Consciousness came in a fleeting way; the way of smoke and mirrors too shallow for any meaning. There was a thickness to her mind, a sluggishness to her limbs that spoke of too much rest. Or too much medicated rest. They were one in the same, had been the same too many times to count. And here, it continued. The simple act of time missed.
The last clear memory came as the Second Child's voice, full of frustration and anger. That had been night. This, then, could be taken as the next day, but for that heaviness. Time had passed. She would speak as if she was sure on it.
And changes had occurred. For the military, reassuring in its familiarity was gone, and instead in their place were the nurses once more. A change that spoke of shifts of power, and she had no mind for it. If no time had passed, today was Sunday, and she was only thinking where she aught not. An aspect that would not be found without a second person to question, and so she moved to that end. There was some in the main room, those recognized and those not, but it didn't matter which she approached.
A girl was off by herself, long hair and soft eyes, and Ayanami moved to her quietly, the skin around her eyes thick, her head slightly muddled. It was not something she enjoyed. "Excuse me," she asked, and was surprised to find that her voice had a degree of hoarseness to it. "What day is today?"
Given the Institute’s nature, Tsubaki was rather used to approaching people and having people approach her in turn. A stranger was just as welcome as a friend. Maybe they needed something?
She smiled down at the smaller girl, but she wasn’t certain she could place the face despite her best efforts. Like Rapunzel, the girl had a bit of a tired cast to her, another common occurrence within the hospital, unfortunately enough. And the question… That was ominous. Tsubaki hoped she wasn’t reading too much into it.
There was lightness to the other's voice, recognized as friendliness, and just as easily shifted aside. She had answered Ayanami's question, perfectly and precisely, and it was not in Rei to doubt like this. Wednesday. Three days gone. Rei stared openly, nothing shown but what was lacking in the expression. Three days gone.
Were the other pilots still here? She knew well how easily people vanished and appeared in this place. None were in this room, but that meant nothing in the end, and allowed for other possibilities. She could not know without a perfect confirmation, of others as well as herself, and she was currently only ignoring the fine aspect of what was learned. She was missing three days. And she knew not what was confined in that timeframe.
She swallowed once, then bowed her head in a kind of thanks.
It was difficult to tell if her answer came as a disappointment or not, or if the girl had even heard her, she was that sober about it. Tsubaki blinked and tilted her head the slightest bit, leaving the other to her thoughts for a moment.
The quiet type, probably? Or maybe she was just having one of those days where a person didn't really want to talk.
After a pause, the stranger inclined her head, and in return Tsubaki tried a smile. "Does that help you?"
That question deserved some thought. Rei blinked, eyes shifting away. The room was a dull murmur of voices, a wave over rocks, and she could discern none of its meaning. This was the definition of off-kilter, and she needed to acclimate to it. Because she stepped wrongly, and made a mistake not to be taken back.
Her eyes settled on the floor, red and bright to stare downward. Did that help her?
Ayanami glanced upward, eyes settling back on this girl's face. She would remember her. "It clarified some things."
“Then… I’m glad if it did,” Tsubaki ventured. “Um. Are you okay?”
If there was something else she could do to be of assistance, she was willing to give it a shot. The girl seemed okay in the general sense, but Tsubaki thought maybe her reason for asking had less to do with clarification and more with genuinely not knowing the day. And if that was the case, if the girl had lost time or something along that line, well… losing time was disconcerting no matter how one looked at it.
Another question with an answer to be contemplated. Rei looked at the other girl, one who was unknown to her. Even explaining the reason for her question seemed too much to tell one such as that. Was she okay? She was existing, awake and breathing. Was there something more to ask for? "I am fine," said quietly, too soft to be considered a lie, too light to be considered absolute truth. But she would not continue further as things stood.
As it was, the girl had helped. Had proved herself at least willing to answer questions. Perhaps Rei could attempt patience with another. Her lashes lowered in thought before she lifted her eyes to the girl again. "The military..." she started. "When did they leave?"
Ah… The girl didn’t exactly seem fine, but she also didn’t seem to be in a huge amount of distress. Just reclusive. If she needed something, it might not have been Tsubaki’s continued company, though she was all right spending time with someone if they wanted to. Kurogane and Fai were in the room, but they were busy, anyway.
“The military? Just last night, I think. The Head Doctor was suddenly back this morning. Did you… end up sleeping through it?”
...Just last night. That was a little convenient. Wasn't it? They left and she woke, and now-- Ayanami blinked up at the girl's question. There was truth in that. "...I did," she gave, and then fell silent. She had slept through a few things.
Still, this one had helped. To an extent that Rei could possibly appreciate. And as stated, she would remember. "...Your name?"
“Oh. Oh, I see. I’ve had that happen to me, too. I can try and explain what’s been happening if you want?”
Tsubaki still didn’t have much of any idea why it happened, the falling unconscious. Sometimes it went on for so long and could be so disorienting it led to… well, this kind of situation. It couldn’t have been a good feeling for the other girl, not by a long shot.
“I’m Tsubaki,” she added in response to the girl’s question. With a smile she said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
Then the other gave something more of note. It had happened to her as well. At a different time frame, it seemed, but she spoke as if sure of that. Ayanami moved her full attentions to the girl. Tsubaki. Eyes staring as if discerning the truth of what was being said. "Rei Ayanami," she gave back quietly, mind more on the previous subject.
Rei watched her for a moment more, then slightly moved her head in agreement. "If you would," she said quietly. Then moved to question. "...How long did you sleep for?"
Although the name sounded like it belonged to the Sinosphere where a lot of cultures gave their family name first, the girl introduced herself in the Western order. But given the Institute’s nature, that wasn’t odd all. Hearing almost everyone speak in Japanese was more odd than that, by far.
What to say, though…? Rei didn’t add any more, but stared in a way that made Tsubaki feel vaguely self-conscious, as if she had done something strange or remiss and just hadn’t realized.
But at Rei‘s eventual request, she said, “Sure, of course, it’s no problem! Um… I just went to sleep a couple of nights, and then once for a whole day. I had a roommate who slept most of the time, too. It seems to happen to a lot of people.”
The fact that it did happen to others did not wholly reassure. Possibly for a few reasons, but currently just a feeling of something being remiss. There was the other point of Rei waking in a room she had not been in before, a change of scenario speaking of someone moving her. And with the tests done to the other pilots. It seemed strange to believe that she had slept for three days and it had just been thought to move her, and nothing more.
She gave a barely imperceptible nod. "I see." There were other inquiries she could focus here, but it was possible to gather those on her own, without relying on another. Instead her eyes angled away, toward the bulletin board, before returning back to Tsubaki. "Did anything change?" In the past days. Other than the soldiers vanishing. Something less obvious and more a shift than anything else. Something to focus on that wasn't the question of what had happened to her when she had slept.
How morbid was it to have to talk about these things? There was one silver lining that Tsubaki could see, and it was that many bouts of unconsciousness weren’t permanent. They were just… strange. Strange, and frustrating. Poor Rei had to be feeling that.
She kept smiling and said after a moment, “Would it be more comfortable to sit down and talk?” Well, Tsubaki didn’t much mind either way… But she wasn’t quite sure how to answer Rei’s question. How many changes had the girl missed before now? “You mean between last night and today?”
Tsubaki seemed willing to answer her further, and to her first question, Rei only looked at her, saying after a beat, "If you wish." Standing or sitting made no difference and she would go to where she was led for now. The more important aspects came from the information she could gather.
It would be simple to say yes to the second query. It was in that time that things had shifted, had they not? But if anything had happened further, she would be putting herself at a disadvantage for a reason of weakness and discomfort. It would not be an even trade. Therefore, she answered evenly, the little emotion that existed gone from her tone and mien, "Since Sunday. Or Saturday night."
Well, if it was in the name of making talking more nice, sitting was good, right…? Tsubaki didn’t want to come off as pushy to a near stranger, but since she had been the one to bring it up, it felt necessary to follow through, so she glanced around for an unoccupied couch and pointed when she found one. “There’s some place to sit. We can keep talking over there. Is that good?” Besides, standing in the way of the bulletin made it hard for others to read when neither she or Rei were using it right now.
That, and they were getting into more tenuous waters with Rei’s admission. Sitting out of the way of the crowd offered a tad bit more privacy and, Tsubaki hoped, more ease of mind. Being unconscious for three days or so was no small thing, and Tsubaki had apparently been the one to clarify as much for the girl.
A single day was worrying but something Tsubaki could overlook, where her own experience was concerned. Three in a row was frightening.
“So long… I’m really sorry. If only there was an explanation for why it comes on out of the blue like it does. I‘m glad you weren’t gone any longer.” Tsubaki knew there wasn’t much she could say that could make things better for Rei; an apology was as much as she could offer. But she could provide information, and if that helped Rei make sense of things, it was the least she could do. “Um, I’ll start with what you probably already know? The Head Doctor was fired by the military, but then after that there was this broadcast Saturday night. I seem to have fallen asleep that night, too, so I didn’t hear it myself, but it turns out he found Marc and they were hiding together.”
The last clear memory came as the Second Child's voice, full of frustration and anger. That had been night. This, then, could be taken as the next day, but for that heaviness. Time had passed. She would speak as if she was sure on it.
And changes had occurred. For the military, reassuring in its familiarity was gone, and instead in their place were the nurses once more. A change that spoke of shifts of power, and she had no mind for it. If no time had passed, today was Sunday, and she was only thinking where she aught not. An aspect that would not be found without a second person to question, and so she moved to that end. There was some in the main room, those recognized and those not, but it didn't matter which she approached.
A girl was off by herself, long hair and soft eyes, and Ayanami moved to her quietly, the skin around her eyes thick, her head slightly muddled. It was not something she enjoyed. "Excuse me," she asked, and was surprised to find that her voice had a degree of hoarseness to it. "What day is today?"
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She smiled down at the smaller girl, but she wasn’t certain she could place the face despite her best efforts. Like Rapunzel, the girl had a bit of a tired cast to her, another common occurrence within the hospital, unfortunately enough. And the question… That was ominous. Tsubaki hoped she wasn’t reading too much into it.
“Oh, hello. Um, it’s Wednesday, I believe?”
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Were the other pilots still here? She knew well how easily people vanished and appeared in this place. None were in this room, but that meant nothing in the end, and allowed for other possibilities. She could not know without a perfect confirmation, of others as well as herself, and she was currently only ignoring the fine aspect of what was learned. She was missing three days. And she knew not what was confined in that timeframe.
She swallowed once, then bowed her head in a kind of thanks.
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The quiet type, probably? Or maybe she was just having one of those days where a person didn't really want to talk.
After a pause, the stranger inclined her head, and in return Tsubaki tried a smile. "Does that help you?"
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Her eyes settled on the floor, red and bright to stare downward. Did that help her?
Ayanami glanced upward, eyes settling back on this girl's face. She would remember her. "It clarified some things."
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If there was something else she could do to be of assistance, she was willing to give it a shot. The girl seemed okay in the general sense, but Tsubaki thought maybe her reason for asking had less to do with clarification and more with genuinely not knowing the day. And if that was the case, if the girl had lost time or something along that line, well… losing time was disconcerting no matter how one looked at it.
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As it was, the girl had helped. Had proved herself at least willing to answer questions. Perhaps Rei could attempt patience with another. Her lashes lowered in thought before she lifted her eyes to the girl again. "The military..." she started. "When did they leave?"
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“The military? Just last night, I think. The Head Doctor was suddenly back this morning. Did you… end up sleeping through it?”
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Still, this one had helped. To an extent that Rei could possibly appreciate. And as stated, she would remember. "...Your name?"
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Tsubaki still didn’t have much of any idea why it happened, the falling unconscious. Sometimes it went on for so long and could be so disorienting it led to… well, this kind of situation. It couldn’t have been a good feeling for the other girl, not by a long shot.
“I’m Tsubaki,” she added in response to the girl’s question. With a smile she said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
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Rei watched her for a moment more, then slightly moved her head in agreement. "If you would," she said quietly. Then moved to question. "...How long did you sleep for?"
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What to say, though…? Rei didn’t add any more, but stared in a way that made Tsubaki feel vaguely self-conscious, as if she had done something strange or remiss and just hadn’t realized.
But at Rei‘s eventual request, she said, “Sure, of course, it’s no problem! Um… I just went to sleep a couple of nights, and then once for a whole day. I had a roommate who slept most of the time, too. It seems to happen to a lot of people.”
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She gave a barely imperceptible nod. "I see." There were other inquiries she could focus here, but it was possible to gather those on her own, without relying on another. Instead her eyes angled away, toward the bulletin board, before returning back to Tsubaki. "Did anything change?" In the past days. Other than the soldiers vanishing. Something less obvious and more a shift than anything else. Something to focus on that wasn't the question of what had happened to her when she had slept.
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She kept smiling and said after a moment, “Would it be more comfortable to sit down and talk?” Well, Tsubaki didn’t much mind either way… But she wasn’t quite sure how to answer Rei’s question. How many changes had the girl missed before now? “You mean between last night and today?”
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It would be simple to say yes to the second query. It was in that time that things had shifted, had they not? But if anything had happened further, she would be putting herself at a disadvantage for a reason of weakness and discomfort. It would not be an even trade. Therefore, she answered evenly, the little emotion that existed gone from her tone and mien, "Since Sunday. Or Saturday night."
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That, and they were getting into more tenuous waters with Rei’s admission. Sitting out of the way of the crowd offered a tad bit more privacy and, Tsubaki hoped, more ease of mind. Being unconscious for three days or so was no small thing, and Tsubaki had apparently been the one to clarify as much for the girl.
A single day was worrying but something Tsubaki could overlook, where her own experience was concerned. Three in a row was frightening.
“So long… I’m really sorry. If only there was an explanation for why it comes on out of the blue like it does. I‘m glad you weren’t gone any longer.” Tsubaki knew there wasn’t much she could say that could make things better for Rei; an apology was as much as she could offer. But she could provide information, and if that helped Rei make sense of things, it was the least she could do. “Um, I’ll start with what you probably already know? The Head Doctor was fired by the military, but then after that there was this broadcast Saturday night. I seem to have fallen asleep that night, too, so I didn’t hear it myself, but it turns out he found Marc and they were hiding together.”
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