Jesus this is a big story/topic
Going to try and wrap it up in the next two pages.
For some reason, this was on the 'doc. Cool
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--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?
Going to try and wrap it up in the next two pages.
Quote:Everyone had either gone to bed, or had other duties to see to. Benjamin seemed to crash hard, coming down from the sugar-rush of the Gods, and had to be helped to his quarters by Gina.... who insisted on calling him an idiot with a warmth and affection behind it that made Shinji's heart ache.
Jet's puppet disappeared soon afterwards, followed by Ford, then Kotono and Daryl. Anika hung on until her watch began and took Nene with her, while Marsden left with Rei when she said she was tired.
Before long, it was just himself, Pen to the Penth, Yayoi and a few curious exocomps. Some of the local ones in their industrial grey seemed to be admiring the garish paint on another. Shinji wondered what time it actually was, before getting the idea to check his network connection.
05:32:27.635 Jan 23 2023
Shinji didn't feel tired, not one bit. He mused on that, while concentrating on following the direction o the hologram, reading the music on the sheet, and marvelling at how easy it all seemed. It was, he thought, just further proof that he really was something other than human.
They finished playing, and Shinji rested his bow on the music stand. "You're much better than you were when we first played, Yayoi-san."
"You're getting better yourself, Shinji-kun. But I doubt either of us are good enough to get a recording contract yet." She smiled as she stood up and walked over to a chair facing her companion. "Are you feeling more relaxed now?"
He thought for a moment. "A bit, yes. As...." He caught himself "Ah, Gina. I didn't know she could play too. I never saw Asuka do it."
"Do you remember earlier that I told you there was another secret, but it wasn't mine to tell you?" When he nodded, she went on. "It's her secret. How much did she tell you?"
"She..." he stopped again, thinking it through. "She told me she wasn't Asuka. But.... they seem the same."
Yayoi nodded, but didn't say anything for a moment. "Let me tell you about Sora. She's my sister, in the same way that Anika-san is your sister."
"How common is that?"
"It's more common than most people realize. If you're curious, ask Nene-san about her brother sometime. But that isn't important right now. When Sora first woke up in this universe, she was a quiet, almost mousy girl, and she stayed that way for years because she thought that was all she could be."
"Why would she think that?"
"Because she's like us - she was built to look and act like a person out of a story. And our father didn't help her realize that what she was isn't the same as what she is, so she stayed 'just Sora' for years. But then she met somebody who she thought she knew, and she didn't know that person at all."
"Like me and Asu- Gina."
"Something like that, yes. And that shook my sister to the core, but it also gave her the confidence to stop being 'just Sora' and make her own way in the world. And now she's the chief engineer on a spaceship that I can only dream of flying in, and she isn't a mousy little girl any more - she's a woman in love with a good man who loves her in return."
There was something behind the smile, a distant sadness hollowing her gaze
"Just like Gina is in love with Rhodes-san. I wonder if there's anyone out there who I could love."
Yayoi smiled, her motherly smile. "I'm sure there is, Shinji-kun. But whoever she is, she won't come to you - you have to go out and find her."
He thought for a moment, then grinned. "You're just trying to get me out of the house."
She grinned back. "Is it working?"
"Maybe. What are we going to play next?" He picked up his bow.
As Yayoi walked back to the piano, she asked, "How about some heavy metal?"
"You can't play metal on the cello."
"I have a recording of 'Thunderstruck' played on the bagpipes. You can play anything on anything, Shinji-kun! You're only limited by what you think is possible."
If there were any passers-by, they could have heard their laughter out in the hall.
-------
Shinji awoke in his room again.
He was naked, again.
The last thing he remembered was stepping into a hot shower, allowing a day's grime to wash from his body while his thoughts seemed to just slow down, smothered by clouds of steam. He ignored the warning....
And then.... snap
He was awake in his bed.
"Dammit," he mumbled, staring up at the by-now familiar ceiling. It was his room now. His riding gear was left folded for him, along with some clean clothes. Shinji cursed the design flaw that'd keep him from ever enjoying anything hot again.
The boy sighed and gathered up some fresh clothes to wear for the day ahead. They were still too large, but that probably couldn't be helped. He padded around, getting used to the refreshing chill rising through his body from the concrete.
The thought occurred to him to try a cold shower in the mornings instead of hot. If he wasn't really a human being, then did normal human comforts really apply? He pondered on that as he slipped the communicator onto his wrist.
It didn't seem quite as alien anymore when it entered awareness, pinging out into the local network. It told him he'd been out for over an hour. And that Jet and Anika were somewhere called 'Grey Room'.
Outside, the smell of breakfast lingered in the air. He padded around a living area that'd been meticulously cleaned and arranged. There was nothing left in the sink to be cleaned. The television sat idle, a red standby light glowing.
A note was taped to it, handwritten in a mix of kanji and hiragana.
"Shinji, We're up in the Grey room if you need us. Otherwise, do what you'd like today. There're a few things you might like to watch preselected, to help get you a feel for the world - Kotono"
Nothing at all was expecting of him. So he did exactly what was expected of him.
-------
For some reason, this was on the 'doc. Cool
________________________________
--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?