Rising Emotions Chapter 2

By Karen Hart

Author's note: This story will not have a coherent plotline, but will instead consist of various anecdotes dealing with Shion and Allen's relationship during the time between Kevin's death and the beginning of Episode I. Also, my muse for this chapter was a glass of cherry brandy. Feel free to blame any errors on that.


For once, Sophie's was packed.

It was a small establishment, a hole in the wall of one of the Dammerung's numerous department stores, and accessible only through a nondescript hallway, the door unmarked. Even so, it was a fairly popular establishment among the First Division, particularly one Allen Ridgeley. The place had always maintained a quiet, serene feel. Tonight, though, the place was an absolute madhouse.

Allen looked over at Togashi, then back at the dining area. "You want to chance it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Togashi shrugged, uttering a "sure". Well, why not? He flagged down the hostess, a harried-looking woman whose brown hair was starting to come out of its braid. Her nametag said she was "MATTIE".

Mattie looked at him, eyes wide and frantic, and opened her mouth to speak. "Two," Allen said quickly, with a smile. She nodded mutely and led him to the only free spot in the restaurant, a table nest to the wait-staff's station. It was a three-chair set up, with fake foliage trailed over the half-wall. The scent of overcooked coffee could be clearly smelled. The hostess trotted away as soon as both of them were seated.

Grinning, Togashi picked up a menu from a slot in the table and punched the scroller. "So what do you think's got the place so full?"

"Beats me," Allen muttered, eyes on his own menu. "But given how much beige is in here, I'd get someone in the Division got a raise or a promotion or something. Who knows?" He made his selection then, pressing a button on the menu and slipping it into the reader just under the table's rim. Togashi did the same, then leaned back in his seat, regarding his coworker a moment.

"So you think she'll be up to it?" he asked, a moment later. At Allen's blank stare, he clarified slightly. "You know, Shion's promotion? I mean…"

Allen shrugged. "Probably. She's got the know-how and all. But I see your point. You'd think they'd transfer her given what happened." Six weeks later and they still avoided talking about it directly. "Actually, I find it stranger that they're not cutting off the KOS-MOS Project."

That got a snort from Togashi. "After the money that's been sunk into it? You'd better believe they'd continue it, even after everything our new Chief's done to get it shut down." That had been a minor fiasco in its own right, with Shion coming close to yelling at the Director. Most of her friends had decided not to let her live it down…well, at least not for another couple of months. A waitress showed up with their drinks just then, a steaming mug of coffee for him and a soft drink for Allen. Neither of them looked at her nametag. When she'd left he picked up where he'd left off, stirring a packet of sugar into his cup. "Ironic, isn't it? I mean, you'd think they'd pick someone else after that."

"I don't know," Allen said after a moment's thought. "Like I said, she's got the know-how. They probably want her to get her mind back on work, as callous as it is to say it."

It was Togashi's turn to shrug. "Well, who knows?" He took a sip of his coffee. "Personally, I'm just glad the project's not going down the drain, you know?"

Allen nodded. "You would. You've only been around for the hardware designs."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Togashi asked, feigning offense. It got an eye roll from Allen.

"Don't give me that look. You'd be a lot less enthusiastic if you had to deal with the higher-ups when we were building the OS."

Togashi grinned again. "Was it really that bad?"

That got a grimace from Allen. "Oh god, yes. It's like they'd never dealt with AI or anything—" he was cut off then by the same waitress with their meals—chicken parmesan for Allen and beef stew for Togashi. At some point they were going to have to find out what she was called. Allen continued where he'd left off a moment later. "I mean—you know how we've the system designed right, patterned after the human brain?" Togashi nodded, mouth full of stew. "They act like we have some sort of template that we just fill in the blanks for. Makes me wonder how any of them got the jobs they have."

"Someone's dad probably paid someone's boss," Togashi replied, attacking his meal once more. Allen murmured a "Probably" and began doing the same. At least the rush didn't seem to affect the quality of the food. They were like that for a while, suddenly too ravenous to concentrate on anything but the food. Everything vanished within fifteen minutes.

Allen pressed a switch on the table, a bill shooting out of another slot a second later. He groaned inwardly, knowing that he was going to have to pick up the tab. Of course. Togashi avoided paying whenever possible. "You'd better be handling the tip, at least,' Allen muttered in his friend's general direction.

Togashi frowned. "I don't know, I'm pretty tight for funds right—" he stopped in mid-sentence at Allen's glare. "Kidding, kidding. I got the tip, don't worry." He finished off the last of his coffee and reached for his wallet, fishing out a credit card a moment later. "Will fifteen be enough?"

"Sure, that should do."