AN: Characters with & between their names aren't pairings.

Title: Little Birdie (Selena & Setsuna)

"Ugh, this is the last time I go shopping with you!" Selena cried, as she tapped her foot impatiently against the tiled floor.

It was always something with Setsuna.

She either took far too long picking one item out, or she had picked up so many expensive things that Selena had to end up paying for it.

Setsuna removed her gaze from the cute bunny tea set on sale to look right into Selena's eyes. "Oh, but you said that the last time… and look at how much fun we're having."

Selena's frown deepened. "Hey, don't get cheeky with me!" She cried. Sometimes, Selena didn't know how Setsuna roped her into more shopping trips.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and gave an exasperated sigh. "It's like a stampede of horses… I see it coming, I always do, and yet, I just let them trample all over me. It's what I get for being so nice, honestly."

"Aww, that sounds painful when you say it like that…" Setsuna mumbled.

"That's the point I was trying to make!"

When their shopping trip is over and the two of them walk back to the main camp, Setsuna can't help but notice that something was off about her redheaded friend.

She stared at her for such a long time that her eyes practically bore into her. Selena, who could feel eyes on her, turned to Setsuna. "You know, you should keep your eyes on your own two feet instead. That way you don't trip."

It was supposed to be a rude remark, but on Setsuna's face was a small smile. "Wow… you're so nice Selena…" Setsuna said in her usual jaded tone of voice before bowing head to watch her feet. "I'll look at my feet from now on."

Selena rolled her eyes. "…Do whatever you want, I guess."

"Hey Selena?" Setsuna called out. "Are you okay? You look… different."

The question definitely caught her off guard, but the look of surprise on Selena's face was soon replaced with her usual frown. "Never better."

As of late, Setsuna hadn't seen much of Selena outside of battle. There were those rare occasions at the mess hall, but as soon as she had entered, Selena would already be done with her meal, and would leave promptly.

If only there was something that Setsuna could do to cheer her up.

"You and Odin are mama's boys, Laslow, so it's only natural. Me, I've just… really been missing dad a lot."

Setsuna's ears perked up at the sound of her voice. That was Selena, wasn't it? She didn't dare make a sound as Selena continued her conversation.

"Yeah, you and Robin were so close. I remember you'd cancel any plans you made with us just to spend time with him," Laslow chuckled.

Selena tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and Setsuna almost found it odd that she didn't berate Laslow for teasing her.

"Because I love spending time with him. Whether he had Morgan and I curled in bed reading a book together, or out shopping for whatever little trinkets I wanted, I just liked being around him. I miss that."

As the conversation continued on, Setsuna could feel her heart sink to the pit of her stomach.

"What's this?" Selena asked, eyeing the necklace in her hand. She wasn't one for nature, but this pendant looked a lot like a robin. It was pretty cute, actually.

"It's for you," Setsuna grinned. "I heard you talking about your bird friend the other day and it made me really sad… You must really miss that little robin a lot, so I thought I'd buy you a present to cheer you up…"

Selena's brow furrowed. "…Robin is my father."

Silence filled the air for a moment.

"Oh no… I screwed up…" Setsuna sighed. "I'll take it back and get something else, don't worry Selena."

"No, it's okay," said Selena as she clutched the pendant affectionately. "This was… really thoughtful of you. Thank you so much, Setsuna."

Setsuna's smile returned once more. "You're welcome… I'm just glad that you're happy, because that makes me happy…"

Selena couldn't help but smile too. "I can't believe you thought I was talking about a bird though. Honestly, how much of my conversation did you eavesdrop on?"

"Oh, not much…" said Setsuna. "I wanted to ask you about the bird myself… But now that I know you were talking about your dad, do you want to tell me about him?"

"How about we talk about him on our way into town? There was this cute dress I saw the other day…"

As Selena spoke about the dress, Setsuna could only think about how fickle Selena was about keeping those "this is the last time I'm shopping with you" promises.