[ It's common, these questions that boil down to who are you to say that? As if one has to be drowning to know how to bring another ashore, and yet-- yes, one has to jump into the water to save another, right? How to know suffering without needing to suffer, how to be kind without having known pain. There are no shortcuts. Like everyone else, she longed for a savior, someone blameless and without fault to carry her to safety, only to find that it is the ones whose hurts match your own who can heal you best. But never mind that. Nothing to be done.

She meets his eyes measure for measure. To threaten Misato is to see her raise the stakes. ]

Bullshit. If it doesn't bother you, we wouldn't be here.

[ He likes to make himself out to be dangerous, too strong, too angry, too evil to be hurt, see? She thinks they wear the same armor only painted differently.

Despite her words, her voice barely rises above the constant cacophony of thoughts, sensations and words hovering in the air anywhere one goes aboard the Station. He judges her intention to be selfish, which is his prerogative, but she extends concern just as well, as much sympathy as she's capable of cobbling together. ]

So what do you do? Wake yourself up, punch a few walls, go back to sleep and hope it doesn't come back?