Episode 12: Lunch with Ayanami

Asuka leaned back against the tree grumbling, not only were they back in school when she already knew everything they were supposedly being taught - except for the lies in the history lessons - but everyone else was talking about how much fun they had on the trip. Which she hadn't been allowed to go on. Sure there had actually been an angel attack, but it was a wimpy angel that had died from a couple of rounds of a pallet rifle for the first time ever. If it hadn't been for the stupid power outage she could have just stepped on the thing as if it was the bug it looked like.

So she was avoiding Hikari and sitting with the Idiot and Wondergirl. Worse her bento was empty and she was still slightly hungry. Her appetite was unpredictable recently, sometimes she was barely interested in food, others she would go through seconds and sometimes thirds. Unfortunately the Idiot had made her a normal lunch, there was no way she was risking stealing anything from Wondergirl if even half the things Hikari had claimed were true, and the Idiot was on the other side.

So she wasn't really paying much attention to the other two, it wasn't as if they were having an interesting conversation, neither of them ever actually seemed to talk to the other.

"Pilot Ikari, my hair is of average thickness"

'What the hell was she on about?' Asuka turned and leaned over to look at Wondergirl's hair, in case something interesting had happened to it that might entertain her until the end of lunch.

"What the hell do you do to your hair Wondergirl?"

"I do not understand the question."

Of course she didn't, heaven forbid the girl understood the slightest thing about appearances.

"How do you wash it? What conditioner do you use? Ugh! You still smell of LCL."

"I use the soap provided. It is sufficient."

Asuka snorts, "It most certainly is not. It's barely enough to get the LCL out, it certainly doesn't treat your hair."

"Hair is dead. It cannot benefit from treatment."

Asuka is annoyed, the girl doesn't know anything, her hair is a mess but somehow her skin looks perfect, perfect for someone who never saw daylight anyway, "It certainly does! But don't expect me to do it for you!"

"If it requires an additional person, would Pilot Ikari be able to assist?"

"No! Absolutely not! I'll take you to a professional. The idiot would probably cut it lobsided or something."

"That would be unacceptable. Asymmetry is uncomfortable. My hair should not be shorter."

Asuka sighed. She could see split ends from here, and it seemed highly likely given that hack job of a hair cut that the Doll had done it herself, some cutting was going to be absolutely necessary. At least there was something she wasn't good at, other than being a real person that was. The realisation struck her that she'd just volunteered to take Wondergirl to a real salon, which meant she was going to have to find one. Hikari wouldn't have any idea, but maybe she'd know who to ask.

"Ask Chihiro."

"What was that baka?"

"Uh. Tanaka Chihiro. She'll know a good place to take Ayanami that won't do something she doesn't want."

"How would you know that?" The Idiot didn't talk to anyone else except the Stooges and Hikari.

She didn't get an answer but could practically feel the heat radiating off his face from the other side of Wondergirl. Hmph! She'd find out later when she could corner him alone and he couldn't avoid answering.