"Hey, you made it!" Julia exclaims, bouncing on her toes. She looks after the car pulling away into traffic. Mariemaia had offered for Henri to stay and get something to eat as well, but the older man had simply smiled and said he would see her later. "No, uh…agents this time?"

"Oh, uh…no," she replies, shrugging. She shifts her weight to her left leg, resists the urge to rub at the throb in her right leg.

"Excellent! A free agent tonight." Kenzie grins, links her arms through Mariemaia's and Julia's. "Come on, I'm starving. I could eat three pizzas by myself."

Yen laughs, holding the door open for all of them. "Ignore her," she says, noting Mariemaia's startled expression, "She's always starving," she explains brightly.

"You know, it's cool if you do bring them, the agents I mean," Julia says. "My parents usually get a table on the other side of the restaurant. They could hang with them?"

"Right, I'm sure Preventers agents would want to talk to civilians," Yen snorts. She shakes her head as Kenzie leads them to a table.

"They're people too, right? You make them sound like aliens!"

"What do you say, Khushrenada?" Kenzie questions. She releases her and Julia's arm, plunks down into one of the booths. "Think your agents would have any common ground with Julia's parents?" She inclines her head across the restaurant to where a couple with graying hair is examining their menus.

Mariemaia slides into the booth across from Kenzie and tries to picture any of the former Gundam pilots having anything to discuss with the older couple. She fails. If she switches to Preventers in general, maybe Noin or Juergensen. She shakes her head and shrugs, picking up her own menu. "Probably not," she admits. "But it depends on which agent it is."

Yen nudges her lightly with her elbow from where she's seated on the bench next to her. "What about the two from last week's meet?" she asks, eyebrows raised. "If all the Preventers look like that then sign me up."

Julia laughs raucously. "You can't even run without acting like you're about to keel over."

Yen rolls her eyes and tosses a napkin at her as the waitress approaches wearing a fondly exasperated look on her face. Mariemaia tucks herself into the corner of the booth as the other three girls tease and taunt each other, cackle and gossip about their classmates. It's strange, she thinks, to suddenly be brought into something so mundane as gossip. And not about herself.

Kenzie catches her eye as their orders are being placed in front of them. She gives her a bright smile and picks up her glass of soda. "To Mariemaia," she says. Mariemaia feels her face flush as Julia and Yen grab their drinks as well. "For actually coming out to have fun for once."

"And putting up with Julia's silly fantasies!" Yen adds gleefully. Julia squawks indigently while Yen just laughs.

"Come on, Khushrenada, you have to clink glasses in a toast. Surely all your parties have taught you that," Kenzie states, eyebrow raised.

Mariemaia rolls her eyes but lifts her glass. "I didn't realize that was a toast," she replies, voice dry. She ignores the warmth in her face. "Could use some practice, Muir."

Kenzie just smiles and bumps her glass against Mariemaia's. "Guess you'll just have to keep joining us so I don't get rusty, eh?"

"Guess so."

Mariemaia studies her reflection in the oversized mirror above the sinks. The bathroom light casts a dim golden glow over everything, preferable to the harsh fluorescent light she's used to in locker rooms and school restrooms. She splashes water on her face, feeling herself begin to relax again.

The booth had become stifling, the restaurant growing noisier as more patrons showed up to relax on a Friday night. Even though she'd been tucked into the corner of the booth she still imagined she could feel curious eyes and judgmental looks coming her way anytime one of the girls had said her name. For the first time, she remembered that she was on her own. No Heero Yuy. No Noin. No Trowa Barton. Just like she'd asked, like she'd wanted.

The door opens behind her and her back stiffens as she bends over the sink, catches the cool water in her cupped palms. The cut along her right palm had finally healed enough to stop bleeding and the cool water feels nice against the scrape.

"There you are," Kenzie says. Her voice sounds too bright, too loud for the gloomy recesses of the restaurant bathroom. "We thought you'd fallen in." She pauses. "Or pulled a runner."

"No," Mariemaia states. She lets the water slip through her fingers, reaches out to turn off the faucet. "There was a line."

"You alright, Khushrenada?"

She can't suppress the slight flinch at her name, tries to mask it in her reach for a paper towel to dry off her hands. "I'm fine," she replies. When she turns to look at the other girl Kenzie has her arms folded across her chest and head tilted to the side. She looks very much like an inquisitive puppy and Mariemaia has to suppress her smile. "What?"

"Just trying to figure you out," Kenzie says finally. She uncrosses her arms, slips her hands into the pockets of her jeans. "You bail on us last week and then hide out in a bathroom this week. I didn't think we were that bad."

"You aren't, it's not, I'm not-"

"No? Then what are you doing here?" She glances around the half-lit bathroom pointedly. "Yen's jokes are terrible, but not enough to willingly exile yourself to a bathroom. If you don't want to be here-"

"No," she says, maybe too quickly. "I just needed a moment."

Kenzie huffs a breath, scuffs the toe of her sneaker on the tile floor. "You know no one out there cares, right?" she asks finally. Mariemaia doesn't try to hide her incredulous look. "I mean it," Kenzie insists. "Julia and Yen don't care."

"Minerva and Larissa certainly care."

"We aren't them." Kenzie's glare softens slightly. "You're our teammate." She pushes off the wall she'd been leaning against, crossing to examine herself in the brass mirror. Mariemaia watches as the other girl adjusts her ponytail so that it's more centered. "So, what's it going to be, Khushrenada? Going to spend the rest of the night hiding out and worrying about what other people think about you?"

"I'm not hiding. I don't care what others think about me."

"No?" Kenzie questions. She raises her eyebrows. "So, prove it."

Mariemaia huffs out an annoyed breath before turning and stomping out of the bathroom. Kenzie falls into step with her as they cross the restaurant back to their table. Mariemaia pointedly ignores Kenzie's wide grin, which just makes the other girl smile more. Julia and Yen have devoured half their pizza and are arguing over what to order for dessert when Mariemaia takes her place again. Kenzie kicks her lightly under the table. There's a hint of challenge in her eyes as she picks up a slice of pizza and bites into it.

Mariemaia rolls her eyes at the other girl. She picks up her remaining slice of pizza and takes a bite as well. She isn't sure what Kenzie's expecting, but she can be normal.

"What do you think, Mariemaia?" Yen asks, voice loud over Julia's. Mariemaia can sense a few curious looks turning toward their table. "Lava cakes or cannolis for dessert? Shut-up, Jules, Mariemaia is deciding."

"Lava cakes," she decides.

Julia sits next to her on one of the large concrete flower boxes lining the sidewalk while she waits for Henri to come collect her. Kenzie and Yen had been picked up a few minutes previously. Mariemaia can feel Julia's parents eyeing her from where they stand further down the sidewalk. She isn't sure how to take their polite smiles and the silent looks. Julia bumps her gently with her elbow, drawing her attention.

"I'm glad Kenzie invited you," she states. "No offense, you're kind of…distant…at school, but Kenz insisted. And Kenz can be a force when she wants to be. Anyway, I just wanted to say you're okay." Julia gives her a cheerful smile.

Mariemaia is quiet for a moment, processing the blonde's words. "I'm glad I came too," she says finally. "It was nice."

"Just nice?" Julia teases. She elbows Mariemaia in the ribs.

"It was fun," she admits.

"We hang out on Fridays all the time, gotta replace those carbs, you know?" she laughs. "You should definitely join us. I think you'll get along with Yasmin too. She's quiet, like you."

She's saved from replying by Henri's car pulling up. "Sounds good," she says. "I'll see you Monday."

Julia waves cheerfully as Mariemaia climbs into the backseat. Henri has the radio on to some talk show and he reaches over to turn it down as Mariemaia fastens her seatbelt. "Have fun?" he asks, watching her through the rearview mirror.

"It was enjoyable," she agrees. She sees his fleeting smile and headshake as he pulls out onto the road. "What?"

"Sometimes it's appropriate to simply say it was fun," he replies. He catches her eye again as they wait at a traffic light. "I'm glad to hear you enjoyed yourself. It's been a while since you've smiled like this."

"Like what?"

"Like a child."

They fall silent and Mariemaia stares out the window at the blur of storefronts and passing cars. She isn't sure what to make of Henri's words, or the indulgent look on his face when he'd said it. It reminds her faintly of the expression the waitress had worn whenever she'd approached their table, of the way Kenzie had looked at Julia when Julia had snorted coke through her nose laughing at something Yen had said. She doesn't know what to do with that. It's a puzzle where she feels like she's missing one of the pieces.