Novels2Search

Chopping And Changing

CHOPPING AND CHANGING

Misato eyed all the pilots she'd brought them up to the planning room they had all had there lunch so those who were going out would be ready. She eyed Asuka who wasn't really paying any attention she was drawing on her digital scroll while Rei was seated opposite watching her though she was unaware of it. Mari had her feet on the table and was playing an app on her new phone she was seated opposite Toji. Shinji and Kaworu were seated next to each other ironically Shinji was sketching as well but in his sketchpad with a pencil as he always did, though he was curiously glancing over at Asuka trying to see what she was drawing.

When he had visited with Kaworu she'd told them that Asuka could draw but that her style was very different to his and almost a complete reverse to his art which was very soft and warm in its colours and he very much preferred old mediums like pencils and acrylic paints. Where as hers was all digital and very dark and vibrant in its colours with really elaborate illustrative details.

They were all ready to get out on mission again and most of them would spend this whole afternoon out as they really needed to start working again before people got annoyed. They had, had to play on Asuka's recovery for the delay because she was used so often and people up to now had brought this. She really hoping that her plan was going to work and she would have to give Kaji her thanks because he'd pulled off her request in less than an hour.

She eased up the fake official document. "Okay sorry that I had to rush some of you in to plug suits but you all knew today would be the day that you had to go out. All of your weapons have been loaded with real bullets and a flying wing will shadow you along with the airborne camera drone." She breathed in deeply. "There have been some changes to the roaster which I'm going to read out now."

She looked up. "Mari you're going to shadow the UN fleet to Singapore, as per usual you'll be provided breakfast once you land because it's a very long trip and slow going because the fleet can only go so fast. I should warn you though that Admiral Constantine is a rather hard nosed woman who like her predecessor Reinhold or old walrus face as we used to call him hated the Evangelion program and views them as expensive children's toys. She's also desperate for a chunk of Nerv's profit so they can outfit the battle fleet, which we will give her after Toji's Evangelion surfaces because the UN fleet brought the plating parts over from the China division but up until then they get nothing." Mari sat up. "Wait you're sending me in Asuka's place?" She turned eyeing Asuka who still wasn't paying attention. "Hey princess, hear that shit there demoting you!"

She breathed in annoyance seeing that Asuka still wasn't paying attention. "What is her fucking problem lately? All she does now is space out and draw on that shitty digital scroll, its not like she can draw anyway." Shinji turned to her. "Back off Mari she used to draw in school I remember, it’s just we all thought she'd given it up but she never did." Rei turned eyeing Mari. "She's really good, so stop being so petty."

Misato eyed them as she moved to Asuka's table slamming her hand down on it hard causing her to look up sharply. "Asuka!" Asuka eyed her cracking her digital scroll shut in a lightning fast motion. "What!?" Misato ignored her scowl as she eyed the document. "You're going with Rei to Saudi Arabia and the synthetic oil fields you'll be her guard while she fixes their machine." Asuka looked at her for a long moment her good eye suddenly filling with confusion. "Since when do I get sent as a guard others than when it concerns killing people?" Misato eyed the document. "Since today, the orders are from above." Asuka eyed her. "This is a joke right? I mean Ritsuko hates my guts and she thinks I'm verfickte incompetent it's why I never get anything interesting to do other than soak the streets in people's blood." Misato pulled the document around. "It's an official document Asuka check it yourself."

Asuka snatched it from her hand she eyed it for a long moment before handing it back. "This is so stupid I bet you got Kaji to make this." Misato turned hating that Asuka had just figured her out, she leaned against her desk knowing she had only one other card to play here. "Forging Nerv documents is illegal Asuka we both know that and I think you and I both know I wouldn't break that rule for a roaster I mean that would be plain stupid right?" She felt a wide smile form. "Plus I'm sure Rei would love your company."

Rei put her hands together meeting Asuka's good eye watching as it softened. "Yes I would enjoy your company Asuka." Asuka felt a slight smile form. "Well then I'll be happy to go." Mari put her phone down as she folded her arms. "You know watching you two make eyes at each other, is really fucking nauseating." Misato turned to Shinji and Kaworu. "You're both going to Russia to pick up the military packages then you're going to drop them off in Australia but this will be the day after tomorrow you can pick between you who will shadow as you're both good with rifles." She watched as Shinji's face turned to a full on smile as he looked at Kaworu who smiled back.

She turned to Toji who was in his plug suit. "It would also appear that your day has finally come." Toji blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" Misato felt a wide smile form. "You are about to join the elite ranks, your Evangelion is now complete it will be revealed to the world in two days. Maya is going to take down to the restricted zone granted it's not the building bay but it's as close as you'll ever get to it. They want to run tests with you seated in your entry plug inside it's the normal things move the arms the legs the jaw bend down. Just make sure its all running and you'll do this everyday up to the grand reveal as the Magnus Pillar will be brought up to the surface, you'll be alone it will be completely your own show and the flying wings will show off your weapons."

Toji put his hands together. "The Magnus Pillar I've seen that it's so cool, doesn't it rotate?" Misato looked at him. "Yes it can rotate you a hundred and sixty degrees above the crowds and it's always brought up close to Tokyo Three and there were fire works going off behind you. That's why you're going through the tests downstairs they simulate the pillar and the specialists can iron out the kinks and this morning we installed all of the new software in the entry plugs including yours so you'll be fully up to date and you will need to test your wing attachment below as well because the crowds will want to see it."

Toji stood up. "This is so awesome!" She put her hand on his shoulder. "Go on now you don't want you to be late." She eyed Mari. "You to." She eyed Asuka and Rei. "You as well you do not want to keep them waiting out on the oil field." She smirked as Rei got up grabbing Asuka's hand pulling her towards the door with utter glee as the others ran in opposite directions to them. She turned eyeing Shinji who was finding this very amusing she put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think I've seen your sister look happy that she going out on a mission."

Shinji eyeing Asuka's digital scroll which she'd left behind because Rei had pulled her up so fast. "Em…Misato should we, its just I'm really curious?" Misato leaned over picking it up. "I'm sure she won't mind." Kaworu leaned over. "I wouldn't normally partake in this kind of thing, but I am rather curious to, I mean I did ask her once when she lived with us if she had a creative talent but she said no."

Misato slowly opened the scroll hoping that Asuka hadn't password protected it. She watched as it turned on revealing a half finished picture of a strange tiger face which had a blazing white left eye and stripes only the left side was finished not the right. She flicked her fingers going backwards seeing a really close up of Bardiel moving towards the viewer on a snowy jagged ice plane with the red sea in the distance. "He's ugly as sin and don't know how she puts up with him."

Kaworu moved his finger to the image. "He looks somewhat like an Evangelion without armour accept for the longer jaws and teeth which are more like a shark's and that long lashing tail and his strange lycanthrope body with its hands and feet." Misato eyed the image. "Yeah it does you're right even the eyes are in the same place as unit 01's when it's got no armoured face plate on accept their glowing red." She flicked back through the others only to suddenly to stop dead in her tracks.

All of Asuka's images were normally very dark and edgy but this one though was the complete reverse and it was a portrait not a landscape, it was Rei's face there was no mistaking it she was painted looking downwards smiling all in light colour's it was like a goddess painting showing shoulders and head and really fine details even the weaving of her bodice top it was so gentle and the green eyes were painted in soft pastel tones with soft flowing lines.

Kaworu eyed the digital painting. "Well her mouth might not utter the words of love but this drawing speaks those words in volumes." Shinji eyed the image as something hit him it was a memory from long ago when they were in school. "I swear I saw her drawing Rei once from her desk at school it was an image of her staring out the window but at the time I never thought anything of it and she got kind of nasty when I confronted her over it." He eyed the image. "She really loves her." Misato leaned closer. "This is absolutely beautiful."

She picked up her phone. "I've got to copy this Maya and Kaji have just got to see it." Shinji eyed her. "You know I don't think that's a good idea." Misato eyed him. "What you don't agree that they should see this?" She tried to do a swipe copy only for the image to suddenly vanish as an animated orange demon wolf head with two sets of horns and wolf ears appeared flaring its curved teeth as it spoke its green eyes blinking. "You are not authorized to copy this file and what your doing is referred to in the dictionary as stealing."

The digital scroll turned off forcing itself it to lock mode at lightning speed. Shinji looked up. "Because Anneberg her AI demon will kick you out." Misato rolled her eyes. "I hate her damn demon!" She folded her arms. "Tried to hack him a year ago when she went to visit her grandmother for a holiday ,got nowhere." Shinji eyed her. "Why were you trying to hack him?" Misato breathed in deeply. "Look it's not what you think I wasn't interested in her private files, I just wanted to know how she created him in the first place because she's not a coder like Mari and he's really sharp."

Shinji felt a smile form. "He's an AI learning personality, he's like a pet but with high intelligence like Pen Pen she basically brought him up like as if he was a small child, she's never altered his code and she just taught him right from wrong. The animations are how he wanted to look not how she made him and he picked his own voice even his own gender."

He raised his hand. "I've seen him call her phone and talk to her it's like she's having a conversation with a real person. There's basically a hard drive area on her games machine where he can do what ever he wants it's like his virtual reality play pen and computer is never switched off fully so he just spends hours a day learning, all she asks of him is that he keep people out of her personal items and blocks any one trying to get in." Misato breathed in deeply. "The woman feels like she has no real friends around so she makes one…" Shinji looked up. "I don't think it's quite like that." Misato eyed him. "No I think it is."

She looked down sadly. "I recently saw her banner image up in the visitor centre she looked so damn depressed I need to somehow talk her back into getting that re-shot the current one just shouldn't be there and it's my fault that it ended up there I never checked her images and these images ended up in the books as well." Shinji looked up sharply. "They said they weren't going to use any of those images in the books they stated that to her openly that other than the group photos which weren't so bad her main images wouldn't make any of the books. I mean she was not right that day at all Rei was starting to get really worried about her towards the end and she also starting to get really hostile and she's not normally like that during photo shoots and we knew she wasn't sick and we did try to talk to her but she just shut us out."

Misato felt the anger start to burn as she pulled out the photo book putting it in front of him. "Yeah well it seems they lied they're all in here." She looked up slightly. "I swear to the gods that someone in Nerv is trying to screw her over, first her plug suit now this shit." Kaworu opened the book looking at it for long moment. "I have a valid thought that this could be a deconstruction exercise?" Misato eyed him. "What do you mean by that?"

Kaworu eyed the photos. "Well if you want to destroy someone first you destroy their image, which with Asuka has already been done to a degree, then when they're at their most weakest you start to shall we say punish them when its harder for them to fight back, so they loose all faith in themselves your end game can be one of two things. They commit suicide which she almost did which would have shaken the foundation of the program itself, because a death like that can't be swept under the rug. Too many questions come up and the divisions question the programs solidarity and how it treats pilots and the sponsors pull out and its hurts Nerv reputation."

He turned slightly. "Or whoever is doing this, desperately wants her to defect and they want to make her feel that she has no value here and that there is no light at the end of the tunnel and Asuka being depressed as she has been just makes it easier for them. Because maybe they feel that she might cave in. Even now there are probably still thinking this because she only connects with Rei and they could twist that against her if they become a couple because Asuka lacks confidence in her own value."

Misato eyed him. "I'll keep that in mind Kaworu." She breathed in deeply. "Now I need to get down to central dogma to watch Mari, Rei and Asuka on the screens." She eyed them both. "Can you put Mari's phone and Asuka's digital scroll back in the wreck room?" She eyed the photo book. "Don't let Asuka find that book, it might end up being thrown out of a window from a high point or burnt she might be slightly better mood wise but I think given the chance her temper will surface." Shinji eyed the book. "We will both do that and don't worry she won't find it." Misato eyed Asuka's digital scroll again. "I swear I'm going to get Maya to get Asuka to release that image even if it kills me. Because it's not appeared so far in any of the images sets she's sent and that should be put up in the visitors centre for everyone to see including Rei she would be blown away by it."

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

8

Asuka felt the impact as her unit's huge clawed feet hit the yellow desert floor causing sand to be blown upwards around her. She looked up seeing Rei hit the floor opposite in 00 which slowly refolded its huge blue wings back inside the wing case. She slowly refolded her own watching as Rei moved forward she followed her walking her unit forward on all fours as she eyed the huge machine which was like a massive cylinder with hundreds of outer firing rods that hit the bottom section created oil.

There were huge bucket sections that came out higher above which dropped mineral deposits and it was one of these which kept getting stuck. The machine was so big that two Evangelion's could crawl down it no problem and there would still be room for them to move around each other the whole thing through had been completely shut down.

She watched as an Arabic man in modern clothes came running out of the huge white building opposite he had on a builder's hard hat and a radio he looked up waving at them. "You're finally here!" Rei looked down. "Hello Hashim, I hope you're doing well." The older man smiled at her. "Hello Rei it's so good to see you again I hope your brother's doing well." Rei felt a smile form as she spoke over the com. "He sends his regards and thanks for the wonderful meal you cooked for him last time he was here you are a most gifted cook." Hashim looked up at the huge red unit opposite which was on all fours. "You brought Asuka Langley with you!"

Rei turned her unit to look at Asuka's. "Say hello Asuka this is Hashim." Asuka felt herself fidget nervously. "Hi." Hashim looked up. "If we get time you'll have to give us a photo for our wall here, we have photos of all the other pilots well accept Toji but we'll get him sooner or later." Rei walked her unit over to the huge cylinder looking down wards. "I assume it's the same part again becoming stuck?" Hashim nodded as he looked up. "Does it every time and it's impossible for our equipment to pull it back out."

Asuka watched as Rei lowered herself down climbing the cylinder with her unit she clearly done this countless times because she did it with a sense of ease. "She pulled the big gun free from her units back holder pulling her unit up onto its hind legs as she took up point close to machine she paused eyeing the contraption again as she leaned over watching as Rei started to use her units full weight to try and kick the huge moving bucket back into place. She slowly brought up her panel typing. "Can someone give me a three dimensional layout for this design?" Misato's voice came filled with confusion. "Why do you need one?" Asuka breathed in deeply. "Look can you just give it me I just want to look it over."

Misato breathed in as she looked at three huge floating hologram screens which were currently showing the three Evangelion all in there separate locations including the test bay bellow. Everyone was at there panels, Maya, Kaji, Shigeru and Makoto. Gendo and Ritsuko weren't here but then they were never present unless they were fighting angels this kind of thing they viewed as trivial and not important enough to warrant their attention.

She turned watching as Ritsuko burst in through one of the doors the anger in her eyes as she looked at Asuka and Rei's screen. "You sent Asuka out on a mission?!" Misato ignored her as she turned to Maya. "Send Asuka what she wants." Maya nodded as she turned back to her holographic panel. "I'm sending the designs to you now Asuka." Ritsuko sneered as she eyed Misato. "We don't send her places because she's screws up, or have you forgotten that?!"

Misato kept her arms folded eyeing her coldly. "You know I'm very busy right now I have to keep my eye on three Evangelion's and I don't burst in on you when you're trying to work!" Ritsuko eyed her raising her hand pointing it at the screen. "Have you forgotten that the trigger happy German moron blew up billions at an iron works once? We spent three weeks cleaning up her mess and that's not to mention the compensation!"

She eyed the first screen ignoring the other two screens. "Now you're sending her to the oil fields of all places all she has to do is set fire to the huge building offside and she'll burn away trillions in synthetic oil and our investors pay us very highly to ensure that, that place is always running!" Kaji turned slightly. "To be fair she destroyed the iron works back when she was sixteen she's twenty three now and far more experienced." Ritsuko felt a cold sneer form. "I didn't ask for your opinion Kaji!"

Misato eyed Asuka who was now edging her unit to look over with the machine with a more keen interest. "I felt she deserved a second chance, you've been running her and treating her as a weapon for far too long it may have also been a factor in her depression." Maya turned eyeing Ritsuko. "She doesn't enjoy it anymore she stated it openly to me this morning and I don't know what you're complaining about we have Mari shadowing the UN fleet right now Asuka trained her that's was the last year was all about taking pressure of Asuka's shoulders." Ritsuko folded her arms. "This is pathetic." Maya turned looking her straight in the eyes. "Before Asuka was put inside your stupid machine she had been contemplating suicide Bardiel told us that! Granted he was driving her crazy but before he entered her mind she already been depressed for over six months and none of us even saw it, not even me."

She breathed in painful. "She hid it from all of us because she assumed no one cared and no one would help her!" Misato eyed Ritsuko feeling a cold sneer form on her lips. "Not to mention that her plug suit was sabotaged and somehow all her bad images from the recent photos shoots made it into the books." She stepped closer to the blonde haired woman. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now would you Ritsuko? I mean you know since you seemed to get such a kick out of smashing her with a clip board and trying to microwave her brain."

Ritsuko eyed her in disgust. "Please I had nothing to do with what you're implying!" Misato moved even closer not caring that she was now inside her personal space. "For once I really hope you're being honest with me, because if she had blown her own brains out with her family heirloom all this money and power you talk about would have meant very little. Because it would have brought the whole program into question pilots dying in war is one thing, them ending there own lives in that way is quite another and the first priority of the Evangelion program is the pilots well being and mental health because they're so limited and the mental discipline is so hard."

Ritsuko laughed coldly as she eyed her. "Says the woman who tried to play her cool mum for some years but as soon as she moved out never visited her once and did nothing but complain during her teens and adulthood about how much an annoying, egotistic asshole she was to everyone including the press and media."

She eyed Maya. "It's little wonder she became close to you, she probably needed the pity sex just to keep going." Maya smashed her fist down on her panel. "I have never slept with her! She's my friend and we respect each other." Ritsuko turned back eyeing Misato. "Think what you will of me but I wouldn't go out of my way to ruin Asuka in that way because I don't have to I mean you did a bang up job of that all by yourself." She raised her ringed finger. "Now you're just doing what you always do which is when things get hard and you have to face the truth that you made mistakes or didn't measure up, you're trying to pass on the blame. Because unlike Shinji, Rei and Kaworu, Asuka's the one you failed with and who you tried to shove onto other people when it got too hard for you."

She eyed her. "Kyoko was an insurable bitch but she had standards and a high moral compass and if she was alive right now she would have buried you and she had a foul fucking temper to. Though unlike her daughter it only surfaced in moments of true anger and rage when she felt that others were being treated unfairly, hence why she sided with Yui and Kiko against me." She folded her arms. "You should sit and contemplate on that for a while before you try to blame me for your screw ups!"

8

Asuka leaned over the cylinder again. "Rei, can I take a look at that?" Rei moved her unit up slightly. "You think you know what's wrong?" Asuka watched as she got out she turned throwing her, her big gun watching as she caught it. "Yeah I think I might." She slowly moved her unit downwards using her oddly clawed feet and hands to grip it. "Just be careful with the knock back on my big gun and the hand position is a little funny."

She slowly twisted herself around keeping her hold solid as she wrapped her tails around for extra grip. "The problems not the moving bucket there's something wrong inside, I think it's getting wedged because some part is broken." She slowly took hold of the huge metal screws as she started to turn them opening the inside cylinder so she could look inside. "Who built this piece of scheisse?" Hashim voice suddenly came over the speaker. "It was manufactured in five countries it's meant to be top of the range and it was specially built so that your Evangelion's could monitor it and repair it."

Asuka pulled out her unit's long tongue circling around the faulty part which was a massively bent power coil she yanked it out keeping it in her units mouth. "Yeah well whoever gave you the power coils gave you a faulty one its not that your moving bucket is stuck its loosing power and locking, do you have another coil?" Hashim voice came again filled with curiosity. "No not currently and it'll take them three weeks to ship in a new one as they are such a massive size."

Asuka looked up. "Do you have any ultra high powered cable?" She eyed the open section. "It's just I can use it to draw power from your two other coils I just need a converter piece, it will be a temporary fix and then I can come back and do the full fix once your coil gets here" Hashim voice came again filled with interest. "I have all those parts you can do this though I mean they didn't tell us that you understood this kind of thing over at Nerv?" Asuka eased the faulty coil out of her unit's mouth throwing it up watching as it landed opposite Rei who was still holding up her gun she watched as the parts were lowered down to her by the workers using the huge automated lift which could go up and down opposite the cylinder.

Rei's voice hit the air. "Asuka has a degree in engineering and mechanics Hashim, she creates motorbikes from scratch in her garage, you know the Trident well she's got one and it's all built from the ground up." Hashim's voice came again filled with surprise. "Really you have a hand built Trident?" Asuka slowly used her unit's clawed fingers to pull the power cable and lock it on both coils on either side as she wired them to the power converter using its locks to hold the wire solid as the lift went back up behind her. "Yes I do but it's all the same really no matter what the size cars, motorbikes it's just the parts get bigger and bigger." She pushed the huge converter down locking it into a special grove which had clearly been made for it.

She forced the special wire covers over so the cables would be protected from heat from the other power coils then carefully locked it all shut. Rei's voice came again though it sounded very happy. "I feel Asuka's being far too modest Hashim." Asuka slowly pulled herself out of the cylinder looking down before leaping off. "Try it now your software should compensate for the power flow, I mean it looks like your machine was made so it could have this fix if necessary." Hashim's voice came again as he signalled to the building opposite using a special flag. "Okay standby my team will restart it."

Asuka eased her unit up onto her hind legs shifting back as Rei did the same as the huge machines rods started to work as they pounded downwards as the moving buckets went in and out dropping there minerals which fell downwards to the bottom only be hit by the rods which began to convert it into synthetic oil. Hashim's voice hit the air filled with utter joy. "You fixed it this is brilliant, we can get back to full production now I mean we've had this problem for three months and none of the other's could fix it, why didn't they send you in the first place?" Asuka looked down sadly she didn't want to think of the reasons why they just made her feel sad. "Nothing personal Hashim but I really don't want to talk about it."

Rei eyed Asuka face on her screen she'd had to go voice only when Asuka had gone down the machine as it couldn't have outside interference signals. "I think over at Nerv they seem to think that Asuka's only use is a weapon, I think personally her potential is being wasted." Hashim's voice hit the air though it was soft and understanding. "I see, so they treat Asuka like a female tiger in that they fear her anger and her roar but then they forget that even the tiger must bring up her cubs with gentleness and nurture them."

Hashim eyed the huge red unit towering close by. "I mean even your unit looks cat like now, wasn't it named after a cat to start with?" Rei turned eyeing Asuka's unit her face on her hologram screen was unreadable. "Yes it's called Nekomata." She paused watching as the units two tails moved. "The double tailed lycanthrope cat." She leaned forward looking over unit 02 much more carefully ever since the unit had changed everyone in the media and web had tried to make out that it was an upgraded war machine for the purpose of killing what if it wasn't that at all.

What if it was more artistic creation in that Asuka had made it embody Nekomata just purely because she liked the form, she loved cats, cats seemed to be a big part of her life. Asuka folded her arms. "Nekomata was meant to cause havoc because he would change from a normal cat into a huge demonic one with two tails which killed people."

Rei eyed her. "Yeah but whose not to say that maybe people were cruel and just made him angry or that he was mistreated." Asuka eased up her leg putting her hand on it. "I think you're reading far too much into that Rei demons are demons." Rei eyed her lowering the big gun which was starting to hurt her arms. "No I just don't think it's like that Asuka not everything's black and white and at the end of the day evil is just a point of view." She breathed in deeply before speaking. "I mean a certain person you know would probably see his actions as fine and you in the wrong to him you might be the demon even though he himself is the evil one."

Hashim voice came again filled with joy. "Hey how's about you two come down here it'll only take five minutes and I can get a photo of you together with the staff." There was a long pause. "Oh yes and I have some nice snack food you can eat on your way back." Rei breathed in deeply as Asuka took her big gun back. "Thank you Hashim, I don't suppose I could have a copy of that photo when you're done?" Hashim spoke calmly. "Of course Rei." Asuka breathed getting ready to de-flood the LCL as unlike in an emergency ejection it didn't spray out it instead it went into special compartment and could be re-flooded once you got back in. She looked up as Misato's face suddenly appeared on her screen. "Well done Asuka!"

She raised her hand. "I mean you actuality fixed it, we are so proud of you over here you should have seen Ritsuko's face when she saw the machine working right." Asuka eyed her not bothering to smile. "What did you assume that I'd screw it up?" Misato's face turned to surprise. "No Asuka." Asuka eyed her. "Don't bother singing my praises Misato, its not like the press or world will ever verfickte care." She lowered her unit down on to its knees keeping its clawed hand on the huge gun. "Shutting all systems down will be offline for five minutes standard time, please keep the flying wing stationary along with camera drone."

Rei watched as Asuka vanished as she shut down she watched as Misato's face appeared on her hologram screen filled with concern. "Is she okay?" Rei looked at her for a long moment knowing Asuka couldn't hear them as she lowered her own unit on to its knees. "I know you faked the document to get her on this mission with me and for that I'm very grateful because I love her company but she's spent half of her life getting very little praise and flack over her abilities so please do not expect her to just turn it around in a day and be happy to hear nice comments."

Misato eyed her. "She takes nice comments from you." Rei breathed in deeply. "We both know why that is but her feelings for you come from a very different place and you both need to work on that and I can't help you there."

End of part 33

Silvermoonlight