Sekhmet: School establishment chapter. Personally, I always liked the school scenes, but Anno was right in minimizing our time there. After all, who wants school drama when we can fight monsters? That's my favorite part anyway.

Susano-o: Could have been an amazing commentary on government censorship and the fact his entire class was being groomed to be pilots, but no we needed more time dedicated to seeing why Gendo is a fuck head.

Sekhmet: Look, everyone's a bad person in Evangelion. Some are just worse than others sure but still.

Susano-o: -But there wasn't an entire bit dedicated to trying to explain why Ritsuko has problems like there was for him, and trying to link it back to Shinji and say he has the same thing Shinji has it totally awful. Shinji was a lost boy, Gendo is just a prick. Anyway moving on.

Sekhmet: Let's just get on with this before you go on a giant rant.

Chapter 3: Getting Used to It

[Ok then!] Isabelle screamed as Misato whipped around another corner at over twice the speed limit. [This is a pretty good way to keep me from losing it, bloody hell woman drive like a normal person!] Mary, meanwhile, was mostly unfazed.

"Umm Misato," Shinji said from the passenger seat. "Maybe you should slow down a bit," He asked as the car's tires skidded into another turn. "I think Isabelle is about to throw up."

"I live in a van!" Isabelle screamed. "Van's don't do this kind of stuff without falling over!"

"It's alright, I know what I'm doing!" Misato replied, drifting another corner without hesitation.

"Either way," Shinji answered. "I know you want to show them the spot, but if we crash it will be bad for everyone."

"Oh alright." Misato half grumbled, and started slowing down. Mary sighed and gazed out the window at the passing scenery.

[I swear I'd rather go back to NERV-3 and deal with that german girl than drive with her again,] Isabelle hissed with a white knuckle grip on the cars handles.

[Nope, too late! You're hanging with us now!] Mary said, all too excited at the prospect of a new friend.

Isabelle blinked. [W-we're friends?] She asked.

[Well duh. You accepted the peach, didn't you? That means we're friends now.] Mary said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Isabelle didn't understand that, but she gave Mary a big smile as she leaned closer to the girl to soak up her warmth. This day was not going to way she was expecting, the people were nice, piloting was just weird and tiring, however she wasn't gonna let everything that happened get her down now that she had made a friend. "So Misato," She said smiling. "What are we gonna do while we wait for the Angels?"

"Until the next Angel arrives, we can't do anything but prepare. That mostly means more testing, but you'll also be going to school." She explained.

"Oh," Isabelle said blinking. "I've never gone to a regular school, dad moved so much he decided to have me homeschooled instead."

"It's not a big deal." Mary said. "It's just being around a bunch of strangers all trying to learn the same thing I guess. But the way I see it, it's more opportunities to make friends."

"Well it's gonna be great!" Isabelle smiled.

"We're here!" Misato yelled, pulling up to a small turnoff point that overlooked where the city was supposed to be. As of the moment, there wasn't much to see beyond the city platforms.

"I don't get it." Mary said, almost dumbly.

"Just wait, it's about to start." Misato said, looking down at her watch.

After about a minute of silence, Mary rubbed her eyes. Suddenly, the sky turned green with the setting sun coming off blue. She looked around, confused. Shinji was still glowing, which was weird to her because usually when her daydreams changed, people's appearances were just as fluid. Misato looked like she was playing a tengu in a stage play and Isabelle looked like she was made of stone.

"It's starting!" Misato said in a warped voice, and Mary heard a siren in the distance. Hatches opened up, and enormous fountains of blood made elaborate displays. Convinced by now that this wasn't real, Mary rubbed her eyes, and everything went back to normal, the blood fountains now replaced with rising skyscrapers. She sighed in relief.

"So cool!" Isabelle said in awe as she watched the buildings rise from the ground, Shinji and Misato smiled as well. "This is what you kids are fighting for," She said proudly.

"Wait, so the Angels just don't attack at night?" Mary asked, puzzled.

"It's hard to say. The last one didn't, but who knows when the next one will." Misato replied.

"Right. Sorry for ruining the moment." Mary said.

"Well," Isabelle said smiling. "I'm ready to fight at least!" She said smacking her fists together.

Mary took a deep breath in and let it out. "Me too."

….

[How does one woman drink that much?] Isabelle muttered watching Misato down her third beer in under 20 minutes.

[I don't know but it's mesmerizing.] Mary said. [She's like the Energizer Bunny.]

[Yeah, just keeps chugging and chugging and chugging,] Isabelle said with a confused look. Mary went back to her food without another word. [Everything I see of her makes me more and more confused,] She said grabbing her food with a fork, chopsticks be damned. [At least the cooking's good.]

[Hell yeah.] Mary said, enjoying her food way too much.

[I haven't had cooking this good in a while, dad's not the best cook,] Isabelle said grabbing another forkful. [I still remember the time he tried to make meatloaf out of snake meat.]

[My dad's kind of the same. The quality is well enough, but I've lived a life of pretty peach centric dishes. They're great and all, but it makes you look forward to the annual Harvest Breakfast, where we're expressly forbidden from eating our crop.]

Shinji and Misato looked at each other in confusion, neither of them able to understand english enough to communicate with the two. "So then," Shinji said interrupting the two. "I guess we're going to school together tomorrow, if you come over early I'll make us all breakfast," He said smiling.

Mary felt like an arrow had been shot through her chest. Whether or not it was Cupid's arrow was unclear still. "Well it would be horribly impolite to refuse, right Isabelle?"

"I was gonna catch and grill my own food, but I guess that works too," She joked back.

"Right." Mary laughed, suddenly a bit nervous.

….

"Been awhile since I wore a skirt," Isabelle said tugging the skirt up. "Glad I don't wear panites or this would bug me."

"You can't see my butt, right?" Mary asked, trying to look over her shoulder.

"Nope, just don't do any high kicks," Isabelle answered.

"Good enough." Mary said, smoothing out the wrinkles.

"Well let's go get some food and then go to the wonders of public school."

"Aw yeah Wheaties, breakfast of champions!" Mary said.

"Hell yeah!" Isabelle agreed.

….

"So what is public school like?" Isabelle asked Shinji as the three walked to school.

"Oh it's normal," Shinji said shrugging. "I don't really know how to explain it."

"It's a bunch of people in the same room trying to learn all at the same time. Homeschooling multiplied by 30 or so." Mary said.

"Oh well that sounds...fun," Isabelle said scratching her head.

"It can be. Other times not so much. I guess it's also a life simulator." Mary added.

"That's a good way to put it," Shinji said smiling.

"Thanks." Mary smiled back.

…

"All rise." Hikari, the class rep, ordered. The class rose from their seats and bowed to the incoming teacher before returning to their seats.

(Why do we do that?) Isabelle typed to Mary as their instructor prepared for the lesson.

(It's just a formal thing. I forget how it started but that's just how it's done.) Mary typed back.

(Well it's odd) Isabelle typed before she got a message from another person.

(Hey are one of you the pilot to that big robot?) The message read.

(Who wants to know?) Mary replied.

(Not yet) Isabelle replied.

(Yes) Shinji replied, and the entire class lost it.

[Fuck] Mary sighed.

[Oh man] Isabelle muttered as the class started crowding around the three asking questions. [Didn't expect this] She said before smiling and answering questions as best she could, the NERV clearance briefing she received again for what felt like the fortieth time still clear in her head. Mary skillfully danced her way around what she didn't know or wasn't allowed to talk about, and blatantly made up a few things up to satiate the classmates. Shinji was clearly nervous about the attention, but with the other two helping take the pressure off him he was able to at least somewhat articulate his thoughts.

…

"So how did we end up here again?" Isabelle asked as she stood beside Shinji and Mary against two other boys, one in glasses and the other in a tracksuit.

"We were called out here by yours truly." Mary replied, gesturing to the two.

"Yeah sorry about this," The boy in the track suit said cracking his knuckles. "-But I gotta hit you for what your giant robot did to my sister."

"Oh man, first day and we're already dealing with a hoon," Isabelle said between Shinji and the other two. "Look, can we sit down and talk about this over a pint before resorting to violence?" She asked. "I don't want there to be any violence."

"I agree. Violence is the cheap way out." Mary said.

"No," the track suit boy growled. "His giant robot trashed up the city and hurt my sister!" He yelled.

"I'm sorry that happened, but there's nothing to gain with vengeance." Mary insisted.

"Why was she outside the shelters?" Isabelle asked. This caused the other boy to start stuttering.

"That's true. They're there for a reason." Mary agreed.

Before they could continue, the klaxon sound of the angel alarm cut through their discussion. "Oh look duty calls!" Isabelle said smiling. Mary fumbled with her Walkman and started playing the tape as she followed Isabelle, the opening of "Fortunate Son" blasting in her ears.

"Pilots Ikari, Jones, and Watanabe," Rei said from the front of the school. "We must get to NERV as soon as possible."

"You're one of our fellow pilots I assume." Mary asked.

"Oh sorry!" Shinji said from behind Isabelle. "This is Rei Ayanami!" He said before being pulled away. "Wait you don't even know where you're going!" He yelled.

This week's Outro: Evangelion's Fly Me To The Moon