her, something that says very few words, but by being clear and concise, speak a lot more than more contemporary, pedantic authors that lose you before you can start interpreting them.
"Fighting... outside the Eva Unit..."
"Exactly! Every day is a battle, a struggle with several units known as people! Figuring out when to fight and when to turn tail, who is friend or foe is something we do even if we don't have lances or horsebacks. His message is clear and confident in warfare, but if the battlefield is in your heart, then it turns into a whole different book altogether."
"The battlefield in my heart..." Rei closes her eyes, internalizing your words as she ponders on whether to say something or not.
"Kurono-Sensei. I have told you a lie." The way she coldly affirms that makes her a lot more ominous than she likely intended to sound.
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>>6388724
"What do you mean by that, Rei?"
"When you asked me last week about the voices I heard in Unit 00, I said I couldn't hear them. There have been times where the voices were clear enough to hear, but I did not tell you that the first time."
"You don't need to be apologetic about that, Rei." You say in hopes that she isn't internally blaming herself for that. Given how hard it is to tell her intentions to the point where her lying slips by you, its best to be safe than sorry. "People in therapy sometimes omit the truth and reveal them later when they are more comfortable about it. We can discuss what those voices say now if you wish."
Rei hangs her head low, adverting herself from you like any patient does when revealing something hurtful. Her eyes are still squinted shut as she repeats what echoed in her mind when Unit 00 went berserk:
"Kill Gendo Ikari. Kill Ritsuko Akagi. Kill Gendo Ikari. Kill Ritsuko Akagi. Kill Gendo Ikari..."
She repeats it quite a few more times, as if stuck in a trance, sending a chill down your spine as you pretend the hairs in your arms going up is just from the air conditioner. There is quite a bit to unpack here, as the last thing that you would assume from Rei is that she would act violent towards someone.
Rei stops abruptly, opening her eyes again and staring back at your soul. Is she trying to give you a heart attack! Don't do that again!
"Why does the Eva say that, Kurono-Sensei? Why does it want me to kill Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi?"
Her eyes are still somewhat squinted as she opens them. There is clear conflict in her heart. She doesn't want to commit to those actions against the few people close to her, yet they show up in her head anyway.
>Are you upset with them in any way? Did they do anything to hurt you?
>This only happens when the Eva malfunctions, right? Then it's not the real you.
>Those violent thoughts don't define you, Rei. Especially if you don't act upon them.
>Write-in.
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>>6388765
>>6389117
>>6389239
"That's a good thing to ask yourself and bring here, Rei." You say, despite having no idea on how to answer her question. "First of all, I want to say that those violent thoughts don't define you, Rei. It's ok to be put off by something that sounds so off to what you would usually say or act."
Before she can say anything, its best for her to know she's not being judged. Well, she is, but not in a demeaning way. You're here to solve, not humiliate.
"Roger." her voice is as unnerving as always, yet the sadness emanating from her was palpable.
"Now, if you don't mind the question... Are you upset with either Gendo or Ritsuko in any way? Have they done anything to hurt your feelings?"
"No. Not recently..."
Recently, huh? So there is definitely something they've done to her.
"Not to me. Another Rei."
"What do you mean by that?"
She makes an uncomfortably long pause. The deafening silence makes you fixate your gaze on her like she'll move away the moment you blink. Likewise, she keeps the staring contest going, her resolve running emptier with each passing second.
I remember being there when it happened. But I am not the same Rei."
When has Rei ever used metaphors? She's the most literal girl you've ever met...
"Yes, considering Naoko Akagi doesn't work here anymore, it must have been a long time ago. You are definitely not the same." You wondered if that's what she meant, but she made no effort to correct herself.
"I remember that child, Naoko Akagi told her that she would be replaced when she died... Then that child died, along with her."
So that's where she got that from... You wonder why she's suddenly referencing herself in the third person. Apparently, since Naoko is already dead, Rei could be trying to project that anger onto Dr. Akagi or Gendo for not protecting her when that happened... That would explain why she doesn't acknowledge herself as Rei back then... The childish innocence died with that aggression. Out of it came Rei Ayanami, the emotionless girl who pilots the Eva.
"Just to confirm, those thoughts only come to you when you are inside the Eva?"
"Only when I am inside the Eva." She repeats, confirming your theory. "I don't understand, Kurono-Sensei...Those voices don't appear anywhere else. I don't want to kill humans. I am not violent. I don't even eat meat, and yet... those words keep coming back..."
Some emotion is heard in her voice cracks. This is the most effort she's put in trying to communicate her thoughts, and it's still hard to gauge why she feels that way.
>The Eva could be messing with your brain waves.
>You are not that child anymore, right? Internalizing that is a good decision.
>Not manifesting your emotions makes them show up in another way. That is why those voices show up.
>Write-in.
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>>6389750
>>6389874
>>6389972
"The reason that happens, Rei, is because manifesting emotions is something that eases stress in the body. Without doing that, you accumulate it in ways that affect your body. If you don't treat a serious wound that can't heal on its own, it's gonna be terrible for your health. The brain acts in a similar way. Those voices might not be you, but they are a way for your mind to ease off the stress."
"Should I tell people these thoughts more often?"
"Not that you want to kill them, preferably express yourself in smaller scales when you feel something coming."
"Should I have said something when Suzuhara-San threw an egg at me?"
"Well, if he hurt you and you thought for something to speak of, you should. What would that be, if you could repeat that scenario?"
Rei stays silent, her gaze adverting left as she ponders her words.
"Don't do that again."
Fair. It would probably look a lot more ominous with her delivery and stare, but the intention and boundary built is clear.
"Good!" You try not to sound condescending as she relearns speech. "Remember, it's just like you said: You are not that child from way back when anymore. Internalizing that you have changed is a good decision."
"Why?"
"Because change is inevitable. For better or for worse, you have lived past events that hurt you. I know that's easier said than done, but by focusing on what you can do right now to live outside of that experience, you can let it hold less power over what you think, and that includes the voices you hear in the Eva."
"I... See. I can still do other things aside from those memories, but Naoko Akagi, Doctor Risuko and Commander Ikari still appear in my mind."
"Gendo and Ritsuko I get, you still interact with them a lot, but what about Naoko Akagi? Do you know anything about her?"
Justifying child abuse is not what you want to do here, but it's not common for women to jump at kids to beat them up for no reason. Some justification needs to be there for Naoko to be so upset at Rei for existing.
Rei's index finger twitches for a milisecond as she digs into the armchair. Piloting the Eva seems easy in comparison to blurting out what she's hiding from you.
"She is Ritsuko Akagi's Mother."
Let the silence build. Keep staring at her. Eventually she'll realize that you want to know more.
"What else?"
"She developed the MAGI System."
But that's all expository info... she's not really saying who she is.
"I meant her as a person."
"What defines someone as a person?"
Easy there, Kierkegaard. That's not the angle we are going for here...
"Well, how they act. The people they hang out with, who they like, such and such."
"...I can't tell you that information." Rei calls it quits, overwhelmed by the question.
"Alright, no pressure. We can discuss this at a later date." You say, checking the clock and seeing the session was already ending."
"I am not sure if we will."
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>>6390582
Not much progress is going to be done in the last few minutes, so you tell her off with something more inspiring.
"I'm liking how you're affirming yourself a bit more today. Using more 'I"s and describing yourself as someone else different from the you in the past. You are changing for the better, Rei-chan, and fast, at that. If you decide we have more to discuss later, I'll be glad to see you be the best version of Rei you can be."
Rei does not respond, but after your que that her time was up, she took one look back at you from over her shoulder before closing the door.
Poor girl... You can only assume she is shielding not only herself, but Rei, Ritsuko and Gendo by not saying what Naoko did and why...
As you do your usual report on Rei and get ready to deliver it to one of Ritsuko's assistants, you wonder if you should inquire the blonde doctor about her mother. She is the head honcho here when it comes to the MAGI system, and no doubt she knows all about the work she inherited, but by asking her directly, you risk breaching some of the trust you can establish with Rei by letting her speak herself.
Before closing the door to your office, you question as to whether you're doing that to help your patient, or just to satiate your curiosity on something you might be evolved with as well...
>Ask Ristuko directly.
>Check on your mother's files for any mentions of Naoko.
>Let Rei speak her truth on her own.
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>>6390584
>Let Rei speak her truth on her own.
While a grown woman beating up a child is something that could easily trigger Date's own trauma responses, we should do our best to rein them in when we're doing so well at helping Reias far as we can tell based on our limited understanding
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>>6390588
>>6390589
>>6390597
>>6390598
The whole point of talk therapy is for you to hear the patient when they are able to speak about their problems. Going behind their back to learn about their secrets so you can bring it up in sessions is scummy behavior. She already gave the hint that she knows who Naoko is, why go peep with Ritsuko about it? If anything the daughter of the one who traumatized Rei is the last person you should go for, she could be defensive, justify it or even report you to Gendo for harassments.
Do as you say, not as you wish... But there is one thing you're wishing that you cannot ignore: Getting some aspirin. Focusing on body language and interpreting people's true intentions is not a super power, it's a skill that needs to be put to its limit when observing someone who barely exists by herself like Rei.
'Clinical Notes: Rei Ayanami. Age 14.
Context: Nerv Affiliate, Eva Unit 00's Pilot
Session 2 - Patient improving in keeping visual contact. Interest in book club might help alleviate her social life. Lack of reaction to the outside world might make her prone to bullying from her peers...'
Don't write about Naoko Akagi for now, hold onto that for Session 3...
-
Before you know it, Monday's already up, and with the brand new week, you keep your promise to Ritsuko and yourself to get in better shape.
Natsuhi Nijimura, or Nana, as most people call her in campus, is the youngest teacher from your school. Very warranted, given her skill and how she makes the kids work a sweat walking and running the laps on the track and field. Finally coming back from her sick leave, you decide to do some cardio by taking a walk around with her during class hours.
One light jog later and you're already huffing for air like a pug in a hot day. How does she run five laps on this place when you're barely holding onto dear life for the first one?
"Don't overexert yourself, Date-San! If you're not used to exercising, there's no point in burning more muscle than you have!"
"I just thought I wouldn't be this pathetically out of breath already..." You say, taking a stop as you finish your first lap, with Nana stopping her second one as she hands you a water bottle.
"Don't be so down on yourself! Running and walking are two different skills! Plus, you're not even wearing the right shoes!" She teases you, running in place to keep the blood pumping.
"Well, I'm glad somebody has the energy to keep up with the class... It's very rare to see you taking a sick leave."
"Hopefully it'll be the only one. Actually... I think it already counts as maternity leave."
You quickly flinch back and give Nana a look before checking for a baby bump. Is she pregnant?
"Oh, wow... Uhm, Congratulations!" You say, ecstatically.
Wrong move, she gave you a short smile before hanging her head low and frowning. You don't think the pregnancy was intentional, or if she even has a boyfriend, for that matter...
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>>6390841
"...Sorry. The kids are usually happy when they tell me they're getting siblings so I associate the announcement with positivity..."
"Oh, it's alright... I wasn't really expecting it either... Had a relapse and called my ex a few months back. One thing led to another and now, I'm thinking of whether he's good enough to raise a kid with me. He's nice, but he can't hold down a job to save his life... And if he's lazy like that when I'm there, what would a baby help in the equation, right?" She says, slowing down her steps as she admits to having mixed feelings about keeping the child.
"...Sounds like a rough spot to be in..." Is all you can muster for her. They don't pay you enough to keep tabs on the problems of adults and their personal lives.
"I mean, I might as well keep the baby, I have enough money to raise them alright, but kids need good fathers too, right? Just moms aren't enough. If it takes two to make them, then it should take two to raise them, but then there's dealing with alimony from potential divorce--"
Oh, God. You and your ability to attract people that talk too much about themselves... You're almost considering running another lap to see if she takes the hint and saves the venting to the next poor sap that gives her the time of day.
"--What about you, Date-san?"
"Huh, me? What?"
Way to go on giving away that you were zoning out while she talked, idiot... Here's hoping that she repeats the question without feeling offended.
"Being a dad, I mean. I think I'm too young for this, but I don't know if there's a right age to become a parent. Plenty of people have kids without being ready and it feels like flipping a coin on whether it works out or not either way. A second opinion would be nice."
Judging by her rant from the last time you were paying attention, you don't think she's looking for potential step fathers. It's a question coming out of curiosity, inquiry due to your profession. You're pushing 30, Date. Be normal, you should know by now not to react to small talks as a personal attack.
>I'm too young to be a father.
>That would require me having a woman first, so no.
>Maybe one day, who knows what the future might hold for me...
>Write-in.
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>>6390855
>There is no one right way to be a parent. I'm not sure I would be a good single father, but many people are raised by their mother or father alone, or by extended family, and live great and happy lives. Many people born in two-parent hiuseholds turn out dysfunctional or lost. What matters isn't what others would do, or what I would do, but what makes sense for you.
The default responses all seem too focused on Date, and not to really be engaging with our colleague. We can't (shouldn't) weigh in on a coworker's pregnancy with firm advice one way or another, but we can at least help reframe her thought process, maybe.
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>>6390878
>>6390925
>>6391011
"I'm not sure, maybe one day I'll be a dad, you never know what the future holds..." You stop yourself from pulling a cigarette out of habit. "But I think it's too early to say if your child will be raised well or not. It's not like there's a right way to be a parent. Some single parents turn out ok, some two parent households fall apart. What matters isn't what others would do, or what I would do, but what makes sense for you and for the people you are close with."
"You think so?" She says, looking a bit more reassured of her on condition.
"Absolutely, speaking to all the kids here told me that." You stare into the window from Class 2-A, seeing some students dozing off as chemistry class comes to an end.
Nana hugs you from behind, making your heart race and jump around as if you needed the extra adrenaline. She's a lot more outgoing than you from her body language, but since you're not really a touchy feely person, her iron grip feels very uncomfortable even if it wasn't meant to be.
"Thank you so much, Date-San! With a brain like yours, no kid will be sad in our campus! You always know the right thing to say, after all!"
"You could say I got that from my father..." You let out a chuckle, although it sounds more of a wheeze from when she let you go and your lungs deformed like an accordion
Watching the kids from here gave you a really good reminder. You needed to have a talk with Toji. Hikari usually reports everything bad that happens in class to you, so you wondered how the young delinquent got that to slip under the radar...
>Call Toji to your office. Let's sort this out privately.
>Call Toji and Hokari, they must have made some sort of deal.
>Call Toji, Rei and Hokari. Rei was the victim in this situation, afterall.
>It was a one time thing, surely they will sort this out by themselves.
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>>6391138
>It was a one time thing, surely they will sort this out by themselves.
Though it's more that I want to give Rei a chance to try our advice if it happens again. We can keep a closer eye than "surely they'll sort this out" implies, but Rei needs more independence and assertiveness of her own, not a helicopter therapist.
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>>6391138
>Call Toji to your office. Let's sort this out privately.
They'd inevitably figure out how we got the information if we act immediatly on it, let's just test the waters.
We'd do better NOT mention what gave us the idea of calling him, counseling afterall does get the benign excuse of just routine checks in these circumstances.
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>>6391191
>>6391193
>>6391238
Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida are the two outcasts of Class 2-A, always walking around together like peas in a pod. While Kensuke pulled his weight when it came to his grades by studying despite skipping a lot of classes, Toji was either falling behind, or literally behind students to copy their homework and the answers to their tests. He is Nana's favorite student, being the top of his class in Physical Education, it was clear that he had a preference, but the curriculum was misaligned with his true talents. That alone warranted a little call to the office. If anything, he'd be pleased to miss out on learning about molecules.
As you show up to his class, he groans, yawns, stretches and whispers to his friend Kensuke before finally following you, arms behind his back like he was being arrested. After reaching your lounge, he sat down with his legs crossed and leaning forward towards you. If he had the age to smoke, he would be doing it to look as cool as he thinks he is.
"Suzuhara-Kun! Been a while, hasn't it?"
"Spare me the lollygaggin' teach!" He spits, perfectly aiming his saliva on the window. "I know why I'm here today!"
"...Do you?" You raise your brow, you didn't judge him to be this sharp.
"Yeah, what else could it be? You want to nag me about losing the year!"
And with that, he just told you why he was mad enough to throw an egg at Hokari without you even asking. Talking to Rei for two weeks made you forget how kids tend to be easy to read.
"What are you smiling at me, for? Ya think I'm dumb, ain't it?" He huffs, adjusting himself in his seat. "It's not my fault every other class sucks here! I was made to wrestle with athletes, not pick up a pencil and paint a canvas!"
Thanks, Toji, you make this job a lot easier...
You hold your laughter. He's not wrong in feeling that way, it's just that international wrestling has been long dead after the Second Impact. A shame he was born too late to enjoy the wonders of the Olympic games.
"Just try to study eventually when finals come around. I know you don't want to lose the year either."
"Or what? You're gonna give me two eggs next year? Great gift, by the way! How did you know I was looking for some extra protein?"
Wow. The job really is doing itself. There wasn't even any bait in the hook for him to take. He just took the hook and dug it in his cheek by himself.
"Were you expecting something better?"
"Who wasn't? I know I wasn't the only one that was mad! I just made sure to tell Hokari like it is!"
"So you threw an egg at her?"
He defensively winced. He figured out word got spread since he didn't do any of this in private. He can't even blame Hikari for this.
"Y-Yeah! So what? Gonna do anything about it?"
Yes, actually...
>Don't skip out on cleaning the classroom after school hours, that'll help you be more zealous.
>Did you say you were sorry to Hokari? If so, we're on good terms.
>Write-in.
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>>6391518
>Don't skip out on cleaning the classroom after school hours, that'll help you be more zealous.
>Did you say you were sorry to Hokari? If so, we're on good terms.
Not reason to not go with both in this case, him apologizing doesn't remove the need for a punishment.
If we act any different way he won't really respect us.
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>>6391735
>>6391745
"Here's an important question for you, Toji." You lean forward to meet his gaze. "Did you apologize to Hokari?"
"H-Huh?" Toji flinched, as if he was expecting a punch in the face.
"I know you don't need a lecture, what you did here was wrong, and you're old enough to admit it, even if you don't want to say it out loud. She complains a lot about you, but not out of malice, it's just because she cares."
He deflates like a balloon, blushing and revealing that the feeling was mutual.
"B-But she said I was only mad because I didn't have what it took to take care of something as stupid as an egg the size of a marble!"
"And you decided to prove her wrong by breaking the egg?"
He turned his head, his face growing red.
"I'm not trying to nag you, Toji. If you acknowledge that you can channel that rage into something more productive, then we're on good terms."
"..." He was fuming, but had no choice but listen to reason, taking a deep breath and admitting defeat. "Yeah... I apologized for the scene.. For hitting Rei, too. Hokari dodged it and it hit a girl who had nuthin to do with that stuff..."
Toji is the gift that keeps on giving. Why can't Rei be this simple? You're not even putting that much pressure on him and he's blurting things out by himself.
"That's how men deal with each other when they go beef, Toji-Kun. They deal it in their own terms."
"Tch, Beef... Don't go saying your outdated old man slang to get on my good side." He smirks, still thinking he has the upper hand in the argument, until he stood up to leave.
"By the way. Don't skip out on cleaning the classroom after school hours, that'll help you be more zealous." Your smirk is even bigger than his as you say that.
"Whaaah? I thought we were cool, teach."
"We are, but this is real life. A 'Sorry' doesn't undo everything. Not here, not elsewhere. Sorry."
Toji kicks the air as he walks to the door. He can't really refute your claims, so even if he admitted defeat after you got in his head, his smirk did not leave him. Maybe to keep some dignity, or maybe because he thinks the same.
"Aight, I'll be there. Gotta make sure I clean up my mess."
You take one last look at him turning the wrong direction from his class down the hallway. Straight into the bathroom, not leaving until chemistry class was over. You'll let this slide for now, no point in keeping scores.
All in all, Toji's not a bad kid. From what you know, his sister is in his school and he's very protective of her due to it being the only blood relative he has around. Being the soldier who doesn't lose his composure can be a good coping mechanism, but he needs to know where and when to cope.
Hokari reported on the following days on how bad he was at cleaning and mopping, but he was open to learning, which is a step in the right direction for him and their flourishing friendship.
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>>6392699
Going home, you started making an effort to find more recordings of your father's fights on the internet, a few comments went on about how he had much closer fights when he was in the early parts of his career, and given how your memory was fuzzy and the only way to record back then was with old cassette tapes, you and Queen K were wondering if there was some secret change in his diet or training to improve. Maybe it was just his mindset...
"You see that boy there in the crowd? That's my son with my wife! Now usually, people would hate to see their dads getting a beating! Good thing them being here is what gives me the confidence to beat this guy without going down!"
The crowd went wild as 14 year old you threw his sweaty headgear up in the air, with your mother frantically apologizing to the man in the seat in front of you for dropping it in his food.
Dagger Daigo was a real beast...Those were the days...
You almost feel inspired, playing peek-a-boo by ducking your head under your fists and matching the speed of his punches by jabbing at the air. Your turtle is starting to enjoy how crazy you are, given how she hasn't blinked so far from staring at you. You gotta find his more underground tapes online...
Queen Kamehameha is slowly getting more used to your place, you'd think the smoke would kill her, but the only thing that really bothers her is the phone ringing, which barely happens since you leave it on mute and the only person that constantly calls you is Mari after you leave her on read every weekend from the biking invitations.
You're kind of an asshole to her, Date. Even if she's too flirty and you don't care about reciprocating her feelings, ignoring her is clearly not working given she's still going strong this many times. make her feel like she's your friend, at least.
"Got it. I'm free this Sunday."
"OMIGOSH FINALLY! To the train station and back, I'll be at your house at 7!"
...She knows where you live? Maybe you shouldn't have signed up for that library card where she worked...
The 10 KM ride was rough. Not as rough as it could be for someone who was trying to smoke a bit less before cardio, but you're not turning into Dagger Date any time soon if your stamina is making you eat Mari's dust.
"What's the matter, teach? That the best you can do?" She mocked as she made a break every time she got too far, jumping around and stretching to flex how much energy she had compared to you.
"Jokes aside, teach... I'm glad you finally came around to me, what made you take this brave decision, the turtle?" She said as she handed you a snack bar
"Yeah, I think I'm the one coming out of my shell instead of Queen." You joked around, getting off the bike and walking for a change of pace.
"You finally got a girl living in your house! Aren't you glad you got a drinking buddy? Now we got an extra friend to share the nights!" She says, playing with her hair.
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>>6392736
"Would you quit inviting yourself to my home? Being nosy is no way to make friends..." You groan, taking a bite out of the snack bar.
"Face it, teach!" She slowed down her pedaling after reaching the train station, finally getting ready for the break before making the path back home again. "If you wanted me gone, you would have told me off already! Ya like me! Lots!" She teases you, stretching her eye with her index finger as she took off her glasses to make a silly face for you.
Well, you don't hate her. It's the closest thing to a friendship you have out your jobs, but you're still figuring out if you can have better company than the walls of your house and an egg layer.
"I worry about you, teach! And it's not just because I wanna make up for you back then! You're cool! And reliable! And good looking on some angles!"
"I could have done without that last one." You roll your eyes, already losing trust in her speech.
"All I'm saying is, just because I'm younger, you shouldn't be worried that I wouldn't get that there's a lot in your head every now and then! That's what friends are for, right?"
Friends... You and Mari? Is the flirting thing just her way of breaking the ice or does she actually have a crush that you feel weird on reciprocating? She never talks about any other friends she has, so the attention she gets from you and how rapidly she responds makes you very eerie on how to react to her at all... Yet even if she's vapid and overreacts to everything... You would be hard pressed to call any of it fake.
"Well, I--"
"ATTENTION, ALL CITIZENS! AN ANGEL ATTACK IS EXPECTED TO HAPPEN IN AN HOUR FROM NOW! PLEASE EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY INTO THE SAFETY ZONES! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! I REPEAT! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"
The sirens go deafeningly wild as you and Mari have to dodge the waves of people going out from the trains and running into your direction.
"Can't we have like, one normal hangout session without something going on?" Mari whines, jumping into the empty train tracks as everyone tramples each other going in and out the wagons.
However, around the corner of your eye, you see a single teenager, uncaring about the ruckus around him, his head was glued to the floor, his outdated Walkman was blasting music so he could shut down the noise. He looked as if you approached him too suddenly, he would begin to cry.
As the chaos subsided, the sitting boy in the station bench noticed he was being watched, slightly lifting his chin before lowering it back again, letting you see a glimpse of his face. A perfect match from the picture of a few weeks ago. Give him a pair of glasses and a fake beard and he looks like a child version of Commander Ikari. This could only be Shinji in the flesh.
"You know this kid?" Mari caught you staring, wondering what was so special about that boy.
"The Third Child..." Was all you replied, the ominous answer making her shrug in contempt.
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>>6392766
>Hey there kid, need some help getting to the evac zone?
>Shinji, right? I'm Date Kurono, I work for your father, mind coming with me?
>It's dangerous to stay here, you know
>Wait for him to acknowledge you.
>Leave him.
>Write-in.
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>>6392766
>It's dangerous to stay here, you know
then
>Wait for him to acknowledge you.
then
>Shinji, right? I'm Date Kurono, I work for your father, mind coming with me?
In that order, taking him to the evac zone may be seen is as deceptive may as well be upfront about who we work for and what our relationship will be.
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>>6393031
"Hey little boy, is something wrong--" Mari is quick to take charge, yet you tug at her blouse so she remembers who should be in charge.
"You're 5 years his senior, don't 'little boy' him." You shake your head as she puffs her cheeks, shutting up while still wanting to call you names.
Approaching Shinji, you look down on him as he ignores your sandy shoes on his eye level. Wanting to even out the field, you crouch down, getting a bit into his space as the sound of the joints on your knees popping crack louder than his speakers ever could.
"It's dangerous to stay here, you know."
The boy's frown dissipates, realizing someone was indeed, speaking to him instead of passing by.
"I'm sorry sir... I didn't hear you..." He politely took off his headphones, forcing and awkward, timid smile. His voice was still girlish, only slightly lower than Mari's.
"Shinji, right? I'm Date Kurono, I work for your father, would you mind coming with me?" You show him your NERV card, with him recognizing it as Gendo's company.
"Ah! Nice to meet you, sir!" He bows politely, changing his attitude towards you. "Unfortunately, I don't think I can..."
"Why not? Haven't you heard the news? The angels are coming!" Mari says, not realizing how oblivious Shinji was to the situation.
"Angels... You mean, the ones in the Bible?"
Unbelievable. This kid is gonna be piloting an Eva Unit today and they haven't even filled him in on what angels are.
"Here... This woman named Misato Katsuragi said she would meet up with me here at the station, but she's taking a while to show up..." Shinji hands you a picture of Misato in booty jeans, showing cleavage as she leaned forward so her breasts could spill out her shirt.
'To Shinji-kun I'll be picking you up, so wait for me, okay?
P.S. Check this out!'
There was an arrow drawin to her boobs, and a lipstick mark from a very wet kiss plastered on the picture.
Wow. And you thought you were being somewhat inappropriate by hanging out with Mari in your off time, is this really how she thinks she should entice this boy for fighting giants?
"Who gave you this picture?"
"A Nerv Officer sent it to me. My phone's out of battery, so I'm glad I brought this despite not being able to contact him!" He smiled, proud of his foresight.
You don't have Misato's phone number, but you do have Ritsuko's. Maybe giving her a heads up could be useful.
"Regardless, you shouldn't stay here, what if the angels were already here? You'd be dead!"
"I don't have that much going for me anyway." He answered Mari with a hint of indifference, making you wonder if he and Rei weren't really related.
>Wait for Misato.
>Give Ritsuko a heads up so Misato can pick Shinji up elsewhere.
>Get Shinji on the bike and deliver him to NERV yourself.
>Leave him and Mari on the evac zone.
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>>6393527
>Give Ritsuko a heads up so Misato can pick Shinji up elsewhere.
>Get Shinji on the bike and deliver him to NERV yourself.
Trying to make sure he doesn't get killed will probably go a long way to him not hating us.
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>>6393571
>>6393643
>>6393753
Calling Ritsuko on your phone and knowing Misato is running late, you, being the good samaritan that you are, decide to do the good deed of placing him up on your bike and deliver Commander Ikari's son right on time.
"Any clue where Misato could be? I'll have to drop Mari on the evac zone before the main highway, so that's the only point of reference I'll have."
"Knowing her, she's running late from oversleeping, plus any civilians needing help will make her stop everything she's doing just to keep them safe." Ritsuko answers, showing her coworker is a proud humanist, but terrible with her priorities on the mission.
"Do I have your permission, Dr. Akagi?" You ask, with some brief silence following as she pondered whether or not to trust you with Shinji.
"Permission granted. You are 8 km away from Evac Zone F, better start pedaling if you want to get there in time."
8 kilometers? That's... doable. You certainly wasn't feeling hunky dory about doing all that again right away given your pauses when you were just exercising, but the added adrenaline kicking into your heart right now is making the lactic acid in your legs feel non existent.
"Get in the bike, Shinji-Kun. I'll take you to your father."
"Oh, really? But what about Misato-san?" He wasn't against the idea, being more bothered by the change of plans than the main highway disappearing if you didn't hurry the hell up.
"The streets are a bit too crazy for cars right now, if we take a few shortcuts, a bike will be a lot more efficient." You reply, with Mari tilting her head at the idea.
"Teach, Are you sure you can do this? You were sounding like a pug dog just a few minutes ago, I don't know if you can handle a bike under pressure."
Shinji is quick to look back nervously at you after hearing that, yet you pay no mind to her complaints.
"My from isn't really at stake, I can live through another night of leg cramps if it means placing you out of harm's way."
"My hero..." Mari still wished she would be the one to help Shinji out thanks to her athleticism, but obliged nonetheless.
Despite no sights of the angels near you, the streets were already in panic as people were guided by police officers and firefights on where to go, and after the 5th interruption for identification, you and Mari just started taking random shortcuts on alleyways to avoid red lights and cars. Irresponsible and careless? Maybe. But instead of the boy in your lap being scared, he appeared to be blushing, impressed to see someone taking care of him so well.
That was, until your legs started to cramp. The sharp pain from your lower muscles refusing to let go as they contracted during a turn too wide made you fall backwards when going uphill. You managed to push Shinji to the side as he fell and hit his head on the nearest electricity post. Your fall wasn't nearly as graceful.
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>>6394421
Since you couldn't let your legs move out of the bike, you felt glued to the damn thing as the fall tangled your feet to the gears, the chains being spun out of whack as they dug into your flesh. The momentum from the fall still makes you spin around and hit the ground a second time. Thankfully, you were wearing gloves so your hands didn't burn through the asphalt as you broke your fall by sliding onto the floor, but an impact like that is nothing to shrug off by a guy on your level of athleticism.
Everything hurts at once, which might be good, considering somehow, no bone in your body was broken, only some negligible bleeding from your feet. You are actually more worried on how Shinji was doing as Mari helped you untangle your legs from the bike.
"Teach... That was my father's bike..." she sobbed, checking on your wounds while at the same time, mourning how bad the bike frame bent and how much it would cost to fix it...
You make a significant effort to limp over to Shinji to check on him, and after seeing a bruise on his head with some blood dripping from it, you were holding back tears at the thought of how you ended up hurting a kid while ironically, attempting to keep him out of harm's way. The Boss's son, no less...
"Shinji! Are you ok? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to lose control of the bike!" You frantically apply pressure to his wound, which looked more like a scratch, but from your current panicked sense of self could judge, it was like you saw his skull being crushed right in front of your eyes.
"I'm fine, Date-San..." He says, despite clearly not being fine, a reaction stemming from being uncomfortable with your overreaction more than an honest answer.
"We're only a few steps away from the Ebisu store near the F Zone, why don't we take a quick stop there?" Mari interrupts you before you start spiraling, still so hurt from the fall, you did not realize you were already this close to the safe zone.
Good thing you didn't say you were going to appear right at the Geofront, or else they would think Shinji died halfway through the ordeal while he was helping you stand up.
The people inside the safety area were already closing their doors as they prepared to close the building and sink underground into the Geofront's ceiling, and despite Mari begrudgingly leaving her father's bicycle in the crash site, she could not stay silent about your upcoming decision.
"Teach, are you sure you wanna help NERV out on this? You're already so hurt, why don't you take a rest?"
Somehow, you see this question having more meaning and applications than merely escorting Shinji to the Eva Unit.
>Best to sit this one out, I'll only get in the way.
>I can't leave Shinji alone here while he waits for Misato. I want to make sure he's safe before she arrives.
>This is too risky, even for Shinji. Rei can handle Sachiel for now.
>Write-in.
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>>6394448
>Teach... That was my father's bike
It just ain't Date's day
>I can't leave Shinji alone here while he waits for Misato. I want to make sure he's safe before she arrives.
I'm a bit confused on what this exactly entails.
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>>6394451
The safety zones don't open and close their doors once the angels attack just because someone's out there and they didn't make it in time since they have to hide giant buildings underground. The safest option once Sachiel arrives will be waiting for Misato (assuming she gets here fast enough) and accompany her in the ride to Nerv to see the Eva Unit Shinji will be piloting.
Date will have more time with the boy to brief and bond with him, at the cost of seeing even more horrors beyond his comprehension. Who knows what they'll say over you both being injured.
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>>6394451
>>6394471
>>6394703
Opting for sticking with Shinji near the F Zone, you ask the medical staff there for a few bandages for yourself and Shinji as you take care of your bruises, Mari waves one last goodbye as she finally begins to cry, more likely out of worry for her dad's parting gift than due to your safety, you'll have to buy her another bike later and hope it serves as a good apology gift...
After bandaging his head, you sit down with him on the sidewalk, taking your cig pack out your pocket to--
What? You have no cigs! Damn things must have fell down when you fell off the bike back there... Great, let the stress build in your system, then.
"Date-San... Just what are those angels everyone is so scared of?"
"I wish I knew, but given how they're giants, we'll know what they look like when we see them."
Shinji's eyes widened as he realized the trouble he was in. "G-Giants are attacking Tokyo-3? Does this have anything to do with my dad wanting to see me?"
You're dumbfounded by his ignorance. He really has no idea of what's coming to him.
"...Has your father told you why you had to visit?" You hope for an explanation from Shinji as he rolls his eyes.
"He just told me to come here. He never responds to my calls or messages, so I assumed it was important."
"And you haven't seen him since...?"
"...3 years ago."
"Who takes care of you, then?"
"My teacher... I'm homeschooled."
Sheesh... The boy is as estranged as estranged can get. The more you know about Gendo's offspring, the lesser your opinion of him is. His affinity for teachers might come in handy though...
For what purpose would they even keep Shinji in the dark if he's of such colossal importance to the Eva project? He's gonna have in a panic attack once he realizes his father only called him to pilot a Unit and not to catch up on his life, you're barely hesitating in telling him everything you know, just on the off-chance that this breaks some protocol you don't know of that could compromise your job position.
>Fill him in.
>Keep quiet.
>Wait for Misato and ask her while Shinji is in the car.
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>>6395073
>>6395118
Patience is a virtue, a virtue you keep reminding yourself of every time it comes into question how NERV handles its treatment of their pilots. Guess you'll have to pull the old reliable they've been throwing at your face for a while.
"I really wish I could tell you more, Shinji-kun. But for now, that information is classified." You put a hand on his shoulder, but he quickly shimmies away from your touch.
"Why can't you do it now? It would help me a lot if you told me anything at all!"
Good question, Date. Why can't you?
"I'm not really a higher up... I work at H.R there. Even if I'm a serviceable work therapist, I'm not really the best messenger. But I do know someone who can answer your questions. We'll just have to wait for her to arrive."
Shinji was about to complain, but noticing how you were referring to Misato, he seemed to calm himself down, going back to his previous position with his Walkman."
He seems to be looping the same song on repeat as a mantra, every time it finishes, he presses the button to go back to track 25. Already you can tell some obsessives and depressive behavior. You wish you had your file with you...
Seeing as how he did not make any questions for the remainder of your stay, you left him to his business. It's too early to start working, and until further commands, you're not obligated to serve as his therapist unless he is in your office. Occasionally, he seems to look at you, half expecting you to make more small talk, but given your answer, he must have figured that you had nothing interesting to respond back to him.
Damn, your feet hurt even worse when now that the adrenaline's worn off, can't Misato hurry up with that ride of hers?
After a brief moment of silence, you decide to stand up, only to fall back down again thanks to the rumbling of the earth beneath you, a giant splash of water is heard as a bipedal monster shows up from the coast.
The tallest mountains of Tokyo-3 pale in comparison to his height, a black and white monster with a pointy, round mask for a face roars an ear shatter screech, his orange A.T Field is visible as it pushes forth a shockwave that destroys several blocks in front of him. Sachiel,The Angel has arrived.
A horn blasts through your ear drums as Shinji cowers in fear, the JSSDF forces appear in waves as several tanks and helicopters attempt to fire straight at the monster, to which Sachiel barely reacts to it as he swipes away the apaches close to him like swatting flies with his extended, pointy arms.
A rocket almost half his size appears to be fired from deep underground, despite exploding right in his face, the ballistic missile is caught as he shatter it with ease, the flash of Gatling guns quickly subside as he makes them all explode from a mere expansion of his A.T Field. Some debris from a falling propeller was about to hit you and Shinji were you stood if not for a familiar blue Eva Unit getting in the way.
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>>6395520
"Rei!" You shout. Despite Unit 00 being several hundred meters away from you, somehow, her Eva turned around, an assault rifle in hand that was as big as a train was equipped. As the monster didn't appear to have any ways of attacking from a distance, NERV ordered Rei to zone Sachiel with potshots being taken as he flailed as destroyed the coastal area of Tokyo-3. Despite Rei's aim being impeccable, the flashing lights and deafening sounds of bullets the size of a car being fired didn't let you know if he was taking any serious damage.
Meanwhile, the 4th time you try to stand up is interrupted by a car screeching to a halt that almost runs over you both. A blue Renault Alpine opens its doors as a woman in sunglasses tilts her head to greet you.
"Sorry I'm late, boys. You know how it is in rush hours. Good thing yall were close!" Misato winks at the younger boy as he blinks twice.
"Th-Thanks for the save..." You attempt to stop trembling, the female officer beside you giving some extra strength to act more calmly in the face of mortal danger.
"Oh wow... you two look worse for wear, Ritsuko won't let me hear the end of it..." She scratched her head, already losing her cool-ish demeanor by noticing your wounds. "Rei will keep him busy, you have no idea how hard it was to coordinate an attack with the JSSDF, but here we are..."
Shinji first helps you into the car before sitting beside you. Despite everything, he appears to trust you over the woman making subtle advances on him.
Before any of you could reach for the safety belt, Misato kicks off at 4th gear, making your head sink into your seat as she drove like a Formula 1 racer at the empty highway.
>Is Rei going to be ok?
>Any idea on how to kill that thing?
>Now would be a good time to fill Shinji in on what he's going to do.
>Write-in.
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>>6395530
>Now would be a good time to fill Shinji in on what he's going to do... Right, Misato?
Let her take the lead, so we understand what they're telling him, what they aren't, and why. Studied observation is the therapist's best friend.
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>>6395535
Supporting.
Also interesting Rei's higher readiness, caused NERV to switch to accepting coordinating attacks with the JSSDF instead of letting them humilitate themselves to get all their funding, this time around.
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>>6395533
>>6395535
>>6395535
>>6395795
"So, Misato..." You loudly clear your throat as the Captain drifts and turns around every corner. "I believe now would be a good time to fill Shinji in on what he's going to do."
"Wait, you mean you haven't...?" Misato briefly lets go of the gas pedal, giving you a look for not doing her job while your unsubtle body language pretty much begs her to not leave this boy in the dark. Shinji is none the wiser, still oblivious to the world collapsing beneath his feet.
"EYES ON THE ROAD, WOMAN!" You shout, before she barely dodged the guardrails, careening of the mountain side as you approached NERV HQ, you didn't come this far for the three of you to be flattened by gravity!
"Ok, sorry! Just let me find a safe spot to park the car, ok?" Despite calming down, Misato is still driving like someone who just got her license, you're glad you didn't eat much today...
"So, Shinji-kun!" Her voice falters, not wanting to reveal too early what she had in store for him. "You must be wondering why the commander wants to see you."
The teenager's ears perk up as he sees the captain smiling at him. "Is it related to his job? I know NERV is an important company and all, but I'm not related to--"
Misato threw him a pamphlet, with a manual including general information about NERV's sectors, their inner structure and their staff... Where was this when you started working at their HQ? Talk about nepotism...
Don't be mistaken. This was a distraction, Shinji can't be confused if he thinks he can find more information in that little booklet. Problem is, you doubt anywhere in there is saying he is the pilot of Unit 01. His eyes are skimming the pages, only ceasing when he gets dizzy from reading while driving, opting to wait for Misato's crazy taxi ride to come to an end before resuming his research.
"Did you see that blue giant back there? It was an Eva, he's on our side thanks to your father!" Misato cheers him up, ignoring you as she turns off the car being taken on a conveyor belt into the parking Area. Being poor means you never got to see this side of NERV... "He wants you to be a part of the company, given you're his son, after all!"
The captain hands Shinji his own ID, making him open the main door to the HQ, welcoming him to be a part of the team.
"Really...?" The boy grimaces every time Gendo is mentioned, given his background, you didn't expect them to be on good terms...
"Yeah, we just need to meet him down at the... Uh... Where was the elevator to the lower floors again...?" Misato leaves the car with the two of you, wondering where she should go. "Date-Kun. Would you be a dear and help me out with this map? I'm not really familiarized with the interior, tee-hee!"
Oh, now she remembers you're here...
"Gladly, Ma'am."
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>>6395868
Being somewhat used to the back and forth from when you scouted the place in your first day, you only took a few wrong turns before quickly correcting yourself and arriving on time on the hangar where Ritsuko was promptly waiting for you.
"Fancy seeing you on time for once, Misato." Ritsuko acknowledges the two of you as Shinji meekly hides behind you, too out of his field to participate in the discussion. "...Did something happen with you on the way?" The doctor notices your bandages, along with your discomfort in standing up straight.
"Nothing the bottle back home can't fix... Shinji didn't go through the worst of it, so I guess we're good on that front."
"..." He gave up on listening to music a while ago, yet he is still unsure of what to say in front of so many strangers.
"Don't be shy, Shinji-Kun! Ritsuko won't bite! Her resting face is just like that!" Misato holds off on calling Ritsuko a bitch, to which the doctor notices, frowning even further.
"...Yeah, we have similar resting faces."
You chuckle. The kid is quick on his feet.
"He's just like his father." Ritsuko turns around as she guides you to a hovercraft.
"How's the Eva Unit?" Misato asks while bringing Shinji along.
"Still frozen in Bakelite."
"No, I meant Rei's."
"Her ammo is running short. Sachiel has regenerative abilities, so she can't hit his core unless she goes point black. Best she can do is hold him off while we assess the situation. Someone else needs to go there and attack the angel at close range."
You're glad Shinji is too distracted looking for what Bakelite means on the guidebook to realize they're staring at him.
The hangar is dark, forcing Shinji to take yours and Misato's hand while you can barely walk since you can't see a palm in front of you.
After being flash banged by a burst of light, you are greeted with the purple and green giant known as the Second Eva Unit. Unlike Rei's, Unit 01 has two eyes, a horn, and a more humanoid appearance, making Shinji nearly jump back into the hoverboard as soon as he left it.
"Is this... My father's work...?" Shinji gasps, adjusting to the light and the underwater figure staring back at him.
"Correct." Gendo's voice echoes throughout the hanger, appearing above you as he greeted his son with a brief "It's been some time."
"...Father..."
What an ungrateful family reunion...
A brief moment of silence persists, bothering everyone present until you had the gall to break it yourself.
"So what's the plan here, folks?" You stare at the adults, wondering who would be mature enough to break the news for him.
After some stalling, Ritsuko stares at Shinji, bringing him away from you as she refers to him by his full name.
"Shinji Ikari. Unit 00 needs your help. Rei can't defeat Sachiel on her own. We've brought you here to assign you as the pilot of Eva Unit 01 and fight as humanity's savior."
"Huh?" Shinji doesn't take the order seriously until Misato backs her up.
"The Eva, Shinji-Kun. You need to pilot it."
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>>6395877
"Wait, how can you expect Shinji to pilot Unit 01 already? Rei's been doing it for 7 months and she barely got the hang of it. I thought he'd at least have some time to figure things out." You take Shinji's side, but your words only made him feel even more betrayed.
"So you were all in on it...?"
"We don't exactly control when the angels show up, Date!" Ritsuko retorts, with Gendo taking her side this time.
"We are not expecting much from Shinji. Just do what Rei is doing and fire at the angel until Rei can strike him at his core.
"Father... Is that why you brought me here...?" Shinji is still in denial, not wanting to accept the burden of saving the world, especially when being worded in a way that undermines him as Gendo's son. "After all this time, all these years of silence, you want me to get in this thing I've never seen before?"
"Precisely." Gendo doesn't even blink as he shouts back to Shinji, making him shrill in response. "We have more than enough staff here to instruct you on the know-hows."
"You're awful, Father! After all you did to me and Mom too! I knew you didn't care for either one of us! I can't pilot this! I can't! I won't!" Shinji starts tearing up as a few of the mechanics nearby watch the scene unfold, none of them knowing what to say.
"We called you here because we needed you." Gendo tries his best to be empathetic, still refusing to say "I" instead of "we", but it's something.
"No you don't! There's another pilot in there, right? Let her do it! She's a lot more prepared than I am!"
"That's true, Shinji. But she's still a young girl just like you! She's just as scared as you are!" Ritsuko tries to chime in, but the boy shouts back at her.
"Then why send us there? What are you thinking? You're all so cruel... You didn't even notice the bruise on my head, Father! How could you say I'm ready for this mission?"
"Negligible damage. Rei is going through much worse." Gendo stoically replies, undoing the little progress they've made in convincing Shinji.
The boy gets on his knees, sobbing as he fears for his life, the coordinated attacks making him break down better than NERV and the JSSDF could ever do to the angels. It just breaks your heart to think you're being directly responsible for this entrapment into this series of traumas...
Don't just sit there, Date... You're his therapist to be! You might not have time for an hour long session with him, but what kind of fraud would you be if you didn't support the kids that still give you a reason to live?
>Stop! Can't you see you're only making him feel worse?
>Are you sure Rei can't do this on her own?
>Let me have a word with him in private, please. It won't take long.
>Shinji is right, you should have told him sooner about this!
>Write-in.
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>>6395906
"Stop!" You speak up, drawing attention of everyone present. "Can't you see you're only making him feel worse?"
"This is not about how he feels." Gendo is quick to refute you, backed by Ritsuko's more logical approach:
"If he refuses to pilot, we might as well have brought him here for nothing. Feelings will not stop the angels."
"You really are heartless!" You let go of your restraints and spew venom back at your bosses, earning a surprised look from Shinji and Misato. "Whatever you say to him will not make him any more efficient!"
"You don't have the right to question our methodology." Gendo says, but you are quick to prove him wrong.
"Yes I have! You both have hired me to take care of the pilots and their well being! Let me work and have a word in private with Shinji as his therapist!"
The boy stops sobbing, wiping away his tears. This was the push you needed to be fierce and powerful enough to Gendo. A man like him is not used to being pushed around, so you the best you can do is shield Shinji away from some of the pressure.
"...Please, it won't take long." You ease up as you stare back at Ritsuko, who did not budge.
"We don't have time for pep talks--"
"Let him." Misato backs you up, not as a friend, but as a captain. "Rei is still in action. We can trust her to hold the line for some more time."
Gendo stays silent, analyzing the situation as he lets Ritsuko do the talking. Already feeling the tables turning, Ritsuko wipes the sweat off her brow as she is forced to corroborate.
"...You have five minutes." Ritsuko walks away in Misato's direction, with the captain smiling at your victory.
Five minutes. Not nearly enough time to figure him out, but making him stable to earn your trust until next week should be feasible.
Nodding to Shinji, you take him to a more secluded part of hangar, but not before hearing Gendo speaking with the deputy-commander at the intercom.
"Fuyutsuki."
...
"Can Rei handle him?"
...
"Let them drop the N2 bomb, it should slow the angel down in case Shinji doesn't step up."
...
"It's their decision. They can't blame us for Rei's A.T field not protecting the civilians."
No...It can't be... Are they planning to nuke the city in case Rei fails? Can the Eva even repel nuclear radiation? You're glad Shinji is too shell-shocked to have heard that part, because this almost stopped your heart before jumping it into frenzy.
"Sh-Shinji." You gag while you clasp at his shoulders. He's a lot more open to touching now that he's begging for someone to save him from this situation.
He didn't care for your faltering. If anything, him seeing you bare some emotions in your current condition is something that makes you relatable for him, unlike all the others adults giving him orders.
Moment of truth here, Date... Prove him you have a heart.
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>>6396157
>It's ok to be scared. Anyone in your situation would be.
>Your father and the others are desperate. That doesn't make them right, but we really do need you now, Shinji.
>You might not want to pilot the Eva, but no one else can help us but you.
>Whatever problems you have with your father or anyone else here, I can help you through it, but we have to survive the angel attack first.
>Write-in.
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>>6396163
>It's ok to be scared. Anyone in your situation would be.
>Whatever problems you have with your father or anyone else here, I will help you through it, but we have to survive the angel attack first.
There's barely enough normal parts between every named character in this room to make a single well-adjusted person
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>>6396180
I'll support this. Hyping him up might only stress him out more. Make i a matter of pragmatism, and insinuate a confidence that as long as he gets in the robot, there will be a tomorrow to talk about this. That goes a long way to saying, without singling him out as OUR ONLY HOPE, that we believe in him.
>>6396157
+1 to >>6396180
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>>6396180
"It's ok to be scared, Shinji. Anyone in your situation would be terrified! Don't think that just because your father is ordering you around that he understands how traumatic this can be for you. But whatever problems you have with him or anyone else here, I can help you through it. Things will get better, they'll just have to get a lot tougher first with the angel attack."
Really, you don't feel like you've said anything different from the other NERV staff since you are still trying to convince an untrained child soldier to fight to his death, is how you are saying really anything to be concerned about?
"...Easy for you to say that... you're not the one getting in there..." as empathetic as you might sound, there is still a large disparity between seeing the Eva and putting your life on the line, as Shinji is eager to prove.
"Everyone was preparing for this before you got here. I know this seems too sudden for you, but we're counting on you not out of desperation, but because we know you can do it."
"No, I can't! If I was always this much of a safe bet, how come no one ever told me about it before?" He stopped screaming at you like he was doing with his father, yet he's still just as scared as before.
"..." Look at you, having great difficulty winning an argument against a 13 year old boy. As nervous as he is, he is still making a lot more sense than the adults.
"...I didn't come here for this, Date-San... I thought me and my father were just going to talk..." By seeing how silent you were, Shinji ended up revealing crucial information that gave you ammo to encourage him. Sometimes you forget how much silence is a valid option.
"And you still can. You'll have time to talk things out with him once this is over. On my mother's grave, I swear I'll be with you to the end with this ordeal, but before that, I need to make sure you don't give up before this even starts."
Shinji has no idea who your mother is, but something about telling you about her grave shocked him deeply. He might not be used to people having this level of faith in him. Even if it's not completely genuine on your end, it seems to have done something.
"I can't run away... I can't run away... I can't run away..." Shinji repeats this to himself in whispers, his mantra giving him comfort as he closes his eyes and places his hands on his face before staring back at you with some level of determination.
"I'll try my best..."
"Good, Shinji-kun. That's all we're asking for, really." You try to walk back with him, but after a wince and a check on your bloodied feet, he understands if you want to hold still for a bit.
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>>6396444
The moment he leaves your peripheral vision, you run up to a platform hidden away from their sight and vomit onto the liquid bakelite. You feel sick to your stomach. Sending Shinji to his death goes against everything you learned and vouched for in your personal and professional life. What are they thinking, making his first time piloting in an active battlefield when Rei was in pieces a few weeks ago with zero combat experience? You need a drink after this...
Not even a month in your new job and you're already betraying one of the biggest principles you held, to not further traumatize the kids you work with...
The worst part? It's the first of many times you'll have to do this, and since you're not the one piloting, this is the best you can do for him.
Maybe the guy on the bar was right. This was all an elaborate ruse from the government, a ruse to break your spirit over time, and it might just be working... What happened to biking with Mari? Wasn't this meant to be a nice, uneventful day to take the edge off...?
You look back at Shinji as you walk back to where Unit 01 was, being led by Ritsuko to a higher platform. Misato stays still, waiting for you to follow suit.
>You've done your part. Might as well watch the fight since you're stuck here until it's over.
>That's enough work for today, you need to go somewhere else to meditate.
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>>6396469
>>6396571
You've worked for long enough for a Sunday, if your room here is still open, maybe the soundproof walls will come in handy. Even if Shinji and Rei die, the Third Impact will hopefully happen fast enough for you not to feel the blast.
You briefly consider going to Nerv's med center located somewhere inside the Geofront, however you doubt your wounds thanks to entangling your legs at the bike's gear need any stitching, at worst, you're exhausted, dehydrated and need some rest. Rest that won't come if the staff there are busy getting ready to treat the pilots, or what's left of them, if they're even working at all during this crisis.
Leave that for later, right now you just want the good comfort of your silent room...
Aah... Here you are, the soothing, orange light from the lamp shades the comfortable walls of your office. They even have some light ambient music playing in your intercom! How did they know that was your favorite genre? Good thing you're not known by all staff, otherwise they would all want to come here.
Let's try to forget what's going on outside for a second. Close your eyes and try to feel your body, don't focus on your pain, only on what touches it as you sit down. The rustling from the cloths, the humming of the air conditioner... It's like nothing exists in here. As if the world is in a separate dimension from you and your workspace.
Your mind wanders back to when you were left in a sanatorium after the incident with your mom... The press all wanted to meet you, the lawyers were making you have very intense episodes during their investigations, and all you wanted was to push them off and scream until they disappeared, which you did a lot, often resulting in spending more time in a straightjacket.
And the weirdest part of it all? It felt peaceful. No one was going to hurt you in that room. The walls were always fully and white, there was only one person occasionally appearing to take care of you, things were safe, predictable... It's the outside world that's dangerous. That's where people get hurt and hurt each other... Sometimes you wonder if you were meant to ever leave that place given how stressful it is to simply get by.
Your reminiscing is cut short by the sound of a large blast, along with the buzzing on the intercom interrupting your music. The ground shakes heavily, knocking down some books as the shelves nearly tip over if you didn't have the reflex to push them back to the wall with your hands. God, you can't have a single second for yourself here! Was that the angel? Are we going to die?
You wait for an update as the quaking ceases, scared of the following announcement, before Captain Katsuragi's voice echoes through the room.
"Angel Sachiel was eliminated. The two children are currently being taken to the med center. Great work, everyone. Thanks to your efforts, humanity shall live to fight another day."
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>>6397629
One down... fourteen to go... God, you can't even hope that this fight against the angels ends soon, because you don't know if your heart can take another one of these giant abominations showing up uninvitedly.
"Doctor Date Kurono. Please come to the medical reception room on the 3rd floor of NERV HQ. Your presence would be greatly appreciated."
Misato's voice seemed a lot less military coded in this second announcement, warmer, even. You wonder if this one was also heard all across the Geofront. Did she see you entering here from the cameras?
Despite your wobbly walk making you take your sweet time to get to the reception room, Misato was nowhere in sight. You don't even have a clue on what she wanted to say to you. Was it about the pilots? Confronting Gendo? Ritsuko? How the hell should you know? Enough things happened today for it to be considered a historic event in school books. Hopefully you appear somewhere on a footnote...
Medical staff appear to be running around frantically, thanks to some engineers showing up with minor work related injuries, some priority is given to you as you plead for an X-Ray to see if your bones or joints were still in place... Hooray for healthcare being included in this hellhole of a building...
Isn't that nice, you're also getting a few days of sick leave despite not losing a limb! Three days should be plenty for you to lie around in your couch not doing much, especially if your pain is more related to your muscles (Or lack thereof) than any lacerations or infected wounds.
"There you are!" Misato greets you as you drink some water to down a few painkillers. "Hey... Thanks for the push back there. I know I should have some backbone against Ritsuko and Shinji-kun's father, but I couldn't think of the right words to say for the kid to enter the robot and get in there calmly without it turning into a shouting match... Hopefully the boss doesn't take it personally."
>All in a day's work, but I do accept beer as a thank you gift.
>I wouldn't be here without either, Captain. I should be thanking you.
>Please be more mindful of Shinji's wellbeing. Either while talking to him, or driving him here.
>You think Gendo or Ristuko will hold a grudge over this?
>Are the pilots safe? How did the fight go?
>Write-in.
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>>6397658
>>6397665
"Are the pilots safe? How did the fight go?" You fail to hide your nervousness, but Misato is quick to calm you down.
"Shinji is fine, mostly... Rei is the one who went through the worst of it." She scratched her chin, trying to sum things up without sounding too technical. "You remember when she started firing at Sachiel, right? It held him down for a while, but eventually she ran out of ammo, when that happened, the damn thing charged at her and put her in a chokehold. The JSSDF was barely tickling the angel while Rei was losing oxygen, so that's when they decided to drop the N2 bomb on them."
"Did... Did they destroy the city?"
"What? Oh, no! Rei was warned of the bomb threat and managed to expand the A.T Field so the blast was contained between the two of them."
"They dropped a nuke on Rei?!"
"Relaaax! The Evas can withstand blasts like those without a hitch thanks to the A.T Field. At worst, she got flash banged by the bomb. The bad part about that is that if doesn't hurt the Evas, you can expect it not to hurt the angels either..."
She's oddly nonchalant about the Japanese Defense Force dropping bombs on children...
"So an atomic bomb didn't do any damage?"
"It stunned Sachiel long enough for Unit 00 to turn the tides and start immobilizing him! And that's when Shinji showed up! We ordered him to grab his progressive knife and strike the angel's core while he was being held down!"
"Did it work?"
"Well... not as we hoped... Shinji had plenty of trouble getting the controls down since we didn't have time to change him into the plugsuit, so he fell down a few times while Rei was struggling to keep Sachiel still, but once he got the knife, he hit right where we asked him to!"
"And then?"
"And then... Sachiel... Exploded... I think he self destructed. Both Evas were sent flying and brought down a few buildings, but aside from that, everything went well. Very few casualties, if you're woried about that, too!"
Sounds more like we were fighting tooth and nail to win by a hair's breadth. If you didn't convince Shinji to pilot, you doubt Rei would manage to kill Sachiel on her own... Wherever the third pilot is, his unit better show up fast!
"Point is, we somehow won." Misato smiled, pumping her fist in the air.
"Well, if you don't know how, consider me even more ignorant..." You down your cup of water like it was a dose of vodka, fantasizing about the bottle back home.
"You can't be totally ignorant, not with your new patient! Commander Ikari might even give you a raise since you're treating his son now!" She says, optimistically.
"He's a lot more nervous than Rei, sensitive, too. It's best for us to be mindful of his wellbeing, either while talking to him, or just transporting him to the HQ, if you catch my drift..."
Misato laughed nervously, catching the hint. "Well, about that... I might have to do that a lot more often..."
"Why?"
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>>6397817
"Well, Gendo said he's not taking him home, weird thing for a guardian to do, right? He just pays for Rei's apartment, so I assumed Shinji would be in a similar dump. And did you see the look on that kid's face? Do you think he knows how to wipe, let alone take care of a house by himself? He'll be so lost in here. No mom, no dad, no family... I feel really bad for him, so I think I'll just let him live with me."
"Is that something you can just go ahead and do?"
"Who's gonna stop me?" She laughed, flashing her ID card. "Captain means third in command here. If Ikari and Fuyutsuki say I'm good enough for him, then that's that! Beats being alone with your thoughts and the occasional health checkup on Ritsuko, right?"
"Are you sure you're responsible enough to take care of a kid?" You ask her. Shinji is no ordinary child, so some special care should be taken into consideration...
"Yep! I have a pet penguin at home, so I know how to raise little ones no prob. Kids are basically animals you talk to, if you really think about it. Just give him food, space and some tough love and they'll sort themselves out."
"...You have a penguin at home?" Everything she said was so absurd, you got lost after the first few words. This chick gets crazier by the minute, maybe you're counseling the wrong people at NERV...
"Don't look at me like that, I'm not gonna do anything weird to him!"
"That wasn't really what I was worried about, but now that you mentioned it..." You make a mental note of Misato potentially being a predator.
"Listen! I know Commander Ikari won't let us anywhere near him if Rei is anything to go by, so I want him to have a regular life if his guardian is more accessible for him and to the world around him. Besides, would you rather see me in parents and teacher meetings, or the head of the company?"
You don't know if you feel safe alone in a room with either of these nutjobs, really...
>Not like I can do anything about it, suit yourself.
>Aren't you jumping into this? What if he refuses?
>Is he awake? You might want to hear his opinion on this.
>Can you give me a ride home? Walking my way back is a bit rough for me right now.
>Write-in.
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>>6397825
>Aren't you jumping into this? What if he refuses?
>Is he awake? You might want to hear his opinion on this.
Surely other candidates exists. Date is a school teacher even if most his students are missing parents.
> Misato potentially being a predator
Don’t suppose Date is familiar with Helmut Kentler?
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>>6397825
>>6397826
+1
>You make a mental note of Misato potentially being a predator.
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>>6397826
>>6397830
>>6398163
>>6398275
"Is Shinji awake? His opinion might be important if you plan on adopting him."
"I think he is... I can lead you to his room, if you want. He seems to have taken a liking to you after what you did, which is why I'm a bit nervous to break the news to him..."
"You ordered the whole place around and now you're afraid to talk to him?" You push her buttons.
"Hey, I have feelings too!"
"I just wanna make sure you're not jumping into this decision. He could refuse."
"He does seem the type to shut himself off from people, but it's not like there are any other candidates, either judging from interest or capabilities..." She takes one good look at you from up and down, before acknowledging you as an option. "Oh. I see how it is..."
"Me? I'm not sure I can be a guardian and a therapist at the same time. Ethics and such."
"Ideally, a commander wouldn't be the guardian of her child soldier, yet here we are. You have to think outside the box, Date-San, we're not dealing with regular old babysitting here."
"Fair point... I guess I'm always working overtime with kids anyway, NERV handing me a kid wouldn't be too far fetched."
"Too bad I got dibs on Shinji then!" She laughs. "Rei won't be going with you even if she wanted thanks to Gendo, either. Maybe you'll have some luck with Asuka once she shows up?"
"Another female pilot?" You ask
"Yeah, her Eva is being built on the German branch, so it won't be ready for a while, but she's pretty much confirmed to show up here eventually as the second child."
"Asuka..." You write that name down on your phone, knowing who to look for once a foreigner's kid shows up here. "Thanks for the info. For everything that happened today, really. I appreciate the bravery."
"Thanks! I can't imagine how you can hold your nerves after all of this! You're really something else, Date-San!"
She didn't see you puking your guts out. Good... Is your breath still stinking? Hopefully the water masked the smell...
"I gotta have nerves of steel in my job. Speaking of which, you said you were interested in going for a therapy sessions when we first met, right? Maybe I can help you out on that, parenting is stressful."
"You? Weren't you for the pilots' eyes only?"
"Yeah, but I can look for a few contacts from back in college and see if they work here."
"Ah, sure! I'll give you my number!" She passes hers after adding you in her friends list.
"No offense, but I'm glad you won't be the one doing the job with me. I'd rather have you as a friend than a therapist."
"F-Friend?" You feel like a shy kindergartener making friends whenever someone explicitly points out they get along with you.
"Yeah, you seem the type that would be fun to share a beer with! I'll give you a call when Ritsuko and I go out!" She winks
You're not sure if you're ready for that level of commitment... If Shinji is anything to go by, flaunting herself is just her way of playing around when socializing with men...
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>>6398326
"I'm just pulling your leg, doc! I've had plenty of therapy growing up, I just didn't have much time to get back into it for... reasons..."
"Fair enough. Not like I have one to even call you out on that." You admit your own hypocrisy, advocating for mental health while not even having a support group.
"So even people on the field get nervous about opening up?"
"Oh, absolutely. It's pretty humiliating to hunt for shrinks. 'Hello, here's some money for you to hear my sob story about how bad my life is. Aren't I stupid for falling back into the same patterns and the same routines?' Totally get why some people just call it quits after a few tries."
Misato audibly cackled at your humorous lines. They never expect the therapist to be this cynical about his job, especially when they're all hunky dory and perfectly civil on TV. But you're speaking as a patient, not as a therapist.
"Yeah, you get it, Date-San! Therapy can change you a lot, but it also makes you confront the ugly parts of yourself you can't change and just have to deal with it. And honestly, I don't know which one is worse."
"Trust me, people relate to tragedy and struggles more than do success stories. It's why misery loves company."
"And that's not it. Thanks to the confidentiality clause, I can't just go around telling everything that happens in here, which is a shame because that includes today from all the way back my old man worked here. This is why I prefer the can of beer."
So Misato knows more than she should and admits to oversharing when drunk? It is now a matter of upmost importance to see which one of you can outdrink the other!
...For the sake of finding out more about your past, of course... Ritsuko is a lot more strict about private info, so Misato feels like a much safer bet in comparison.
>Talk some more with Misato (Write-in)
>Check on Shinji.
>Check on Rei.
>Go home and rest.
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>>6398323
Yes, actually! I'll make sure to make that an option for when we get to Date's weekdays. Our guy is stacking up side quests like he's playing Skyrim, so here's hoping we don't overwork the guy to an early grave!
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>>6398332
>Check on Shinji.
>Check on Rei.
>Message Mari. Shinji and Date safe. Will buy new bike.
Supporting that line of reasoning from the other anon.
Also I really hope we don't get saddled with Asuka, imagine the horror of having to deal with the 7th Angel under those conditions.
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>>6398332
>Check on Shinji.
Let's focus on the more likely to be shaken up and traumatized for the moment. Rein has more experience, and if we can't squeeze in both right this second, she'll keep better. Shinji also needs to weigh in on guardianship arrangements.
>Message Mari. Shinji and Date safe. Will buy new bike.
This is a very good idea, though.
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>>6398597
> don't get saddled with Asuka
Equivalent of not wanting gendo to be a bad dad.
>>6398602
> Rein has more experience, and if we can't squeeze in both right this second
>the damn thing charged at her and put her in a chokehold
Anon isn’t wrong about experience in being strangled. She and Date have that in common. Though if I’m recalling the show angel fight doesn’t seem things turned out as bad
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>>6398338
>>6398597
>>6398602
"Do you mind if I check on Rei first?"
"Sure, she's the one you're more familiar with, right? I'll help you get there."
Misato places your arm over your shoulder and helps you get there faster. You're not that injured, but the help is appreciated enough so you don't tell her that. Plus, it's a good enough time to text Mari on how you're doing.
'I'm safe
So is Shinji
Will buy new bike'
'Yipieee!ヽ(｀▽´)/
I'm safe too! They had a chef serving us soup on the safe zone, I can send you some if you're hungry! >:3'
She's gonna send it to you anyway, let's focus on what's important.
'You going home? How are the streets?'
'You type like a grandad XD
A few buildings fell upside down once the second explosion happened. Pretty sure a few people died, I hope the next few angels don't get our homes! @w@'
"Date-San?" Misato nudged you as she arrived on Rei's room.
Upon opening the door, you see her sleeping soundly, her breathing and heartrate being monitored as she lied in bed wearing a hospital gown.
Though she seems stable and her injuries minor, the shock from being put into a chokehold was still felt in full force means she still took quite the beating. Whatever you have to say to her, it's nothing that's worth waking her up.
"Good job, Rei. Sun Tzu would be proud." You smile at her with your thanking words, even if she's not listening. If she knows the enemy and herself, she won't fear the result of a hundred battles.
After asking Misato to send you back to Shinji's room, you both come back to see him staring at the ceiling, still getting used to his new life as a pilot all by himself.
"Hi, Shinji-kun!" Misato waves at him, with him timidly not returning the gesture, only giving her a shy smile.
"So..." You look at Misato, waiting for her to explain things and not fail at being transparent a second time.
"So..." She mimics you. "Do you know where you'll be staying here in Tokyo-3?"
"...Won't it be with my dad?" He asks, groggily.
"He uh... Said he would rather leave you with your own apartment! Isn't that cool?" Misato lied.
"Sure..." The boy pretended to believe her.
"But see, that's where Date-San and I come in to help? We asked your dad, and he told us you could live with a NERV staff if you were ok with that. We know it's not easy to do everything by yourself and start your whole life over at the age of 13, so you're free to choose to crash on the couch of... someone who actually has a couch at home! What do you think?"
She's trying her best, really...
Shinji looks down to his feet, apprehensively making eye contact with each of you for a few seconds to gauge your reactions.
"I don't mind either way... Whatever you choose is fine by me."
Kid seems the type to go with the flow when people aren't forcing him into something. he clearly minds, but he would rather be pushed into talking than risk being inconvenient...
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>>6398663
>How was it? Are you ok?
then
>Here's my phone number, you can talk to me anytime you need. I'll also be at HQ every Saturday.
It may be a touch stressful for us to remember, but also echo the sentiments from before he stepped into the entry plug: " But whatever problems you have with [your father] or anyone else here, I can help you through it. Things will get better, they'll just have to get a lot tougher first with the angel attack."
and in parting
>Thanks a lot for today, Shinji. You saved the city.
Sidenote for the first proper session: try and determine what that track he was playing on repeat is. Does it have any special significance?
>>6383383
Enjoying the Quest so far. I've always been a fan of playing something of an outsider or minor role, and this is a very unique idea for a NERV quest.2 minor things that stuck out to me: 1) NERV seems to be oddly loose-lipped in this universe (with both the MC and the public in general), considering how their tight-fistedness with info is something I'd consider to be a defining feature.2) Your writing is good overall, but there does seem to be a raggedness (for lack of a better term) in your scene transitions. Going from one section to the next doesn't really 'flow'; it's hard to put into words..
We've touched on plenty of named characters already, but I hope we get some more interplay between our two jobs. I feel like there should be some more overlap between our two 'lives'. Or maybe just a stress buildup from working an already stressful full job on top of working in an extremely stressful environment on the weekends.Addendum: There's an older NERV quest that used a mechanic that you might take a look at. The MC was a pilot, but it seems seems rather relevant considering our profession. It was a Ego mechanic, pilots each had an Ego level, which was modified upward by indulging in character flaws and (rarely) winning EVA fights, and was reduced by resisting those flaws and taking damage in fights. Even if you only lightly or applied it behind-the-scenes, it could add some more weight to our actions. It was called NERV: Second Daughter
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>>6398663
>Thanks a lot for today, Shinji. You saved the city.
>How was it? Are you ok?
and
>Here's my phone number, you can talk to me anytime you need. I'll also be at HQ every Saturday.
Misato and he can discuss living arrangements, and if he doesn't like the options on offer, he can call us.
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>>6398755
Thank you very much for the feedback!
>NERV seems to be oddly loose-lipped in this universe
I really wanna get to the part where we learn more about Date's Mommy to explain that, so for now let's just go with some sort of butterfly effect from her actions + U.N meddling.
>Going from one section to the next doesn't really 'flow'; it's hard to put into words
Yeah, I can see what you mean. I've been trying to write in a way that Date is bad at noticing time passing due to PTSD, but it doesn't work every time. Hopefully I can iron out that problem with time.
>I hope we get some more interplay between our two jobs.
I'll be honest, it's mostly because I have more experience and knowledge with psychology than I do with school. It's been like what, 10 years? Don't have a kid either so it's hard to write even from a parent's POV. Nothing we can't fix over time either once I think of what else he can do in-between his jobs.
>NERV: Second Daughter
I'll give that a look! Most of my tabletop experience is with homebrewing and World Of Darkness so I know we can incorporate dice rolling on more social deductive type games, I just wanted to focus more on players thinking more about the words they use for the Player Character.
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>>6398663
>Thanks a lot for today, Shinji. You saved the city.
>How was it? Are you ok?
>Here's my phone number, you can talk to me anytime you need. I'll also be at HQ every Saturday.
The principal might also be a good resource to try and find a proper home, considering the self-interest in having the pilots be mentally well to fight.
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>>6398755
>>6398787
>>6399196
"Hey there, champ. How was the fight? You ok?"
"Y-Yeah..." Shinji says, despite shaking and trembling as soon as you make him remember. "I hurt my back on the fall, but the biggest injury is still from the bike fall..."
"I'm glad you're not that hurt... Like I promised you, here's my phone number." You draw for the pen near the cupboard and write it on the back of a paper. You should invest in a business card... "You can talk to me anytime you need, be it before or after the sessions. I'll also be at HQ every Saturday, and at your school on the Weekdays!"
"I hope they're paying you well enough to do all of this for me..." Shinji looks away, embarrassed to bother you this much.
"I learn a lot from interacting with people, so money's not all that matters in this job. If it helps, there'll be a 3 week school break so you'll have some time to mentally prepare to seeing my ugly face everyday!"
Your joke doesn't really earn a reaction, he still seems to be in deep thought from what you've said previously.
"Anyway, I'll let you two sort things out. Thanks a lot for saving the city, Shinji. We'll do our best for you too." The sliding door opens as you wave goodbye to him and Misato, The Captain waves you back warmly, Shinji looks over and blinks twice.
His mind must still be racing, so you won't hold it against him.
It's the first time you're leaving NERV HQ in closing hours. Several people are stuffed in the elevator with you, which does wonder for your anxiety, making you plead for no one to trample you over when exiting out the platform.
Joke's on you, despite letting everyone leave before you, you somehow tripped on your own foot and almost crashed into the floor a second time today, if an older, scrawnier man didn't hold you up in the nick of time.
"Well, this wasn't how I was expecting to meet Ayane's son for the first time..." He says as he helps you get into a straighter posture.
"Vice Commander Fuyutsuki!" You salute him after finally hearing his welcoming voice.
"At ease, soldier. I'm not as cordial as Commander Ikari when it comes to greetings. It's why he asked me to see you in his stead."
"Is there a problem?" You work up a sweat from hearing the news. Maybe calling your boss heartless was a step out of line, hopefully the worst you'll get is a warning or a salary cut--
"An additional 100.000 yen will be added o your salary on the next paycheck, as promised by the bonus in your contract."
"... That's it?" You call Gendo names and he gives you a raise? If only you could do that with Shirogane...
"Were you expecting more?"
"Oh, not at all! I just thought my behavior today was... subpar..."
"Your standards for yourself are too high, Kurono-Kun. You didn't even have to work today, and you helped Misato deliver him to us sooner. When The U.N tied our hands into giving the pilots psychological support, I was not expecting the changes to be this obvious."
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>>6399474
Finally, someone who said you were doing too much...
"What if it went wrong, though? I could have easily died by Sachiel's hands today."
"And yet you didn't. In NERV's eyes, all that matters is that our plan succeeded." He crosses his arms behind his back. Given what happened today, you are impressed at how relaxed he appears to be, like all he saw today was nothing special.
"You said you knew my mother?"
"Oh, very closely so. I taught her a few science classes myself back when I lectured in Kyoto. That's where she became friends with Yui Ikari. Funny how we all ended up working in the same company."
Yeah... real funny...
"That's the first time I'm hearing this." You didn't even know she studied there, given how you they were already living in Tokyo when you were born.
"Did she not speak anything about her past?"
"Not really... Not that I would care at that age when she was alive. I was too busy making friends, and after that, figuring things out."
You are ashamed to admit how little you know about the one who inspired to be who you are today. Even now, as you are finally inching closer to the position of prestige and importance on your field that both your parents had in theirs, you understand why your mother tried to shield you from this world, as this is the most stressed that you have ever been in your life, and you are nowhere close to finishing your job.
"That's just like her. If it makes you feel any better, she never talked about family matters at the job. Guess she had a switch to either function as a scientist and as a person."
"Don't we all?" You hang your head low, wondering about her and why everyone but you know her well.
"I suppose so." Fuyutsuki ponders nostalgically back to his old days, changing the subject before you could ask anything else about Yui's relationship with Ayane. "I don't mean to take much of your time, I just have one last question regarding your sessions with Shinji."
"Which would be?"
"Well, since Misato offered to be his guardian, I assume I don't have to tell you all questions regarding his parenting will be given to her instead of Commander Ikari. All that's left is to figure out your schedule. Which one do you plan on serving first?"
Odd choice of words, but it's not out of the ordinary for your superior to know which patient you'll be dealing with first on workdays.
>Rei, then Shinji.
>Shinji, then Rei.
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>>6399487
>Shinji, then Rei.
Rei's mental state isn't good, exactly, but her issues are more "cold", for lack of a better term.
Shinji we don't know a ton about, but from what little we've seen of him doesn't indicate he was in a good headspace, even before the myriad traumas today doubtless inflicted.
I guess you could broadly categorize Rei as "needing to grow", and Shinji as "needing to be shored up".
If we get him more stable, or things otherwise shift, we can look at running an alternating schedule.Once the Second Child is in play, I suspect this will become something of a necessity, what with her jealousy and anger issues.
>"At ease, soldier. I'm not as cordial as Commander Ikari when it comes to greetings. It's why he asked me to see you in his stead."
I've always had a bit of a soft spot for this guy. He didn't get much time in the limelight, but something about him struck a chord, personally.