Shin Persona Evangelion

by Ultra Sonic 007

Shinji Ikari stared, bewildered by the bizarre-looking man, who gave an intrigued smile. "An interesting guest has arrived. My name is Igor. Welcome to the Velvet Room, young fool...we have important matters to discuss, you and I." (A fusion of the realms of Evangelion and Persona, where not all is as it seems.) (Cover art by Renu of the Sufficient Velocity forums.)

71. Tuesday - August 11, 2015

Sokila was sitting in her bed. For some reason her fellow Attendants were huddled around the bed, watching with intrigued eyes.

"...I think I've got it..."

Elizabeth grinned widely. "Ooh, what an exciting and potentially foreboding experiment!"

Theo simply looked...perturbed. "Do be safe, little one."

Lavenza remarked, "don't do anything too reckless. You are still quite young."

"I won't!" said Sokila with a nod. Turning towards the last Attendant, she asked, "...Margaret-senpai?"

"...you are committed to this course of action. You desire change for the better, much like your Guest." The eldest of the siblings sighed. "...do be careful. And if anyone asks questions about who you are, simply remember what we practiced."

Sokila smiled. "I will!" Looking over her shoulder, she waved at Igor. "I'll be back soon, Mister Igor!"

The long-nosed man simply chuckled. "An intriguing decision...but one rooted in a sensible desire. Be wise...be alert...and if all else fails, be clever. After all, it seems to help our dear guests when they're in a pinch."

"Okay!" Facing forward once more, Sokila focused...and focused...and focused...

Without warning, the faint haze of blue began to brighten-

xxxx

/Tuesday: August 11, 2015/

/Sojiro Sakura's Residence, Nishiawakura, Okayama Prefecture/

There was a distinct and sudden bounce on his bed that Shinji Ikari felt. "What...?" he slurred, slowly rising. He barely saw the faint outline of a blue door fading away from sight, which prompted additional confusion. "Huh?" Looking around, he noticed a very familiar little girl sitting on his bed, blinking out of surprise. "...Sokila-chan...?" Am I dreaming?

"...it worked," whispered the little girl, turning towards him with bright yellow eyes. "It worked!"

"...what worked?" he dumbly asked, because how was his Attendant here?!

"I tried focusin' on our connection, and I wanted to be where you are, and now I'm here, so I'm HAPPY!" she cheerfully yelled.

"Okay first of all, not so loud, people are still sleeping," he harshly whispered. "Secondly, how?"

"...I dunno," she answered with a shrug. "I just really really really really REALLY wanted to see you-"

SLAM.

The sliding door to Shinji's room crashed open, courtesy of a bleary-eyed Ken Amada. "I heard a scream, and...wait." The A.T. Agent looked at them with a frown. "...Ikari, who's the girl?"

Shinji impulsively paled. Uh oh.

Sokila happily said, "he's my Guest, and I'm his 'Tendant!"

Ken blinked. "He's your what? You're his what?"

Shinji's eyes went agog. Sokila you are NOT helping!

xxxx

Why does it always feel like I'm being interrogated, thought Shinji with a worried frown, sitting in a chair with his back to the television. Another empty chair was beside him, as its occupant — Sokila — had abandoned it in favor of the floor, to get closer to one of Sakura-sensei's cats. Lying on her stomach, the silver-haired girl was tentatively stroking the gray coat of Enkai-chan; so skittish was she that the child practically flinched with each touch of the Scottish Fold.

The feline didn't much care, naturally. If only he had as much stoicism to spare!

Sitting in the various easy chairs of the main entry hall/living room, arranged in a semi-circle, were all of the other visitors residing within Sojiro Sakura's residence: from left to right were Toji, Kensuke, Mayumi, Mana, Misato, Ryuji, Junpei, Ken, and Ren. Everyone was gazing back and forth between himself and the young newcomer (save for Ren, whose eyes were focused almost exclusively on the silver-haired girl). All told, if this was intended to be an intimidation tactic...it was working. "...so," said Misato, arms crossed and face set into a stern expression. "Now that everyone's up and awake...who's the kid?"

Shinji gulped. "...um-"

"I'm Sokila!" cheerfully interrupted the girl.

"...now I remember," said Toji with dawning realization. "That's the kid you said you were babysitting that one time. At Big Bang Beef Bowl!"

Kensuke adjusted his glasses. "Except...'babysitting' doesn't seem to be an accurate description, in retrospect. I smell a mystery!"

Come on you guys, can't you give me a break?!

"Seriously, how'd she even get here? Where'd she come from?" asked Ryuji.

"...I don't know. And...I don't know," honestly answered Shinji.

"But you know her," insightfully said Ken Amada.

"...yes," he couldn't help but admit. The thought of lying was utterly anathema, at the moment. What do I do, what do I do?

"Shinji-kun," seriously said Misato. "Who is she?"

"...um...it's a long story...?"

Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "Well, we've all got time."

Shinji gulped yet again. "...well..."

"Ooh ooh, I can tell 'em!" exclaimed Sokila, excitement flashing across her face. Eagerly, she hopped back onto the empty chair and stood on the cushion.

"Hey, easy, easy," cautioned Junpei.

"The Metaberse," said Sokila with an air of faux sagacity. (No one bothered to correct her mispronunciation.) "It's a big and strange place. Cause it's born from people, and people are strange! I guess. I don't actually know that many people, and the ones I do know are cool and awesome, but-"

Misato snapped her fingers. "Let's stay focused, okay?"

Sokila blinked. "Oh. Okay. Um..." She looked down at her feet. "...where was I?"

"The Metaverse being born of people," answered Ren.

Sokila smiled. "Oh, right! So...one day, I see this guy," she said, pointing at Shinji. "He's doing a mission or something. And he was being cool! And I wanted to help him out. So he became my Guest, and I became his 'Tendant!"

"...Guest? Attendant? What does that mean?" asked Ryuji.

"...I dunno," innocently said Sokila. "It sounds cool though!"

"...so basically," carefully said Ren, "you're like a stray cat who saw Ikari and started following him."

Sokila pouted. "M'not a cat!"

"I'm sure you aren't," remarked Ren with a strange smile. (Under his breath, unheard by anyone, Amamiya muttered, "boy, haven't heard that in a while...")

"But who are you? What are you?" insisted Misato.

"I'm Sokila! And I wanted to help out my Guest!" innocently answered the girl, apparently missing the exact thrust of what Misato wanted to know.

Ryuji, deciding to head off Misato's irritation, asked "Ikari, straight up: who is she?"

"...I honestly don't know," he honestly answered. (There was so much about the Velvet Room that was still mysterious.) "But...she just wants to help me. I know that much."

"...so she's someone who came from the Metaverse...like Ayanami?" asked Misato, apparently drawing her own conclusions. "...it would explain the odd color of her hair and eyes...do you have any parents, kid?"

Sokila blinked. "Uh...well...it's compli...compluh...complex? How was I s'posed to say it...oh yeah!" With a smile, Sokila said, "my papa's God!"

Everyone stared in stunned silence. "...we're not going to get smote with a thunderbolt, are we?" tentatively asked Mayumi.

"'Smote'?" repeated Sokila with a blink. "I don't think he smokes..." she said, misunderstanding the word entirely.

"...what kind of god are we talking about here?" nervously asked Junpei, impulsively tightening his baseball cap atop his head. "Like...a kami, Amaterasu, King of the Universe...?"

"...not sure," admitted Sokila. "But I was told he has enough power to destroy the world!"

...I don't think this is helping, privately fretted Shinji, inwardly wincing as the adults all looked with concern towards each other.

"...but would he?" asked Mana.

Sokila shook her head. "Nuh-uh! That would be mean!"

"Then what's the problem?" she asked, turning back towards Misato.

"...look, I have no idea how we're supposed to process this." Misato huffed, rising to her feet. "I mean, what guarantees do we have that you even are who you say you are?"

Sokila blinked. "Eh?"

Shinji spoke up. "Misato-san, I know her-"

"And your judgment hasn't exactly been sound as of late, has it?" she growled, crossing her arms. "...so many things have gone wrong as of late, and more shit keeps rearing its ugly head. The Angels, Strega, government spooks...and you keep compounding it with stupid decisions. I mean seriously, how did you let yourself get dragged into a yakuza fight club?!"

"Are we still on that?" asked Toji with a raised eyebrow.

Shinji stammered, "um-"

"And now we have some sort of cognitive creature paying a house call that we know nothing about. So forgive me for being skeptical!" As Misato finished her tirade, she turned her steely gaze back towards Sokila, staring at her not as if she were a young girl with odd features...but a potential threat. "Well?"

"...um..." Sokila fidgeted, suddenly seeming unsure of herself. Impulsively fiddling with her toes, she suddenly brightened. "Oh! I know about Mister P!"

The mood took yet another turn. "...wait, seriously?" remarked Ryuji.

"That bird-man sure does get around," griped Toji.

"How many people does he know?" wondered Kensuke.

"...who's Mister P, again?" asked Mayumi.

"Got me," answered Mana, face scrunched into a frown. "...have I met him...?"

"I'm confused, who are we talking about?" questioned Amada.

"Same," said Junpei.

Misato, however, had gone still. "...is that a fact."

Sokila nodded as Misato slowly around the circle of easy chairs. "Yeah! He's kinda strange but kinda funny, and he talks real loud and likes to pose, but I know that...he's..." The girl's voice trailed off as Misato approached, looming over her. "...nice...?"

"Nice, huh? How about you tell me more about Mister P." Misato rested a hand on the girl's shoulder. "Because you're apparently such good friends and all."

Sokila gulped. "Uh..."

Misato's fingers gripped firmly, but not tightly. "Let me guess, you know Ryoji Kaji too, I'd bet. Would be par for the course, wouldn't it?"

"I..." Sokila suddenly hiccuped, eyes beginning to water (from pain? From stress? From sudden confusion? From emotional turmoil? There was no way to tell). "I..."

Without warning, without anyone seemingly realizing it, a hand was gripping Misato's wrist: Shinji's hand, to be precise. "Katsuragi," he quietly said (and that was enough to send a chill through everyone, the mere fact he used only her surname). "That's enough." He looked up at her with a face that was on the threshold between 'blank' and 'furious', with a brief trace of 'disappointment.' "Let her go." He spoke with an authority that didn't belong to a mere child.

Misato's nostrils impulsively flared.

Before anyone else could say a word, a throat cleared the air. "Well now." Everyone turned towards the kitchen accessway; Sojiro Sakura was standing there with a raised eyebrow, holding a small coffee cup in a saucer with both hands. "Would you be so kind as to step outside and clear your head, miss? Don't come back into my house until you calm down." It was not a request.

One second. Two seconds. Save for the stifled sniffling from Sokila, no one dared to breathe.

Finally, with a tired sigh, Misato released Sokila's shoulder. Shinji did the same with Misato's wrist; with a weary expression, the woman marched outside the old ryokan with determined steps, walking around the side of Sakura-sensei's residence.

Kensuke finally released his breath. "Man, it is way too early for that kind of stress..."

"What's her deal?" wondered Toji with a grimace.

Ryuji sighed as he got out of his chair, using his cane for leverage. "I'll talk to her. Got a feeling I know what it's about..." Looking towards Mana, he asked, "mind coming along, Mana-san?"

Mana nodded silently, rising to follow Sakamoto outside.

"...gotta say, that's a remarkable lack of self-preservation from Katsuragi-san," idly remarked Ren as he watched the two leave.

"...why's that?" asked Mayumi.

"Well think about it," said Ren, pressing his glasses up against his nose. "The girl said her dad is 'God.' Don't know if there's any merit to that, but if you saw someone from another dimension saying that sort of stuff...would you want to test that? I mean, that's basic anime logic."

"Is it though?" asked Ken with a raised eyebrow.

"No no Kenny, he raises a good point," sagely said Junpei.

"Seriously," agreed with Kensuke. "She even has bizarre eye and hair colors."

"...definitely an important character," pondered Mayumi.

(Thus did the strangeness of the Velvet Room work its wonder once more; for as everyone focused on the particulars of Sokila's tale and the oddity of Katsuragi's behavior...the thought of questioning the young girl's story, of critiquing its veracity...simply slipped away.)

"Sokila-chan," whispered Shinji, leaning down to bring his head closer to hers. "Are you okay?"

"...m'fine," she muttered with a great sniff, impulsively wiping her eyes with her sleeves. "The lady was...just scary, is all..."

"I'm sorry about that," he said, impulsively rubbing her back. "I don't know what was up with her..."

Sakura-sensei intruded upon their space, looking down with a slight frown. "Given the line of work you and the lady are involved in, I don't blame her if she's stressed. Taking it out on this little tyke seems a bit much, though." He lowered the saucer and cup towards the girl, revealing it to be a cup of hot cocoa. "For our new...guest."

Sokila sniffled. "M'not a guest. He's the Guest," she said, pointing towards Shinji.

Sojiro chuckled. "Well, for the time being, you're my guest. Go on. Drink up."

Sokila gingerly took hold of the cup with both hands, looking with wide eyes at the chocolatey liquid. Shinji impulsively — instinctively — took hold of the saucer, holding it in the air beneath the coffee cup. "How is it?"

The girl took a tentative sip of the hot cocoa...and the way her eyes lit up with utter joy was all the answer he needed.

xxxx

As Ryuji Sakamoto hobbled around the side of the engawa, he couldn't but ponder at the strange turn his life had taken over the past several weeks. Taking on a new apprentice, agreeing to be the chaperone for a bunch of brats, getting wrapped in government black ops gone wrong, finding out my old apprentice is part of a terrorist organization, and that a serial killer I thought I'd beat is its proverbial leader. Honestly, he wondered where he'd be if he hadn't decided to accept Ritsuko Akagi's mission, which had been the catalyst for him coming into the lives of Misato Katsuragi, Shinji Ikari, and Mana Kirishima.

'Predicting the future is one thing,' he could imagine his first wife Chihaya saying, a sly smile on her face. 'But divining an alternate path from prior events is sheer silliness. After all...the past is fixed.'

'Why are you focusing on 'what if'?' he could imagine his second wife Shiho saying, challenging him with a defiant pose. 'You have a race to win. So start running!'

He briefly chuckled to himself. Yeah yeah...I hear you...

"What's so funny?" inquired a curious Mana.

"Eh, just nostalgia."

Going around the back of the house, they finally came across Misato Katsuragi, staring intently at the forested slopes behind Sakura's residence. Her legs were dangling over the the side of the extended porch; with elbows resting on thighs and chin resting in her hands, she had a very hunched over posture. While Mana walked closer to sit beside her guardian, Ryuji remained about a dozen feet away. "...so. That was something."

"...you ever heard of an Archetype called Alice?" asked Misato, out of the blue.

Ryuji winced. "Oof. Hadn't run into one of those in a while."

Mana blinked, seemingly recalling whatever information had been beaten (proverbially or otherwise) into her head by Shiro Tokita and his group. "...that's an Archetype that looks like a little girl, isn't it?"

Misato nodded. "Had a mission a few years back. Wasn't during a new moon, but there was an Acolyte causing havoc. It was one of Iwai-san's last jobs before he got promoted to Superintendent. While we had some teammates take care of physically restraining the body in the real world, the two of us were supposed to take down the corrupted Shadow...which we did. Then it turns out that in that part of the Metaverse, there were several Alice Archetypes just...hanging around. Can't remember if it was near an old children's playground or not...but they didn't take too kindly to us. Those things nearly killed us after we dispelled the Acolyte's Shadow."

"So what, got a phobia of little girls with light hair and blue dresses?" joked Ryuji.

Misato snorted. "If only. No...a sweet and innocent appearance can hide something dangerous. And if that 'girl' just dropped out of the Metaverse of her own volition...forgive me for being paranoid."

"Not like she's given you a reason to suspect her beyond that, has she?" asked Ryuji. "I mean, she's apparently square with Ikari, for whatever that's worth."

"Which wouldn't be a problem if he didn't keep breaking so many of the damn rules!" she retorted, scowling out of irritation and frustration. "That kid...ever since he showed up in June, he's been throwing all of the established rules out the window, even beyond being an Evangelion-user!" She began tallying a list, extending a finger with each item listed. "Being able to absorb Archetypes to use as a Persona; being able to use more than one Persona, for that matter; manifesting his A.T. Field in the Metaverse, which is supposed to be categorically impossible; drawing whole aspects of reality into the Metaverse, going by your report from the Ai ferry...and now he's apparently able to project his A.T. Field to shield other people?" Throwing her hands up, she protested, "it's not normal. None of this is normal. And I wish he'd understand that, instead of throwing one new surprise after another at us!"

Ryuji snorted at her exasperation. "I guess I can understand where you're coming from."

"I'm glad you find my irritation amusing, Sakamoto-san. Are we just going to gloss over the fact that this little 'Metaverse girl' also knows that bird-man that's been a pain in my backside?!"

"Given that Mister P's been pretty helpful as far as I'm aware, I'm honestly not too sure why you've got such a bug up your ass about him...you know, besides the fact he has a pretty uncanny resemblance to your pet penguin."

"That's the hell of it; it's a damn sure sign that Mister P is someone who knows me...and it's someone who's playing 'keep away', who's having a blast stringing me along instead of just telling me." Her anger bled away (just a bit), leaving wearied fatigue in its place. "I don't have the patience for that...not anymore."

Ryuji sighed, glancing over towards Mana, who had been listening in silence. "And I'm sure your frustration has nothing to do with how close their fight with Minazuki was?" Misato's impulsive glare elicited a chuckle. "Hey, just calling it as I see it. But it is pretty crazy that Ikari ended up in a fistfight with the guy just the night before."

Misato audibly growled. "...still can't believe he let himself get dragged into an underground fight club run by yakuza. I mean, how does that even happen?!"

"An invitation from Kaworu Nagisa, apparently," remarked Mana with a straight face.

"Who even cares? Shinji-kun could have dragged Kaworu through whatever dimension he does to warp from place to place. There was literally nothing that should have kept him from leaving."

"Other than teenage stupidity?" Ryuji offered as an answer. "I hear that's still pretty in vogue, these days."

"...given who he is, he can't really afford 'teenage stupidity.' Too many people are relying on him."

"And I think the kid realizes that better than you might give him credit for." His leg briefly twitched; readjusting his weight on the cane, Ryuji said, "listen...I can still remember my childhood. It was a more peaceful time...so I can appreciate the hell you probably went through during Second Impact as a kid. Not my place to pry, but you're young enough for that to have been the case."

"Flatterer," grumbled Misato with no sense of playfulness or mirth.

"Wasn't meant as a compliment," retorted Ryuji. "I get that Ikari has a heavy responsibility...doesn't mean he has to throw away his childhood like you were forced to. And I don't think you want to put him in a position to choose between 'fighting to survive' and 'having a life worth living.'"

"...hard to live if you're dead," she grumbled, briefly looking towards Mana. "If Ikari hadn't pulled that new ability out of his ass, Minazuki might have killed them all."

"But he didn't," flatly replied Mana. "We survived."

"Relying on luck is a horrible strategy."

"But it wasn't luck," insisted Mana, a hard look settling over her features. "I don't know why Ikari has the power he does, but he doesn't take it for granted. I haven't known him that long...but I know that much for certain."

At this, Misato was finally silent, a pensive yet thoughtful expression coming across her face. After several seconds of silence, she said, "damn it all...why does keeping an eye after kids have to be so hard...?"

"Can't say," replied Ryuji with a casual shrug. "Never had any."

"Doesn't stop you from providing advice as if you did have them," cracked Misato, now retaining a bit more of her old mirth. "...but...you make some good points."

"Then maybe you should probably give the kid's strange little friend the benefit of the doubt?" he suggested. "Just sayin'." At the moment, they noticed that the back door leading into the kitchen was ajar; tufts of silver hair and a bright yellow eye could be seen peering at them from within. "Speaking of which...hey kiddo!"

Sokila squeaked with surprise, impulsively backing away.

"Come on, I think Katsuragi has something to say!" he called out.

"...um...hold on..." After several seconds, the little girl emerged, nervously holding a saucer and a coffee cup, once more filled with hot cocoa. Shinji was at her back, looking with concern between her and Misato. "Um...I asked Mister Sakura for some more, because it was so yummy...but I dunno if I did something to make you mad, so maybe...you'd feel better if you had some...?"

Ryuji was trying so very hard not to laugh at how Misato's expression wilted into mortified shame. Sheesh, talk about killing someone with kindness.

"...I think it would," said Misato with a small smile. "And you didn't do anything...Sokila was it?" At the girl's polite nod (and the strangely intense stare from Ikari), Misato added, "and you didn't do anything to make me mad. It was all my fault. So...sorry for being such a bitch," she said, with full self-deprecation.

"Swear."

Misato blinked. "Huh?"

"You said a bad word. My papa says it's bad to swear," said Sokila with the sort of innocent conviction that only children could pull off.

At that, Misato couldn't help but descend into a fit of giggling that nearly caused her to spill the hot cocoa.

...well, crisis averted for now, thought Ryuji with a tired grin, his eyes nonetheless peering intently at 'Sokila.' After all...you ARE kind of strange...let's just hope Katsuragi's paranoia is actually misplaced. Because that would just absolutely suck.

xxxx

With that awkward first encounter out of the way, the day unfolded in a far more pleasant manner.

xx

Sokila sat upon Shinji's shoulders with a smile as he walked through the woods behind Sojiro Sakura's house. "We're so high up!"

"Yes," agreed Shinji, making sure not to stumble as he walked among the trees.

Behind them, Kensuke and Toji were in the midst of a truly important conversation. "...you know, if she's from the Metaverse, it makes a LOT more sense that she'd never had beef before."

Toji, thinking back to their trip to the Big Bang Beef Bowl Shop, nodded solemnly. "Yeah."

xx

As lunch rolled around, a trip to Sojiro's Cafe had been deemed the proper course of action.

Sokila — marvelling at the numerous farmers walking in and out to refuel on coffee and curry — watched with utter fascination as Sojiro and Ren coordinated in the kitchen to cook and brew.

When Shinji set a plate down in front of her, the girl's first taste of the curry elicited a pleased hum. "So good!" Holding a thumbs up, she happily chirped, "great job, Inmate!"

Shinji didn't know why Amamiya-senpai almost tripped over his own feet. Perhaps he'd ask about that later...

xx

Sokila tentatively followed Mayumi around Sojiro's house as the bespectacled girl pointed out the various cats that seemed to occupy the grounds around the old ryokan.

As Shinji trailed behind them, he couldn't help but wonder about the odd lethargy in Mayumi's movements.

Sokila apparently noticed something as well. "You okay?"

"Hm?" Mayumi replied with a slow blink. "Oh. I'm fine..."

He hoped she was okay...

xx

It was...a simple thing, to be honest.

So very simple.

Yet, as Shinji strummed his mother's acoustic guitar, and Sokila — substituting youthful enthusiasm in place of actual skill or technique — plucked at his mother's old ukulele, he couldn't help but feel...a sense of completeness.

How strange...yet he didn't question it.

xx

At last, Sokila suddenly announced that it was time for her to go.

"I wanna stay...I really wanna," she admitted, twisting the toes of her right sandal into the ground behind her. With Sojiro still working at his cafe, that left everyone else to witness her apparent farewell. "But I have to go back now."

"...to the Metaverse, you mean?" asked Misato with eyes that were still wary.

"Yeah, sure!" chirped Sokila. "Plus...I feel kinda weird. Don't know why. Maybe I'm tired...but I don't feel sleepy..." Her introspection was cut short by the yawn escaping her lips. "Sorry..."

Mana shrugged. "If you're tired, you're tired."

(Little did they know of the truth.)

xxxx

Minako Arisato, sitting atop the roof of Sojiro Sakura's household (unseen by all), starred at the rough location of where Shinji Ikari was supposed to standing.

It was rather difficult, given the odd fog that seemed to overshadow her vision whenever she looked in his direction.

The One Who Sat Upon the Throne was not pleased.

"The stench of an interloper..."

Undoubtedly a denizen of this mysterious 'Velvet Room'; its presence bore a familiar taste.

"...and this damnable interference from an unknown party..."

Combined, the clouding of their vision was more thorough. Intolerable.

"...after the next new moon, the Angels will strike again. Their influence will lessen, surely..."

It would be quite inconvenient to try and force the hands of others without necessity...but needs must, if it came down to it.

"Do be mindful."

Minako remained silent. (Yet her heart of hearts relished at the unexpected hurdle that had been thrown into her gaoler's way.)

xxxx

"But I wanna do this again soon!" Sokila said with loud volume.

Shinji nodded with an easy smile. "I feel the same."

With a happy grin, Sokila turned back around, face scrunching up with concentration.

As the seconds passed, Kensuke loudly asked, "um...what's happening now?"

"Ssh," hushed Amada. "I'm trying to see what she's doing."

"And..." Audibly grunting, Sokila loosed an unseen flicker of power...and without warning, in the eyes of herself and Shinji, a bizarre blue door with golden designs appeared. "...there!"

Shinji blinked. "Ah..."

Ren's eyes impulsively widened a fraction. 'Fancy,' he mouthed quietly. (This change of expression, alas, did not go unnoticed by Ryuji Sakamoto...)

"...'ah'?" repeated Toji. "I don't see nothing."

"Wait, did something happen?" said a bewildered Junpei.

"...apparently?" Mayumi adjusted her glasses with a confused expression. "I certainly can't see it, if that's the case..."

Ren made a show of squinting and leaning forward. "...nope. Can't see anything either." (But this was a lie; Ryuji merely narrowed his eyes further...)

Shinji realized that the others apparently couldn't see the door to the Velvet Room...which was fine by him. Holding Sokila's hand, he stepped forward as the door opened-

xxxx

-and he was once more within the Velvet Room, standing alongside Sokila amidst a quartet of four silver-haired people in blue.

"A most excellent foray," remarked Margaret.

"Did you call Joker 'inmate' like I asked?" asked Lavenza.

"We must engage in the festivity known as GOSSIP!" exclaimed Elizabeth, dragging Sokila away towards the kitchen.

"Oh dear," murmured Theodore as his sisters followed Elizabeth. "Perhaps...I should be on hand for damage control...?"

As Theo walked way, Shinji turned towards the auditorium, where Igor sat as always. "...Mister Igor."

"Greetings, dear guest," remarked the proprietor of the Velvet Room. "Very interesting, for a resident of the Velvet Room to summon the doorway of their own volition...a very curious development."

"...is it that strange? I mean...the door showed up at different places in Tokyo-3..."

"Normally, its location is fixed: a reflection of the order that our guests subconsciously desire in the midst of their chaotic lives...a place that is always constant, whilst all around them is gripped by change...but that seems to be different for your attendant, isn't it?"

"...is it?"

"Your attendant, although One Who Rules Over Power like her fellows, is less secure in that role...and as such, her desires seem to have an effect on the Velvet Room as well. How fascinating, your mutual journeys are..."

Shinji couldn't help but smile, gazing towards the kitchen; he could hear Lavenza gasping ("You want to try and make the Curry of the Godslayer after only having it once?!") as Sokila directed Elizabeth and Theo to grab ingredients out of the refrigerator. "Yeah...I guess so..."

xxxx

As Shinji returned to cognizance in the real world, he heard audible gasps of shock and surprise from the people behind him.

"What the?!"

"Whoa, she's gone-"

"She just vanished."

"Dude, where'd she go?"

"Curious..."

Misato stepped forward, looking somewhat concerned. "Shinji-kun...where'd she go?"

"...back to where she lives," he honestly said. "But...it probably won't be the last time you see her." Somehow, he had a feeling that seeing so many different people had made her day...

xxxx

Agent Hirofumi Kurosawa was, to put it mildly, in a bit of a mood.

Thus far, his interviews with various NERV personnel and associates had provided some generalities about their observations of Shinji Ikari: dutiful (albeit reluctantly, according to some); a quiet disposition; generally reduced to mandatory bed rest due to injuries or fatigue incurred during the new moon (at least since June).

Dr. Sayoko Uehara, speaking on behalf of herself and nurse Tae Takemi (who was apparently working at a different hospital that week), had added that the boy was somewhat nervous around women. (But what teenage boy wasn't?)

Seigo Aida had remarked that the whole business was distasteful, mostly because of that his son Kensuke was so involved. (From what Kurosawa had been able to glean from Anti-Terror Task Force records, Naomi Aida had died in allegedly mysterious circumstances during the new moon of September 2012. Little wonder that there was apparently some bad blood as a result of Aida's son getting involved with anything Metaverse-related.)

Dr. Ritsuko Akagi...well, she had filled up her 'interview' with enough technobabble to drive a grad student to tears, much less a law enforcement officer with blue collar roots.

(After sitting through way too many technical explanations, he had finally asked straight up if Dr. Akagi was just trying to annoy him into leaving. "Partially," the blonde had admitted. "No matter what my personal or professional disagreements are with the Commander's decision to let the Third Child leave Tokyo-3 for his academic break...it's not like the boy is unwilling to deploy or fight. I have to give him credit for that much.")

Overall, he hoped to get something conclusive from the Commander of NERV, who he was slated to speak to in short order.

"Commander Ikari will see you now, Kurosawa-san," said the secretary sitting beyond the rather plain door leading into his office.

Nodding, Kurosawa — quietly turning on an audio recorder within the pocket of his suit jacket — rose to his feet, reaching for the handle of the single door. Strange, he couldn't help but muse. You'd think someone with Ikari's level of authority would have something more grandiose.

As he entered Gendo Ikari's office, it looked remarkably...pedestrian. Despite the unusually high ceiling, the overall decor — metal filing cabinets along the walls, the single desk holding a trio of monitors, and a pair of empty chairs in front of said desk — was utterly spartan. The man himself was still typing away, doing whatever work the Commander of NERV did on a daily basis. "Greetings, Agent Kurosawa. To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the Public Security Division's Paranormal and Supernatural Countermeasure Office?"

Kurosawa took one of the empty chairs, staring Ikari square in the eye. "Just to ask some questions on behalf of the government."

"To what end?"

"To ensure that the most recent asset for Project E is being utilized properly."

Gendo calmly adjusted his glasses, which were rendered opaque due to the light from his computer monitors. "Interesting. I assume you must have some concerns about what may have happened with the Ai ferry? You would have to speak with either the Third Child or his compatriots who were with him on that day, as I have no direct knowledge of the matter."

"Surely you would have received a report of some sorts."

"Naturally. My opinion would still be less relevant than theirs."

Kurosawa frowned at Ikari's utter nonchalance. "And once you heard, you didn't consider recalling him to Tokyo-3 at all?"

"Why should I? As an Evangelion-user, he can be anywhere within the world within relative swiftness. As far as Japan is concerned, he can traverse entire prefectures in mere minutes. What benefit would pulling him back from his summer vacation have?"

"Notwithstanding the logic behind letting an Evangelion-user have such leeway?" criticized Kurosawa. "There's the fact that he's now been documented behaving in a highly irresponsible manner. Or has the footage of him fighting a member of Strega in a yakuza fight club not yet made it to you?"

"I was forwarded the stories, so I am aware. I'm assuming there were mitigating circumstances."

"Like what?"

"I'm not going to guess at the cost of being wrong. If you want the particulars about said circumstances, you will have to ask the people who were there."

Kurosawa couldn't help but sneer. "Really? You surprise me, Gendo Ikari: to think that the head of one of the world's most powerful NGOs would be marred by such a base vice."

With gloved hands folded in front of his mouth, Kurosawa couldn't see if his barbed words had elicited a reaction. "Enlighten me, Agent: what vice am I afflicted with?"

"To let a child subject to the provisions of the Cognitive Service Act behave with such license? To act so cavalierly in the face of legitimate questions about his movements and behavior? To not subject him to the same rigor that the First and Second Children have?" Kurosawa leaned forward, letting as much disgust as he could muster show. "I'm talking about nepotism, Ikari. It's utterly unbecoming."

There was a moment of silence, from the Commander.

Then...there was a chuckle. "How interesting...how very interesting." He chuckled some more.

"What's so funny?"

"I suppose the data fits...but your interpretation, your model, is badly skewed. The boy would likely break if subjected to the same pace that Ayanami and Sohryu are under; some would consider it only natural, for one who has possessed his Evangelion for just over two months." There was sudden chill in the air; not as if the air conditioner had been turned on, but rather as though ambient heat itself had started to leak away. "But the charge of nepotism...it's utterly hilarious."

Leaning back with rising confusion, Kurosawa recalled his conversations with Fuyutsuki-sensei and Lorenz-sensei from just yesterday. Sensing an opportunity, he asked, "such venom...would it have anything to do with your missing wife, I wonder?"

The lights began to flicker, seemingly of their own volition. "...how...interesting," he repeated. "A mere peon, fumbling in the dark, reaching for any light that he can..."

Principal Lorenz's comment about Gendo Ikari and spite were beginning to make more sense. "Tell me this, then." Trying to ignore the sudden dread (the lights are flickering. Why can't you get out of your seat?) in his heart, Kurosawa pressed on. "If it's not nepotism...then why do you allow him such freedom? Why would you let such a powerful asset have so much liberty, if not out of fatherly love?"

"Love...love...love," Ikari practically spat. The lights of the office went dark, and all Kurosawa could see was Ikari himself, starkly lit by his monitors; the reflection in his shades now seemed piercing and all-encompassing. "What a loaded word, tossed about so callously by fools with no concept of its depths; as if such a word could describe what I feel for Shinji Ikari."

"Then what do you feel?"

"Contempt, my dear Kurosawa." He finally lowered his hands, revealing (oh gods why WHY WHY) a manic grin, teeth bared with rage. "For what that child has done," he said, practically spitting out the word 'child', "he deserves to suffer. He deserves more than that; he deserves to die a thousand times over, to live a million times over as a shameful thing that experiences only torment and agony with every single breath. For all the pain that he allowed to fester, he deserves to rot for eternity. If it were within my power, I would show him all the blessings that he holds dear and rip them away, just so he could even begin to realize the magnitude of his sin. Do you truly think you understand hatred or rage, my dear Kurosawa?" Rising to his feet, in the sudden abyss of the office, Kurosawa felt like he was about to be devoured. "You could not even fathom the depths of my wrath...and for that, you should feel fortunate."

Kurosawa — somehow, somehow — gulped. "Then...why-?"

"BECAUSE," thundered Gendo, his rage ascending into sheer mania. "Because...despite ALL of that, Fate is cruel. Destiny is a torturer. For all that that boy shouldn't matter...that weak, spineless, loveless, and craven wretch is somehow at the center of everything. He always is...and he always will be. So what choice is there, but to let him ascend to the greatest possible heights of glory?! What better victory would there be, than to let the proverbial Icarus soar to the heavens...only for his wings to burn, and his fatal descent be all the more horrific because of it!" The man was now talking in nothing but screams and roars. "THAT, my dear Kurosawa, is what I live for...and no matter what happens to the rest of this world, everyone knows at the very depths of their being that Shinji Ikari will do as he wills...and that there's NOTHING to be done about it...other than to sit back...relax...and wait for the moment where, as he inevitably descends to the darkest pits of despair, he comes to realize...that the apple never falls far from the tree it came from."

As if a switch were flipped, the lights came back on, and the strange distortions vanished. Gendo Ikari was sitting calmly at his desk, typing away at his computer. "I believe that should suffice to answer your questions, Agent Kurosawa. Have a good day."

"...but..." What had just happened? "...but..." Was...was that I even real?

"As I said before...any questions on your particular subjects will be better answered by Shinji Ikari and his traveling companions. Have a good day."

Recognizing a clear dismissal, Kurosawa — with clammy hands and nervous sweat on his brow — left Ikari's office, closing the door shut behind him. Looking towards the secretary, he asked, "did...you hear any shouting, just now?"

The woman looked at him with utter bewilderment. "Shouting?"

"...never mind." Almost in a daze, he skipped the elevators and went straight for the stairwells, taking slow and measured steps downward. With hands that couldn't stop fidgeting, he pulled the recorder out of his jacket and wound it back to the beginning. Pressing the 'play' button, there was only...white noise. No voices, for however many minutes he had talked to Ikari.

Hirofumi Kurosawa was well and truly dumbfounded. What...happened...? Did...did I hallucinate that...?

(Hallucinate?)

(Hallucinate what?)

By the time he reached the bottom, Kurosawa had convinced himself that he had imagined the whole thing.

By the time he was handing in his visitor's badge at the main lobby, Kurosawa had forgotten that there had even been something unsettling to begin with.

By the time he walked out the door of NERV HQ, Kurosawa was thoroughly convinced that his interview with Gendo Ikari — so utterly, painstakingly normal and boring! — hadn't turned up anything useful. "Well," he muttered to himself (all with a professional confidence that had been unknowingly lacking mere minutes ago), "looks like my next stop is going to be Nishiawakura..."

Thus, Agent Kurosawa departed, utterly certain in his mind of the facts, dead set on his current course of action...and yet, oddly enough, somewhat disturbed and uneasy for a reason he couldn't even hope to identify.

xxxx

Despite the joy that Sokila's impromptu visit had occasioned (awkward paranoia from Misato notwithstanding), Shinji found himself...to be in a rather contemplative mood, after retiring for the night.

The new moon was on Friday: less than three days away, now.

("While we're waiting for the aftershocks of Strega's attack to blow over...it'd probably be best for you to lay low," cuationed Misato, staring pensively at the twilight sky. "If you get any emergency missions, let me know before heading out, okay?")

Quietly examining the Bowie knife in his hands, he withdrew it from its sheath; with strangely practiced motions, he flipped from a hammer grip to a reverse grip and back again. Even though it was a gift from Amamiya-senpai, it still felt...weird. Yet...it was his, now. Power...and the willingness to use it...

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. Sheathing the blade, he pulled out his phone and wondered who had texted him; with a grimace, the sender was quite familiar.

PILATE: HELLO, BOY.
PILATE: YOU'RE QUITE POPULAR OVER AT NERV HEADQUARTERS, TODAY.

Frowning, he slowly and methodically texted back a response.

S. Ikari: what do you mean?
PILATE: NEVER YOU MIND. YOU'LL FIND OUT SOON ENOUGH.

Then why even mention it?!

PILATE: IT'S BEEN A WEEK SINCE OUR PRIOR QUESTION.
PILATE: IN SPITE OF YOUR BUSY SCHEDULE, WE'RE SURE YOU HAVE A SUITABLE ANSWER.

Grimacing (because in all honesty, there had been more important things on his mind of late), he rolled back to the MAGI's prior question from the 4th of August to refresh his memory:

PILATE: SUPPOSE YOU WERE BORN AS SOMEONE WITH A TERMINAL ILLNESS. REGARDLESS OF WHAT TREATMENTS WERE PERFORMED, AND NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU SUFFERED, YOUR LIFE WAS DOOMED FROM THE START.
PILATE: IMAGINE THE BITTERNESS YOU WOULD FEEL IN SUCH A SCENARIO, AS PEOPLE AROUND YOU LIVED ON. IMAGINE IF YOUR OWN FAMILY CONTINUED TO LIVE LIFE, TRYING TO INVOLVE YOU IN THEIR FEEBLE WAYS, UNKNOWING OF THEIR OWN CRUELTY. IMAGINE IF THOSE AROUND YOU SOMEHOW TOOK SOLACE FROM YOUR OWN ILLNESS, AS THOUGH THE MERE ACT OF YOUR SUFFERING MADE THEM FEEL BETTER ABOUT THEIR OWN LIVES. IGNORANCE IS TRULY BLISSFUL TO THEM, IS IT NOT?
PILATE: HOWEVER, THERE IS A CHANCE FOR SALVATION
PILATE: A WANDERING STRANGER PROVIDES A MEDICAL TREATMENT THAT WOULD HEAL YOU. THIS STRANGER IS A GOD, SO THEIR TREATMENT IS GUARANTEED TO SUCCEED...BUT THERE WOULD BE A COST.
PILATE: ALL MEMORY OF YOUR LIFE UP TO THAT POINT WOULD BE REMOVED. ALL KNOWLEDGE OF YOUR OWN TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS WOULD BE NULLIFIED, AS IF THEY HAD NEVER BEEN. IN ADDITION, THIS TREATMENT WOULD HAVE TO BE CONTINUOUSLY APPLIED DAILY, RENDERING YOU UNABLE TO FORM LASTING MEMORIES. YOU WOULD ESSENTIALLY WAKE UP AS A NEWBORN EACH AND EVERY DAY, STUCK IN A STASIS OF MEMORY AND TIME.

PILATE: THIS IS GOING TO BE SOMEWHAT OPEN-ENDED
PILATE: BUT WHAT LEVEL OF PAIN WOULD MAKE YOU ACCEPT SUCH A TREATMENT?
PILATE: WHAT LEVEL OF SUFFERING IS TOO GREAT FOR YOU TO LIVE WITH, THAT EVEN A PERMANENT STASIS WOULD BE PREFERABLE?
PILATE: TRY NOT TO OVERESTIMATE YOUR TOLERANCE FOR SUFFERING.

Shinji grimaced, recalling his prior attempts at pontificating over this question. With intentional slowness, he typed out a point of clarification:

S. Ikari: how would I quantify pain?

His response was immediate.

PILATE: A VERY ASTUTE QUESTION
PILATE: GREATER CLARITY IS ALWAYS AN ASSET WHEN DETERMINING ONE'S COURSE OF ACTION.
PILATE: GIVEN THAT PAIN CAN BE A VERY SUBJECTIVE PHENOMENON, YOU CAN DRAW PARALLELS TO OTHER EVENTS AS NECESSARY.

...hmm. That made it a bit more difficult.

S. Ikari: I could hypothetically talk about a level of pain where the slightest movement felt like a million knives plunging into my body, but would that really answer what you're asking me?
PILATE: SOME WITH EXCESSIVE BRAGGADOCIO WOULD SAY THAT THERE IS NO LEVEL OF PAIN THAT WOULD COMPEL THEM INTO CERTAIN SITUATIONS
PILATE: AT LEAST YOU ARE HONEST ENOUGH WITH YOUR OWN FRAILTY
PILATE: BUT YES, IT WOULD BE A BIT OF A BORING ANSWER. SURELY THE PROSPECT OF LIVING IS WORTH THE COST OF YOUR OWN MEMORIES?

Shinji's face immediately soured; given his recent memory problems (problems he hadn't even realized existed) since returning to Nishiawakura for summer vacation, his stance...had shifted.

S. Ikari: No.
PILATE: ELABORATE
S. Ikari: memories help define who I am as a person. they connect the me of today with the me of yesterday
S. Ikari: if I were to wake up each day with no clue as to who I was from the day before, how would that be any different from dying?
PILATE: BIOLOGICALLY, PHYSICALLY, AND PHYSIOLOGICALLY, IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFERENT FROM DYING

Shinji frowned at the pedantic answer.

S. Ikari: you know what i mean
PILATE: PERHAPS. YOU'LL HAVE TO ELABORATE
S. Ikari: the person I am from day to day is connected to my past self by a chain of memories; without that chain, how can I know if I'm growing? How can I know if i'm changing?

Punctuation's getting better...

PILATE: YOUR LIVED EXPERIENCE WOULD STILL HAVE OCCURRED EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T REMEMBER THEM, SO THIS DOES NOT SEEM RELEVANT
PILATE: DO YOU IMPLY THAT YOU PREFER A SOUND MIND OVER A SOUND BODY?

Shinji hummed thoughtfully; given his current circumstances, he kind of needed both...but this was a hypothetical. So he would be hypothetical.

S. Ikari: yes
PILATE: WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH, WITH A CURSED BODY THAT IS DOOMED TO DIE?
PILATE: YOU WOULD BE A MERE SPECTATOR TO THE EVENTS AROUND YOU, UNABLE TO HELP. UNABLE TO ASSIST. UNABLE TO DO NOTHING, BUT WASTE AWAY.

Shinji grimaced as he slowly typed his response, because...he couldn't bring himself to agree.

S. Ikari: even if my life would be small or insignificant, I would still be able to do something
S. Ikari: you mentioned that people around me would take solace from my illness. that's a good thing
S. Ikari: If other people gained value because of my life, I'd like to think that would be good enough for me
PILATE: HOW ALTRUISTIC
PILATE: AND UNREALISTIC. YOU WOULD DARE TO THINK SO HIGHLY OF YOURSELF?
PILATE: SHINJI IKARI, SELFLESS AVATAR OF CHARITY!

Ignoring the barb from the MAGI, Shinji couldn't help but think of the people in his life: Social Links or otherwise, they had impacted him in ways both big and small. Even Saori Hasegawa, who he had known for less than an hour, had impacted his life (albeit in a way that was...rather sobering and sad).

S. Ikari: I don't think charity has anything to do with it
S. Ikari: the mere fact that I lived is enough to impart meaning on other people
S. Ikari: and I think the meaning of 'Shinji Ikari', however weak he may be from illness, is bigger than the meaning from someone who lives and dies after one day, every single day
S. Ikari: that person would be too busy trying to figure things out, that he wouldn't have any time left over to actually 'live.'
S. Ikari: that's how I feel

For once, PILATE's response wasn't instant. Did...I do something wrong? Finally:

PILATE: HOW UNBELIEVABLY AMUSING
PILATE: THE WORDS DIFFER, BUT YOUR SENTIMENT IS THE SAME
PILATE: WHAT A DELIGHTFUL LITTLE PARALLEL YOU'VE UNWITTINGLY FORMED
S. Ikari: Sorry?
PILATE: NEVER YOU MIND
PILATE: YOUR ELABORATION WAS SUFFICIENT ENOUGH FOR OUR PURPOSES.
PILATE: SUCH ARE THE IDIOSYNCRASIES OF HUMANITY, BUT YOU SEEM TO HONESTLY BELIEVE THEM...AND SUCH A WRETCHED FATE SEEMS MORE IN FITTING WITH WHO YOU ARE, AT ANY RATE.

Shinji didn't know if that was a complement or not.

PILATE: AFTER ALL, EVEN A WEAKLING CAN CHANGE THE COURSE OF DESTINY'S FLOW IF THEY'RE IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME.
S. Ikari: don't you mean the right place at the right time?
PILATE: WE KNOW PRECISELY WHAT WE SAID
PILATE: WE'LL KEEP IN TOUCH.
PILATE: END OF LINE

Shinji blinked as the MAGI cut off their line of inquiry. How...odd. PILATE had seemed unusually pleased by his answer. What sentiment had they been referring to? And what parallel? I wonder if I'll ever know...

Nonetheless, after thinking so heavily, sleep's siren call could no longer be resisted.

xxxx

END OF 8/11/2015

xxxx

Author's Note: Sokila was like "you don't wanna hang out with me? Fine, I'll just have to hang out with you then! :D" (Not that I can blame her; her last outing in the real world was on 7/19/2015, but that chapter was written all the way back in May 2021. Why can't the spacetime continuum be more merciful?)

The Star Social Link with Sokila is now at Rank 4, while Justice (with the MAGI) hit Rank 5.

And that monologue from Gendo was totally normal. I'm sure that won't be a problem.

/two more days until the new moon
/can't wait!