"I didn't mean anything. What I said yesterday." Kenzie drops down onto the bench next to her. "Yasmin always says I have a way of sticking my whole leg into my mouth when I'm not thinking."

Mariemaia glances up from the paper she's revising. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?" she asks curiously.

"Grove sent me to pick up something at the office," Kenzie replies, waving an envelope dismissively. She inclines her head toward the windows. "I saw you when I was passing. You missed practice this morning."

"Doctor's appointment." She shifts on the bench and peers at the other girl.

"Oh, well. You alright?"

"Yes." Mariemaia hesitates, runs a finger along the edge of the book. "How was practice?"

Kenzie lets out a breath and rolls her eyes. "Minerva and Larissa are off suspension so they're back to practicing. Made it loads of fun, obviously." Mariemaia nods and Kenzie's mouth twitches slightly. She nudges Mariemaia lightly with her elbow. "I really am sorry," she says. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I think you upset yourself more."

Kenzie shrugs. "Maybe, still doesn't mean I'm not sorry. How'd Arthav's exam go anyway?"

Mariemaia winces. "Terrible, I'm sure." Her face contorts into one of mild despair. "We seem to have different views on warfare."

She glances over at the other girl as she says the words, silently gauging her response. Kenzie just smiles crookedly back. "I'm sure." She stands up, reaches over and ruffles Mariemaia's hair before she can duck out of reach. Mariemaia scowls while Kenzie laughs. "Better get back to Grove before he calls security. Keep your chin up, Arthav only argues with the students he likes."

"Then he must love me."

"Sure, who doesn't like a challenge?" Kenzie questions. She ignores the pen Mariemaia throws at her, laughing as she disappears back inside the main building. Mariemaia rolls her eyes, getting up to retrieve her discarded pen and return to her essay revision.

. . ... . .

Dr. Arthav passes back their exams at the end of class on Wednesday. Mariemaia thumbs through the exam, steals her resolve before flipping to her essay. Her eyes skim the comments along the margins, the circles around her misspellings. She pauses at the number circled in red ink at the bottom of her essay.

"Overall, not as abysmal as I expected," Dr. Arthav announces. He takes up his favored position behind the podium at the head of the classroom. Mariemaia lifts her eyes to watch him. "It seems some of you did pay attention during the last few weeks after all. Though," he pauses, gaze passing over each of them briefly. It doesn't linger on her, but she still feels examined. "Only Miss Khushrenada was able to accurately identify the key complaints from the colony delegates."

Mariemaia feels the shift of eyes turning toward her. She keeps her gaze resolutely forward, attention speared to Dr. Arthav.

"Well, she's one of them," Tharayil states, voice carrying over the susurration of the class.

"One of them?" Dr. Arthav questions. He taps his pen against the podium top and stares with laser-guided focus at Tharayil in the second row. Mariemaia watches as the boy ducks his head. "I was not aware there was one of them and one of us, Mister Tharayil."

"All I meant, Sir, was that she was from the colonies. Isn't that why she mounted her own attack?"

"I believe that is a question for Miss Khushrenada," Dr. Arthav states. "However, as it was not a question on the exam, it bears no relevance here. The fact remains, Mr. Tharayil, that you could not name any of the colonies' complaints. Perhaps you should open a textbook before the next exam."

Mariemaia rolls her eyes and turns back to looking over her exam. It seems that the conversation always returns to her ill-fated coup and it's getting tiring. The bell rings, her classmates gather their belongings, cheerfully calling to each other and comparing exam scores as they exit the class. Mariemaia approaches Dr. Arthav's podium, hating the way his glasses magnify his eyes. She sets her exam down on his podium.

"A discrepancy, Miss Khushrenada?"

"A ninety-five?" she questions. "It seems generous."

"Despite the spelling and grammar issues, your ideas were intriguing and your points strong. With some refinement it would be an excellent essay." He uses two fingers to slide the exam back across to her.

"You don't agree with me though. You've never agreed with me."

"That is true," he replies. He turns to his white board, erasing the notes from today's lecture. "However, the question was 'how far do you agree,' not 'what is my opinion." Mariemaia frowns at his tweed-jacketed back and slides her exam into her bag. "You supported your points adequately, which is what the question asked for." He half turns to study her through his bug-eyed glasses. "Perhaps it is time to stop expecting everyone to have an ulterior motive."

"Forgive me, Dr. Arthav, but that hasn't been my experience so far."

He turns fully, setting the eraser down on the podium. Mariemaia is surprised to see the sadness in his eyes. "It's a pity that someone so young is already so jaded." He glances at the clock. "Better run along to your next class, Miss Khushrenada. I won't write passes for second-guessing yourself."

Mariemaia reluctantly feels her mouth twitch into a smile. "Yes, Dr. Arthav."

. . ... . .

Over the next week, Mariemaia falls into a new routine. She attends morning swim practice Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She does the floor exercises Heero assigned her after school on those days while she waits for her right palm to heal completely. On Tuesday and Thursday she resumes swimming in the Preventers pool after school, working on pulling herself through the water with her arms instead of propelling herself with her legs.

She finds that despite herself she misses the Gundam pilots, which is both frustrating and concerning. She sits on the side of the pool, idly kicking her heel against the side, and wonders if she should be concerned enough to contact the therapist she was assigned after the whole World Takeover Incident. Surely there must be something wrong with her.

"I see you're slacking."

Mariemaia nearly slips off the coping in surprise. She half-turns, glaring over her shoulder, and sees Wufei leaning against the wall between the locker room doors. He has his normal scowl on his face, but there's a looseness to his shoulders that Mariemaia hasn't seen in weeks. She pauses, wonders when she'd started noticing his posture, and then glares harder when he simply crosses his arms over his chest as he stares her down.

"I am not slacking, I'm resting," she snaps. One of his eyebrows arches into something bordering disbelief and amusement and Mariemaia crosses her own arms. "What are you doing down here anyway?"

Wufei finally steps away from the wall. It looks like it pains him to do so and Mariemaia rolls her eyes, turns back to staring at her reflection in the rippling water. She doesn't hear him approach, but she can sense him getting closer. Like a shark circling a seal.

"Your presence has been requested upstairs," he states. He sounds extremely put-out about being relegated to message-bringer.

Mariemaia sighs, getting to her feet and grabbing her towel from the bench. Wufei stands a few paces away, still watching her. She isn't sure how to read his expression. Silently, she wraps the towel around herself and waits him out. He glances around the pool area, frowns at the dive block.

"I thought you were injured."

"My hand's almost healed. Swimming doesn't bother it," she replies.

He nods, turning toward the locker room once more. "Don't keep Une waiting."

"I won't."

She trails him toward the locker rooms and is surprised when he doesn't immediately enter the men's side. "We had a check-in," he says. His gaze slides sideways without him turning to look at her and she realizes he's avoiding the surveillance cameras. "Everything is fine."

"So, the mission will be over soon?" she asks. She keeps her own face averted, wonders who he's avoiding, wonders if it's Une or an underling, wonders if she should ask.

"Unlikely," he replies. He reaches out, pulling open the door. "Yuy thought you'd want to know."

He disappears through the door before she can question him further. The clang of the heavy door echoes in the pool room. Mariemaia shivers before pushing her way into the women's locker room to dry off and change. She still doesn't understand Gundam pilots. She wonders if she ever will.

. . ... . .

"Oh, good, there you are." Mariemaia pauses in the open doorway to Lady Une's office, studying her guardian. Lady Une is piling files into her briefcase. Her hair has come loose from this morning's braids, and her glasses are perched precariously on her nose. Mariemaia doesn't think she's seen her this undone in years. "I just got off a call with the Vice Foreign Minister."

"Oh?" she asks. She rubs her left ankle with her right foot and leans against the doorjamb. "What does Miss Relena need?"

Lady Une's lips purse and she turns to her filing cabinet, digging through a drawer. "I'm going to need to put in an appearance at the L4 summit," she states. "Minister Yergin has stirred up the delegates over this whole Trade fiasco."

"It's their fiasco, why should Preventers be involved?" Mariemaia questions. She crosses the room and steals a peppermint from the bowl.

"It isn't that simple," Lady Une replies. She sets a file down on top of the filing cabinet, turns to look at Mariemaia and rubs tiredly at her temples. "Preventers was formed to stop any potential threats to peace."

"Yes, and last I heard, stealing a load of cloth or produce wasn't going to build a mobile suit." Mariemaia drops down into one of the leather chairs, picks idly at the fresh bandage around her palm. "If it did then Dekim would have seized every transport shuttle."

Lady Une frowns at her. "Stop that," she says, swatting at where she's pulling at the bandage. "You're going to get it infected yet." Mariemaia scowls, but she lets her hands fall to her lap.

"I don't trust Yergin," Mariemaia announces. "Dorothy calls him a bottom dweller, lower even than Dubiel."

"Well, Dorothy Catalonia has always had strong opinions," Lady Une sighs. She returns to packing her briefcase. "We leave tomorrow for the summit."

"What?"

"I know how much you enjoy intimidating diplomats, I'd hate to deprive you of it."

Mariemaia hums in agreement. She does enjoy unsettling stuffy ambassadors. "I still don't get why you have to go? Why can't Miss Noin? Or, isn't Heero Yuy there already? He could report back."

Lady Une half-turns to stare levelly at her from over her shoulder. "Heero Yuy at a diplomatic summit?" she questions. She snorts and shakes her head. "The last thing we need is Yergin getting assassinated just to prove his point."

"Fine, Miss Noin."

"Is on her way to help Zechs with the Mars issues."

Mariemaia rolls her eyes and slouches back into the chair.

"Don't make that face. It'll only be for a few days."

"You weren't even supposed to go to this one. Why does Yergin throwing a temper tantrum mean you have to bend over backwards to kiss his ass?"

"Language," Lady Une reprimands. She closes and latches her briefcase before looking up at Mariemaia. She sighs, runs a hand through her hair. "The shipments that have gone missing are scrap metal from some of the decommissioned resource satellites that were on their way to L2 for processing and recycling." She taps her fingers on her case. "It's a concerning amount."

Mariemaia lifts her head, sits up straighter. "Someone is trying to make a new mobile suit?"

"That much hasn't been stolen. Yet. But, Yergin does have a right to be concerned, and Preventers does have a right to step in now. The L4 Summit will be as good a time as any to assuage the fears of the delegates and get a handle on what is going on with the colonies."

Mariemaia hesitates for a moment, picks at her bandage again. "Fine."

"I'm so glad you approve." She looks up to see Lady Une watching her with an amused smile on her face. Her guardian gestures toward the door. "Come on, let's go. We need to pack still. We've an early flight."