Now, last opportunities . . .

Elrondir

"I never . . .Huh?" Asuka sputters, her screaming triad suddenly derailed by my last observation.

Call if you need me, I mentally call to Reika as I head off to one of people we haven't gotten around to speaking with yet: Tabris. This needs to be done but if Reika wants, I cannot just well leave her hanging. Asuka can be, even NOW, quiet a handful. I admit that I was rather surprised to see that I had some pull with her and I'll use it again for all it is worth...

If I need help in this next endeavor then I won't be bothering, Reika answers. If she starts again I'm going to stop and not throw good money after bad, as it were.

Good! Feel like we're being too generous as it stands with all that has been said and done here already, myself. IF this red headed loudmouth keeps it up I'd say we just forget about trying to build bridges with the #$%#@ and let the chips fall where they may with HER. In the large scheme of things, though it appears to be implied that those within this room are important players in the end their safety is secondary to our main objective: the safety of little Rei I and Tabris. Not to sound hard hearted, but in the end that is what this Quest is all about, keeping them safe. That includes the members of MY party as well, when you get down to it. Hey, we'll recover eventually from any physical injuries (and we'll do our damnedest to help fellow party members with any emotional/psychological scarring as well).

The thing here is just like last time where a Challenge between those of Game 3 and the Offices of Order and Chaos was concerned, a world is at stake. To recap, if we lose this Challenge (Reika's Validation Quest) a world's population shall become the permanent plaything to whatever Author feels like playing with them in Game 3. Not this Earth and her humans are in danger, but the Halkins are! While I must admit I was somewhat indifferent towards the Halkins during the TV episode "Mirror, Mirror" (lackluster acting all around in that whole Star Trek TV series, liked "Deep Space Nine" more myself), I cannot condemn the real Halkins to a Hell like that.

Given everything that various Scott Chens who managed to escape Game 3's grasp tell of their experiences still make me shiver!

But enough with going over old ground! While I am glad to see that Reika feels like "turning the other cheek" with those who've done her the most wrong over her lifetime in addition to (if nothing else) saying a few last words before things heat up here, I have to wonder if some of these Neon Genesis pukes deserve it. Then again, it appears that Reika here is "More forgiving than I", to quote an old scifi movie on my feelings on the matter, strange given everything that had been done to her. Ironic.

. . .

Ah, but then again she'd chosen to follow the precepts of a Western religion that, while not a major religion in this world's Japan, is quiet a bit larger than back Home or a lot of OTHER Earths out there in the multiverse. Maybe it has something to do with a few decidedly Western traditions (like surnames being last instead of first) and all that. Might have something to do with all the Judeo-Christian stuff in their Angel War, signs and portents of things to come.

Whatever the case this is THEIR world and their nation, so won't do more than scratch my head over it in mild befuddlement.

What I am more concerned about here is the fact that there appears to have been some kind of mixing between worlds of Neon Genesis Evangelion, the anime and the manga, even BEFORE we came into this picture! I mean things are really screwy here!! The Rei I who we've met is only four years old. Reika (and our Rei for the matter) was ten at the time and only LOOKED four due to their genetic inheritance (lull periods in development followed by growth spurts to "catch up"). It means that Reika's life was even more complicated than we'd thought. And it also may mean that events that happened in the "past" might be more . . . involved than we'd anticipated. Will there be more mixing here between realities, anime based and manga?

Granted, it might mean that it may be easier (if only by a fraction) for Reika broker some kind of cease fire between her and Naoko Akagi being that it wasn't actually Naoko who strangled her (but some kind of as of yet unknown twin). Still, old hard feelings still abound (even if misplaced somewhat) between the two.

Well, we shall get to that soon enough (or should I say Reika shall).

Right now, I'm going to have a bit of a discussion with Tabris. Some of it concerning his . . . choice in clothing.

He's been off to the side, speaking alone with the Angel known as Astra. Nobody has gone over there up until now (might be his choice of company that scared them off), but that uniform . . .

I mean, how did he get into the Military? Was it something to do with the chaos energy now within him, sending him to the Military universe? Or did he just pick that up somewhere and decided he looked rather SHARP in uniform? If the former, I won't have a problem with it. If the later....he'd better be ready to be magically stripped of it because by the CREATOR one doesn't wear that uniform without EARNING IT!!

Fast forward to the next part. All the chitchat is nice, but a bit . . .dull after a while.

As it turns out, Elrondir's anger was also misdirected. Tabris had "earned" the uniform just like anyone else who'd gone and joined. It was not some kind of ill chosen fashion statement.

Soon enough, Reika has spoken with the various parties and some kind of truce established (much to the disappointment of SOME).

. . .

Strife and discontent is always much more interesting to watch and feed upon than this warm and fuzzy stuff. Not to say that it was all sweetness and light. One of the Champions had said in passing that this Quest was going to be a bear, having to perhaps play nursemaid to a whole gaggle of people (aka the Neon Genesis folks) who had a lot of "issues" (emotional and psychological ones). Dren like this is going to make the Quest . . . interesting.

1. But it is now time for a certain Goth looking Author to make his appearance...

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree