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[astrobleme]

[There's just a generic, computer-synthesized greeting that implores you to leave a message at your convenience.]

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[interstices]

No. Whatever order you want.

[Walking in, Asuka's almost disgusted with herself for not giving his gifts even more thought. He has so much stuff-- a really far cry from his room at Misato's'-- further still from the bereft Wunder. As she sits down beside him, she's certain she did this all wrong, as usual. Shouldn't have just added on. Should have been more discriminating.]

[Still, she'd picked out every yard of fabric carefully as they'd gone from planet to planet to station. Enough of each to complete a project. No mere fat quarters or half-yards in the mix. There's a good variety of colors and textures and materials, from a pale blue fabric that's similar to silk, but even lighter weight, to a weirdly fuzzy bit of yardage that might be good for coats (the vendor had been vague as to its origins).]

[There aren't a lot of prints-- Asuka hadn't wanted him to think she was gifting him fabric with herself in mind-- the colors, for the most part, more subdued and cool. Attached to most of the fabrics with a pin and some tape is at least one spool of matching thread. By the time Shinji had started painting, she'd been well on her way buying the fabric, but the box at the bottom still includes some thick paper for sketching, mini-canvases, a brush set, and iridescent paints. Asuka chews her lip.]

I know you have a lot of this kind of stuff.

[astrobleme]

[If Shinji had to guess, he would've said Asuka would get him things related to sewing, since that's what he spends most of his free time on. It's the most soothing thing he's found out of all the different things he's tried for staying preoccupied. Being right gives him some satisfaction, and then a lot of wonder, clear and keen, as the fabric unfurls in his cautious hands. He doesn't consider himself a creative person, not at all, not by a long shot, but he's already imagining the attire he could create as he inspects the yards of colors and textures. This fuzzier stuff would make a nice coat for colder weather, which they're bound to run into again, sooner or later... Or maybe just several pairs of socks, at least... If he has the fabric to spare, he could even make a cute little sweater for Kaworu's cute little lizard...

Shinji is so engrossed with his birthday gifts that he doesn't say anything at first. He opens one package, then another, and another one after that, before he reaches the final one and now he's really surprised with its contents. The row of iridescent paints is the first thing to catch his eye; actually, it makes him wonder if he should try painting on the fabric itself sometime. Not that he has any idea how to do it properly. Going to take some trial and error--mostly error--before he gets anywhere.]

Jeez, what're you talking about... [He looks up at Asuka, then, holding a tube of the iridescent red paint in both of his hands. If he concentrates some, he can see tropical blossoms spilling over her shoulders, set against a peaceful yellow sky of a dress. His smile is softer for its tender disbelief.] I don't have anything like this at all. I'm gonna be able to do a heck of a lot with this. Thank you, Asuka. Thank you very much.

[interstices]

[He's excited. Asuka can tell because he gets all quiet, looking at the different presents. Shinji always seems like he's considering things carefully, taking stock of all his options (it used to frustrate her) (sometimes, it still does). When he starts looking at the paints, though-- that's when she knew she picked right. They reminded her of sunsets and oil spills and pearls all at once. Colorful and amazing.]

You're welcome.

[Sometimes she thinks she'd probably drip away like candle wax just to see him smile like that, for her, because of her. It'd scare him if he knew how much stock she put in him, how much his opinion of her mattered. It really would.]

One more. [Asuka tugs a small white box out of her pocket, pink beginning to tinge her cheeks. She holds it out to him, trying to swallow any muddled explanations. When he opens it, he'll understand. Probably he'll understand. The gold necklace inside, with a small sun, moon, and star dangling from it-- isn't just a pretty piece of jewelry at all.]

[astrobleme]

[One more, then. One more undeserved kindness. Shinji would've guessed that this last one is jewelry, just by the size of the box he's given, but he really isn't prepared for the sort of jewelry it is. It's beautiful. It's delicate, and it's beautiful, and maybe he would've rejected it, once upon a time, for being so delicate and beautiful. For being a necklace that a typical girl would wear. Now, though, after everything he's been through, Shinji doesn't feel self-conscious or ashamed of himself for thinking it's beautiful. He touches a fingertip first to the sun, then the moon, and finally the star, especially gentle about it. He might be counting them. One, two, three... It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out this necklace represents more than a handful of heavenly bodies.

Still as gentle as a sigh, he removes the necklace from its tiny velvet pillow, and he figures out how to undo the clasp, with only a little bit of lip-biting fumbling on his part. Then he looks up at Asuka, and he asks her,] Could you help me put this on? [He hasn't thanked her yet, and he hasn't commented on how nice it looks, either, but the shine of his eyes should reveal all of that. His eyes are brighter than a reflection of stars within water, and he has to blink a few times to keep that water in.]