redheadcarrier | [DDD | 034] New Apartment

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[DDD | 034] New Apartment

Well, we're finally moving into the new apartment. Not that we have a whole let to move anyway... Computer, violin, some books, clothing... Not much. Not much at all. ~~I had a lot more then this when I moved to Tokyo. But... it's all gone, now.~~ Still, the new apartment is nice, even if I'm still in the middle of unpacking (along with my two chucklehead roommates). I've claimed the room closest to the bathroom, because there's no way I'm going to be the one waiting in the morning.

Also managed to get a job. Stocking shelves. Ugh. Stocking. Shelves. How humiliating. I'm a trained Eva pilot! I saved the world! And I have to stock shelves so I can afford as stupid apartment! Ugggh! It's so unfair, really! It's like nothing I did ended up mattering at all! Hate this so much. At least I can still play violin or whatever... And public transit won't be too much of a hassle either. Stupid work.

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[She hmmphed, arms folding over her chest as she leaned back in her chair, watching him. There was something strange about the pauses in the conversation. Like something was missing or different or strange. But she wouldn't let that show, certainly. Never. His posture was so familiar, though. One she'd seen a hundred times before.]

Huh. Curiosity huh? Well, you can unpack a few things while you're here, I guess. [She shrugged.] Mostly done. Just a few boxes left.

[Another shrug.]

I got one. It's a retail job. But it pays decently.

[The shrugs were odder. Mismatched. He had expected less neutrality. More energy. He rolled a shoulder. An echo.] I would not mind doing as much. [And he could almost feel the next pause. Almost feel the quiet that settled over him as he stepped in. Picked his way over to one of the boxes. At most, her voice provided what familiarity the situation lacked. At least, he supposed, that was enough.]

That is good to hear, then. [A beat.] You happen to be quite a bit more fortunate than I am. The most I might expect at the current is a phone call. [He glanced at her, for a moment. Glanced back to the box he had halted before. Withdrew his hands from his pockets, before crouching down. Before drumming his fingers thoughtfully on the top of it.] Or two, should both employers have liked me.

[Something had made him pause, just then. She could sense it. She could read what little body language he put off (barely).] Well, good! At least you're going to be useful. [She grumped at him, standing from her chair and threading through the boxes on the floor.]

Well, hopefully you'll find something, because I'm sure as Hell not going to be the only one bringing in the money around here! If that happens I might as well just kick you out! [She trailed off and the silence was uncomfortable, filled by the sound of his fingers drumming on a box. Asuka cocked her head, tried to think of something else to say.]

Are you still going to be going to school?

[He lifted his hands. For an instant. Tossed her a smile. Something to pacify. The gesture was empty. Instinctual.] I will make certain to obtain one, do not worry. [He let a soft chuckle well up. His voice sincere. Thoughtful.] After all, it would not be particularly fair to either of you.

[And he felt the uncomfortable weight of the quiet. Realizing the sound of his fingers drumming was all that broke the stillness between them. And when Asuka spoke, it was a relief. Almost.]

I wish to, yes. However, if money becomes something of a problem, I suppose I will have to cease attending. [It was a possibility. A potential reality. He hummed softly.] Though, I think it is a tad too early still to speak on that.

[The smile almost made her want to throw him out. She didn't want him to smile at her like that. In that empty way, that was just supposed to make her leave him alone, to stop asking questions, to calm down. She didn't want that smile. She didn't want to be reassured by that emptiness. Her answer came begrudgingly, disgruntled.] No. No it wouldn't, Nagisa. [Last name. Not his first. She didn't want to call him Kaworu right now. That would open too many doors. At least, to her.]

[Silence, then the question and the answer. She shifted her weight, watching him.]

Well, that's not my problem. You'll have to figure that out yourself, I guess. [Just a bit of disdain, but she felt sorry for it almost immediately. But she pressed on.] Yeah, yeah, yeah... Just find a job, alright? This apartment was a decent find and I don't wanna get kicked out because you or Minato screwed up!

Edited 2009-04-08 07:45 (UTC)

[And it was the tone that signaled he had been caught. And it was with some note of delayed apology that he allowed the smile to taper off. Allowed his attention to refocus on the box before him, again.

The use of his surname had turned over a raw spot. Had scraped against something he did not know what to call. Did not know what to name. And part of him wished it to remain shapeless. Formless. At least for the moment. At least for now.

However, what flickered through him did not affect his expression. Did not disturb his neutrality. Instead, he let the silence once again answer it. Instead, he let himself skip over it. He was supposed to be unpacking, wasn't he?]

I do know. [A brief glance. His calm resettling, internally.] I do not fault you for that. I do not wish to lose this apartment either, really.

[She watched his smile die and felt a perverse sort of pleasure that she'd managed to do that. She squelched the feeling of regret that threatened to well up through the cracks in her own defenses. She didn't need to feel sorry. She never had before (a lie). Not with Shinji (another lie), and not with Kaworu. She didn't really need them anyway. She just tolerated them (and another lie).

She knelt next to a different box, tore it open with with a wrenching, scraping sound of cardboard and tape coming apart. She started pulling out books, stacking them on the carpet.]

Of course you don't fault me for that! You can't! I'm just looking out for myself, for our apartment! If it wasn't for me, you and Minato would probably still be looking for one with the perfect window alignment or whatever it is you guys were poking around for.

[It was that form of honesty that was still particularly new. That was still particularly untouched. Unmastered. He had once been that way with Shinji. Only once. And that had been some quiet regret. He could not stop the threat, then. He could not keep the same, thoughtless smile. Could not hold it in the face of Shinji's own, raw honesty. Months ago. The uncertainty of whether or not they would again become refugees. Two worlds, gone.

And this time - And this time, he grasped at threads. Pulled and tugged. Tried to remember the exact instance where that had shifted with her. Before he forgot. Before he remembered, again.

He kept himself humming. Absent. Patiently peeled the tape keeping the box closed, back. They had time. He had time, at least. When he managed to cleanly open it, he stacked what books he found beside hers.]

That is a possibility, I suppose. [A small chuckle. A faint smile.] Though, Minato-kun tended to be more neutral about the selections. [He paused over one volume. Glanced at the title curiously. Something he hadn't read. He flipped it over, half-noting the reviews. Half-reading them.] The previous had rather, ah, unfortunate window placement. Those in the apartment across did not seem to particularly appreciate it, either.

Edited 2009-04-08 14:12 (UTC)

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[DDD | 034] New Apartment

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