There they were, in a restaurant they'd never been in, and a part of town Shinji hand only ever sprinted through with Unit 01. The manager greeted them with excitement, "Oh! Dear me, we don't get many of your kind around here."
Asuka lifted her palm that way someone wants you to stop whatever you're up to, "Our kind?"
The poor man nearly jumped in response, but said quietly, "Real, bonafied heroes."
Shinji nodded, "Yes. Well, we're quite famished. If you wouldn't mind..." He trailed off.
"Of course. This way, please." The man lead them to a small table right near the center of the dining area, "I'll give you a few minutes to consider your order."
Before even sitting down, Asuka started wondering, "Steak. What have you got?"
Shinji felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket and took it out to answer, "Moshi moshi. Uh, we're on the west end of town. Yeah, it isn't... No, we're getting some dinner. I, uh... borrowed a car from Section Two. No, but I think Kaji's already here."
Asuka peered at him quizzically. He shook his head at her and mouthed, "Rei." She rolled her eyes in response.
Now he glimpsed at her in a quizzical fashion. She just shrugged. "Uh, I guess. I'll ask." He looked to the manager, "Do you have a selection for vegetarians?"
"Of course."
"Yup. Okay, see you in a bit."
A blue Renault Alpine blew the stoplight on the dead intersection and perfectly screeched to a halt in a parking space outside the restaurant. Four people got out; Rei and Kensuke had to climb out of the back seat.
Asuka stared out at the vehicle from her chair, "Rei and the military nerd? The fick...?
Shinji rested his hand on Asuka's shoulder, "Stranger things have happened."
He turned to look about the room. Spotting the manager, he gestured for him to come over, "We're going to need a bigger table..." Shinji nodded toward the door, as the group entered.
The man turned and gestured to a couple of bus boys, who slid over a table and set it up.
Ritsuko in her lab coat, Misato had her regulation black dress and jacket, Rei had on her school uniform, Kensuke had his school uniform, with some barely visible pink lipstick on the collar of his shirt. The group sat down, Rei and Ken took the seats opposite Shinji and Asuka, Misato sat by Asuka and Ritsuko by Rei.
After a few minutes of idle chatter, another car pulled up beside the Alpine. Everyone looked out to see a tired Maya pull herself toward the restaurant. Nobody saw Kaji slip up and take the chair beside Misato.
Shinji turned his head to Kaji, "Nice of you to join us, Kaji." The group turned around to see his arm on the back of Misato's chair and an unbreakable smirk on his face.
Misato punched him in his exposed ribs, "How do you DO that?"
Rubbing his side, he merely grinned, "I'm paid to be a sneaky bastard, dear."
The Major felt something cold and metallic close around her wrist with a ratcheting noise. She immediately turned to see a smirking Kaji holding the open end of the handcuffs, "What the h-"
He grabbed her free wrist and clapped the other end of the cuffs onto it. "I'm taking you in, Major."
She got the hint when he caressed her wrist with his thumb. Turning her head down but fixing her eyes on his, she practically purred, "What's the charge this time?"
"Excuse us, everyone." Kaji got up, lightly holding Misato's hand, "I'm sure I'll think of something. by the time we get to your car."
As the couple left, Rei noted to the remaining group, "Those were real handcuffs."
Asuka groaned at that, eying Shinji with a glare that said If you ever do that, I'll kill you. He silently replied with a subtly daring smile.
Maya wandered over to the slightly hidden drink station and got herself two cups of coffee. Returning, she sat across from Ritsuko, relinquishing one of the cups. Thanks to long table cloths, nobody saw them kick off their shoes and rest their feet against the others'.
It wasn't long before food arrived; nor did it take long for anyone to finish.
Leaving, Maya peered aside at Shinji and saw a green bottle she hadn't seen before, "Ikari. What are you doing with a bottle of wine?"
"It's for later. Just a thank-you from the manager."
Nodding curtly, she began to glare at him, "Isn't that illegal at your age?"
He gazed at her oddly, "We're soldiers in a war for the future of the Human race. Nobody else can do this job. This is one way of relaxing that takes a slight effort and I'm very careful."
The bridge bunny grunted in response and skipped a few steps to walk with and attach herself to Ritsuko. As they walked off into the night, a gentle rain started.
Shinji got up to the driver's door of the car he had borrowed from Section Two, but the window rolled down. The agent inside only said, "Orders. I'll take you both wherever."
Having spied the man in the car before Shinji walked up, Asuka gathered her knee-length yellow skirt and got into the car before Shinji.
Wonder Boy smirked at the redhead, "Your place or mine?"
She groaned, but couldn't hold back a chuckle, "Arschloch, we're in the same, massive apartment." A look of dread, possibly mixed with horror at her realization, crept over her face, "Those two are probably there..."
Shinji leaned toward the driver and whispered something. The man nodded in response and drove off into the night.
Rei and Kensuke looked around for a moment, before the Albino gazed at him with a smile, "I think I like the rain."
