Lara’s manicure was finished fairly quickly (mostly thanks to her only needing a paint job), and neither Kathy nor Maya wanted any particularly complex treatment for themselves. As a result, the girls were all finished in good time, with Joel only charging them a reduced rate which Maya was able to pay herself.

Soon enough, the girls took to the streets once more, looking more fabulous than ever with their freshly painted nails! Kathy and Maya’s were pink and deep red, respectively, whereas Lara’s purple polish sparkled like the night sky, with silvery glitter complimenting the look perfectly!

After exchanging a few quick texts (plus some selfies showing off Joel’s handiwork), Lara, Kathy and Maya arranged to meet up with Colin and Damian in a quieter part of town, away from the fashion district. They made their way to a small park, not too far from where Colin’s moms lived, where they found the boys waiting on a bench by a neighborhood basketball court.

Damian was resting with his head in Colin’s lap, looking a lot calmer than he had been earlier. With little mention of what had happened with Miller in either of the boys’ texts, Lara couldn’t help being somewhat curious, and a little concerned, about what exactly had happened after she had left the boutique. 

“Hey guys!” She said, approaching the bench. “Sorry about running off earlier. Everything been okay with you boys?” Damian seemed to have gotten all of his anger out, but that didn’t necessarily mean everything had been resolved smoothly.

“No worries, Lara.” said Damian, who seemed to deduce what Lara was thinking. “Miller left unscathed once he apologized to Colin. I just gave him a few words of wisdom to help him avoid any further conflicts and he made himself scarce shortly afterwards.”

Lara looked at Colin, hoping he would clarify what Damian meant, but the redhead simply shrugged. “The ‘words of wisdom’ were all in Arabic, so I don’t know if even Miller fully understood them. But he seemed to get the message based on how quickly he apologized and left.” He looked at his boyfriend. “I trust what you said to Patrick was entirely civil and non-threatening, right?”

“Now why on earth would you ever think otherwise, habibi?” Damian said with a sly grin.

Colin chuckled and got to his feet. “I think we all deserve a special treat after that mess. How about some hot drinks and dessert? I know a pretty good place nearby.”

Lara looked at Kathy and Maya. They all seemed to agree that that sounded like the perfect way to cap off their shopping spree. Maybe they’d be able to get more info out of Damian over some sweet snacks? They all desperately wanted to hear more about what he had said to the jerk back at the boutique.

Hearing no protests, Colin led the way just down to the end of the block, where a cute little coffee shop sat on the corner, The Bayou Cafe. The place looked clean and new but seemed surprisingly empty inside. 

“Are you sure you want to eat here?” Maya asked. “Is it always this quiet?” 

“Trust me.” Colin smiled, holding the door for all of them. “Me and the guys on my streetball team come here all the time to hang out. You could say I’ve gotten to know the owners pretty well.”

Damian headed in first, which seemed to reassure Maya. As the group made their way inside, Lara looked around. It was a cozy little place with a chalkboard menu and a glass bakery display, but no sign of any employees. “Is anyone here?” Lara asked, more to Colin than to the room.

“Be right out!” A deep gravelly voice called from the back room. “Just putting the finishing touch on an order!” Lara felt that she had heard that voice somewhere before.

A moment later, she got her answer as a very large green-scaled figure in a white apron and a chef’s hat came out to meet them. His smile was friendly, in spite of his many sharp teeth, and his scaly tail pushed the kitchen door closed behind him. 

“Welcome to the Bayou Cafe!” The large reptilian form of Waylon Jones, the Killer Croc, greeted his customers with surprising enthusiasm. His smile grew even wider when he recognized Colin. “Hey little man! How’s ya moms?” Waylon said, leaning over the counter to give Colin a fist bump.

“They’re both doing great!” Colin laughed, enjoying the surprised expressions of everyone but Damian, who seemed to have been expecting this. “I was just nearby with my friends and thought I’d check in! How’s business, Waylon?” 

The large reptilian man took off his hat and sighed. “If anyone else asked me that question, I’d’ve probably just said it was great and moved on. But for you kid, not gonna lie, things are kinda rough.” He moved around the counter to escort the kids to a table over by the corner. “No offense to you or your friends, but the Gothamites that shop around here ain’t in no hurry to buy pies from… What did that one Yelp review call me? A ‘diseased sewer creature?’ Somethin’ like that…” 

“That’s horrible!” Lara said, having gotten more used to idiots with toxic opinions in the last couple of days.

“It’s inaccurate too!” Jones nodded. “I got a clean bill of health, from the docs and the health department! You live in a sewer one time and some bozos act like it never washes off.” He grumbled to himself, brushing flour off his apron.

“I’m sure they’ll come around, Mr Jones!” Lara said, hoping she could lift the big man’s spirits. “Colin’s told me all about this place, and I think it sounds awesome!” 

The croc smiled. “Thanks, kid. Nice to know I’ve more fans than just Wilkes here.” He moved behind the counter, “After years of dealing with Waller and her crap, I’m happy to have any normal work I can get. It helps that the landlord is shockingly relaxed about payments! Now what can I get you kids?”

Lara saw Damian smile out of the corner of her eye. She was willing to bet a deluxe hot chocolate with marshmallows that Bruce Wayne, no doubt through a shell corporation, was this relaxed and helpful landlord that Waylon spoke of. This cute little shop would do just fine in this city.

The gang ordered their drinks while Colin asked for something that Waylon would recommend sharing together. He returned from the kitchen with one of the house specialties; a large apple pie, with the crust sculpted and decorated with cross sections of white icing to look like a little crocodile. It was incredibly detailed work for someone with such large hands, even going as far to give the pie croc his own snaggle toothed grin.

“This is adorable!” Kathy said, having felt safe to return to her green-skinned form, which went surprisingly well with her new dress. Since they were the only customers there, and there was a giant crocodile man serving at the counter, she figured it wouldn’t draw too much attention if she assumed her regular appearance. “Maya, we have got to come back here next time we’re in town!”

Waylon smiled and laughed. “Glad you kids like it.” He said, not too surprised by Kathy’s appearance. “I’ve been working on that one for a while. I’m thinking about doing a life-size gator for a centerpiece next! Still working on how to cook a 10-foot pie though….” 

Lara thought that she might have to bring her dad here for dessert some time. Not only was this shop a cute news story, but he was a sucker for a warm apple pie. 

Once Waylon had returned to the kitchen, the kids started catching each other up on what had happened while they had been apart. Damian had already filled the girls in on what had happened at the boutique, so it was their turn to tell him and Colin about their trip to the salon.

“Tt! You should’ve told me you were going to the salon.” Damian pouted, examining his cuticles, “Talking to that neanderthal was such a waste of time, and I've been meaning to get some work done myself.”

Colin held Damian’s hand in his. “Nevermind, hun! Joel knows mom and momma pretty well. I’ll take you there next time we get the chance.”

Lara smiled as she looked around the table at all her super-friends. “Can I just say, I love hanging out with you guys. We need to do this all more often! Maybe even for a few nights in uniform?”

Damian smirked as he sipped his green tea. “Why, Lara… You almost sound like you want to form a team!”

Lara paused, considering that for a second before shrugging. “Maybe? Would it be the worst idea?” Lara looked to each of her friends for their opinions on the idea. “Heck, we aren’t that much younger than the OG Titans when they first got together.”

The faces at the table all seemed to be seriously considering it. “It would be something to think about, but certainly not until you are back from your trip, Kent.” Damian said, tapping his chin in thought. 

“Maybe longer than that.” Maya added. “We are still going to be out of the country too frequently to help you get set up in any one place.”

“Still, it’s fun to think about.” Kathy commented. “With five we have a pretty good team to start with, and we could invite a few of our other friends if we needed. Mar’i would 100% wanna join once she’s old enough, and Lian’s always been interested in taking up hero work.”

“Harper on a team? I don’t know if it would be worth the trouble.” Damian grumbled to himself, thinking out loud. “Who would she even be? The Purple Arrow?”

Knowing just how to get Damian onboard, Colin leaned in. “Y’know, I reckon you’d make a great team leader, Dami. Maybe even better than Red Robin..?”

Damian sipped his tea, aware of what Colin was doing, but finding himself unable to argue. “Hmm… I suppose I could consider being your leader. But I’m afraid I’ll have to insist that you all call me ‘sensei’ from here on out!” 

The whole gang laughed together, as they continued discussions concerning potential headquarters, nominating potential teammates, and arranging future meet-ups. It would be a while before they actually had a serious thing going, but it was still exciting to think that they could potentially be the next all-new, all-different Teen Titans!

Lara smiled and was at peace. She was euphoric, she looked fabulous, and she was having the time of her life with some of her best friends! She would miss moments like this on Themyscira, but it wouldn’t be long before Supergirl would return! And not just Supergirl. With the school year starting soon after her trip ended, this fall would be the first true public appearance of Lara Ella Kent. Was she really ready to take that step?

In a pause in the conversation, Lara looked out the bakery front window and saw her own reflection in the glass. She smiled at the pretty girl in the new dress, and the reflection smiled back. Yes. She was more than ready to finally introduce Lara Ella Kent to the world!