And you haven't changed one bit. Your comebacks are still as bad as ever.

[ Let's pretend like his initial comeback wasn't the lamest of lame. There's absolutely no combativeness to his tone, because he's just glad he can say stuff like that again in the first place. He's even smiling (which looks odd, considering his eyes are still puffy from the tears).

That smile doesn't last, however, because Shinji draws attention to something equally as important as reuniting with a long lost friend. Perhaps more important if he wants to keep long lost friend alive. ]

Isn't the better question: "Why the hell are we in a swamp"?