An Auspicious Meeting
Canon scenes will happen like normal
"Regular speech"
'Thought'
Feldt
Despite being on the Ptolemaios for a while now, this ship felt strangely lonely. They had a crew, but besides Christina, who had taken Feldt under her wing, the group had mostly been focused on their own jobs. It didn't help that the crew was not allowed to talk about their histories. 'Not that I want to, anyways.' She wasn't sure how people would react if they learned she was the child of two of the previous generations' Gundam pilots. But as she entered the cafeteria, a person of interest to her was sitting at one of the tables, eating his lunch.
Setsuna had drawn her interest since she got on the ship. He was the only person close to her age on the ship, at least she thought so, but he seemed so cold, so stoic. He just seemed so lonely, never really interacting with most people and never smiling. 'I wonder what happened to him.' She had contemplated talking to him a few times before but could never work up the nerve. 'But today I can do it. Just walk up to him. The worst result is he ignores you.'
Rubbing the arm of her pink track suit, Feldt walked up to Setsuna, letting out a slightly nervous breath. Setsuna looked up at her, his reddish-brown eyes showing nothing. Feldt stuttered slightly, but found herself a bit drawn in by his eyes, "Hi Setsuna, can I join you?"
He nodded and she sat down, analyzing Setsuna. He looked completely calm, eating almost robotically. And she couldn't read any strong emotions coming off of him. She wished she were better at reading people, but that had been others strong suit. The pink-haired girl was good at computers and mechanics, but social ques escaped her grasp. Setsuna cleared his throat, his tone even, "Is there a reason you wanted to join me? You just seem to be staring at me. Is something going on?"
Feldt shook her head, "No, nothing like that. The plan is the same as before. The first operation will be in a few weeks. I just saw you sitting alone and thought maybe you would want company."
Setsuna gave her a blank look, "I wouldn't say I needed it. I am fine on my own."
Feldt looked down at her lap, "Oh. Am I bothering you then? I can leave if you want."
Setsuna shook his head, "You can sit here if you want. I'm just not used to people talking to me beyond Celestial Being orders."
Feldt just nodded in response. 'That's kind of sad.' While she didn't mind it, the crew as a whole had an air of coldness and professionalism, which wasn't helped by the gag order on revealing the past of the crew. 'Was this the same for my mom and dad?' Feldt shook her head. 'No, it couldn't be. They got married and had me. Maybe Veda makes exceptions?'
The two of them fell into an awkward silence as Setsuna ate and seeing that this was a good time to get food, Feldt got up to get her own. 'Maybe I can ask him about that?' She sat back down at the table and gave Setsuna a curious look, an undertone of yearning in her voice, "Setsuna, what is piloting a Gundam like? I know you can't tell me your history or anything, but what does it mean to you?"
Sestuna tilted his head slightly, but when he swallowed his food, he gave her a serious look, "The Gundams are the only way to bring peace to this world. The world is twisted and without the Gundams, there would be no way to root that out." Setsuna took a breath, looking down at his food, "The cockpit of the Gundam is where I am the most comfortable. A Gundam is something that lets me be greater. Greater than what I-" Setsuna cut off his speech, pursing his lips.
Feldt was caught by surprised by him suddenly cutting of his explanation. She looked at him curiously, "What do you mean by that?"
Setsuna looked back up at her, his eyes hardened, a hard edge in his tone, "Just something from my past. You don't need to worry about it."
The pink-haired girl was taken aback by his tone. 'Oh god, this must have been really personal.' Feldt looked down again, her hands pressing on her legs, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ask such a personal question."
She looked back up and saw Setsuna looking at her, his eyes softening somewhat, "Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have snapped like that. You didn't mean to do it."
Feldt felt a small surge of happiness go through her. It may not have been what she expected, but Setsuna had been willing to answer her question. She had never seen him give anyone this amount of depth in a conversation before. 'I wonder what happened to him in the past. Based on how he is, it must have been severe.' She let out a breath and replied in a grateful tone, "Thank you for answering my question. I guess I didn't expect you to, so any answer was good."
"Why did you want to know?"
Feldt looked away from Setsuna, her tone evasive, "I was just curious is all." She didn't know if telling him would be allowed and she still wasn't comfortable with telling people her history. 'Maybe in the future.'
Setsuna nodded and went back to eating. A comfortable silence then overtook the two of them, both of them enjoying their meal. 'Go Feldt! I can't believe I did it. Maybe he's not as scary as he looks. There seems to be more going on with him.' Feldt chuckled to herself for a second, Setsuna looking up at her for a second before going back to his food. 'There's probably a lot going on with all of us.'
Eventually both of them finished their food, Feldt noticing she was due to come back to her shift. She looked at Setsuna evenly, "I've got to get back. I'll see you at some point?" She wouldn't mind talking or just hang out with him again.
He nodded, "Most likely." She just nodded at that and made her way out of the cafeteria, a little more pep in her step than usual.
Setsuna
As Feldt retreated from the cafeteria, Setsuna scanned her pink-track suit clad form. He had been surprised by the fact that she had talked to him about something more personal, only ever talking to her on professional terms about things like their missions. But she had never shown an interest in him personally before. It was certainly an odd feeling and left him curious. 'Why did she ask me?'
He knew he was probably the closest person to her age, but there were other pilots on the ship she could have asked. 'Allelujah and Lockon are more open than me. It would make more sense to ask them about it.' He could understand picking him over Tieria, but the other two would be far more open to a question like that. Most people on the ship tended to not interact with him. He swore he overheard Christina Sierra say he was "intense". He shrugged his shoulders at that. 'I don't need to socialize. I just have to complete the mission."
"Looks like you need a penny for your thoughts." A more mature voice interrupted his thoughts. He looked up to see Lockon grinning at him, positioned at the door into the cafeteria. 'When did he get there?'
Setsuna replied evenly, "What are you talking about?"
Lockon rolled his eyes, smiling, "I saw your little conversation with Feldt. I am surprised she talked to you, but you were deep in thought after she left, so I thought I might help."
Setsuna frowned slightly, "Is there a problem that she was talking to me?"
Lockon shook his head, moving over to take the seat that the pink-haired girl vacated, "Not at all. I would say it's a good thing. Both you and her are so quiet, I wouldn't have expected that to happen."
Setsuna just tilted his head slightly, "I was surprised too. Normally most people avoid small talk with me." 'Not that I'm a fan of it by any means.'
The Irishman laughed, "Setsuna, you are terrible with conversation. The last talk we had, you just finished your points and walked off."
Setsuna just shrugged his shoulders, "I was done with the conversation. I didn't think I needed to say anything else."
Lockon sighed, "And this is why people don't make small talk with you." Lockon then put his hands on the table, "But it's clear Feldt chose to talk to you specifically. This is a good opportunity for you."
Setsuna looked at him, confused, "What do you mean by that?" 'Wasn't that just a one-off thing?'
Lockon shook his head, "Setsuna, she's the closest person to your age on this ship. At least I think so. I can never be sure with the gag order from Veda." He cleared his throat, "Anyways, both you and her are not very social. Maybe this is a good opportunity to make a friend, get to know someone."
Setsuna pursed his lips, "I thought that wasn't ok."
Lockon just grinned, "Nobody said you couldn't make friends. I think it wouldn't be bad for you to get to know her. Both you and her seem pretty lonely in general, so it's a win-win for both of you." Lockon then leaned in closer to the raven-haired teenager, whispering, "And as long as you don't make it public, no one has to know you shared your past." Lockon then leaned back, smirking as he spoke at a normal level, "So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?"
Setsuna looked at him suspiciously, "Why are you encouraging this?" 'Why would I want to share my past?'
Lockon let out an exasperated sigh, "The crew of this ship feels like such an impersonal team. Tieria is always glaring at everyone. Sumeragi seems to be always drinking. Allelujah is nice but distant. Some comradery would be good. And who knows? Maybe you and Feldt can connect and really become friends." Lockon's tone softened, "I just want to help."
Setsuna looked down at the table in thought. During the conversation between him and Feldt, he didn't seem to mind her presence. He could picture the two of them in comfortable silence. And it had been a long time since he had friends. Over half a decade. 'And she seems to be the calmer type, unlike Christina or other more emotional members of the crew.' Setsuna felt a small twinge in his heart. 'Maybe she feels lonely too?' There was something intriguing about her that he couldn't place, but he placed that in the back of his mind. He didn't know how much he could connect with her, but it might not hurt.
He gave Lockon an even look, "I'll try to connect with her more. But I can't promise anything"
Lockon gave him a happy smile, "That's the spirit! But don't feel the need to force it. Just feel her out. Friendships aren't built in a day."
Setsuna heard a noise from his mini-terminal and he opened it up, seeing he was scheduled for more practice. He nodded at Lockon, "Ian wants me at the hanger. I'll see you later."
Lockon just nodded back, "Get out of here before Ian yells at you. I swear sometimes he just likes to get frustrated at us."
Setsuna grunted in agreement as he walked away, floating out of the cafeteria. 'Ian always says I frustrate him, especially with how reckless I am.' He would be busy for a while, but hopefully he could find a good time to think of this whole Feldt thing. 'I guess I'll have to wing it.'
Christina
Christina hummed to herself as she looked at her terminal, scanning for any of the three blocks' interference nearby. They were only a few weeks from the first operations and secrecy was more important than ever. There was a tension in the air and sometimes the professional atmosphere they maintained made her feel a little more tense. 'It would be nice if we could open up a bit. But Veda doesn't like that.' She would complain, but she still felt more at home here then back in the colony.
And she certainly didn't feel completely alone. Feldt had been someone she found intriguing and had tried to get her to open up. Initially, she was discouraged that Feldt didn't really respond to her, but after a talk for Ms. Sumeragi explaining Feldt just needed time, Christina had relaxed, just letting their bond grow naturally. It still was mostly Christina rambling to her and Feldt occasionally responding, but it was better than her just silently listening when they first met. 'There's something more with her. Some sadness she's hiding from all of us... But I guess I just have to give her time.'
Christina thought she was good at reading people. She had always been a social person and to her, Feldt screamed like she was keeping her feelings bottled up. She wished Feldt trusted her, but the whole "keep your past secret" thing got in the way. 'Maybe I could convince her in the future.'
She then heard the door to the bridge open and Feldt walked in, her pink hair bouncing as she grabbed onto her chair, extra energy in her movement. 'Speak of the devil.' She studied Feldt for a few seconds. 'Something seems different. Does she seem happier?'
Christina turned to face Feldt, giving her a warm smile, "Hey Feldt! You seem more energetic. Anything happen?"
Feldt gave her an even look before turning away from the brown-haired woman, "Not much. I just had a short talk with Setsuna."
Christina turned back to her screen for a second before turning back to Feldt, curiosity flowing through her, "Setsuna? How did that go? He seems a little…intense. And not social."
Feldt's spoke in a slightly stuttering voice, "I thought he was, but he's…nicer than I thought. I just had a non-work question for him and he answered it for me. I was surprised he did."
Christina perked up, "So he's more open than anyone he expected?"
"I wouldn't say that. He just…isn't as scary as he appears."
Christina detected a hint of warmth in her voice. 'Maybe there's something more to this. I always assumed Setsuna was unapproachable, like Tieria.' Christina smiled as she replied, "Maybe you should talk to him more. He seems so lonely and you both could use more friends."
Christina grinned at Feldt's as the pink-haired girl replied, "He doesn't seem like he wants a friend. And don't I already have you?"
The brown-haired girl turned to see Feldt's sea green eyes looking at her. Christina just smiled at her, eyes shining happily, "You can always make more friends. Besides, I think Setsuna needs a friend. He seems so lonely." A mental image of Feldt leaning her head on Setsuna's shoulder popped into Christina's mind. 'Yes, I see it. Maybe something more than friendship?'
Feldt retreated into the collar of her tracksuit, looking a bit nervous, "You think so?"
Christina nodded confidently, "I know so. You can start off slow, but I think you and Setsuna can create a beautiful friendship! You can get him out of his shell!"
Feldt nodded at her, pulling out of the collar of her tracksuit, "I don't know about that, but I don't mind hanging out around him. Can you help me?"
Christina grinned at her, "What do you think I was planning on doing? Let's make you a friend!"
Feldt nodded, the beginnings of a smile forming for a split second before disappearing. 'I almost got you out! Just gotta try a little harder.' The tactical operator's gut told her that Setsuna would be key to all this. As she looked at Feldt getting back to work, Christina smiled. Both Feldt and him were two introverted people who just needed a nudge. And the fact that Setsuna had a conversation that wasn't just business told her this could work.
Feldt would get a boyfriend out of this. Setsuna would open up and Feldt would become happy. Feldt deserved to be happy and she needed more than Christina to be close to her. A mental image of Setsuna and Feldt together, holding each other, came to mind, bringing a smile to Christina's face. She would make this happen. And after she succeeded, her reward would be seeing Feldt's warm smile as she kissed Setsuna.
Author Note
Welcome to this new story! The Feldt and Setsuna guy is back! This is going to be a relationship focused story, showing events during season one to develop Feldt and Setsuna's relationship. I have plans for a season 2, so be on the lookout for that after this one. Also Feldt's outfit in this story is different from canon, being a pink track suit. I wasn't a huge fan of her canon outfit. I hope you guys enjoy!
On another note, it will be interesting writing Season 1 Feldt and Setsuna, but it will be a fun challenge! I'll see you guys next week and please comment or review, depending on the website! I love seeing what you guys think!
