[X] Tell them both at the same time. Get it over with.
[X] Tell her to leave out the part about Yui Ikari.
Rei dips her head, perhaps disappointed you haven't inexplicably decided to call the entire thing off, but she nods slowly. Okay. She'll…try. She's not very good at using her words.
Later in the week, it finally happens. After dinner, Rei stops Asuka from retreating to her bedroom and says there's something she has to tell her. Asuka folds her arms and tilts her chin up. Oh, really? Do tell. You sigh and grab a beer from the fridge. Rei moves to the living room and gets Shinji's attention. You follow them and settle in on the couch, eyeing your charges warily. You have no idea how they're going to react. Pen2 watches from the door of the kitchen.
Shinji gives you a bewildered look, looking back and forth between you, Rei, and Asuka. He seems confused about why Asuka is there. It seems all your talk of romance might have primed him to think Rei's big secret involved her romantic interest in him. Oops. Asuka looks like she wants to punch Rei already. Rei opens her mouth to speak and closes it several times. Asuka says out with it already. Asuka doesn't have all night to wait around.
Rei gives Asuka an intense look. Asuka's scowl deepens, and her eye twitches with annoyance. What, is there some kind of problem with what she said? Rei doesn't say anything. She balls her fists, and she begins.
As instructed, she glosses over the reason for her existence, Yui Ikari, and begins with the fact that she is the eleventh member of the Rei Ayanami series. That she is a clone. Asuka reacts with confusion, and Shinji with alarm. He begins to bombard Rei with questions. Human cloning is possible? Is she one of those clones that has an expiration date like in sci-fi movies? What happened to the first ten Rei Ayanamis? Doesn't she have a bellybutton? Rei turns her intense gaze to Shinji and answers his questions tersely. Yes, no, they died, yes.
Asuka blinks a few times and asks why Rei exists at all. Are there clones of Shinji and Asuka too? Underneath her abrasive tone there is a hint of panic. Rei says NERV needed to ensure it always had a pilot. And that it needed a vessel. Rei also explains that her body exists as parts for the Dummy System. Asuka and Shinji are unique. Asuka says well of course she is. The world's not big enough for two of her anyway. You take a sip of your beer and try not to roll your eyes.
The smug expression fades off Asuka's face when she realizes that this means the Dummy System wasn't just Rei's mental scans. It was Rei herself. Which means that it was her that did that to Unit-02 last battle. Asuka closes the distance between herself and Rei instantly. Rei stands her ground. Another Rei, without a real consciousness to speak of, did that to her, yes. It was killed when the Dummy System was aborted by Dr. Akagi. All uses of the Dummy System end with the destruction of the clone. The clone itself is largely reduced to a nervous system kept on life support when put into the Plug anyway. They are not the same thing as Rei is.
Shinji says that's horrible. Rei doesn't say anything at all.
Asuka says it doesn't matter. It's still Rei's mind that did it, isn't it? Rei remains silent.
Shinji breaks the silence by asking about the vessel thing she mentioned. You drink more generously.
Rei looks at you. You nod. She turns her attention back to Asuka, almost glaring at her. Asuka glares back.
Rei explains that her body is a vessel for the soul of Lilith, the Second Angel. Her body isn't fully human. She's an Angel-human hybrid. Her voice quavers just a little bit. She assures you all that she poses no existential threat—
Asuka shouts that she fucking knew it. She turns her attention to Shinji, who shrinks under her withering glare. She fucking told him so. And he didn't believe her! He called her crazy! Shinji looks around and stammers that look, he's really sorry, it's just—
Asuka doesn't care about whatever stupid excuses he has. Get on his knees and apologize to her, right now. Shinji complies readily. Asuka says good. She'll think of some suitable punishment for him later. She turns her attention back to Rei. As for her.
Asuka grabs her by the top of her head and drags her to the floor by her hair, forcing her into a dogeza position. Rei yelps in pain as her head bangs into the floor. You start from your chair and move to intervene. Asuka tells you to stay back. You don't understand what Rei did to her.
Shinji throws himself at Asuka. She responds by giving him a wicked kick, knocking him off his feet. He pants heavily, winded. Pathetic, she spits at Shinji, and he calls himself a soldier. She places her foot on Rei's back, forcing her into the floor. Say you're sorry, Asuka snarls. Rei doesn't. Asuka puts more of her weight on her, making Rei grunt in pain. She repeats herself more forcefully. You move in, shouting at Asuka to get off of Rei. What's wrong with her? Asuka shoves you away with considerable force, nearly knocking you over. Asuka's not moving until Rei apologizes to her. She'll fight you for it. She sounds hysterical.
You demand an explanation. Asuka gives it to you, relaying what happened to her while you were away in Matsushiro. How her work with Fuyutsuki made her suspicious of Rei, how she tested Rei's DNA and received a positive identification as Lilith, how she confronted Rei about it, how Rei not only lied to her but tried to make her feel insane, how she threatened to have her psychologically examined by Ritsuko, how she poisoned Shinji against Asuka by telling him that Asuka was losing it. She presses Rei further into the floor. There was a point where Asuka began actually doubting herself. Asuka wants an apology, now. Then the three of you can figure out what to do about the Second Angel.
What will you do?
[ ] Write-in
