Maiko had brought two cups of punch to her table—one for her, and one for her date. When she sat at her table, she was pleasantly surprised to see that her date was a woman! Well, well! Looks like they actually listened to her when she said she wasn’t picky. As a plus, it seemed that the lovely lady across from her was absolutely gorgeous!

“My name’s Maiko.” She said, taking a sip of her punch.

“I love you!”

She looked up at the ceiling. It came from.. A paper heart? This just went from potentially romantic to creepy. She thought the cupid dolls were already weird enough.

“I hope it doesn’t do that the entire ti---“

“I love you!”

She glared at the paper heart and tried to focus back on her date. The other ones weren't repeating it every ten seconds or so.

“I don’t usually do this sort of thing—speed dating. But it’s speed dating? So I better get right to the point. You do fancy women, yes?” Mai didn’t allow Elixa to answer the question, waving her hand by her head as if it pushed the thought away. “No, no. You wouldn’t be here otherwise. Good.” She crossed one leg over the other and studied the woman’s appearance. Dark and petite. It was different than Mai’s usual tastes (blonde and tall!), but it was a nice change.  “Has anyone told you recently how lovely your face is? Not to be superficial, but it’s really quite—“

“I love you!”

“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me!” She waved her wand at the heart, and it ripped in half, it’s pieces fluttering down onto the table. That particular heart would spout sweet nothings no more.

The offending decoration had been about to meet a similar fate at the end of her wand. Instead it now hung redundant in the air between them.

"Thank you. Think it was rather cramping your style." She pocketed her wand and extended a hand across the table, making sure to even out the Swedish lilt to her voice which could seesaw a little more musically than a British accent.

"To answer your queries in reverse, no, they haven't, so thank you, and yes, I wouldn't hesitate to take you out on a date. Mm..." She tilted her head to admire Maiko, having decided earlier she had little to lose today.

"Its Elixa, by the way." She beamed, and shook Maiko's hand across the table, while another of the decorations bleated tentatively.

"Maiko was it?" Elixa asked, testing out the name with a drawn out syllable, "Gorgeous. Oh, is that for me?" The apothecary gestured to the punch. "Most kind of you."

She took a sip and cleared her throat.

"So Maiko, what gets you up in the morning?"

She nodded in agreement—it was cramping her style! Nobody would be able to focus on their dates. “Elixa. Lovely to meet you.” Beautiful name to match a beautiful face. But that, that was not the only thing that impressed the counselor. No. It was the smoothness in Elixa’s reactions and in the way she spoke. Simply put, Elixa was one charming lady.  The counselor wished she was half as suave as her date.

"So Maiko, what gets you up in the morning?"

Mai grinned devilishly, “Do you really want to know?” She leaned forward, “What gets me up in the morning? Well. Usually, it’s work. Obligations. Things I need to get done--otherwise I wouldn’t be waking up til the afternoon!” She had always been, and will always be, a night person. “At home though, what wakes me up is usually my younger brother singing horribly in the shower. I don’t think he knows I can hear him."  Nor will he ever find out. As awful as his singing voice was, it amused her to no end. " It's that, or my him tripping over the dog and cursing profusely.”

“But if you’re asking what keeps me up, well.” She paused, “Curiosity. The world is too interesting for me to sit in bed forever and wait for something to ‘appen. There’s more than that, of course. But you’ll need to go on a second date to find out.”

She drank the last bit of her punch and raised her eyebrows.

“Your turn.” Mai set the empty cup on the table and crossed her arms over her chest, “What is it that gets you up, and keeps you up in the morning?"

"Who sits in bed forever waiting for something to happen?" Elixa asked with a tilt to her head, "Unless one is not alone...?" She raised her eyebrows.

"I get up in the morning to help other people. I'm an apothecary by trade, and I moved here last month to work with St Mungo's. Changed my job from one where I sold healing to one where I ensure it, and its liberating, and rewarding to see someone get better, or live longer."

As she explained, she became a little more relaxed, and it was clear this was a topic she felt passionate about.
"What keeps me up? Well, the right woman, but that'd keep me in bed too, given the opportunity." She gave Maiko a wink and a chuckle.

"You have a younger brother? I've two. Younger by much?" She asked, trying to estimate Maiko's age, definitely younger, but she was too polite to ask.

“People who have no ounce of drive or curiosity.” Maiko responded, and added. “But you’re right, if they’re not alone it's an entirely different story.”  Oh, she liked this woman.

Her face softened as Elixa talked about her job. Helping people was a passion they apparently both shared. Watching people heal was rewarding in ways that Mai couldn’t describe, but she hardly thought she needed to. Healers understood it. It was part of their nature, it was why they became healers in the first place. She had been a healer for a short time, but then she realized that mental health and mental wounds needed the same care. Often times, that care wasn't something that could be bandaged by medications-- magical or not.

“Was that an invitation? Tempting.” She said wryly, and Mai just couldn’t help but smile.

“Oui. He’s younger enough than me for me to feel like a parent sometimes. Kohaku’s eighteen, I’m twenty-five. I’m what—eight years older?” Maiko shook her head, “In my mind he’s still ten and scrawny." It was so weird—he was the same age she was when she took over his guardianship. Mai could hardly imagine him being mature enough to be responsible for another person.

“Do your brothers know how to grate on your nerves the way mine does?” Maiko grinned, thought he tone with which she spoke of Kohaku showed that she loved and cared for him deeply enough that no amount of nerve-grating could change that. 

Twenty-five? She tried not to twitch at that revelation. Having just turned thirty-four five days before, in a far less raucous way than her old school friend, who was across the room chattering with a girl with bright red hair.

"Eight years, that's a gap, there's only two years between me and Belarius and Benedick. They're twins, Belarius is an obliviator, and Benedick works in the Frolich Institute - its a hospital back home in Sweden. Ha, yes when we were children they could really wind me up, but these days I'm glad to see them." She smiled, thinking of them both. 

Elixa paused, and then added, "Twenty-five, huh?" She asked "Been a little while since I was that age, sorry to disappoint." Her gaze dropped, a little disappointed for a moment. Twenty-five didn't bother her, but thirty-four might Maiko.

If her brother lived all the way in Sweden, she probably didn’t see him very often. What a shame. Mai couldn’t imagine what it’d be like without seeing her brother for longer than a month or two at a time. She hoped they stayed in touch with Elixa—it really sucked, living far away from people you love.

She tilted her head to the side, very obviously confused. Why was Elixa acting like Maiko would be disappointed? Age difference, shmage difference! As long as they were two consenting adults, it didn’t matter to her. She knew plenty of happy couples with a large age difference, and the age difference didn’t make them any less happy, nor did she think it impacted their relationship too much.  “I’m not disappointed.” Mai said slowly, furrowing her eyebrows together. “I don’t care how old you are, as long as you’re an adult.” She paused, and grinned.

“You are an adult, correct? Then there isn’t an issue on my end.” She leaned forward, "Or am I too young for your tastes?" 

Elixa laughed, her worries dissipated immediately.

"You are a charmer!" She chuckled, and leaned forward a little over the table between them. "Of course I'm an adult, I said it had been a while since I was twenty five. More like, nine years..." The Swedish apothecary explained.

"But I'm glad it doesn't matter - I can hardly believe you're twenty five though, it should be me asking if you're of age." A finger wagged towards Maiko's cute nose. This was going far better than she ever imagined. Her earlier thoughts that attending would put a spanner in the works of her flirting with Arcturus were long forgotten. He wasn't here, Johann wouldn't dare mention it for fear she'd slip something into his next cup of tea. Maiko was the cream of the crop in this room.

"So what do you do for your living, when you're not uttering charms from your lovely lips?" She asked, and then narrowed her eyes, placing her palms together in a prayer position as she tried to imagine.
"I know you don't work at St Mungo's, we'd have crossed paths, but I figure you don't mind talking to people, this seems to be quite your thing to talk to strangers."

Nine years—so that meant that Elixa was thirty four. Still, no big deal. Nine years wasn’t an awful difference. Hell, she’d date that older gentleman across the room who was sitting with a brunette that she recognized to be Sasha’s sister, provided that there was chemistry. Still, it seemed like others worried about age differences more than she did.
“I assure you, I’m of age!” Mai laughed, scrunching up her nose as a finger wagged at it. Twenty five wasn’t that young, was it:?

“I actually did some training at St. Mungos, when I first graduated from Hogwarts.”  She replied, “But—it is quite my thing to talk to people. It’s my job, if I didn’t know how to talk to people, I’d be a rubbish counselor. I work at Hogwarts, with the students.” Her entire face seemed to light up, “I absolutely love it. It’s quite important to me, helping people learn to heal wounds that aren’t necessarily physical.” It wasn’t her job to heal the wounds for them, but just to give them the means to do it themselves.

“It’s my first year applying it to magicfolk, but it’s going well. Magic or not, people still ‘ave needs and problems that  must be addressed and dealt with accordingly.” There were people who resisted her more than others, but that was partially due to the slight stigma attached to seeing a counselor. To some, seeking help or admitting the need for help was viewed as weakness.

"Now, I know what you do for work--" And Elixa seemed to love her work as much as Maiko enjoyed her own, "But for fun-- what do you do? I doubt you're at St. Mungos every hour of every day."

"Healing of the mind?" Elixa asked with intrigue, "Splendid, I am an apothecary, but I did a little training back home."

Maiko asked about her hobbies and Elixa's smile grew.
"I love to be outside if I can, fresh air - not necessarily walking, but I ride when I get the chance, and I love to spend my days in the snow. Despite my age, sledging is still a thrill. But lately, I've spent most of my time trying to make friends and establish myself here, and moving in with a new friend."

She smiled as she thought of the place in Diagon Alley. She had hastily moved the last of her things from Edwin's since the incident with the car.

"And you, do you get a chance for hobbies when you are looking after so many children?" 

“You ride horses and such? Or broomstick riding?” Mai tilted her head to the side—really, it could be either answer! Or, for all she knew, Elixa was an avid hippogriff rider! Wouldn’t that be a sight? She listened to the rest, nodding at the appropriate times. “Moving—that could be exciting. Congratulations? Is that the right thing to say?” It all depended on the circumstances of the move.

Then, then it was time for her to reveal what her own hobbies were. What in the world was it that she did when she wasn’t at Hogwarts? “There’s so much I adore doing.” She motioned with her hands excitedly, “Dancing—ballet particularly, though I know others as well—tap, ballroom, jazz—but I’d like to say I have my own style.” She hadn’t picked up belly dancing yet, but it was something she was interested in pursuing when the summer holiday came. “I also cook for fun—and bake. Feeding people is my specialty.” Though Kohaku quickly grew tired of being fed lavish meals, she knew he’d miss them if she wasn’t around.

“I also enjoy pestering my family and waiting for them to pester me back.” She looked around, “I also enjoy getting grumpy old men to spend time with me, but I don’t see my victims here.”

"Horses, and the move is a necessity, I was lodging temporarily with a relative." Elixa clarified, but as keen to hear more of Maiko's hobbies.

"You love cooking?" She asked, leaning over the table a little, fascinated by Maiko, "I've never found great pleasure in it - more subjective to the audience than a potion is, a dinner." Her eyebrows rose in surprise at the comment about grumpy old men.

"Are they your thing then, old men? What do you cook for them?" She tilted her head and ran her fingers round the lip of her glass, smiling contentedly,
"And what about witches you pick up in teashops?" 

The move was a necessity—and it sounded like Elixa wanted to leave it at that, so Mai didn’t push it.

“Yes!” She nodded enthusiastically, “I love to cook everything! I have made many unsuccessful dinners before I people actually started enjoying them.” Maisaid. She agreed though—the audience for cooking was much more subjective than potioneering. Potions either worked or they didn’t for the majority of the population. But food? Just because one person liked pasta didn’t mean that another person would!

Maiko paused, “I guess.. Old men is my thing.” She said, “Or… At least, sweet elderly people. There’s something so endearing about them. It’s hard to describe!” She stopped to think—what did she usually make for them?

“Tea, of course. You can’t go wrong with tea. But it depends—I usually ask if they have food allergies. I forgot to ask a student once, and he had a blueberry allergy and turned all blue! Hn.” She bit her lip. “I guess, my go-to is crepes. You can put anything in them! Make them sweet, savory—whatever. I also enjoy making different stews on cold days. I cook a lot of seafood, too…”

She eyed Elixa carefully.

“I don’t meet very many lovely ladies in teashops. Why don’t you start by telling me what you like to eat?” She clapped her hands, “Then, I can make you dinner! Or is it too early for you to see my place?”

"I'd love to," Elixa heard herself say without hesitation which stopped them briefly a moment in locked eye contact, wondering if that was a little forward on the older witch's part, or a confirmation that Maiko's offer wasn't at all forward.

The tables around them were humming with conversation, some more than others, but Elixa paid them less attention. This beautiful, intriguing, bright creature before her was an entirely unexpected surprise in the luck of the draw. Teashops were full of surprises.

"I try anything once, then again to be absolutely sure. I'm not one for huge amounts of spice, but everything you have so far tantalised me with over this table has been to my liking..." she dropped her gaze a moment, raising it again to add "... and the mentions of food too."

Her lips curled into laughter, showing her teeth and her eyes dipped half shut as her body language warmed further. It felt as if she had known Maiko for longer than just this speed date, which was uncanny. Had she seen something before this? Was it fate, was is prophecy or was it mere chance? She was sure the downstairs neighbours in Diagon Alley would charge her an arm and a leg to confirm.

"What say I bring the wine if you set the menu?"