Rei cooking=Adorable. I'm surprised no artists I could find even considered this idea. She's just so cute! And the dynamic with Misato as her 'helper' just adds more 'cuteness' to the whole ensemble. And, yes, I wrote this long before I ever read the scene in the Manga version of Evangelion where Rei burns her hand and Shinji reminds her about the water (one of my favorite scenes in official Evangelion, by the way.) They may say that great minds think alike, but it's probably that fools seldom differ. One issue fans may have with the scene is Asuka's violent aversion to octupus. I thought it fit, for some reason. A gut-level choice, yes, but I'm sticking to it. As the section progresses, the important event is obviously when Rei realizes Misato is depending on her to get the job done. This elevated level of agency is startling for Ayanami-sama in particular, as she's been a 'tool' of Gendo for her entire life up to this point. The shell is cracking. Rei's instinctive grace with cooking seemed another natural extension, a gut-level choice, and one I enjoy so much I would never consider parting with it. It just fits so well. Starting with Shinji's arrival, the scene takes a turn in focus. While I'm obviously creating an excuse for Rei to talk about Cirus, I thought it important to air Shinji's perception of the 'other boy' pilot, and show Misato's rather maternal position in relation to him more directly than I had for most of the story. Rei reacts so directly because of the use of the word 'human', yes. She's accutely sensitive to the issue of being human, and after the conversation with Cirus when she saw his eyes, she is swift to affirm it. A sense of kindred spirit is probably the best definition of Rei's feelings toward Cirus at this point in the story. His 'kindness' and other appealing factors are still lost in a haze of naivete about her worth and life itself. And the section finishes with a wonderful and highly important event. Rei's smile after cooking. Productive, it felt good (she would be willing to do it again), and she did it. She can feel satisfaction. She's found something she enjoys.

The beginning of the dinner, the arrivals, is a straight-forward part of the scene, but some parts bare commentary. Some may notice the conspicuous absense of any description of Kaji's actual appearance. In fact, I don't think I've described him at all in the entire story. And when I look over it, I can't see how to smoothly add a description into a scene here or there. So poor Kaji just gets stuck as a blur for new readers, and memory of the series for fans. Also, Misato's comment to Shinji about Asuka ('...present') just cracks me up, even now. Her dry tone, flat expression, and the sound of her voice all click for me each time I read it. I hope the reader gets a similar clarity of visualization, but I'm not sure that's possible. The addition of actual descriptions for Maya, Makato, and Shigeru's clothing was something I added in revision for this very version of Kenosis. I hardly ever describe any of the three techies, and I felt guilty about that, so I try to add it in through revision when it bears filler. I also fleshed out the dialogue of their greetings. This was simply done to make them pop out of the page a little more effectively, as I like all three characters, and want them to be enjoyed by the reader, too. Hyuga's comment about Cirus may seem rude, but I want it clear that I like Hyuga very much. I thought it too unrealistic to have everyone think Cirus was 'cool' or 'enigmatic'. It's fair to call Cirus 'distant' and 'cold'. And that brings us to Cirus' arrival. Any time Cirus and Rei are interacting, you can assume I enjoyed writing it. They're just so cute together. Rei is also becoming a little more familiar with Cirus, and more of what he says is having a real effect on her. The opposite is also very true, but always has been. The tension caused by Cirus' arrival is intended as nothing more than awkwardness with a 'new guy', and Cirus' general aura of mystery and distance. No one is sure how to react or even greet him (except Rei). Shinji breaking the ice is a novel idea, but I think it worked.

Once the meal starts, Ritusko's surprise is actually more important than many readers may realize. Referring to her discussion with Shinji where she reveals she thought Rei incapable of feeling, discovering that the girl is adept cook by instinct is quite startling. This points to a turn in Ritusko's character, in that she is now beginning to realize she's wronged Rei from the start. What follows is the scene I would most likely revise in the entire story. I did not intend for Cirus to get so berrated, or rather, for it come off as being attacked. I would definitely try to make the scene more subtle, while still establishing Kaji's curosity, some facts about Cirus, and that Cirus is very confident in his origins, whatever they may be. Also, the topic-switch for Misato by Cirus is not just a ploy to get the topic off of himself. He may have changed it anyway, yes, but his concern for Misato was sincere. Here he chooses to do what happens in the end of the chapter, and the toast shows a bit of friendship and trust forming between Kaji and himself. And, of course, another interaction between Cirus and Rei was wonderful to write. Rei is taking an interest in him now, and her intuition helps her speak with him in public. Along with some 'foreshadowing' of Cirus' past, we see some adorable signs of his attraction to Rei. The part ends here because I choose no better place to stop it. See the next commentary for the rest, of course.