[RP] The Evangelion Summer Vacation

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GoatMan
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Postby GoatMan » Sat Jun 26, 2010 2:54 pm

Raidon Watanabe
Day 1, 1:40pm
Trail


The others seemed to take Ran's word for it, but Watanabe was picky about the bikes he rode. Selecting the aged, slightly scratched white scooter in the background, the boy was happy with his selection. Just as his grandparents had trained him, he worked over the control levers, checking for proper operation and cable tension. Drum brakes weren't so bad, though a disc with a good slotted rotor would have been better up front. Finding the front brake slack, he readjusted the cable, getting a crisp, instantaneous response. He did the same with the throttle cable, noticing a slight stick in the action. It would need to be lubricated later, but that was something their maintenance department could handle.

There were no rocks, glass, nails, or other debris in the tires, the forks still had plenty of fluid, and to his amusement, used valve stems to add pressurized air. That would definitely make them more adaptable to the visitors, he considered. Furthermore, all the spokes were tight, ringing in a cheerful note when struck by a nearby stick. The 428 chain, while a little worn, was reasonably tensioned, though the sprockets could have been replaced in the next few weeks.

Upon starting, he did notice a slight wavering of the starter motor. The rectifier assembly wouldn't charge the battery in time, he knew, and the CV transmission wouldn't let him jump start down a hill. Thankfully, there was a kickstarter for a back-up. With the fuel valve switched on, he rocked the scooter side to side, noting plenty of gas sloshing in the tank.

Adjusting the rental helmet, a 3/4 open-face style, he remembered the old rider's joke. "How do you tell if a rider is happy? He has bugs on his teeth."

The ride was pleasant, if not slow. He had to admit, the trails were well-maintained on the island, with very little debris. As the others took their time, often glancing over the scenery, Raidon focused more on the ride. The scenery was there if you were a passenger, but as a rider, your purpose, and your desire, was to mesh perfectly with the machine.

He slalomed back and forth behind the group, getting a feel for the contact patch of the tires. Being only a 49cc engine, all be it, a two-stroke, there was not enough power to pop a wheelie. Besides, stunt work on a bike like this was rather difficult, given the offset weight distribution.

Leaning his head and shoulders down close against the bars, he noticed a gap in the group. Wicking the throttle, the bike responded perfectly, speeding into the gap for a better lane position. Oddly enough, he was riding beside Kensuke, with Asuka slightly behind.

As they rounded the final left curve, he couldn't help it. Letting his left foot graze the ground, he turned the bars to the right, hit the throttle again, and drifted through the turn in true dirt-tracker style. He could have sworn Asuka gave him a disapproving look, and highly suspected the adults did not appreciate his recklessness.

However, when he was on a bike, all that mattered to him were freedom and speed.

Shrine

He patiently waited, listening to Ran's instructions while he latched the helmet to the key-operated hanger on the left quarter panel. The others, he noted, just set the helmets on the seats. Not a good plan, he thought, especially as the wind or a slight disturbance could send the helmets rolling off. If they only knew how fragile those shell structures were. He wondered, himself, how many times his brain bucket was dropped by lazy tourists, not realizing they might as well have been riding without protection.

Ran Mouri directions and rules for arriving at the shrine

He listened intently, but kept his personal agenda at the forefront of his mind. It was not the ideal location, but it would do. In actuality, the ideal site would have been the abandoned mining caverns just outside of Sonora, or in a sense of poetic justice, the old cable bridge by the dam at Bear River Reservoir. Still, he needed solitude and a place to work things out. This would do just fine.

He was still rather annoyed with Katsuko, Hikari, and the others. They didn't understand what he meant when he responded to Asuka, and certainly, this wasn't the first time. It didn't matter how well he phrased his thoughts, if he used body language or not. They just didn't get it. Perhaps, he considered, he was truly too obscure for them. Maybe his Japanese was still a little rusty.

On the other hand, and this was the concept he was leaning towards, they just weren't smart enough to shut up, listen to what he said, think about it, and then flap that hole below their nose when they figured it out.

What would it take for them to figure out his gesture was simply a means to shut Asuka up, and to indicate to Katsuko there was more to her than her body?

Maybe a nightstick would be a proper training tool, he considered.

Open to interaction with the others

Kensuke Aida
Trail/Shrine
1:40pm


It took some time to learn, but Kensuke slowly got the hang of the scooter. They weren't bad little bikes, and while he didn't have to admit it to the others, he had a fondness for machines. Horseback riding would have been fun, but riding a scooter, he felt a little more adult.

Out of the blue, Toji turned to him, his scooter instinctively pulling in closer to follow the motion of his gaze. "Hey, why's the Class Rep riding with Kotonoha?"

Looking over at the pair of girls, he had to admit, it was kind of cute. But looking closer at the class rep, he could see the girl cringing slightly, her grip on Katsuko tighter than the other passengers. He thought back to what he knew about the girl, and remembered she was rather fidgety around bicycles, and other wheeled contraptions. She did have a point, he guessed, especially as scooters were far more dangerous than motorcycles.

Of course, he wouldn't be stupid enough to tell her that.

"She's probably nervous," Aida answered to the jock. "Scooters aren't for everyone."

Arriving at the shrine, Aida retrieved his camera, focusing on the ornate architecture of the gate, as well as the carved stone along the path entrance. The craftsmanship was incredible. Looking over at the others, noticing the occasional blush exchanged by the girls when the guys eyed them, he could tell what was on their minds.

Grinning, he knew the camera was waterproof, but thought against it. If the priestesses who served at this shrine were smart, he knew the onsen for the genders would be separated by heavier fortifications than anything he could safely pass without unnecessary risk.

That, and Asuka was already in a bad mood. Adding to it with another such stunt would mean spending the vacation in a plaster body cast.

Fortunately, her anger was more directed at Raidon, who seemed to be studying the structure with a concentrated look. Turning to Hikari, he thought it was foolish, but he had to ask. "Does that guy ever relax?"

Raidon keeps to himself and his mission, while Kensuke tries to talk to Toji and Hikari.

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Postby Eric Blair » Sun Jun 27, 2010 5:48 pm

Ran Mouri
2:00 P.M.
Trail/Shrine


As Ran saw the red gates approaching she stopped on the roadside, near a small space that had been conditioned precisely for this.

"Ok, everyone, from here on, well go on foot; it's not that far off anyway." Ran began as she placed the helmet on the handlebar, before turning to everyone, noticing they were all walking behind her, which made it easier for the blue-eyed girl to slip into "Guide-mode".

"As you can see, all of the statues here have been carved from rock themselves." Ran motioned to the several jomon statues, deformed, looking like fat midgets with buggy small eyes and mouths, as they all began to walk down the nature trail, the sounds of nature, birds chirping, and running water mainly, greeting them.

"If you see to your right, you'll see the Heitate river; it's born deep in the mountains where the Heitate Shrine is located." Ran said before turning to the children and adults, motioning at the nature around them. "The shrine is actually divided into two large shrine compounds, containing over one hundred and twenty smaller shrines in addition to the two major shrines: Naiku, or the inner one and Geku or the outer one."

"Uh, inner and outer shrine?"

Ran turned to look at Shinji who was behind everyone, and who immediately looked uncomfortable at being the center of attention, but Ran simply smiled and nodded.

The kid was funny.

"Now, the Inner shrine has an image of the sun goddess Amaterasu, who is believed to be the ancestor of the Japanese imperial family and it was erected roughly 2000 years ago.the Outer Shrine enshrines Toyouke no Omikami, the goddess of harvest, and was erected in 478 A.D." Ran continued as they entered the small clearing, seeing the massive complex what was the outer shrine, looking more like a bastion, walls rounding the structure everywhere, before the large, heavy wooden doors were opened, and inside everyone saw a group of Shrine maiden's working diligently, raking leaves, picking them up and cleaning the area.

One of them approached the group, bowing at them.

"Greetings, I am the head maiden of the shrine, Kaede." The woman said, looking old and shriveled, in some ways resembling the jomon statues that seemed to be everywhere here, her hands clasped in front of her as she approached the group with small steps. "How are you Ran? new visitors?"

"Yep, I brought them to visit the shrine if it's alright with you, maybe go to the sacred pond..." Ran said, trailing off with a small voice. "Hit the onsen?"

"Ran..." Kaede said in an amused voice, making the guide smile embarrassed as the scratched the back of her head, before Kaede turned to look at the group. "So I guess you will like to look around the shrine then?"

Kaede nodded before stepping aside.

"Go right ahead."

People getting inside the Shrine; at any point anyone can jump in and converse with Ran, I'll fix the post accordingly.
Last edited by Eric Blair on Thu Jul 15, 2010 1:06 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Postby fadingreminder » Sun Jun 27, 2010 8:37 pm

Misato Katsuragi
1:40PM, Moped Station


"That's a very lovely suit."

He was wearing that same shit-eating grin he usually wore when he said one phrase that held two meanings. The words that flowed from his mouth complimented the words pouring from his eyes; not necessarily betraying them or negating them... but...

She decided not to look too far into it.

"Thanks..."

"Look, Katsuragi, about yesterday... I... I'm sorry."

Apologies? Sure... but there's no sincerity, it's like a dog who was just scowled at, scrambling for the situation to release.

"I know it sounds contrite, and tired, but how about if just for today, we try and have a good time... as friends?"

She was taken aback by this, genuinely. Something in his voice was... pure.

"So, wanna go somewhere?"

"Do you think I could just forget about everything that happened or throw on your charm act and things will all be fine? Well, I haven't forgotten... I'm not willing to let you ruin my good time though, so I suppose today, we can coexist."

With her words, she stepped forward to already-formed group surrounding Mouri.

Mouri appeared to be back into her "tour-guide" routine, talking about the mopeds and making arrangements. Misato was visibly shocked to see Maya volunteer to enthusiastically to ride with the girl.

I haven't seen Maya pop out of her shell like that in a long time...

She spent the rest of the time mostly day-dreaming until time to don a helmet.

I don't really have any good choice... I can't ride with that creepy Chef, I can't ride with Aoba, because then the Chef will ride with Kaji and I'm sure Kaji will spill the beans and that will cause trouble, but if I ride with Kaji, then THAT will look suspicious....

She let a sigh of resignation slip.

"Kaji at least has experience with bikes, I'll take my chances with him..."

She knew her poorly veiled excuse was transparent, but at this point was too defeated to care.

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Postby Eric Blair » Mon Jun 28, 2010 3:52 pm

Ryoji Kaji
2:00 P.M.
Moped Rental station/Trail/Shrine


Kaji had just finished putting on his helmet before he felt someone tapping his shoulder, turning around and staring at Misato who seemed to be, for lack of a better word, fidgeting like a school girl.

THAT caught the spy by surprise.

"Uh, something the matter?"

"I'm driving with you." Misato said simply, the tone being the same one she had used so long ago, back in college, back when they had first met; it was strong and decided, like an order being issued with no room to ask if there was an alternative, but Kaji smiled because, as far as he was concerned, this was Misato's way of telling him they were ok, and he planned to have a fun time with her.

Who knows... The spy thought to himself as he gave Misato a playful smile before offering her a helmet.

"Hop in, and hold on tight... these things can go faster than you think." Kaji said with a rougish smile as he handed her a helmet, winking. "And use this... it's always a good idea to use protection."

Misato gasped in shock, before she rolled her eyes with a wry-like smile, taking the seat behind him as she grabbed hold of his waist before she muttered into his ear.

"You're giving me a ride where you actually take me all the way there... a first time for everything, I suppose." Misato said as she elbowed Kaji lightly on the ribs. "Don't get used to it, though... and don't think this means you're on my good side."

Kaji chuckled softly to himself before nodding, never turning around while her gassed the scooter.

"Your good side? You mean on top?" Kaji said smirking as Misato cuffed him lightly in the helmet, earning a chuckle from him before they took off, traveling across the island, and ever so often, Kaji would gas the moped, eliciting a shriek and a giggle from Misato as she held closer to him, strengthening her grip around the spy's waist, while Kaji had to fight the urge of talking with Misato during the trip, instead focusing on her hands around his waist and how this brought back memories of old places, and older times.

Times he'd rather keep out of mind, out of sight.

Eventually, they all arrived to the shrine, stopping just before the red tori gates, tall and imposing, as Ran Mouri took off her helmet and began to explain to them all what was the deal here.

"Ok, everyone, from here on, well go on foot; it's not that far off anyway. As you can see, all of the statues here have been carved from rock themselves."

Kaji chuckled as he waited for Misato to step off the moped, following her long with Ran and the others, leaving their helmets behind as Ran motioned to the several jomon statues and they all began to walk down the nature trail, the sounds of nature, birds chirping, and running water mainly, greeting them.

"If you see to your right, you'll see the Heitate river; it's born deep in the mountains where the Heitate Shrine is located. The shrine is actually divided into two large shrine compounds, containing over one hundred and twenty smaller shrines in addition to the two major shrines: Naiku, or the inner one and Geku or the outer one."

"Uh, inner and outer shrine?"

Kaji turned to Shinji, smiling encouragingly at the boy as he seemed to be torn between running away and standing his ground while Ran simply gave Shinji a bright smile and continued.

"The Inner shrine has an image of the sun goddess Amaterasu, who is believed to be the ancestor of the Japanese imperial family and it was erected roughly 2000 years ago.the Outer Shrine enshrines Toyouke no Omikami, the goddess of harvest, and was erected in 478 A.D." Ran continued her explanation as they all entered the small clearing, the massive complex that was the outer shrine coming into view and looking more like a bastion: walls rounding the structure everywhere, before the large, heavy wooden doors were opened, and inside everyone saw a group of Shrine maiden's working diligently, raking leaves, picking them up and cleaning the area before one of them approached the group, bowing at them.

"Greetings, I am the head maiden of the shrine, Kaede." Kaji gave this woman a quick once over; she looked old and shriveled, but the calmness of her voice, the soft tempo of the way she moved... all of it gave her a regal air, like someone who had a quiet leadership, the kind that is hard to come by and understand, but that lies there, waiting, like a magnetic attraction in the brink of being needed.

"How are you Ran? new visitors?"

"Yep, I brought them to visit the shrine if it's alright with you, maybe go to the sacred pond... Hit the onsen?"

"Ran..." Kaede said in a bemused voice, rolling her eyes but turning around to nod at everyone, while Mouri simply smiled embarrassingly as the scratched the back of her head, before Kaede turned to look at the group. "So I guess you will like to look around the shrine then?"

Kaede nodded before stepping aside.

"Go right ahead."

Kaji smiled at Kaede while the group broke apart, standing next to Kaede who gave him a curious look.

There was something about this woman that made Kaji feel at peace... it was a calm, soothing aura that was given off, like a teacher looking after little children in a sandbox.

"What is it you seek?"

Kaji looked at Kaede, she was staring at him with a calmness in her face that made the spy feel nervous; eyes open and tranquil, like calm pools of liquid black.

"Why do you think I seek something?" Kaji answered with a playful smirk as he looked around the grounds, noticing the small shrines, each one granted to different deities.

"You look like a man looking for purpose." Kaede said as she turned to look at the scenery in front of her, and through the corner of his eye, he could see Shinji and Rei apart from everybody, chatting with themselves.

"I have one already." Kaji said reflexively as he closed his eyes.

"Then you are lucky... a lot of people go through life without having one." Kaede said as she turned around, walking off towards the inner shrine, leaving behind Kaji who simply sighed as he looked at the pond, and the bamboo gates beyond that signaled the hot baths.

He could really go for a dip right now.

Which was the moment Malcolm chose to call him.
Last edited by Eric Blair on Tue Jun 29, 2010 12:37 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Postby Sachi » Mon Jun 28, 2010 11:46 pm

Katsuko Kotonoha
Day 1, 2:00pm
Road/Shrine


Why, oh why did they think it was a good idea to let me drive this thing??

Katsuko had never driven a moped before-- hell, she hardly knew how to ride a bicycle; it was never among her list of priorities in primary school, and it certainly wasn't now. However, the girl was in an adventurous mood and it didn't seem like Hikari knew any better than she did. Still, Katsuko couldn't help but feel just a bit unsure of herself; her fluctuating speed was proof enough of that.

It was slightly comforting, though, having the class rep's arms around her like that. Whether in a romantic way, or in a clinging-for-dear-life way, Katsuko wasn't used to being embraced by anybody; it was nice being relied on in such a way, but it also brought back a few unwelcome memories. Regardless, her attention was intent on the road, and soon: other drivers.

"Hey Class Rep! Why aren't ya riding on your own moped? These things are great!" It was Toji Suzahara, who had temporarily ditched Kensuke to see what was up.

"I was afraid I would crash... I never rode a bike before." Although Katsuko couldn't see it at the moment, she knew Hikari had sort of a thing for the jock riding parallel to them; the awkward silence that succeeded her reply was proof of that. It almost sickened Katsuko, but at the same time it made her smile just slightly.

"The poor girl came running to me as if I knew what I was doing," the dark haired driver interrupted, poking her tongue out. "She'll be lucky if I don't drive this thing into the water." Was she intentionally trying to embarrass Hikari? She didn't even know herself. Nothing seemed to come of it, however, as the awkward silence between the two continued and he eventually road away. Pity.

--

When the finally arrived at the shrine, another unexpected visitor approached them; it was Kensuke Aida.

"Does that guy ever relax?" He, of course, was referring to Raidon. A slight grimace curled her lip, and she took a few steps away to ignore the topic.

Katsuko wandered about the entrance of the shrine, observing the balance of the architecture with nature. While not her favorite thing to draw, the girl could appreciate the value of the artistic nature this place held, and fantasized about incorporating classical styles into her drawings.

Her observations would be short-lived however, as she was quickly interrupted.

Open for interaction.

(Katsuko goes to the shrine with Hikari.)

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Postby Seele00TextOnly » Tue Jun 29, 2010 12:39 am

Maya Ibuki
Day 1, 2:00pm
Rental/Road/Shrine


"...someone can ride with me," Ran paused

"I'll do it! I-i-it would be a huge honor to ride with you, Mouri-san!" Maya was about to cower in embarrassment at her bizarre choice of words, but instead Ran giggled and took her hand. Full of charisma, Ran continued while dragging the awestruck Maya to 'center stage' and interlocking arms.

Maya was such a nervous wreck on the way to the shrine that she didn't enjoy any of it. It felt far longer than it was, holding onto this fun beautiful woman who she couldn't stop thinking about. Because this wasn't a work environment obviously, her high professional discipline that firmly prevented her from ever hinting at her feelings for Dr. Akagi was no longer there to keep her in check. The hedgehog's dilemma was always strong with Maya, and this time she had nothing to blame aside from her usual low self esteem and intimidation.

What if she doesn't like girls? What if she doesn't like me? What if I say or do something stupid... Maya ran through her usual self-defeatist train of thoughts. We live so far apart anyway, what's the point. She stopped herself right there. No, wait, I came here to enjoy nature, more of the world; I didn't say "what's the point" to that. .. This is just more than I bargained for. She sighed, knowing that the worst thing that could happen was 'nothing'.

Once the ride was over, she followed Mouri-san closely and listened with the others, admiring how this didn't seem like 'work' to her. Maya was amazed with all the nature, the river, and the tale Ran told. Once they were at the entrance of the outer shrine, the head maiden Kaede approached them and exchanged words with Ran, who was adorably cute while scratching the back of her head in nervousness.

"So I guess you will like to look around the shrine then?" she turned and said to the group, who subsequently broke into smaller groups, some heading directly inside and others staying here momentarily. Maya was still standing closest to her and nodded politely in greeting to Kaede, who turned and stepped slightly away to observe the guests. Maya knew now was her chance. At least get it over with and you can set about trying to enjoy the rest of your trip already, she said to herself. Maya swallowing her inhibitions and smiled as she finally spoke in earnest.

"Ibuki, Maya Ibuki. I should have introduced myself earlier..." Nervous a moment again, she blushed and looked down. "Sorry I was so nervous on the ride over; your driving was wonderful, it's not your fault." Resuming eye contact, she continued. "I was wondering if we could spend more time here together? I've really been enjoying your company." Her face flushed red again. It was the closest thing to a direct proposition she'd given since high school.

(with Ran; other interactions acceptable as well)
Last edited by Seele00TextOnly on Thu Jul 08, 2010 2:00 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Postby Sachi » Tue Jun 29, 2010 12:49 am

Kyoshi Takahashi
2:00pm
Hotel


He didn't smoke, but he needed to pretend he did in order to get five minutes to himself every few hours. It wasn't so bad as long as he only took a drag or two whenever somebody was within sight, and so long as he didn't breathe in too much he could keep from coughing. He could never stand the smell of cigarette smoke; his mother being a chronic smoker, most of his childhood was spent basking in it, trying not to breathe. However, it was a little more tolerable doing it himself out in the open air. So, why was Kyoshi Takahashi out in the back alley smoking two or three cigarettes every few hours for five minutes at a time? It was all part of the contract-- no, not his contract to work as a waiter in the hotel; no, it was part of the contract for his real job.

His job was simple: get a job at the Innocent Ridges Summer Resort, blend in, and report back to his superiors periodically. By now, it was nothing new; he had done this kind of job several times, and more often than not his role was minimal; more often than not he needed to pretend he was a smoker in order to make his reports. Kyoshi was good at his job too. He had an average face, an average build and was able to blend in easily with jobs such as waiting tables; being that he looked like a college student, easy jobs like that didn't seem uncommon to anybody. He was also a great actor, usually able to think on his feet, yet not come off as somebody who was in the know of everything going on. In other words, he was an excellent bug.

He flung the hair out of his eyes as he took another fake drag of his cigarette and looked upon his scenery to make sure nobody was around. Quietly, he spoke into a small audio recorder he had in his pocket: "God, I hate smoking. This is Takahashi again, with the usual report. As I am nearing upon my third week of 'occupation' things are finally starting to become active. The students arrived today, along with their chaperons, and it seems the festivities have already begun. Still nothing unusual happening around the hotel, but I would be willing to bet that if anything were to happen at all, it would start within the next few days. As instructed, I'll keep my cover a secret to the Captain and everybody else and will meet up with the other Section guys soon. Will keep you guys posted. Over and out."

He stored the recorder away and sighed. "Well, I guess that's the end of my break. Back to work," he chuckled and walked in through the backdoor. The entire kitchen seemed to be busy, but nothing out of the ordinary. As he brought food back and forth from tables, Kyoshi tried to pay close attention to the hotel management bustling back and forth, just as every day had been for the last three weeks.

(Introduction to Kyoshi Takahashi as he makes his report and gets back to work waiting tables.)

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Postby ran1 » Tue Jun 29, 2010 6:51 am

Shigeru Aoba
2:00 PM
Shirne


The ride up was easy enough -- he had lost sight of the chef several minutes into it. Perhaps he had gone back to stalking Misato. When he leisurely stepped off the Moped, he noticed Maya stammering out some kind of request to Ran. He smiled a bit. He was convinced that Maya was at the very least bi-curious, and must be using a trip like this to "explore" it, because she kept the majority of her work relations so formal.

Come to think of it, I really only think Maya has been out drinking with us once or twice -- if that...

He then turned to Kaji, who was in the midst of a phone conversation, and was tailing Misato. He really didn't want to be the fifth wheel, but it looked like his bitchy ex-girlfriend, Fate had assigned him to such a role. Sure, romance was not to be had, but why not enjoy some fun in the sun?

Shigeru put his hands in his pockets, pulled out a Lucky Strike, lit it, and began to walk casually towards the Shrine.

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Postby Eric Blair » Wed Jun 30, 2010 12:37 am

Shinji Ikari
Trail/Shrine
1:40 P.M.


Shinji sighed as he stopped by the entrance to the shrine, taking off his helmet before walking with the others up the trail, as he heard Ran talking about the park

"Ok, everyone, from here on, well go on foot; it's not that far off anyway. As you can see, all of the statues here have been carved from rock themselves."

Shinji looked at the statues, lining the trail as if they were road lamps, listening to Ran's comments about the shrines, but more engrossed on the vegetation than on anything else, hearing the song and chirp of the birds mixing with the sound of the river running deep.

"If you see to your right, you'll see the Heitate river; it's born deep in the mountains where the Heitate Shrine is located. The shrine is actually divided into two large shrine compounds, containing over one hundred and twenty smaller shrines in addition to the two major shrines: Naiku, or the inner one and Geku or the outer one."

"Uh, inner and outer shrine?" Shinji asked, his curiosity piqued as Ran turned to him, and suddenly, Shinji felt everyone's eyes were on him, making the boy shrink away, while Ran and Kaji smiled at him.

He hated when people stared at him like this.

"The Inner shrine has an image of the sun goddess Amaterasu, who is believed to be the ancestor of the Japanese imperial family and it was erected roughly 2000 years ago.the Outer Shrine enshrines Toyouke no Omikami, the goddess of harvest, and was erected in 478 A.D." Ran continued her explanation as they all entered the small clearing that lead to the shrine, a huge building; wood and bamboo and trees and flowers all around, heavy wooden doors that seemed to have been erected to guard what was inside form the outside world, all of this protected by an army of shrine maidens, dressed in virignal white coats and vibrant red hakama pants, cleaning, sweeping, raking leaves, carrying water and wood.

Before Shinji could finish marveling at the beauty of the shrine, however he saw an older woman approaching them; face wrinkled, like a pink prune, but her eyes held such warmth and gentleness Shinji couldn't stop staring at her, the memory of something familiar blooming, a feeling he felt he had a name for before forgetting it altogether.

"Greetings, I am the head maiden of the shrine, Kaede." The older woman introduced herself, before she began a conversation with Ran, and Shinji once again focused on his surroundings taking in the picturesque location, green seeping in everywhere the eye could sit, while the salty smell of the ocean was ever present.

"So I guess you will like to look around the shrine then? Go right ahead."

Shinji blinked, his senses coming back to earth as he heard the last words from the older woman, seeing as she walked away with slow, paced steps before she made her way towards Kaji, and Shinji turned around to see everyone scrambling about, before he made his way to the nearest shrine, thankful it was one of the few no one was seeing.

"Wow, I had never seen one like this so close!"

"I have not either. It is interesting..."

Rei's voice was, as per usual calm, soothing... not even above a whisper, as she stood next to Shinji, examining the statues at the entrance of the shrine, squatting down to inspect them closer, as both her and Shinji spoke about the shrine, about the trip so far as they began to walk from the shrine up the small hill to where the river still flowed, crisp, clean water merging with the soil and grass, traveling with a natural flow towards the sea while Shinji and Rei kept walking and talking.

"Do you find something interesting?"

Shinji turned to look at another shrine maiden; this one was younger looking, with hair a luscious black, long and tied with a bow at the bottom of her back.

"Ah! w-we were just looking at the shrines." Shinji began with an unsure voice before the maiden nodded, giving them a small smile.

"The shrines are made in remembrance to those who have passed away, and have become one with Kami, becoming Kami themselves."She said as she pointed to the river flowing through the grounds. "For instance, this shrine is the shrine of the river god, because this river is supposed to be sacred."

"How so?" Rei asked in a confused, curious tone while the maiden simply smiled, as if used to the question.

"It runs into the beach, but it gowns from the mountains encircling the inner shrine; this is where people believed Izanagi cleaned himself after trying to bring back his long lost love, and younger sister, Izanami." The maiden said as she knelt down and scooped some water, letting the liquid flow freely from her hands to the ground. "When Izanagi splashed water on his face, his nose begat Susanoo, the tempest; his right eye bore Tsukuyomi, the moon, and his left eye created Amaterasu, the sun. The tempest and the moon where both his sons, and Izanagi loved them dearly... but Amaterasu held a special place in Izanagi's heart for she was his only daughter; this is why one is expected to wash their hands and face in here for purification purposes before walking into the shrine; you are bathing in the essence of the goddess herself."

Shinji kept quiet, taking all this in before Rei finally spoke, as if something had moved her deeply.

"I would like to do that." The quiet girl said as her red eyes kept looking at the flowing water. "I am not really religious, personally, but...it sounds...."

Rei paused for a moment, as if she was collecting her thoughts, trying to put what she was thinking into words that made meaning before she chose the simplest words, the ones that were most effective and easier to understand.

"Something about the idea of purifying oneself...it sounds nice."

"You're right; I guess we should wash our hands and feet before entering the shrine." Shinji added while the unnamed priestess nodded, leading them both into a small clearance before bowing deeply.

"Please take your time and cleanse yourself, afterward, you are welcomed to come inside the inner shrine." She said as she left both children alone, and it was then that Shinji realized he was alone with Rei, and her conversation, her subtle glances, all of her actions in the past so far came crushing down on the young boy, as a million thoughts came to him.

Sh-should I ask her? Should I wait? What should I do? The boy thought to himself as his body began to breath in and out several times to calm himself before he finally spoke in an unsure tone, voice wavering and stuttering a little.

"S-so uh, Ayanami... you uh... how are you?"

"I suppose I am well." Rei answered quietly before she focused on Shinji, noticing his irregular breathing patterns. "...Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I uh... I'm just..." Shinji stammered, held his breath, before finally letting out a small sigh and dropping his shoulders in a defeatist pose before he muttered under his breath. "Never mind."

Rei stared at him for a second or two before she turned to continue washing her feet and hands, poring some water over her shoulders, closing her eyes, and Shinji could almost swear a small smile played on the girl's lips, as if the water was, more than a purification tool, something she enjoyed immensely; her base element, like her a calm entity who reflected a sense of peace and calmness all around her.

"So uh, you said you wanted to tell me something?" Shinji began cautiously after a moment or two, letting his emotions calm down as he too poured some water over his feet, before clasping some of it in his hands and washing his face, enjoying the cold sensation against his skin, gasping when the air increased the feeling by a tenfold.

"I just wanted to know how you were doing... Do you finally feel alright with piloting Eva, for instance?"

Shinji's smile disappeared like someone snuffing a candle, almost instantly, replaced by a frown and a scowl that hid the fear and trepidation he felt every time eva was brought up.

"I don't wanna think about that for now..." The boy muttered as he went back to cleansing himself before he slowly spoke one more. "It's... we're on vacation... we shouldn't be thinking about school, or Nerv."

Rei nodded, but kept quiet, as if making Shinji aware that if words were not needed, they shouldn't be said just to fill the void, something Shinji felt quite refreshing; he hated the idea of talking simply to talk, and couldn't understand why some people would sometimes make up conversations just to fill in a silence that embarrassed them; if it were up to him, he would remain in silence, unless something was needed to be said.

And yet, sometimes, Shinji felt the anxiety, especially when he was with Misato, or Asuka, to say something, anything; life with them both was interesting, and for a moment, the past angels had made it even more so; ever since he had moved in with Misato, it had felt like a weak attempt at being a sibling-family of sorts; Misato sometimes very painfully obvious being too cheerful, as if she felt the need to put up the act because it was expected of her.

When Asuka had been tasked with living with him for the synchronicity dance fight, it had been... interesting having someone else besides pen-pen to live with; in paper it would have been an ideal moment to be better friends, but sometimes approaching Asuka was a very dangerous endeavor, and Shinji believed it should only be done by professionals who had nothing to live for and nothing to lose.

Or Kaji, who seemed to have a calming effect on Asuka, able to turn the normally angry, aggressive girl into a girl that seemed, too, like she had to act like she was expected to, like she had to behave like a ditz, and use sugary-sweet voices and actions because she was expected by everyone else.

So Shinji valued Rei, because for what it was worth, Rei felt natural, not like she was trying hard to be social, but like she was social because she wanted to, without complications.

"What about you? How are you feeling right now? do you like it here?"

"I think I actually feel at peace here; it is a strange feeling." Rei said after considering this for a moment; brief, but not rushed, before she spoke once more in the same neutral, low tone of voice she had. "And... I enjoy being able to spend time with you. You are kind, Ikari-kun."

This made Shinji blink and blush as the impact of Rei's voice caught up with him; it felt warm, it felt nice.

It felt like he was needed, and for Shinji, that made the difference between being a burden, and being wanted.

"Your face is red. Are you feeling warm?"

Rei's words and voice were blank and flat, no tone, no intonation, inflection or feeling behind them; like she was clinically analyzing if Shinji was, indeed, warm, or if his skin had suddenly changed tone and pigmentation without any outside stimuli.

Which only made Shinji chuckle embarrassedly as he tried to come up with an explanation that didn't involve awkward concepts like "blushing" and "liking" and "Misato-san and Asuka tease me a lot, actually."

"Uhm... I-it's probably the sun."

"I see." Rei said as she looked up to the sun, and Shinji noticed the skin around his own shoulders was looking slightly reddish, probably due to riding under the sun, so he opened the small fanny pack he carried and took out a small tube of sun blocker, dabbing some on his shoulder and face before turning to Rei.

"Are you wearing enough sun blocker? The sun here is very harsh."

"Yes, I am." Rei said solemnly as she finished cleansing herself, before splashing some water on her face and toweling dry, not caring about her hair, still the usual comfortable messy look she always had. "Sitting on the beach was nice. We have not done much, so I cannot comment otherwise. I am at least enjoying the fact this is a peaceful place."

"Yeah. I mean, the trip here... I spent most of the time on the plane asleep, and then the boat trip here was kind of fun but I fell asleep too." Shinji nodded as he stood up and helped Rei up too, both teenagers walking silently back to the inner shrine. "I always fall asleep whenever I'm traveling, be it by boat, train, or airplane... or car... except when Misato drives."

"Yes, her driving....Leaves much to be desired." Rei noted as Shinji allowed himself a small smile, it seemed like Misato's driving record was known through all of Nerv.

"I just hope she didn't crash her moped." Shinji said as he had seen Misato arriving with Kaji, holding on tightly to the ponytailed man's waist, and a part of Shinji wondered how it would feel like that had been him an--

"Perhaps Mouri-san will keep an eye on her..." Rei said as they both walked inside the shrine, taking off their shoes and putting them on the receptacle before putting on the slippers the maiden had left for the visitors, before Rei spoke once more, as if remembering something.

"By the way... Those myths about mystical female energy on the island.... Do you think any of it is true?"

Rei had said those words very gently, her eyes staring at the pond near the middle of the shrine; the famous sacred pond that was the birth of the natural spring that was the Heitate river, and Shinji blinked; he hadn't really thought that much about this, but now that Rei had mentioned it...

"I don't know..." The boy said softly, before he looked up at the gleaming statue of Amaterasu; white, porcelain skin with hair like the setting sun, eyes obscured by the shadows from her bangs, the background music of the birds and the smell of the forest and the sea still very much present as the boy spoke. "All I know is this place feels... calming."

"Yes." Rei nodded as she looked at the statue. "Something about this place feels somewhat.... calming, nurturing..."

"Like a mother." Shinji added as he kneel down and touched the surface of the pond, noticing his reflection and Rei's began to shimmer as the ripples expanded. "There's something about this place... this shrine... it feels... warm."

Open to interactions from anyone else.

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Postby GoatMan » Wed Jun 30, 2010 4:15 pm

Raidon Watanabe
Shrine entrance
2:02pm


He felt stupid, but if he didn't take the initiative, nothing would happen.

Walking up to the maiden, Kaede, he bowed as his father insisted, and took a deep breath, working out how he would phrase this. "Ma'am," he started. "I request assistance seeking spiritual guidance."

"Oh?" Kaede asked.

Open to Ran Mouri interaction/suggestions

"I need to find answers, however long it takes, but I need to find them to be satisfied with my life. I would appreciate any suggestions you might offer."

It was an odd request, especially for being on vacation. Honestly, had the vacation offer not come up, and the others insisted, he would have gone with the original plan. The wilderness just beyond Tokyo-3 would have done alright for his purposes, though he would have preferred the Sierra foothills, or maybe the Nevada desert. There he was at home.

Of course, that was part of the problem. He needed to be completely cut off from anything he was familiar with for this to work. In that case, this island might serve his purposes perfectly.

Kaede stared at the boy for a moment, frowning. "What you seek is a long, arduous process. It cannot be simply achieved over a weekend." Sighing, she rubbed at her forehead. "What is it you seek?"

For a moment, just a brief moment, he thought he noticed the class rep looking at him funny. Great, he thought. She, along with everyone else, was going to think he was a wuss.

"I would prefer to discuss that privately," Raidon answered. Before anything else was said, he reached down into the creek, washing his face and hands as delicately, and respectfully as possible. Still, the actions were rough, his hands pawing at his jaw in stiff, uncoordinated movements.

Kaede hated these types of tourists, thinking they could solve all of their life problems in an instant. Life, whether man believed in gods or not, could not offer a quick fix solution.

Still, looking at this boy, there was something about the way he stared back. While he tried to speak with a calm demeanor, his eyes were cold, devoid of feeling. During her initial apprenticeship and training on the mainland, Kaede had seen people like this before. Most of them were ex-cons, or men on the edge of burning out, who needed desperately to believe in something.

"Okay," Kaede sighed, waving the boy onward to the inner shrine.

Raidon has philosophical and spiritual dilemmas, and asks Kaede for assistance seeking answers. Yes, corny, but "it's all part of the plan!"
Last edited by GoatMan on Sat Jul 03, 2010 11:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Spending time with Ikari-kun.

Postby Sailor Star Dust » Thu Jul 01, 2010 9:34 pm

Rei Ayanami
1:40 PM
Trail/Shrine.


"Greetings, I am the head maiden of the shrine, Kaede." The older woman introduced herself, before she began a conversation with Ran.

"So I guess you will like to look around the shrine then? Go right ahead."

Shinji blinked, his senses coming back to earth as he heard the last words from the older woman, seeing as she walked away with slow, paced steps before she made her way towards Kaji, and Shinji turned around to see everyone scrambling about, before he made his way to the nearest shrine, thankful it was one of the few no one was seeing.

"Wow, I had never seen one like this so close!"

"I have not either. It is interesting..."

Rei's voice was, as per usual calm, soothing... not even above a whisper, as she stood next to Shinji, examining the statues at the entrance of the shrine, squatting down to inspect them closer, as both her and Shinji spoke about the shrine, about the trip so far as they began to walk from the shrine up the small hill to where the river still flowed, crisp, clean water merging with the soil and grass, traveling with a natural flow towards the sea while Shinji and Rei kept walking and talking.

"Do you find something interesting?"

Shinji turned to look at another shrine maiden; this one was younger looking, with hair a luscious black, long and tied with a bow at the bottom of her back.

"Ah! w-we were just looking at the shrines." Shinji began with an unsure voice before the maiden nodded, giving them a small smile.

"The shrines are made in remembrance to those who have passed away, and have become one with Kami, becoming Kami themselves."She said as she pointed to the river flowing through the grounds. "For instance, this shrine is the shrine of the river god, because this river is supposed to be sacred."

"How so?" Rei asked in a confused, curious tone while the maiden simply smiled, as if used to the question.

"It runs into the beach, but it gowns from the mountains encircling the inner shrine; this is where people believed Izanagi cleaned himself after trying to bring back his long lost love, and younger sister, Izanami." The maiden said as she knelt down and scooped some water, letting the liquid flow freely from her hands to the ground. "When Izanagi splashed water on his face, his nose begat Susanoo, the tempest; his right eye bore Tsukuyomi, the moon, and his left eye created Amaterasu, the sun. The tempest and the moon where both his sons, and Izanagi loved them dearly... but Amaterasu held a special place in Izanagi's heart for she was his only daughter; this is why one is expected to wash their hands and face in here for purification purposes before walking into the shrine; you are bathing in the essence of the goddess herself."

Shinji kept quiet, taking all this in before Rei finally spoke, as if something had moved her deeply.

"I would like to do that." The quiet girl said as her red eyes kept looking at the flowing water. "I am not really religious, personally, but...it sounds...."

Rei paused for a moment, as if she was collecting her thoughts, trying to put what she was thinking into words that made meaning before she chose the simplest words, the ones that were most effective and easier to understand.

"Something about the idea of purifying oneself...it sounds nice."

"You're right; I guess we should wash our hands and feet before entering the shrine." Shinji added while the unnamed priestess nodded, leading them both into a small clearance before bowing deeply.

"Please take your time and cleanse yourself, afterward, you are welcomed to come inside the inner shrine." She said as she left both children alone.

"S-so uh, Ayanami... you uh... how are you?"

"I suppose I am well." Rei answered quietly before she focused on Shinji, noticing his irregular breathing patterns. Why was he acting so nervous? Did something happen? "...Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I uh... I'm just..." Shinji stammered, held his breath, before finally letting out a small sigh and dropping his shoulders in a defeatist pose before he muttered under his breath. "Never mind."

I wonder why he is acting this way?

Rei stared at him for a second or two before she turned to continue washing her feet and hands, poring some water over her shoulders, closing her eyes, smiling a little to herself.

The water was more than a purification tool, it was something she enjoyed immensely; her base element, like her a calm entity who reflected a sense of peace and calmness all around her.

"So uh, you said you wanted to tell me something?" Shinji began cautiously after a moment or two.

"I just wanted to know how you were doing... Do you finally feel alright with piloting Eva, for instance?"

Shinji's smile disappeared almost instantly, replaced by a frown and a scowl.

"I don't wanna think about that for now..." The boy muttered as he went back to cleansing himself before he slowly spoke one more. "It's... we're on vacation... we shouldn't be thinking about school, or Nerv."

Rei nodded, but kept quiet, as if making Shinji aware that if words were not needed, they shouldn't be said just to fill the void.

"What about you? How are you feeling right now? do you like it here?"

Feeling?

...Feeling...

"I think I actually feel at peace here; it is a strange feeling." Rei said after considering this for a moment; brief, but not rushed, before she spoke once more in the same neutral, low tone of voice she had. "And... I enjoy being able to spend time with you. You are kind, Ikari-kun."

Being with Ikari-kun...Spending time with him... Something about him made Rei feel warm inside. She wondered why...

Noticing the boy's face grow red, she blinked.

"Your face is red. Are you feeling warm?"

Rei's words and voice were blank and flat, clinically analyzing if Shinji was, indeed, warm, or if his skin had suddenly changed tone and pigmentation without any outside stimuli.

"Uhm... I-it's probably the sun."

"I see." Rei said as she looked up to the sun, and Shinji noticed the skin around his own shoulders was looking slightly reddish, probably due to riding under the sun, so he opened the small fanny pack he carried and took out a small tube of sun blocker, dabbing some on his shoulder and face before turning to Rei.

"Are you wearing enough sun blocker? The sun here is very harsh."

"Yes, I am." Rei said solemnly as she finished cleansing herself, before splashing some water on her face and toweling dry, not caring about her hair, still the usual comfortable messy look she always had.

She thought back to this morning, the feeling of peace that overwhelmed her while listening to the sound of the waves.

"Sitting on the beach was nice. We have not done much, so I cannot comment otherwise. I am at least enjoying the fact this is a peaceful place."

"Yeah. I mean, the trip here... I spent most of the time on the plane asleep, and then the boat trip here was kind of fun but I fell asleep too." Shinji nodded as he stood up and helped Rei up too, both teenagers walking silently back to the inner shrine. "I always fall asleep whenever I'm traveling, be it by boat, train, or airplane... or car... except when Misato drives."

"Yes, her driving....Leaves much to be desired." Rei noted as Shinji allowed himself a small smile, it seemed like Misato's driving record was known through all of Nerv.

"I just hope she didn't crash her moped."

"Perhaps Mouri-san will keep an eye on her..." Rei said as they both walked inside the shrine, taking off their shoes and putting them on the receptacle before putting on the slippers the maiden had left for the visitors, before Rei spoke once more, as if remembering something.

"By the way... Those myths about mystical female energy on the island.... Do you think any of it is true?"

Rei had said those words very gently, her eyes staring at the pond near the middle of the shrine; the famous sacred pond that was the birth of the natural spring that was the Heitate river, and Shinji blinked.

"I don't know..." The boy said softly, before he looked up at the gleaming statue of Amaterasu; white, porcelain skin with hair like the setting sun, eyes obscured by the shadows from her bangs, the background music of the birds and the smell of the forest and the sea still very much present as the boy spoke. "All I know is this place feels... calming."

"Yes."Rei nodded as she looked at the statue. "Something about this place feels somewhat.... calming, nurturing..."

"Like a mother." Shinji added as he kneel down and touched the surface of the pond, noticing his reflection and Rei's began to shimmer as the ripples expanded.

A mother? Rei wondered what a mother--or a father, for that matter--were like. She wondered, why she did not have either... And instead had her "sisters" deep within Terminal Dogma...

"There's something about this place... this shrine... it feels... warm."

Rei spends some quality time with [s]her long lost sibling[/s] Shinji.

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Postby GoatMan » Wed Jul 07, 2010 2:37 pm

Kensuke Aida
Day 1, 2:03pm
Shrine entrance


Aida followed the others, washing first his face, then his hands in the small creekbed along the path to the shrine. Immediately after, however, he retrieved his camera, documenting everything. The gates, the surrounding fauna, and the trail itself were of little interest, however. What was most on his mind, what his camera had primarily been used for throughout its use in Class 2-A, was to document the human element. As another might put it, he was there to capture the hyped teen drama.

This mostly played out in three different categories, he had noted over the months. The first and most obvious was the continuing battle between the Red Devil, Ayanami, and Shinji, which he could only surmise was some love triangle. Still, while he guessed Soryu's constant attempts to bully the boy was a form of flirting, it certainly did not come off to Ikari, or even himself, as a highly successful courtship technique.

The next layer of drama was the slow, torturous entanglement of the Class Rep, and his own best friend. Why Toji could not see what was going on, he could not understand. It wasn't like Suzuhara was dumb or anything. He simply, for one reason or another, could not focus on the situation at hand. Of course, Hikari had contributed to the problem by first allying herself with the Red Devil, and secondly, making any attempts to communicate to the boy come off as either her class representative duty, or some kind of half-serious insult into the perverted nature of boys.

Maybe, Aida hoped, that would change.

Finally, albeit the most unfavorable of the subjects, there was the latest incident caused, of course, by Raidon. How this foreigner caused so much trouble, he could not quite grasp. Katsuko, who was normally friendly with him, had cut off all interaction, as did the Class Rep, and of course, the Devil.

Sometimes, Ken even wondered why he himself tried talking to the boy. His very essence seemed to emit hostility.

The latest change in the situation, though, was Raidon walking off with the shrine maiden Kaede. That, he could not understand. From what he knew of Watanabe, he was an atheist with an almost racist slant against everything Japanese.

Still, he thought he noticed Katsuko glancing occasionally at Watanabe as he walked down the trail to a secluded corner of the shrine.

Moving up to Toji, the camera panned to his friend, zooming in. "So, what do you think of the trip?" he asked.

Open to Toji response

Ken nodded, and brought the camera around, noticing the Class Rep shepherding them into the main entrance. For a moment, she seemed as though she would try to shout at Raidon, ushering him back to the crowd, but froze in place. This was a sacred shrine, after all, and such outbursts would not be characteristic of the girl.

Hikari response to a close-up shot from the camera

The others seemed to ignore his regular sweeps with the camera, instead focusing on the heavily forested path. The bright Pacific sun was almost completely shielded by the tree cover above, their march in stark shadows along the trail.

Kensuke zooms and pans to the major players of the Class 2-A group

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Postby Seele00TextOnly » Thu Jul 08, 2010 1:28 am

Hikari Horaki
Day 1, 5:00pm
Onsen


!! "Aida-san, get that out of my face! We're trying to relax and enjoy ourselves here!" Hikari was indignant, and once her and Katsuko no longer had their bubbles invaded she turned to her.

"Let's go." After showering, she wrapped a second fresh towel around for the walk to the onsen. On the way, she started to feel somewhat nervous about the prospect of being in a mixed bath with the boys. This was her first time since puberty being at a place such as this.

Thankfully they appeared to be the first of their class to make it there, and she immediately snatched up what she perceived to be the most secure spot along the perimeter of the bath to not be seen by any of the boys.

"It's so much larger than I expected." She said, disrobing and stepping in quickly and modestly. Once in and over her initial nervousness, she turned to see Katsuko facing away, motionless.

"It's really comfortable! Come on!" She smiled.

"I-I'm just a little... I'm a bit shy." Katsuko bit her lip after this.

"I understand, I feel the same really. It's probably best to just work against that though, to overcome it? Here, I'm turning away now so no one can watch!" Hikari covered her eyes while looking down in the opposite direction.

"O-okay. I'm in."

"Can you believe we're really all the way out here in Okinawa? It's so peaceful and relaxing just being away from that city... If I could just live here instead of in that war zone I'd be so happy. But... I'd miss my friends." She pauses in the middle of her train of thoughts and looks at Ka-chan. "I'm sorry for rambling. I'm glad we're spending time together like this. How does the water feel?"

"It's wonderful," Katsuko blushed. "It's very.. relaxing. Uh, therapeutic." Then, after a moment, she continued. "I'm sorry. I just can't help but feel so exposed right now. I've never been in this kind of situation with anybody, and being with classmates isn't helping at all; nothing against you, at all. It's just... a bit embarrassing, you know?"

Hikari blinked. "You mean you've never been to a public bath?" Facing forward into the calm rhythms of the water, her tone grew more quiet. "Good memories always seem to find me when I'm in the bath..." She looked solely at a spot nearby where her mother and sisters might have been if they were with them on this trip, and smiled. I hope I've made you proud, mother.

After more time, she responded to Kotonoha's earlier comment. "I'm embarrassed too, yes. I just felt like I had to do this anyway. I'll be alright so long as the boys behave themselves and stay on their side. Aida-san better leave his camera in the locker room."

Ongoing post; this will be edited and expanded as Katsuko and Hikari converse, interacting till around 5pm (group dinner time). If another person wants to join in, that's fine.
Last edited by Seele00TextOnly on Fri Jul 09, 2010 7:36 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Postby Eric Blair » Thu Jul 08, 2010 2:26 am

Ran Mouri
Day 1, 2:45
Outside the main Shrine.


"Ibuki, Maya Ibuki. I should have introduced myself earlier..."

Ran turned halfway staring at the young woman behind her, noticing the way she was fidgeting, almost as if the simple act of talking was a giant hurdle for her to get over.

"Sorry I was so nervous on the ride over; your driving was wonderful, it's not your fault. I was wondering if we could spend more time here together? I've really been enjoying your company."

Ran blinked, this hadn't been something she had expected, but shrugged, giving the brown haired girl a dazzling smile, as if she hadn't really noticed the way she had looked up, blushed and looked down again.

"Sure! I'd love to hang out with you!" The guide said as she clasped her hands behind her, leaning forth and staring at Maya from under her brown bangs, smiling openly as she noticed every other member of the party scampered around, sight-seeing the shrine. "I loved coming here when I was a little kid. I think I know the legend of Amaterasu by heart."

"I'd love to hear it if you don't mind..."

Maya's voice sounded so pure and sincere Ran couldn't help but smile: a light, bouncing giggle that seemed to emerge from the lush vegetation of the shrine, before the young guide cleared her throat and began to speak in a very clear, carefully modulated voice.

"A long, long time ago, there was the female deity known as Amaterasu; one account says she was born from the god Izanagi when he used water to purify his left eye after a visit to the netherworld" Ran said as she walked along the grounds with Maya, pointing to the image of Amataresau on the Shrine, a statue with withe skin and red lips and hair a golden, almost reddish brown. "She was the sun goddess and assigned to rule the High Celestial Plain, and gave her grandson the sacred mirror, sword and jewels that became the Imperial Regalia."

Ran paused, staying where she was, staring at the image of Amaterasu with something akin to adoration.

"She had a beautiful garden in heaven; when she was around, birds sang merrily and flowers bloomed happily. She also had a younger brother, Susanoo, who was a storm deity and very mischievous. "

The words were said with such a tone, Ran could see the smile in his face before turning.

"I never took you for a deep spiritual person, Mr. Kaji." Ran said as she noticed the pony tailed man walking towards them both. "Have you and your wife been enjoying the trip so far?"

Before Kaji could answer, his wife appeared behind him, giving him a quick cuff to the back of his head; this made Ran blink and turn to Maya, seemingly at loss for this reaction, which made her lean closer to Maya, placing her hand on the chestnut-haired young woman's shoulder, whispering softly.

"Are they always like this?"

Maya's response was a giggle that made Ran smile to herself, enjoying the ringing sound of Maya's laughter, infectious, fugacious and evanescent... like the touch of Maya's own hand and finger's on Ran's bare shoulder.

But still, her laughter was a sound that reminded Ran of times lying lazily in the sun, without a worry outside of having enough tanning cream.

"Mouri-san, you said you 'never took Kaji-san for a deep spiritual person' ... Have you known him before today?"

Ran's eyes went wide open at the question, before she turned to Maya, unsure of what to say or do, licking her lips nervously, suddenly feeling like the hand on her shoulder was gripping her, holding her down and not letting her escape.

"I... I don't..." Ran began as she tried to explain something unexplainable, something she could only see, or feel, but not rationalize.

So instead, she decided to go with a little bit of misdirection.

"I did? I must have slipped my mind!" Ran said quickly as she grabbed Maya's hand, taking it from her shoulder and grasping her fingers, interlacing them as she walked to the changing room. "But never mind that; let's go to the onsen!"
Last edited by Eric Blair on Fri Jul 09, 2010 8:12 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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Postby Sachi » Thu Jul 08, 2010 2:45 am

Katsuko Kotonoha
Day 1, 2:15pm
Onsen


Vacation time, huh? Half of things planned for the vacation were things Katsuko hadn't indulged in for several years, and especially not with any of her peers; the onsen was among these things. She remembered going when she was very young with her family, but that was about it. She was a little nervous.

Entering the place was easy enough. She quickly showered to cleanse herself of the outside world, and she entered the onsen dressed in only a towel, prepared to cleanse herself of her inside world, so she hoped. The spring itself was gorgeous; a horseshoe shaped pool of steaming hot, natural water glistening in the sunlight; the haze created a surreal effect around the spring, making it somewhat dreamy. This would have been perfect had not one half of the pool had not been reserved for the boys. She could just imagine them trying to peer over the side to get a good look at all of them. However, the girls could be capable of much worse.

She clutched her towel and followed Hikari to the edge of the pool. She hesitated as Hikari lowered herself into the pool, revealing herself so modestly. "It's so much larger than I expected." Katsuko couldn't help but blush and look away.

"It's really comfortable! Come on!" She smiled.

The bespectacled girl's face flushed a deeper red as she hid behind her hair. "I-I'm just a little... I'm a bit shy." She bit her lip trying to hold back her obvious embarrassment. It didn't help that most guys ogled her when she was in uniform; she could only lament only what her group of peers would do now that she was this vulnerable.

"I understand, I feel the same really. It's probably best to just work against that though, to overcome it? Here, I'm turning away now so no one can watch!" Hikari covered her eyes while looking down in the opposite direction.

Katsuko nervously let the towel fall to her ankles and she got in the water quickly so as to not leave herself exposed anymore than it needed to be. The anxious girl felt that she really shouldn't be so embarrassed, especially since Hikari was in the same position as she was, and being in the nude like this was normal. "O-okay. I'm in."

The class rep turned back to face her, and tried to spark up conversation, probably to relieve the awkward air.

"Can you believe we're really all the way out here in Okinawa? It's so peaceful and relaxing just being away from that city... If I could just live here instead of in that war zone I'd be so happy. But... I'd miss my friends." She pauses in the middle of her train of thoughts and looks at Ka-chan. "I'm sorry for rambling. I'm glad we're spending time together like this. How does the water feel?"

Katsuko had been so nervous getting in she hadn't even stopped to pay attention to the water. It was the perfect temperature, hot enough just to create a slight sting on the first step in, but quite comfortable once properly adjusted. "It's wonderful," she blushed, trying to keep her eyes level with Hikari's. It would have been even better, had she not been so nervous. "It's very.. relaxing. Uh, therapeutic."

A feint smile cracked upon her lips as she tried to not appear any more uneasy than she already was, but she could not keep up the charade. "I'm sorry. I just can't help but feel so exposed right now. I've never been in this kind of situation with anybody, and being with classmates isn't helping at all; nothing against you, at all. It's just... a bit embarrassing, you know?"

Open for Hikari to do anything, or if another person wants to join in, that's fine. Assuming S00TO is fine with it too.

(I'll try not to god mod too much and end it there. This post will be edited as the interaction continues.)
Last edited by Sachi on Fri Jul 09, 2010 12:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Postby Seele00TextOnly » Thu Jul 08, 2010 6:34 am

Maya Ibuki
Day 1, 2:45pm
Shrine


"Sure! I'd love to hang out with you!"

Really? Maya couldn't believe how incredible this was, although she wasn't sure if her intention got through to Ran or not. She could stare into those eyes playfully obscured by bangs all night.

"I loved coming here when I was a little kid. I think I know the legend of Amaterasu by heart."

"I'd love to hear it if you don't mind..." Maya kept pace with her, trying to keep cool and not completely blow this within the first 5 minutes like every other time. As she listened to the generally confusing story, she wondered how many days it might be before they held hands or had dinner alone, assuming everything turned out for the best of course. She thought she would rather be hearing about Ran herself and how her life has been, how her life was on a day to day basis-- Wait, Kaji-san jumped in and finished the story?

"I never took you for a deep spiritual person, Mr. Kaji. Have you and your wife been enjoying the trip so far?"

Maya didn't know Misato very well and certainly not Kaji, but the idea of the two of them being married was unbearably funny somehow. She suppressed her laughter and instead used the feeling to manifest a bright smile as she walked towards them with Ran. Misato gave him a thwack on the head and soon Ran had turned to her and leaned in close-- !! o//o She felt her hand on her shoulder!

"Are they always like this?" she whispered.

Unsure how to answer without looking suspiciously covert or making someone uncomfortable, she simply smiled with the quietest of laughs. She instinctually brought her hand up to Ran's on her shoulder and lightly rested her fingers on it, unconsciously communicating that she wanted it to stay there.

"Mouri-san, you said you "never took Kaji-san for a deep spiritual person"... Have you known him before today?"

"I... I don't..." Ran's mood seemed thrown by this, and Maya was afraid she'd been rude or prying, as if she had been out of line to ask something so pointed.

"I did? I must have slipped my mind!" She continued. "I must have slipped my mind?" What kind of phrasing was this? Was it something Okinawan that she just didn't know, part of the cultur--!!

"But never mind that; let's go to the onsen!" Ran took her hand abruptly and interlaced their fingers as they started heading for the shower room. Turning to look at Kaji and Misato, embarrassed, Maya blushed and smiled almost uncontrollably while giving them a quick little wave with her free hand.

Maya and Ran go to the onsen together
Last edited by Seele00TextOnly on Sat Jul 10, 2010 6:50 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Postby Eric Blair » Sat Jul 10, 2010 2:53 am

Ryoji Kaji
Day 1 5:05 P.M.
Shrine/Onsen


There was something about the story that made Kaji smile wryly; the legend of Amaterasu was probably the first thing one learns in those early history lessons; something so ingrained in the Japanese national identity and mythology, it seems to explain a lot of the views Japan has for the sun as the reason behind who they are, where they came from, and where they are going.

The red circle, vibrant, almost as if it had been made of snow, against a striking white background, pure and pristine like the just fallen snow.

"She had a beautiful garden in heaven; when she was around, birds sang merrily and flowers bloomed happily. She also had a younger brother, Susanoo, who was a storm deity and very mischievous. "

Kaji said as he neared the two young women casually, hands in his cargo shorts pockets, looking like something out of an adventure movie; hiking boots, cargo shorts, lose, comfortable cotton shirt and a red bandanna tied around his neck.

And his ever present smirk firmly in place.

"I never took you for a deep spiritual person, Mr. Kaji."

Kaji narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses, but his smile never lost it's beat, as he shrugged carefully; something about that sentence had sounded off, but he just couldn't put his finger on i-

Never took you for... Kaji's mind said simply, caustically, as the spy raked his mind, trying to find the missing piece, like a puzzle about to be completed only to find the corner part missing.

"When did we m-"

"Have you and your wife been enjoying the trip so far?"

Kaji was about to answer before he felt something move out of the corner of his eyes, honed reflexes kicked in, and he was already leaning to his left, but it was too late, and his attacker already knew his moves.

"Why the heck are you telling the locals that we're married?" Misato said as her open palm made precise contact with the back of Kaji's head.

"Ow! hey! if you break me you'll have to take care of me, 'Sato." The ponytailed man said as their own little display drew a smile and giggle from Ran and Maya, before they both disappeared by going deeper inside the shrine.

Which left Kaji with Misato... alone.

"So..." Kaji began after a beat of silence before he and Misato began to make their way to the onsen. "Had a nice ride?"

Misato blinked before she rolled her eyes.but her smile spoke volumes as she crossed her arms behind her head.

"It was bearable... the driver was kind of a gassing the scooter a bit much for my taste, but overall, he was decent. What about you?"

"I enjoyed the scenery." Kaji said simply as he walked next to Misato before both talked amongst themselves, small, idle chatter meant to simply pass time while Kaji looked at his phone every now and then, wondering where...

"Expecting a call from someone?" Misato's tone was reproaching, and at the same time, hurtful, which made Kaji do a double take before he smiled at her.

"I sent Malcolm to investigate Aka island for security reasons, he should have reported a couple of hours ago." Kaji said as he shrugged, before reaching the small river and kneeling down, touching the surface of the water with his fingertips marveling at the ripple it made, Misato's reflection behind him, staring as the spy cupped some water and washed his face and hands, before turning to Misato, showing her his hands cupped in front of him, overflowing with water.

"Come on; the sooner we wash ourselves here, the sooner we can enjoy the onsen." Kaji said as Misato did just that, before both of them walked to the small steam house that served dually as a place to change an take a quick shower before going into the onsen, Kaji stopping by just long enough to get a couple of bottles of sake from the gift shop, paying and leaving behind a nice tip while Misato rolled her eyes but smiled good naturedly at the spy's antics.

Shinji Ikari
Day 1 5:05 P.M.
Shrine/Onsen


Somewhere along the way, the idea of taking in a dip in the onsen had been mentioned; it really didn't matter if it had been prompted by Rei, or if they both had the same idea; the result was the same... Shinji and Rei had separated as she made her way to the changing room to take a shower while Shinji walked around the shrine a little more, entering the Amaterasu inner shrine ona whim.

And bumping into Asuka.

Asuka.

Shinji blinked as she looked at the redhead, before he looked away, reflexes kicking in as he muttered an apology at her, looking away.

"Sorry, I just..."

Shinji looked at Asuka, trying hard not to stare, even when he was feeling curious as to what the redhead had done; the closest he had been to the redhead had been their little chat back when they had arrived here, and for some reason, the fact that Asuka was alone, without Hikari or Katsuko, all by herself...

"Uh... have you... liked the shrine so far?"

It made him want to try, for what it was worth.

Asuka.

Shinji sighed. Talking to Asuka, no matter the topic, no matter the way the humor the redhead was in, was always an exhausting, taxing experience, better suited for people like Kaji, or hikari, or Katsu--

It was then that Shinji remembered the fight, Hikari's and Katsuko's words... the fact that Asuka had been by herself this long, and even if the redhead made it seem like she didn't care, or like it matter, there was something in her eyes, a tone in her voice... it was something that sounded close to that time in the volcano, and the onsen afterward.

"Look, Asuka... I..." the brown haired boy began before he stopped cold. frowning, before he remembered what he had set for himself as a goal.

Be more open, be more honest.

Asuka.

"You mentioned horseback riding." Shinji continued looking at Asuka quickly before looking away. "I'd like to do that too."

Asuka.

Shinji nodded, before he saw the redhead leave, and for some reason, this made him frown; it wasn't like he had expected the conversation to go any different, but still, it left him with a bittersweet taste in his mouth., so Shinji waited for Asuka to do or say whatever was on her mind, before he turned around and walked to the changing quarters, taking a quick shower to clean his body, before exiting dressed in nothing but a towel tied around his waist as the boy walked towards the onsen, noticing the horse-shoe shaped "lake" had a big boulder that was used as a natural separator between men and women, even if this open air bath was mixed.

So it became apparent for him that this was going to be a problem when the first thing he heard as he walked out was Katsuko's and Hikari's voices as the girls talked amongst themselves in the distance, and he saw Kaji and Misato walking out towards the farthest end of the onsen.

Rei.

Especially when he bumped into Rei on the way in.

open to interaction for any other student.

Kaji has a nice time and talk with Misato on the onsen; Shinji has a small talk with Asuka before going to the onsen, and bumps into Rei.

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Postby GoatMan » Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:35 pm

Raidon Watanabe
Day 1, 5:03pm
Onsen


The suggestions Kaede gave were... interesting. however, they were not so significantly different from what he had heard before. It was the usual, "relax, breathe, and walk off the problem until it can be approached later" routine. Maybe this time, he considered, he would have to take it, at least until he was back home in Nevada. At least he could take the heat and social stressors more effectively at home.

Speaking of heat, one thing Kaede did insist upon, as much as he hated the concept, was to hit the onsen. Sighing, he felt his stomach twitch in discomfort. If it were simply any other jacuzzi, it wouldn't have been a problem. A public bath, however, especially a co-ed public bath, was however a new, rather unsettling challenge.

Stowing his clothes in his backpack while in the locker rooms, he retrieved the copy of "Iron John" from before, wrapped the towel around his waist, and moving silently to the onsen, stashed his backpack in a secluded corner, just visible from the more secure of the bath's areas. It was simply a matter of personal security for him. As much as he doubted the others would tamper with his things, there were the occasional "incidents".

Noting both Hikari and Katsuko were already in the bath, Watanabe made an effort to move to the far edge of the water, leaving his towel wrapped around him until he was submerged to his waist. Setting the towel aside, he found himself clenching his fists rhythmically, trying to keep them out of the water as he reached for the book. As rough as the situation was going to be, no one could yell at him for being a pervert if he was too busy studying.

The rocky surface of the pool felt good, but remembering the proximity of the various snake species, Raidon did very little reading as he soaked in the bath. Instead, every 34 seconds, his head panned from side to side, eyes tracking with the movement of his neck. Maybe, he considered, the book could be used as a blunt instrument.

"Hello", Rei began. Her curiosity got the better of her. "What are you doing?"

Raidon froze, making sure the book was pulled up to eye level, focusing on each individual letter as he tried to keep his mind in check. She was testing him, that was it. "Umm, nothing much, Ayanami," he answered. "Have some reading to do."

Rei nodded. "I see."

It was then Rei suddenly let the robe fall away, and Watanabe's focus returned to each individual printed character of the text. Was this a trick? Who would be stupid enough to...

For a moment, he glared at the other girls, wondering if they had set this up as some kind of ploy. It wouldn't be beyond Asuka, at least not as far as he was aware. Then again, the others started to react as well, while what little he could see of the girl through his peripheral vision noted she was retreating to the female side of the bath.

At least, he thought the stressors were over.

Toji/Shinji asks where Raidon went with Kaede

"It's just... stuff," he tried to answer. "Nothing important." Somehow, the others did not believe him. Finding his teeth clenching, he snarled, set the book down, and ran his hands through his hair. "Okay, I had some questions I had to ask... things I need to work out."

Toji/Shinji inquiry

"Stress," he answered. "That's all I'll say."

Raidon hesitantly joins the group in the onsen
Last edited by GoatMan on Thu Jul 15, 2010 1:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Postby Sailor Star Dust » Wed Jul 14, 2010 9:13 pm

Rei Ayanami
5:05 PM
Shrine/Onsen.


Wearing a simple light pink robe and carrying a fresh and clean fluffy towel, Rei felt ready to enjoy relaxing at the onsen.

She noticed Ikari-kun while exiting the changing room, rather, they bumped into each other.

"Are you ready to go?"

Shinji

She nodded, eyes staring at the curtain ahead of them that would lead them to the open air onsen. "Well, that's good for you."

Shinji...I guess he wouldn't "react" considering episode 16 didn't happen yet, but whatever.

Walking side by side--or something like it--with Shinji, Rei's eyes fell upon Raidon who was sitting near the onsen.

"Hello", she began. Her curiosity got the better of her. "What are you doing?"

"Umm, nothing much, Ayanami," he answered. "Have some reading to do."

Rei nodded. "I see." She never heard of the title Iron John, but assumed because it wasn't science-related, it would have no appeal to her.

Not thinking much of it, Rei disrobed--still on the boy's side--her robe falling onto the cool concrete ground while draping the towel over her neck, it covering her breasts somewhat.

“Rei! COVER YOURSELF!”, Asuka shouted. “YOU PERVS! STOP STARING AT HER!”

Ignoring the comment, Rei calmly walked over to the girl's side of the hot springs.

“Ow! what the heck was that for ya crazy gaij--”

“Stuff it stooge! I caught you peeping!”


"Why is everybody staring at me?"

“Because you're naked!” Asuka shouted as Katsuko and Hikari covered themselves, blushing.

A fact that Shinji realized before his eyes landed on Rei’s naked form, before his face was obscured by a towel thrown by...

“Don't look!” Katsuko said while holding her towel against her chest.

Rei hung her towel on a nearby rack, and slowly slide into the edge of the pool. She let out a relaxed, happy, sigh as the hot water soothed her somewhat aching muscles.

“And stop peeking!”

Wacky antics with Rei Ayanami.
Last edited by Sailor Star Dust on Sat Jul 24, 2010 1:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Postby Eric Blair » Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:07 pm

Asuka Langley Soryu
5:05 P.M., Day 1
Trial/ Shrine/ Onsen


The moment Asuka stopped the scooter, and took out the helmet, she felt something was odd; she turned around and looked behind her to the trail that led from the bridge to the entrance of the shrine, noticing how the vegetation became fuller and greener; the smell of wet soil, as if rain has just fallen mixing with the other smells of the land, as the sound of running water was heard in the distance, behind the doors that protected the shrine from the outside world.

”Ok, everyone, from here on, well go on foot; it's not that far off anyway! As you can see, all of the statues here have been carved from rock themselves.”

Asuka rolled her eyes as she walked with everyone, glad that she had the presence of mind of putting on some comfortable shorts over her bikini, as well as a pair of sneakers to make the walk easier; there was something odd about this Ran Mouri, so upbeat, so vivacious and bouncy…

It was getting on her nerves.

”If you see to your right, you'll see the Heitate river; it's born deep in the mountains where the Heitate Shrine is located. The shrine is actually divided into two large shrine compounds, containing over one hundred and twenty smaller shrines in addition to the two major shrines: Naiku, or the inner one and Geku or the outer one."

”Uh, inner and outer shrine?”

Ran had stopped her explanation, almost waiting for someone to come up with a stupid question, and as per usual, the idiot baka had to do the honors, speaking which made everyone look at him, making the boy shy away.

Why can’t he be more assertive? The redhead thought to herself, giving Shinji a look of distaste as she tuned out whatever that Mouri girl was saying, boring ancient Japanese stories about the imperial family making this shrine as some sort of monument or whatever, not that anyone cared or that it mattered; she was here to have fun, not be bored to tears by history lessons.

”Greetings, I am the head maiden of the shrine, Kaede.” The redhead blinked as she heard the voice, a voice that sounded tired, old, but not diminsished, a voice that had some sort of power in it, making everyone turn to look at the older lady who had some sort of shinning, simmering aur –

The redhead blinked quickly, noticing the golden light surrounding this Kaede lady was nothing more than the light from the sun bouncing on something reflective from the shrine, making the redhead shake her head at herself while Mouri and Kaede had a little exchange, before the girl mentioned something about a sacred pond, and an onsen, which made Asuka beam at this, turning around to talk with Hikari and Katsuko.

”So I guess you will like to look around the shrine then? Go right ahead.”
Only to notice both girls were already walking ahead, leaving her behind, something that made Asuka frown.

It wasn’t that she didn’t care about her friends walking ahead of her, it DID matter to the redhead, but right now, she realized they needed some time to cool off, even if everyone knew Raidon was the guilty one, so Asuka decided to carry this affront with the dignity that was so becoming of her.

“Guess it’s us three pilots th–”

Which was when she saw Shinji and Rei already getting all chummy and walking away, and while Asuka’s first reaction was to go after them and see what they were, not really noticing anything else on the periphery of her sight, except for the younger maiden dressed in the same white long sleeved coat and red pants outfit as the others, and even if Asuka wanted to hear what they had to say…

For some reason, Asuka decided to instead go the opposite way, walking by herself towards one of the shrines farthest from the main one, taking small, deliberate steps towards the shrine maiden that was sweeping the small area.

“So, what’s the story behind this shrine?”

The shrine maiden gasped as she looked up, looking strangely like Katsuko, but maybe it was simply because of the glasses, even if this girl had a birthmark on her lower lip, and her hair was cut short and straight, almost boyishly, her bangs and sides framing her face.

“Oh, hi! I uh…” The young girl, probably a few years older than Asuka began before she looked at the statue of a cow. “This is supposed to help students get better grades, if you touch the images nose like this…”

Asuka tried not to roll her eyes as the girl rubbed the metal effigy of the bovine while turning to look at her, giving the redhead a nervous smile.

“Yeah, I get it, rub the cow’s nose, you get a 5.” The redhead said dismissively as she lookd indolently to her right side, quietly as the sudden realization that she was here, alone in a trip composed of nothing but her peers and friends, unconsciously feeling bad about not being able to hang out with Hikari and Katsuko.

“You know... if something is troubling you, the best thing you can do is take a dip on the onsen; the water has this amazing capability to cleanse your mind and body” the young girl said as she gave Asuka a concerned look, before she pointed to a nearby river.

”The water that comes from this place is said to be divine in origin; it came from Izanagi himself as he was cleaning himself after a trip to the underworld.”

Asuka blinked, she had never been one to like classical literature too much, but even she remembered this story.

“I heard that, but his name wasn’t Izanagi, it was Orpheus...” Asuka said as she and the girl walked to the river, where the shrine maiden kneel and took of her sandals and socks, before washing her feet, sighing happily.

“Do you mind telling me that story?”

Asuka nodded as she took of her sneakers, mimicking what the girl was doing, letting her feet touch the surface and feeling the water cool and refreshing.

“Well, it goes like this... Orpheus was supposed to marry Euridice, but she was bitten by a snake before they were wed and died; Orpheus was so stricken by grief that he played such sad songs and sang so mournfully that all the nymphs and gods wept.” Asuka said as she cupped a bit of water, letting it fall from her hand, remembering the words vividly from that one time...

And suddenly, the words weren’t her own anymore, they were her grandmother, telling her wonderful stories of wooden horses and a father and son escaping from an island by building wings like the ones the birds had.

“On their advice, Orpheus traveled to the underworld and with his music softened the hearts of Hades and Persephone, who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth on one condition: he should walk in front of her and not look back until they both had reached the upper world.”

While all along her mother would smile at Asuka with such a smile it felt like the feelings would overflow and drown her simply by remembering them.

The maiden was staring captivating at Asuka taking this all in, and the redhead smiled to herself, because she enjoyed being the center of attention, at least to this girl who she didn’t even knew her name.

“So then he set off with Eurydice following, but in his anxiety as soon as he reached the upper world he turned to look at her, forgetting that both needed to be in the upper world, and she vanished for the second time, but now forever.”

“That's a very sad story.” The girl said as she stood up, drying herself while Asuka did the same. “You should tell it tonight when we have dinner, I’m sure Kaede-sama would enjoy it.”

And with that, the girl scampered off, like a rabbit running away and disappearing into the woods. while Asuka took a moment to focus, to pull up her guard once more before she finally decided to head to the inner shrine.

She had only walked inside, staring into the imposing image of Amaterasu before she literally bumped into Shinji Ikari.

“Ack! Watch where you’re going moron!”

"Sorry, I just..."

Of course he would say sorry. Asuka thought to herself as she rolled her eyes and focused on the statue, on the wooden floor... on anything but the stupid idiot standing next to her.

"Uh... have you... liked the shrine so far?"

Asuka blinked; there it was again, that tone of voice; the tone of voice Asuka could never understand from him; a tone that was soft and gentle, but that seemed to hide something underneath, wavering... fidgeting... underhandedly.

“It’s only been one day, baka... it’s too early to say if it sucks or not...” Asuka bit down the words. “Not being able to scuba dive does make it a huge ‘suck’ in my book, though.”

There was a pause that felt like an eternity for some reason, and both Asuka and Shinji kept staring straight ahead at the image of Amaterasu; bronze hair and white skin and bright red lips that seemed to be trying to say something... something deep, something pure...

Something that was still eluding Asuka Langley Soryu

"Look, Asuka... I..."

Asuka turned to look at Shinji’s profile over her shoulder, noticing he was frowning, and his hands were clenching, as if he was fighting with himself to either speak up, or to remain quiet, hoping that for this time, this one time, he could finally be honest, open up.

“Would you spit it out already?” Asuka grumbled as Shinji looked down, lips pursing together tightly as he finally mustered the courage to speak up.

"You mentioned horseback riding."

If he was going to make fun of her, he should do it to her face.

"I'd like to do that too."

then she could punch hi-

“Wh-what? “I... sure... ” the redhead said with a surprise voice as she blinked quickly, not really expecting Shinji to say that, taking into how he was standing there, fidgeting, unsure, uncomfortable, looking like he wanted to run away, before her mouth began to move of it’s own volition. “Whatever I guess.”

Shinji didn’t react to that, and Asuka smiled internally, for some reason the simple invitation being something that felt...

“Cleansing” Asuka said to herself as she walked to the small shower area, taking a shower as she heard the commotion outside, walking out covered in a towel, seeing Katsuko and Hikari were already there and Rei approaching everyon--

“Rei! COVER YOURSELF!” Asuka shouted the second Rei pulled her robe open and walked inside the onsen, with only a towel slung over her shoulders, covering her breasts while everyone else got an eyeful of her bo--

“YOU PERVS! STOP STARING AT HER!”

People freaking out about Rei's wild take

And just like that, as if nothing was wrong, as if nothing had happened, Rei was now sitting next to Hikari and Katsuko and herself.

Asuka sighed; dealing with Japanese idiots was too much of a hassle.


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