The 'instant dinner' sequence is little more than character-interaction with some comedic relief in an otherwise serious story. In particular, the wry discourse between Misato and Cirus is my favorite aspect. The scene begins to grow serious when Asuka asks to see Cirus' eyes. Using Pen-Pen as a demonstration was an on-the-spot idea, and I'm very pleased with how it worked out. The little warm-water penguin is surprisingly fun to write. Next, and probably my favorite part of the dinner sequence itself, is Asuka asking about who's seen Cirus' eyes. His answer is true. He's only shown his eyes to one person, Ayanami-sama. The people that worked with him since his young age simply knew about the alteration, and thus him 'showing' them was moot. Rei is the only person he revealed them to, even though she did most of the work. (He would have stopped anyone else.) When Cirus interacts with Asuka, he usually tries to maintain his respect for women, but she almost always pushes his buttons enough to make him turn on her. Cirus is as much to blame for the unstable relationship as Asuka, of course, but they annoy each other too much to do otherwise. More interesting to the reader, I think, is how Cirus reacts to Asuka asking him what he saw. He does have a dark side, and this reveals at least part of that. Like me, Cirus is very private, and doesn't like revealing his personal issues to others. Ayanami-sama, of course, notices through her unique intuition, especially regarding Cirus. He can't hide anything from her.

With the end of the dinner, comes the start of one of the more delicate scenes in Kenosis. Rei's perspective reveals what happened the previous night (yes, the same night Cirus injured his palms by squeezing his fists too hard). Cirus' mysterious appearance is not so much to do with his odd penchant for appearing behind people, as he really was waiting to see if she was alright. Already, that kind of behavior is a bit disturbing (smacks of stalking), but due to their natures, Rei and Cirus can do things for each other that would be down-right foolish for any normal couple to do. This scene is also very important in that it shows how much Rei has come to feel connected to Cirus. That Rei, of all people, would come close and then grab onto someone is a major event for her character. It's safe to say her transformation is fully under way by this point in the story. The narration I used was deliberate, because I didn't want the reader thinking Rei was going crazy for Cirus. Rather, Cirus represents something she is only just beginning to understand in herself, and knows that she wants it. He is welcoming, unthreatening, and accepting. She needs that kind of 'room'.

I want to disspell any concerns the reader may have right now. 1) Rei is not interested in any kind of sexual activity, 2) neither is Cirus, 3) I don't write those kinds of scenes anyway, and 4) nothing even remotely close to any of those kinds of scenes occurs in Kenosis (unless you count a kiss between Kaji and Misato that comes later.) No innuendo, no double-meaning. When Rei asked to stay with Cirus she is literally asking out of lonliness, not some 'latent sexual drive' rousing out of her growing 'humanity'. Her humanity is growing, but the sex-drive is part of the animal-nature of humanity, not an intrinsic aspect of it. For your own ease of understanding, just assume neither of the two have a sex-drive at all. And away with this annoying topic...

Rei takes Cirus up on his offer from before, which he made because he already knew what was happening to her. Cirus has his own intuition regarding Rei, and it's quite accurate. He's honored to be of any help to her. And so they head to his apartment.

The sequence in Cirus' apartment is one of my favorite scenes. I loved writing it, but I can understand why a new reader would be growing more and more anxious the longer the scene goes on. There is a physicality to the scene between Rei and Cirus that was absent before. The two very much related on emotional lines, more than any physical attraction. That is still the case. The innocence of their intimacy is still here. To get into the details, Rei openly challenges Cirus on several of the lies she saw during the dinner discussion, using her classic directness that only she can do so well. Cirus can't resist her, but feels so powerfully about what she is asking that he can beg for more time. He sincerely can't speak about it to her in this moment. He doesn't want her to know how much she means to him, as it could make her feel pressured, whatever her own feelings. Rather like learning someone you like has a huge crush on you, you'll immediately panic and wonder what to do about the 'problem', whether you find the crush appealing or a nightmare. The last time Rei slept in Cirus' apartment, she was recovering from a traumatic episode, and thus didn't really care how she slept. This time, however, she is there because she is longing for something, and that something is comfort. Hence, she actually undresses and gets under the covers this time. I deliberately avoided describing the fact that her legs are bare because that is in no way the point of the scene. Yes, I find Rei very beautiful, but she has far too many jerks making smut about her already, and I was always determined to be of the utmost in respect toward her as a character. The fact that her legs are no longer covered by a full skirt is incidental.

Here is where anxious readers will really start to worry, when Rei calls for Cirus to join her in the bedroom. This scene was handled very carefully for my own reasons, because, again, the physical intimacy is incidental. There is a sincere need for companionship, human company, that this scene is addressing, nothing more mundane. Cirus, thus, is happy to be with her, but instinctively drops down beside the bed, for lack of a chair, not even thinking about joining her on the bed. Hopefully this relaxes the most anxious reader's enough to keep reading. Notice, too, that Rei is bundled up in the blankets anyway. When she asks for Cirus to hold her, naturally even Cirus becomes highly embarrassed and awkward. She is totally sincere, of course, and thus his panic is subdued. So he, fully clothed, lies down over the covers, and just puts an arm over her, embracing her where she lies. I'll admit there's a certain 'tension' produced by this scene, especially when Rei relaxes against Cirus, but that's the very point. This is a human, totally decent interaction. Cirus is giving her solace against a sorrow, and there are no other motives present. An innocent, intimate trust. If someone is still, so close that you can feel their body breathe, they must trust you a great deal. The final line of the chapter nails the point I made above home. Cirus would never, EVER take advantage of Rei, especially not in any manner involving a bed. It's not a promise, it's a fact.

I want to end this commentary with a note. Cirus and Rei are a very unique couple. Honestly, couples, or even friends of opposite genders who may find each other attractive, should avoid situations like this. The temptation is too strong to make mistakes (on both sides). This scene works because Cirus is uniquely self-controlled, and Rei simply wouldn't think in that direction. Now, those of you with dirty minds, will wonder with wry smiles about what would happen if Rei eventually came onto Cirus. He'd stop her from taking advantage of herself using him, but that assumes Rei would think that way. No matter how 'normal' she becomes, she's still Ayanami-sama, and that just doesn't seem in-character at all. My goal is to let her smile with good reason, not make her my character. Unlike Gendo Ikari, I don't feel like I possess Ayanami-sama.