Chapter 16 - Mobsmen on the Spot, Part 1
She couldn't confirm, but she knew, she just knew.
Asuka was absolutely, positively certain, that the penguin was ogling her.
[Suggested music: "Watercolors", Lee Ritenour, Earth Run.]
She kept a wary eye on Pen-Pen as the bird in question floated around the water in the onsen, a very satisfied look on its face. She knew it seemed ludicrous to think that of a simple creature, even if it was a warm-water penguin (an unusual combination, in her view), and knew that an animal couldn't behave like that...Yet still, Asuka was positive that Pen-Pen stole a glance at her whenever he floated by.
Finally realizing how paranoid she was being, she looked away from Pen-Pen.
"What's up, Asuka?" she heard Misato ask. The redhead looked towards her guardian, sitting on a rock and watching the sun set. Rei was floating a bit further from her, looking as if she were asleep on a cloud.
Asuka, responding to Misato, shrugged a bit. "Eh, just have the feeling I'm being watched," she said, shooting a quick nod towards Pen-Pen. Misato snorted on following her nod.
"Is that all?" she asked. "Trust me, Asuka, like most of his species, Pen-Pen's not just dressed for the part, he's quite a gentlebird."
"If you say so," Asuka said in turn. "But if the next sound I hear out of his beak is 'giggity', I'm gonna punt him up the side of the mountain, just to disprove the fact that penguins can't fly."
Misato chuckled at this, while Pen-Pen grew a mortified look on his face as he hastily started to paddle his way with his feet to the other side of the bamboo wall separating the women's bath from the men's.
"Aw, I think you scared him," Misato jokingly chided Asuka.
"That's what he gets for...what am I doing, accusing a bird of being a perv..." Asuka grumbled as she leveled herself a little lower in the water. She had to admit, Misato hadn't lied about the quality of the onsen and the inn it was attached to. The water was perfectly warm, the view of the mountainside scenery was magnificent-it lived up to everything Misato described, and then some.
"I never did tell you how I got my scar, did I?" Misato asked out of the blue.
Asuka, on hearing this, faced Misato, perplexed by her statement. It was certainly an odd way of shifting topics...
"You haven't," Asuka answered, as she shot the scar, located just below Misato's chest on the right side of her abdomen, a brief glance.
"...I got this as a souvenir of Second Impact," Misato said.
"Well...I mean, who wasn't left scarred by it...?" Asuka mused with a frown.
Misato, shaking her head slightly, rephrased her statement. "That's the thing-I got this at Second Impact. Right exactly at ground zero."
Asuka's eyes widened slightly, her mouth hanging open at her guardian's surprise admission. She couldn't believe it-in all the years she'd known her, she'd never known Misato as having bore witness firsthand to the greatest disaster to befall the planet.
"My father, Professor Wataru Katsuragi, was the head of the expedition to Antarctica," Misato elaborated, nonplussed by her ward's reaction. "He led the charge in the research into what was dubbed Adam, the First Angel. I didn't know this at the time-all I knew him was as a poor father. His obsession with his work is supposedly what led to him and my mother splitting up; the real problem was he was just running away from being responsible for his family. When he came to me and asked to accompany him on the expedition, we hadn't spoken for some time. Said he wanted me to see the greatest discovery of mankind. I'll admit, I went partly because I'd get a week off from school, and I'd get to see one place on Earth few people rarely visit."
Asuka said nothing as she continued to listen to Misato recount her story. Rei was still serenely floating in the water; on the other side of the wall, Shinji, himself in a meditative position, was listening in.
"At first, I had no idea what was going on when things went to hell that day," Misato continued. "All I knew was there was some big experiment going on, but I knew something was very wrong when I felt the ground beneath me rumble, and storm-like winds picked up; the building I was in was torn to shreds, and a piece of debris hit me, knocking me unconscious. For how long, I never knew. I drifted in and out the whole time, but I could see my father pull me out from under some wreckage and get me to an escape capsule, in spite of how wounded he was. All the while, I could barely glimpse some thing over his shoulder...A thing I still get nightmares about even today."
Asuka hesitated before she hazarded a guess. "...It was the First Angel, wasn't it?" Even now, the girl could see that the very mention of the name made Misato wince, in spite of her position within the world's leading anti-Angel task force. Misato silently gave her a nod before she continued.
"I finally came to when we reached the capsule and he put me inside," Misato recounted. "I could see how severely injured he was, and tried calling out to him just as he closed it up, but not before he'd put the silver cross he wore into my hands. The minute the capsule was shut, Second Impact kicked fully into high gear, while I fell unconscious again after the capsule was sent flying into the ocean." As she said this, her hand lightly traced the scar. "In all honesty, I have no idea how I got the scar during all the chaos, but I've had it since then."
Asuka kept silent as Misato continued.
"In the end, no matter how I felt about him," Misato said. "With his last few breaths of life, he freed me from a collapsed building, carried me through the hellscape the base camp had turned into, and put me in the one escape capsule, saving me. I couldn't decide if I wanted to hate him or love him-all he'd left me, aside from the cross, was a great desire to punish the Angels for their part in my father's death. Even now, I still can't tell if I want to kill the Angels to 'square things' with my father's spirit, or if I'm doing it to avenge a man who just had trouble expressing how much he loved his daughter until his time unexpectedly came."
The air was silent as Asuka let Misato's words sink in, until she finally posed the question.
"Why tell me all this now?" she asked.
Misato faced Asuka, a hint of guilt on her face. "You've probably noticed by now that I haven't been drinking of late. Thing is, I gave it up recently. Odd thing is, it's let me regain a bit of perspective on a lot of things...Like how my hatred for the Angels affects my judgment each time I send you and the others into battle. In any team, honesty should be one of the most important tenets of its working relationship. I know I've told you before how we shouldn't let our pasts bother us...But the fact is I've let mine define some of the decisions I've made, and how I've treated the people around me. What I'm trying to say is, I don't want you or the others thinking I'm using you as my instruments of revenge. I do sincerely care about you, Shinji and Rei as people."
"Misato, it's-" Asuka tried to respond, only for Misato to hold a hand up briefly, indicating she wasn't finished.
"Ever since the Angels started attacking Tokyo-3," Misato began, "I've had this mindset of needing to defeat them, whatever the cost. We don't know when they come, we don't even get to set a schedule-when they arrive, it's kill or be killed." A grim mood briefly adorned Misato's face. "It's how we justify sending kids like you into battle against eldritch horrors, all while coming up with tactics that have a small chance of getting them killed in action. I've been doing some thinking, and going forward, I want to make sure that for our future sorties, we plan carefully enough, make sure that you all come back in one piece, and above all, that we put as much trust in whatever actions we take as a team. I...I honestly can't bear the thought of losing any of you."
Asuka was stunned by what Misato was saying. Showing remorse over putting them in harm's way? She seriously never expected to hear this come from the older woman. She herself lived by one rule, ever since her mother's passing: live and think for yourself, without showing anyone weakness or hurt. Hearing Misato like this, however, caused Asuka to reconsider such a stance, especially combined with how she'd been working with Shinji and Rei so far. Deciding to chance it, Asuka moved a few meters over to Misato's side and looked up at her guardian.
"Misato, it's okay," Asuka said reassuringly. "Time and again, the three of us have been informed of the risks that come with the job. Hell, I've known it since day one. Point is...We'll risk our necks to take the monster-of-the-week down, but you're right, we should take every precaution we can get. I don't know about you, but I kinda want to see my golden years."
A small smile crept onto Misato's face. "I'm glad we agree," she said. "Hopefully, things should get easier when Maria and Mari arrive in a few weeks' time."
"Yeah," Asuka concurred with a smirk. "Personally, can't wait to see how Shinji and Rei deal with Mari especially."
"Speaking of..." Misato started off as she looked towards the wall. "Hey, Shinji! Mind tossing the body wash over? We're all out on this side."
"One sec," came Shinji's voice, before a small, cylindrical object flew over the wall, eventually to be caught by Misato.
"Nice toss," she called back. "Forget lawyer, maybe baseball's in your future."
Tokyo-3 Municipal Middle School, the following week...
With the lunch bell having rung, the student body had already found their spots to eat, whether alone or with friends. As it was another hot day, most of them stuck to the cafeteria or the classrooms to avoid the heat. The pilots and their friends, in particular, opted to stay in their classroom. Asuka was metaphorically drooling as Shinji handed her the bento he'd made for today, then handed Rei hers before taking his own out. Asuka opened hers first, the scent wafting over her and drawing curious looks from Hikari.
"Hmm..." Asuka started to say as she looked over the contents of her bento. "Diced ham, roasted pork, cubed swiss, pickle slices, a little thing of mustard..." She then looked up at Shinji. "Did you give me a Cuban sandwich in a bento?"
"Guilty as charged," Shinji replied. "I opted to include both rice and a few little toasted baguette slices, just to give you options." His attention then turned towards Rei. "How do you like the look of yours?"
"I am intrigued as to how a Salvadoran pupusa tastes when delivered in a bento format," Rei answered as she prepared to dig in. "I appreciate you making a vegetarian one, to be exact."
"No trouble at all," Shinji affirmed.
"Where'd you get the idea for the Cuban bento?" Hikari asked.
"Movie-based inspiration," Shinji answered. "In this case, Chef, one of my favorites. It's the dish that inspires Jon Favreau's character to head on the road in his new food truck."
"Just for curiosity's sake, what do you consider your favorite movies?" Kensuke posed.
"Probably a stark contrast to what you call yours," Shinji said with a little jibe towards the otaku's choice of filmography. "Off the top of my head, aside from the aforementioned Chef, there's Big Night, High Fidelity, Almost Famous, Amadeus, Clerks, and Backbeat."
"Only heard of Clerks," Toji chimed in between bites of the bento Hikari had 'accidentally' made an extra of, "and that's only 'cause Ken made me watch it one time."
"Come on, admit it, you liked it," Kensuke poked at Toji.
"Only because of Jay and Silent Bob," the jock replied insistently.
"Oh! Speaking of movies," Hikari started to ask. "Did you see that flyer from the drama club out in the hall?"
"Must've passed it by," Asuka answered. "Why?"
"It's what they're putting on," Hikari said. "They're holding a contest with movie tickets as the prize. It's open to all students, I think it sounds fun!"
"What's the contest?" Shinji asked, a curious eyebrow raised.
"Basically, whoever does the best performance of an iconic movie scene wins," Hikari answered as she faced Asuka. "Asuka, you should enter!"
The redhead looked at the class rep, surprised by her statement. "Uh...why? I've never done live theater before in my life. (Never even played a tree in kindergarten.)"
"Well, don't take it personally..." Hikari began hesitantly, "but you're so boisterous and lively you'd be a natural for the stage. I mean, you've got a, well, commanding presence."
"Huh, when you put it that way..." Asuka smugly pondered as her eyes turned to Rei. "Say, Wundergirl-why don't you join me for this one?"
Rei raised a curious eyebrow of her own. "Why?"
"If I'm gonna get up on stage and act, I'd prefer having someone to bounce off of," Asuka reasoned. "I may have learned about Shakespeare in college, but soliloquies definitely aren't my thing."
"I have never acted before," Rei said.
"There's a first time for everything," Asuka said persuasively. "C'mon, you gotta experience new things once in a while, so give it a shot!"
Rei looked around at her circle of friends, and on seeing encouraging nods from Shinji and Hikari, she gave Asuka her answer.
"Very well," the bluenette said. "I will participate with you."
"Perfect!" Asuka said triumphantly. "We'll sign up on the form before school lets out, and once we leave, we'll make a beeline for the video store downtown."
"What for?" Rei asked.
Asuka flashed a knowing grin. "Research," she answered.
Shinji then flashed a grin of his own. "Well, guys," he started to say, eyeing both Toji and Kensuke. "We can't let the girls have all the fun now, can we?"
Toji and Kensuke, on hearing themselves being volunteered, gave each other a rather worried look.
"I got a bad feeling about this..." Kensuke muttered.
The break room at NERV HQ, the next morning...
Misato, Ritsuko, and the bridge bunnies were once again chatting about in the break room over the 'tolerable' swill called coffee that seemed to be the prevailing brand for the world's premiere anti-Angel defense organization. It was a scene all secretly relished, given their line of work: simple workplace conversation about the more trivial things in life. Misato was the current speaker.
"Oh yeah, the kids are gonna be a school play in the near future," Misato mentioned.
"Ah, middle school theater," Makoto started to say in a light imitation of Kenneth Branagh, exaggeratedly gesturing with his hands as he stood up, "where the future stars of the stage are groomed for the spotlight in the prime of their youth!"
Ritsuko gave him a mildly mocking applause. "Very good, Mr. Olivier, brah-vo," she said. "So what kind of a play is it?"
"Actually, it's a contest their drama club's putting on," Misato clarified. "Whoever does the best take on an iconic movie scene wins a pair of movie tickets. And when it comes to Asuka and winning..."
"Of course," Ritsuko figured with a mild shake of her head.
"But get this," Misato said. "She's actually partnered up with Rei for their skit."
Looks of surprise appeared on the rest of the group as they heard this.
"Wow," Maya commented. "It's still amazing how more and more, the others seem to be bringing her out of her shell."
"Know what you mean," Shigeru added. "As long as any of us have been here, the girl's been so reserved you couldn't tell if she could get stage fright."
"It has been known that theatre exercises sometimes help people overcome their shyness," Aoi pointed out. "Though the theme of this contest sounds a bit unusual."
"Guess that explains why I saw the kids at the video store yesterday," Satsuki said. "Asuka practically jumped for joy when she found their selection of western titles-she and Rei practically walked out of the store with stacks that went up to their noses."
"As long as they didn't sneak any 'R'-rated movies out," Misato said as she took another sip, eliciting stares from the others. "What? I'm trying to be a good guardian, aren't I?"
"And on the bright side," Ritsuko started to say with a hint of amusement, "you get another taste of parental life in this regard. I mean, going to your kids' school play is practically a key moment in parenthood, after all."
"Ha-ha," Misato replied, not taking the bait.
Misato's apartment, early afternoon...
Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke had spent most of the morning getting a jump on which movies to do a scene from. Eventually, Shinji had convinced them to sit down for one that he'd seen before he'd come to Tokyo-3. The curtains had been drawn, the popcorn had been made, and the three boys were all set for the movie to start.
"Trust me, guys," Shinji insisted, "there's a reason this has been called one of the best movies of all time, and not just because it's an Oscar winner."
"All right, all right, we get it, Shin-man," Toji said. "just play the movie so we'll see if you roping us into this is worth it."
Kensuke, in lieu of following Toji's response, munched on some popcorn as the opening orchestration and titles started to appear on the TV screen. One hundred and twenty-six minutes later, the two of them were thoroughly impressed with what they'd watched, much to Shinji's satisfaction as he began their planning session.
Asuka and Rei's apartment...
While the boys were engrossed in their movie, Asuka and Rei had spent most of the start of the afternoon combing through the DVDs they'd picked up.
"No...no...It's been done...Everybody knows that one..." Asuka muttered as she perused her part of the pile, scrutinizing each title.
Rei's pondering was more silent as she looked over the films they'd gathered. It was then that one DVD caught her eye. On going over the blurb on the back, Rei knew immediately she wanted to view it.
"Asuka?" Rei asked, getting her roommate's attention as she pointed to the DVD case she held. "This one."
Asuka, a curious eyebrow raised, took hold of the case and examined it. "Huh. All right, at least it's something different from the rest."
For the next 108 minutes, Asuka and Rei watched, the latter utterly entranced by the noir aesthetic, the expressionist atmosphere and the gray area morality of the story. By the time the movie finished, Rei definitely knew she wanted to do a scene from this movie-and not just any scene...
Tokyo-3 Municipal Middle School auditorium, four days later...
Misato found herself sitting in the audience for the evening of the contest, anticipating seeing her charges on stage. Up till now, they'd spent a good chunk of their spare time rehearsing, until each group was confident they'd be able to nail the scene come curtain call.
Sitting next to Misato was Hikari, who'd occasionally acted as a 'test audience' for Asuka and Rei as they rehearsed. The whole time, she was genuinely surprised by how Rei seemed to fall naturally into the role she picked. Asuka gave her constructive criticism here and there throughout their rehearsals, equally-surprising given the redhead's admittance to having never acted before.
After the first few skits had come and gone, it was now time for the one featuring Shinji, Toji, and Kensuke. The emcee, who was the president of the drama club, announced that the three of them would be taking on a scene from the 1948 American Western The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Misato was surprised by their choice; she thought back to how Kaji had shown it to her during their sophomore year of college on one of their first dates, and remembered it being very good.
While the applause wound down, Shinji, Toji and Kensuke-dressed as, respectively, Howard, Dobbs, and Curtin-came in stage right as a wilderness landscape was projected onto the screen behind them, the latter two pulling along some plush donkeys (on wheels) fitted with knapsacks. Each were wearing clothes fitting for such a frontier environment, all dusty and a bit torn in some places. Shinji wore a close-cropped fake white beard, while Toji and Kensuke had some fake dark stubble applied to their own faces. Shinji knelt down to examine the 'sand' before him, their cue to start the scene. Toji 'collapsed' to the ground, weary from the walking they'd done; Kensuke followed suit soon after.
Toji (as Dobbs): "You know what I'm thinkin'. I'm thinkin' we ought to give up. Leave the whole outfit - everything behind and go back to civilization."
Shinji, on hearing this, began to stand back up as he looked down at Toji.
Shinji (as Howard): "What's that you say? Go back? Ha-ha! Well, tell my old grandmother! I've got two very elegant bedfellows who kick at the first drop of rain and hide in the closet when thunder rumbles."
Misato was highly surprised by Shinji's delivery of the line. It'd been a while since she'd seen the movie, but it was still amazing how accurately the Third Child channeled Walter Huston's performance. Same for Toji when it came to his Bogart imitation.
Shinji: "My, my, my, what great prospectors-two shoe clerks readin' a magazine about prospectin' for gold in the land of the midnight sun, south of the border, or west of the Rockies, ha-ha-ha...!"
Toji [frustrated, picking up a rock prop as he stood]: "Shut your trap! Shut up or I'll smash your head flat!"
Shinji: "Go ahead, go ahead, throw it! If you did, you'd never leave this wilderness alive. Without me, you two would die here more miserable than rats."
Kensuke (as Curtin) [gets up quickly to hold Toji back]: "Aw, leave him alone. Can't you see the old man's nuts?"
Shinji [not letting up]: "Hah! Nuts? Nuts, am I? Let me tell you something, my two fine bedfellows-you're so dumb, there's nothin' to compare ya with, you're dumber than the dumbest jackass. Look at each other, will ya?" [Toji and Kensuke briefly gave each other a dumbfounded look.] "Did you ever see anything like yourself for bein' dumb specimens? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" [As he laughed, Shinji did a perfect imitation of Huston's signature 'dance'.] "You're so dumb, you don't even see the riches you're treadin' on with your own feet! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!" [Looking down, Toji and Kensuke 'realized' what Shinji was referring to and immediately got on their knees to examine the ground further.] "Yeah, don't expect to find nuggets of molten gold-it's rich, but not that rich. And here ain't the place to dig. It comes from someplace further up." [Shinji then pointed towards a spot on the screen behind them, which Toji and Kensuke followed with their gazes.] "Up there, up there's where we've got to go. UP THERE!"
With that, the scene concluded, and the audience applauded while the trio got up and took their bows, before heading stage left.
The emcee soon returned, and announced that Asuka and Rei's skit would be next; it was then revealed that the two of them would be enacting an iconic scene from the 1949 noir film The Third Man. As soon as the applause resumed, the image on the screen changed, looking like the interior of a Ferris wheel's car in motion as Asuka and Rei entered from, respectively, stage right and left. Both wore fedoras, with overcoats draped over their shoulders. Asuka was in the Holly Martins role, while Rei took on Harry Lime.
Rei (as Lime) [a tiny smirk on her face]: "It's good to see you, Holly."
Asuka (as Martins) [more stern, in contrast]: "I was at your funeral."
Rei [amused]: "It was pretty smart, wasn't it?" [She then made a slight grimace as she patted her chest, before opening a small tin and taking out a tiny tablet.] "*Ugh* The same old indigestion, Holly. These are the only things that help, these tablets...These are the last-can't get them anywhere in Europe anymore."
Asuka: "You know what's happened to your girl?"
Rei [unconcerned]: "Hmm?
Asuka: "She's been arrested."
Rei: "Tough, sounds tough-it's no worry, old man, they won't hurt her."
Asuka: "They're handing her over to the Russians."
Rei: "What can I do, old man? I'm dead, aren't I?"
Asuka: "You can help, somehow-"
Rei: "Holly-" [She got closer to Asuka while slightly adjusting the scarf under her coat's collar.] "Exactly who did you tell about me, hm?"
Asuka: "I told the police."
Rei [disappointment on her face]: "Unwise, Holly. Unwise."
Asuka: "And Anna?"
Rei: "Did the, uh, police believe you?"
Asuka: "You don't care anything at all about Anna, do you?"
Rei [with a slight chuckle]: "I've got a lot on my mind-"
Asuka: "You wouldn't do anything-"
Rei: "What do you want me to do? Be reasonable."
Asuka: "Then get somebody else to-"
Rei: "Do you expect me to give myself up?"
Asuka: "Why not?"
Rei: "It's a far, far better thing that I do with the old limelight, the fall of the curtain...Aw, Holly, you and I aren't heroes, the world doesn't make any heroes-"
Asuka: "You've got plenty of contacts-"
Rei: "-outside of your stories. I've got to be so careful...I'm only safe in the Russian zone. I'm only safe here as long as they can use me."
Asuka: "As long as they can use you?"
Rei [focusing on her 'indigestion']: "I'd wish they'd get rid of this thing..."
Asuka [realization hitting]: "So that's how they found out about Anna...You told them, didn't you?"
Rei: "Don't try to be a policeman, old man."
Asuka: "What do you expect me to be, part of your-?"
Rei: "You can have any part you want as long as you don't interfere, I could never hurt you out of anything..."
Asuka: "Yes, I remember when they raided the gambling joint and you knew a safe way out-"
Rei [chuckling]: "Sure."
Asuka: "Safe for you, not safe for me."
Rei: "...Old man, you never should have gone to the police, you know. You ought to leave this thing alone."
Asuka: "...Do you ever see any of your victims?"
Rei: "You know, I never feel comfortable in these sort of things. Victims? Don't be melodramatic." [She then looked at the background screen and downward.] "Look down there." [Asuka followed her gaze.] "Would you really feel any pity if one of those 'dots' stopped moving forever? If I offered you 20,000 pounds for every 'dot' that stopped, would you really, old man, tell me to keep my money? Or would you calculate how many 'dots' you could afford to spare? Free of income tax, old man-free of income tax. The only way you can save money nowadays."
Asuka [undeterred]: "Lot of good your money will do you in jail."
Rei: "That jail's in another zone. There's no proof against me...besides you."
Asuka: "...I should be pretty easy to get rid of."
Rei: "...Pretty easy."
Asuka: "I wouldn't be too sure."
Rei: "I carry a gun." [She eyed the ground below them.] "You don't think they'd look for a bullet wound after you hit that ground."
Asuka [still unfazed]: "...I've dug up your coffin."
Rei: "And found Harbor?...Mmm-hmm...Pity." [Softly laughs.] "Holly, what fools we are, to talk to each other this way, as though I'd do anything to you, or you to me! You're just a little mixed-up about things in general. Nobody thinks in terms of 'human beings'-governments don't, so why should we? They talk about 'the people' and the proletariat, I talk about the suckers and the mugs, it's the same thing. They have their 'five-year plans', and so have I."
Asuka [weary]: "You used to believe in God."
Rei [bemused]: "Oh, I still do believe in God, old man. I believe in God and Mercy and all that. But the dead are happier dead. They don't miss much here, poor devils. What do you believe in? Oh, if you ever get Anna out of this mess, be kind to her. You'll find she's worth it. I wish I had asked you to bring me some of those tablets from home. Holly, I would like to cut you in, old man. There's nobody left in Vienna I can really trust, and we have always done everything together. When you make up your mind, send me a message. I'll meet you any place, any time. And when we do meet, old man, it is you I want to see, not the police. Remember that, won't you? And don't be so gloomy. After all, it's not that awful." [Suggested music: "The Third Man Theme", Anton Karas.] "You know what the fellow said – in Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock. So long, Holly."
With that, Rei exited stage left, bringing the scene to a close. They were met with as good an amount of applause as the trio that came on before them, as Asuka and Rei took their bows. Misato had to admit, despite not having seen the movie, the two of them did a great take on a key scene from it, and she couldn't have been more proud.
End Chapter 16.
**Author's Note(s)**
The title of this chapter and its second part comes from Shadow Magazine #9 from April, 1932.
Shinji's taste in films was my own invention, based on his two passions. Chef (2014), as described, stars Jon Favreau as a professional chef who quits his job at a 5-star LA restaurant to get back to his cooking roots, and is also a personal favorite of mine. Big Night (1996) we've covered earlier in this story. High Fidelity (2000), based on Nick Hornby's novel, stars John Cusack as a music-obsessed record store owner who tries to understand how his past relationships failed. Almost Famous (also 2000) is a semi-autobiographical film from Cameron Crowe about a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone in the early 1970s as he follows the band Stillwater on tour. I'm sure most of you know Amadeus (1984) and Clerks (1994) already. Backbeat (1994) is a historical drama focusing on the early years of the Beatles as they toured Hamburg, Germany; in particular, it looks at the friendship between original member Stuart Sutcliffe and John Lennon, as well as Sutcliffe's girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr.
The movie scene contest was, admittedly, an excuse for me to write Asuka and Rei doing the scene from The Third Man, which also is my big nod to the legendary Orson Welles, probably the most famous actor to portray the Shadow.