2010-03-22 - The First Meal

Johnny Domino sits alone in what passes as the Minerva's cafeteria, eating a meager bowl of industrialized canned soup. Actually, no, that's a lie. Johnny isn't completely alone: Kuro and Shiro are with him.

There were more people in the cafeteria besides when the Agent first entered. These people all gathered around Domino, drawn like a magnet to the two cats in his possession. Shiro, still in a deep funk over Masaki's absense, cowered behind Johnny, shying away from the excited audience. But Kuro loved the attention.

She loved it so much that she did all the talking while Domino tried to force a path to the cafeteria's vending machines. Doing so became a lot easier once the black feline announced happily, "And by the way, I can kill all of you with a mere tap!"

There was a pause after this announcement, and then people started murmuring, "Is that true?", "I don't know", "I heard they were from La Gias", "Oh man, I don't like La Gias", "We better get outta here".

And then Domino was alone.

It wasn't such a bad thing. After Johnny was nourished back to health following the Angel battle, the young man had to spend a lot of time having Misato yell at him. It was so humiliating. The Major even brought up that one lobster dinner she bought him once after he defeated Gaghiel, rubbing it in his face. Ugh.

Of course, all hostilities ceased when Misato caught sight of Kuro and Shiro.

"Aww, they're so CUTE," she said.

"I killed him and he came back to life," Kuro announced, pointing at Johnny.

"That is the most adorable thing ever," cooed Misato.

Domino wasn't punished afterwards. But Misato did assure him she was not done with him by a longshot. Gulp. So now the Agent sits, hunched over the table in exhaustion, paranoid that whenever he lets his guard down, Misato will leap from the shadows and have his head. Also the soup tastes like crap.

Rei Ayanami was sent back to the Minerva as soon as they could cut her out of the melted, burnt husk of Evangelion Unit-00. Repairs on the massive machine are underway on Earth, after which it will be ferried back to the container where it normally resides -- far too large for the Mineva's hangar, it has its own barge.

But Rei isn't needed for the repairs, so she was sent on her way. And it was a bit of a relief, too. Space is empty and desolate and blank. Stars are anonymous. Being in Tokyo-03 has too many memories. Memories that she wishes she could sever her connection to, because it's one she doesn't even truly understand. Rei Ayanami constantly feels like she's watching a movie when she remembers things. It looks just like her on the screen, and she knows every line by heart... but she's still watching from the outside.

Watching like she's watching Johnny Domino and his cats. Rei hovers in the entrance for a long moment, the only announcement of her presence being the fwish of the door. She's read the reports on the Angel encounter. She knows what the Chimera did. Maybe that's why she seems to hesitate.

Rei Ayanami wonders when she became such a coward, and that's what spurs her on to just get it over with. The vending machines sell a variety of products, most of which are awful, some of which are merely tolerable. Generally, the less meat involved, the more tolerable they become, and so Rei kind of lucks out by picking the garlic ramen -- just noodles, water, and flecks of cloves. The container heats it up automatically when it's opened. It even has a little spork snap-off attachment thing. Everything you could need for a nice meal.

Except companionship, but it's not like Rei's ever placed a premium on that. So in the otherwise empty cafeteria, it's unclear why she decides to sit down right across from Johnny Domino. She briefly makes eye contact with the Agent, but doesn't say a word. No smile, no greeting, no nothing. She just breaks off her spork and opens the thing of ramen, a bit of steam hissing out.

Sluuuurp, the Agent inhale another spoonful of crap-soup. Sitting on the table right in front of him, Kuro swishes her tail, resuming her interrogation of Domino which she started the moment he regained consciousness.

"So come on," she presses. "How was it to die? How did you come back? Are you a wizard? Did you see a light?"

Johnny tries to ignore her, taking another spoonful of 'food'.

Shiro stands by Kuro, looking pathetic and anxious. "Kuro," he ventures. "Please, we don't have time for this. We gotta find Masaki. What if he's sleeping with the fishies?!"

Kuro, her black little heart matching her black fur coat, rolls her eyes. "Not now," she says. "Can't you see I'm doing science? This is for Masaki's sake as well. What if I accidently kill one of his friends?!"

Domino puts the spoon down with a groan. He levels a stare at Kuro and starts, "Look, Shiro,"

"I'm Kuro," says Kuro.

"I'm Shiro," says Shiro.

"Nnnngngn," says Johnny.

And as Domino begins explaining to Kuro about the metaphysics of souls and why she can't POSSIBLY be able to kill people, Shiro is the first to sense it. A foreboding, pressing feeling. As if... as if there was an empty husk of flesh around, occupied by a shard of the seed of life!

"HSSSSSS," Shiro spits, spinning around and glaring at Rei. This is followed by Kuro leaping in fright, going "FFFFFFT", just as loud. Domino is taken aback, staring at the felines, then at Rei. "Uh," he emits.

His eyes follow Rei as she walks across the room, then move back to the cats, who are both rooted in place, fur and tails sticking up as if frozen solid. Then back to Rei as the girl sits down across from him.

"I want to kill her," blurts Kuro, barely aware of what she is saying. "Can I kill her?!"

For a heartbeat, Domino actually hesitates. Did Misato send Rei after him? Maybe he should let Kuro take care of-- wait! What the hell is he thinking! Domino quickly puts a hand on Kuro's back, to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid.

"Er," he begins, addressing Rei. "Maybe you should... sit at a different table? My cat wants to kill you." Boy, that's an awkward thing to say.

Rei's awareness of the cats seems minimal as she moves toward the table. She's either oblivious to their fear-aggression, or simply apathetic to it -- knowing Rei Ayanami, either is equally likely, since really, who /knows/ Rei Ayanami?

When Johnny speaks, Rei looks up, making eye contact again. Her eyes turn toward Johnny faster than her chin lifts, maintaining the stare as she slowly straightens her posture. There's a long pause, and then Rei tilts her head back down, to look at the cats. She makes eye contact with each in turn.

The animal kingdom is a magical place with its own language. Presumably, the cats are bilingual. Rei, however, is probably not fluent. How should she know that to a cat, an unblinking stare is a challenge -- an assertion of dominance? She might as well puff out her chest and raise a hand to strike, too.

After another excruciatingly long moment, Rei returns her gaze to Johnny's eyes. "I wasn't aware you had cats," she says, and then digs up a sporkful of ramen noodles.

Rei's unblinking stare is met with further spitting from the two cats.

"KHA! KHA!", spittles Kuro.

"HSSSSSSSSS," reinforces Shiro.

Johnny fidgets uncomfortably. He always knew Rei was disconcerting, but this is kinda crazy. Opening his mouth, he begins answering Rei with a, "Well," only to be interrupted by Shiro.

"Don't answer her," the white male urges. "Don't say one word to her!"

"She'll steal your soul away!", says Kuro. "Can't you feel it? Thank god Masaki isn't here!"

Johnny purses his lips. Yeah, great, /now/ they're suddenly happy Masaki isn't there. Bunch of freaking pussies. Taking a deep breath, the Agent proceeds to disregard the warnings of the felines.

"/Well/," he starts anew, responding to Ayanami. "They're not mine. I'm just watching over them for a little while. Until their real owner gets back from..."

Domino pauses. It suddenly occurs to him that Masaki never did say where he was going. That SON OF A BITCH! And while his mind curses Masaki's name with every mental breath, on the outside, Domino merely exhales, shoulders slumping in reserved agitation. "Anyway," he eventually continues.

"Sorry about what happened... during the Angel fight. I guess." The Agent averts his gaze when he says this.

Rei isn't looking at Johnny anyway. She's looking at her ramen. It's not polite to maintain eye contact while eating. Granted, Rei's concern with politeness could be described as 'minimal' at best, but considering that one of the institutions of her young life has been regular dinners with Gendo Ikari, she at least knows how to eat without terrible manners.

Rei doesn't respond to Johnny until she's finished chewing and swallowing. "I was unconscious," she replies, without looking up -- at Johnny, or at the cats. "You owe me no apologies." Another sporkful of ramen goes into her mouth. The garlic can be smelled; and if Johnny can smell it, the cats definitely can, too.

After a third bite, Rei speaks again. "I haven't ever seen cats that could speak," she notes, although she fails to elaborate on this. Is it a good thing? A bad thing? Is she going somewhere with it? Or is she just saying something to fill the silence? Even those who /know/ Rei -- as much as she can be known -- probably couldn't reliably answer this.

With neither Johnny nor Rei looking at one another while eating, the cafeteria should be filled with the epitome of politeness. Instead, it's filled with a bizarre mix of awkward tension.

For a while Johnny isn't sure what to say when Rei says he owes her no apologies. Eventually he settles on, "Yeah. I was out of it by the time it ended as well." A shrug. "Got better though."

"You bet he got better," rages Kuro. "Johnny's a wizard! Think you can take him on, you... you... she-witch?!"

Shiro, on the other hand, looks more frightened than worked up. "Kuro," he squeaks. "Can't you smell it? She's eating garlic. She's /IMMUNE TO GARLIC/!"

Kuro is appropriately enraged by this sudden reveal. "YOU DEVIL," she shrieks, about ready to leap and maul Rei.

"Okay," Domino quickly interjects. "That's enough of you." He grabs Shiro and Kuro and drops them on the floor. The cats make disgruntled little cat noises. Dsting his hands off, the Agent shakes his head, giving a sad, "Oy."

It was all for nought, though. As soon as Rei makes her next comment, Kuro pops up over Domino's head, having swiftly climbed up his seat and back. "We can do a whole lot more than just talk!" There's an underlying threat in there.

Domino stiffens, not enjoying the sensation of Kuro roosting on his scalp, but he also doesn't enjoy her claws when he tries getting her down from there... so he remains still. To Rei, he offers a simple: "They're from La Gias."

Rei's eyes follow the exploits of the cats in the course of Johnny Domino dumping them off of the table. They then flick upward when Kuro appears on Johnny's head, continuing to stare down the cat in blissful ignorance of how rude it is to do that to a cat. (And how dangerous for Johnny's scalp.)

Red eyes return to Johnny's own. Rei nods, once, curtly, as if to acknowledge the explanation. Her spork rests in the ramen noodles, which still steam from the heat of their container. Her eyes stay on Johnny's, though, and for an extended pause she fails to eat, just... /looking/, as if she could see through the Agent's eyes, through his brain, all the way to the back of his skull.

When she speaks, any sense of rhythm is obliterated anyway, so there's way it can come across as halfway natural. "Why do you fight Angels?" she asks, and lets the question sit, without further enlightenment as to why she'd even ask.

Johnny Domino finds himself pinned down. Physically he is pinned down under a cat who is very very physically pinning down her claws into his head with every second Rei spends staring at her. And then he is proverbially pinned down by Ayanami once her gaze flicks from Kuro to the Agent.

A wince begins to slowly evolve across his features, both from physical discomfort as well as a mental discomfort. It doesn't help that down below, Shiro is trying to follow in Kuro's path, clawing his way up Domino's leg like a beast on the prowl. Just, ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. God. Ow.

How the HELL could Captain Stenbuck actually enjoy any of this? Granted, Captain Stenbuck didn't have to also deal with these two cats, but...

Johnny is taken by surprise when Rei asks her question. "Huh?" The wince vanishes, expression becoming confused. Then a shiver runs down the young man's body as Shiro claws his way up the Agent's back, his white head cautiously appearing over Domino's left shoulder. White ears are flattened against a white head, granting the male feline a most ferocious appearance indeed. Except not really.

Johnny squirms while trying not to look as if he's squirming, then answers Ayanami: "Because NERV gave me a contract." An insufficient answer, no doubt, considering Domino's been fighting Angels long before NERV decided to hire him.

Rei glances at the cats, especially Shiro as he makes his appearance. Aside from her stare, she herself displays no sign of aggression. Even if she wanted to, it would probably look the exact same as she did right now. That is: agonizingly neutral, hopelessly passive.

How /did/ Leo put up with it?

"You only recently received the contract," Rei says. Her voice is so flat that it couldn't possibly be accusatory -- but it's also so flat that how could it be anything but? Rei is a blank slate. Sort of. Sometimes, she's more like a mirror. Or a clear, still lake.

"During the past three Angel encounters, you have engaged Asuka Langley Sohryu in combat, including one occasion where you and she dismantled one another's suits." Sure, a lot of those times it was Asuka's fault, but. Rei pauses after making that observation, before finally just coming out and saying it. But there's no sense of release or any hint of climax to the question. It just comes out, quietly, nearly a whisper.

"Do you have an ulterior motive in combatting Angels?"

Later that day, Johnny Domino is going to conclude that Captain Stenbuck likes his women passive. A few minutes later the Agent will change his mind, concluding that Leo actually likes his women coldhearted and apathetic. A few minutes after THAT, the young man will suddenly pause and think, 'or does he?'

But that is neither here nor there.

When Rei brings up the whole 'Asuka' issue, Domino's eyes look away. That goddamn bitch, Asuka Langley Sohryu. Johnny Domino had absolutely no problems fighting Angels before SHE showed up. If Rei would check the records, she'd see - ever since the Second Child was transferred to NERV Japan, everything that was once good and wholesome has become soiled and tarnished. In particular Johnny's good name!

Hell! Domino has a moment of Eureka: maybe that's why the higher echelons of NERV dislike him. BECAUSE OF ASUKA!!

When Rei finally asks her final question, the cats pipe up once more.

"Look who's talking," says Kuro. "What's YOUR ulterior motive?"

"Yeah," goes Shiro. "What IS your ulterior motive?"

Kuro: "Ulterior motive."

Shiro: "Ulterior motive!"

Kuro: "Ulterior motive!!"

Shiro: "ULTERIOR MOTIVE!"

Johnny: "SHUT UP!"

Gawd. Johnny signed up to babysit cats, not a bunch of children. Returning his blue gaze to Ayanami, Domino answers: "I have no idea what you're getting at. I fight the Angels because I can."

Rei doesn't show any offense at the cats' questioning. Well, maybe a little. There's a slight downtick in the corners of her mouth, so minimal that it barely counts as existing. This is Rei's frown, and if it can be seen at all, it's a serious one. She regards the cats with this cold expression until Johnny orders them to shut up. Her red eyes meet his blue ones as she listens to his answer.

"I was not 'getting at' anything. However, your answer is understood." That frown stays through the reply. Rei's voice is so blank that it's easy to read things into. There couldn't have been a twinge of disappointment in her tone, could there? Like someone trying to bite back a stronger reaction, and letting just the tiniest bit slip through their teeth.

"I have no ulterior motive, cats," Rei then says, addressing the one sitting atop Johnny's skull -- or at least looking at that one while she speaks. "I am a pilot for NERV. I have been appointed to the Minerva's Lance squadron within A-LAWS. My purpose and allegiance are equally transparent."

Of course, this is assuming one takes Rei at her word! She doesn't seem to care, though. They're cats. She looks back down at her food, eating some more -- three more bites of noodles, quietly and thoughtfully chewed, gaze fixed downward, away from all three sets of eyes across the table. As if that conversation just now had never happened. "Are you attracted to Asuka?" Rei then asks, right when it'd be least convenient.

Mmph. Johnny Domino feels like crossing his arms when Rei says she understands his answer. Except he doesn't, because the cats have their claws in him and the Agent would rather not move too much and risk further flesh wounds.

Nevertheless, Domino can't help but feel a certain sense of... smug defiance. Perhaps it was all in his head, but the Agent likes to think Ayanami was somewhat cross with his answer. It's only fair, though. He still remembers Rei's answer to HIS question not too long ago. Why is NERV a danger to the Angels? Because NERV can kill them. Why does Johnny fight the Angels? Because he can.

When Rei next says the word 'cats', Shiro's eyes widen, his fur bristling to new heights. Immediately the white feline's head ducks out of view, cowering from Rei behind Johnny's back. Kuro, on the other hand, meets the First Child's gaze head on. Not only that, but Kuro does not take Rei at her word, a fact she makes very clear when she responds with a curt: "Liar!"

Johnny may not be able to feel it, but Kuro feels it very very well. Something about Rei is completely off the charts. She looks human, and she may even smell human, but she does not /feel/ human. And Kuro can't stand it.

Which is why, when Rei asks her next question, the black cat leaps at this opportunity, shooting her mouth off before Domino has the chance to stop being stunned at Ayanami's forwardness. "Why, are you jealous?" Kuro scoffs. "Jealous because nobody likes you? Maybe if you were actually HUMAN--"

"KURO!", Johnny Domino silences her before succumbing to speechlessness. If up until a second ago the Agent was stunned by Rei's forwardness, he is now double-stunned by Kuro's everythingness.

Johnny has, thus far, received little more than hints in Rei's behavior -- of course, whether or not they're even hints is solely up to his own interpretation. Certainly, Rei hasn't been trying to drop any. And she doesn't drop any hints when Kuro accuses her. For one, she's used to bullying.

Rei /has/ met Asuka Langley Sohryu, after all.

But that last word before Johnny cuts the cat off makes Rei drop something entirely different: her spork. The utensil just falls out of her hand, dropping into her noodles and causing a bit of rapidly-becoming-lukewarm noodle water to splash out. She seems -- stunned.

Rei's lips even part, if only slightly. That's probably as close to an expression of open-mouthed shock as she can possibly attain. The hard edge of her red gaze is gone, but she stares nonetheless -- at Kuro. Her posture stops, and stays stopped, as if someone had pressed a freeze-frame button on some magic remote control. The only difference between her and a sculpture right now is that she's breathing.

And so both Johnny and Rei sit, shocked and silent. The Agent stares at Ayanami who, in tur,n stares at Kuro who, in turn, arcs her back in an aggressive gesture. Domino may have silenced her, but the black cat can still show the Evangelion pilot just what she thinks about her.

And speaking of Johnny, the young man has no idea what to do. A little voice inside of him suggests revisiting an ancient tradition: standing up and walking out of the cafeteria double-haste. But no, for some reason Domino refuses to pull a Shinji and run away. Perhaps it's because he is too stunned to do so. Or perhaps it's because he is older now, more mature and responsible. Or perhaps it's because Ayanami actually looks hurt by what the black feline said. Or perhaps...

Who can say. The Agent remains seated, his blank mind working on overdrive. What should he do? What should he SAY? For a very long moment Domino does and says nothing. Then he opens his mouth, appearing for all intents and purposes as if he is about to speak. But all he does is let his jaw hang loose for a while longer before giving up and closing his useless maw.

Finally, eventually, at long last, Johnny settles on his next words.

"I'm going to be honest with you," he says, breaking the silence. "Right now I am feeling very... very... very... uncomfortable."

Rei doesn't look at Johnny when he speaks. Her gaze remains lock on Kuro, but it's not a pointed stare -- in fact, it's a far more passive one than any she's yet issued in all of the two times she and the Agent have shared personal space. It's almost a cowed look.

After Johnny speaks, Rei looks at him, turning her eyes slowly. When they meet his, Rei still refuses to speak. Her lips stay open, to the barest degree, which only serves to highlight the motion when she finally closes them. Rei seems shell-shocked. It's as if the cat had struck her.

Her crimson gaze tilts downward, as does her head, like she was bowing. But she's not -- just slouching, directing her gaze even further down, submissively. Someone who's lost a fight. Someone who may or may not be sulking. Someone who may or may not be nursing an emotional bruise. Either way, Rei has no response for Johnny. She just plucks her spork out of the ramen and begins to quietly eat again, her defeated posture saying as much as words could, but refusing to say them in any clearly interpretable fashion.

Well, shit. All this time Domino thought Rei was a creepy girl, but now it turns out there might be more Girl to the creepy girl than Johnny initially thought. After all, she's reacting rather strongly to Kuro's words... the accusation of being jealous, the insult that nobody likes her... indeed, the Agent realizes, there's something human about Rei after all.

A realization that stands in absolute contrast to what Kuro was trying to say all along. Poor Domino, he missed the point entirely. Or maybe he actually got the point better than anyone else ever did.

Not sure how to go about performing damage control, Johnny glances towards the exit. Then he looks at Rei's slouched form.

"You know," he starts, wincing as if his words are causing him actual pain. "I'm sure you can.. find another boyfriend."

This is so awkward.

"You're not, uhh, un-pretty." The wince grows. "And, I mean. You know. No? Right. Err..."

Eyes darting from Rei to his unfinished soup, and from the soup to the table surface, Domino desperately seeks help from the inanimate objects around him. No help arrives. Should Johnny just leave her alone? The Agent's mind hold a democratic vote, the results showing that every fiber in the Agent's body wants to get out of the cafeteria, and only small splinter groups of Compassion and Guilt desire to stick around.

Domino stands up, his seat pushed back with a loud dragging sound.

"I'm gonna go now," he says. "...right."

And feeling as if he could have said something better, if only the words came to him, the Agent walks out. On top of his head, Kuro sits triumphant. Johnny Domino may be a wizard, but the black feline was becoming increasingly certain that Rei Ayanami was a creature above and beyond Domino's league.

 C_C Leo Stenbuck says, "I WILL MURDER YOU, JOHNNY DOMINO"

Rei might be sulking, or hurt, or something, yes, but she's taking it in stride as best she can. She eats, although her ramen is certainly not hot anymore. It doesn't seem to make any difference to her. Nor does anything, in her little shell. She's walled herself off and completely retreated.

Just because Rei retreated, though, doesn't mean that the outside world can't advance on her. She's fine until Johnny says 'find another boyfriend' after that pregnant pause. When that phrase is delivered, Rei freezes again, just like she did when Kuro savaged her. She slowly, gently sets her spork down on the tabletop. She doesn't do anything else, though. She just puts her hands in her lap and stops.

This is how Rei weathers the rest of the attempt, as Johnny struggles to defuse the situation. Rei herself isn't a bomb, though -- more like a glacier. Only dangerous when you try to scale it or bring your plane in too close, too low. Which Johnny Domino may well have been starting to do before he righted himself and pulled away. Does Rei even care?

When the Agent leaves, it's only at the very last second, when the back-view of his form, laden with felines, is framed by the doorway, that Rei looks up, watching him for that split-second with her crimson gaze. And then the door closes.