XXIII ✟ [Text]

[17thfreewill]

It seems to have been over two months since I last used this; I suppose my saying something is long over-due with that in mind.
Although i'm not entirely sure what to say, I guess I truly am out of practice.

I suppose that I should make an effort to improve upon my recent fall.

Comments

[willdateforyen]

You really worried me.

I...missed you.

[willdateforyen]

[Kaworu just has that effect on her.]

Alright! I'll head on over!

[With a wave she hangs up and heads on her way. Panting heavily by the time she make it to his place, Ai has been thinking along the way how long it's been since she's seen him in-person...

She knows the answer, but the idea of bringing it up is an uncomfortable one. Right at this moment, she prefers to make Kaworu happy. Knocking on his door, she waits patiently.]

[17thfreewill]

I'll be expecting you.

[He had to laugh, the girl could be just so...so... Easy to please? No, that didn't fit in the manner he was thinking. Either way a little company would be a pleasant change.

Her arrival was a little sooner than expected, far from a problem though. Kaworu promptly went over to invite his technical guest inside, for all he knew keeping the girl waiting could have dangerous side-effects.]

[willdateforyen]

[Literally knocking his door down would probably make him unhappy, so Ai resisted despite being a tiny ball of pent up emotions.

When he opened the door, she thought briefly if it was ok to tackle him. Asking seemed to be strange...so instead, she attempted to run into him with her arms opened up.]

Kawooooooooooruuuuuuu!

[17thfreewill]

[Kaworu wouldn't have been particularly upset if he'd been jumped, a little confused but certainly not angry. As it was he had every intention to simply let the girl go through with whatever form of a greeting she had in mind.

It hardly seemed fair to deny her after so long, unless he chose to desire the more upset kind of company.]

Ai.

[willdateforyen]

[That was probably a good plan. She was halfway to his frame and digging into her purse to pull out the orange scarf she had knitted for him. Gently flinging it over his neck, she held onto the ends as she pressed up against him and hugged him tightly.]

Welcome back...to us.

[17thfreewill]

[Kaworu ultimately simply stood in place and let her do whatever it was for a greeting, so long as it wasn't harmful or a step over the unspoken line there was no reason to call off the interaction.

...Still, he did feel slightly awkward and misplaced, more from the hug than anything else. A half hug back was better than none, right? He'd never actually had to work out the full mechanics of the action in terms of a greeting.]

Thank you.

[willdateforyen]

It's no problem.

[She was quite happy at the attempt of his hug. Even if it wasn't full on, the gesture was nice, just knowing that he was trying made her feel good.

Patting the top of his head, she chuckled.]

Everyone loves you very much, Kaworu. We'd be sad if you left us.

[17thfreewill]

[Oh head pats, another concept which throws him off. All these gestures and the only basic interaction that he's fluent in is the verbal kind with the odd handshake. Although...it does fall within the learning curve, and surely will come to be practised in the future.

He takes a few moments to re-gather his mind.]

And yet we'll all unfortunately have to leave at some point.

[willdateforyen]

[Just the mention of going home eventually sends bad images from the past surging through her brain.]

I've been thinking about that. Part of me thinks it'd be nice to go home to what I know, to what I've always known but there are scary parts back home too. If Ai-Ai stays here, it seems a little different. Sure, strange things have happened here, I mean back home there aren't talking little animals or people with superpowers but...here? I have friends, I don't really have any of those back home.

[She possibly realizes just how much she's talking or how strange she's acting and pauses.]

I don't want to be lonely again.

[17thfreewill]

[Kaworu listens careful until the girl finishes before taking a few seconds of further silence to contemplate on the idea. He's well aware of what will happen when he returns, but it hardly seems like the right time to point out that he'll go to something potentially worse.

Ai still had a life ahead of her where things could change in her favour. He would go back to being effectively dead. Not that it really mattered given the reason for his departure, he'd have done the same again without a hesitation.]

After spending time here surely you will have learnt skills for your own future. You could change things for the better upon remembering your time with others here.

Loneliness is a part of existence, so long as you live as an individual there will always be that emotion.

[willdateforyen]

That's right. I could probably change a few things without getting annoyed at myself.

[Running a hand through her hair, she nodded. The kogal felt a little envious of the boy and his way with words.]

If there's a future with me going home, it seems I won't be able to tell my parents or teachers about this. Everyone would think I'm insane. Well, they already sorta think that with the way I look, but imagine telling the truth?

What about you Kaworu? Do you have anyone you can talk to back home?

[17thfreewill]

Perhaps it would be best to keep this place a secret, regardless of whether people would disregard the truth in the matter or whether they would accept it.

[Oddly enough he seems to smile at the idea of speaking to someone back 'home'. Or not within his case.]

I don't. However I am fine with such a thing.

[willdateforyen]

[Well that wouldn't do. She couldn't have someone so smart and cool in her eyes be confined to keeping his secret forever and ever with no one to share it with.

Pounding a clinched fist into the flat palm of her other hand, her eyes lit up as she looked up at him.]

Then it's decided! Ai-Ai knows exactly what to do! She'll go home with you so you have somebody to talk to!

[She knew the concept would be very difficult to comprehend, hell, she didn't even understand how she was going to pull it off, but there had to be a way.]

[17thfreewill]

[There's a slight movement of a waving off of that idea. As well natured as the girl might have meant it, even if she were to somehow creep into that world, well, Tokyo-3 was in a devastated state and it wouldn't change the fact that he would have already departed.]

I have doubts that you would like that particular world. Surely you would miss at least one person from your one.

[willdateforyen]

[Ooh, she was unsure how to word what came to mind next. However she intended to put it, Ai felt it'd sound overly affectionate in a romantic sense. Not like that wasn't what she wanted, but making Kaworu uncomfortable made her feel guilty.]

I'd like any world with Kaworu in it.