a happy end

[salvagedsoul]

Date & Time: January 15th through January 22nd
Location: Around the town, various winter locations.
Characters: Kaworu & you! plus, separate log with Shinji Ikari inside.
Summary: Kaworu has moved permanently back to Earth from the moonbase. He hasn't met with many of his friends for a while, and he wants to see how they're doing as he explores.
Warnings: will update if necessary. Also, either prose or brackets is fine.

[ open to all, 17th - 22nd]

It's even colder here now than it was earlier in the winter, but the physiological effects pass him over. His body might be shaped like a human's, but his biology is not. For as much as that fact has shaped his life, for the moment it was proving useful - allowing him to mingle with a local population that he's heard is fairly hostile to more otherworldly people.

His first days here were devoted entirely to catching up with his beloved, but after settling in he was reminded of the longing he felt for his other friends. It hasn't been just Shinji who enriched his heart since he was first brought here, but all the others too, and he hasn't forgot about them. With the help of his tablet, he slowly begins sending out short, polite invitations to meet him near the center of town where he sits, waiting. A brown paper bag is at his side, the top curled down to hide its contents.

Even if they don't respond, he doesn't mind. Time means nothing at all, and he's content to pass a few minutes here anyway, watching residents pass. Perhaps fate would even bring him a new acquaintance.

Comments

[oncearanger]

A waddling creature wound up in layers of blue and black yarn trudges through the snow toward Kaworu. The walking yarnball confirms that the boy blending so well into the scenery is indeed his friend, quickens his pace, then loosens the scarf around his mouth ever so slightly when he reaches his destination.

"Are you enjoying the new environment?" Because even now, Billy's first instinct is to talk about the weather. Those other thoughts crowding his mind will have to arrange themselves into a nice line.

And there really is so much more, he thinks, instinctively taking another step forward into possibly personal space.

[salvagedsoul]

Kaworu watches the walking bundle approach him and quickly suspects who it might be. This is someone he truly has not spoken to in a long time... and truly someone who did much to help him develop his heart, too.

"I am," he answers pleasantly. With a little grunt, he rises to his feet and dusts the snow off his butt with his uncovered hands. "It's really very beautiful, although I have the benefit of not being too affected by the temperature."

There is a pause as he looks Billy over. He can't help but feel a little guilty for falling out of contact with him the past few months. The angel had been preoccupied with many things - the moon, missions, the mutiny, and his blooming relationship with Shinji. But, none of that excuses any failure on his part to be a proper friend.

With a short step forward, he wraps his arms around Billy's broad shoulders to pull him into a friendly, familiar hug. "It's so good to see you. How are you?"

[oncearanger]

"I'd hate to go against you in a snowball fight," Billy nodded, lowering the scarf just enough to show his delighted smile. As he stands there, that indescribable happy feeling welling up, he remembers just how much he's missed Kaworu these past few months.

His smile grows wider when Kaworu embraces him, and in the same moment he returns the favor heartily. It hadn't been all that long ago that he was going over the hug concept, and now...well, he'd missed this little ritual of theirs a lot.

"I hit a dead end with my research, but I'm sure we'll all get through it. And I could honestly use the break today," he laughed as he pulled back. "I know you've been introduced to the wintery world already, but...I'd be happy to explore anything you want."

[salvagedsoul]

When they pull away, Kaworu is smiling calmly. He's missed Billy very much - his dumb jokes, news of his most recent invention, the obvious way he looked at him, everything.

"Honestly, I don't even know this place well enough to have somewhere to explore," he said. "Why don't you take me along somewhere? We can catch up in the meantime."

[oncearanger]

"I was hoping you'd say that. I know the perfect place!"

With that, Billy makes a beckoning gesture and hurries down the street...well, as fast as he can hurry trudging through all this snow. The snowshoes help, but they can't work miracles.

That doesn't put a damper on his spirit, though, as he's still smiling. The roads he chooses slope ever so slightly upward.

[salvagedsoul]

Kaworu follows along behind him happily, admiring his energy. When they make it to the slope, Billy has slowed enough for Kaworu to catch up and walk beside him.

"Where are we going?"

[oncearanger]

"To the hill with a prime slope for snowboarding, of course."

Billy sounds so pleased with himself. He hurries right up to the top, where he's stored his boards in a small shed. He pulls both out with a big grin.

"It's probably not impressive to someone with abilities like yours, but I've been working on ways to improve transportation speed. I visited a ski resort once and learned to snowboard, so I thought I'd try again. I'm not usually one for cold weather activities, but I did enjoy gliding over the hill!"

[imusntrunaway]

[The days of Kaworu's arrival brings a brightness to the grey winter atmosphere, a lightening of the chill that had begun to set into Shinji's head. The first week of their return to Earth was wonderful. It felt great to be able to breathe in the air, cold as it was, and to be able to wander as far as he wanted. Once the novelty wore off, however, he remembered how heavy snow truly was. The Angel's arrival, then, was warmly welcomed.

He spent time to make his sparse accommodations more inviting before Kaworu's arrival. Aside from the necessary furnishings, the cabin Shinji managed to secure had little in comfort. He traded for blankets and such, even put up his posters to make it look more inviting.

Simple. But it's a good enough effort. For both of them, it's good enough.

When he comes back, he's managed to procure some ingredients for soup. He pushes open the door, pulling down his scarf.]

--I'm back!

[salvagedsoul]

[Kaworu, sprawled back on his new makeshift bed, lifts his head to look across the cabin towards Shinji's voice. Shinji has been nothing but smiles since his arrival early this morning. His face looks pink, and his eyes are bright, and his voice is sweet. Naturally, cold weather like this spurs the human body into reactions designed to maintain its heat, but the angel knows that Shinji's invigorated appearance can't be attributed to some physiological reaction to the temperature. It is something much more beautiful than that.

Pushing himself up and swinging his feet down to the floor, he smiles back at him with equally bright eyes.] Welcome back. What did you get? [as much as Kaworu tried to tell him that he didn't have to make a big fuss over his arrival, he'd insisted. Well, it's not as if sharing a nice dinner alone with him was objectionable, anyway, but...] I really hope it wasn't too much trouble.

[imusntrunaway]

[It's still a little strange, being able to come back to someone happy to see him, ready with such open kindness. Shinji shakes his head before pulling off his scarf, hanging it on the door.]

Don't worry about it. [It did take some running around to gather what he wanted, but aside from that...] We both have to eat, don't we? Uh, I was thinking that soup would be good for this weather...

[salvagedsoul]

[Well, it's not really that Kaworu needs to eat, just that he wants to, especially with Shinji. He just... wants to share everything with him now, be by his side and live vicariously through his happiness. So he nods, rises to his feet, and treks across the open cabin to where he stands by the door.]

Soup sounds good. [without waiting for his approval, Kaworu takes Shinji's bag from him so he can properly remove his coat.] Is that the custom? Soup in the winter? Hm.

[imusntrunaway]

Something warm, at least. [Shinji lets Kaworu take the bag, murmuring a 'thank you' as he does so. He hangs the coat up, letting out a sigh. It was cold out,and he was glad to be back.]

It's even better when you share it with someone else.

[salvagedsoul]

[Bag in his arms, he walks to the kitchen and sets it on the counter, leaving Shinji to undress. The outside of it felt cold and dry, the lingering effects of the weather outside. Really, Shinji should have let Kaworu go out - his body was completely unaffected by the elements, and there was no need for him to "rest" either - but Kaworu saw that he wanted to take care of him this way, and he couldn't help but humor him. Maybe he wanted to be taken care of, too.

When Shinji makes his way to the kitchen, Kaworu is busy laying out his selected ingredients on the wooden counter.]

How long will it take? Can I help?

[reassures]

[Nill had responded, with a brief but friendly message. Give her a little time to finish what she was doing, and she'd be there shortly. It takes her a half hour, if not more, but eventually Nill does show up. She wears a dark jacket, her wings stuffed inside it and out of view, as well as gloves, but her smile is bright and friendly as she approaches Kaworu.

She knows he's not human, but Nill was never sure how well he took care of himself, so the first thing she does when she stops in front of him is offer a small bundle, which is, in fact, a scarf. She didn't make it (she wouldn't totally know how if she wanted to), but it does look like it'd be nice and warm.]

[salvagedsoul]

[When he notices her approaching, he stands up from his seated position on the ground and dusts the snow out of his hair. Nill is looking sweet and elegant, as usual. It's relieving to see her looking so much like usual, considering everything that's happened over the past few months.]

Is that for me? [he takes it carefully and unravels it out to its full length. it's perfect - all he was wearing was an old coat that he's held onto for months, and while he didn't need to worry about the cold, he probably stood out for being so lightly dressed.

smiling, he coils it around his neck and adjusts the ends.] I like it. It's cute.

[reassures]

[Her smile widens as he stands, though she watches him brush the snow from his hair with a little concern. She'd spent a few hours outside the other day, but she'd been freezing by the end of it, and glad that the person she was meeting had finally shown up. Kaworu didn't really look all that cold himself, even without the scarf, but... Nill pulls one of her gloves off, and then reaches into a pocket, where she stows the glove and instead pulls out her tablet. Her typing is as fast as ever.]

I'm glad you like it. I'll see if I can find you a hat, too.

Have you been waiting long? Can you get sick?

[salvagedsoul]

[seeing her go for her tablet, he pulls out his own to read her messages.]

It hasn't been long at all. And no, I can't. [spoken as nonchalantly as casual small talk would be.] Are you warm? We can get out of the cold if you like.

[reassures]

[Well, that's a small relief off her shoulders. Even if he can't get sick though, she's not sure he's immune to something like frostbite... he might not be human, but he didn't seem like he ran hot or cold blooded, or something to that effect. So a hat would definitely come along eventually, and maybe some gloves...

At his question, Nill is quick to shake her head. She waves a hand.]

I don't mind staying outside if you you want to. How long have you been here?

[salvagedsoul]

I said it wasn't long. [his voice is gently chiding - more playful than anything else, and he shrugs his shoulders gently.] There's no need to worry about me. I'm happy now that you're here. Your kindness is warming enough.

[he offers his hand to her with a smile.] Shall we just go for a walk, then? Take me anywhere you like. I'm new to this place.

[redheadcarrier]

Asuka drifts over to Kaworu, trying to look like she just sort of showed up. She didn't intend to be here, surely. OK, she totally did. She sidles up to Asuka, swaddled in jackets and layers of clothing. She tugs her scarf down so she can give him a look.

"Hey."

That's it. Nothing else.

It's just how Asuka is, really.

[salvagedsoul]

Kaworu's head lifts, and he looks up at the voice with an inquisitive look. Oh... it's Asuka. She'd come, of course, but it had been a question of how long it would take her. This is faster than he anticipated.

"Hello, Asuka," he said pleasantly as he stood up. His shoulders and hair were peppered with snowflakes. "You came. I'm so grateful."

[redheadcarrier]

Asuka eyes him over. He looks the same as ever and she wonders if he ever actually changes or if he's just been a strange, softly-smiling albino his whole life, stuck forever as a teenager. On a whim, she reaches out and dusts snow out of his hair with a little snort.

"Why? It's only been like a month or something."

[salvagedsoul]

Her decision to bless him with physical contact makes him raise his eyebrows ever so slightly.

"A month is too long to be outside your presence." He chuckles, his tone indicating that he's teasing her, but maybe only partially. He reaches up with one uncovered hand to catch hers and his fingers quickly weave between her knuckles. "You're looking as lively as ever, though. I'm happy to see that."

[redheadcarrier]

Asuka blinks and then ducks her head at the comment, color rising in her cheeks. Fortunately, it's hard to tell, considering they're already red from the cold. She tenses and tries to disentangle her fingers.

"You don't have to say things like that."

[salvagedsoul]

"But it's the truth," he remarks pleasantly. "Isn't that just the sort of thing you'd like me to say to you?"

But he doesn't want to agitate her, so he lets her hand slip away. Asuka is so cute when she's embarrassed like this, so it really is too bad.

"Shall we walk?"