Yet another dialogue monster. These are so damned hard.
Edit: Anti-boredom action scene. A modification of Shinji in a Gundam to be more... Gundammy. Taken from Candle in the Dark. All we're missing is gratuitous main character death
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Shinji had to remind himself that the woman who smiled as she said hello to Rei Ayanami wasn't the Asuka he knew. She looked, walked and sounded like the Asuka he knew and longed to see again...
But Asuka Langley Sorhyu would never have greeted Rei Ayanami like a friend.
The adults did what adults usually did when they got together. They talked about things that just skirted over his head. They all knew each other in some way. The interpersonal connections that seemed to come so easy to everyone else only served to lock him out from the group.
The instruments waited onstage, unused.
"They've been friends a long time, especially Jet, Ben and Gina.... and they haven't spoken in a while. Marsden knows Ben and Yayoi, who knows Gina, while Kotono and Daryl are with us," Anika explained. "You really should go over and just talk with them."
Shinji stood there, shifting his weight between his feet, trying to swallow the sick feeling rising up his throat.
"I really don't know what to talk about."
He didn't know them. Or their world.
"What would you normally talk about?"
He gave his sister a self-deprecating smile. "I'd normally sit quietly on the outside while everyone else talked, until somebody talked to me."
She frowned gently. "You don't make friends that way."
"But otherwise I'm just intruding. They might not want me to be there."
Another justification.
She just smiled at him. "They travelled millions of miles to be here Shinji. Millions of miles. I think that answers that question."
He glanced at the group, who seemed to have each grown about a metre in height since the last time he looked.
"It'd help if I knew who they were."
"You won't find that out without introducing yourself first. Besides you know Rei, you know us... you sort of know Gina and Yayoi."
He took a deep, cooling breath before exhaling a long sigh. A shudder rose through his body.
"And they all think they know me..."
"So show them who you really are."
It sounded like an order. An order that couldn't be refused.
"Alright..." he answered, tentatively.
He didn't move. Anika stood, staring him down, waiting. Her gaze seemed to apply physical pressure. But what if.... he wondered. What if they hate me? What if I say something stupid? What if I stick my foot in my mouth because I don't know the local culture.
He didn't want a repeat of the Senshi biomod thing... definitely not.
All of this raced through his mind. He could feel the hot fear rising, slowing his mind down. The world seemed to accelerate as he stepped forward. Jet was explaining something about 250o kilowatt hoursto Ben, while Marsden listened in, commenting about a new kind of fusion. Asuka was speaking with Yayoi about music, while Rei watched on in her usual manner, content to listen. Nene had taken station beside Anika, while Ford was getting horrendously technical.
He could look for a break all day and never get a chance. He just had to step right up and say it. They towred over him, stretching right to the ceiling.
The armour in his jacket dragged him down and crushed the words in his throat.
"Hi....." he managed to say.
Every eye fell on him.
Gina grinned at him. "Oh. I was just telling everyone about how well you played the cello."
He felt himself blush hot. "It was a hobby. Nothing more."
It took him a moment to realise she was speaking about that one time, right before she kissed him and he'd been such a fool .
She scowled playfully. "You're always so modest. It's so annoying. It was about the only the thing I ever admitted you were good at."
"You and Gina should duet sometime," Ben suggested. He still hadn't stopped smiling... he was standing there practically buzzing with energy, ready to explode.
Gina glanced around, obviously taking quick stock of how many instruments. "I didn't bring anything with me...."
"Well... we didn't know about the Scarmpella so we brought along our own Stradivarius. You can borrow that."
Shinji stared open-mouthed at Marsden. How rich were these people to talk about Scarmpella's and Stradivarii? Or to willingly bring one along on such a long journey?
"That....." Jet glanced between Marsden and Yayoi, taking a moment to think. "Each one of those is worth more than we made...."
"Oh don't worry, I won't break it. "
There was an accusation hidden in her gaze. Shinji recognised it immediately. A private joke between friends.
Jet answered with a rueful smile. "I don't think I could afford to be in the same room as it."
Ford slapped her partner on the back? "Don't worry Jet. This time next year, we'll be millionaires. Then we can afford to have you break it."
"You said that last year," Jet answered back, narrowing her eyes.
"FDF was your fault," Ford reminded her. "Not mine."
"What was that you were playing beforehand Shinji? Marsden asked him.
There was something about the man ... probably unintentional ... that carried uncomfortable echoes of his father. Shinji privately chastised himself for thinking that - he seemed otherwise a decent person.
"Gregor Samsa. " Shinji said, hoping to keep things going. "I liked it."
Yayoi was clearly pleased to have a new convert to her name "I'm sure Pen-Pen has their full discography."
"Pen to the Penth!" The CI quarked.
Gina raised an eyebrow "Gregor Samsa? "
"You'll like them," Shinji assured her.
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Edit: Anti-boredom action scene. A modification of Shinji in a Gundam to be more... Gundammy. Taken from Candle in the Dark. All we're missing is gratuitous main character death
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?