Enchiridion.

[notdogmatic]

For our lessons on demographics and classification, the social studies teachers and the youth counselor have informed me that my survey on deceased and missing loved ones which sorted fellow students into the Kubler-Ross stages of grieving was invasive and socially unacceptable.

If anyone was distressed by my questionnaire, or by the chart

Comments

[downtorest]

You seem to have made a lot of people mad.

[notdogmatic]

[Thoughtfully, Kaworu tries one of the cherries. After that, he tries another cookie with cherries on top. Finally, he turns back to Ryoji and smiles.]

The cheese did not taste good on the cookie.

[downtorest]

Ah, you got it!

[He leans forward to press a cherry to Kaworu's lips.]

See? These are the kind of snacks you eat with friends.

[notdogmatic]

I see.

[Kaworu takes the cherry, licking Ryoji's fingers in the process, and then picks up another so that he can reciprocate the gesture.]

[downtorest]

[A brief expression of surprise crosses his delicate features before he opens his mouth to eat the cherry. It occurs to him that this should be somewhat embarrassing, almost embarrassed over not being embarrassed.]

... Maybe not exactly.

[notdogmatic]

Did I do it wrong?

[downtorest]

Ah, um ... no.

[He takes another cherry and puts it in his mouth.]

But it's not the usual kind of affection you give a friend.

[notdogmatic]

Are you an unusual friend, then?

[He licks his fingers carefully clean of cherry juice.]

[downtorest]

If you want to put it that way.

[Perhaps ... more understanding of this kind of thing is what crossed his mind. He knew the barriers of affection between people, and how they were split and categorized with humans.]

There are different kinds of friends, and different kinds of love.

[notdogmatic]

Love is love. The choice... to put another's welfare above your own. The condition in which their happiness is vital to your happiness. Why do Lilim divide and classify such things?

[He stands in silence for a moment, considering this.]

What kind of friends are we?

[downtorest]

It's not so simple for them.

[Looking curious, like he's trying to find a way to explain this-not just to make Kaworu understand, but for himself as well.]

There's the type of love where you have someone that you trust, and they trust you ... or the type of love where you want to stay with that person for a long time, the rest of your life, and be with no one else ... there's the type of love a mother shows for her child, or a sister shows for her brother ...

Us? Mm, well ... I don't know if I could answer that, but whatever it turns out to be, I think that I would be blessed.

[notdogmatic]

Perhaps I cannot distinguish between them because I have no family and no experiences being trusted.

[It's not a sad statement. Just matter-of-fact. Though there is a momentary pause.]

No. Ikari trusted me. However, I must assume that he would not trust me any longer.

[downtorest]

But he may still love you.

[He looks gentle.]

I don't know if I would strive to understand it or classify it, but instead just let it be as it is.