Broken Wings [NGE]
- Thread starter Teen Spirit
- Start date
- Location
- supernatural
Yeah younger Asuka is probably going to do everything in her power to make sure that doesn't happen to her.
Chapter 17 Part 6
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Okito awoke to find Kodama standing outside his cell, only this was very distinctly not the girl he had once called sister. She was an Angel with... blue hair? The latter of which their mother would never have allowed regardless of the situation.
"Who are you?" he asked, rising to his feet.
"I was Sachiel, Adam's Herald," she said with a mocking flourish. "I am Kodama Suzuhara, you may call me Koda, brother. "
Ahh yes, Leliel's third weapon. He hadn't heard much, beyond a guard using it to mock him at one point.
Seeing her was...odd. She and him shared the same soul, sort of. In theory they should have been almost the same person. Yet she was standing outside of the glass, presumably thanks to Ria.
Was she playing some sort of game? What made her so different from him?
"Why are you here?" he asked, barely looking at her.
"You hurt your family. You hurt them in ways that horrify me beyond description," she said flatly. "I mean, the Okito I knew was an idiot, but he was an idiot in a well intentioned, almost endearing way. But you-"
"You know, I've heard this from mom and dad already, so if you're trying to hurt me you're treading old ground!" Okito snapped.
"Yeah, I got distracted. I've heard plenty about you but seeing you in the flesh is something else," Koda muttered.
"No one likes being shown what could have been," Okito agreed. "So why are you here?"
"There was a battle earlier today," Kodama explained clinically. "Ramiel and quite a few other Angels assaulted NERV. It was so bad that Zeruel took to the field against them."
That was... that was a lot of news in a few words. Ramiel was here, had fought openly in Japan, and Ria had been willing to go that far?
Yet he was still in this cell, so clearly Ramiel had failed somehow.
"How did it go?" he asked nervously.
"Terribly for almost all sides," she replied. "Zeruel got hit by Arael."
Okito winced. No one, particularly not Ria, deserved to be put through that. Ramiel had crossed a line there.
"Then Iruel and Israfel turned traitor, injuring Ramiel and leaving Shamshel to die, brutally, at the hands of an rather enraged Zeruel."
'Maria's dead?'
Okito collapsed to his knees, struck by the news. Maria had used him, and had on more than one occasion had mocked or belittled him, and yet... She had been the closest friend he had left after the war had begun. And she was gone, betrayed and left to die.
By Israfel, of all people. Iruel's treachery was clear, indeed Okito's main regret about being captured was his inability to warn Ramiel and the others about him. But Israfel? Israfel had always made their dislike of the others known, but they had never been disloyal. Until this moment, Okito had never doubted her loyalty to the cause. She had been invested in the cause, for selfish reasons, sure, but invested nevertheless.
And she had betrayed Maria so quickly, for Iruel. For fucking Iruel?
'Ria's suffered. Shamshel's dead. If I was free I could have stopped Iruel. I could have saved Maria. But I'm stuck here. Why do I still live if I'm powerless to do anything? Are you torturing me, Lilith? Is my continued existence just a sick game for you?!'
"All I wanted, all I ever wanted," Okito said, his breath choking, "was to keep our kind safe, to make us strong again. I knew my dreams of unity were a fantasy, but this? We would have won by now if we weren't so focused on fighting each other."
"All being an Angel means is we have a lot of power and bad dreams," Koda replied. "Power doesn't breed unity. Quite the opposite in fact."
Okito stared at her in disbelief. How could any Sachiel say that? They weren't human, not really. No human could do what they do. Their Angelic nature was what defined them. If he wasn't an Angel, Okito Suzuhara would have been an entirely different being.
So why did she seem so much like his sister?
"I have dealt with far more than bad dreams," Okito replied shakily.
"I'm sure you have," Koda replied.
"Tell me. Do you believe Adam failed us?" he asked. "Or did we fail him?"
"Both," Koda replied sharply, "but it's irrelevant."
"...I suppose it is," Okito muttered.
"The question that matters now," Koda pressed, "is what you're going to do about Iruel and Israfel? You know who they are, you know their actual names. You can make their lives Hell. Tell me who they are and Maria will be avenged."
Telling her could lead WILLE back to Ramiel, records, meetings, videos of the two talking. Despite everything he wanted to protect Ramiel as much as he could. But Maria needed to be avenged.
"I don't know much about Israfel. Near as I can tell they're an orphan, parents died in a car accident I think. Combined they call themselves Sakiko. When they're separate the pinked haired one keeps that name and the other goes by Jingu. I'm not sure if they're doing a bit or if they have separate minds when they're two. I really don't know how Israfel works."
"What about Iruel?" Koda asked.
Despite his situation, Okito smiled.
"Oh, I can tell you a great deal about him."
/
The video feed had cut out right after Arael appeared. So Mari didn't know the full truth of what happened but from what her mother had told her on the way to WILLE, it was bad. The Angels were attacking each other and worse, Ria was hurt. An Angel had struck at her very soul.
Mari hated how powerless she was. Her girlfriend was hurt and all she could do was watch.
She entered Ria's hospital room to find her lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Thankfully, Ria's parents let her see her. This was a trying time for them and it would have been understandable if they restricted it to just family.
Ria about jumped off the bed the moment she saw Mari, rushing over and grabbing her in a tight hug that lifted Mari off the ground.
"Thank you," Ria said breathlessly.
There was desperation in her voice. She was scared and shaken.
"What for?" Mari asked, confused.
"I...It's a long story," Ria said hesitantly.
"Are you okay?" Mari was concerned.
Ria sighed, sitting back down on the bed. "I will be, eventually. Arael threw a lot of bad memories in my face and how the battle ended is just sitting wrong with me."
"You mean the Angels turning on each other?" Mari asked.
That had been odd. Ria was clearly proof that Angels could be just as diverse in opinions and goals as any person but Mari had kind of just lumped every angel that was attacking WILLE into the same category as Okito. Them turning on each other was surprising.
Ria shook her head. "Well, a little bit... More how I ended it."
"Why? You killed an enemy. What's wrong with that? " Mari asked.
Death wasn't exactly a casual thing, sure, but they were trying to kill her and a lot of other people for a rather dangerous goal. Killing them wasn't a crime.
Ria inhaled sharply. "It's just...I wasn't in control, I barely remember doing it. I keep losing control. I keep letting my anger and fear get the better of me."
There was pain in her words. Ria was scared of herself. Anger issues weren't exactly an uncommon problem to be sure. But most people didn't have the power Ria had at any moment.
Mari sat down next to Ria, resting her head against the taller girl's shoulder.
"There are ways of getting control of that you know, therapy and anger management," Mari replied softly. "And I'm here for you, whatever you need."
"Thanks." Ria seemed relieved by her words. "I... don't know what I would do without you."
Mari blushed "Oh you'd probably find a girl who's prettier, cooler and one tenth as artistically talented."
"Cooler than you?" Ria dismissed the idea. "If we ever find another girl that's half as cool as you, I'll be the luckiest girl who ever lived."
Heat rose within Mari.
'I should just tell her? Let her know how I feel? She clearly feels the same. But is this the right time? Will I help or hurt?' she pondered.
Mari decided the time was now. What she wanted to say was just confirmation of what was already there. Mari knew how she felt about Ria and she knew Ria felt the same. It would help things, make Ria feel more secure, make Mari feel more secure.
"Ria…I think I..." Mari grew hesitant, trying to stop herself from choking on the words. "Ria, I think I-"
A knock came at door. The moment was gone, Mari's words stopping midway.
Mari sighed slightly as the door opened.
"You know it kind defeats the purpose of knocking if you just enter before anyone says any-" Ria began, only to freeze when she realized who was entering.
It was the General. It was Misato.
/
Misato felt half mad for even considering doing this. Seeing the Kirishima kid and Ria did little to change that opinion.
For a brief moment they were both confused and bewildered, utterly thrown off by her arrival.
Their expressions quickly turned to anger. Mari looked disgusted while Ria seemed to seethe in rage.
She almost seemed frail. She looked slightly thinner than normal, her hospital gown making it all the more apparent. The battle had taxed her hard.
Part of Misato wanted to run at that moment. Not that she was scared, per se. She was just worried this would make things worse, that she would only further the damage she had caused.
No, she had to stay. What's done was done, maybe it was too late to fix any of it, but some things needed to be said.
"Why are you here?" Ria snarled.
"Relax, I've come to talk," Misato said, holding her hands up slightly.
"Why should we believe you?" Kirishima snapped, putting herself between Misato and Ria. The girl had guts, no one could deny that.
"I'm unarmed." Misato gestured to her empty coat pockets and holster.
"I am not in the mood, Misato," Ria said, her voice straining. "I really, really don't want to talk to you, at all. Leave."
"I understand, but there are things you need to hear," Misato replied. "Alone."
"Yeah, no," Ria was blunt. "Not even on a good day."
"Even if one of those things was an apology?" Misato said softly.
To say Ria looked confused would be a profound understatement.
After staring at Misato blankly for a moment, Ria spoke again.
"Mari, give us a moment, please. Tell my parents what's happening, if you could."
Mari nodded and left, glaring daggers at Misato the whole time.
"An apology?" Ria turned the word into a curse. "You expect me to believe that?"
"It's the truth." Misato replied.
"I saved your life and you tried to kill me. I protect my parents and you tell them not to trust me. One of your own men tasers me and tries to kill me and you still think I have some sort of evil scheme! So what changed between then and now? Is this just pity because Arael messed with my head?!" Ria spat.
"No it's not that.." Misato sighed "It was...everything about that fight. They set an ambush for you. They turned on each other. I should have seen that ambush coming. I shouldn't have been so blindsided by it."
"And if you had accepted Dimitri's deal half of them wouldn't have even been there in the first place, including Arael," Ria pointed out bitterly.
Misato winced, then nodded. What she had done to that boy was horrible. It's very possible one or more of the Angels who claimed they wanted peace was a liar who had planned to use the peace to do something horrible. But there had been no sign of Matarael at all during the battle. Either he was dead, or he had been sincere.
That was guilt for another day. For now she had something far bigger to get off her chest.
"When I found out what you were, I hated you," Misato confessed. "Because of what Zeruel did, and because I thought the little girl I had helped raise was a lie."
Ria's expression turned from angry to pained and thoughtful.
Misato went on "I'm not trying to justify what I've done. I messed up, badly. And what I did to you is frankly disgusting. I let my hatred get the better of me. And I'm sorry."
Ria remained silent.
"I was a terrible guardian to your parents," Misato admitted. "I wasn't there for Asuka when she needed me. And I wasn't what Shinji needed. I couldn't have prevented all of what happened, but if I had been a better guardian things might have gone better. I'm still not sure why they gave me a second chance after Third Impact. But they did and I did everything I could to make things right. Then you came along and I managed to pull off being a halfway decent grandmother. So when the truth came out, I thought you, the you I knew at least, was a lie, a mask worn by a monster. I thought your parents were in danger and nothing I could do would convince them of the reality. I was wrong though, you're not the monster that attacked me at NERV, you're the girl I walked to her first day of school and I'm an idiot for having ever thought otherwise."
Misato wiped the tears out of her eyes. "I let the soldier take over, like I've done before when Shinji needed me after... the Seventeenth Angel. I let myself forget I was your grandmother." She swallowed. "I'm... so sorry. I should have known better than to forsake family, ever."
"I get it," Ria said sullenly. "After Okito attacked, I found myself questioning everything. Wondering if Angels were by nature evil, and I was just the exception or had been damaged in some way... And if we're being honest, you wouldn't have been that far off the mark with me around the time dad left for the first time."
Misato raised an eyebrow. What could she have possibly done when she was that young?
Ria caught Misato's confused look.
"I...I already explained everything to my parents," Ria said, pained. "If they want to tell you that's their business."
Arael had thrown something terrible at Ria. Whatever it was, Misato didn't want to know. It wasn't her business.
Ria buried her head in her hand.
"You can't just expect me to forgive everything you've done, what you've put me through," she said.
"I'm not asking you to," Misato replied, "I just wanted you to know I understand now and I'll do everything I can to make it right."
Misato knew she was probably beyond forgiveness, and whatever respect Ria and her parents had for her was gone, likely never to return.
"Well that's...something," Ria muttered, her eyes wet with tears.
She wasn't screaming at her anymore, that was a good sign.
"Let the other two, the other Kodama and Kyoko, know that they're off the hook. Not going to give them free run of the place when you're not around but they don't have to walk on pins and needles anymore," Misato replied.
Ria nodded.
"I'm sorry what I did pushed you into making that deal with the Government," she added.
"What's done is done," Ria replied evenly. "The pardon's hardly a bad thing to have either way."
"I suppose it is," Misato agreed.
Ria laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"I take it we're done here?" Misato asked.
"Yeah," Ria said bluntly. "I appreciate the apology, but I'm going to need a while to process this. This whole day, not just... you."
Misato turned to leave.
"At least you realized you were wrong," Ria added. "A lot of people in your place would never have owned up to it."
Misato nodded and left.
"Who are you?" he asked, rising to his feet.
"I was Sachiel, Adam's Herald," she said with a mocking flourish. "I am Kodama Suzuhara, you may call me Koda, brother. "
Ahh yes, Leliel's third weapon. He hadn't heard much, beyond a guard using it to mock him at one point.
Seeing her was...odd. She and him shared the same soul, sort of. In theory they should have been almost the same person. Yet she was standing outside of the glass, presumably thanks to Ria.
Was she playing some sort of game? What made her so different from him?
"Why are you here?" he asked, barely looking at her.
"You hurt your family. You hurt them in ways that horrify me beyond description," she said flatly. "I mean, the Okito I knew was an idiot, but he was an idiot in a well intentioned, almost endearing way. But you-"
"You know, I've heard this from mom and dad already, so if you're trying to hurt me you're treading old ground!" Okito snapped.
"Yeah, I got distracted. I've heard plenty about you but seeing you in the flesh is something else," Koda muttered.
"No one likes being shown what could have been," Okito agreed. "So why are you here?"
"There was a battle earlier today," Kodama explained clinically. "Ramiel and quite a few other Angels assaulted NERV. It was so bad that Zeruel took to the field against them."
That was... that was a lot of news in a few words. Ramiel was here, had fought openly in Japan, and Ria had been willing to go that far?
Yet he was still in this cell, so clearly Ramiel had failed somehow.
"How did it go?" he asked nervously.
"Terribly for almost all sides," she replied. "Zeruel got hit by Arael."
Okito winced. No one, particularly not Ria, deserved to be put through that. Ramiel had crossed a line there.
"Then Iruel and Israfel turned traitor, injuring Ramiel and leaving Shamshel to die, brutally, at the hands of an rather enraged Zeruel."
'Maria's dead?'
Okito collapsed to his knees, struck by the news. Maria had used him, and had on more than one occasion had mocked or belittled him, and yet... She had been the closest friend he had left after the war had begun. And she was gone, betrayed and left to die.
By Israfel, of all people. Iruel's treachery was clear, indeed Okito's main regret about being captured was his inability to warn Ramiel and the others about him. But Israfel? Israfel had always made their dislike of the others known, but they had never been disloyal. Until this moment, Okito had never doubted her loyalty to the cause. She had been invested in the cause, for selfish reasons, sure, but invested nevertheless.
And she had betrayed Maria so quickly, for Iruel. For fucking Iruel?
'Ria's suffered. Shamshel's dead. If I was free I could have stopped Iruel. I could have saved Maria. But I'm stuck here. Why do I still live if I'm powerless to do anything? Are you torturing me, Lilith? Is my continued existence just a sick game for you?!'
"All I wanted, all I ever wanted," Okito said, his breath choking, "was to keep our kind safe, to make us strong again. I knew my dreams of unity were a fantasy, but this? We would have won by now if we weren't so focused on fighting each other."
"All being an Angel means is we have a lot of power and bad dreams," Koda replied. "Power doesn't breed unity. Quite the opposite in fact."
Okito stared at her in disbelief. How could any Sachiel say that? They weren't human, not really. No human could do what they do. Their Angelic nature was what defined them. If he wasn't an Angel, Okito Suzuhara would have been an entirely different being.
So why did she seem so much like his sister?
"I have dealt with far more than bad dreams," Okito replied shakily.
"I'm sure you have," Koda replied.
"Tell me. Do you believe Adam failed us?" he asked. "Or did we fail him?"
"Both," Koda replied sharply, "but it's irrelevant."
"...I suppose it is," Okito muttered.
"The question that matters now," Koda pressed, "is what you're going to do about Iruel and Israfel? You know who they are, you know their actual names. You can make their lives Hell. Tell me who they are and Maria will be avenged."
Telling her could lead WILLE back to Ramiel, records, meetings, videos of the two talking. Despite everything he wanted to protect Ramiel as much as he could. But Maria needed to be avenged.
"I don't know much about Israfel. Near as I can tell they're an orphan, parents died in a car accident I think. Combined they call themselves Sakiko. When they're separate the pinked haired one keeps that name and the other goes by Jingu. I'm not sure if they're doing a bit or if they have separate minds when they're two. I really don't know how Israfel works."
"What about Iruel?" Koda asked.
Despite his situation, Okito smiled.
"Oh, I can tell you a great deal about him."
/
The video feed had cut out right after Arael appeared. So Mari didn't know the full truth of what happened but from what her mother had told her on the way to WILLE, it was bad. The Angels were attacking each other and worse, Ria was hurt. An Angel had struck at her very soul.
Mari hated how powerless she was. Her girlfriend was hurt and all she could do was watch.
She entered Ria's hospital room to find her lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Thankfully, Ria's parents let her see her. This was a trying time for them and it would have been understandable if they restricted it to just family.
Ria about jumped off the bed the moment she saw Mari, rushing over and grabbing her in a tight hug that lifted Mari off the ground.
"Thank you," Ria said breathlessly.
There was desperation in her voice. She was scared and shaken.
"What for?" Mari asked, confused.
"I...It's a long story," Ria said hesitantly.
"Are you okay?" Mari was concerned.
Ria sighed, sitting back down on the bed. "I will be, eventually. Arael threw a lot of bad memories in my face and how the battle ended is just sitting wrong with me."
"You mean the Angels turning on each other?" Mari asked.
That had been odd. Ria was clearly proof that Angels could be just as diverse in opinions and goals as any person but Mari had kind of just lumped every angel that was attacking WILLE into the same category as Okito. Them turning on each other was surprising.
Ria shook her head. "Well, a little bit... More how I ended it."
"Why? You killed an enemy. What's wrong with that? " Mari asked.
Death wasn't exactly a casual thing, sure, but they were trying to kill her and a lot of other people for a rather dangerous goal. Killing them wasn't a crime.
Ria inhaled sharply. "It's just...I wasn't in control, I barely remember doing it. I keep losing control. I keep letting my anger and fear get the better of me."
There was pain in her words. Ria was scared of herself. Anger issues weren't exactly an uncommon problem to be sure. But most people didn't have the power Ria had at any moment.
Mari sat down next to Ria, resting her head against the taller girl's shoulder.
"There are ways of getting control of that you know, therapy and anger management," Mari replied softly. "And I'm here for you, whatever you need."
"Thanks." Ria seemed relieved by her words. "I... don't know what I would do without you."
Mari blushed "Oh you'd probably find a girl who's prettier, cooler and one tenth as artistically talented."
"Cooler than you?" Ria dismissed the idea. "If we ever find another girl that's half as cool as you, I'll be the luckiest girl who ever lived."
Heat rose within Mari.
'I should just tell her? Let her know how I feel? She clearly feels the same. But is this the right time? Will I help or hurt?' she pondered.
Mari decided the time was now. What she wanted to say was just confirmation of what was already there. Mari knew how she felt about Ria and she knew Ria felt the same. It would help things, make Ria feel more secure, make Mari feel more secure.
"Ria…I think I..." Mari grew hesitant, trying to stop herself from choking on the words. "Ria, I think I-"
A knock came at door. The moment was gone, Mari's words stopping midway.
Mari sighed slightly as the door opened.
"You know it kind defeats the purpose of knocking if you just enter before anyone says any-" Ria began, only to freeze when she realized who was entering.
It was the General. It was Misato.
/
Misato felt half mad for even considering doing this. Seeing the Kirishima kid and Ria did little to change that opinion.
For a brief moment they were both confused and bewildered, utterly thrown off by her arrival.
Their expressions quickly turned to anger. Mari looked disgusted while Ria seemed to seethe in rage.
She almost seemed frail. She looked slightly thinner than normal, her hospital gown making it all the more apparent. The battle had taxed her hard.
Part of Misato wanted to run at that moment. Not that she was scared, per se. She was just worried this would make things worse, that she would only further the damage she had caused.
No, she had to stay. What's done was done, maybe it was too late to fix any of it, but some things needed to be said.
"Why are you here?" Ria snarled.
"Relax, I've come to talk," Misato said, holding her hands up slightly.
"Why should we believe you?" Kirishima snapped, putting herself between Misato and Ria. The girl had guts, no one could deny that.
"I'm unarmed." Misato gestured to her empty coat pockets and holster.
"I am not in the mood, Misato," Ria said, her voice straining. "I really, really don't want to talk to you, at all. Leave."
"I understand, but there are things you need to hear," Misato replied. "Alone."
"Yeah, no," Ria was blunt. "Not even on a good day."
"Even if one of those things was an apology?" Misato said softly.
To say Ria looked confused would be a profound understatement.
After staring at Misato blankly for a moment, Ria spoke again.
"Mari, give us a moment, please. Tell my parents what's happening, if you could."
Mari nodded and left, glaring daggers at Misato the whole time.
"An apology?" Ria turned the word into a curse. "You expect me to believe that?"
"It's the truth." Misato replied.
"I saved your life and you tried to kill me. I protect my parents and you tell them not to trust me. One of your own men tasers me and tries to kill me and you still think I have some sort of evil scheme! So what changed between then and now? Is this just pity because Arael messed with my head?!" Ria spat.
"No it's not that.." Misato sighed "It was...everything about that fight. They set an ambush for you. They turned on each other. I should have seen that ambush coming. I shouldn't have been so blindsided by it."
"And if you had accepted Dimitri's deal half of them wouldn't have even been there in the first place, including Arael," Ria pointed out bitterly.
Misato winced, then nodded. What she had done to that boy was horrible. It's very possible one or more of the Angels who claimed they wanted peace was a liar who had planned to use the peace to do something horrible. But there had been no sign of Matarael at all during the battle. Either he was dead, or he had been sincere.
That was guilt for another day. For now she had something far bigger to get off her chest.
"When I found out what you were, I hated you," Misato confessed. "Because of what Zeruel did, and because I thought the little girl I had helped raise was a lie."
Ria's expression turned from angry to pained and thoughtful.
Misato went on "I'm not trying to justify what I've done. I messed up, badly. And what I did to you is frankly disgusting. I let my hatred get the better of me. And I'm sorry."
Ria remained silent.
"I was a terrible guardian to your parents," Misato admitted. "I wasn't there for Asuka when she needed me. And I wasn't what Shinji needed. I couldn't have prevented all of what happened, but if I had been a better guardian things might have gone better. I'm still not sure why they gave me a second chance after Third Impact. But they did and I did everything I could to make things right. Then you came along and I managed to pull off being a halfway decent grandmother. So when the truth came out, I thought you, the you I knew at least, was a lie, a mask worn by a monster. I thought your parents were in danger and nothing I could do would convince them of the reality. I was wrong though, you're not the monster that attacked me at NERV, you're the girl I walked to her first day of school and I'm an idiot for having ever thought otherwise."
Misato wiped the tears out of her eyes. "I let the soldier take over, like I've done before when Shinji needed me after... the Seventeenth Angel. I let myself forget I was your grandmother." She swallowed. "I'm... so sorry. I should have known better than to forsake family, ever."
"I get it," Ria said sullenly. "After Okito attacked, I found myself questioning everything. Wondering if Angels were by nature evil, and I was just the exception or had been damaged in some way... And if we're being honest, you wouldn't have been that far off the mark with me around the time dad left for the first time."
Misato raised an eyebrow. What could she have possibly done when she was that young?
Ria caught Misato's confused look.
"I...I already explained everything to my parents," Ria said, pained. "If they want to tell you that's their business."
Arael had thrown something terrible at Ria. Whatever it was, Misato didn't want to know. It wasn't her business.
Ria buried her head in her hand.
"You can't just expect me to forgive everything you've done, what you've put me through," she said.
"I'm not asking you to," Misato replied, "I just wanted you to know I understand now and I'll do everything I can to make it right."
Misato knew she was probably beyond forgiveness, and whatever respect Ria and her parents had for her was gone, likely never to return.
"Well that's...something," Ria muttered, her eyes wet with tears.
She wasn't screaming at her anymore, that was a good sign.
"Let the other two, the other Kodama and Kyoko, know that they're off the hook. Not going to give them free run of the place when you're not around but they don't have to walk on pins and needles anymore," Misato replied.
Ria nodded.
"I'm sorry what I did pushed you into making that deal with the Government," she added.
"What's done is done," Ria replied evenly. "The pardon's hardly a bad thing to have either way."
"I suppose it is," Misato agreed.
Ria laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"I take it we're done here?" Misato asked.
"Yeah," Ria said bluntly. "I appreciate the apology, but I'm going to need a while to process this. This whole day, not just... you."
Misato turned to leave.
"At least you realized you were wrong," Ria added. "A lot of people in your place would never have owned up to it."
Misato nodded and left.
Last edited:
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
No. After all, she consumed FLESH OF FALLEN ANGEL
Sorry, couldn't resist.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Keep in mind that WILLE found her passed out and pumped her full of stuff make sure she didn't go into a cannibalistic frenzy when she woke up. She's worn out, but she's not starving
Sorry, I guess I didn't notice in that in the previous chapters.
- Location
- Surrey
Misato should've brought a crate of protein bars as a peace offering.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Oh, so now they're back to being 'mom and dad' again? Have you apologized to your father for threatening to kill him in front of your mother and sister? Have you apologized for lying to Kodama for years and ripping her heart out? Someone should show Okito a picture of what their room looks like now, or their house.
Your 'friends', Okito. You might want to think about that, when they're so ready to turn Arael on other Angels.
I see you're still not learning much...
Damn it, Misato. Your timing sucks. Finish that thought, Mari!
Yes you damn well should have. You've had 20 years to realize all the ways you fucked up back in the War, Misato. Telling a despairing Shinji 'Good! One more dead Angel!' after he had to decapitate the only friend he had at that point might have been on that list. And you knew Ria even better.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
He's learned some. Giving up info on Iruel would have been impossible for him to even consider a few weeks ago. He's a fanatic being dragged in a direction he really doesn't like. He's learning, slowly.
- Location
- Up A Creek
It's the issues you thought you'd dealt with that catch you by surprise. Misato may have worked out a lot of her lousy-guardian problems, but her deep-seated issues with the Angels were never dealt with beyond "ding dong, they're all dead."
Basically, Misato's hard-won mental equilibrium had it foundations attacked at a weak point she never knew she had, and had never been reinforced, because the very idea of this kind of attack was simply ridiculous (until it happened).
To be honest, given just how fast and furiously the excrement has been impacting the rotary impeller blades, I'm a little proud of Misato for repairing her rectal-cranial inversion this quickly. I mean, she's only had, what, two weeks to process Ria-is-Zeruel? While dealing with a whole crapton of desperate crises nearly non-stop along the way. Usually this is the kind of situation that drives people into doubling-down on foxhole mentality.
Anyway, this is a huge step forward -- while it hasn't repaired things between Misato and Ria, it's at least put out the fire. Cleaning out the ashes... that may take a while.
Chapter 17 Part 7
- Pronouns
- He/Him
"So...it is done," Iruel said.
They weren't in his store anymore. No, it would never be safe to go there again. Instead they found themselves in the corner of a near empty fast-food restaurant, sitting in a booth. It was late, the place was nearly empty, and the staff seemed to consist of two incredibly disinterested American-born teenagers. Which suited Iruel just fine.
Sahaquiel was working her way through a burger while Israfel's two halves were each enjoying almost comically large shakes.
They had done their best to sate their hunger some hours ago but despite that, some of the pain still lingered.
"You secured her, right?" the Jingu half of Israfel asked.
"She's secure," Iruel assured her.
She was locked up, far away from WILLE or Ramiel. Iruel had little use for the Other Leliel at the moment but denying Ramiel the advantage she brought was vital for the months to come.
"Do we do the right thing?" Sahaquiel asked sullenly, staring at her burger.
"She was an idiot and a fool," Israfel's other side, Sakiko, answered sternly. "If we left her alive she would have caused more pain and suffering. The world has no place for her kind."
Iruel nodded. "Andrew was my friend, but he was also a power hungry mad man with dreams of godhood. Our partnership was always going to end like this. Rest assured Midori, we are doing the right thing."
Her concerns were understandable, stabbing people in the back left a bad taste in the mouth regardless of how valid your reasons were for doing it. She had been the latest addition to Iruel's side project. He had taken a risk allowing her in, a risk Iruel normally wouldn't have considered, but she had proven well worth it.
Sakiko looked at Jingu. "Are you going to finish your shake?"
"Yes," Jingu replied bluntly, causing her other half to sigh with disappointment.
"So I suppose you're all wondering what happens next?" Iruel said.
"Should we be concerned about Okito?" Israfel asked. "He does know who you are."
"Assuming he's willing to sell out any Angel...I'm not too concerned. Okito's word means very little." Iruel shrugged.
His superiors would protect him if worse came to worse. Iruel had been careful. Even if he was found out as an Angel, there was very little that could be used to prove that he was Iruel. Of course, Ramiel would be gunning for him too, and Ramiel had far more dirt on him than Okito did. They had worked together for a decade and for a long part of that, Iruel had been earnest about their partnership. Ramiel knew him better than his own brother and sister, which could prove problematic. Of course Ramiel was still WILLE's greater enemy. If it came down to it, what Ramiel had Iruel was worth far less to them then what Iruel had on Ramiel.
"I came to both of you because I knew you wanted what I want. A better world," Iruel spoke, his voice low but clear.
"We have gambled much with our little conspiracy. The risks were high for all of us," he admitted. "But things have gone well. We have the intelligence we need and the resources to act on them. The question remains; what now? We have two enemies, our former friends and those committed to hunting us down. We have been committed to fighting both but I've been rethinking things of late."
"What do you mean?" both parts of Israfel questioned.
It had been something he had been mulling over for weeks now.
"WILLE will not negotiate with us, not after what I've done, but Zeruel's situation has shown them to be surprisingly hamstrung," Iruel admitted.
Time and again he had expected something to break, something to snap, one of them to go after the other. That was what he had intended after all. Either Zeruel died and the place tore itself apart or the General died and WILLE found itself either de-facto under Zeruel's thumb through her mother and hating every moment of it, or leaderless and directionless. But it held together, despite everything.
"Our Lilin allies seem to believe the only way to achieve our vision for mankind is through force. But I've realized recently that they're lacking in vision. I believe everything we've set out to achieve can be done through one person, no need for Evas: The Empress of Japan."
Jingu rolled her eyes in disdain. "You know how much our friends hate her."
"But he does have a fair point, WILLE is now willing to let two, even three Angels run around their premises just because of the Empress's pardon. With her on our side we could hamstring WILLE," Sakiko pointed out.
Sahaquiel and Iruel both stared at the two small girls in confusion.
"What?" they both answered.
"Did you just disagree with yourself?" Sahaquiel asked.
"No," Sakiko replied.
"Yes," Jingu replied, earning a stare from her other half.
"Anyways, my point is if we get the Empress on our side, we've won. We'd be free to enact our agenda as we saw fit. Reshape things at our own pace," Iruel replied.
"Prime Minister was pretty clear that he and the rest of the Societas Eruditorium want her gone," Sahaquiel pointed out.
True, the Prime Minister had been itching to strike against the Empress ever since she had so quickly undermined his attempt to force Zeruel to their side.
"Leave him to me. He likes me," Iruel replied. "And I'm not saying force isn't on the table, I'm just saying why use it when we don't have to?"
Peace if possible, but a little more violence wouldn't sully the better world they were building.
/
"Live!"
Dimitri awoke in agony laying flat on the floor. But he was alive, to his great surprise.
He glanced at his surroundings. He was in the main commons area of the bunker. So Sahaquiel had just left him there to rot?
He down at his stomach to see Armisael with her arms physically inside him, thick veins spreading out from her like a spider web.
"What," was all his brain could manage.
"Look, you got very lucky," Armisael said, her eyes focused down. "Sahaquiel clearly overestimated how big the explosion would be but you still had a lot of internal shrapnel. If we had arrived a few minutes later you'd be gone."
She pulled her hands out, the flesh reforming around where her hands had been.
Dimitri sat up. He physically felt much better, even if no amount of therapy would ever make what just happened remotely okay.
He sat up, only to greeted by Ramiel pointing his bladed crystal arm directly at Dimitri's throat.
Ramiel was a mess, his outfit torn in many plans, covered with dirt and blood. His mask was cracked and broken, bits of brown hair sticking out..
"You helped her escape," Ramiel's voice was low but filled with anger.
"Yeah," Dimitri replied carefully, "until Sahaquiel threw a bomb at me."
Ramiel's anger grew, his sword arm pressing closer to Dimitri's neck. "We lost Leliel because of you."
"Ramiel, this is not the time!" Arael shouted.
All three of the other Angels looked like they had been run through Hell. Something had gone terribly wrong for them. Normally this would have made Dimitri incredibly happy but something was deeply off about this. Where were the others, for starters? It seemed a full half of the group was missing.
"We lost Leliel!" Ramiel nearly roared. "We lost the best weapon we had, and he helped them take it!"
"Shamshel's dead!" Arael shouted. "I don't think that damn fake really matters right now!"
Dimitri found himself stunned. Shamshel... Maria was dead? What the Hell had happened?
Ramiel ripped off his battered mask and threw it to the ground.
"I know!" he said, his face twisting with grief and rage. "I know, goddamnit!"
"What happened?" Dimitri asked, confusion outweighing his general hatred for Ramiel.
"We attacked, Zeruel struck back. Arael attacked her. Then Iruel and Israfel turned traitor, attacked Ramiel, and left Shamshel to die at Zeruel's hand. So bad times all around," Armisael explained stoically.
"And I guess that means Sahaquiel is with them?" Dimitri added, shocked.
It had been clear something big was going down when Sahaquiel attacked him but even Dimitri found this off putting. Israfel had never struck him as the type to betray Ramiel, let alone leave Shamshel to die.
One of them was dead. One of them either no longer existed in any meaningful way or had a fate far beyond their understanding. That was tough to process.
"Listen, Ramiel," Armisael said cautiously, "we may need to consider just backing out of this now. Sandalphon's already left for home, and if they're smart they're probably leaving the city. We should do the same."
Ramiel wasn't having it. "We've come too far! Iruel knows who we are. If we flee he'll sell us out to WILLE."
Panic grew on Arael's and Armisael's faces.
"Mein Gott," Arael said slowly.
"Great, just great," Armisael muttered as she shook her head.
Ramiel looked around, furious. "He's probably watching us right now. Are you laughing at me, you bastard?! You knew how far I went to get Leliel and you just took her from me!"
"Again, man, priorities," Armisael was shaking her head. "You said there are numerous Leliels around, right? We can capture another one but for right now we need to focus on the cluster you've put us in!"
"I tried!" Ramiel shouted. "I've tried so many times to capture Leliel, but it's just too easy for her to flee! I had to make a deal with Bardiel to get ahold of this one! And now I've lost her after barely getting one asset from her!"
Everyone paused, staring in disbelief at the Angel of Lighting.
"You did what?" Arael said.
"I made a deal with Bardiel!" Ramiel snapped. "I gave them Sakura Suzuhara, Okito's Aunt, and in exchange they brought me the Other Leliel."
If Dimitri wasn't positive it would end in him dying brutally he would have punched Ramiel right then and there. Dealing with Bardiel was low even for Ramiel. Though Ramiel himself seemed to be disgusted by what he had done.
"You sold Sachiel's family out to Bardiel?" Arael's face twisted in disgust. "That's...that's horrible."
"And you mentally raped Zeruel and her mother. Don't lecture me," Ramiel shot back.
"I only did the first one on your orders!" Arael shouted.
"You think they're going to care?" Ramiel replied. "They'll kill you the moment they find you. You've gone too far to back out! We've all gone too far!"
"That's because of you! We would have stayed out if you hadn't made us all terrified of the General!" Armisael countered.
"Because it was the best way to win!" Ramiel shouted. "We would be winning now if Iruel hadn't betrayed us!"
He was besides himself with anger right now, all but howling like an injured dog. "I don't understand. He was with us from the beginning, why would he betray me?!"
"Because he was an idiot. A fool who couldn't see the bigger picture," a new voice called out.
Dimitri turned to see a man standing in the doorway, their features hidden by shadows.
Ramiel turned to the man, his expression going from angry to confused.
"Grandfather, when did you arrive?" he asked.
"Last night. I was going to approach you sooner but I was delayed. Sorry to hear about your troubles today, Andrew." The man's voice was American accented and yet there was something unmistakably off about it.
"Everything's a mess," Ramiel said dejectedly. "Shamshel's dead, Sachiel's captured. Three of the others have turned on us. I've failed, I've messed up and one of us is dead because of it."
"Well, I give you credit for owning up to your mistakes," his grandfather said as he stepped out of the shadows. "But I wouldn't be so pessimistic. We have made some progress."
Dimitri recoiled in horror at the sight of the man, the others took a step back in surprise as well. The man before them looked barely more than 20, almost as young as Ramiel himself. But that wasn't what had shocked Dimitri, what shocked him was the man's eyes, they were glowing bright red. A shock of white ran through his normally reddish brown hair as well. This man wasn't an Angel, and yet he almost looked the part.
"After my daughter and her boyfriend proved unavailable I decided to test the procedure on myself. It's far from finished but we've made great progress," the man explained.
'So this was Ramiel's research? This was what he had been talking about. It wasn't just words, it was real.' Dimitri found himself all the more horrified.
"Are you okay?" Ramiel asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm fine. Now let's talk about next steps," the man said calmly.
If he could Dimitri would flee now but he was exhausted and Ramiel was far too close.
"We need Okito back," Ramiel said after a moment. "With Maria... gone and Israfel turned traitor, we need more raw physical strength. Besides, Okito is one of the last few people I can trust at this point. But WILLE is too protected now and I'm not risking anyone like that."
His grandfather smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth. "Force isn't going to give us back your friend. What we need now is a more... subtle approach."
They weren't in his store anymore. No, it would never be safe to go there again. Instead they found themselves in the corner of a near empty fast-food restaurant, sitting in a booth. It was late, the place was nearly empty, and the staff seemed to consist of two incredibly disinterested American-born teenagers. Which suited Iruel just fine.
Sahaquiel was working her way through a burger while Israfel's two halves were each enjoying almost comically large shakes.
They had done their best to sate their hunger some hours ago but despite that, some of the pain still lingered.
"You secured her, right?" the Jingu half of Israfel asked.
"She's secure," Iruel assured her.
She was locked up, far away from WILLE or Ramiel. Iruel had little use for the Other Leliel at the moment but denying Ramiel the advantage she brought was vital for the months to come.
"Do we do the right thing?" Sahaquiel asked sullenly, staring at her burger.
"She was an idiot and a fool," Israfel's other side, Sakiko, answered sternly. "If we left her alive she would have caused more pain and suffering. The world has no place for her kind."
Iruel nodded. "Andrew was my friend, but he was also a power hungry mad man with dreams of godhood. Our partnership was always going to end like this. Rest assured Midori, we are doing the right thing."
Her concerns were understandable, stabbing people in the back left a bad taste in the mouth regardless of how valid your reasons were for doing it. She had been the latest addition to Iruel's side project. He had taken a risk allowing her in, a risk Iruel normally wouldn't have considered, but she had proven well worth it.
Sakiko looked at Jingu. "Are you going to finish your shake?"
"Yes," Jingu replied bluntly, causing her other half to sigh with disappointment.
"So I suppose you're all wondering what happens next?" Iruel said.
"Should we be concerned about Okito?" Israfel asked. "He does know who you are."
"Assuming he's willing to sell out any Angel...I'm not too concerned. Okito's word means very little." Iruel shrugged.
His superiors would protect him if worse came to worse. Iruel had been careful. Even if he was found out as an Angel, there was very little that could be used to prove that he was Iruel. Of course, Ramiel would be gunning for him too, and Ramiel had far more dirt on him than Okito did. They had worked together for a decade and for a long part of that, Iruel had been earnest about their partnership. Ramiel knew him better than his own brother and sister, which could prove problematic. Of course Ramiel was still WILLE's greater enemy. If it came down to it, what Ramiel had Iruel was worth far less to them then what Iruel had on Ramiel.
"I came to both of you because I knew you wanted what I want. A better world," Iruel spoke, his voice low but clear.
"We have gambled much with our little conspiracy. The risks were high for all of us," he admitted. "But things have gone well. We have the intelligence we need and the resources to act on them. The question remains; what now? We have two enemies, our former friends and those committed to hunting us down. We have been committed to fighting both but I've been rethinking things of late."
"What do you mean?" both parts of Israfel questioned.
It had been something he had been mulling over for weeks now.
"WILLE will not negotiate with us, not after what I've done, but Zeruel's situation has shown them to be surprisingly hamstrung," Iruel admitted.
Time and again he had expected something to break, something to snap, one of them to go after the other. That was what he had intended after all. Either Zeruel died and the place tore itself apart or the General died and WILLE found itself either de-facto under Zeruel's thumb through her mother and hating every moment of it, or leaderless and directionless. But it held together, despite everything.
"Our Lilin allies seem to believe the only way to achieve our vision for mankind is through force. But I've realized recently that they're lacking in vision. I believe everything we've set out to achieve can be done through one person, no need for Evas: The Empress of Japan."
Jingu rolled her eyes in disdain. "You know how much our friends hate her."
"But he does have a fair point, WILLE is now willing to let two, even three Angels run around their premises just because of the Empress's pardon. With her on our side we could hamstring WILLE," Sakiko pointed out.
Sahaquiel and Iruel both stared at the two small girls in confusion.
"What?" they both answered.
"Did you just disagree with yourself?" Sahaquiel asked.
"No," Sakiko replied.
"Yes," Jingu replied, earning a stare from her other half.
"Anyways, my point is if we get the Empress on our side, we've won. We'd be free to enact our agenda as we saw fit. Reshape things at our own pace," Iruel replied.
"Prime Minister was pretty clear that he and the rest of the Societas Eruditorium want her gone," Sahaquiel pointed out.
True, the Prime Minister had been itching to strike against the Empress ever since she had so quickly undermined his attempt to force Zeruel to their side.
"Leave him to me. He likes me," Iruel replied. "And I'm not saying force isn't on the table, I'm just saying why use it when we don't have to?"
Peace if possible, but a little more violence wouldn't sully the better world they were building.
/
"Live!"
Dimitri awoke in agony laying flat on the floor. But he was alive, to his great surprise.
He glanced at his surroundings. He was in the main commons area of the bunker. So Sahaquiel had just left him there to rot?
He down at his stomach to see Armisael with her arms physically inside him, thick veins spreading out from her like a spider web.
"What," was all his brain could manage.
"Look, you got very lucky," Armisael said, her eyes focused down. "Sahaquiel clearly overestimated how big the explosion would be but you still had a lot of internal shrapnel. If we had arrived a few minutes later you'd be gone."
She pulled her hands out, the flesh reforming around where her hands had been.
Dimitri sat up. He physically felt much better, even if no amount of therapy would ever make what just happened remotely okay.
He sat up, only to greeted by Ramiel pointing his bladed crystal arm directly at Dimitri's throat.
Ramiel was a mess, his outfit torn in many plans, covered with dirt and blood. His mask was cracked and broken, bits of brown hair sticking out..
"You helped her escape," Ramiel's voice was low but filled with anger.
"Yeah," Dimitri replied carefully, "until Sahaquiel threw a bomb at me."
Ramiel's anger grew, his sword arm pressing closer to Dimitri's neck. "We lost Leliel because of you."
"Ramiel, this is not the time!" Arael shouted.
All three of the other Angels looked like they had been run through Hell. Something had gone terribly wrong for them. Normally this would have made Dimitri incredibly happy but something was deeply off about this. Where were the others, for starters? It seemed a full half of the group was missing.
"We lost Leliel!" Ramiel nearly roared. "We lost the best weapon we had, and he helped them take it!"
"Shamshel's dead!" Arael shouted. "I don't think that damn fake really matters right now!"
Dimitri found himself stunned. Shamshel... Maria was dead? What the Hell had happened?
Ramiel ripped off his battered mask and threw it to the ground.
"I know!" he said, his face twisting with grief and rage. "I know, goddamnit!"
"What happened?" Dimitri asked, confusion outweighing his general hatred for Ramiel.
"We attacked, Zeruel struck back. Arael attacked her. Then Iruel and Israfel turned traitor, attacked Ramiel, and left Shamshel to die at Zeruel's hand. So bad times all around," Armisael explained stoically.
"And I guess that means Sahaquiel is with them?" Dimitri added, shocked.
It had been clear something big was going down when Sahaquiel attacked him but even Dimitri found this off putting. Israfel had never struck him as the type to betray Ramiel, let alone leave Shamshel to die.
One of them was dead. One of them either no longer existed in any meaningful way or had a fate far beyond their understanding. That was tough to process.
"Listen, Ramiel," Armisael said cautiously, "we may need to consider just backing out of this now. Sandalphon's already left for home, and if they're smart they're probably leaving the city. We should do the same."
Ramiel wasn't having it. "We've come too far! Iruel knows who we are. If we flee he'll sell us out to WILLE."
Panic grew on Arael's and Armisael's faces.
"Mein Gott," Arael said slowly.
"Great, just great," Armisael muttered as she shook her head.
Ramiel looked around, furious. "He's probably watching us right now. Are you laughing at me, you bastard?! You knew how far I went to get Leliel and you just took her from me!"
"Again, man, priorities," Armisael was shaking her head. "You said there are numerous Leliels around, right? We can capture another one but for right now we need to focus on the cluster you've put us in!"
"I tried!" Ramiel shouted. "I've tried so many times to capture Leliel, but it's just too easy for her to flee! I had to make a deal with Bardiel to get ahold of this one! And now I've lost her after barely getting one asset from her!"
Everyone paused, staring in disbelief at the Angel of Lighting.
"You did what?" Arael said.
"I made a deal with Bardiel!" Ramiel snapped. "I gave them Sakura Suzuhara, Okito's Aunt, and in exchange they brought me the Other Leliel."
If Dimitri wasn't positive it would end in him dying brutally he would have punched Ramiel right then and there. Dealing with Bardiel was low even for Ramiel. Though Ramiel himself seemed to be disgusted by what he had done.
"You sold Sachiel's family out to Bardiel?" Arael's face twisted in disgust. "That's...that's horrible."
"And you mentally raped Zeruel and her mother. Don't lecture me," Ramiel shot back.
"I only did the first one on your orders!" Arael shouted.
"You think they're going to care?" Ramiel replied. "They'll kill you the moment they find you. You've gone too far to back out! We've all gone too far!"
"That's because of you! We would have stayed out if you hadn't made us all terrified of the General!" Armisael countered.
"Because it was the best way to win!" Ramiel shouted. "We would be winning now if Iruel hadn't betrayed us!"
He was besides himself with anger right now, all but howling like an injured dog. "I don't understand. He was with us from the beginning, why would he betray me?!"
"Because he was an idiot. A fool who couldn't see the bigger picture," a new voice called out.
Dimitri turned to see a man standing in the doorway, their features hidden by shadows.
Ramiel turned to the man, his expression going from angry to confused.
"Grandfather, when did you arrive?" he asked.
"Last night. I was going to approach you sooner but I was delayed. Sorry to hear about your troubles today, Andrew." The man's voice was American accented and yet there was something unmistakably off about it.
"Everything's a mess," Ramiel said dejectedly. "Shamshel's dead, Sachiel's captured. Three of the others have turned on us. I've failed, I've messed up and one of us is dead because of it."
"Well, I give you credit for owning up to your mistakes," his grandfather said as he stepped out of the shadows. "But I wouldn't be so pessimistic. We have made some progress."
Dimitri recoiled in horror at the sight of the man, the others took a step back in surprise as well. The man before them looked barely more than 20, almost as young as Ramiel himself. But that wasn't what had shocked Dimitri, what shocked him was the man's eyes, they were glowing bright red. A shock of white ran through his normally reddish brown hair as well. This man wasn't an Angel, and yet he almost looked the part.
"After my daughter and her boyfriend proved unavailable I decided to test the procedure on myself. It's far from finished but we've made great progress," the man explained.
'So this was Ramiel's research? This was what he had been talking about. It wasn't just words, it was real.' Dimitri found himself all the more horrified.
"Are you okay?" Ramiel asked, genuinely concerned.
"I'm fine. Now let's talk about next steps," the man said calmly.
If he could Dimitri would flee now but he was exhausted and Ramiel was far too close.
"We need Okito back," Ramiel said after a moment. "With Maria... gone and Israfel turned traitor, we need more raw physical strength. Besides, Okito is one of the last few people I can trust at this point. But WILLE is too protected now and I'm not risking anyone like that."
His grandfather smiled, flashing his pearly white teeth. "Force isn't going to give us back your friend. What we need now is a more... subtle approach."
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
How do you secure someone for whom interdimensional transit is a casual effort? Keep her in a coma?
Oh? Who now?
Ah. Wonderful. So the PM was actually jerking Misato around. And has been quietly working with Iruel's faction since... who knows when. And never felt the need to inform WILLE. Lovely. So he's definitely turned his coat on humanity.
Damn, Ramiel and the others lived.
So Bardiel can apparently bodyjack even other Angels? Weird...
Wow... Asuka's father is an even bigger ball of scum than I thought. And this means the Soryu-Ikari Family Circus is even wilder than we thought, since that means Andrew Langley(?) is Asuka's nephew and Ria's cousin. And so Mr Langley is now... a hybrid himself? Part Angel? Revivified to youth, apparently.
Lilith or someone was definitely screwing around with how/where the Angels were reincarnated, though. The odds against Asuka having one Angel as a direct child, one as a nephew, and one as the child of her best friend are too high to have been mere blind chance.
Ok, so we now have... the Pure Angels Gang: Ramiel (Andrew Langley), Arael, Armisael, Mr Langely, and Dimitri the prisoner. They're already shaky since all but Ramiel would have preferred to stay neutral and hidden until Ramiel provoked things. OTOH, they've got Mr. Langley and an unknown number of other human backers.
Iruel's Gang, who are tied in to the 'Societas Eruditorium' that includes the Prime Minister: Iruel, Sahaquiel, Israfel, and a Leliel as a prisoner. They've got the Gov't of Japan to back them, at least quietly, and who knows who else is in this 'Societas'.
WILLE has Ria/Zeruel, alt-Kodama/Sachiel, alt-Kyoko/Gaghiel, and Okito/Sachiel as WILLE's prisoner. They've got Unit-00', -01, and -02, plus Pilots to go with them. They've also got the backing of the Empress, but don't know the PM is pretty much using the rest of the Gov't of Japan against them. I bet that's why the Positron Guns were so easy to hack both times. Not just Iruel hacking, but the GoJ handing over the codes right off the bat.
Bardiel is a nutter no one wants to work with. Sandalphon's 'left for home', Gaghiel's used Leliel to GTFO of the universe, and Shamshel's dead.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Or sneak up and ambush since Bardiel is so far from what they were even the other angels can't tell she as angel until she makes a move.
Gendo Ikari: Somehow not the worst.
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
I'm largely giving up on that. Though your comment made me rethink. Rejoice in my suffering.
Edit: search "Angel Galore" in this thread. I think I've gotten all of them down. At least, all who were named as of now.
Last edited:
So here goes at updating Raiseth's efforts (all credit to him/her/them):
Legend
PW pro-WILLE, more or less
PS pro- Seele
PE pro- Societas Eruditorium
Pp pro-peace
Ph pro-human
Uk unknown
Ud undecided
Nt neutral
Dd deceased
AU from another timeline
POW prisoner of war
MIA missing in action
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Angels accounted for:
Sachiel --------------------- Okito Suzuhara ------------------------------ PS/Ud/POW Really questioning life choices. Burned a few too many bridges to come all the way back.
Shamshel ------------------ Maria Vincennes ---------------------------- PS/Dd Hopefully finding peace in a third life.
Ramiel ---------------------- Andrew Soryu ------------------------------- PS The leader of the pro-Seele faction.
Gaghiel ------------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------- Uk/Nt Not-so-stupid Fish. Currently on vacation in Kyoko's world.
Israfel --- Sakiko (Jingu for other half) (last name unknown)------ PE Orphaned girl, can split herself in two.
Matarael -------------------- Dmitri Ohta ---------------------------------- Pp/PW/POW Currently imprisoned by Seele faction after assassination attempt by Societas faction.
Sahaquiel ------------Midori (last name unknown)--------------------- Nt/PE Came late to the game.
Sandalphon ----------- Yamagishi (????) --------------------------------- Nt/PS/Uk Eight years old. Quit and went home.
Iruel ------------------ (name unknown) ----------------------------------- PE Leader of Societus Eruditorium faction. Defected from Seele faction, but continued infiltration until recently.
Leliel ----------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------------- Pp Leader of Pro-peace faction. Has own agenda, maybe?
Bardiel --------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------------- Uk Serial body-jacker. Original identity total mystery. Currently inhabitating Sakura Suzuhara and/or Hikari Suzuhara. Does have some morals.
Zeruel ------------------ Ria Ikari Soryu ------------------------------------- PW/Ph With her family through thick and thin. Gradually winning over some support within WILLE.
Arael ----------------- (name unknown) ------------------------------------ Nt/PS Wears robes of the Lilith Church. German. Was neutral. Joined Seele due to Misato-phobia. Promptly burned any possible bridges by doing what Araels do best.
Armisael ------------ (name unknown) ------------------------------------ Nt/PS Video games and a business suit. Was neutral. Joined Seele due to Misato-phobia. May yet be able to back out, if only because she didn't mind-rape WILLE family.
================================================================================================================
Angel Enigmas/Miscellany (haven't appeared yet, or did so in mysterious circumstances)
Tabris (Adam?) Uk/Pp Appeared in dreams. Maybe. Apparently wanted to give everyone a second chance at peace.
Lilith ( Rei? ) Uk/Pp/Ph Appeared in dreams. Maybe. Apparently wanted to give everyone a second chance at peace. Seems to have been behind the whole Angel-reincarnation-thing. Will smack bitches if they threaten man?
------------------------------------------------
Kodama Suzuhara Sachiel Ud/Nt/PW AU Okito's twin sister counterpart. Arrived courtesy of Leliel-mail. Would like to get back home.
Kyoko Misato Ikari Gaghiel Ud/Nt/PW AU Ria's AU little sister counterpart. Arrived courtesy of Leliel-mail. Would like to get back home.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Shinji Ikari Third Children PW AU From original timeline. Gradually getting some help.
Asuka Soryu Langley Second Children PW AU From original timeline. Gradually getting some help.
Rei Ayanami First Children PW AU From Rebuild timeline. Gradually getting some help (??).
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Humans
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Misato Katsuragi PW Head of WILLE. Quite naturally, supports it. Dealing with her Angel-issues suprisingly quickly.
Asuka Soryu Langley PW Second in command at WILLE. Gee, I wonder why she supports it? An amazingly good parent, especially when you consider her background.
Shinji Ikari PW Not running away. Ever. Again. Getting to be a pretty decent dad. Apparently unemployed, though, since he still hasn't had a chance to get a job. Good thing he's got a pension.
Kensuke Aida Pp/PW Just came back from Instrumentality. A bit disoriented to see everyone else grew up.
Ritsuko Akagi PW Still a brilliant scientist. Still rather amoral. Despite her best efforts.
Yui Ikari MIA Somewhere near Jupiter, being insane.
Pen Pen MIA Alas, poor penguin. We knew ye well.
Gendo Ikari MIA Still in Instrumentality. Still looking for Yui. The schmuck.
Keel Lorenz MIA Still in Instrumentality. Is happy. Is winner. Gives no f***s about what's happening in the world.
PW pro-WILLE, more or less
PS pro- Seele
PE pro- Societas Eruditorium
Pp pro-peace
Ph pro-human
Uk unknown
Ud undecided
Nt neutral
Dd deceased
AU from another timeline
POW prisoner of war
MIA missing in action
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Angels accounted for:
Sachiel --------------------- Okito Suzuhara ------------------------------ PS/Ud/POW Really questioning life choices. Burned a few too many bridges to come all the way back.
Shamshel ------------------ Maria Vincennes ---------------------------- PS/Dd Hopefully finding peace in a third life.
Ramiel ---------------------- Andrew Soryu ------------------------------- PS The leader of the pro-Seele faction.
Gaghiel ------------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------- Uk/Nt Not-so-stupid Fish. Currently on vacation in Kyoko's world.
Israfel --- Sakiko (Jingu for other half) (last name unknown)------ PE Orphaned girl, can split herself in two.
Matarael -------------------- Dmitri Ohta ---------------------------------- Pp/PW/POW Currently imprisoned by Seele faction after assassination attempt by Societas faction.
Sahaquiel ------------Midori (last name unknown)--------------------- Nt/PE Came late to the game.
Sandalphon ----------- Yamagishi (????) --------------------------------- Nt/PS/Uk Eight years old. Quit and went home.
Iruel ------------------ (name unknown) ----------------------------------- PE Leader of Societus Eruditorium faction. Defected from Seele faction, but continued infiltration until recently.
Leliel ----------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------------- Pp Leader of Pro-peace faction. Has own agenda, maybe?
Bardiel --------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------------- Uk Serial body-jacker. Original identity total mystery. Currently inhabitating Sakura Suzuhara and/or Hikari Suzuhara. Does have some morals.
Zeruel ------------------ Ria Ikari Soryu ------------------------------------- PW/Ph With her family through thick and thin. Gradually winning over some support within WILLE.
Arael ----------------- (name unknown) ------------------------------------ Nt/PS Wears robes of the Lilith Church. German. Was neutral. Joined Seele due to Misato-phobia. Promptly burned any possible bridges by doing what Araels do best.
Armisael ------------ (name unknown) ------------------------------------ Nt/PS Video games and a business suit. Was neutral. Joined Seele due to Misato-phobia. May yet be able to back out, if only because she didn't mind-rape WILLE family.
================================================================================================================
Angel Enigmas/Miscellany (haven't appeared yet, or did so in mysterious circumstances)
Tabris (Adam?) Uk/Pp Appeared in dreams. Maybe. Apparently wanted to give everyone a second chance at peace.
Lilith ( Rei? ) Uk/Pp/Ph Appeared in dreams. Maybe. Apparently wanted to give everyone a second chance at peace. Seems to have been behind the whole Angel-reincarnation-thing. Will smack bitches if they threaten man?
------------------------------------------------
Kodama Suzuhara Sachiel Ud/Nt/PW AU Okito's twin sister counterpart. Arrived courtesy of Leliel-mail. Would like to get back home.
Kyoko Misato Ikari Gaghiel Ud/Nt/PW AU Ria's AU little sister counterpart. Arrived courtesy of Leliel-mail. Would like to get back home.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Shinji Ikari Third Children PW AU From original timeline. Gradually getting some help.
Asuka Soryu Langley Second Children PW AU From original timeline. Gradually getting some help.
Rei Ayanami First Children PW AU From Rebuild timeline. Gradually getting some help (??).
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Humans
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Misato Katsuragi PW Head of WILLE. Quite naturally, supports it. Dealing with her Angel-issues suprisingly quickly.
Asuka Soryu Langley PW Second in command at WILLE. Gee, I wonder why she supports it? An amazingly good parent, especially when you consider her background.
Shinji Ikari PW Not running away. Ever. Again. Getting to be a pretty decent dad. Apparently unemployed, though, since he still hasn't had a chance to get a job. Good thing he's got a pension.
Kensuke Aida Pp/PW Just came back from Instrumentality. A bit disoriented to see everyone else grew up.
Ritsuko Akagi PW Still a brilliant scientist. Still rather amoral. Despite her best efforts.
Yui Ikari MIA Somewhere near Jupiter, being insane.
Pen Pen MIA Alas, poor penguin. We knew ye well.
Gendo Ikari MIA Still in Instrumentality. Still looking for Yui. The schmuck.
Keel Lorenz MIA Still in Instrumentality. Is happy. Is winner. Gives no f***s about what's happening in the world.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Pen Pen is still around and has appeared. Also its Andrew Langley but still, awesome
Raiseth
I Find Your Lack of Memes Disturbing
- Location
- Russia
If you click on a name to the thread's posts left, you can quickly get everything you need to know about a person ( me, for example ), or at least as much as that person is willing to tell.
Oh, and I love it. Don't credit it to me, yours is three times as big at least.
Yes, innuendo. Yes, intentional.
- Location
- supernatural
What I got from this seems to be that Mr Langley likes his grandson more than his own daughters... or greatly respects him, like his other daughter said he trying to be the best Grandfather he could be.
What I got from this seems to be that Mr Langley likes his grandson more than his own daughters... or greatly respects him, like his other daughter said he trying to be the best Grandfather he could be.
Or he's being nice to his grandson as part of ensuring Andrew continues to obey his orders/keep him in the loop. Basically Gendoing better than Gendo did.
So here goes at re-updating Raiseth's efforts (all still most credit to him):
Did I miss anybody? Somebody's last name/first name that was mentioned somewhere that I didn't get?
Innuendo? What innuendo? The only thing I see is a CHAR reference.
Legend
PW pro-WILLE, more or less
PS pro- Seele
PE pro- Societas Eruditorium
Pp pro-peace
Ph pro-human
Uk unknown
Ud undecided
Nt neutral
Dd deceased
AU from another timeline
POW prisoner of war
MIA missing in action
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Angels accounted for:
Sachiel --------------------- Okito Suzuhara ------------------------------ PS/Ud/POW ------------- Really questioning life choices (IOTW, being an NGE character). Burned a few too many bridges to come all the way back.
Shamshel ------------------ Maria Vincennes ---------------------------- PS/Dd --------------------- Hopefully finding peace in a third life.
Ramiel --------------------- Andrew Langley ------------------------------ PS -------------------------- The leader of the pro-Seele faction.
Gaghiel ------------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------- Uk/Nt ---------------------- Not-so-stupid Fish. Nop'ed the hell out of the primary timeline. Currently on vacation in Kyoko's world.
Israfel --- Sakiko (Jingu for other half) (last name unknown)------ PE -------------------------- Orphaned girl, can split herself in two.
Matarael -------------------- Dmitri Ohta ---------------------------------- Pp/PW/POW ------------ Currently imprisoned by Seele faction after assassination attempt by Societas faction.
Sahaquiel ------------Midori (last name unknown)--------------------- Nt/PE --------------------- Came late to the game.
Sandalphon ----------- Yamagishi (????) --------------------------------- Nt/PS/Uk ----------------- Eight years old. Quit and went home.
Iruel ------------------ (name unknown) ----------------------------------- PE -------------------------- Leader of Societus Eruditorium faction. Defected from Seele faction, but continued infiltration until recently.
Leliel ----------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------------- Pp -------------------------- Leader of Pro-peace faction. Has own agenda, maybe?
Bardiel --------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------------- Uk ------------------------- Serial body-jacker. Original identity total mystery. Currently inhabitating Sakura Suzuhara and/or Hikari Suzuhara. Does have some morals.
Zeruel ------------------ Ria Ikari Soryu ------------------------------------- PW/Ph ------------------- With her family through thick and thin. Gradually winning over some support within WILLE.
Arael ----------------- (name unknown) ------------------------------------ Nt/PS -------------------- Wears robes of the Lilith Church. German. Was neutral. Joined Seele due to Misato-phobia. Promptly burned any possible bridges by doing what Araels do best.
Armisael ------------ (name unknown) ------------------------------------ Nt/PS -------------------- Video games and a business suit. Was neutral. Joined Seele due to Misato-phobia. May yet be able to back out, if only because she didn't mind-rape WILLE family.
================================================================================================================
Angel Enigmas/Miscellany (haven't appeared yet, or did so in mysterious circumstances)
Tabris (Adam?) ---------- Uk/Pp --------- Appeared in dreams. Maybe. Apparently wanted to give everyone a second chance at peace.
Lilith ( Rei? ) -------------- Uk/Pp/Ph ----- Appeared in dreams. Maybe. Apparently wanted to give everyone a second chance at peace. Seems to have been behind the whole Angel-reincarnation-thing. Will smack bitches if they threaten man?
------------------------------------------------
Kodama Suzuhara -------- Sachiel -------- Ud/Nt/PW ----- AU ---- Okito's twin sister counterpart. Arrived courtesy of Leliel-mail. Would like to get back home.
Kyoko Misato Ikari -------- Gaghiel -------- Ud/Nt/PW ---- AU --- Ria's AU little sister counterpart. Arrived courtesy of Leliel-mail. Would like to get back home.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Shinji Ikari ----------------- Third Children ----- PW AU ------ From original timeline. ----- Gradually getting some help.
Asuka Soryu Langley ---- Second Children --- PW AU ----- From original timeline. ------ Gradually getting some help.
Rei Ayanami --------------- First Children ------- PW AU ----- From Rebuild timeline. ------- Gradually getting some help (??).
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Humans (mostly)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Misato Katsuragi -------- PW ---------- Head of WILLE. Quite naturally, supports it. Dealing with her Angel-issues suprisingly quickly.
Asuka Soryu Langley ----- PW ---------- Second in command at WILLE. Gee, I wonder why she supports it? An amazingly good parent, especially when you consider her background.
Shinji Ikari ------------------ PW --------- Not running away. Ever. Again. Getting to be a pretty decent dad. Apparently unemployed, though, since he still hasn't had a chance to get a job. Good thing he's got a pension.
Kensuke Aida ---------- Pp/PW --------- Just came back from Instrumentality. A bit disoriented to see everyone else grew up.
Ritsuko Akagi ------------- PW ----------- Still a brilliant scientist. Still rather amoral. Despite her best efforts.
Yui Ikari ------------------ MIA ------------ Somewhere near Jupiter, being insane.
Pen Pen ---------------MIA (??) -------- Alas, poor penguin. We knew ye well. Apparently, still around, though I somehow missed him. Pen Pen, Pen Pen, wherefore art though, oh Pen Pen?
Gendo Ikari ------------- MIA ----------- Still in Instrumentality. Still looking for Yui. The schmuck.
Keel Lorenz ------------- MIA ------------- Still in Instrumentality. Is happy. Is winner. Gives no f***s about what's happening in the world.
PW pro-WILLE, more or less
PS pro- Seele
PE pro- Societas Eruditorium
Pp pro-peace
Ph pro-human
Uk unknown
Ud undecided
Nt neutral
Dd deceased
AU from another timeline
POW prisoner of war
MIA missing in action
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Angels accounted for:
Sachiel --------------------- Okito Suzuhara ------------------------------ PS/Ud/POW ------------- Really questioning life choices (IOTW, being an NGE character). Burned a few too many bridges to come all the way back.
Shamshel ------------------ Maria Vincennes ---------------------------- PS/Dd --------------------- Hopefully finding peace in a third life.
Ramiel --------------------- Andrew Langley ------------------------------ PS -------------------------- The leader of the pro-Seele faction.
Gaghiel ------------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------- Uk/Nt ---------------------- Not-so-stupid Fish. Nop'ed the hell out of the primary timeline. Currently on vacation in Kyoko's world.
Israfel --- Sakiko (Jingu for other half) (last name unknown)------ PE -------------------------- Orphaned girl, can split herself in two.
Matarael -------------------- Dmitri Ohta ---------------------------------- Pp/PW/POW ------------ Currently imprisoned by Seele faction after assassination attempt by Societas faction.
Sahaquiel ------------Midori (last name unknown)--------------------- Nt/PE --------------------- Came late to the game.
Sandalphon ----------- Yamagishi (????) --------------------------------- Nt/PS/Uk ----------------- Eight years old. Quit and went home.
Iruel ------------------ (name unknown) ----------------------------------- PE -------------------------- Leader of Societus Eruditorium faction. Defected from Seele faction, but continued infiltration until recently.
Leliel ----------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------------- Pp -------------------------- Leader of Pro-peace faction. Has own agenda, maybe?
Bardiel --------------- (name unknown) ----------------------------------- Uk ------------------------- Serial body-jacker. Original identity total mystery. Currently inhabitating Sakura Suzuhara and/or Hikari Suzuhara. Does have some morals.
Zeruel ------------------ Ria Ikari Soryu ------------------------------------- PW/Ph ------------------- With her family through thick and thin. Gradually winning over some support within WILLE.
Arael ----------------- (name unknown) ------------------------------------ Nt/PS -------------------- Wears robes of the Lilith Church. German. Was neutral. Joined Seele due to Misato-phobia. Promptly burned any possible bridges by doing what Araels do best.
Armisael ------------ (name unknown) ------------------------------------ Nt/PS -------------------- Video games and a business suit. Was neutral. Joined Seele due to Misato-phobia. May yet be able to back out, if only because she didn't mind-rape WILLE family.
================================================================================================================
Angel Enigmas/Miscellany (haven't appeared yet, or did so in mysterious circumstances)
Tabris (Adam?) ---------- Uk/Pp --------- Appeared in dreams. Maybe. Apparently wanted to give everyone a second chance at peace.
Lilith ( Rei? ) -------------- Uk/Pp/Ph ----- Appeared in dreams. Maybe. Apparently wanted to give everyone a second chance at peace. Seems to have been behind the whole Angel-reincarnation-thing. Will smack bitches if they threaten man?
------------------------------------------------
Kodama Suzuhara -------- Sachiel -------- Ud/Nt/PW ----- AU ---- Okito's twin sister counterpart. Arrived courtesy of Leliel-mail. Would like to get back home.
Kyoko Misato Ikari -------- Gaghiel -------- Ud/Nt/PW ---- AU --- Ria's AU little sister counterpart. Arrived courtesy of Leliel-mail. Would like to get back home.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Shinji Ikari ----------------- Third Children ----- PW AU ------ From original timeline. ----- Gradually getting some help.
Asuka Soryu Langley ---- Second Children --- PW AU ----- From original timeline. ------ Gradually getting some help.
Rei Ayanami --------------- First Children ------- PW AU ----- From Rebuild timeline. ------- Gradually getting some help (??).
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Humans (mostly)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Misato Katsuragi -------- PW ---------- Head of WILLE. Quite naturally, supports it. Dealing with her Angel-issues suprisingly quickly.
Asuka Soryu Langley ----- PW ---------- Second in command at WILLE. Gee, I wonder why she supports it? An amazingly good parent, especially when you consider her background.
Shinji Ikari ------------------ PW --------- Not running away. Ever. Again. Getting to be a pretty decent dad. Apparently unemployed, though, since he still hasn't had a chance to get a job. Good thing he's got a pension.
Kensuke Aida ---------- Pp/PW --------- Just came back from Instrumentality. A bit disoriented to see everyone else grew up.
Ritsuko Akagi ------------- PW ----------- Still a brilliant scientist. Still rather amoral. Despite her best efforts.
Yui Ikari ------------------ MIA ------------ Somewhere near Jupiter, being insane.
Pen Pen ---------------
Gendo Ikari ------------- MIA ----------- Still in Instrumentality. Still looking for Yui. The schmuck.
Keel Lorenz ------------- MIA ------------- Still in Instrumentality. Is happy. Is winner. Gives no f***s about what's happening in the world.
Did I miss anybody? Somebody's last name/first name that was mentioned somewhere that I didn't get?
If you click on a name to the thread's posts left, you can quickly get everything you need to know about a person ( me, for example ), or at least as much as that person is willing to tell.
Oh, and I love it. Don't credit it to me, yours is three times as big at least.
Yes, innuendo. Yes, intentional.
Innuendo? What innuendo? The only thing I see is a CHAR reference.
Last edited:
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I think you're good. I'll double check but I'm pretty sure you're good. Thanks.