Gundam Wing - After Colony 255

“Well, rest assure that when the two of you are together, you can get people to do almost whatever you want……or maybe it was just you that got me to do that?”

He shrugged slightly and shook his head, he didn’t recall ever hearing that name before, and judging by the way she was speaking, it wasn’t exactly her favorite subject, so he made a quick mental note to just avoid that topic of discussion in the future.

“My turn? Hmm. Well, my parents died when I was young. Spent some time in a orphanage, not that long ‘cause I don’t even remember where it was or what it was called. Got adopted by my “grandfather” who’s a mechanic. He taught me most of what I know. Apparently someone from here took notice of me a few years back and when I got old enough, I was accepted here and gramps was glad to drop me off. “Good education and access to things I wouldn’t normally get” I think that was his reasoning.”

Following her action, he crossed his arms and gave a brief look around. Was that it? They told each other about themselves and now standing there in awkward silence? That really couldn’t be all there is to this whole dating thing.

“That’s my life in a nut shell. Nothing fancy or exciting, but it’s something that I’m proud of. So…..uh…..”

“Maybe we should try to run the school then? No, too much publicity. She’s used to it, but I’m not. I was taught at an early age to keep out of the media as much as possible.” She was amazed that he hadn’t heard of her mother since she heard quite a few students whispering about it. Oh well, it was bound to come out sooner or later and at least she would have him and Aria for support. Pushing out the negative thoughts, she frowned at his story. So, they both had death in their lives. Maybe that’s why they clicked so easily?

“Oh, wow! So, what do you want do after graduating from here? Work on mobile suits or maybe ships or something?”

She stuck her tongue out at him as he crossed his arms against his chest, obviously copying her previous movement. He also appeared to notice the awkwardness, which only made it even worse. Squeaking, she flailed a little and grabbed a hold of his hand, dragging him across the floor. In her mind, she figured there had to be a window or something they could stare out while they cuddled. That would be the perfect thing to do. Stargaze with someone you’re getting close to.

“I wanna look at stars.”

"No, no...it's fine. Just try and relax. I come into contact with cold machinery all the time, it is not foreign to me. It seems like you're carrying around a heavy weight with you wherever you go, or heavy weights rather. And classes haven't even begun. Are you going to be alright?"

She had a genuine look of concern about her eyes.

"You're highly analytical, and I am highly observant," she chuckles once more.

"I suppose we could both learn a thing or two from each other. Enlighten me. Tell me...what is it that you hold most dear?"

She knows her question may throw him off a bit and her intention was to lighten the mood and shift the subject. As she tilted her head her long brown hair brushed past his face on her lap. She apologetically pulls her hair back once more, her ivory dress clinging comfortably to her slender form as she was still bare foot.

"I don't know if I can handle the classes to be honest. Every moment my mind isn't focused on training or yo-my future, my mind drifts back to the funeral."

Darius' nerves tingled as Solara's hair brushed across his face. He couldn't help but smile. Despite how cold he was he seemed very comfortable, possibly for the first time in years.

"What I hold most dear? This isn't the first time I've been asked this question. I will tell you what I have said over and over and at some point it is what I have to believe... I don't just represent the Federation. I represent my father's name and legacy. I have always weighed every decision on whether my actions would bring honor and glory to my family name. It's a fine answer that gets the room applauding at banquets and balls, but is it what I really hold closest to me as most dear? No, but I've never told anyone that and I can't believe I'm telling you. I'm sure you are aware that federation students with military parents have a line of formality they will seldom cross with colonists."

Darius felt like a fool, a brave fool, as he reached his and to Solara's to hold it. His hand was cold and hers was warm.

"Solara, " he said as he gazed into her beautiful eyes.

"I agree with you, we have much we can learn from one another. I'd like to see you more..." He said with all the confidence he could conjur as he held her hand firm, but lovingly.

“If you two ran the school, then you could order me all the parts I wanted with no problems at all right? That could be fun……….on the other hand, would that make you my boss somehow? That could be good too……….or bad.”

He shot her a glance with a wink and a smirk.

“I’d like to have my own Peacemillion class ship, would have liked the actual Peacemillion, if ya know, it hadn’t been rammed into Libra and then blown up by Heero. With a ship that size, I could go anywhere, fix whatever I wanted, take in busted mobile suits, hell maybe eve n build one of my own……for you of course. But getting something that size……….well, not exactly cheep.”

He let out a soft sigh and let his arms unfold so they could hang at his side as he let his mind wander to what it would be like to own such an impressive ship. He was quickly snapped back to reality as Aimee grabbed his hand and started dragging him across the hanger.

“Stars? A hanger isn’t the best place to look at the stars. Each of the rooms has a nice window in them, we could go back to one of ours………….er, not, not that I’m suggesting anything, just that……..I uhhh…….”

He shook his head to stop himself from talk and gave himself a slap on the forehead with his free hand.

Her cheeks turned a deep red as she tried to hide her blush. It definitely caught her by surprise. She was wondering if he could feel her heart pounding, nearly echoing through the fibers of her being. She could not help but approach with skepticism as she tried to control her reaction.

"See me more?" her mind was racing. "Are...are you sure about that? I mean your family and honor and...wouldn't being seen with the likes of me be...difficult for you? I mean my family background is no secret to the public. We have deep roots in the Earth Colonies and their military. And someone of your status would do well with Lady Von Drake. I would think your father would find her to be much more...suitable for you."

And then she paused for a moment after realizing that she was babbling. While still holding his hand, mindlessly she blurts out.

"Unless you're talking about just hanging out as friends. And..oh dear...I shouldn't have assumed. That must be what you meant. I mean how can...a guy like you...and..."

She begins to trail off in a bright red blush.

"I told you. There is a line my fellow federations classmates and I seldom cross with colonists. The weight of my family legacy, the weight of the federation fueled me through my first year here. Solara, I wouldn't cross that line for anyone except you. The weight of my father and the federation have dragged me down. Colonists killed my uncle and many people my family knew, but we killed so many of your people. Most of the federation brass hold deep grudges against the colonists and would like nothing more than to eradicate them. My father and mother were slightly different and because of my mother I couldn't follow in my father's footsteps forever. I know my father would appreciate that I made my forged my own path than stepped in his footprints. I'll tell you what no one knows about my mother, she was a colonist. Her and my father seemed so opposite, but loved one another deeply. It's because of her I have no fear of stepping from my father's shadow and making myself neutral from the Federation once and for all."

Darius sat up and held Solara's hand with both of his hands as he continued to look into her eyes without looking away for a moment.

"You asked me what I hold most dear? I..." A throbbing pain waved across Darius' skull, he clutched his head, but kept his eyes locked on Solara's.

"It's my..." The pain grew worse by the moment.

"my mother!" His eyes closed tight as he stood and held his head with both hands.

"I'm...s-sorry I r-really don't feel well." He struggled to say as he staggered to sit down next to Solara again.

The pain was crippling, he could not move, he felt like he was upside down as he laid over on Solara's lap. What he hadn't noticed was his wrist device containing Jane fell to Solara's lap. He sat back up as nothing seemed to help the pain, it only grew worse, as if a hammer were pounding on every inch of his skull. He struggled to even focus on the simplest thoughts. Then all pain faded and he collapsed on Solara's lap.

“I’m a thief by nature, so I can just steal the parts for you.” Aimée smirked still dragging him across the floor. She really had no idea where she was going, but it didn’t really matter. Just the touch of his flesh against hers was enough for her for the moment. As she pulled, she thought about what he had said about owning a Peacemillion class ship and wondered what it would be like to be inside such a large ship. It would probably be fantastic, but not as terrific as owning her own mobile suit that he built for her.

“Oooh… let’s make that happen. I would be fantastic in one of those mobile suit Gundam things. I mean, I’m made for them and junk!”

“Of course! Let’s go look at the stars in your room. You don’t have a roommate, right? So, we won’t be keeping anyone up that might be sleeping or doing other things. If you know what I mean.”

Aimée winked and shifted her body to head towards the door. She glanced briefly towards Darius and Solara and wished the two the best silently in her head. She couldn’t really see what was going on other than Darius laying his head in Solara’s lap. Well, it was best to let them have their privacy. Dragging Duke out of the hangar, she quickly remembered how to get back to his room and all but pulled him the entire way. Once outside of his room, she waited for him to unlock the door and slid inside with him, yanking him over to the window in order to look out at the stars.

“Staaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrs! I love being out among all of this… I really do.” Cuddling up against Duke, she dropped her head against his shoulder, sighing contently.

][OOC: SSJ, sorry, I just wanted us to get to the room, so I yoinked yer char along. Hope you don’t mind.][

He cocked an eyebrow and looked at her as she mentioned stealing parts for him. He thought about pursuing that line of thought a bit more, but that ended when she mentioned that getting his own ship would be a good thing.

“Let’s make it happen? Just like that? If only it were that easy Aimee. And yeah, I’ll bet you are made for them, just try to be careful, I get the feeling that I’m going to end up having to repair any damage you do to your suit and yourself.”

He shook his head, truthfully, he didn’t know if he had a roommate or not. He assumed no, since no one else had moved stuff into the room by the time everyone was supposed to be onboard, but that didn’t mean anything since there were always a few late arrivals.

“Yeah sure lets go, it seems others might wish for their own alone time as well………….wait, what DO you mean?”
He blinked in confusion as she dragged him out of the hanger and through the halls they’d used to get there and back to his dorm room. As quickly as he could, without looking like he was in a desperate hurry, he opened the door, only to be yanked through and have it close automatically behind them, leaving him to wonder what others were possibly thinking if any had seen them. He smiled softly as she rested her head against his shoulder and gently slipped an arm around her waist.

“Yeah, it sure is beautiful. An endless sea of stars streatching out even farther than your imagination can go. I rarely stop to appreciate it. But then again, I rarely have someone worthwhile to share the view with.

((Nah, it’s fine Faithy :3 and sorry about the delay in response. Was out of town for a while then the kitchen caught fire, so been dealing with that.))

Aimée snuggled close against Duke, enjoying the warmth of his body. If someone would have told her that she would be doing this very thing upon a space academy, she would have told them they were hallucinating. But, here she was, curled up against a male on the first day of the rest of her life. It was kind of a blissful situation, one that probably would never occur again. Sighing, she stared out at the stars, wondering if she had a great view in her room as well. In her mind, there would never be as good of a view as this right here. Her bottom lip slid between her teeth and she chewed on it gently. It was hard to keep from doing anything further with him, but she didn’t want to run him off.

“Well… from now on… you can share the view with me, Duke. If you want, that is.” Shyly smiling towards him, she wasn’t quite sure what she was getting herself into, but it did feel mighty right.

What would Aria do in her shoes? Aimée wasn’t quite sure and decided to push that thought out of her mind. Before she knew what was happening, she had leaned forward towards him and kissed him softly on the lips. Her cheeks turned bright red and she stared back out at the stars, not sure what she was doing with him.

“Oh god, I’m sorry, Duke…” She just wanted to die.