Shinji sat quietly in the corner of Sojiro Sakura's tiny little cafe, inwardly wincing at the curious passers-by (mostly locals who were coming for lunch) looking in from the window. Mostly because Zenkichi Hasegawa was serving as a proverbial bouncer to keep everyone else out.
(Sakura hastily wrote 'PRIVATE PARTY IN PROGRESS' before taping the message to the front door. "There...Hasegawa, you can keep people from barging through the door." As Zenkichi sputtered and protested at being 'voluntold', Sojiro casually retorted, "well, you're our former Community Safety guy, aren't you? Keeping the peace is part of the job...so do your job," he said with a wry, almost smug, grin.)
And yet that didn't stop Sojiro from utilizing the resources at his disposal, because he had Toji ferrying orders in and out the door, Ren in the kitchen making curry, and Mana at the countertop with him mixing drinks...simpler ones, that is, which some of the Feathermen were happy to oblige so that Mana (who they had
all realized by now was a fan of theirs) could have the privilege of making their order. Takamaki and Kujikawa, alas, seemed intent on testing Sakura's skills with ever more elaborate types of coffee drinks.
(He'd never
seen so much whipped cream topped onto a mug before.)
(
You'd probably have fallen into a diabetic coma by now.)
Rio Hayase's attempts at getting them to take it easy, alas, seemed unsuccessful.
Kensuke and Junpei had fallen into conversation with the Konishi siblings, apparently intrigued at how they had gotten the idea to reclaim vehicles from villages and towns that had been depopulated by Angel Syndrome. Mayumi, meanwhile, was politely listening to Hifumi regale her of tales from life in the theater. Ryuji, sitting between Ann and Rise, was jumping from one story to another of his '
glory days' by their request...mostly so they could get juicy stories involving the '
boss lady's man', in their words; since the subject involved stories of A.T. Agent work, Akane listened with rapt ears.
All told...it was a picture of constrained chaos, one that he felt comfortable on the periphery of, especially with the relaxing music playing over the speakers.
"...you seem rather quiet, young man."
Wincing, he glanced across the table towards Naoto Tatsumi, who was quietly sipping at her latte. "...I guess I just like watching?"
"Not much of a people person, I assume."
"...I guess I just haven't really gotten into Featherman, I suppose."
Naoto smiled knowingly. "Be careful; our boss might inundate you with merchandise before we leave."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"...your reputation precedes you, Shinji Ikari. But I'm grateful to say that it's undeserved, at least as far as media speculation is concerned."
Shinji tried not to grimace, because what
was it with strangers knowing him beforehand? First Saori, then Takaya, and now Naoto?? "Ah...I see..."
"I like keeping track of the various individuals and organizations that are tasked with defending humanity...and NERV is one of the biggest names in the 'business', so to speak," she explained analytically. "When Yukari-san informed us that her husband was currently working a VIP escort mission for 'some kids out of Tokyo-3', it didn't take much to put two and two together as to her potential VIP could be...especially in light of the documented youth of the First and Second Children, who've been fighting for much longer than you." Sipping at her latte again, she added, "and there were some American media reports about the MAGI sabotage at Atlanta in early July, when Strega became first known 'officially'...and not a few of those reports made mention of eyewitness testimony about a young Japanese male who had been seen fighting alongside the Second Child. There are other points of data as well, but I trust you get my meaning."
Shinji blinked, almost bewildered. "...maybe you should have been an actual detective, Tatsumi-san?"
The woman smiled to herself. "I
do enjoy those roles...but I love my work too much to change careers. Perhaps in another life."
Shinji briefly glanced at her compatriots, wondering if they all shared her opinion. Gathering his
determination, he took a chance. "...what about them? Do they think my reputation is also undeserved?"
Naoto nodded. "You come off as too polite and inoffensive to warrant such extreme fear. I imagine Ann and Rise would try to baby you if you let them. Rio would laud you for your martial prowess...as for Saki and Hifumi, well, they'd probably reserve very harsh words for the critics of Evangelion in the media. Saki especially; her tongue is probably the most caustic of all of us, when she gets in a bad mood." She took another sip. "Unfortunately, fear has a habit of making fools out of anyone..."
"I see," murmured Shinji with a nod, feeling somewhat grateful. "...it's...humbling, I guess."
"What is?"
"To know that even strangers can have a good opinion of me," he admitted, folding his hands and resting them in his lap. "...sometimes, it feels like it's me against the world. I know it's not true, but it sometimes
feels like it. And that's...well..."
"Lonely?"
"...yes."
Naoto nodded, crossing her arms under her bust (which put Ann's, Rise's,
and Misato's to shame; he inwardly wondered how strong the woman's back muscles were in order to support them, and
why are you going down that line of thought, eyes up!). "It takes a very unique individual to ignore or brush past the criticisms of others. I'm sure most would tell you that the opinions of those you care about are all that matter...and on some level, that's true; however, reputation and honor can be besmirched by people you'll never see or hear...and as someone who works in the entertainment industry for a living, that's simply something I've come to accept."
"But that seems so unfair..."
The woman shrugged. "That's reality for you, I'm afraid."
"...how do you deal with it?" he wondered, trying not to sound like he was pleading.
The woman smiled sweetly, glancing fondly at her fellows. "Close friends...loved ones...I can't speak for those who have the mental strength and fortitude to carry on in isolation...but for me, the bonds I have are what give me the strength to keep going. And just from the outside looking in...it looks like you have some pretty good ones."
Shinji glanced at Toji (
Chariot), Kensuke (
Magician), Mayumi (
Hermit), Mana (
Strength), Ren (
Judgement), Sakura-sensei (
the one who took you in when he didn't have to), and Sakamoto (
the one who, after the chaos on the ferry, gave you a pep talk that you still don't think you deserve). There were others as well, that Tatsumi was unaware of, yet nonetheless gave him strength from afar. "...I guess I do," he admitted to himself.
"Then endure to your utmost, Ikari-san," said Naoto, acknowledging him with a level of respect that still felt
weird coming from an adult. "And trust that they'll be there to catch you if you ever fall."
(Somehow, he had a feeling that Misato would've gotten along
swimmingly with these women.)
