Mari actually winced and moved back a tiny bit from Mal. She had only been trying to help, but apparently all she succeeded in doing was putting Mallorie on the defensive. "I... I didn't mean--" She bit her lip, unsure as to what she should say. Clearly, whatever came out of her mouth would only aggravate the situation further. And it was bad enough that Mari was already on the verge of tears from Mal's dilemma. Now she was also getting yelled at as well.
AJ's hand was so unexpected yet so comforting at the same time. She had been so taken aback by Mal's comments that AJ's mention about dinner had only just now registered in Mari's head. "I, uhm... better go see about dinner." She nodded and let go of AJ's hand before getting up and heading straight into the kitchen. She leaned against the counter, doing her best to control her emotions with long, shaky breaths. It wouldn't do her any good to lose control now. Her power would go nuts and that would just be the last thing that needed to happen here today.