Thanks for all the reviews.
For this story, I intend to create my own version of Episode II, so to speak. It will be pretty broad in scope, but will not try to resolve all the plot threads (since I don't really have working theories for everything). The focus will be mainly on character development and resolving character conflicts, so I apologise if the story seems to be moving somewhat slowly at the moment. I'm trying to incorporate elements from trailers and released screenshots (although Canaan is too vague a character for me to work with) into an ultimately uplifting story.
As for KOS-MOS and chaos ... characters may eventually run off with a life of their own, but at the moment, I'm afraid that's not in the works. My personal view is that chaos is too selfless to actually fall in love with one person. He loves everyone =).
******************************
Chapter 4: That You Should Remember and Be Sad
It was about an hour or so before everyone finally settled into their sleeping pallets. KOS-MOS and Ziggy had returned to their maintenance beds on the Elsa. One by one, the lights dimmed and went out, and rumbling snores soon intermingled with the chirping of cicadas and an occasional lone hoot from a hunting owl. In the dark, Shion lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. It wasn't that bad to be home again. She could not remember it ever having bustled with so much activity like this day. But for now, however, she wanted to savour the stillness.
Carefully pushing away the light blanket that covered her, she sat up and looked over at MOMO. Satisfied that the little girl was sound asleep, she rose and padded softly out of the room. Pale, silvery light streamed in from open windows as she moved along the hallway, suffusing it with a strange, ethereal glow. Half-lit photographs of memories that seemed an age away; the old grandfather clock that would stutter a bit when it rang in twelve o'clock; a slightly bent antique candleholder that she had accidentally knocked off its perch when she was young enough not to have gotten into too much trouble ... they cast grotesque shadows in a hallway that suddenly teemed with shades of the past. The stillness began to feel oppressive as moonlight animated these memories, and they battered and clamoured at the wall within her.
She noticed a light on in the living room and, desperate for a respite from the darkness that grasped at her, she hurried towards it. Through the open door, she could see Jin seated on the floor as she drew close. Motionless, arms tucked into his sleeves, he seemed to be staring out through the other open door on the far side of the room and deep into the garden. On the table, a cup of tea steamed in front of him. An overturned cup sat next to the teapot, expectantly.
Jin turned around when he heard the floor creak behind him. "Shion," he smiled, gesturing to a seat on the opposite side of the table. He poured out a second cup of tea, and set it down in front of her as she sat down.
"It's good to see you, Shion. How's work going?"
"Pretty well, I suppose. KOS-MOS is finally up and functional, and after everything checks out okay, I'll probably go ahead with my request for a transfer to the Third Division. What are you up to?" She had rather dreaded this moment, and could not help but feel relieved that Jin was satisfied with the exchange of basic pleasantries.
"Do you even need to ask? You will just scold me when I answer anyway." he replied good-naturedly before continuing in a more serious tone. "So? Why have you come to Second Miltia? I'm sure you did not bring so many people along for a company retreat."
"Well, KOS-MOS' first deployment is here. I came along to keep an eye on her."
"Oh? And the others?"
"We ran into them as we made our way here. They just happen to be other people with business in the area," Shion replied evasively. The recent series of events was making her feel extremely uneasy, and despite all her lectures and litanies, she felt an irrational urge to preserve her brother's idyllic way of life and shield it from the chaotic world outside. She found herself looking at her brother fondly; he was such a dreamer, spending his days with his head lost in the clouds. As much as it had always annoyed her, his naïveté suddenly seemed like a precious, fragile flower blooming in the middle of a war zone. Lost in thought, it seemed as if the ends of Jin's mouth turn up slightly in a faint smile, but it was gone before she could be sure.
"I see. It's good to travel with company these days."
"What do you mean?"
"Hmmm? Oh, nothing really. I've just been hearing lots of news about Gnosis attacks recently."
"Ah." Shion paused to sip from her cup. It had been a long time since she last had Jin's special home-brewed tea. Its aroma smoothed the jangle of her nerves, and the heat settled in her stomach comfortingly. As the tensions of the day seeped away, she turned to look out into the garden. It was too dark to see anything, but the emptiness drew in her gaze almost hypnotically. Jin, too, turned his eyes outward, and an amiable silence fell over them.
Eventually, Shion drained her cup and set it down carefully. "Thanks for the tea. I think I can sleep now."
Jin did not move as she made to rise from her seat, but his eyes lost their faraway look and he said, "Shion, will you come with me to visit the tombstone tomorrow?"
When Shion did not reply, he added softly, "They would be very happy."
"They're dead. Whether I go or not makes no difference to them."
"But whether you go or not makes a difference to you." Jin's piercing eyes swung around to scan her face. "The ancient religions understood this well. Mourning is for the living, not the dead. The dead have found their peace, but if you do not let yourself mourn, you will never find yours. You must accept the entirety of your memories, Shion."
"You must accept the entirety of your memories ..." Nephilim's words in the Encephalon echoed in the vaults of her mind.
"Will you please stop?!" Startled by the memory, Shion had shouted more loudly than she had intended. If Jin was shocked by her outburst, he did not show it. Her voice rang hollowly in the twilight stillness, and the sounds that echoed back to her ears were cold and harsh.
"Why ... why can't you understand ..." Her hands clutched at the hem of her jacket, "You can not understand ..."
"But I do," Jin replied gently. "That's why I say this."
Shion strode purposefully to the door and halted briefly. "I will ... need some time," she murmured before fading into the night.
For this story, I intend to create my own version of Episode II, so to speak. It will be pretty broad in scope, but will not try to resolve all the plot threads (since I don't really have working theories for everything). The focus will be mainly on character development and resolving character conflicts, so I apologise if the story seems to be moving somewhat slowly at the moment. I'm trying to incorporate elements from trailers and released screenshots (although Canaan is too vague a character for me to work with) into an ultimately uplifting story.
As for KOS-MOS and chaos ... characters may eventually run off with a life of their own, but at the moment, I'm afraid that's not in the works. My personal view is that chaos is too selfless to actually fall in love with one person. He loves everyone =).
******************************
Chapter 4: That You Should Remember and Be Sad
It was about an hour or so before everyone finally settled into their sleeping pallets. KOS-MOS and Ziggy had returned to their maintenance beds on the Elsa. One by one, the lights dimmed and went out, and rumbling snores soon intermingled with the chirping of cicadas and an occasional lone hoot from a hunting owl. In the dark, Shion lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling. It wasn't that bad to be home again. She could not remember it ever having bustled with so much activity like this day. But for now, however, she wanted to savour the stillness.
Carefully pushing away the light blanket that covered her, she sat up and looked over at MOMO. Satisfied that the little girl was sound asleep, she rose and padded softly out of the room. Pale, silvery light streamed in from open windows as she moved along the hallway, suffusing it with a strange, ethereal glow. Half-lit photographs of memories that seemed an age away; the old grandfather clock that would stutter a bit when it rang in twelve o'clock; a slightly bent antique candleholder that she had accidentally knocked off its perch when she was young enough not to have gotten into too much trouble ... they cast grotesque shadows in a hallway that suddenly teemed with shades of the past. The stillness began to feel oppressive as moonlight animated these memories, and they battered and clamoured at the wall within her.
She noticed a light on in the living room and, desperate for a respite from the darkness that grasped at her, she hurried towards it. Through the open door, she could see Jin seated on the floor as she drew close. Motionless, arms tucked into his sleeves, he seemed to be staring out through the other open door on the far side of the room and deep into the garden. On the table, a cup of tea steamed in front of him. An overturned cup sat next to the teapot, expectantly.
Jin turned around when he heard the floor creak behind him. "Shion," he smiled, gesturing to a seat on the opposite side of the table. He poured out a second cup of tea, and set it down in front of her as she sat down.
"It's good to see you, Shion. How's work going?"
"Pretty well, I suppose. KOS-MOS is finally up and functional, and after everything checks out okay, I'll probably go ahead with my request for a transfer to the Third Division. What are you up to?" She had rather dreaded this moment, and could not help but feel relieved that Jin was satisfied with the exchange of basic pleasantries.
"Do you even need to ask? You will just scold me when I answer anyway." he replied good-naturedly before continuing in a more serious tone. "So? Why have you come to Second Miltia? I'm sure you did not bring so many people along for a company retreat."
"Well, KOS-MOS' first deployment is here. I came along to keep an eye on her."
"Oh? And the others?"
"We ran into them as we made our way here. They just happen to be other people with business in the area," Shion replied evasively. The recent series of events was making her feel extremely uneasy, and despite all her lectures and litanies, she felt an irrational urge to preserve her brother's idyllic way of life and shield it from the chaotic world outside. She found herself looking at her brother fondly; he was such a dreamer, spending his days with his head lost in the clouds. As much as it had always annoyed her, his naïveté suddenly seemed like a precious, fragile flower blooming in the middle of a war zone. Lost in thought, it seemed as if the ends of Jin's mouth turn up slightly in a faint smile, but it was gone before she could be sure.
"I see. It's good to travel with company these days."
"What do you mean?"
"Hmmm? Oh, nothing really. I've just been hearing lots of news about Gnosis attacks recently."
"Ah." Shion paused to sip from her cup. It had been a long time since she last had Jin's special home-brewed tea. Its aroma smoothed the jangle of her nerves, and the heat settled in her stomach comfortingly. As the tensions of the day seeped away, she turned to look out into the garden. It was too dark to see anything, but the emptiness drew in her gaze almost hypnotically. Jin, too, turned his eyes outward, and an amiable silence fell over them.
Eventually, Shion drained her cup and set it down carefully. "Thanks for the tea. I think I can sleep now."
Jin did not move as she made to rise from her seat, but his eyes lost their faraway look and he said, "Shion, will you come with me to visit the tombstone tomorrow?"
When Shion did not reply, he added softly, "They would be very happy."
"They're dead. Whether I go or not makes no difference to them."
"But whether you go or not makes a difference to you." Jin's piercing eyes swung around to scan her face. "The ancient religions understood this well. Mourning is for the living, not the dead. The dead have found their peace, but if you do not let yourself mourn, you will never find yours. You must accept the entirety of your memories, Shion."
"You must accept the entirety of your memories ..." Nephilim's words in the Encephalon echoed in the vaults of her mind.
"Will you please stop?!" Startled by the memory, Shion had shouted more loudly than she had intended. If Jin was shocked by her outburst, he did not show it. Her voice rang hollowly in the twilight stillness, and the sounds that echoed back to her ears were cold and harsh.
"Why ... why can't you understand ..." Her hands clutched at the hem of her jacket, "You can not understand ..."
"But I do," Jin replied gently. "That's why I say this."
Shion strode purposefully to the door and halted briefly. "I will ... need some time," she murmured before fading into the night.