Skye was sort of lost in her thoughts, but was able to put on the brakes quickly as her new acquaintance/lunch partner was now in her path, standing directly in front of her. And then came the hug. Skye blushed lightly, but returned it; it was different. Skye never really hugged much, not in the innocent sense, anyway, and it made her feel better. Skye nodded, smiling a little as their eyes met and Mari spoke.

"She did, though my life has so much more potential here," she said with a shrug. "Even if everything had been perfect back home, there's not far to go in a small town like Port Haven..." A cold shudder ran up her spine. "I just hate her so much..." Her teeth clenched instinctively as she spoke. "But Uncle Blaine and Aunt Lee....they're amazing. She's technically not even my aunt, but in this short time...she's more of a mom than I ever had." The smile came back at this.

Skye giggled as Mari suddenly noticed they'd made it to their destination. "Actually, I'm starved. I haven't really eaten today. Too nervous about the job hunt and all that," she said with a nervous laugh.

It was forward for Mari to hug someone she had just met, but she liked something about the vibe she got from Skye. Maybe she was forgoing some of the lessons about strangers instilled in her by her mother and Tío Jorge, but it was rare that someone seemed to click with the socially awkward “ice princess.” Marisol’s life was not a picnic, but her mother did everything in her power to give her the kind of life someone with a lot more privilege would enjoy. Skye did not have that, and in the absence of that, maybe Mari just wanted her to know someone was on her side.

It did comfort her to hear her uncle and his girlfriend had taken her in and treated her right. She hated her mother, which was hard, but justified. All Mari could answer that with was a reassuring squeeze while they were still in their hug. ”New York’s a great place for a fresh start, I can promise you that. Now let’s get some food,” she recommended, linking Skye’s arm with her own and leading the way into the diner.

The dining room had a small collection of customers. It was after the lunch rush, so things were quieting down, and the relief was clear on the faces of the waitresses in their blue fifties-style diner uniforms. Marisol was greeted with a two menus and a smile by the middle-aged owner, Barb. “I wasn’t expecting you today, Mari!”

Something about Barb put Marisol at ease. She was sassy, but she was a well-intentioned boss. Besides Celeste, Barb was probably her next favorite person at work. ”I know. I had a meeting that ended early and I wanted to grab lunch with a new friend, Skye,” she replied, gesturing her head to Skye, confirming they were at friendship level.

Barb knew Marisol well enough to know she did not often make friends out of the blue. “Pleasure to meet you, Skye. You two girls grab a seat wherever!”

Marisol nodded, her arm still interlinked with Skye as they made their way to a booth. ”If you like diner food, you’ll love this place. We can eat and maybe brainstorm getting you a job that doesn’t, you know, suck.” She sidled her way into the booth. ”We’re clearly in all this together now, right?”