01: event † video

[salvagedsoul]

[A small, white-haired child, about six or seven years old, stares directly into the video lens. He seems to be wearing something like a hospital gown. The whites of his eyes look a little pink and puffy, like he's been crying. But his face is completely blank.]

This isn't where I'm supposed to be. [despite his expression, there's tension in his voice.]

No one's come to get me. [more tension.]

Where is my piano?

[after another second of cold staring, the video ends.]

Comments

[imusntrunaway]

[He slowly shakes his head. He's liking less and less of what he hears.]

I'm... a pilot. For one of the Evangelions. That's how I know of you.

[salvagedsoul]

[That earns a suspicious glare from Kaworu, the most severe emotion he's displayed so far. He's lying... that can't be.]

No. They aren't done yet. I don't know you.

[imusntrunaway]

[It shouldn't irritate him. It shouldn't bother him. Because this was a kid he was talking to, and kids didn't know any better. Kaworu couldn't help it. But it still hurt, being forgotten and treated like a stranger.]

... Kaworu. How old are you?

[salvagedsoul]

I'm seven.

[Kaworu looks away again, scared, but feeling like he's proved he's right. On Thursdays and Fridays he goes to the hangar to keep helping with the control mechanisms. The simulation equipment is always breaking. Everyone always lies to him. Everyone thinks he's stupid. But this person isn't going to trick him.]

[imusntrunaway]

[There's a brief silence as Shinji chews this over.

He's decided by now that this is either a) weird Angel powers or b) some time-related mistake he doesn't want to think too hard about. The Initiative probably brought the wrong Kaworu back. Simple as that. They reached too far back and left the one he knew stranded in the West. That's the most viable explanation. So he needs to play along until whoever's in charge gets this mess sorted out.]

You mentioned a piano. Are you learning to play?

[salvagedsoul]

[Kaworu keeps his eyes averted during the pause. He doesn't know how he feels right now. He's scared, but this person's making him feel something else, too. Shinji isn't nice, after all. Maybe he was just trying to get him to talk about the Evangelion project. All of the Lilim lie to him. They just want things from him.

The sudden mention of his piano makes him pick his head up, but he still doesn't look back at him.]

Yes. [His answer is quiet. Kaworu's hands pull on the bottom of his gown.] My piano isn't here.

[imusntrunaway]

[The uneasiness that Kaworu's treating Shinji with is eating at him more than he'd care to admit. How pathetic of him, craving the affection of a young boy who had every right to treat him with suspicion.]

There's a market. Maybe... it might be there. [It's a cautious invitation. To be honest, he isn't even sure if he has the funds to buy one if they did come across one.]

[salvagedsoul]

Really?

[Kaworu steals a glance over at him, unsure if he can believe that. But he wants his piano. It wasn't here when he woke up in this unknown place. It made water come out of his eyes.

The temptation is too much for the little angel and he turns back towards Shinji a little, interested again. He's a liar, but... If he'd help Kaworu find his piano....]

You think my piano could be there? Or another one too?

[imusntrunaway]

I don't see why it wouldn't. [He pauses.] Would you like me to take you there?

[salvagedsoul]

[He nodded slowly, his red eyes meeting Shinji's. Kaworu wants his piano. When he doesn't understand the feelings inside his chest, he goes to his piano. And he doesn't understand this feeling he gets as he looks at Shinji. Maybe Shinji's lying, but they lie a lot.]

Yes.

[imusntrunaway]

[In a way, this is easier. No strange lectures about humanity or Lilim, no astute remarks about the state of his heart. He can enjoy the company of the other without the tangled strings, the complicated feelings that usually came with him. But by the same token, this Kaworu was different. Closed. It frustrates Shinji.

(And the guilt still ate at his gut.)

He stands up and walks towards the door, stopping to see if the boy would follow along.]

[salvagedsoul]

[He does follow him, although they walk to the market with only the sound of the rain. Maybe it is because Kaworu doen't want to talk to him, or maybe not - the boy's eyes are constantly drawn towards all the strange things they pass by as they walked. Weird people wearing weird clothes. Young people and old people. Signs of age and ruin as they left the housing units. Dirt and rocks and wet cement under his bare feet. This place is so unlike the sterile hallways Kaworu was used to, normally filled with middle-aged Lilim in uniforms. It's unsettling, but he can't look away.

Almost out of nowhere, they're in a large, noisy, open area filled with tents and dozens of people. Kaworu steps a little closer to Shinji as he looks around, before realizing they might have stopped because this is the place he was talking about.]

...they have pianos here?

[imusntrunaway]

[The silence is fine by him--he's not sure how to talk to children, anyway. Especially this one.

Shinji's careful not to let Kaworu out of his sight as they enter the market, least he loses him to the crowd. He gives him a small smile.]

Um, hopefully. We'll have to search... so keep your eyes open, okay?

[The likelihood of finding a real piano was unlikely, and he knew that. But with some luck they could find a toy of some sort.]

[salvagedsoul]

[Kaworu nodded, but his attention was glued to all the sights and sounds around him. Too many Lilim. Too much noise. All this noise and still no Adam in his head. Still no one he recognized from back home.

One hand reaches up and grabs the side of Shinji's pants leg. With all this over-stimulation, he's completely forgot about his suspicion of the man. Now his hand is clinging to him like he's an anchor.]

...okay.

[Kaworu doesn't move. He waits for Shinji to take him along to wherever it was they were going to look.]

[imusntrunaway]

[It's been a while since he's ventured out in the streets of Exilium. He holds the tablet close to him as he slowly navigates them through the crowded marketplace, glancing down every now and then to make sure that Kaworu was still there. After an hour or so of searching, he starts to think that they won't find what they're looking for and feels a little guilty. The boy looked so nervous and timid in this strange environment... and reminded him so much of himself, the way he clutched at his leg and peered at the people with wide, silent eyes. It's like looking into a mirror.

It's uncomfortable.

He stops by yet another stall with a sigh. Glancing over the contents, he doesn't see anything at first... but then he spots it, hidden behind a board game. Shinji slides out the toy piano. It's carved out of wood and looks a little worn. But it'll do. He calls softly to catch the boy's attention.]

Ah, Kaworu-kun...

[salvagedsoul]

[The search puts quite a lot of strain on Kaworu. He does his best to stick close to this near-stranger out of fear of all these total strangers. More than a few times he clings to Shinji's clothes again, as some unfamiliar noise or sight catches him off guard.

By the time an hour has passed, Kaworu is clearly in low spirits, keeping his face bowed. His body is hurting him beneath the bandages around his torso. He wants to be in the clean white angular room again, the one from before that he woke up inside. At least it wasn't like this marketplace; it was quiet, like his tank or his bedroom. He's starting to think about slipping away when Shinji wasn't looking when he turns towards the sound of his name.

When he sees the piano, he stares for a moment.]

... Ah...

[It definitely looks a lot like his piano at home, but it's scuffed-up and worn, just like this place.

He steps closer and runs one hand over the top of it.]

It's like mine.