soul_campaign | [june 7th // video]

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[june 7th // video]

[looks who's all smiles, as usual. was he supposed to filter this post? whoops, he "accidentally" forgot.]

Shinji, do you still want to do something for your birthday? I realize things became a little chaotic yesterday with the new arrivals [meaning asuka] but I would still like to celebrate.

[like hell are you getting away with not telling anyone about your birthday, kid.]

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[an off note isn't that big a deal. embrace imperfection and all that. but there comes a point where it goes past "imperfection" and straight into "ok wow you're obviously just getting really frustrated now calm down".

he slows to a stop, casting a concerned look over to asuka but resisting the urge to say anything. that would only hurt her pride, after she was just goading him into playing.]

[As Kaworu stops, Asuka keeps trying to play for a little longer. But her fingers are fumbling in humiliation at herself and she has to stop herself after a few agonizing moments. She bows her head, lowering the violin slowly to the floor and gritting her teeth.

No, no, no. She was supposed to still be able to do this properly! How could she have screwed up so badly? ...no, she won't let herself cry in front of these two.

Suddenly, she stands up, dropping the violin onto the chair she'd been using, and storms away, out the door. She stops just outside, though, and just turns her back to the door, rubbing at her eyes violently.]

A-Asuka!

[No but really what the hell did those two even talk about that she'd get so bent out of shape over being out of practice? He gets up as well, though he stops long enough to lean the cello back against its stand and throw Kaworu a quick,] Sorry, I'll go see what's wrong. [Before following out the was Asuka had gone.]

[he considers following as well for a moment, but then shinji goes for it and he loses the initiative. nodding quietly with a slight frown, he drops his violin to his lap.

was he supposed to let her "win"? he didn't want her to be unhappy. but wouldn't she have been even more upset if she realized he was going easy on her? it doesn't feel like there's any correct answer here...]

[Unfortunately for Kaworu, no. There is not correct answer. Asuka is self-destructing, like usual, and there's nothing he can do to stop that.

Standing outside, Asuka finally wipes the last tear from her eyes, though they're very red as she turns to head back in, only to find herself face to face with Shinji. She blinks at him for a moment before frowning.]

..what do you want?

[Are you serious Asuka did you expect him to just sit there after that storm off?]

I wanted to see what was wrong. [He frowns a little bit, clearly concerned.] I know you said you were out of practice, but I didn't think you'd get so upset over it. It isn't that big of a deal, is it...?

[He's not even sure if he's on the right track, here, but he's hoping the reassurance won't hurt the situation any.]

[well, now he know how shinji felt, watching from a distance and hoping things were going alright. he's almost tempted to play something to distract himself, but playing again while asuka's still in earshot seems a bit cruel somehow.

sighing, he settles himself down for a wait, idly running his fingers along the violin strings.]

Tch. Like you would even understand!

[She looks away, seeming irritated for a moment before... she lets out a breath and her expression softens marginally.]

...it's fine. I just didn't... want to lose.

[Huff puff.]

Lose...? It wasn't a contest. [As far as he could tell, anyway. Yeah, no, he doesn't understand at all. Whoops.]

If you want to come back in and play some more, just... do it for fun.You don't have to impress anyone.

[YEAH WHAT SHINJI SAID.]

...

[She's not so sure about that. But after tugging on a strand of her hair for a moment, she nods (a touch sullenly) and goes to head back into the store.

She picks up the violin she had left, taking her seat silently and frowning over at Kaworu. Not glaring, just frowning. She's upset with herself, not him. As much as she would rather be upset with him.]

[He can't help but feel like getting Asuka to cooperate enough to go back inside was an awfully empty victory, if it could even be called a victory at all. With the stark contrast in her return after Kaworu's discussion with her versus his own, he's not really sure his own efforts were helpful at all.

He follows closely behind her, stopping a little closer to the cello he had been playing previously, and hesitating before awkwardly speaking up.]

Was... there anything else you wanted to try playing...? [It's directed at either of them, really, but hey maybe Asuka will pick out something she feels a little more confident with playing.]

[shinji doesn't seem very sure of himself when they return, but at least asuka is back, if still looking unhappy. kaworu's not sure she would have rejoined them if he'd been the one to chase after her.

so he offers her a slight smile, only nodding at shinji's suggestion. he's not about to claim an offer clearly made to comfort her.]

[Lowering her eyes to the ground, Asuka shakes her head and then lifts the violin, settling it under her chin.]

...let's just try that piece again.

[Her pride won't let her leave that particular one alone, no matter how much she would like to. So she starts playing, the same piece she had just managed to screw up so royally on. But this time she's forcing herself to take it slow, constantly reminding herself 'this is for fun, you can do this' over and over again.

She doesn't even care if the other two join in, honestly, because she just needs to prove to herself that she can do this...]

[If she hadn't specifically said 'let's', Shinji would probably have opted out of playing this time. He takes his seat once more with the cello, still looking awfully dejected. Still, following Asuka's slower tempo, he begins playing, relying a little more on the technical side of things rather than simply playing for fun this time around. ~~Hypocrite.~~]

[if he's a bit quieter when he joins in this time, well. he's not exactly sure what else he can possibly do to be as unobtrusive as possible here. there's a distinct lack of that airy joy in his playing this time around, though, too concerned about upsetting asuka to lose himself in the music as usual.]

[Asuka is so focused on trying to make sure she doesn't screw up this time that she doesn't even notice the other two are uncomfortable with what's going on. But as the piece progresses, she seems to be more and more satisfied with herself and finally, as it ends, she looks at them both triumphantly.]

Ha! I knew I could do it!

[Shinji's pretty careful to not let on that he wasn't feeling particularly great about his involvement in that once the piece is over, but it wouldn't take much to tell, really.]

You did really well that time. [He does really mean it, at least! For someone who is so out of practice, diving into a piece like that is impressive, even if it did take a couple of tries.]

[pfffft. shinji, when does asuka ever care about how great you feel?]

You should be proud.

[She looks very proud of herself, her chest puffing out a little as she soaks in the ego boosts.]

Of course! I just needed to get my bearings again, that's all. It's not so hard.

[Scoff.]

[The hope there had been that she wouldn't notice.]

How long had you been playing for? [Because picking it back up after leaving the skill alone for so long like that is honestly pretty impressive.]

[not sure how much better it is to have her all bigheaded and cocky, but at least she's not sad anymore so that's got to be a good thing.]

It is certainly a level of skill to be expected from a real genius, at least.

[Asuka actually doesn't like thinking about the why and the when she picked up the violin, but she shrugs it off with a very simple response.]

I was pretty young when I picked it up. I don't really remember when...

[LIES. But whatever, she smirks at Kaworu.]

I aim to impress, after all.

[Still impressive. And her attitude shift doesn't feel so much like a front that Shinji feels the need to stay too tense, lest she winds up snapping again.]

You should keep practicing, and maybe the three of us could play together more often. [There's a note of cautious optimism in his tone.]

Edited (haha whoops) 2013-09-01 02:27 (UTC)

[he perks up despite asuka's smirking, smiling brightly and clutching his violin to his chest.]

I would very much like it if we could all play together again.

[june 7th // video]

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