+++++ The Runic Throne.
The Wanderer lay back in his tub, Suzuka astride his waist, allowing the mother of his first and latest children to work his muscles back into place with the benefit of lightly scented oils. Despite his eye being closed, he could still see every gorgeous curve of her figure, every sway of her flesh as she demonstrated her love of him. "Things are going to change," he muttered softly.
"The nature of life is often so." Suzuka had chosen not to harangue him for his actions this day, it was a bad fight but one that he could not have avoided. "My love for you is not dependent upon rigid stasis." The small smile she saw play about on his lips warmed her heart.
"I pray I never know a world without your love, Little Dear." Wanting to touch her, but under strict orders to lie still, he suffered the lack with dignity. "This was a disaster, start to finish. At the meeting tonight, I'm going to have to announce some changes. We can't risk provoking further interference in these trials and expect them to produce anyone useful to our cause."
"We also cannot ignore our own defense against beings that, while perhaps not aligned with Reality, are at the very least antithetical to our need for peaceful coexistence." She knew his mind well enough. "What part of this is it you need to work out before you present it to the others?"
His lips bunched off to one side. "Increasing our military footprint without denuding our growing tree. I'm…worried that it might be time for me to act on my obligations to Rose's species."
"It is long overdue, I would agree."
At that, his eye did open. "That's going to be a significant undertaking. There's no way I'll be able to-"
"Shh." Tapping his lips with one finger, she shook her head slowly. "We will set it up, and we will manage the fallout. You have significant obligations that you have been neglecting, and removing this stone from our pack will help us both in our defense and in our ability to breathe more freely." Turning chastisement to enticement, she soothed over the minor tremor in the peace they were enjoying. "Besides, their species tends to prefer making such events into family affairs. I'm certain they would find it worrisome if some of your more human wives were not present to celebrate with them."
His chest deflated slightly, self-deprecating and self-directed anger boiling in him still. "It's not right. I know everyone understands…but…."
"But you are a good man who has an impossible balancing act to upkeep," she agreed. "The matter is troubling, but it is not fatal to anything save those who must face your daughters in combat."
A soft knock on the door preceded Sayako, Imperial Princess of both Japan and the Ikari Empire. Moving with far greater fluidity than she had before becoming tied to The Wanderer, she shuffled over to sit on the step leading down into the tub. "My apologies for interrupting your private time, my dears."
The Wanderer reached over and gently took Sayako's hand in his with a warm smile. "You never need to apologize for needing my time, Saya-chan. You are no less a part of me than any other."
Suzuka laughed lightly, sharing her husband's opinion in a different way. "It would not be the first time we've been distracted while connecting, either. At least you remembered that knocking is the polite way to announce an interruption."
Her own hand was as if a child's in that of the man who now called her 'wife'. The oddity that had been the past decade and more remained surreal, despite all the preparation she had done to be worthy of it. "My husband…I urge you to be cautious regarding our safety. Not, of course, that I believe you to be cavalier about ensuring our safety…but I disagree with my sister's assessment of your character enough that I feel it important to speak my mind."
"Jorth…." Stopping himself from saying something impolitic, The Wanderer closed his mouth and thought for a moment. "Thank you. I'm a much better man for having so many women around me, and even stronger for your faith in me. I believe I take your meaning, and will act appropriately."
Suzuka, unlike her husband, had no problem being impolitic if the situation required. "Jorth is going to find that my patience wears thin quickly for secrets. Secrets nearly destroyed our marriage ten times over before we settled into our places, and reintroducing them now at a point of crisis is of no use to any of us."
"Our sister's culture is not our own," Sayako chided. "How she sees the world was informed by several decades of life, and I am certain she would see our eagerness to approach what the spirits share with curiosity as anathema to an orderly existence."
Order. The word rang in The Wanderer's mind for several seconds, the meanings and intentions possible sliding around like the block puzzles he enjoyed sharing with those daughters he'd had with Ireul. "…I see." Picking Suzuka up and setting her on the step alongside Sayako, he stepped up out of the water and dried himself by willing the remainder from him and into the drain. "Call for an early dinner, please. I'll be gathering my brother and his new wife, then heading to the meeting hall."
+++++ The Runic Throne.
"You know my mind," The Wanderer addressed Asura quietly, keeping one hand on his brother's shoulder to stop him from moving out of the chair he'd planted him in. "The Aspects will be keeping an eye on you, and will be encouraging you to demonstrate your intent. We'll know if you try anything, and so we aren't going to prejudge you by acting as if you will. Be a good person, help your new family, and don't take the last cold applesauce cup." He saw the confusion writ plainly across Asura's beautiful features. "The applesauce is for Sif, but she's happy to share. That means we always leave the last one in the refrigerator alone, and ask that more is procured. That way she has what she enjoys for a treat after working out, and everyone else is empowered to share her love of it with her."
Asura nodded slowly. "I…see," her tone indicated that what she had stated was the exact opposite of the truth.
The doors opened to allow Rose into the room, the alien Admiral eyeing the 'new girl' as she walked casually over to her own husband. "I had to move a few things around, but I've got the rest of the evening. How about I get Amy here to check him out and you go sit down yourself, neither of you should be on your feet right now." Stopping at his side, she patted the small of his back. "Amy knows how to keep quiet while leadership is talking, and she knows how to keep secrets to herself if it comes to it."
"No," The Wanderer denied the request firmly. "What we are going to be speaking about is going to be hard on her, and we're not so bad off that we can't go a few hours with some internal pain."
A shower of peacock feathers, there and gone in a flash, announced Hera's arrival in the room. "Besides, I am an accomplished healer in my own right, Admiral. If you would do me the favor of seeing your husband to his seat, I'll ensure neither of them must suffer overmuch while we chat."
Rose nodded in gratitude to the deity. "Thank you." Turning her light touch on her husband's back to an iron grip on his shirt, she tugged him towards the chair at the head of the table. "[Song]." A small gasp from Asura let everyone in the room know that she spoke the pink-skinned woman's language, at least well enough to know that she wasn't meant to hear such an intimate statement between lovers.
"…it's easily understandable, but I'm still not sure I approve of it." The Kyoko from The Silent World was chatting with the Kyoko from Shinji's world and the Kyoko tethered to The Wanderer as they entered in a group. "Yes, nothing ventured, nothing gained, but this is a big venture and we're not flush with personnel at the moment." The three broke up, two moving over to share a brief moment of affection with their associated Shinji, the third stopping at a distance from the table to wait for seating arrangements and eye The Wanderer.
"Aye, it's quite a tangle," Titania's voice was the next to announce arrivals, the Queen of the Fae floating beside Usagi Ikari and seemingly enjoying speaking with fellow royalty. "I'm sure we'll adjust, with some patience and solid hard work though." Turning her attention from the Sailor responsible for Luna, she bobbed a quick curtsey of greeting to what now was her superior. "I thank you for this invitation, Your Imperial Majesty."
"You are always welcome here, Your Royal Majesty," The Wanderer replied with a magnanimous bow of his head. "I welcome both your presence, and your wisdom." Appraising what she'd chosen to wear to the working dinner, he offered her another accolade to set the tone of their newfound alliance, "Seafoam green suits you beautifully, my compliments to your seamstress."
"Myself, actually." Twirling about in the air to show off the entire dress, she gave him a charmed grin. "It lets me have time to meself, without all the prattling and pandering from the Court."
Further discussion was set aside as Misato escorted both Yui and Rise into the room. The former Tactical Commander of NERV, now Imperial Tactician, was wearing what she typically did when working, her uniform. The two women with her, however, had clearly had a meeting with Bardiel. The younger was adorned with a pair of flattering suit pants and a blouse that emphasized her femininity while declaring that she was there to engage in business, the elder wore a dress worthy of the mother of an Emperor. Understated lines prevented it from making her 'overdressed', saturated colors ensured that she would draw both the eye and the mind. She wore it as if she'd owned it for ages, and when she saw the sad smiles on her sons' lips she knew that she had a long way to go to be worthy of what she'd been gifted.
"I am glad you are both well enough to attend," she offered, knowing full well that the battle had not gone well. "Thank you for inviting me."
The Wanderer motioned for people to take their seats, accepting Hera standing between him and his brother as the price of the meeting. "We have a lot to cover, and I am grateful that all of you made time for it. I'd like to start off by introducing a few new faces, though you might have met between the battle and now. Sitting next to my brother is Asura, the former commander of the army that nearly just overwhelmed us."
"I'm going to assume there's a reason she's not in pieces?" Misato, at work, was not the playful woman she was at all other times. "And that there's a reason I'm just now finding out we had her in custody?"
"She's bound to him," he replied calmly, gesturing to his brother. "She surrendered, explained her surrender, sought refuge, was granted refuge, and has given our fleet a significant hardware boost." The giant screen behind him began to display the new vessels she'd brought with her. "They're uncrewed, for now, but they are fully armed and fully capable. Sixteen of the capital ships alone made my life hell, and now we own more than twice that in addition to the support vessels needed."
Rose blew out a soft whistle. "I'll get my engineers working on analysis right away. We'll get them into drydock and see what needs to happen to integrate them into our order of battle." She looked at Asura, her expression empty. "I'm not going to regret sending my engineers there?"
"I have already remotely entered the passcodes to disable the security systems. I will key the ships' systems to broadcast in your native tongue, though it is limited to the central dialect." Asura did not flinch at the accusation, as it was only sane to be cautious. "If one of your engineers will work on broadening the linguistic databases, I would be more than happy to help deconflict any differences between my native tongue and theirs."
"I'll hold you to that," Rose took the offer with gratitude. Looking back to The Wanderer, she gave him her best estimate, "Two weeks, barring any significant setbacks."
"We already have one setback," The Wanderer announced grimly. "It is time that I uphold my side of the bargain. We need an orderly plan to allow each clan to send who they will."
"We," The Silent One corrected. "Too many people, man. With two of us, we can get it done in something approaching a reasonable timetable."
"I wasn't going to insist."
"And I'm not going to let you take this one on solo." Waving the conversation off, he closed the potential argument, "We're good. Next topic."
Usagi lifted a finger, securing the attention of the table. "I'm assuming that you're trusting all of us with both the pace and the planning?"
"Yes. I would overdo it, and I know that. Any one of you would do better alone than I would, bring in who you need to and let's give this the attention that it deserves. I don't want hurt feelings, I don't want people thinking that I'm just painting by the numbers, and I don't want any of you to feel that I love you any less because I am doing what I promised I would." The Wanderer looked around the table, begging them to understand. "I love you, all of you…but we need people to crew these vessels. We need armies to fight even stronger forces than the one we just got our asses kicked by. Titania's army and navy pulled our asses out of that fire, but now we have to commit to defending two universes and we do not have the resources for that without an accelerated breeding program."
Rose nodded, agreeing to the whole plan. "My people are familiar with war, and we're far stronger than humanity for the moment. It makes sense to start with us, and I'll see that the clans are brought up to speed on what's going on. You'll have more than enough volunteers, Usagi. I'll help you navigate politics on this one."
"I think we can help as well," Kyoko Ikari looked to the other two Kyokos. "You've got most of the same credentials I do," she spoke to the most recent Kyoko, "and you're familiar with xeno-political deconfliction," to the Kyoko from the Silent World, "so it shouldn't take the five of us more than a week to get this through planning and into action."
The most recent Kyoko looked to Yui with an open question, and her superior nodded in agreement. "My sons need us to act. If you are asked for help, do what you can and let me know if whatever I've asked for is going to have to be put on hold. This is home now, and we need to start acting like it."
Accepting her assignment, Kyoko Soryu turned back to The Wanderer. "Then I would appreciate it if you tied me to you, in the way you have my sister here." She gestured to Kyoko Ikari. "From what I have seen, she can speak without having to verbalize with most everyone else on this team. I can't afford to be out of the loop, and we'll all move faster with that advantage. Besides," she shrugged, her face remaining blank, "you already know that you're capable of loving me. I'm her, just without the monstrous experience of being married to that absolute dick."
"Agreed," Rose asserted first.
"Agreed," Usagi joined.
"Agreed," Misato added.
"I see no issue with this, meine Mausbärchen. She understands the duties this will entail, and has no issue with waiting for some time to allow you to grow familiar with one another." Kyoko Ikari sealed the vote. "She will move at your pace."
Nodding slowly, The Wanderer felt Hera's hand on his shoulder. When he glanced towards the statuesque goddess, he saw her focusing her energy on the burn he earned allowing one of the ships to get a glancing blow on him. Shaking off the distraction, he asked again for his own piece of mind, "You understand that this is not something I will eagerly undo?"
"I've chosen my course, good sir." Kyoko Soryu lifted her chin, showing the same fire that fueled what would have been her daughter. "I am certain you understand that we are not prone to marrying for only the good parts of life."
"…That I do." Concentrating on not overwhelming her, he settled his bond upon her soul. A sudden bout of lightheadedness followed, trailed slowly by a lessening of his malaise. "Ah…I had forgotten."
Motioning for calm from those who had no way of knowing, Misato stopped a panic from arising. "My husband has a great many burdens that exceed what we would all be familiar with as 'normal'. We struggled for some time regarding the appropriate 'balance', often spending entire years without sufficient wives to keep him from becoming suicidally depressed, or in constant agony. He doesn't notice how bad it hurts until he allows himself to take on more love to balance out the other issues." Looking directly at the newest Kyoko Ikari, she gave her a happy smile. "Thank you. Your sacrifice has lessened the pain he's been dealing with lately, I welcome you with open arms to our little family."
"Now I get to do the hair of two Kyokos!" Usagi clapped with subdued enthusiasm. "You both have such full hair, and your sister refuses to let her hair grow."
"I must lead by example, Usagi-chan." The Kyoko tied to The Silent One played her part with appropriate humility. "Having long flowing hair as a General is only going to lead the next generation of leaders to believe that they should emulate me to their detriment."
A statement that was too quiet for anyone but The Wanderer and The Silent One to hear drew both men's attentions to Rise Kujikawa. Remaining silent, understanding that much of what was happening was outside of her sphere of influence, she had largely gone unnoticed. What she said, however, changed the tenor at the table.
"Yes, honestly." The Silent One replied to what she'd said, without repeating it for everyone else. "We've noticed that any particular Shinji's chances of survival increase dramatically with the support that our wives bring. He's not the only one who is in a lot of pain when things are out of whack." He threw a thumb towards his brother. "I recently was gifted several women I had thought dead forever back in my life, and given the greater gift of their forgiveness for allowing them to die. It's probably why you were so willing to overlook the drawbacks of being a part of something like this. It's also probably why the other young woman left. If she wasn't suited, or if she'd cause increased discord, chances are good that she would have been steered away by whatever rules are in play."
Rise was focused intently on what she was being told, her face scrunched in an effort to follow along. "So…Sadayo and I were never…."
"It's a theme," The Wanderer cautioned, "not a straitjacket. We've noticed the trend, and we've seen what seemed like a sure thing be deflected. We're learning too, we've just had close to two decades of time from your perspective to learn. I promise, it wasn't anything you did."
Swallowing, she gave him a quick duck of her head and a sad smile. "I don't blame myself. Not anymore. I did what made sense, I put myself out as far as I thought was right, and…he didn't choose to tie me to him before things went south. I can be proud of myself for at least not being pushy like some others were."
"That really is both healthy and laudable," Usagi approved with quiet conviction. The permanent teen wished nothing more than to help a young woman learn to rely on her own efforts to succeed in life. "You did the right thing, Kujikawa-chan. I'm sure things will work out for you."
"I'm sure they will too." The former idol nodded once to herself. "I would also like to ask to join all of you. You need the help of someone who can navigate Tartarus if you are going to attack it, and since Tartarus is tied to where the others are going that's just further proof you need my skills. I was also, not long ago, Miss Japan. I can use what I learned while being an idol to keep crowds calm, and to lift people's spirits if they're down. I can also-" She self-silenced at The Wanderer's raised hand.
"You can also ask your mother, first." He didn't want to crush her nascent hope for some way to be useful, but he also didn't want to tie her to him. "You are not of the age of majority, and I will not tie you to me like some creepy pedo without more mature voices being heard. I am over a decade your senior, and that power difference is substantial. I realize you're less than a year away from legally being old enough to make your own decision on marriage, and I also realize that where you're from the age of consent is a year younger than you, but in the Ikari Empire this would not be legal without a hearing and parental consent."
"My mother attempted to push me into the adult world when I was thirteen," she countered without desperation or heat. "I don't think you want to take her word for anything, if she's even still alive. My aunt wanted little to do with me, but was all too willing to let me live with Shinji-kun so long as they had the prospect of gaining a profitable marriage to someone as wealthy and connected as he is. I don't have a mother. I'm not sure I ever did."
"Then you'll be willing to wait until we can hold a hearing?" The Silent One moved the heat from his brother, helping to keep things steady. "We'll establish all of the facts before a trio of judges, and you'll have a chance to explain your reasoning. They'll review everything, ensure it complies with the laws of the Ikari Empire, and then decide whether to allow it or not."
"Can it be soon?"
"I'll empanel three judges tomorrow," Rose cut in. "You'll want to be up and ready to appear before them for the initial interview before the third hour after dawn. You will not be given representation, as you are attempting to prove your own maturity to the judges." Tilting her head at a slight angle, she eyed the young woman seriously. "My people do not take these matters lightly, as fitness to be admitted to a clan is a matter of life and death. Prepare well."
The Wanderer knew his wife could ask them to rule either way, causing him to frown slightly. This was two of his wives that were interfering, and coincidences didn't exist. "The next matter is regarding our hunt for any sign of that silver-haired hooligan."
"Nothing," Misato replied with clear irritation. "Hikaru checked in with me just before this meeting, she and her brothers are scouring that Japan for any trace, but you know he's able to hide really well. I recommend holding off on eliminating that dimension until we have finished gathering all possible intelligence from what we find. Lily and Eve are too tired to help, after the brawl and pushing those ship fragments back into orbit. They might have more luck, honestly."
"The different central character, 'o' instead of 'wo', has to mean something." Usagi looked towards the Kyokos. "Is there any reason that we could be looking in the wrong places? Everyone's looking for the man that Shin-Shin killed. What if we should be looking for a woman? Or someone that presents as woman?"
"We're already working to make certain that everyone has identification paperwork," Kyoko Ikari replied. "Connecting people with their belongings, medical records, tax records, all of that is helping us to do this. Those that have no proof of why they were in Japan are being separated from those that have proof, specifically to make certain that we're not harboring snakes in our own garden. The hunt continues, and will continue until we have answers."
The Silent One looked over at his brother. "So with all that out of the way, why are we here now instead of at our usual time?"
The question hung in the air for several seconds, a variation having a place in everyone's mind at some point during the discussions. "Because we can't expect order to derive from chaos, and we can't expect laws to limit the expansion of either." With a sigh, The Wanderer leaned forward, resting his elbows on the large table before him and placing his cheek against his combined fists. "The universe, all universes, require balance. They crave it. The natural, unheralded processes cannot function without it. Chaos has no form to manifest itself as an entity without laws to separate it from order. Laws have no impact without orderly implementation and execution."
It was Asura who finished the thought, "And order grows stagnant and immobile without chaos to ignite creativity and conflict." Feeling the eyes turn to her, she looked down in shame. "I did not realize until I watched as two brothers fought as one. Two vastly different ideologies combining forces to stake their place in what I believed to be Her reality. I thought that all would invariably become one, under Her. Even my dreams had become full of Her."
"Getting your ass kicked is a pretty decent way of opening your eyes to new possibilities," Misato stated without venom.
"Yes, it does." The Wanderer's voice, firm with a hint of warning, stopped further interruption. "Right now, downstairs, Maria is still interviewing her sister. I have finally made sense of something she mentioned in an off-handed comment to them that didn't make sense. She wanted her Shinji to defeat The Great Will, as she called it. She wanted to create a separate existence, detached from our universes. At first, I thought she wanted control. Then, I thought she might really just want solitude. I finally realized that she wanted to take control over Order…because the woman who has it now clearly cannot be trusted to play in the same sandlot as the rest of us."
His brother nodded slowly, seeing the same connections forming. "Make him the contested avatar of order, force a confrontation on a small world where the bitch can't bring in countless legions, win the day and receive praise."
"So how did it go wrong?" One of the Kyokos looked to the others, then to The Wanderer. "They're normally very adept at framing these conflicts."
"Yeah, it's almost like the embodiment of Chaos and Law decided to intervene in an internal struggle, sending a young man seeking an explanation for not only his youth but his future towards a much different path." Letting his body flop forward, The Silent One slammed his head against the table hard. "Mother. Fucker."
Usagi scowled up at the ceiling. "We can't fix this, can we?"
"No, we cannot." The Wanderer would not give into despair. As long as he breathed, there was always a chance. "We'll need to try a different universe, with a different Shinji Ikari. What we can't do, though, is observe that universe directly."
"Then how do you intend to encourage another version of yourself to seize the mantle of responsibility?" Titania was lightly patting The Silent One's head, trying to be the good wife she hoped to prove herself to be. Her motions stopped, then her eyes shuddered towards her host. "Are ye feckin' mad?!"
"I've never once proclaimed myself to be overly burdened by sanity," The Wanderer admitted with a shrug.
"I apologize," Yui spoke up, "but I do not understand what is so odd about his position. If he observes the test, he risks influencing that test. Any observation on a particular set of circumstances interacts with those circumstances, if even on a sub-atomic level. By limiting observation, he limits unwanted influence."
Swallowing her ire for the benefit of the purported matriarch of her husband's family, Titania replied warily, "He's intending to use oracles to monitor everything. Trusting the word of seers is…."
"The option I have available. If any of you have a better solution, I'm all ears." The Wanderer sat back upright, looking around the table. "I will give you a few days to ponder this. If we cannot come up with something better, I will be placing a firm boundary between universes to stall Order's advance and give us breathing room. While I represent Law, I am still Creation and I will not allow someone to destroy what I have set my hand to without a fight." Standing up, he dusted his hands against his pants. "We have more than half a dozen people in this house who are sensitive to fate's whispers…get me something better, or start planning how to best utilize the assets we have. For now, let's eat." Moving over to the intercom, he closed the topic for further immediate discussion. Tempers had to cool before anything useful would be found.
+++++ The Runic Throne.
Andreja Valatok stood on an unfamiliar set of gantries, before a far-too familiar machine. Looking between two versions of Unit-01, noting the differences and trying to distract herself by determining why there were differences, she failed to take notice of the approaching individual. Startling herself and nearly bending the railing she was braced against, she took several seconds to rerun what he'd said in her mind before the next shock hit her. "Y-you…."
The Wanderer was in a contemplative mood himself and as he tended to he had come to see the new Unit-01 again up close. He hadn't intended to startle the woman next to him, but his habit of moving quietly hadn't gone away with his ascension to godhood. "Please, Captain," he gently took her arm to stop her from genuflecting, "there's no need to do that."
Keeping her eyes low, folding her hands in front of her hips, she offered a rote reply, "Yes, Your Holiness."
Swallowing the sigh he wanted to let loose, he set his knuckle under her chin and lifted her head to encourage eye contact. "Obeisance has never been what I've asked people for. Just their best effort and understanding." When her eyes finally followed her face, he gave her the half-smirk that so often came with his sense of humor. "I'd say that I'm no god, but I don't like liars. Instead, I'll just hope that you understand that I'm not the 'brimstone and fire' type…more of a consensus builder, really." He patted her shoulder, then turned to look at the foreign Unit-01. "I like to know what motivates people, because motivating them to take charge of their lives means that I don't have to worry as much about them. I like to know that people are doing things because they think it will help, rather than doing things because they're afraid of me."
"I am sorry that I was not able to convince them to keep him safer. My weakness-"
"You are not weak," he silenced her gently. "You were growing to love that portion of me you knew. Hoping inside your heart that he would always be a good-natured, good-hearted, young man. His…incapacitation is as much a tragedy for you as it is for him." Eyeing her askance, he added, "You deserve love too, you know."
Looking quickly away, Andreja hunkered in on herself. "It would have been a sin to love him so."
"According to…?"
"First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians, seven-two."
"Hmm, 'Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.'," he quoted without hesitation. "At least, according to the King James version." Pondering his response, he asked her another question, "So what happens when one of the two in question isn't a man?"
Andreja's eyes shot wide. "I-I-I…I would never-"
"I wasn't talking about me, and I know that you would never castigate me regarding my wives. I was asking about your Shinji. He wasn't a man, or a woman. Would you say, at that point, that it was still 'fornication' to share yourself with him? He would have been thrilled if you became pregnant, knowing as he did how badly you want a child."
"He…knew? I've never told-"
"He knew. He also wanted very badly to make your life better, because you gave him so many good things. Good habits, good coping mechanisms, good advice. He wasn't joking when he said he trusted you to touch him. He actually wanted you to. Wanted to experience the touch of women who cared about him, rather than the ten to fifteen times a day his aunt-mother used him for her own insane ends." The feeling of something lingering about caused him to frown slightly. "You helped me, you helped him, and yet you never allowed him to help you…so now I would really appreciate you allowing me to help you with whatever you want."
She opened her mouth, then closed it. Repeating this several times, she eventually managed to get out, "I…I do not think my prayers could be fulfilled."
"Not with that attitude, no."
"You cannot bring him back, or you would have done so already."
"But that's not what you want. You want that for him. If you don't ask for it, it can never be granted."
"…Why must I put words to my shame?"
"For the same reason everyone else eventually does, catharsis." He shrugged, looking back to the foreign Unit-01. "I know what you are asking for, true. The problem is, if you don't put thoughts into words they never gain power. Words are power given form. Thoughts are just waves upon an endless ocean. By giving voice to what's in your mind, you gain the ability to do something about it instead of endlessly reliving the same maudlin dreams over and over."
Chastened, Andreja joined his inspection from a different angle. "I shouldn't question the wisdom of God."
"That wasn't my wisdom," he chuckled. "That's what my good friend and therapist told me about the intrusive thoughts I was having. He's a good man, and his husband is an absolute workout beast that joins our sessions to help me keep my techniques from becoming sloppy."
"You…have a therapist?"
"Have had for a long time now. Wellness isn't a destination, it's a journey. I've been on that journey for over a decade now…I'm not sure what I'm going to do when it's his time to die, it's not going to be easy to replace the trust he's helped build." Cutting off the line of inquiry, he refocused the conversation, "So, are you going to actually ask for it?"
"I need," she paused, closing her mouth. "I need to think about it."
"Fair enough." Standing up straight, he turned to walk away. "I have all the time in the universe."
Watching a god walk away, Andreja struggled to hold in her emotions. Just standing in his presence had worn the walls around her heart to the point that tears were pooling in her eyes. Whether she took him up on his offer or not, he'd at least given her the gift of affirmation. God was good, and he wasn't infallible. That was a comfort all its own.
+++++ The Runic Throne.
The Silent One was what most would qualify as a 'big eater' under normal circumstances. While he didn't need food, he enjoyed the tastes and scents too much to give up on the act. Already having eaten during the working dinner, he remained undaunted when Rebecca Chambers sought him out to follow up on the meal plans they'd agreed upon. Standing before the stove and cooking a pair of wagyu sirloin steaks, he patiently waited for his date for the evening to ask what was bothering her.
"Did…did we lose this fight?" Rebecca was seated upon the nearby counter, her feet tucked in front of her. "I mean, the overall fight."
"Yes." He lifted the edge of each steak, checking to see how far along they were. "We engaged to stop Hope from rampaging, and then it snowballed from there because of our involvement. We've reached where we are because we still have a chance of winning the war, but this particular conflict was a clusterfuck from the beginning."
"And we can't make it better?"
He shook his head.
"Will he be all right?"
"My brother has confidence in these people, so I think it's the best chance we have." Flipping the stove off, allowing the steaks to breathe, he began preparing a garden salad for each of them. "There's always a chance that this goes sideways."
"Yeah…I'm just…."
"You're sad because you know what it's like to lose your home, your friends, and watch as the walls cave in on you." He gave her a soft smile of understanding, then returned to slicing the carrots. "He's got a chance, 'Becca. That's often all we need."
She nodded, unseen. "I also know what it's like to die, and be given another chance." Shaking off the memories, she changed the subject, "So what's our next step?"
"We change up the parameters for testing, set up neutral barriers to prevent cross-contamination, and cross our fingers."
"So we can't just…finger wiggle and have another Shinji Ikari?"
"We could, but what would be the point? He'd only be as strong, or useful, as we made him." Setting the salad makings together in a large glass bowl, he looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "What we need is a boulder so heavy that even we can't lift it, we don't get that by copying blueprints."
Giving him a cheeky grin, she leaned forward playfully. "But having more than one of you would be awesome."
Rolling his eyes in return, he nonetheless played along. "The last thing reality needs is another suicidal powerhouse."
Her voice turned serious, "It could probably use another good man willing to give his all for others, though."
The Silent One slid the glass bowl through a portal onto the dining room table, turning back to the steaks to finish preparing them after they'd rested for a few minutes. "That's the purpose of the tests, to find people like that." Each hunk of meat was professionally cut into strips. "Because it's not just me holding up the sky. I have an entire support system behind me, doing the heavy lifting so that I can be in position to do my job." A lime was sliced open and squeezed over the steaks. "We haven't lost because of them, not because I'm too fucking stubborn for my own good." Plating the steaks, he added the peppers he'd cooked them with for garnish and decoration. "We lost because he didn't have a unified support system, not because he was too weak or too stupid or too stubborn. The enemy has noticed how valuable all of you are, and now they're actively going to be targeting the people who would help Shinji Ikari hold up the sky." He scooped up the cutlery and both plates, moving towards the table. "Grab the drinks, let's eat before these get too cold."
+++++ The Runic Throne.
Watching as the version of Sailor Saturn he'd fought in space slept in a containment cell set up to hold unfathomably strong individuals, The Wanderer tried to make sense of things. "She's not the Saturn from this reality. She's not the one from Silence either, I don't think. Where did she come from?"
Sailor Mars, the version married to The Wanderer, sat on his shoulder thinking the same questions. "We weren't there with this most recent Shinji, maybe she was born early? Fed bad information?"
"Not exactly unprecedented for one of us to be brainwashed," Jupiter added, leaning against the corner of the observation window. "Are we really sure that she's not just your brother's version? Killing Saturn isn't that easy, and keeping her dead is almost impossible."
"I think I might have hit her too hard." The Wanderer looked down at the knuckles of the hand he'd backhanded his prisoner with. The bruises still lingered, which was further proof of how dangerous the situation could be. "Even with medical intervention, she's still asleep."
Stepping out of a shadow born of deepest night, Leliel grimaced in discontent. "Whoever was messing around in her head did a butcher job of keeping her sane." Summoning a comb and running it through her floor-length hair, she squirmed with discomfort. "She doesn't know where she's from, she doesn't know what her orders were, she doesn't know who gave her those orders, and she can't remember why she's so sad about having to fight you. She's not going to wake up for a long time, unless something significant changes. She's lost in her dreams, trying to understand her place in the universe. Might be kinder to just kill her again and wait for her to come back."
"We are not killing anyone we don't have to," he announced without room for debate. "How long is 'a long time'?"
"Years." Picking at a particularly stubborn knot, she shrugged. "Decades. Can't really say. If she wakes up before Tenshi can legally drink, I'll be very surprised. If she doesn't wake up before Tenshi is a grandmother, I'll also be very surprised."
The broad time range settled upon the group with a palpable thud. "Rei, I need you to go talk to all of the other Sailors and come to some form of consensus on how we handle this." Gripping his wife's knee, he kept his voice from showing the strain he was under. "I need to move onto other fires."
Leaning down and kissing the top of his head, the former shrine maiden let him know without words that she understood. Both her and Jupiter disappeared to be about their task, leaving the corridor they had brightened with their presence all the darker for its lack.
"You know he can't dream, right?" Leliel's question was asked in the more mature voice she'd developed over the past decade of basking in the love of her husband. "Physically can't."
"I know. I don't have a better option available."
"He's going to be there a long, long, time."
"Where he'll be safe, and where his Shadow can learn to let go of incredibly painful traumas." He turned to face her fully. "Spit it out, Leliel."
Making a face, she dismissed her comb and floated over to lace her wrists behind his neck to bring him into a hug. "I am merely admiring the difference between you and a certain asshole I used to call 'father'. Do you think he could have taken this loss with anywhere near as much grace and dignity?"
Submitting to the embrace, he enjoyed the feeling of her body against his for what it was. "We can't win every engagement. It's just not possible. I lost this fight, the war continues, and if I stop to throw a tantrum for the rules going wild on me we're going to lose the war as well. I hurt, I'm upset, but…I have more important things to worry about aside from the small ding to my pride."
"Mmm," she murmured into his chest contentedly. "That's what we wanted to hear."
+++++ The Runic Throne.
Night had rolled around, the house still full of the sounds of people performing the tasks that kept everything from falling apart around them. Secluded in his private study, The Wanderer continued his hobby of writing physical letters to people who looked to him for advice. He was grateful to his wives for many reasons, but rarely as grateful as he was when they gave him time to decompress on his own. It was a challenge to restrain the irritation that he felt when an unannounced visitor materialized in his study, but not an impossible one. "I don't normally entertain guests in here," he created a second chair from nothing for her to sit on, still focused on putting words to paper, "but since I feel you have a true need to discuss something with me I'll allow it."
Hikaru had arrived wearing a much more formal set of clothes. Instead of the tan sweater and schoolgirl ensemble, she wore a loose-fitting blouse and a tight-fitting pair of dress slacks. "Thank you, Your Holiness." She took note of a small glass bowl appearing in front of her, filled with small candies. Catching the scent, she added with a small snort of laughter, "Asshole."
"Benefits of a more classical education," he replied drolly. With his most recent response finished, he set aside the pen he preferred and leaned back. "All I ask in return is for you to spend some time here with us. A fair trade for the most delicious pomegranate candy you'll ever taste."
Scrunching her face up with amusement and curiosity, she took three of the candies and popped them in her mouth. After chewing a few times, her face went slack and she frowned at the bowl, then at him. "You're sure?"
He nodded slowly, sitting back in his seat and ignoring the impropriety of her reading his thoughts. "It has to be this way, at least for a while. We don't have the manpower to defend everywhere at once, and even small incursions can foul up everything in these tests. Isolating each test from all the others was the only available plan that had any chance of success. I can't monitor them anymore, not and expect better results. That's where you come in, as you've seen."
"The disparate fragments of my existence watch over the tests. If we get any…interesting candidates, I pass that information along. I keep you in the dark, to avoid the all-powerful, all-mighty, all-"
"Keep pushing it, and I'm going to re-evaluate the entire existence of pomegranates."
While not the most serious threat she'd ever been presented with, and with the deadpan delivery, she might have been tempted to continue to tease him. That was, of course, where his eyes described a much different situation. "You really don't like someone praising you…do you?"
"I spent the majority of two lives living under the heavy weight of 'those who can, must'. I'm getting better, slowly." Blowing out a small sigh of frustration, he dismissed the topic with a wave. "You understand the reasoning. What I don't think you understand is the application."
"Meh, details." Snatching another several candies, she enjoyed the scent before immersing herself in the flavor. "So, what's in it for me? Bargains with the devil generally require that the devil receives something of equal or greater value."
Silently, The Wanderer extended his left hand. With the palm facing up, he made his offer clear, "I told you, all I ask in return is that you spend some time with us here."
Almost choking on the candies as she swallowed hard, Hikaru boggled at the first example of anyone ever truly offering her an incomparable prize in exchange for service. "I…I'll have to split my essence some. I'm on a leave of absence, since the machinery runs itself pretty much…. Repopulate certain positions with echoes, promote a few people a little early," she looked from the hand to his face, "I'll need autonomy on deciding who is and isn't appropriate?"
"If I didn't trust you, you wouldn't be alive right now."
"…Fair point." Timidly, a rarity for her, she reached across the desk and set her right hand atop his left. "Is…is this forever?"
"I don't do half measures." He gently curled his fingers around her hand, holding it steady. "Still time to back out, if you'd rather."
She swallowed again, meeting his eyes with fire and steel. "You promise to let me be happy?"
"I promise that so long as you abide by the rules of the relationship, you are free to do whatever you will. Just know that there will always be consequences for what you choose to do. I don't control anyone I'm tied to; I refuse to."
"I want you to remember one thing, after this is done," where many women might have looked at him with lust, or romance, Hikaru showed how differently she viewed the world, "you had the chance to stop me from interfering in your social life."
+++++ The Runic Throne.
Tenshi Ikari sat with all of her sisters, now including a pair of twins that technically were older than she was. The two patients of a hastily assembled NICU were the focus of many of the young women's attention, tiny bits of energy being set in place around them to give them greater reserves and a better chance of survival. A feeling of pride suffused Tenshi as she watched the daughters of Ireul discuss how best to support their twice-born kin, a feeling she shared with her best friend in a quiet voice, "They're growing up slowly, but they are maturing. A year or so ago, this room would have been a battlefield for the right to be the 'first' to help."
"Which is why my mother is being so…kompromissløs." Sif, the eldest present, was firm in her position that she not be viewed as a 'sister' by anyone present. Her father, a brave and honorable man, viewed their father as a brother. She had an uncle, in name though not blood, who viewed her father as a man worthy of veneration. She was not their cousin, nor was she their sister. She was their friend, at least until they earned the position of sister through deeds and valor. "I hear she's finally seduced your dad."
"Ugh, don't remind me." Tenshi didn't approve of the union, but it wasn't her place to say 'no'. "She's going to become even more insufferable, you realize that?"
"Yep."
"I don't know why dad's letting her do it."
"Because he wants to honor my father," Sif declared with a shrug.
"He already has a memorial here, a tombstone in Norway, and a celebration every year on his birthday! There's nothing saying that he has to also take on the responsibility of the man's wife."
"That's one," Rina's voice interjected calmly from nearby.
Tenshi quickly lowered her volume again, "Mea culpa, Rina-sama." The last thing she wanted at the moment was for everyone to be kicked out because of her. "I don't like it," she finished, huffing at Sif.
"We don't get a choice. At least it will get my mom out of the house in the evenings from time to time. Listening to her 'entertain herself' all alone makes my skin crawl." Sif stuck out her tongue and shoved a finger in her mouth to simulate gagging. "Besides," she grew serious, "your dad needs help. The strain's starting to creep up on him again, you can see it clinging all around his aura."
"Yeah, I know. Mom's been crying at night a lot more about how much pain he's in." Lifting her chin, she declared her pride in him too, "But he shouldn't be just grabbing random women either. There are too many sluts out there that just want a ticket to easy street on the Ikari Express. He's doing the right thing by avoiding setting that example."
"Agreed." Noticing that Ireul's brood was finished, Sif wound the conversation up with, "We're still good to go on the plan?"
"I haven't changed my mind. Yeah, we're good to go." Lightly clapping her hands, she drew the attention of her sisters. "Ok ladies, we need to let them get some rest. Let's go get some snacks, and then we'll find Saha-chan and do some cloud painting." Receiving an appropriately subdued cheer from her audience, she let Sif take the lead so she could bring up the rear and keep her sisters moving in the proper direction. Being the eldest had its advantages, and she was glad that the duties those advantages cost her weren't terribly onerous. Her sisters were good kids, even though it seemed they would take centuries to mature out of being 'kids'.
Walking along the halls to the outside of the hospital, Sif and Tenshi both focused on the same problem. Leaving the cool, sterile, corridors and stepping out into the artificial lighting of the comfortably warm Japanese night, they knew that what they were planning had every chance of blowing up in their faces. Leading the parade of youths towards the Portal Grounds, they waved and recognized hails and adulations from the various guards they passed. When Tenshi opened the portal attuned to Sahaquiel's realm, she hugged her best friend and wished her luck. They both knew what had to be done. They both weren't going to miss their chance to do it. They both truly hoped that this wasn't 'goodbye', just 'see you around'.
Now alone, Sif looked up at the night sky and sought out the calm she would need while facing what any sane person would be fleeing from. Thinking of her father, and what he had accomplished with his life, she breathed out, "Qui audet adipiscitur."
Bracing herself and closing her eyes she allowed the spirits to interact with her directly. A chaotic bedlam of languages, of demands, of threats and pleas and needs became a physical storm around her. Past, and pasts that would never be. Future, and futures that could never be. Present, and most damningly those failures that prevented the present from being what it could have been. There was pain. There was suffering. There was unspeakable torment. What there wasn't, was fear. Sif had seen true terror, it was a perfectly lovely woman with a missing eye and several daughters who loved her dearly. This storm was necessary. Temporary. Explicable.
After gaining what she needed, she pulled back from the veil between worlds and forced the spirits back to where they belonged. Her calm was, as well, left with the spirits. How dare her mother keep such things from The Wanderer? How dare she act as a gatekeeper? Knowledge was not meant to be husbanded so tightly that it never received the chance at seeing the light, especially when that light came from a man who understood temperance. Screaming out his name at the top of her lungs, she offered her complete trust to a man that had never done a thing to deserve less, "Óðinn!"
Sif had often wondered what he would look like when truly concerned. She'd had idle daydreams of the man that had been a constant throughout her life reacting to any number of scenarios. As her father's daughter, she had a warrior's mind. A warrior, a true warrior, assessed everyone and determined how to either destroy them or make them an ally. The only way she believed it to be truly possible to destroy the being that appeared before her now was to unman him. Get him off balance and keep him off balance. That idea was discarded quickly, now facing the truth.
Nude, and clearly having been unprepared for the encounter, The Wanderer appeared before Sif carrying an aura of absolute death. Not the death that comes for all mortal creatures. Not the death that comes for lost or forgotten knowledge. The type of death that irrevocably erases the very concept of something from all known creation. After a brief scan of the surroundings, the aura faded and was replaced by him frowning in concern. Taking a knee before a young woman he would do anything for, he offered both hands to Sif and asked gently, "What's wrong? Did you see something?"
She had loved him from a very young age. It was impossible to be in his presence without pure hatred in your heart and not grow to love him. The way he approached her, the way he offered her shelter without demanding she take him up on it, the way he didn't care if he was granting her an intimate display of the most impressive physical specimen of manhood that she would ever see…. She couldn't stop herself from taking his hands and stepping into a warm embrace. "I need you to pause time, for everyone but us. Please."
"Of course." Without questioning her reasons, he halted the orderly progression of time in its tracks. Holding her gently, he let her set the pace of their conversation. He'd known fear more than once in his life, he'd also known uncontrollable rage. Neither were healthy, and both could cause what he was feeling beneath her surface-level thoughts. "I'll give you all the time you need."
Her mother would take advantage of that. Her mother would hurt him thinking that he wasn't strong enough to do what must be done. Her mother was beginning to disgust her. "I love you."
She could feel his smile, proven in the way he hugged her just a touch tighter. "I love you too, Sif. I promise, I'm not mad that you called me."
"I know." He'd sooner be mad at Tuesday for existing. The just-shy-of-adult took a deep breath, then began what she needed to do. "You can't let Order join with you. Not if you want to keep those you care about alive."
This was not what he'd expected, and that confusion was written cleanly on his features as he delicately pulled her back to look at her. "That's a very serious claim. Your mother said you weren't prone to visions, have you-"
"My mother doesn't know much at all about what I'm prone to," she retorted with growing heat. Glaring off towards the quarters she'd shared with the woman for her entire life, she kept that heat from being directed at a good man. "When she's around, she stops anything from interacting with me. I'm sure you've noticed over the years that she's always around, except when she's busy plotting to stop anything from harming the spirits she favors."
He blinked, thinking back through time and noting what he'd thought as 'proper mothering'. "She…does tend to keep you close at hand. It's been dangerous for all of us, and it's natural for her to be concerned."
Looking back to him, she asked in a much calmer tone, "Have you noticed how Miss Maya pushes you to allow Tenshi her privacy? Even with how much danger she's in, how much trouble she can get into, she's urged you to let her have that space to learn how to be independent?"
"Our parenting style is…different, yes." He nodded, still not determined to castigate Jorth for being a single parent. "I offered to be more active in your life, when you first moved in with us. I was told that wouldn't be necessary, and so I've kept myself as available as possible if you needed help without…you know…."
"I don't view you as 'dad'," she agreed. "That's why I'm doing what I am. I let the spirits contact me. I lifted the protections for long enough to see what they tried to tell Miss Hikari and her sisters."
His demeanor hardened slightly. "That was very dangerous."
"It might have been, if you hadn't been a part of my life growing up." She faced his disapproval with conviction. "I wasn't afraid. Fear, or confusion, are what allows the spirits to seriously hurt you. I've wrestled with Tenshi since we were both little kids, I learned to protect myself by ignoring the small pains so that the bigger pains never happen. I'm nowhere near as strong as she is physically, but I know a lot more about how to protect myself spiritually. I did this because my mother would keep you ignorant of what the good spirits were worrying over. She'd let you face this blind, trusting that you would make 'the right choice' because it was the choice ignorance would lead you to."
Confusion returned, wiping away disapproval. "I don't think your mother has any ill-will towards me."
"Do you remember the other day when Miss Iri was telling her daughters that they couldn't just camp out around your twins? How she said that they needed to grow and become strong on their own so they could reach their full potential?"
"Yes," he agreed with a nod. "Ok, I can see your position. You're worried your mother would stifle my growth by shielding me from potential problems."
"I'm worried my mother is going to direct your life!" She jabbed him in the sternum with one finger, noting that she might as well have been jabbing a marble statue for all he moved. "You have to be the one making decisions, and to make healthy decisions you need all the information you can be given about a subject. You can't keep the why away from someone and expect them to grow and learn, can you? You can't just 'because I said so' every time problems arise! You can't live someone's life for them. You can't let Order join with you, in any form, because it would complete you. If you become complete, then what purpose do all of the women in your life have? If you become whole, in and of yourself, what reason do you have to struggle? To grow? To look at your daughters with hope for a better future for them? To not just see all of us as ticks and leeches preventing you from making everything 'right'? Everything would be one within you…and the rest of us would be 'vestigial'. Redundant. A literal curse upon your perfection."
He remembered Sayako's words earlier in the bath, how he had to be cautious about the safety of his wives. He knew her visions weren't perfect, neither were the Horaki sisters'. Standing before him was someone who could speak to the spirits directly, who could see past and future with greater clarity. "I don't want you using this ability without someone nearby that is capable of keeping you safe."
"I-"
He gently set one large finger against her lips, shaking his head. "I am not telling you to not pursue your desires or goals. I am telling you that it would hurt my heart in ways that I can't define easily to see you come to harm." Tilting his head slightly to one side, he gave her the half smirk he knew she'd recognize. "I don't say that I love you because it's expected. I enjoy your presence in my life, and I am thrilled beyond measure that Tenshi and you get along so well. Please, be reasonable and let me help."
Once his finger was removed, she returned his smirk with a pout. "Since you asked nicely, I guess."
"Good." Letting his eyes go distant, he thought through more of what she feared. "It makes sense. If I felt that my presence was stunting everyone's growth, if by being 'whole' I was stopping others from seeing the world from my perch, I'd have no reason to stay. For everyone's betterment…I'd leave." The problems grew from that seed. "Leaving would create a power vacuum. Not leaving would mean watching as nothing changed meaningfully. I need to find Reality, and…as much as I'd rather not I need to have a talk with your mother."
"Might want to put clothes on," Sif declared with a meaningful glance down, "or she's going to have an easy target to kick."
Looking down at himself, he bunched his lips off to one side. "Ah. Well…." Comfortable clothing slid into place. "I apolo-"
"Why? Because you were naked?" She scoffed. "I'm seventeen, with access to the MAGInet. I've…seen a whole lot worse than you."
"I'm still an adult, and you have a few months to go before you are too. Even then, it's not appropriate because we aren't in that type of relationship and there's a substantial age gap."
"Speaking of," she had what she'd wanted, now it was time to set the board for future battles, "I'm moving out of my apartment when I reach eighteen."
The Wanderer blew out a low whistle, his mind filling with everything that he'd need to do to ensure she was safe 'off the ranch'. "I'll talk to Kiyomi about setting up a security detail and escort. Wherever you move to, you'll need-"
"I'm moving into your house." She looked at him as if he'd gone daft, bopping his nose with the tips of her fingers. "I'll need to be near you to talk about what the spirits say, and I'll need to be around to help Nozomi-chan and Yinghua-chan adjust to the new norm. I'll be taking classes from Miss Maya, she and I have already talked about that, and the Imperial University has agreed to distance-learning for me since I'm in a special status."
"…Your mother…." His brow knit, his thoughts growing distant.
"Once I'm an adult, I'm doing what I want. Unless you don't want me to move in, I'm moving in."
Taking two slow breaths, he shook his head. "I don't mind you moving in. What I mind is that your mother had just finished relieving me of my clothing when I heard your scream."
Sif, losing some maturity for a moment, thought with conviction, Good. She doesn't deserve to be with him like this.
Well aware of what she'd just thought, The Wanderer stood to his full height and patted her head. "I don't want you to become estranged from her. She views the world differently, that's all. You're right, I should have had this information before I pressed on and found a way to wrest control of Order. That doesn't make her a bad woman."
"You literally have dozens of women that you are legally and ethically allowed to stick it in. Find someone else to stick it in."
"I wasn't going to comment on your private thoughts."
"When I'm around you, my thoughts aren't meant to be private. You want me to not cut her out of my life, my price is you two not making the beast with two backs. Take it or leave it."
"I'm not actively seeking-"
"And you're not actively deflecting, either. She came to you, she pushed herself on you tonight, and now if you want me to cooperate with you, you need to cooperate with me."
"…I was going to say that I'm not actively seeking to increase the number of women I'm sexually active with, and after learning what I have today I don't think I'm in the mood to go through the whole process of learning how she prefers to do so. I won't be sticking it in anyone tonight."
"No, I mean don't. As in do not. As in you and she never get physical. I'm agreeing to a lifetime of putting up with her 'my way or the highway' bullshit, you agree to refrain from boinking her." Crossing her arms, she lifted her chin and stood her ground.
He frowned, trying to find what was causing such a visceral and, to him at least, petty counteroffer. "That isn't very kind of you, Sif. While I believe that she could do better than me if she simply wants physical affirmation, admitting her into my soul has practically demanded that she and I are intimate. She has lasted nearly your entire life without seeking another's touch, do you…dislike her this much?"
"Since when did she join you?" Sif blinked, confused. "She's always told me that she wasn't."
"Since the day after you entered this world." It was his turn to be confused. "She told me that she had told you. That she had made our relationship clear so that…." His eyes slowly drifted closed. "Ok. I have made it perfectly clear how much I despise word games. I have told Lily, who adores using synonyms to get around admitting fault, that I will stop speaking to her for a year if she does it again. I had to establish entirely new pronoun usage to prevent confusion with Iris and both Reis." The irritation and anger colored his features, causing him to appear more terrifying than he'd wanted. "I will be having a conversation with your mother on the issue. I had been led to believe that you knew, and that your affection for me was a product of seeing me as an approachable, unattached, adult male figure."
"My affection for you was a product of watching as you treated everyone fairly." Jumping up, she climbed up to sit on his shoulder and run her fingers through his hair. "I think it's only natural that affection eventually became something more than just a crush or admiration. My love for you has nothing to do with her, or what she did. I see you for you, and it makes my heart calm every time I'm in a tense situation to know that you exist. I'm angry because she's perverting who you are for her own ends, whether 'good intentioned' or not. You've spent decades giving people the freedom to act, I'm not going to let anyone take that from you."
Reaching up and gripping her legs so that he could walk, he kept time frozen and moved slowly towards his destination. "My options really are either sleep with her, at least once, or sever our ties. I don't know what that would do to her, and this isn't something that can't be fixed without permanently…ruining her."
"Then I'm going to cut her out of my life." She wouldn't budge on that. "I have the same freedoms, Óðinn. I have the same right to ask for something if I'm being asked to do something."
"You do," he was forced to agree. "I just wish you wouldn't ask for something I can't provide. There will be questions as it is, things that may very well determine that I must cut her out of my life. I won't promise to hurt someone to stop you from hurting someone."
Tugging on his hair several times, she bounced one heel off his chest. "…Ok. If we make it something smaller, for now, will you agree to reapproach this later on? So you don't do something permanent without all the details?"
It was the best concession he could hope for at the moment. "Sure. Until what has been done has been fully investigated, I will not sleep with her so long as you don't cut her out of your life. After we have all the information, I will come to you and we will go from there. The truth matters."
"Good. Then if you keep your word, I'll keep mine." Tugging his hair again, to get him to look up at her, she looked down into his eyes intently. "Don't talk to her alone. You don't have the best track record of keeping yourself objective when someone you love is involved. As much as I don't like that you love her, I'm not going to tell you how to feel about anyone but me."
Knitting his brow, he eyed her sidelong before turning back to his path. "Why do you get to tell me how to feel about you?"
"Because I'm me, silly."
+++++ Elizabeth's Quarters.
Animus sat quietly at the center of the circle of beds. His other half was resting comfortably, the women he'd discovered to be selfless and determined surrounded them both. The entity before them all, currently going down a checklist, maintained its human guise. All things were tolerable, and all things were now in good hands.
"All right," making one final checkmark, Elizabeth looked to Animus and gave him a comforting smile, "I think we have everything set up for now. If you change your mind about wanting a bed, let me know, ok?"
Yes, came the laconic reply.
"Good." She turned to go, and stopped at a curious grunt. "Yes?"
Why…you? Why not you-you?
"Ah." Dismissing her clipboard, she turned back and folded her hands together. "I have chosen to honor The Wanderer. While my 'real' appearance is something completely different, I feel it's important to put my allies at ease. I know that I can be…difficult to look on, and I wouldn't want them to think that I am so narcissistic as to demand they adapt to me instead."
Adapt. Animus looked at the sleeping Shinji, repeating the word, Adapt. Yes. Must adapt.
"By the same token," she cautioned, realizing that the other half of her patient had made an important discovery, "I retain enough of who I am in this mask I wear to be 'me'. One person can wear many masks, and there is a time and place for those masks to be worn. They're all a part of you, just different aspects of you for different situations."
Anger. Fear. He nodded slowly, growing in understanding. All not good.
"Exactly." She favored him with a bright smile. "There are things out there that aren't 'good', and those things deserve to meet 'you', instead of 'him'." Her hands made a soothing motion. "But you must remember, you can't rush this healing. Knowing something and understanding it are very different."
Yes. Wait. Grow. Adapt. He hesitated, Accept loss.
Elizabeth stayed for another moment, in case her conscious guest needed more insight. When nothing else was forthcoming, she turned again and walked back out of the room she would share with her guests. Closing the door, and looking about the lounge, she drew up another mental list of tasks to be accomplished. There were other guests, with other stories, in need of other assistance. The man behind her had come up against something he was ill prepared to handle, the next time she had to be ready to prevent further tragedies. Each fragment of Shinji Ikari that failed would be another anchor pulling him back towards stasis. Towards the death of them all.
+++++ Final Author's Note.
To start: Yes, this story is done. No, the 'tale' is not.
I feel I've accomplished what I wanted with this particular story. As much as I would have liked to have given the story more of a 'Persona' feel and taken the day-by-day system used in those games to its logical conclusion, I realized early on that it would only be able to do that as its own story and not as a broader part of The Wanderer's stories. Showing what happens without unity between the women that support whatever version of Shinji Ikari, and what happens when there is more of a focus on individualism. (A natural outflow of recent Persona games has been the theme of each person having their own independent existence outside of the main protagonist's life. The manner in which I would have to change the characters to allow for them to dedicate themselves to Shinji in furtherance of the main theme of sacrificing self for unity and accepting that you are only a small part of a far greater whole...it wouldn't be the same women. Mitsuru's confidence that she has at the end of P3, the ability to move on and succeed without the main protag still being 'alive', it was inspiring and heartwarming. Watching Chie and Yukiko grow closer, watching them accept themselves for themselves, it made P4 all the better.)
As a stand-alone story, I'll admit this isn't really worth the read. As the bridge towards the growth of the war between ideological constants, it gets the information across without sacrificing the importance of showing that The Wanderer isn't an unstoppable force. A few more ships, a few more warriors, a little more luck on Saturn's part, and the situation becomes much, much, darker. Re-reading what I've already put down before this story, I also came to the conclusion that The Wanderer's observations of the struggles other Shinjis Ikari were going through would naturally draw conflict to them. I can't just write his opponents as idiots, I can't ignore the fact that wars are won on the back of a functional intelligence apparatus, and I most definitely can't give The Wanderer so much power that he can solo anything. Struggles are what make charcters into heroes. I could go on, but the point has been made and belaboring it won't help convince anyone not already convinced.
I think the next story is going to be a bit more waffy, mostly to lighten the mood up after two straight darker tales. An unrelenting slog through darkness becomes numbing, eventually. A non-stop death circus takes away the shock that deaths should cause. I realize it's probably a spoiler to say that, but at the same point I think I wouldn't be serving what audience I have well by not preparing them in advance.
Remember to stay hydrated, tell someone how important they are to you, and forgive someone their tresspasses. Be the good we want in the world, folks...times aren't getting easier.