Day 48: Men's Showers [Second Shift]
The world seemed to move more slowly in the showers. Kaworu believed it was the strange half-realized familiarity. He could remember the feeling from before. His mind reached for similarities, of which there were many, but each one was slightly inaccurate. The size was different, the tiles were not the same colors as either the facilities at SEELE, or those at NERV. The only two places he had bathed during his life.
He had spent years in the rooms SEELE had set aside for him, and so it would have been reasonable if that was what he remembered first. A small, practical room with very clean faucets, attached to the room where he slept. Beyond that, the laboratories. One of the spaces had been cleared out, and a piano had been moved in. That was years ago, but Kaworu wasn't precisely sure of the numbers. Ten years ago, possibly? But it was rare that he thought of these places now. Even when they had been the extent of his life, the very limits of his world, he had rarely looked at them. Now they only served as a comparison. Those memories seemed lifeless, and brought him no happiness, except in their passing.
NERV's showers had shown signs of rusting, hidden around the edges of the metal pipes. He had noticed it for a second, but he couldn't bring up any other specific images that didn't include Shinji. And when Shinji was present, he absorbed all of Kaworu's attention. Kaworu would only be passively aware of the setting then.
Kaworu shed his clothing when asked, stopping to fold them haphazardly in an imitation of what Lilim had often done for him in the past. The folds were lumpy, but he left them as they were and walked across the cool tiles. They were still dry, and the bare skin of his feet felt almost sticky on them, having been too warm in his slippers earlier. Soon the room would be heavy and damp with steam.
He reached to the first available faucet, and bowing his head and closing his eyes, he let the stream of cold water hit him. The same ritual as before. Kaworu felt awake for a second, and shuddered in the cold until it slowly climbed to higher temperatures.
[For Shinji, strict reserve.]
He had spent years in the rooms SEELE had set aside for him, and so it would have been reasonable if that was what he remembered first. A small, practical room with very clean faucets, attached to the room where he slept. Beyond that, the laboratories. One of the spaces had been cleared out, and a piano had been moved in. That was years ago, but Kaworu wasn't precisely sure of the numbers. Ten years ago, possibly? But it was rare that he thought of these places now. Even when they had been the extent of his life, the very limits of his world, he had rarely looked at them. Now they only served as a comparison. Those memories seemed lifeless, and brought him no happiness, except in their passing.
NERV's showers had shown signs of rusting, hidden around the edges of the metal pipes. He had noticed it for a second, but he couldn't bring up any other specific images that didn't include Shinji. And when Shinji was present, he absorbed all of Kaworu's attention. Kaworu would only be passively aware of the setting then.
Kaworu shed his clothing when asked, stopping to fold them haphazardly in an imitation of what Lilim had often done for him in the past. The folds were lumpy, but he left them as they were and walked across the cool tiles. They were still dry, and the bare skin of his feet felt almost sticky on them, having been too warm in his slippers earlier. Soon the room would be heavy and damp with steam.
He reached to the first available faucet, and bowing his head and closing his eyes, he let the stream of cold water hit him. The same ritual as before. Kaworu felt awake for a second, and shuddered in the cold until it slowly climbed to higher temperatures.
[For Shinji, strict reserve.]