Azusa arrives at the cafe before Marie does, as she knew she would. Azusa always arrives to events two minutes early while Marie is consistently between five and twenty minutes behind schedule. This time it's seven. Azusa has taken the tea leaves out of her drink and it is nearly cool enough to sip by the time the other weapon comes in the door, looking windswept and panicked with her tardiness as she usually does.

Azusa takes a minute to watch the other woman from her mostly-covered position behind the counter. They've not been apart long, only a few months, but the other weapon's features have still taken on the odd unfamiliarity of an old friend absent too long. Her nose is a little wider than Azusa recalls, her hair slightly less perfectly gold, her hips not quite a perfect hourglass.

Then Marie catches sight of Azusa, lifts a hand to wave, and smiles, and the expression breaks all over her face like the dawn and she is exactly as beautiful as Azusa remembers.

Azusa gestures towards the counter and Marie goes to order her drink before she joins the crossbow. Azusa has had years of practice at steadying her voice and controlling her gaze - it is just a crush, after all, not the end of the world or anything - but her pulse is fluttering with the unprecedented novelty of reunion and the moments to compose herself are much appreciated. By the time Marie comes over with a paper cup of coffee, Azusa can take in the smattering of freckles over her nose and the barely lopsided curve of her lips with entire equanimity.

"Hey there," she says, and Marie sets her cup down on the table and comes around the other side to wrap Azusa in a one-armed hug. That does fluster her slightly - Azusa's not sure what to do with her arms, and Marie holds on longer than she expects - but the hammer is smiling when she pulls away, and then she goes to sit on the other side of the table and Azusa catches her breath.

"It's good to see you," Marie says, blowing across the milk foam over her latte. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you quite so soon but it is a pleasant side effect of being called back."

"Mm," Azusa offers noncommittally. It is good to see Marie again, better than she wants to admit, but she was ready to move away and move on and settle down with someone not perpetually in love with the unattainable, and Marie's golden hair and shy smile are reopening a wound that has barely had time to scab over.

"Not that the rest of it isn't frustrating," the hammer goes on. "I don't know how I'm supposed to find someone to settle down with here in Death City. I lived here for over a decade with no luck and I'm not getting any younger!"

"You might have had more success if you weren't so hung up on your meister," Azusa points out reasonably. "I'm sure there are plenty of men our age who would be delighted with your attention."

"But I have to go back to Oceania after this is over!" Marie wails. "I can't start a relationship that I'll just have to end in a few weeks!"

"You're as rational as always." Azusa tries her tea, manages a sip without scalding her tongue.

Marie looks up away from her coffee and up at the crossbow, and after a moment she laughs. "You're making fun of me. Well, I was getting too serious out on my own anyway."

"I'm sure you were." Azusa manages a smile. "No luck with the husband search, then?"

"No." Marie sighs, throws herself back in her chair, and spins her cup idly between her palms. "No time to find anyone, and no one who was all that promising anyway. I know there's not a lot of selection here, but at least this way I can stay focused on the task at hand and get back to Oceania faster!"

Azusa doubts that very much but refrains from saying so. Marie sighs with the satisfaction of someone who has entirely solved a difficult problem and sips at her coffee. The foam catches on her lip and Azusa tracks the motion of her tongue as she absently licks it off.

"What about you?" Marie is all focused now, of course on the one subject not to Azusa's liking. "Any prospectives in your new home?"

"Not anymore." Azusa's tea is really quite good and taking a sip gives her a chance to stall for time. "I was seeing someone for a few weeks, but that didn't work out."

Rose had been very hot, equally hot-tempered, and not at all pleased to find out Azusa was still nursing a schoolgirl crush on her best friend, even when Azusa tried to explain she barely spoke to Marie anymore. Azusa knew that particular relationship was never going to last very long, though, and the stress of avoiding mentioning Marie's name in all of her Academy stories wasn't worth the extra days or weeks of sex she would have gotten in return. As it turned out, getting called back had happened much more quickly than Azusa anticipated, and that would have been the death knell if not something sooner.

Besides, Marie's ever-friendly companionship isn't the same as a relationship, but at least single Azusa can quietly admire her best friend's attractiveness without the least bit of guilt. There is that to be gained from the situation, if nothing else.

Marie's face starts to drop into sympathy and Azusa cuts in before she has a chance to say anything. "Don't apologize."

"I wasn't -" Marie starts.

"Yes, you were. It wasn't your fault, it's not a particularly sore spot for me, and you have nothing at all to be sorry for."

"But-"

"No." Azusa nudges the coffee cup towards her best friend. "Drink your coffee. I'm glad to be back to help deal with the current crisis, although those here should have been able to handle it. Between all of us we'll be able to handle the Kishin effectively."

Marie heaves a sigh but does take a drink of her coffee, and if Azusa watches the way her lips curve around the edge of the cup the other weapon never sees it.