003. text + action.

[astrobleme]

[network.]

[Shinji isn't mincing words today:]

This is totally outrageous.

I got a ticket from the local police for going 'too fast,' even though it was only - only!!! - by an infinitesimal amount. Literally a couple zeroes after the decimal point right here. I'm not a great pilot, I'll just say that, but there's no way I should be getting ticketed for this freaking crap. [Freaking crap. That's how you know he's really annoyed.]

So the other pilots should be aware that these so-called police are more interested in filling quotas for speeding tickets instead of actually protecting people. Whatever.


[action, aboard various ships in the Fleet.]

[Shinji and his bad mood can be found on the Red Fish, standing outside Asuka's room; on the Vanquish, in search of Kaworu; and on the Heron, his home ship, where he's trying to nurse a bruised ego with the coffee maker in the kitchen.]

Comments

text

[interstices]

What? It's really good! You're lucky I'll share it, idiot.

text

[astrobleme]

Yeah, I know. So I'll meet you on the Red Fish?

[... but when Asuka returns to her room, Shinji isn't anywhere to be found.]

text

[interstices]

Yeah. Give me a couple minutes.

[After a bath and a couple minutes fiddling hopelessly with her hair, she's back at her room, waiting. It's not like him to be late. Asuka gives him five minutes, then ten, then fifteen, and then--]

Hey, where are you?

text

[astrobleme]

[Asuka has to wait another five minutes for a reply:]

Sorry. Change of plans.

Have you been to Solrius yet?

text

[interstices]

What happened?

[Did he ditch her? Stand her up? He's stood her up, hasn't he? He and Kaworu have probably spent the last half-hour on some rendezvous--]

[She's being stupid. She swallows, staring at the communicator, and doesn't yet text anything else.]

text

[astrobleme]

Nothing happened. I think it was just a stupid misunderstanding. Anyway, we can go check out Solrius together - the cities remind me of Tokyo-3.

text

[interstices]

What misunderstanding? I waited for you.

text

[astrobleme]

[It's like piling sandbags in front of a dam that's about to burst:]

I know that, I'm sorry. I was waiting for you too, but then there was a misunderstanding and I had to leave. Not a big deal. Let's go to Solrius instead?

text

[interstices]

You mean you were here? You had to leave? What the hell?

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[astrobleme]

It's fine. I can handle being unwanted. Let's go to Solrius?

text

[interstices]

I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what happened.

text

[astrobleme]

I don't know. He didn't tell me what I was doing wrong.

[One more pathetic attempt:]

So, Solrius?

text

[interstices]

What's his name.

[Sam couldn't possibly. Dean, well, she doesn't really know Dean, and Zhas and Coil are rude, but...]

text

[astrobleme]

I don't know! He didn't say anything, he just wanted me to leave. It was probably my fault. I was doing the wrong thing, whatever it was...

[Shinji's mood could not have crashed any harder than this.]

text --> voice

[interstices]

What the hell? No way! You've been onboard a lot! You didn't do anything!

[Asuka swallows, rattled.]

What did he look like? Tell me!

[astrobleme]

[So much cringing on his end. Asuka isn't yelling at him per se, but it's still alarming...

He doesn't trust his own voice right now.]

He had one eye covered up, that's all I remember. Don't worry about it. Seriously don't bother. I won't get back on your ship and bother anyone anymore. I'm sorry for causing a disturbance.

[interstices]

Coil?

[No way. Coil threw him off the ship? Why? He doesn't even know Shinji-- except he does; she's mentioned him before, said that he'd made her yukata. And then the tree. But it still doesn't make sense. Is he that jealous that--]

Like hell I'm not worrying about it. Where are you right now?

[astrobleme]

I don't know.

[Clamming up might be the best way of dealing with this. Shinji didn't want to cause any problems with the crew, he was just in a bad mood, and...]

Still in the shuttle he put me in.

[That's right: Coil forcibly ejected Shinji, but Shinji never bothered to put in the coordinates for where he wanted to go. He's floating somewhere outside the Red Fish like a lost satellite.]

[interstices]

What?!

[There's a cold lump right in her stomach, her fingers shaking slightly. Those apologies, that blame... none of that should belong to Shinji ever again. Just half an hour ago, he'd been teasing her about soup and playing darts. And now...]

You stay right there! I'm coming!

[astrobleme]

I'm sorry, don't worry about it. I just wanted to know if you want to go to Solrius, we can do that instead. I'll put the coordinate sin and and that'll be that

[interstices]

Stupid! Don't be sorry! Don't you dare be sorry!

[This whole time, Shinji's slowly gotten better. Even after that crushing day when he'd asked for the sunglasses, even then... he's healed up. But this is too much like the boy she first met fourteen years ago, all weak and sad. And it's Coil's fault. All Coil's fault.]

I'll help you! Shinji, I'll get you!

[astrobleme]

[No reply. She doesn't want apologies, but that's all Ikari Shinji can offer to anyone.]

[interstices]

Answer me! Come on! Please!

[astrobleme]

[Oh, god. The anguish in her voice...]

I'll go back to my ship now. It's fine.

[interstices]

No.

Bring the shuttle back here. Then I'll go with you. We can do whatever you want.