Shinji Ikari was thankful as he returned to the beach site-- the shopping cart, he discovered, had a ricketty wheel that wanted to go in the opposite direction of whichever way he was pushing, and the cart, filled to the brim with rations, seemed to have doubled in weight. The sun was setting in the west, tinging the already-orange water with a golden veneer.
As he approached the site, he slowed the cart and came to a stop, though not out of exhaustion. He looked again, and blinked.
There was a silhouette of a man, sitting on a log in front of the fire next to Asuka.
Shinji forgot all about the cart and its load by the roadside, as he ran to them, his feet hardly slowed down by the sand that seemed to suck at his every step. The man appeared to be about Kaji-san's age, although there was a bit of a pouch on his stomach, and he wore glasses. His hair was combed to the side, and other than the several soil stains across his shirt and his knees, he seemed rather animated as he spoke, flourishing his hands to express his point. Asuka's back was turned to Shinji, but she seemed to not say anything, only nodding and appearing to smile weakly.
"Asuka!" Shinji called as he ran to them. "Asuka! Are you okay?"
The two of them looked up, surprised at the intrusion, and at the sound of his voice. Shinji hoped that Asuka was alright, but when she turned around, she regarded him only with a level, emotionless look. He came a stop a few feet away from them, but still he fought the urge to take a step back from those cold blue eyes of hers.
The man, however, seemed less perturbed, and actually brightened up at his presence. "Ah, there you are!" he said, rising. He came over to Shinji, and gave a cursory look-over, and, satisfied, patted him on the shoulder. "I wasn't sure whether you were okay or not. I'm sorry I had to leave you two like that, but I was sure you two were going to be okay for a while. I just hadn't counted on being held up, when I went back to the city."
"Huh?" Shinji scrunched up his face, and looked into his eyes. "Who are you? Do I know you?"
The man blinked, and a thought seemed to come to him. "Oh, yes. I'm sorry about that. I'm the one who found you two, washed up on the shore like that. My name's Howard. Howard La."
"That's an unusual name," Shinji admitted, then caught himself. "Sorry."
"Don't be," the man said, laughing. "I may not look it, but I'm Chinese. I was a teacher at your school. I taught chemistry at your school."
"How do you know what school I go to?" Then, before Howard could reply, Shinji added, "What do you mean you're the one who found us?"
"Who do you think fixed her up?" he thumbed at Asuka, slightly annoyed. "She was quite a mess, too, if I do say so. I'm afraid her left eye's a goner. Can't really say much better of her right arm. But at least she stopped bleeding."
"You did that?"
"Yep. I left you two for a quick supply run, into the city. Everyone else is gone, it looks like, though I did see what looked like one or two traces of other survivors. I don't know where anyone else went. I don't know how I made it, or, for that matter, how you two made it either."
The man smiled at Shinji for a moment, and looked up, surprised to see the abandoned cart, still by the roadside.
"I'm famished," he said, and smiled at Shinji. "I found a few things, but couldn't carry them over like you did, with that cart. C'mon, help me out with that, and then we can talk. I'm sure there's a lot of things you want to know, and though I don't have any of the answers, it'd do us all good to mull things over."
As he approached the site, he slowed the cart and came to a stop, though not out of exhaustion. He looked again, and blinked.
There was a silhouette of a man, sitting on a log in front of the fire next to Asuka.
Shinji forgot all about the cart and its load by the roadside, as he ran to them, his feet hardly slowed down by the sand that seemed to suck at his every step. The man appeared to be about Kaji-san's age, although there was a bit of a pouch on his stomach, and he wore glasses. His hair was combed to the side, and other than the several soil stains across his shirt and his knees, he seemed rather animated as he spoke, flourishing his hands to express his point. Asuka's back was turned to Shinji, but she seemed to not say anything, only nodding and appearing to smile weakly.
"Asuka!" Shinji called as he ran to them. "Asuka! Are you okay?"
The two of them looked up, surprised at the intrusion, and at the sound of his voice. Shinji hoped that Asuka was alright, but when she turned around, she regarded him only with a level, emotionless look. He came a stop a few feet away from them, but still he fought the urge to take a step back from those cold blue eyes of hers.
The man, however, seemed less perturbed, and actually brightened up at his presence. "Ah, there you are!" he said, rising. He came over to Shinji, and gave a cursory look-over, and, satisfied, patted him on the shoulder. "I wasn't sure whether you were okay or not. I'm sorry I had to leave you two like that, but I was sure you two were going to be okay for a while. I just hadn't counted on being held up, when I went back to the city."
"Huh?" Shinji scrunched up his face, and looked into his eyes. "Who are you? Do I know you?"
The man blinked, and a thought seemed to come to him. "Oh, yes. I'm sorry about that. I'm the one who found you two, washed up on the shore like that. My name's Howard. Howard La."
"That's an unusual name," Shinji admitted, then caught himself. "Sorry."
"Don't be," the man said, laughing. "I may not look it, but I'm Chinese. I was a teacher at your school. I taught chemistry at your school."
"How do you know what school I go to?" Then, before Howard could reply, Shinji added, "What do you mean you're the one who found us?"
"Who do you think fixed her up?" he thumbed at Asuka, slightly annoyed. "She was quite a mess, too, if I do say so. I'm afraid her left eye's a goner. Can't really say much better of her right arm. But at least she stopped bleeding."
"You did that?"
"Yep. I left you two for a quick supply run, into the city. Everyone else is gone, it looks like, though I did see what looked like one or two traces of other survivors. I don't know where anyone else went. I don't know how I made it, or, for that matter, how you two made it either."
The man smiled at Shinji for a moment, and looked up, surprised to see the abandoned cart, still by the roadside.
"I'm famished," he said, and smiled at Shinji. "I found a few things, but couldn't carry them over like you did, with that cart. C'mon, help me out with that, and then we can talk. I'm sure there's a lot of things you want to know, and though I don't have any of the answers, it'd do us all good to mull things over."
