Rei stood just inside the entrance to her new room; looking around methodically as she took it in bit-by-bit. I'd tried to give the room a blank-slate sort of feel without looking utilitarian, and was somewhat pleased with my results. There was a lack of decorations, but the bed looked comfortable, the desk looked ready to be used, and the dresser was made of real wood, which I'd found was harder to come by than usual here in Tokyo-3.
"It is acceptable," she finally announced, while I was still mentally patting myself on the back.
'Just acceptable?' I wondered, before speaking out loud, "If there's anything you need or want, just let me know, and I'll see what I can do."
She glanced over at me from her close inspection of the desk, but said nothing. I was beginning to understand just how few words she liked to employ. 'At least it was some sort of response,' I told myself as I backed towards the door.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a little hungry. Would you like to dine out, or eat here? I checked the local restaurants for vegetarian cuisine, so you don't have to worry if we go out, or I could fix something."
"I can eat," she replied, leaning over her bed and inspecting it as meticulously as she had the desk.
Unsure of how to take that, I nodded, before pressing, "Yes, but since this is your first night here, I thought you might like having the choice; where to go, what to eat..."
She glanced at me again, and I felt a little more of my initial enthusiasm dissipate. Hopefully things weren't going to be this way forever, right? Before I could ask again, she straightened up, wobbled once, and then turned to regard me fully.
"In my current condition, it would be more efficient to stay here and eat," she finally stated, looking at me almost expectantly. I nodded, and glanced at her dressings, which had been replaced at the hospital before we left, but were already looking a little worn, the wraps and bandages having shifted a little as she moved about during the day.
I'd pulled one of her doctors aside to ask about her injuries, and he had replied that the bandages were mostly for protection; the wounds mostly healed. When asked about replacing them, he'd handed me a strip of bandages and some large pads of gauze, and told me to keep them covered for the next couple days. "After that," he'd said, turning away, "they can be exposed, though obviously keep them clean, and avoid stress to the areas. I'll sign off on an exception form for school."
Shaking my head to dismiss the memories for the moment, I focused on Rei, who still stood regarding me carefully, and I nodded. "That's understandable. You've had a busy week, to say the least. Have a seat, and I'll see what I can throw together."
She nodded and sat down on her bed, frowning again at one pain or another, and I sighed as I slipped out of the room. I had some aspirin in my medicine cabinet, as well as a couple of other over-the-counter medicines, but for some reason, Dr. Akagi had told me she couldn't have anything that didn't come out of NERV's own stockpile. When pressed, she'd waved my question off, mumbled something about contaminates, and begun peering into a microscope.
Making my way out to the kitchen, I got to work mixing up a salad from the produce I'd stocked my fridge with over the past couple days. I still had a small bundle of cash that I'd planned on taking Rei out to buy some decorative things, and maybe a couple sets of clothes with, but that was for later. For now, I just wanted her to relax and get used to her new surroundings.
After a little work, I finally managed to make a decent-looking salad, and had managed to make a dressing that tasted okay without using animal products. Frowning at that thought, I reminded myself to ask her how extensive her vegetarianism worked. Some would avoid everything animal-made, from steak to honey, while others would eat fish and eggs, but not beef, pork, or chicken.
Shuddering slightly as I considered a life without steak, I shrugged it off as a personality choice while I filled a couple bowls with the salad and set them on the table. I could have restricted myself to a diet similar to hers, if for no other reason than to ensure she was comfortable, but in the end I decided against it. It may have seemed somewhat selfish, but I figured I could cut back on the meat at home, and just order it at lunch or whenever I ate out.
"Rei? Dinner's ready." I said, pulling out her chair before sitting down. A moment later, she came into the dining room, and sat down, looking somewhat confused.
"Something wrong?" I asked.
"No." She replied. After a moment, though, she continued, haltingly, as if she was unused to explaining herself," I'm… accustomed to doing things for myself."
"Ahh," I replied, nodding. "I… Rei, I'm not here to impose my will upon you or anything like that. I know you are an independent person, I could tell that about five minutes after meeting you."
She looked at me for a moment, before nodding and beginning her meal. Doing the same, we finished the rest of our meal in relative silence, which was broken when she looked over at the window and said, "It's quiet."
I quirked a brow at her, "I didn't think you were feeling conversational."
"No, I mean… outside," she said, before looking up at the air vents, "inside, as well."
"Oh. Yeah, I tried to find a good place… Didn't want a long drive to work, but didn't want to hear everything that goes on downtown right outside my window. The superstructure is complete, but there's still some construction going on. Whole sections of downtown are still off-limits to pedestrian and vehicular traffic."
Rei, who glanced outside again at the mention of downtown, nodded almost imperceptibly. "The construction can get very loud," she said. Having driven by a few high-rises apparently being dismantled and re-build, I wasn't going to argue her point. How a section as used-looking as the one I was thinking of had managed to be built in a visible state of disrepair was beyond me. It made sense that the area was being re-designed.
"It is not yet complete."
"Excuse me?" I asked, wondering what she meant. Her sudden addition after a moment of silence had caught me by surprise.
"The superstructure; in section C-13, there are struts in the way of one of the elevators. The section has to be rebuilt," she elaborated.
"Oh, one of the Eva lifts?" I asked, trying to remember where C-13 was in my mental map of Tokyo-3.
Rei looked at me, and I nodded, realizing that was the only kind of shaft that could be mistaken for anything else. Still, "that's fairly impressive. Did you overhear someone talking about it?" I asked.
"No."
"Oh," I replied. She hadn't been out of my sight for much so far today, so either she'd talked to someone about it, or… "Read about it?"
She nodded, looking down at her empty bowl.
"Sorry, do you want more?" I replied, poking at the last few leaves of lettuce in the bottom of my bowl.
"No."
After a moment, I stood up, and gathered up the dishes to toss in the dishwasher. Rei didn't say anything as I did so, and when I turned around, she was just standing there, watching me work.
"Everything okay?" I asked, as I dried my hands off.
She looked at me for a moment before turning away and heading back to her room.
After that, I pulled out some of the paperwork I'd received from Lieutenant Hyuga, and began orienting myself to the numerous screens of the MAGI Supercomputer System. While I'd been given an introductory look, and forced to learn some of it during the last Angel attack, I had decided to request some of the orientation and user information so I wouldn't be left to fend for myself if I needed to man a console once more.
Despite the seemingly-mundane topic of study, it was a bit of a surprise to discover that I'd spend well over an hour looking over potential menus and programs nestled within the system, and had only begun to grasp just how much of Tokyo-3 was run by it. While it made some sense to leave so much automated, I was somewhat curious about the role the elected government had, considering the power NERV had over a majority of the city.
The phone ringing again shook me out of my brief introspective daze, and I moved over to it, wondering who would be calling at this time. A glance at the LED display increased my frown, as nothing was showing up at all. Calls from NERV would do that, but I'd been told I had some relative free-time. Was it about to be rescinded? I picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Lieutenant Kerrigan?" an unfamiliar voice asked.
"Speaking," I replied, frowning. It was NERV.
"This is Agent Tawara, Section Two. We're outside your building now. We've got Pilot Ayanami's personal effects."
"Oh," I said, relieved. "Come on up, then. Thanks for the warning."
"Yes, sir." He hung up, and I turned towards the window, glancing down at the well-lit parking lot and spotting the pair of dark sedans immediately. I was fairly certain the figures standing around it weren't the only two agents in the area, but I didn't feel like grabbing the tactical radio they'd issued me and listening in, instead tucking the service pistol I'd been given into my waistline behind my back as I made my way to the door. A little much, I figured, but better to have and not need than need and not have.
The universe being what it is, of course, it was exactly as I'd been told, and a moment later the Agents left, leaving me with a single cardboard box and wondering if maybe I should have forced the issue to go out. She couldn't have more than a couple pairs of clothes in there, along with whatever other necessities required for living.
Realizing I wasn't alone, I turned to spot Rei, who'd left her room and was watching me expectantly from the hallway.
"Well then, I suppose you're looking forward to something not washed by the starch-laden machines at NERV, huh?" I asked with a smile as I made my way towards her room.
"Where would you like this?" I asked, as she followed me in.
"Anywhere is fine," she replied, continuing to watch me. Shrugging (as best I could with the box in my hands) I set it down beside the bed and crouched over it, before turning to look at her.
"Do you need a hand unpacking?"
"I-" she started in her typical soft tone, before pausing. "I would appreciate that," she said finally, her voice subdued as if asking for help wasn't something she was used to doing.
I nodded, "not a problem." Pulling back the flaps of the box, I frowned as I spotted three school uniforms, and three sets of undergarments, and that was it for clothing.
"These are all the clothes you have?" I asked with a frown. Aside from that, there were some sanitary items, a half-empty bag of rice, a bottle of pills, an empty beaker, and a pair of broken glasses.
Pausing momentarily to glance at the odd assortment of items, I pulled her school uniforms out and spread them on the bed, doing my best to ignore the fact that the clothes left in the box were typically things young women didn't leave just lying about.
"I am able to take care of this," she suddenly stated, as I set the last uniform out. Turning to look at her, I saw that her gaze was on the box, though if she was embarrassed, it certainly didn't show on her face. Still, I was happy I wouldn't have to put her underwear away for her, and nodded, before slipping out the door, pausing in the hallway to release a breath I hadn't been aware I was holding.
Making my way back to the table and the paperwork I'd left out, I sat back down to continue reading, only to realize Rei was back, watching me from the hallway much like she had earlier.
"What's wrong?" I asked, after a brief staring contest I quickly realized I had no chance of winning.
"I am simply awaiting my orders, sir," she replied, suddenly reminding me of her appearance years ago, in the Commander's office.
Looking at the wall clock in confusion, I haltingly replied, "Umm, Rei, it's almost ten. We've been off duty for 4 hours... We're not..." I paused, considering what I was about to say and realizing it wasn't exactly true.
Commander Ikari and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki had both explained that, as long as Rei was alive, I was to guard her, so technically, I was still on duty. And as a Pilot on-call, she was sort of on-duty, as well. Deciding to revise my earlier statement, I motioned towards the chair across from mine, where she'd eaten earlier. After a moment's hesitation, she moved forward to join me.
"While we're both officially on-call at all times, right now, we're supposed to relax. This is your-" I paused, shaking my head before correcting myself, "our home, now. So while here, while I hope you won't throw any wild parties without warning, you're generally free to do as you'd like."
She looked around the apartment, her gaze almost critical, as if she were judging everything around her for the first time, before she looked at me again. "This does not feel like home."
Visibly wincing, I nodded, feeling a little hurt by the admission, but it had always been a possibility, if not outright expected. "I understand. If it makes you feel any better, I felt the same way when I moved in." When she didn't reply, I continued, "just give it time, and you'll get used to it soon enough."
"What am I to do now?" She asked, finally.
Looking back at the clock, I smiled slightly, "sleep doesn't sound like too bad an idea, actually. The doctors at NERV recommended you get plenty, and I'm starting to feel a little tired myself. Does that sound agreeable to you?"
She didn't say anything to that, simply nodding, before standing and slipping off to her room. Shaking my head slightly at both the unexpected difficulty this situation had presented, as well as in bemusement at the ease with which I had assumed things would progress, I closed up the folders and shut off the lights.
Before succumbing to sleep, I picked up the tactical radio I'd ignored earlier, and briefly told the Section Two team outside that we were turning in for the night.
Then next day started with a staccato crack of thunder, the dim sunlight filtering through the clouds illuminating my room far too subdued to let me guess what time it was. Turning to look at the alarm clock beside my head, I groaned at the flashing 12:00 on its face, and guessing that I had overslept.
Pulling on a clean pair of pants and shrugging on one of the cleaner shirts hanging on the back of my desk chair, I stepped out of my room, only to freeze as I saw a mostly-naked Rei standing in the middle of the apartment, trying her best to re-wrap her injuries. Beside her lay a damp white towel, with a couple spots of blood visible where her wounds had leaked slightly onto it.
"Ohshit," I mumbled, spinning to go back to my room to give her some privacy... as well as making a mental not to remind her that she now shared an apartment.
"I am... in need of assistance, sir." She stated, freezing me in my steps. How the hell did I find myself in this situation right off the bat?
"I... err..." I stumbled, trying to phrase my thoughts without much success. "Maybe you should... Ahh... Put some clothes on?" I finally managed.
"I can not. Several wrappings must be applied beforehand."
I wanted to groan, but stifled the urge as I turned my gaze towards the ceiling and turned around. "Alright," I managed, my voice not much louder than a whisper, "I'll do my best."
Using my peripheral vision to ascertain her closeness, I held out my hand for the length of gauze, but she refused to hand it to me. "If you do not look at what you are doing, your wrappings will be ineffective," she stated, giving no indication that she knew she was asking me to look at her.
Realizing I had no choice, and hoping this wasn't some cruel attempt to get rid of me so soon, I lowered my gaze to meet hers, before nodding, and taking the strip of gauze. "What all must I wrap?" I asked.
She held out her left arm, which was bisected length-wise with a deep cut above the back of her hand, and I set about wrapping it as best I could, glad she at least told me when I was wrapping too tight or too loosely.
As I wrapped, I kept my eyes on the arm before me, somewhat relieved she hadn't screamed at me, yet, and I was hoping to avoid giving her any reason to do so. Considering how soft spoken she was, I was somewhat afraid to hear her if she finally found a reason to unleash her temper.
At least I understood what she had meant by her inability to do this herself. It took two hands to properly wrap the arm with the right amount of pressure, and when she handed me a cotton pad and some medical tape and turned to expose a rather nasty-looking gash over her shoulder blade, I started to lose my fear of her ire, and instead began to frown at the visible damage done to her already.
There were no other scars nearby, but these wounds were hideous, the cuts apparently deep, and surrounded by multiple inches of dark blue and yellow bruises. There was another bruise I could see under her arm, and after carefully taping the cotton padding over the wound on her back, she reached for an ace bandage she apparently intended to wrap her ribs with.
While the doctors had stated that she would need help for a few days, I hadn't really understood the smirk one of them hanging back had been sporting until now. If I had to do this alone, I would have to reach under her arms and fumble around as I passed the wrapping from hand to hand, and I would need to adjust them once they were in place as well.
Rei saved me the humility (or maybe she was saving herself), however, when instead of handing off the entire bandage, she freed one end and held it to her front with her left hand, before feeding the roll back to me with her left. When I wrapped it around her back, she switched hands, and took the roll from me, continuing around until we finished the roll off and she secured the loose end with her good arm.
Her right forearm was still inside a bulky-looking cast that shone slightly in the lights. At first, I had thought it was wet, but when I brushed it passing around the bandage, I realized it was apparently waterproofed. Stepping back, I considered the still-exposed gash on her forehead, but before I could mention it, she took a step forward, turning to look at me over her shoulder.
"I can do the rest myself," she explained, before walking to her room. Looking down at the bloodstained towel and remaining bits of gauze, I briefly considered admonishing her, before sighing and scooping up the linen and making my way towards the bathroom. A tiny washer-dryer combo system sat off to the side, and while it couldn't handle more than a couple sets of clothes at a time, it could certainly clean up a towel.
The little machine had saved me from going in to work with a dirty uniform on more than one occasion, and had been a gift from my parents after I'd completed my NERV training. As I yanked the little circular door open, I made another mental note to show Rei how to use it.
Tossing the towel inside, I added a slightly excessive amount of bleach and some detergent before flipping it on and making my way back to the kitchen. I still had to put away the medical supplies and start breakfast. While I wasn't really sure what Rei was used to eating, I poured myself a bowl of cereal, after pulling out some premade miso-soup and starting to heat it up.
When the soup was set to heat up over the next few minutes, I took my bowl of cereal over to the table and sat down, not bothering with a drink since the milk in the bowl would suffice. Flipping open the paperwork I'd been reviewing last night, I began eating the cereal as I picked up where I left off.
That's how Rei found me a few minutes later, emerging from her room in her school uniform, her arm back in its sling, her head bandaged and the impressively bruised eye covered once more. I hadn't had really looked at it before, but earlier, I had seen that it was red, as if it had been badly irritated, and the fading bruise around it helped remind me of the beating she had suffered in Unit-00. She was, by my reckoning, pretty lucky to be alive, considering how long she'd been stuck in a hospital bed.
Frowning at her uniform, I was about to remind her she had the next two days off from school to heal, before I remembered she didn't have anything else to wear. It brought back memories of my first visit to Commander Ikari's office. She'd been wearing a school uniform then, too. Had she really gone so long with nothing but uniforms? I mean, I wasn't too keen on having a different outfit an hour, but I at least had enough variety to allow me some choice.
"Good morning, Rei," I finally said, deciding a simple greeting would suffice for now. I could suggest a shopping trip later, I figured.
"Good morning," she replied, before making her way over to the kitchen and staring at the steaming miso.
"Ah, that's for you, if you'd like it, or there's cereal if you'd prefer that, instead," I explained.
She didn't respond, but deftly pulled a bowl from the cabinet and poured herself some of the soup, fishing a spoon out of the drawer without searching, and making her way to the table where she began eating in silence.
I was initially surprised by her knowledge of the kitchen layout, but after thinking about it, she'd had all morning to look around and familiarize herself with things.
'All morning,' I thought, realizing there was some nagging feeling that those words brought up. I straightened up in my seat when I realized what I'd forgotten.
"Oh, damn," I muttered, spotting the battery-powered clock. The Commander had told me my days off were over once Rei was released. I was late!
Before I could run however, I spotted Rei, who was now staring at me, obviously wondering what I was doing. Pausing mid-stride, I glanced again at the clock, this time in confusion. Was I supposed to go to work, or was I supposed to stay with Rei?
My jobs at NERV before had all been particularly standard. Well-documented, established positions found in dozens of locations around the world, both inside NERV, and outside. But this job was rushed into existence, and there was no real plan or summary to fall back on if faced with an odd choice. 'Well, no,' I told myself, realizing I wasn't thinking broadly enough. Millions of people had a job very similar to mine. They were called parents.
Glancing at Rei, who was just finishing up her soup, I finally decided to call Dr. Akagi. I could have called Captain Katsuragi, but I didn't want to face her wrath if I woke her up, and I assumed Commanders Ikari and Fuyutsuki would only permit a call in the case of an emergency.
While I was dialing, Rei stood up from her empty bowl and left the table, heading back towards her room.
"Rei," I called, to get her attention. She paused and turned to look at me, waiting for me to continue, but before I could tell her to wait, Dr. Akagi answered the phone.
"Dr. Akagi speaking."
"Ahh... one second, doctor," I muttered quickly into the phone, before covering the mouthpiece and speaking to Rei, "hold on a second, this call shouldn't take too long. I wanted to ask you a couple things."
She didn't respond, but she didn't disappear into her room, so I assumed that meant she was waiting, though the flat stare was a little unnerving. I had assumed she wasn't upset about earlier, maybe I'd annoyed her after all.
"Kerrigan?" I heard the doctor ask from the earpiece.
I pulled my hand away from the mouthpiece. "Yeah, I'm here. Sorry. I was wondering if I was supposed to come in today, or if I was to stay with Rei," I asked quickly.
"Yes, your position was rather rushed. Commander Ikari and I are still going over both you and Misato's proposed schedules," she explained, sounding a little pre-occupied.
"Oh, so we are going to have them," I said, more to myself than her. "So when should I expect to get mine?"
There was a brief pause, and I heard the sound of papers being flipped through haphazardously, before she responded, "Rei has an appointment here today at three. I'll drop the latest schedule off with the Commander once I finish this calibration run, and it should be finalized by the time you get in."
"Sounds like a plan then, Doctor," I said, smiling. I wasn't late.
"Yes... did you look over that paperwork Lieutenant Hyuga gave you?"
"I'm still working on committing it all to memory, but I've read it all, yes," I replied, glancing at the afore-mentioned paperwork on the table.
"Good. While Rei's at her appointment, we'll see about testing what you know, and getting you a place to work from. Anything else?"
She sounded busy, so I quickly told her no.
"Fine, we'll see you at three. Do not be late." She hung up.
Looking at the phone oddly, I muttered a quick "bye," before hanging it up.
Rei, who'd waited patiently, looked slightly curious, and I motioned for her to take a seat on the couch, which she did.
"Alright, Rei. Dr. Akagi says you've got an appointment today at three. It is now," I glanced at the clock again, before continuing, "ten forty-five. Now that we've eaten, I was wondering if you had plans, or if you wanted to go to the store. I set some money aside for you to buy decorations or some new clothes."
While I wasn't an expert on the subject, I'd have probably shuddered at that last bit if it were any other girl. Still, even only having known Rei for a day or so aside from the odd glimpse every now-and-then, I was fairly certain she wouldn't break my meager bank account.
"Is my wardrobe no longer practical?" She asked, after mulling over it for a moment.
I frowned. Break the bank? No. My head, on the other hand... "Your wardrobe is practical, yes..." I trailed off as I considered how to point out its meagerness.
"Then there is no need to adjust it," she responded during my internal debate.
I frowned. "Practical in appearance, maybe, but you're lacking in quantity, which can be just as important. And aside from your school uniform and bodysuit, you should really have some things to wear when working out or playing with your friends."
"The 'bodysuit' is called a Plugsuit, and I have a swimsuit to wear when I go swimming at school or the NERV pool. And I have no friends," she replied with some finality.
I blinked, unsure which issue to address first. While she had responded in order, I immediately focused on the subject that seemed most important to me. "You don't have any friends?" I asked.
She shook her head, and I felt my frown deepen. "Why not?"
"I have..." she hesitated, and for the first time I saw her look genuinely confused."I've never been told to make any."
That threw me for a loop. I had already started formulating a response to the anticipated 'they all tease me,' or 'they're not worth my time,' but her response was far too outside the average to apply a standard response to. "Huh." I mumbled, stalling for time. Finally, I had to ask; "if I told you to, would to try?"
Rei looked at me plainly. "Is that an order?"
I thought about that. Logically, I should have said 'yes,' simply because I knew having friends was an important part of maturing mentally. Rei already struck me as being introverted, so some friends might help her come out of her self-imposed exile... 'On the flip-side,' I thought, 'forcing her to make friends might make her resent those friends...' Which would be worse, in the long run. Growing up resentful of those you should trust was a fairly good way to bring out the worst in someone.
Finally, I shrugged, going for the best middle-of-the-road answer I could think of. "I order you to consider it, at the very least."
She nodded, and I smiled slightly to myself, though it melted as her confused expression re-emerged. "I..." she paused, looking even more uncertain.
"Yes?" I prompted.
Her mouth, which had hung open mid-sentence snapped closed, and I saw the slightest hint of a frown pass across her face before she continued, "if I decide to do so, I am... I'm uncertain how to proceed."
I shrugged, turning to look at the clock, before looking her in the eye, "It's not exactly something you can repeat out of a book... everybody is different, and how they see you initially plays as big a part as how you see them."
"I don't understand," she said, and I smiled, before pointing over my shoulder towards her room with my thumb.
"How about you grab your ID, and I can try to explain it to you in the car."
She hesitated for a moment, before nodding softly and heading for her room.
The drive there was usually a short one, but as the question-and-answer session continued, I found reasons to drag the drive out over a greater amount of time. The conversation was... stimulating. It wasn't every day someone questioned what was normally so automatic. And while it was somewhat appalling to think that Rei had been denied even the fundamental points to building a relationship of any sort with another human being, it was also nice, because she took everything I said without the cynicism or doubt most people would. Of course, that was a double edged-sword; if I were to lie and get caught, it might seriously damage her view of me, or people as a whole.
So, I tried to keep to what I knew, and freely admitted to not knowing something when a question asked was one most people would typically make an answer up on the spot to. Finally, we arrived, and as I pulled into a parking spot, she finished her latest question "If you're not friends with Captain Katsuragi, then why do you meet her and Dr. Akagi for drinks?"
Had anyone else been asking the questions Rei had for the past few minutes, I'd have kindly told them to mind their own business, but Rei's apparent need for examples (at least in this situation) and her earnest interest gave me little choice but to be brutally honest. And in doing so, I found myself questioning my own earlier answers.
"Well... I suppose, outside of a work-environment, the Captain and could be considered friends. Or on friendly terms... even when we hang out at the Hilltop, we tend to talk about work." 'Or, really, we gripe about it,' I thought with a grin. Misato definitely did the lion's share of the griping, but I wasn't without a rant or two of my own, every now and then.
And that, of course, led me to thinking a little more, before I finally continued talking, "Honestly, Rei, I think of Captain Katsuragi as my superior first, and my friend second. But you're right, I suppose... She has been a friend."
The department store I'd chosen was fairly deserted this early in the day. With school in, and it being a work-day, there were very few people with free time, and because of that, I suppose we stood out a little.
After convincing Rei to at least look at what they had for sale in the women's department, I was left waiting while she strolled up and down the aisles stoically, and I wondered if even I could look that upset walking with a wall of plastic-wrapped women's underwear to my left and racks of t-shirts to my right.
Suddenly, Rei stopped, her feet stopping so quickly she had to take another step to catch herself, before she spun and turned to look at a t-shirt rack she'd just passed.
Curiosity piqued, I suppressed my discomfort at the potential proximity between me, Rei, and Lingerie, and made my way over to her.
She had stopped in front of a rather plain t-shirt, one of hundreds with typical slogans printed on them, though this particular series of shirt stated 'just one of many' in blocky black text on white cotton.
"Well, looks like you found something," I said, feeling my eyebrows rise as she actually jumped a little when I spoke.
Looking closer, I saw that not all of the shirt was white; its sleeves were a light blue and it had a black collar. Smirking, I tilted my head towards it, "those sleeves almost match your hair."
She didn't respond, merely continuing to stare, before tentatively reaching forward. Before her hand had made it halfway, however, she paused, then turned towards me. "I would... like to have this shirt." She paused, for a moment, then amended, "Please."
I nodded, reaching forward to pull it and its hangar from the rack. "Just make sure it's in your size... and you'll need some pants that match it... I don't think it would go well with your school uniform skirt."
She nodded, taking the hangar from me and checking the tag, before turning to examine the store with a much less put-off gaze. Not that it had been that strong before, but as she headed off towards the racks of pants and skirts, I smiled slightly to myself as I got my first real impression that this just might work out after all.
Another fic updates, another little victory in the back of my head. With portions of AYASIF5 done, I might just be able to get all of my currently active fics up to date, in a sense. All that's left is NASIF3 and Unexpected Consequences, and those both have little snippets of scens from the next chapters typed out.. I'm just missing the drive to pick those up... much to my dismay at times. In any case, Thanks to Liz and Nate, who pre-read this chapter for me... I asked them to read immediately and they did, which was nice, but I really shouldn't have. So... you two definitely have my thanks for that.