He was still somewhat uncomfortable in such large, public places. He knew he really had no reason to be, but he couldn't help it. Sometimes he just couldn't shake the feeling that all these people were looking at him, and somehow knew who he was really was. Except, he wasn't that person...not anymore. And he had vowed never to allow himself to be. But that didn't mean the knowledge of his former actions wasn't still constantly floating around in his head.
And yet, despite his apprehension about public locales, he owed it to Claire to meet up with her, and was actually looking forward to it. He would be completely lost if not for her and Gabriel, his other self. The two had been more kind to him than they had any call to be, given his past. With Gabriel's help, he had even started to learn to control his various powers. It would take more time to perfect, but he was starting to feel more comfortable with what had, only a few weeks ago, completely terrified him.
And Claire? Her friendship was basically his rock right now - the main thing keeping him going. It was no longer even about the mysterious picture that had led him to her. He no longer carried it with him, and often tried to put it out of his mind (as difficult as that could be). All that was truly important was that this girl had saved him, and that meant the world to him.
He saw her standing at the food court, and almost instantly wore a smile to match hers. Cutting through the scattered crowd of noisy teenagers and exacerbated parents trying to feed screaming children, he worked his way up to her side and said hello. "It's really nice to see you again."