Performance Tests [OPEN]

[jesus_is_gundam]

While everyone else was busy going shopping down on the planet, Setsuna had more important things to do. Namely, take his Gundam out for a test run.

Everything had gone smoothly, and all systems were functional. Which bothered him a little bit. There had been certain subtleties to the 00, sometimes it would pull on a hairpin turn, an occasional rattle in the cockpit when he pushed past a certain speed... none of those things were there. The suit was perfect. Too perfect. It was almost as if the suit was brand new.

Except the 00 Raiser had been through hell, and the odds of its GN drives being repaired after Exia and 0 Gundam exploded were faint at best. It did have all the hallmarks of Celestial Being's craftmanship, but even so, Setsuna couldn't help but wonder where did this suit come from? And its GN drives? Two more questions to add to the growing pile, and he still had no answers.

"Gundam..."

As he exited the machine, he half expected to have Trudy screaming at him again about him not asking permission before launching previously. As if he needed her permission, or anyone else's, to take his own suit outside. But as he lowered himself from the cockpit to the ground, those concerns went right out the window as he noticed the two suits docked behind Dynames.

...so, he was here now. And off in the distance he could see that Tieria's suit, which had disappeared briefly, was back again. Which meant that the four of them were together again. The thought brought the smallest of smiles to the corner of his mouth, though only for a brief moment.

"Allelujah..."

As his feet hit the hangar floor, he scrapped whatever plans he did have. After all, if Arios, along with its predecessor Kryios, were both here, his comrade was sure to show up soon enough looking for them. Setsuna would just hang out by his own suits and wait for him.

Comments

[dhianeila.livejournal.com]

"Having so many beings from so many different parts of the universe coming together here and interacting ... it is an interesting and very smart way to show that we can all exist together." Yeah, the buying stuff wasn't her main point of interest, either. Not when there was such a great example of peaceful foreign relation going on.

She looked over to Setsuna's Gundam. "I saw that took this one out, despite there being no need for battle. Were you testing the operations?"

[a_mere_human]

"Yes." There was a short pause, and his expression became slightly more scrutenizing. "Has the Council taken issue with that?"

Its not as if he asked them if he could do the tests, or even informed them that he was going to do them. And the last time he tested the suit while blatantly ignoring that the Council even exists, they made quite the ruckus about it.

Granted, last time he and Lockon were firing off live shots in the Hangar, but still.

[dhianeila.livejournal.com]

"No." She shook her head. "I was simply curious. Did it go well?"

[a_mere_human]

He looked like he was about to respond, but quickly cut himself off before he could say a word. So, if not that, then why was she taking an interest in him?

He couldn't come up with any immediate answers, at least none that presented her as any kind of threat, so he let the matter pass.

"There were no problems."

[dhianeila.livejournal.com]

"That's good," she smiled, "we must make sure these units are in top shape in case of any immediate need of them. But I hope we will not have to face that scenario."

And now onto her next question. "Are you happy about something? You seemed as such, a couple of minutes ago."

[jesus_is_gundam]

He was caught off guard by that question, for some reason. The whole moment of... whatever it was he felt when he noticed Kyrios and Arios was so brief and fleeting that it barely registered with him.

"You... noticed?"

[dhianeila.livejournal.com]

She nodded. "Just a little bit."

[jesus_is_gundam]

"...I see." He was quiet for a moment after that, as his face returned to his normal neutral expression. He mulled it over a second, whether not to tell her anything, but ultimately decided to relent.

"A comrade of mine was recently released from the pod caverns."

[dhianeila.livejournal.com]

"Really?" She lit up at the statement. "That's so good!"

[jesus_is_gundam]

"You seem... happy about that."

While he and her were on good terms (well, for Setsuna, at least), most of the ship still regard Celestial Being as a 'problem', and not without reason. They willfully ignored the government structure (of which she was now a part of) in how they operated, and Setsuna had already made it clear to her that they would act in defiance of the social order if they deemed it necessary. So, admittedly, her being happy about Allelujah's arrival surprised him some.

Its not often that someone was able to keep him this off balance in a conversation.

[dhianeila.livejournal.com]

"Of course I am," she stated. Regardless of her position or anybody's stance on anything (plus, she believed that if the time came, Setsuna wouldn't sit by and do nothing if there were an emergency at hand), there was one thing important to her.

"Even though these circumstances are grim, it is a lot less lonely and frightening when you have friends with you."

[a_mere_human]

He was about to explain to her that Allelujah was his comrade, not his friend (Setsuna didn't have anyone that he would quantify as a friend), but that involved getting into territory he didn't want to discuss with anyone.

"I suppose."