Rei made her way slowly to the NERV locker room. She truly felt sore all over; though worth it in the end, annihilating angels was no easy task. She felt dizzy and drained. After fumbling with the locker combo a few times, she got it open and retrieved her clothes. She pressed the button on her plugsuit to make it loose enough to remove. It felt nice to have the pressure off and she sighed with relief, sinking down onto a bench. As she did, she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her neck and a face close to her own. "Guess whooo."
The voice was mischievous, familiar. "Asuka," Rei breathed softly.
Asuka stood up from where she had been bending behind Rei and stepped over the bench so that she could sit next to Rei. "Ritsuko was really impressed with you out there. She insisted I tell you that," Asuka said with an eyeroll. She had had a sync test today, but had obviously hung around to wait for Rei to come out of battle. "Though I can't help but agree. What's the deal, you trying to make me look bad?" she teased.
"If I did so, it was not my intention. I merely carrying out orders."
"Yeah, I know," she said, and then in a more serious tone asked "how are you holding up?"
"Well enough. Though I'm not sure I'll be back to my full potential for at least a day." She was changing her clothes as she talked, wincing occasionally as she did.
Asuka huffed. "They'd better leave you off duty for a few days if they know what's good for 'em. You look kinda wrecked."
"It's not just that."
"Hmm?"
Rei sat down and stared at the floor. "While I was fighting, I think I felt..the angel touch my mind. It was only for a moment, but...I heard unspeakable things. Inexplicable, terrifying images..they all seemed to go through my head at once..."
Asuka looked at Rei intently. The girl was now holding a hand to her head and visibly shaking, though she must not have been aware of it. She reached over and gently took the hand in both of her own, squeezing it. "Hey, that's all over with now. Forget it and be with me, right now, instead. Okay?"
Rei blinked her wide, red eyes a few times before nodding. In truth, she was still quite rattled over the incident. But one thing she had learned about having Asuka for a girlfriend is that she was fiercely protective, and would not hesitate to go off on her loved ones for being self-deprecating. For their own good, of course.
"Here, I brought you something that might help," Asuka said, reaching down for something by her feet. It was a plastic coffee cup with some sort of hot liquid inside. "It's hot cocoa."
Rei took the cup and examined it. "Is that a kind of coffee?"
"What? No, it's hot chocolate. You mean you've never had it before? How were you raised?"
Rei shrugged. "Mostly by myself. You've seen my apartment."
Asuka mentally scolded herself for that one. To Rei she said "Oh, just try it already."
Rei nodded and took a tentative sip of the drink. It was smooth and rich going down, and it made her feel warm inside. Another drink and she felt her tense muscles start to relax.
"How's that for ya?"
"It's excellent. Thank you."
She put an arm around Rei's waist and pulled her close. "Only the best for you, Wonder Girl."