Scenario:Kaworu & Mark.06 - This World, Cruel and Kind

This World, Cruel and Kind

Kaworu explains he's an acquaintance of (Captain) and enters an uneasy alliance with Lucius, as they are both at the island for the same goal: to find the missing children. He guides the swordsman to the children, who are found safe and sound—but their comments only serve to deepen Lucius's suspicions that something is amiss.

---

Lucius is investigating a remote island where children have been going missing one after another.

In the midst of his search, he chances upon a young man deep in the forest, who introduces himself as Kaworu Nagisa.

Lucius: I don't recall ever seeing you aboard the ship. How do you know my name?

Kaworu: Are you not aware of the people in curious clothing who recently found their way to your airship?

Kaworu: Just as they, I too am one with a predestined fate.

Lucius: (No idea what he means by fate, but he's not wrong... some noisy kids have ended up on the Grandcypher recently.)

Lucius: ((Captain) said they were the pilots of something called "Evangelions"...)

Lucius: Be that as it may, I still don't know you.

Kaworu: I wanted to learn more about this world, so I'm on a little bit of a solo investigation.

Lucius: That's all fine and well, but I doubt there's much to see on an island in the middle of nowhere.

Kaworu: I came here for the same reason as you, Lucius.

Kaworu: I'm looking into the serial disappearances of children.

Lucius: Where did you hear about that?

Kaworu: At another island. I heard rumors about this place from some members of a mercantile ship that seems to visit often.

Kaworu: I sensed a profound sorrow in every part of their conversation, which drew my concern.

Kaworu: So I decided to observe this island myself. I haven't yet ascertained where, but I felt something twisted lurking here.

Kaworu: Perhaps these anomalies were the guides delivered to (Captain).

Lucius: (What is he talking about? Nothing he says makes much sense.)

Lucius: I think I've grasped the situation. But haven't you forgotten that you could end up missing yourself?

Kaworu: The ones who were taken are much younger entities, I believe. That fact in itself would discount me.

Lucius: From my point of view, you're not much different from a child yourself.

Lucius: Sorry, whatever's happening here isn't something that can be resolved by make-believe sleuthing. Go home.

Kaworu: You needn't worry, Lucius. I will lead you to where the children have been spirited.

Kaworu: I've already determined their location.

Lucius: What!

Kaworu: While I was investigating near the forest this afternoon, I could hear the voices of children.

Kaworu: I hadn't seen them, but judging by the direction of their voices and the area in which they feasibly could have been, they must be somewhere near here.

Lucius: Kaworu, was it? From now on, you follow my directions.

Kaworu: With pleasure, Lucius.

Lucius: Then first, be sure to stay at my side. I don't sense any monsters around right now but regardless, it would be safer than splitting off to my front or back.

???: Sigh... I'm starving...

???: Come ooon, let's go back already!

Lucius: There!

As the two gradually approach the source of the voices—

Frank Child: Whoa, what! Wh-who's there!

Nervous Child: Eeek! It's a scary man!

Lucius: "Scary man—"

Lucius: Wait! I'm a skyfarer who's come looking for you!

Seeing the children scatter in every direction, Lucius raises his voice in alarm.

In complete contrast to the man beside him, Kaworu calls to the children with a gentle smile.

Kaworu: It's okay. He's a strong man. He'll protect you all.

Kaworu: He came looking for you in the dark of night because he was worried.

Frank Child: Even though he looks so scary?

Nervous Child: I-is the scary man making you say that? Should we get an adult?

Kaworu: He wouldn't do that. Right, Lucius?

Lucius: Right...

Lucius: Anyway, if you kids are all fine, then good. We're going back to the village.

Frank Child: O-okay...

Nervous Child: Did mommy and daddy ask you guys to come get us?

Kaworu: That's right. Everyone was so worried about you.

Kaworu: Once we get back, be sure to say you're sorry. Okay?

Children: Okaaay!

The children respond to Kaworu with their own smiles. A strange feeling wells up in Lucius as he watches them, one he can't ignore.

Lucius: (Scaring kids is nothing new... but there's something off about what they said.)

Lucius: (For now, I'll let Kaworu handle the children... But I'm guessing this isn't over yet.)

This World, Cruel and Kind: Scene 2

The children are returned to their village, but Kaworu senses there's more to this case, venturing into the night forest once more to uncover the culprit behind the kidnappings. There, he encounters an elderly woman who attempts to kidnap him in place of her lost prey but her poison fails to take hold. Stunned, she launches an attack when Lucius comes to Kaworu's aid.

---

Village Chief: How many times have we told you not to go into the forest without an adult!

Frank Child: We're sorry!

Nervous Child: We were only playing a game to see who was the bravest...

Village Chief: If you lot want a trial by fire so bad, let's just see how many bowls of ol' granny's devilishly spicy soup you can down!

Elderly Woman: Now, now... They're only children. You know how they are.

Elderly Woman: Besides, the children wouldn't be able to handle my soup!

Village Chief: Hahaha, true that! When I had a bowl of your soup meself, I ended up hallucinatin' for a week straight!

Lucius: What manner of soup...

Kaworu: I'd love to see you try it, Lucius.

Lucius: Then you'll have to be disappointed. I'm not interested.

Village Chief: But still, thank you both for finding the children.

Village Chief: As you can see, the village is full of us old folks. There really aren't many here who are still in their prime.

Village Chief: I doubt these old bones could get us anywhere close to where the children had ended up.

Lucius: You needn't thank us. We were given a job, and we finished it. That's all.

Lucius: There's just one thing—judging by what you said to the kids, your village has a rule against entering the woods?

Village Chief: Hrm? Oh, yes. The last time a monster was sighted was a long time ago, but disaster's only waiting to happen in brush that thick.

Village Chief: We've told the children not to go near it time and time again, so I've no idea what prompted them to enter it now.

Kaworu: ...
Hey, you guys... Why did you go on a test of courage?

Frank Child: We wanted to find out who was the bravest!

Nervous Child: Only the bravest kids get to grow up to be whatever they want! Like skyfarers or a detective for the SBI!

Kaworu: You're right, those two jobs do sound like they need you to be brave.

Frank Child: Right! And we were told that if we're brave, we could do them...

Nervous Child: Yeah! That's what... Huh? Wait, who said it first?

Frank Child: What are you even talking about? The one who said it was... Uh, um... Wasn't it you?

Nervous Child: Nah, it wasn't me. Or... was it? Hmm... I forgot!

Kaworu: You must've really been having fun with your game. But from now on, don't go into the woods without an adult, okay?

Lucius: (You're one to talk...)

Frank Child: Okaaay!

Nervous Child: We promise we'll be good! We won't go into the woods anymore, so come play with us, Kaworu!

Kaworu: Hehe... Sure. What are we playing?

Frank Child: Whatever you want to play!

Kaworu: What I want to play, huh? Then... is there a piano in this village?

Nervous Child: A piano? Oh! My mommy has one!

Frank Child: You can play the piano? I wanna hear you play something!

Kaworu: Okay, sure.

Lucius: Hmph, he really is no different from a child.

Reflecting on this, Lucius watches Kaworu walk away with the cavorting children, the young man taking part in their fun and games.

A lone figure steps sprightly through the forest under the cover of night when a voice calls out to it.

Elderly Woman: Little skyfarer, weren't you saying not to go into the woods at night?

Kaworu: Ah, you're the one from the village earlier. Good evening.

Elderly Woman: Quite the carefree thing, aren't you? Who knows what might've happened if I hadn't found you.

Elderly Woman: Why are you here in the woods all alone?

Kaworu: The children were behaving strangely. I thought perhaps someone had done something to them.

Elderly Woman: Well, thank you for being so vigilant.

Kaworu: Might I ask what you're doing in the woods yourself?

Elderly Woman: I came looking for ingredients for my soup, you see. The seeds for the spices are best when picked at night.

Elderly Woman: So I often come around this time to gather them. I happened to catch sight of you on the way.

Elderly Woman: Oh, but do keep this from the village chief. He'd say I'm setting a bad example for the children.

Kaworu: Of course. I thought a kidnapper might've been here, but perhaps I was overthinking.

Kaworu: Aside from the two of us, I don't sense any other living souls.

Elderly Woman: Oh, that's a relief. We can sleep in peace.

Kaworu: Perhaps this too was fate. Would you like me to help you search for those seeds?

Elderly Woman: Why, aren't you a dear! I'm looking for a variety like this one...

Taking some seeds from her pocket, the old woman holds them up to Kaworu's nose.

Kaworu: ...?
This smell...

Elderly Woman: That's right, take a good whiff. It works best on children like you.

Elderly Woman: My goodness. Thank the stars a conceited brat like you came along.

Elderly Woman: I was scared for a moment when I heard skyfarers had arrived at the island, but my client would be more than happy with a boy like you...

Kaworu: Oh dear. Where are you taking me?

Elderly Woman: How are you lucid? The scent should've addled your senses...

Kaworu: Sorry, granny. Things like these don't work on me.

Elderly Woman: Y-you beast! Then have a taste of this!

Lucius: Get away from him!

Elderly Woman: Eeep!

A single piercing glare from Lucius is enough to make the old woman fall to her knees, dropping the seeds from her hand.

Kaworu: A shame. I admit I was a little curious about that soup of hers.

Kaworu quietly gives voice to his thoughts as he picks up a seed and holds it aloft.

This World, Cruel and Kind: Scene 3

Kaworu and Lucius discover that the woman had poisoned the minds of the villagers with hallucinations to mask her presence in the village. They reflect on the insidious nature of mankind, but Lucius explains there is just as much good as evil in the skies as he sees the boy off on the next leg of his journey—all's right with the world.

---

Having captured the criminal responsible for the kidnappings, Lucius and Kaworu return to the village the next day to wrap up the job.

Kaworu: Ah, Lucius. How are the villagers doing?

Lucius: I've managed to break the hypnosis on everyone with the little bit of magic I learned watching my sister. The villagers were all under the old crone's spell.

Kaworu: Between her soup and her spells, she'd hypnotized the entire population of the island to blend in. How astonishing.

Kaworu: There were very few people on this island, so she went and brainwashed them all... Does this sort of thing happen often?

Lucius: It's not a common tale, but maybe such plots just haven't been uncovered.

Kaworu: Ah, that makes sense. As long as the hypnosis remains unbroken, a person under it would never notice on their own.

Lucius: Exactly. The underbelly of society is probably rife with such tricks.

Lucius: But it's neither my business as a skyfarer nor (Captain)'s to uncover them. That's a job for the Crew of Enforcers.

Kaworu: ...
I'm surprised that sweet old woman was plotting something so nasty, though.

Lucius: Foul scoundrels are everywhere—age is no indication of innocence. Those sorts are always on the lookout for their next mark.

Lucius: Had we arrived any later, those children would have been long gone. We were lucky.

Lucius: But I should say the real lucky person here was you. You would have been kidnapped if you made a single misstep.

Kaworu: I do feel a little sorry about that. I should have consulted with you first.

Lucius: Damn straight you should have. Good thing I made it in time. If I hadn't, you would've been engulfed by that spell.

Lucius: Don't forget—no matter how powerful your Evangelion is, once you've exited it, you're no more than a man.

Kaworu: ...
You're right. Exactly right. Mankind is so soft, so fragile.

Lucius: If you understand, I won't say anything more. Besides, we were lucky that the criminal was also no more than man.

Lucius: In these skies, monsters and primal beasts will indiscriminately attack mankind. They do not understand our rules, nor will they bend to them.

Lucius: I don't know about the world you're from, but these skies are not kind to the weak.

Kaworu: Well... After what happened, I understand that now.

Kaworu: But I see you're not telling me to go to the Grandcypher.

Lucius: I'm not your father. I have neither the duty nor the right to bind you.

Lucius: Besides, I spent a long time away from that ship myself. I'm in no position to make demands.

Kaworu: You wanted to see the world too?

Lucius: No... I left on a mission for revenge. I spent a long time looking for the swine that fractured my family.

Lucius: Compared to that, your goal of wandering the world sounds far better.

Lucius: I will give you one rule, however—don't go sticking your neck in anything dangerous.

Lucius: If you need help, just reach out to (Captain) or lean on the people around you.

Lucius: These skies are filled to the brim with blackguards, but there are just as many do-gooders ready to help.

Kaworu: Leaning on others, huh? If that lets me meet more people like you, I'd consider it a blessing.

Lucius: In any case, I shouldn't even need to tell you to avoid putting yourself in jeopardy.

Lucius: But thanks to what you did here today, we closed this case without any issues.

Lucius: Had I dealt with things on my own, the old hag would've been on high alert and escaped.

Lucius: Your quick wit and guts allowed us to catch her here. That isn't an exaggeration, either—you can honestly be proud of that fact.

Kaworu: I'm happy to hear such high praise from you.

Kaworu: You're exactly the kind soul I envisioned.

Lucius: I'm not sure what gave you that impression. We only met just a few days ago.

Kaworu: Still, I'm pretty confident in my abilities when it comes to reading people.

Kaworu: When I first saw that old lady, I had an inkling she might've been the one.

Lucius: It's not a bad idea to trust your instincts, but don't get ahead of yourself.

Kaworu: I know, don't worry. I promise I'll follow your directions.

Lucius: Sigh... Good.

Lucius: Anyway, I'll deal with the rest. (Captain) should be turning up with the Grandcypher soon too. How about dropping by?

Lucius: The other Evangelion pilots should be there too.

Kaworu: Nah, I'll pass on that. The next ferry from this island is about to arrive.

Lucius: I see. Well, I won't force you.

Lucius: Go in good health.

Kaworu: Thank you. I'll see you around, Lucius.

Kaworu raises a hand in farewell, then leisurely walks away.

Lucius: What a strange kid. He was incomprehensible that whole time.

Lucius: I should ask (Captain) how exactly the crew ran into him.

Lucius: Wait a second...

Lucius: How did Kaworu know my name?

But the only person who can answer Lucius's question is long gone...

For the ferry is already departing for its next destination.