Chapter 33: Windows of the Soul

We've had little success thus far. Every cave we've explored thus far has been empty, either bare or with scattered pieces of Judean or Judaic pottery strewn across the ground. We've sectioned off the valley into sectors, each seemingly filled with caves. We've fully explored one of them thus far, and are most of the way through another. We have 18 more to go.

Of course, that's what everyone else sees. But I found… something, yesterday, on one of my personal expeditions. A clue that, for whatever reason, I've kept from the others. A clue that might lead to a discovery that could change our understanding of the world.

- From the personal journals of Lorenz Kihl, June 18th, 1920

Little Korea, Tokyo-2, Two Days Later

First Lieutenant Mariah Marlowe looked around at the world with wide eyes as she and the others took a rare full day off. Not simply because her newfound Sight, along with that of Mana and Mayumi's, scanned around, drinking everything in, but because the trees that dotted the streets were beginning to ease into a newfound autumn, their leaves turning orange and yellow and red before they fell.

And it was… cold. Seasonally cold in Japan for the first time in a decade and a half. A brisk wind blustered through the streets, making the people break out old jackets and hats, or go out and buy from the stock that had been sitting in back rooms for what felt like time untold. Even with the chill, the streets were nearly bustling, people out taking pictures of the trees and of each other, and especially, of the group's destination.

Mari, Mana, and Mayumi emerged into the now sprawling Foreign District's Korean section, home of former refugees from the 90 Minute War that sparked off the Impact War period. Now, though, there weren't simply Koreans to be found. It was now Japan's link to the rest of Reality, a stopping point for traders, the Worldstrider Corps, and the League's diplomatic efforts in Asia.

Portable buildings, doorways into sometimes vast dimensional shops, were on almost every other building, with permission, of course, and floating, almost ephemeral signs advertised the wares that lay within them.

Mari almost dashed from store to store, dragging the group of Children, the other Children and Daniel and Eleanor patiently in tow, from doorway to doorway, peeking in for a moment sometimes, and if the store garnered her attention for long enough, they would wander in and peruse its wondrous wares.

As they emerged into a particular store called 'The Looking Glasses of Azranyth', stepping onto a wide display floor, the walls lined with slightly glowing objects, the proprietor turned to face them as they began to disperse in little groups going to parts of the walls.

"Well, hello!" he said in a somewhat deep, echoing voice, walking down the stairs that led to a second floor and towards them with arms spread wide. He wore flowing clothing that was bright, but not gaudy, shades of blue and green most prominently fluttering as he approached, accented by streaks of gold.

The kids turned to the proprietor, and saw that there was no mouth for the voice to come from. Who was presumably Azranyth had grey, somewhat craggy, almost rock-like features, his head ovoid with ridges along his forehead. Most pertinent to the kids, there was no mouth beneath his glowing green eyes. A smooth, featureless face was all that went down to a pointed chin that was capped by a simple golden ornament. In the place of hair, thick tendrils flowed from the bottom of his elongated skull, which Azranyth had tied into a tail that slightly swished from side to side as he swept his gaze across the group.

"Welcome to my humble shop." Azranyth said, his voice once again seeming to echo out from him. "I sell what could best be described as windows into other worlds, in one way or another. For example, if I may…"

He walked over towards Shinji, Asuka, Rei and Kaworu as they peered at several spheres, plucking one off of a high shelf and drawing a simple pattern on it before holding it out.

It glowed brightly for a moment, then a small dragon soared out and around the shop, circling the kids and Daniel and Eleanor before coming to rest in Azranyth's four-fingered hand, looking at each of the awestruck kids with bulbous, almost bug-like eyes.

"This is a recreation of a dragon of the world known as Pern." Azranyth continued as the kids clustered round him, the adults following more slowly. "And this is but a fraction of what me and my wife's hand-crafted technology is capable of. Far more immersive incursions into other worlds can be achieved. Please, follow me upstairs, if you will."

"Really? There's better than tiny dragons?" Mari asked giddily as Azranyth led them up the stairs.

"Oh, yes." Azranyth replied as they all emerged onto the second floor, on which a counter took up the center of the somewhat smaller floor, and far larger wares took up the walls, looking like proper mirrors now instead of the crystalline spheres. In front of one of them was another of Azranyth's species, thinner and with more closely fitting clothes, studying a piece the size of a standing mirror intently with their back turned to the group, scanning the edge of the mirror with a slightly glowing baton.

"This is Ghynza, my wife." Azranyth said, the mention of her name causing her to pause for a moment and look over as she stood. "She is the mind behind these wonders, while I am simply the humble proprietor of this shop."

Azranyth looked around for a moment, and his brow furrowed. "Now, where is our other employee…"

"Give me a moment." Ghynza replied. "She's stepped through the Looking Glass here to help me calibrate the bubble field. Let me get her back."

Ghynza turned, and stepped through the mirror, the kids walking forward with wide eyes to catch a glimpse of a verdant scene, within which a hazy, somewhat prismatic bubble stretched from the edges of the mirror into the distance.

"So, how does all of this work?" Asuka said offhandedly as she and the others scanned the scene.

"Well, it's quite complicated, I must admit." Azranyth chuckled. "There are many different kinds of technologies, as it were, that go into making our wares. Ghynza will be able to give a more detailed explanation when she returns."

Shinji looked back at Azranyth. "And this is all made and managed by just the two of you?"

"Well, yes. At least, such was the case until Vesta became employed."

Daniel perked up at this, most of the others catching on only moments later. "Vesta?" he asked, an eyebrow slightly arched. "Who might this Vesta be?"

Azranyth looked into the mirror before turning back to the group. "Perhaps I should let her introduce herself."

Ghynza stepped through the mirror, and at her side was another woman, human, with pale skin and nearly white hair, who wore dark jeans and a similarly dark sweater, scanning the group with silver eyes that lit up as they fell upon Daniel.

"Well, then." she said softly as the Children who knew parted to allow her passage, letting her step towards Daniel and Eleanor. As she approached, a quiet chime sounded, likely someone else entering the store.

"It is good to see you again, Daniel." she smiled as Daniel stepped forward, a smile of his own on his face.

"And it's good to see you too, Vesta." Daniel embraced her for a moment, Vesta taking a moment before she reciprocated.

As they parted from the embrace, three children in particular looked between Daniel and Vesta with varying degrees of puzzlement. "So…" Mayumi said slowly. "I'm guessing there's a history that we're unaware of?"

Shinji, along with the other Children, nodded. "Yes. Vesta is from another world Daniel visited."

"A long story," Daniel said, "for another time."

"So," he continued as he looked at Vesta, "you've gotten into the business of linking worlds?"

"In a sense, yes." Vesta replied. "It is… wondrous to behold. After so long in the dark, moodily lit confines of Firelink Shrine, to step onto other worlds, utterly verdant in comparison, is a refreshing thing."

"And one that can be abused quite easily."

It was a quiet, level voice that drew all eyes to the trio that stood behind them all now. It's apparent owner was a pale, lanky man, dressed almost entirely in black. Black eyes stared out from under a mop of raven hair, and his expression could almost be considered dour.

His partners were a study of contrasts. The man at his side had a far more healthy complexion, bright blue eyes rolling under bright blond hair as he nudged his companion with an elbow. "Oh, come on, Nicky, no need to be that dour. We're frequent customers, after all."

Nicky, apparently, sighed quietly. "Come on, Will. Let's at least retain some professionalism on the job. Kaerana is a great example of such."

The tall, elven woman behind them both ignored them as she nodded at Daniel. "Major Theisman, it is well to see you again."

"Indeed." Daniel replied, then looked back down at the couple in front of her. "Nico, Will. What brings you three to this fine establishment?"

Nico DiAngelo stepped forward as he nodded. "Keeping things above the board, as it were. We've been helping authorities around the world track down illicit smuggling rings that use this sort of technology to aid in bringing potentially dangerous objects to this world. Mr. Azranyth here," he said as he nodded to the shop owner, "has been one of the more prolific sellers of Echo-linking tech in this hemisphere."

"And such technology as this," Azranyth said, sweeping a hand across the selection of mostly person-sized mirrors, "is most usually made to order, save for a few known safe Echoes. And that is after a thorough background check. Something which I've said every time you've come through when a patron has been in my store."

"And it won't be very long until we stop coming around." Will said as he stepped forward. "Law enforcement officer training is going better than expected. Give it a week or two, and it'll be like we were never even here."

"Very well." Azranyth said after a moment, slowly and clearly at least somewhat unconvinced.

"So," Mari said inquisitively, "who are you two? I know the coolest handmaid ever. Hi, by the way", she waved at Kaerana, who nodded in turn, "but where do you two come from?"

Nico and Will both looked at each other for a moment, then Will smiled slightly. "Okay, honey. I did the whole talking thing last here. You get to introduce us."

Nico sighed. "Alright. I'm Nico DiAngelo, son of the Greek god Hades, and friendly with several time world savers such as Percy and Annabeth, and Daniel Theisman here. I believe we've been introduced to a few of you before."

He nodded over to Will. "This is Will. My husband, and son of Apollo, and sometimes quite literal light of my life."

Will waved at everyone with a cheery smile. "Hi. Like he said, son of a Greek god, probably be perfectly happy to explain later when we're not on the clock."

"Huh." Mari said as she and those who had not been previously introduced nodded slowly. "You know, that's the least weird thing I've heard coming out of the whole Worldsea, Reality thing."

"And you know what?" Daniel said as he walked over to her side. "It doesn't ever get not weird. Embrace it. It makes things a lot easier, trust me."

Mari shrugged. "All well and good on that front, bruv. It might be Mana and Mayumi who'll have trouble there. Might be."

Daniel glanced at the other two children in question. Mana regarded the two men with an arched eyebrow and a slowly growing hint of puzzlement, a good thing to see, considering her formerly emotionless state. Mayumi, on the other hand, seemed more curious than anything. "So, does that mean that you're… different, due to your godly lineage?"

"Somewhat. Anything that isn't ancient Greek is a chore to read." Nico said with a shrug. "But I can exercise some control over the dead, skeletons, spirits and such. Will here can heal even the most broken of bodies. And contrary to opinion, isn't too bad an archer or singer."

"Oh, stop." Will said as he lightly punched Nico's shoulder.

"But that's enough about us." Nico said, looking back at Azranyth seriously. "If you will, we can talk for a few moments more in a more private setting."

"Very well." Azranyth replied. "Follow me."

With that, the group left, leaving the Children, Daniel and Eleanor alone with Ghynza and Vesta.

"So…" Mari said as she turned to the two shopkeepers with an excited gleam in her eyes. "Is there anywhere we can go right now?"

Ghynza nodded over to Vesta. "She can show you a few example pieces we have. I'll be finishing up this one, then I will be joining my husband."

All eyes turned to Vesta, some more excited than others, all intrigued as Vesta smiled slightly. "If you'll all follow me? I'll begin with a personal favorite."

. . .

HERZ-Matsushiro, 2 Days Later

Mari sat in the Entry Plug, a regular one this time, dressed in her green and tan Plugsuit, and took a deep breath of the strange, perhaps even exotic, smell of the synthetic LCL as she looked around at the feed of the Evangelion bay for the umpteenth time in several hours in the Plug. She had wondered what it was like, after having the stuff described to her. Now, after two days of being immersed in the stuff, she felt like she was at least starting to get close to what it was like.

"Hmmm…" she said after a moment. "Y'know, I think I've finally figured out what this stuff smells like. It smells kinda… plastic-y. Synthetic, like it says on the tin." her nose crinkled slightly. "I'll honestly be ready for whatever Frame Plug you've got waiting for us after we're done here."

Ritsuko sighed quietly as she looked up from a readout on her clear-pad, a display which showed the almost geometric design of the core in the Units the Numberless Children were ensconced in. "We're still just testing it out as a P2 fluid. No worrying about being exposed to it unless you injure yourself somehow."

She looked up at the displays which showed the three kids in their chairs. "Are you feeling anything markedly different from your experience with regular LCL?"

Mari bobbed her head from side to side for a moment. "Well… things feel a little clearer, I guess."

She opened a channel to Mana and Mayumi. "What about you girls? How do you feel, seeing as the good doctor is probably going to ask in a few moments?"

Mayumi shrugged. "Other than the general feeling of being in the Eva again? I mean… everything feels a little more… responsive."

"Yes." Mana nodded. "Responsive would be the right word for it. But it feels… wrong, now. Somehow. I'm not sure."

Ritsuko nodded as she looked down at the clear-pad again. "I see. Calculations are showing a 5 to 10% increase in your synch scores with the SLCL compared to the regular brew, as it were. So, let's begin again."

Mari sighed quietly as she settled back in the seat. Try number… what? 20? 25? Somewhere in there. This was what it had been after training sessions finished up for the past two days. Nonstop trying to pull… whoever was in these cores out. But it would be worth it to see mom again. To say nothing about whoever Mana and Mayumi might be pulling into the Plug with them.

She closed her eyes and focused. 'Here we go again and all that.'

She could properly see the connection she made, now, with her Sight. Her connection with who she was sure was her mom. But that was all she could really see for the first day. Having switched to this SLCL stuff, she could see… something more. Not much. But it was an improvement.

'Alright, old mum, or whoever you are.' Mari thought as she readied herself. 'Hope this doesn't hurt too bad.'

"Get ready to pull…" Kensuke said. "Now."

With all the strength her soul could muster, Mari strained to lift her mother out of the core of Unit-05. As before, she seemed to be stuck on something, but now…

"She's coming loose." Mari muttered. "Come on…" the twitching of the Eva in its gantry was a distant concern as she strained again.

Confusion. Wondering. Pain. All those and more thrummed through the link. What efforts to try and actually talk to her had been stymied by what most were guessing was the core, but Mari continued to try, regardless. 'Come on, mom! We're close, I can feel it! Just a little more! Just a little more. Please.'

Slowly, surely, all three kids' scores began to climb on the display that Ritsuko, Maya and Kensuke shared. "Wow…" Kensuke muttered as the Numberless Children reached, then surpassed 95% in mere minutes.

"Come on…" Mana said, her brow furrowed and a gleam of determination in her eyes. Mayumi said nothing, her eyes squeezed shut as she concentrated, and the Numberless Children gave the effort everything they had, Flux slowly trickling in, then out through the Vent Frames hidden under the Plugsuits.

Then, finally… a budge.

Then another, and another, and suddenly, all at once, a deep, wet pop signaled someone, a rather heavy someone, landing in Mari's lap. She counted herself lucky enough to have had her glasses knocked askew for a moment to only somewhat see her sudden new passenger's nakedness as she heard the Plug's other comm windows shut off immediately, the Plug itself shutting off moments after as it rose out of the Eva.

There was a strangled breath and a coughing fit as the LCL went into the person's lungs, and she adjusted to breathing through it for a moment. "What's going on? Where am I? Who…" the woman who sat on Mariah said, clearly looking around in some confusion.

Mariah adjusted her glasses again, and found herself looking into a mirror. Sure, she was a little older, a little more Japanese, and her eyes were black instead of blue, but… she really was a carbon copy of her, like dad said, wasn't she?

"Mom?"

Mari Makinami's eyes widened. "Is… no…" she shook her head, a confused look in her eyes. "This isn't Instrumentality. It can't be…"

The SLCL began to drain as Mariah shook her head. "No, mom. This isn't Instrumentality. But I have you back. That's what counts."

She coughed up the SLCL in her lungs as the Plug drained fully. "Also, quick tip, cough this stuff up. It's probably not what you're used to."

As that transpired, Mana focused even deeper, and felt a simmering… annoyance. "Come on…" she said again, almost reveling in the pure emotion she felt now. It was… breathtaking. The anticipation, the hope, then anxiety, all of it coalesced into a rainstorm in her head she willingly got drenched in. This felt… she felt. And it felt… amazing.

And as those feelings strengthened her connection to whoever was in the core, she pulled, one last time.

With a wet pop, a body landed in her lap, and the connection between them was cemented for a moment as Mana's eyes widened at the sight of her mother. Kimiko Kirishima. The accident. Her father. Memories not her own came rushing into her mind, and she struggled to pull away from the connection for a few moments more.

Kimiko turned around, and looked into her daughter's eyes, her own eyes widening in surprise. "Mana…"

"Mother…"

Mana threw her arms around her mother, only draining the SLCL from her lungs almost on instinct as the rest of it drained from the Plug.

Mayumi's brow furrowed, and she was sure that, whoever was in here, they had become aware of the struggle to get them out. She strengthened the bond, her synch score raising to 100, then beyond as she pulled as desperately as she could. 'Whoever you are… I'm trying. I promise.'

She pulled, then pulled again, the desperation of wanting answers to a life she felt like she had never lived driving her on.

Then, a wet pop, and a body on her lap. Mayumi's glasses went slightly askew for a moment before she adjusted them to the sound of someone adjusting to breathing in LCL as the Plug deactivated.

She looked up, and found herself looking at someone a little younger than she was expecting. Her new passenger's eyes widened for a moment before she took Mayumi in a crushing hug. "Oh my god, Mayumi! You're safe!"

Mayumi blinked. She had let go of the connection as the woman in front of her appeared, so she was still unsure of who this could be. "Mom…?" she tried hesitantly.

The woman drew back, confusion in her gaze as she shook her head. "What? Mayumi, no. It's…" she paused for a moment as they both heard the sound of the SLCL beginning to drain. "It's me. It's Hotaru. Don't you remember?"

The SLCL gurgled past their heads, and Mayumi turned to the side to cough up the SLCL, hearing Hotaru, her sister, do the same after a moment, as tears began to well up in her eyes.

As they met each other's gaze again, the tears began to fall from Mayumi's face as she shook her head. "Honestly… no."

Then the plug opened, and Ichigo and Eleanor were standing beside them, towels ready.

The feeds of the Eva bays off, Daniel looked over to Ritsuko, Shinji, Toji and Kaworu looking at him. "They're out, then." he said quietly.

"Yes." Ritsuko said quietly, as she watched with the Sight as Hikari, Rei, Asuka, and Ichigo helped bundle up the newly returned. "Now… we can finally bury these beasts. Move on from them."

Daniel smiled slightly. "And to think I expected a little more fanfare of the end of the true Evangelions."

"Oh, I'm sure that time will come." Ritsuko paused as she watched the others usher off the new arrivals, then shut off her Sight as she turned to look at Daniel. "But for now… we just get the Frame Titans online, get things fully ready on our end." she said the words as a stubborn refusal of the Evangelion moniker that seemed to hang over the new war machines like an ominous veil.

"Very well." Daniel nodded. "Speaking of getting ready, Ms. Vincennes will be arriving today. I'll be taking some of the kids to meet her at the Tokyo-2 airport."

Ritsuko nodded. "Alright." she smiled slightly as she scoffed quietly. "Everything's happening today, isn't it?"

Daniel chuckled. "If this is what everything is now, I'm perfectly happy with it staying that way. At least for the moment."

"Alright." Ritsuko said with a slight chuckle. "Go get your new pilot. We'll be ready for her."

. . .

Tokyo-2 International Airport, 3 Hours Later

Daniel and the Children sat in the terminal of the airport, and pondered over who they had pulled out of the cores.

The most prominent of them was Mari Makinami, or Mari the Elder, as Asuka had so artfully put it. Her insistence that she, and everyone else for that matter, had to be inside Instrumentality was… concerning. But he'd had little time to show her the truth of what that would entail before he'd had to go and pick up the oncoming pilot. He had to trust, for now, that Ryoji would be able to both vet her for any ties to SEELE and get her back up to speed with the current state of the world. It was going to be a tall order, even with Interfacing. But if she could be turned away from SEELE, she could have some… particular intel, potentially.

Hotaru Yamagishi had proven perhaps the most enlightening of the trio they'd extracted. To find not a parent, but a sibling in the core was enough to raise the eyebrows of all those so inclined to the arts of metaphysical biology, but her story, and what it had said about who SEELE was willing to exploit to stay under the radar, surprised no one. 'Orphans… close ones. I'm surprised they didn't decide to continue that trend with the other pilots.'

Kimiko Kirishima was perhaps the most ordinary of them, simply Mana's mother, and quite relieved that she had a corporeal body again. It threw Mana's career of piloting into question, but they would worry about that after they had gotten her adjusted to the new reality she would be a part of again.

But right now, as the intercom system called out the flight they were waiting for, there were more present matters to worry about.

"So, Asuka," Toji said, looking up from his phone, "what's this Marie lady like, seeing as you've been the one talking to her lately?"

Asuka shrugged as she paused the game on her handheld console. "Well, for one, she's smart. Like, my level smart. She graduated Harvard with a Masters degree at 15. A pretty tall order."

"Woah." Hikari said, her eyes widening slightly. "That's quite impressive."

"Yeah." Asuka replied, then her brow furrowed slightly. "But she's… really humble about it. Almost… too humble, sometimes."

"That can't be too bad a thing." Shinji piped up. "After all, having someone relatively normal to train is probably going to be a nice change of pace from Musashi."

Asuka bobbed her head from side to side. "True. Speaking of, has he talked to you lately?" she nodded over to Toji and Hikari. "Any of you?"

Shinji shrugged. "I've tried to reach out after Daniel filled us in, but… it's taking some time. I'm making progress, though."

"Other than that," Toji said with a shrug as passengers began to disembark, "he's been avoiding most of the rest of us like the plague." he looked over at Kaworu and Rei, who sat calmly reading. "What about you guys?"

Rei looked back at Toji as she shook her head slightly. "He has not engaged either of us thus far." she said simply.

Asuka's lips quirked in slight annoyance, but she nodded. "Well, it's better than nothing, I guess."

With that, the Children turned their gazes towards the disembarking passengers, looking out into the crowd as they streamed past.

"Ah." Daniel said as he spotted a familiar head of blonde hair and pointed it out. "There she is."

All eyes turned to see the young lady scanning the terminal, her hazel eyes widening as she waved and made her way over to them with a gentle smile.

"Oh, hello, Asuka! It's good to meet you in the flesh finally." she said in near fluent Japanese.

"You too." Asuka replied, a smile of her own growing as she reached out a hand, which Marie took. "Welcome to Japan, and our weird little family. However long that lasts." she let go of Marie's hand as she gestured to the other Children. "These are some of my fellow pilots at HERZ. And this is our commanding officer, Major Theisman."

"Please," Daniel interjected as he raised a hand, "just call me Daniel."

Marie nodded somewhat slowly. "Okay. Daniel it is."

"Your Japanese is very good. I'm somewhat impressed." Hikari said as she stepped forward to shake Marie's hand. "I'm Hikari Horaki, by the way."

"Thank you. Reverend Simmons always said I had the gift of tongues." Marie said with a shrug. "I guess I've just been lucky enough to be able to prove him right in at least one way."

"Oh." Shinji said. "You're Christian?"

"Well, somewhat, I guess." Marie replied with a shrug, "I read my Bible, at least."

"I see." Shinji said, glancing over at Asuka. "I can't say that I know much about the Bible. All I've really learned about was the story about the walls of Jericho, but that's it."

Asuka blushed slightly as she punched Shinji in the arm gently. "And that's where we'll leave your scriptural education, dear." she said in a slight grumble.

Marie blinked as she glanced between the two now-blushing pilots. "There's… something I'm missing, clearly." she said, the look of utter confusion on her face stating her words moments before she spoke them.

"That there is." Daniel replied. "Now, let's get your bags and get you settled in."

As they all walked onwards, Daniel regarded Marie with no small amount of curiosity. "Is there a guardian we should be expecting, or are you standing on your own two feet?"

Marie shrugged. "Well, since Dad… disappeared, I've been in the good graces of the United States government. NERV was… a big part of my life. Dad was a technician, as I'm sure you know, and Mom was super supportive of our work."

"Our work?" Asuka interjected. "You were working with NERV as well?"

"Well, sort of. I was…" Marie bobbed her head from side to side for a moment. "I had a decent shot at getting into the Marduk Institute. Or so I was told."

Daniel shared a glance with the other Children for the briefest of moments. This, they were all sure, would merit a discussion later.

"Interesting." Toji said with a carefully neutral expression. "That could have made you the pilot of Unit-04, then, if it came to it."

"Perhaps." It was as brief a pause as any, but her tone, slightly guarded, even almost a shred hostile, fell on deaf ears for the most part. All except for Daniel and Asuka's.

But the moment passed as Marie shrugged her shoulders. "But I won't be piloting Unit-04 anymore, what with what I've seen on the news regarding Tokyo-3. I'll be piloting whatever other Evangelion the States make, and doing some good, hopefully."

"Hopefully, indeed." Daniel said as they retrieved Marie's bags. "It's what we at HERZ are in the business of, after all."

"Oh, yeah." Asuka said as she nodded. "There might not be any more Angels or other giant monsters left to fight right now, but I'm sure someone is probably going to be stupid in an Eva at some point."

"Unfortunately so." Shinji said, a dour expression on his face. "I hope that day will be far off, with the power that being in an Eva gives."

"Honestly, you and me both. But, knowing people…" Toji trailed off somewhat ominously.

"Yeah." Marie sighed. "There's the potential that you all will be quite busy once Evangelion production gets off the ground. But I think you have the skills to endure whatever comes. Skills that I hope to learn from who seems to be the best among you."

"Yes." Kaworu said with a slight smile. "Asuka's skill is perhaps the greatest. Though now, that is a high bar to clear, considering the fact that she helped train many of us as well."

Asuka gave a self-assured nod. "That it is. But if you're trying to be the best, there's few better to learn from than me. You were really smart when you asked me to help train you."

Marie chuckled. "I'm glad you think so. I simply recognized your abilities. You had every reason to turn down a stranger like me, I'm sure. With what I assume is your current workload, an extra person to worry about training to what I can assume are your high standards could be quite strenuous."

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. You sell yourself short, and you try to assume my abilities? I gotta tell you, first thing you should know about the great Asuka Soryu-Langley. I don't back down from a challenge. And this? Training you is only going to be fun. I promise."

Marie nodded as they loaded her bags into a waiting van, and began to whisk her away to what would be her new home for the next several weeks. "Fun…" she said quietly.