She felt her cheeks and even her ears blush when Usagi chastised her. It was so hard to reconcile all of this—being "friends" with the Princess and still protecting her from a repeat of her terrible fate. If Mercury called the other girl by her name, it would be so much harder to keep that protective distance. She both longed to do it and knew it would be so very dangerous. But if the others had to... It was part of the mission... right?

"My apologies, Usagi...-chan," she finally squeaked out, only moments before the blonde's stomach growled audibly.

For a split second Mercury froze, but she quickly realized this could be an opportunity to distract from the earlier conversation.

"Perhaps we should get something to eat?" the blue-haired girl suggested, smiling gently.

Venus nearly jumped when Usagi scolded Ami, being pulled back from her daydream to the present. The other blonde was urging Mercury to ditch the more formal honorifics, and Venus’ heart ached with nostalgia. The princess used to try to be closer to them, too, wanting them to be her friends rather than her senshi. But was it because they were too close that they had failed her as a soldier before? Queen Serenity hadn’t wanted them to be friends for a reason. She wanted them all focused on their duty, not on their personal relationship with the princess.

She got her second shock when Usagi called her name and diverted her attention to her. Like a deer in headlights, she suddenly felt at a loss for words. She was about to blurt out her cover out of habit—what Minako Aino enjoyed, her favorite activities. Her so-called hobbies.

But again she considered the wisdom of starting this relationship with a lie.

Then again, Venus wasn’t interested in many things beyond protecting her princess. There hadn’t exactly been a pastime that she ever deemed good enough to capture her attention when she should be doing her duties.

The sound of Usagi’s stomach gave another surprise, and Venus paused before she spoke. She realized this actually gave her an escape, and switched tactics following Mercury’s lead.

“It sounds like you’re hungry, Usagi-san. Ami is right. You can’t enjoy anything on an empty stomach. What would you like to eat?”

Watching their princess scold Mercury for being too formal was certainly entertaining. It reminded Jupiter of lighter times in the far past, something they had all forgotten after witnessing the destruction of the Silver Millennium. Maybe they really could be happy here.

She covered a laugh when Usagi's stomach growled, signifying that food was first on their list of things to do. She wasn't against the idea at all, and she never did get to finish the rest of her lunch when that spider youma destroyed the arcade...

"How about pizza?" Jupiter suggested. "Uh... unless they don't have that here?" Was there some kind of sign to tell them where everything was?

"Pizza!! That's such a great idea Mako-chan!" Usagi instantly jumped over the the taller senshi, linking their arms together. "The food court is that way," she said, pointing to the left, "they probably have pizza there!"

It was a food court, they had to have pizza right? It was totally illegal if the place didn't have pizza, Usagi thought, nodding to herself. She tugged gently on Makoto's arm, trying to get her to move faster towards the food. Wasn't she hungry? 

"Hey Minako-chan, what's your favourite food?" she asked, looking towards the other blonde. Usagi still didn't know Minako and Rei as well as Ami-chan and Mako-chan, but she would fix that soon enough! They would all be friends and would be happy and everything would be right in the world because what was better than friendship?

Serenity—no, no, Usagi—was so jubilant. So full of energy and positive emotions. It played those nostalgic chords in Mercury's heart, sweet and painful at the same time. She couldn't help reflecting on that as she followed this version of her blonde princess towards the Earth food court. She just couldn't get over how strange it felt to be here, like this, interacting with the young girl, like this. It was like there was nothing Mercury could do to truly feel grounded here. Everything about the stability of her life on this once-forbidden planet seemed to go awry whenever Usagi was nearby.

As she walked along, she wondered how the others were feeling. Was this as hard for them as it felt for her? Mercury was supposed to be the calm, cool, and logical one. Every time she was thrown towards Usagi everything turned on its side, and her emotions bubbled up so strongly that she could barely focus on the rational elements she knew should be relied on. She had to get a handle on this; she couldn't let herself be so strongly unsettled every time they were forced to interact with the girl, particularly if this was going to continue. At this point, Mercury wasn't sure how they could convince the blonde of her need for distance without revealing far too much... besides, in her heart she didn't want that distance. She craved being close to someone who meant so much to her, even with all of the pain attached to it.

The blue-haired "girl genius" remained quiet, her thoughts on anything but pizza, as the group made their way towards their destination.

Usagi seemed excited at the idea of pizza, and so they went toward the ‘food court’. After a year here, Venus had learned basic stuff like this and gotten to know most of the Earth food, though none of them had ever particularly excited her taste buds because she usually had other things occupying her mind. Typically, she ate just to survive and make sure she stayed healthy, so it was more like going through the motions than an enjoyment.

Her heart squeezed when the princess casually pulled on Jupiter’s arm, just like in the old days.

Then the princess talked to her again, wanting to know what food she liked, and Venus had to try hard not to look as if she were so happy to have her take interest in her, while also panicked because she was simply not interesting enough. The true her, at any rate. Minako Aino was interesting, but Venus… not so much.

She tried to dig deep in her memories and attempted to find some food down here that she had found more favorable than others, even by a little bit.

“Uhh… I guess I like curry rice,” she said thoughtfully. “And… stuffed dumplings. And ramen noodles.” The last was mostly because they were practical and she often opted for it when in a rush or busy dealing with her duty. Though she had grown quite attached to them as a result.

“What about yours, Usagi?”

Jupiter put up no resistance against Usagi's tugging, still amazed at how easily she grew close to people. She didn't even remember their past, yet here she was, linking arms with her. She wasn't sure if she was happy or saddened by that, but as she watched Usagi try to coax Venus further into conversation, she tried not to think too hard on it. 

Venus of all people needed to relax the most, and if Usagi could get through to her, then this was good, right? For now, she'd just stay in the moment.

Besides, Jupiter was actually curious about this food court that had been mentioned. Would it be different from the way the arcade served food?

"I love ice cream!" she cheered, her mind already turning over all the different flavours. There were simply so many! How was a girl supposed to chose a favourite flavour when she wanted all of them. 

"Ohh, I know a really good place that makes amazing stuffed dumplings! We should go after school on Tuesday!" By then Mama would have given her her allowance so she would have more money to spend. Maybe if she could show Minako some amazing dumplings she would relax a little? Out of the corner of her eye, the blonde could see how tense the other blonde truly was. She didn't seem comfortable with them and the idea made her sad. What could she do to make her feel more relaxed?

She was so... bright. It was impossible not to equate this girl with the princess. It was almost as though Mercury could see both of them—the ghost of the princess almost seemed to shimmer just over Usagi's outline as the blonde excitedly talked about her own favourite food. Mercury remembered so much laughter and enthusiasm. Usagi's nearly identical radiance... it was too much.

They hadn't even reached their current destination, and their too-familiar classmate was already inviting them on another outing. Well, inviting Venus, at least. Was this how it was going to continue? Would they just be drawn deeper into her spiral? How could they protect her like this? Mercury knew that she was to blame for this predicament, and yet she couldn't determine the better approach. Could they extricate themselves now, or would they only hurt her?

Mercury knew, no matter how wrong it was, that she couldn't hurt her. Inevitably, she would only hurt herself... and the others that struggled alongside her.

The group managed to work their way through the crowded mall and up an escalator to a more open area. The outer edges were lined with different fast food franchises and other places to eat, and in the center were groups of tables and chairs to sit at. In the very middle was an indoor Ferris Wheel, with a whole line of children and older people waiting their turn for a ride.

After deciding what to get for lunch, the girls picked an empty table near the Ferris Wheel and sat down with their food. To Jupiter's not well hidden pleasure, there had actually been pizza to buy, but before she could take a bite this time, she felt something. Jupiter paused and set her plate down again, her eyes darkening as she tensed.

Someone was watching her. Or was it all of them? She turned to meet the eyes of a surprised high school boy, sitting at a table close by to them. He blushed slightly, and averted his own gaze, his friends snickering at his reaction. Confused, but satisfied that it wasn't an evil presence, she turned back to the others.

"That was weird..." she said. What was with Earth people and their staring? She didn't even recognize that boy.

Mercury followed the others, going through the motions of acquiring sustenance from the food court. These malls looked so strange to her. Strange labyrinths full of noise and lights, crowded with bodies, offering a variety of unsatisfying ways to empty one's pocketbook. Yet the people of Earth appeared to adore these places. They built them all over the place and returned to them time and time again. The food offerings at the food court were low in both nutrition and quality, at least from a purely analytical take on it, yet they continued to be purchased.

She joined Jupiter at the table below the shadow of the Ferris wheel, her own tray containing a single slice of plain cheese pizza and a small cup of water. Mercury still questioned whether something with so much grease could qualify as "food". As she took her seat, she noticed the high school boy seated nearby, watching Jupiter. Cool blue eyes observed him quietly, noticing his strange reaction. Was his interest due to somehow recognizing their alien qualities?

The blue-haired girl genius turned towards her brunette friend and tried to communicate this question via eye contact. Even though Usagi now knew they were not what they seemed, this was too public a place to be blatant about it.

“That would be lovely,” Venus managed a smile at Usagi’s offer, her excitement so reminiscent of the princess she knew and loved. For one moment she shed her mask and almost showed through her eyes how much she truly loved her princess. But she quickly looked away, remembering her mission.

As they found the food place and settled on a table, Venus with her plate of ‘favorite’ curry, she absent-mindedly twirled her spoon while looking around to make sure there were no lurking threats. She didn’t feel any evil energy, but it always paid to be alert.

She saw Jupiter tensing and turning to look at something, which in turn made her tense up as well, but there was only a high school boy on the next table. Having seen this kind of interaction plenty of times at her school with her group of ‘friends’, Venus was incredibly familiar with it. After all, the persona she had made for herself was one that was skilled in this exact department.

“I do believe that boy is interested in you,” she stated matter-of-factly, as if she was saying the sky was blue.

"Interested...?" She raised a brow. What did Venus even mean by that? Was she doing something out of the ordinary? It took Jupiter a longer time than it should have for her to connect the dots. Oh. That kind of interested. Her eyes widened slightly, and she hated how her cheeks started to burn as the moment sank in. Since their mission on Earth, Jupiter had learned to forget the possibility of romance. The days of getting suitors as a princess were long over in her head, and anyone on Earth was certainly not an option.

"He shouldn't be," she said, sitting up more. For more than one reason. It was oddly flattering, but they were far too different. What could some high school boy possibly know about what any of them had gone through since the fall of the Silver Millennium? Like everyone else on this planet, he was ignorant of the past.

Oblivious in that moment to how strange and unkind the comment would sound, Ami echoed the sentiment.

"Yes, he shouldn't be," she stated softly, too blunt.

Her thoughts were somewhere with Makoto's, thinking about their duty and their princess and all of the hardships that had brought them here to this place on this planet that was not their own. Besides, they had all seen what happened when people from Earth fell in love. Her beloved Princess Serenity and that ill-fated love... Mercury couldn't help but think that it wasn't just the people of the Moon and the Earth who were forbidden from loving. She felt like it was something deeper, something related to this planet. To entangle themselves with someone from this place would only be flirting with disaster.

That's what it felt like even sitting here, having this lunch with the girl who was once their princess.