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

[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.