Chapter 4 – Will you come to my garden?
The clerk in the Gothic Madel was clearly already expecting them. "Good morning, Soryu-san!" she greeted them happily, an enthusiastic smile painted on her face. "I assume this is the lovely lady you intend to dress in our attire?" she continued, taking a good long look at Rei. "I'm sure she will look absolutely wonderful in it!"
"Good morning…" Asuka replied, momentarily confused by the radiance suddenly projected on them both. "Yes, this is Ayanami-san, and I assume this means everything is ready for her?" she replied when she managed to regain her bearings.
"Yes, yes, of course", the woman nodded energetically, her smile unchanging. "Please, please follow me!"
'Anyone having so much energy while working on Sunday morning must either have had too much coffee or have a really good motivation', Asuka mused. 'Or both, of course. I wonder how much she benefits from this sale… a lot, I assume, Japanese people are helpful, but this… this goes above and beyond. Oh well, better for us. She seems to know what she is doing', she shrugged the thoughts off as she followed the woman and listened to her explanations about the particular pieces.
Being lost in her thoughts, she seemed to entirely miss the sudden curiosity in Rei's eyes.
...
About ten minutes later
Asuka was pacing back and forth on the shop floor. In hindsight, letting Rei go in there alone with the clerk and staying out might have been a mistake; on the other hand, the fitting room was too small for three people – and something was telling her this is how this was supposed to be done.
The sound of the moved curtain interrupted her reverie. "Soryu-san, I think your friend is ready", the clerk announced with a smile as she held the curtain invitingly.
Asuka took a few steps fast before stopping in her tracks. "Oh."
For a moment, she was not sure whether someone did not switch the occupants of the dressing room as some kind of a prank; she knew, of course, that replicating Rei's features would be difficult, but far from impossible. But just as soon as she had the idea, she dismissed it; few would dare to do something like that to a NERV employee, and those that would, would not really care to do so. Having concluded that, Asuka returned to what she did since Rei entered her sight: staring.
Rei Ayanami, who was generally seen by most of the class as 'somehow pretty, but not exactly attractive' at best and 'freakish' at worst was now looking like a perfect model of the Japanese take on the gothic style.
A small part of Asuka's mind labeled her as a 'beautiful doll'. It took her a few seconds to realize that this was the first time in ten years that this word had a positive connotation in her mind; the sheer weirdness of that fact made her quickly bury that thought for later – and let her mind do what it was supposed to do right now: be focused on admiring the sight provided by the eyes hopelessly fixated on the figure of Rei Ayanami.
The black-and-white-with-small-indigo-accents attire – with a significant dominance of black – contrasted wonderfully with Rei's pale complexion. The skirt was hiding quite a lot more of her legs than her uniform did, but what was visible and clothed in white stockings gave Asuka an unexpected, sudden understanding of why certain fetishes existed. The corset was doing wonders to show Rei's figure and lift her bosom, giving Asuka a small twinge of envy. The blouse, along with the choker, gave the attire an elegant finish Asuka could only admire. After scanning Rei from bottom to top, Asuka only managed to notice there was also something in Rei's hair before she caught the girl's gaze – and noticed her expression, one she never saw in her before. It was an expression of… hope? Worry? Anticipation? Fear?
"How do you like it?" the clerk chimed in, clearly happy with both Rei's appearance and Asuka's reaction.
"It's… I mean… Ayanami-san, you look… wonderful", Asuka finally managed to speak – only to see the expression of the red eyes turn from this fearful and expectant look to something that could be described as 'mild joy' in an average person; for Rei, this was almost like full-blown happiness. It was only amplified by a small smile appearing on her lips.
Asuka felt her heart speeding up without warning. 'Damn it, Soryu! Get a grip!' she chastised herself. "Thank you, this is just perfect", Asuka turned to the clerk.
"I'm glad you like it!" the woman smiled a wide smile as she clasped her hands; Asuka could not tell whether it was genuine, well-trained, or some mix of those two – but it did not matter right now. "We need to make a minor adjustment to the corset though; can you return in half an hour?"
"Sure, we'll just– Ayanami-san?" Asuka started only to interrupt when Rei muttered something. "Say again?" she turned to her.
"It is not necessary", Rei repeated a bit louder. "It is not uncomfortable."
"But it would just take a moment, it's not a problem!" the clerk objected.
"I do not want to take it off", Rei replied with certainty in her still low voice.
"But–" the clerk tried again.
"If Ayanami-san says she doesn't want to take it off, who are we to argue, right?" Asuka interrupted in a reflexive gesture defense, quickly squashing the voice in her head that whispered 'would it be fine if I took it off for you?' and extending her hand to Rei. "Let's go then! Please make a note of the needed adjustment, and I'll drop the corset off at some point later, okay?"
The clerk seemed conflicted for a moment, but it was quickly becoming obvious to her that Asuka's attitude was not something easy to fight against. "…yes, of course."
"Is there anything else I need to pay? Adjustments, or additions?" Asuka asked as Rei took her hand and made a few careful steps in the new shoes.
"No, no, there's nothing left, it's all covered by your prior payment", the clerk quickly replied. "Ayanami-san, since you don't want to take the dress off… do you want me to pack your uniform instead?" she turned to Rei.
"Yes, please", Rei replied in a soft tone that carried a very small, but a still unusually high amount of joy.
"Excuse me for a moment, then", the woman collected the garments hanging in the dressing room and disappeared into the secret corridors of the Staff Only part of the shop.
"How do you like yourself in this?" Asuka asked with a smug smile the moment they were alone, trying her best to ignore how sweaty her hand was getting while holding Rei's – and how her heart refused to slow down by any significant degree.
"I am uncertain", Rei replied with some hesitation. "It is… pleasant."
"Well, that's a start", Asuka seemed both confused and amused. 'I really need a Rei-human dictionary… but for now "multiply everything by a factor of ten" will have to do', she quickly decided.
"Here you are!" the clerk emerged seemingly from nowhere and handed Rei a shop bag. "Your uniform, two additional hair ribbons should you lose some, four button replacements, the note about the needed adjustment, and the sample we were given for the color, all inside", she listed with a smile. "Enjoy your day!"
"Thank you", Rei nodded and took the bag.
"Thank you very much", Asuka smiled. "See you on the next occasion!" she added as she turned to face Rei again, still refusing to let go of her hand. "Come, Ayanami-san. We have a day to enjoy", she winked as she pulled the girl's hand – and they strolled out of the shop.
...
"Thank you, Soryu-san", Rei said once they were back in the mall halls, drawing numerous looks that reassured Asuka she made the right choices; the only point she was not sure of is which one of them was drawing more attention. Before she could ponder the possible answers along with their consequences, Rei resumed in her soft voice. "I like it. What is the amount I need to reimburse you for it?"
Asuka stopped in her tracks, turning back to face Rei – and had to close her eyes to focus enough to answer. "Ayanami-san. Don't even think about it", she stated firmly. "It's my gift to you, okay? We started off on the wrong foot, and I want to make it right."
"It was unnecessary", Rei objected. "There is was no need to make it right."
Asuka's eyes shot open, her gaze betraying her rising anger; to her surprise, Rei did not take a step back as most people who saw her like that would; she did not even flinch. "There was, for me. If you don't care for 'making it right', then accept it as a gift, will you? I thought you people have a far more elaborate tradition for gifts than us, 'barbarians'?" she asked, her tone slowly changing from anger into a mix of amusement and mockery in the final words.
"I do not know", Rei admitted. "But… thank you", her tone softened – and Asuka could swear a minuscule smile returned on her face.
"You're welcome", Asuka smiled a wide smile, once more aware of her faster heartbeat. "Okay, do you want to do something?"
"I am… fine", Rei replied with just a hint of hesitation in her voice.
"What do you mean, 'fine'?" Asuka asked, her voice confused. "Actually, why didn't you want to let them make the adjustments?" she asked suddenly.
"I did not want to take it off", Rei repeated her explanation, her hand absentmindedly running along the seams of the fabric and the lines of the corset. "I like it", she added, the corners of her lips turning up just a bit.
"Okay", Asuka nodded, unsure what to think about this relatively weak argument but unwilling to go full Inquisition on the girl just yet. "So… did you have breakfast?"
"I have already eaten", Rei replied. "But we can go eat something if you want to", she added carefully.
"Great", Asuka caught her hand again. "I know just a place!"
...
As they entered a small café, Asuka – guided by her experiences from both Germany and Japan – chose a two-person, secluded table, seating Rei in the less exposed seat. 'It's for her comfort and safety', she told herself, silencing a quiet voice that was insistently telling her that the sight Rei presented right now was just too wonderful to be wasted on the unappreciative eyes of some rube.
"O-kay… is there anything you cannot eat, or just don't like to eat?" Asuka asked as they settled in the chair and opened the menu.
"I don't like the smell and sight of meat", Rei replied after a moment of pondering. "And Doctor Akagi said I should not drink coffee or take amphetamines", she added.
"Well, that escalated quickly", Asuka remarked, her expression bemused. "Okay, will keep the meat part in mind for later, they don't serve much of it here anyway… it's just meat, right? You don't mind… I don't know, gelatin or such?"
"I do not", Rei confirmed after a moment of consideration.
"Good. Coffee is not a problem, they surely have a nice tea selection here…" Asuka continued, her tone betraying a bit of confusion, "and I don't think we need to worry about the last part. Okay, what about chocolate? Nut allergies? Dislike of butter?"
"I do not suffer from any ailment on this list that I am aware of", Rei replied. "But I have never tested any of them to my knowledge."
"Wait, what?" Asuka tilted her head, and an expression of utter confusion and incredulity emerged on her face. "What do you mean by 'never tested'? You're a fourteen-year-old girl… and you never had chocolate?"
"Correct", Rei nodded, seemingly confused by this line of questioning.
Asuka just glared in disbelief. 'God, I think I see why this girl is like this. Does she even have any pleasures in life? Okay, I get why she doesn't run with the stupid boys or have the class harpies for friends, but all I saw her do at school was glare out of the window and sometimes read odd things… after a few years of such life, I'd be a serial killer… oh well, maybe she is one, that'd make some sense', she chuckled to herself – and forced herself back to reality before Rei started asking questions. Musing over Rei Ayanami's body count was not going to bring her anywhere with the actual Rei Ayanami. "Okay. So, what would you like?"
"I do not know", Rei replied.
"Okay, let's go with a chocolate dessert, you can't go wrong with chocolate, after all – and some milder black tea…" Asuka decided before her face twitched in displeasure. "I'll have to ask the waiter's advice on those…"
"Why?" Rei's face expressed genuine confusion.
'Congratulations, Soryu!' a thought went up in Asuka's head. 'You just dug yourself in nice and deep, painted yourself into a corner, went out of the apartment and locked yourself out, et cetera, et cetera!' it kept going bitterly before she managed to make up an explanation. "Ah… I usually drink coffee. I don't know much about various teas, you know? German people are like that."
"You are only quarter-German, correct?" Rei asked.
"Yes, but I'm also quarter-Japanese, and half-American, and the USA is very much a coffee-drinking country too, so…"
"Ah. Of course", Rei nodded, pondered something for a moment, then delivered the kill shot: "You are unable to make the menu positions out. Is this correct?"
Asuka's ears went full-red within half a second. "Why do you think that?" she asked with a nervous smile, doing her best to cover the fact of how much it hurt.
"You are talking about black tea while looking at the list of green teas", Rei explained matter-of-factly, without any hint of judgment in her tone. "This should provide you with the necessary information", she stood up, picked up another menu from the counter, and handed it to Asuka in one fluent move – before starting to struggle with her skirt as she tried to sit down again.
The shade of Asuka's face now matched her ears. 'Congratulations, dumbass, for not thinking about something as basic as finding a menu in English', a voice in her head admonished her. 'Be glad that this pretty, pretty doll has more brains than you do! And where are your manners?'
"…thank you", Asuka muttered. "And allow me", she quickly found herself behind Rei's chair and deftly assisted her in taking the seat. "Soooo…" she started with an unusually warm smile as she returned to the now-legible menu. "Will you trust my choices and advice as I invite you to the garden of earthly delights?"
Rei seemed to consider the answer for a moment, her expression inscrutable. 'I'd really give a lot to understand what was going on behind those beautiful, ponderous red eyes…' appeared in Asuka's head, drifting across her mind as she watched Rei's face in search for an answer.
"Yes", Rei finally nodded with the smallest of smiles. "Please."
And Asuka could only smile back.
