"You sure you don't want to come to the show?" Trowa asked as he changed into his clown costume. "Remember, we can get you a front row seat."

"Thanks, Trowa, but I'm just not in the mood for crowds tonight," Duo replied. And it's not like I haven't seen your act before."

"True."

"Look, I'll catch you another night, ok? Promise. I dunno, I just need to unwind. I think I'll go grab a drink or something."

"Do I need to give you The Talk?" Trowa asked, a teasing light in his eyes.

"Screw you, Trowa. I'm a big boy, thank you very much, and I'm not planning on any one-night-stands anyway. Those got old a long time ago." Trowa smirked, obviously pleased to have gotten a rise out of him. "Anyway, I'm gonna get out of here. Break a leg."

Trowa just turned towards the mirror and started putting on his makeup. Unsurprised by his lack of response, Duo waved at his friend's back and left the dressing room.

-

Duo was sitting at the bar, drinking his second beer and happily people watching when he noticed the three of them come in. One man and two women, all blonde and all dressed very nicely. Both women had long hair, but it was the woman with slightly darker hair who caught his eye. He hadn't ever seen anyone with two little braids tied back like that, and the style was very flattering on her. If he was honest with himself, he was a sucker for ladies with braids in their hair, even if they were a different style than his own. Especially if they were a different style than his own.

The three were exchanging friendly banter of some sort while waiting for their drinks, and Duo amused himself by imagining what they were talking about.

Their drinks arrived, and suddenly the man and the woman with the braids burst out laughing. Duo was floored. The woman in question – he decided to call her Diana – had already been beautiful, but when she laughed she was positively radiant. Right then and there, he resolved that he was going to at least talk to her, somehow, someway.

He bided his time, watching them out of the corner of his eye as they made their way to a corner booth. Settling in to wait, he ordered another beer and continued to people watch. When he saw her drink getting low, he flagged down the barkeep.

"I'd like to buy a drink for the lady with the braids in the corner booth over there," he said, gesturing toward the three friends. "Do you know what she's drinking?"

"Long Island, if I remember correctly."

"One of those then, please."

"Sure thing." The bartender began mixing the drink, then waved over a waitress and gestured in the three's direction. "For the lady with the braids in her hair."

"Shall I say it's from someone in particular?" she asked.

"That'd be me," Duo said, grinning at her.

"Sure thing, sugar," she said, giving Duo a wink before heading for the corner booth.

Butterflies sprung up in Duo's stomach, and he was surprised at his sudden nervousness. It had been ages since he'd felt any sort of anxiety over approaching a woman he was interested in. Women tended to fall all over him once he turned on the charm, so he rarely had anything to be nervous about. Somehow, this time was different, and he wasn't sure how to feel about that.

The waitress arrived at the table and gestured in his direction as she set the drink down. "Diana" looked over at him, clearly surprised, and he saluted, giving her his most winning smile before turning back to the bar. With any luck, she'd come to him, but if not, he wasn't above going over there and interrupting the three's conversation. He was determined to at least say hi, and if she told him to scram, so be it. At least he would have tried.

Apparently luck was with him, though, because before long she was heading in his direction. He continued to face the bar, not wanting to show just how eager he was to talk to her.

"Excuse me," she said, sidling up next to him. He turned and smiled.

"Yes?"

"Umm…" she hesitated, apparently unsure how to proceed. "Did you send me this drink?" she asked, and he held back a chuckle. He obviously had, and if she was asking something she already knew the answer to, perhaps it was a sign that she was as nervous as he was.

"I sure did. The bartender told me you were drinking a Long Island, so I figured that was a safe bet."

"Oh, ok," she said, smiling sweetly. "May I sit?"

"Of course!" He held out his hand. "Duo Maxwell, at your service."

"Relena Darlian," she replied, shaking his hand firmly. "Thank you for the drink."

"It's my pleasure. You see, the whole point was to be able to talk to you, and sure enough, here you are! Mission accomplished."

"Is that so?" she asked coyly.

"It is indeed," he said with a grin, then took a sip of his beer. "So, what brings you on this cruise?"

"Family vacation. You?"

"Two of my friends are performing and were able to get me a discount ticket. Figured I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a discounted cruise, yanno?"

"That makes sense. What do your friends do?"

"They're in the circus. They're doing a knife-throwing act tonight, actually. You may have heard about it?"

"Yes!" she said brightly. "My parents are there right now. They invited me, but...!"

"Not into knives?"

"Oh no, I'm sure I'd enjoy it, it's just… I needed a break from my parents, you know?"

Duo nodded, though he really didn't know. He'd never met his birth parents, and the foster parents who had eventually adopted him had died while he was in college. No need to bring down the conversation with his tragic past, though.

"So you decided to spend the evening with your cousins instead?" he guessed.

"Cousins?" Relena laughed. "Oh no, those are just my friends. Our families are all very close, though, so my parents invited them to join us. I suppose you could say they're like cousins, though."

"Ah, ok. So, drinks with your friends. Sounds like a good time to me."

"An even better time, now," she replied, smiling at him over her drink.

"Hello there," came a voice from behind them. Duo turned to see the other blonde lady smiling mischievously at them.

"You two looked like you're having so much fun, I just had to come introduce myself. I'm Dorothy Catalonia. And you are?"

"Duo Maxwell," he said, grinning at her. He wasn't quite sure what to make of her except that he was certain she meant trouble.

"Lovely to meet you. Won't you come join us?" she said, gesturing at the corner booth.

"Dorothy–" Relena protested.

"Come, Relena, you wouldn't want to make us feel left out, would you?" Dorothy asked, lifting her eyebrow in challenge.

"I'd love to join you," Duo said before Relena could say anything more.

"Splendid!" With that, she turned and began wending her way through the tables, obviously expecting them to follow.

"You really don't have to," Relena said, looking sidelong at him.

"It's okay. Besides, what better way to get to know you than to get to know your friends?" he asked with a wink.

"Oh… I guess," Relena replied, and Duo was delighted to see a light blush rise on her cheeks.

"Shall we?" He held out his arm, and she blushed more deeply. He couldn't help the smile that bloomed on his face. This was turning out even better than he expected.