Oh, it was a beautiful morning despite the chill and the rain. Oh, nothing could damper the effulgence of the meeting that was to come! Darian was, whatever the weather, like a rose come the spring. His hair waved perfectly about his face and his blazer was all new growth. He was full of a contagious energy that animated his motions and quickened his step, and his navy eyes were so very bright. And his arms! They were full of flowers. Wild ones of all types. His heart was singing for he was off to see one of his currently favorite people, someone whose cheer was as charming as his own. Maiko had survived in this position for several months now so it was possible she'd be a favorite for a long while yet but oh, it was so boring to think of the future! Darian was certainly only thinking of the now.

Ringing the doorbell seemed a very mundane obstacle in his path but he did it with the same grace and peculiar energy that had delivered him this far. It was more exciting for being in Muggle London, an adventure dashed on top of already tasty treat. He posed on the doorstep, a dashing thing, looking magazine-worthy every inch, and when Maiko opened the door he deposited the flowers in her arms at the same time that he dropped a kiss onto her cheek.

"Maiko!" he cried. "My darling. My dear. It's been too long, surely, since I've had the pleasure of your company and the ecstasy of your baking. May I please come in?"

“Mai, someone’s at the door!” Her brother called out rather loudly and peered out the window. He gave Darian a bewildered look and turned his head, “It’s that redhead. Darian!”

Within a few seconds, Mai had opened the door and was being greeted with affection and flowers! He was one of her favorites to be around—he was just so easy to talk to about everything from the mundane to the ridiculous. Granted, Maiko found most people to be very easy to talk to. She was practically an open book. A bit too open for some people, though.

“Of course you can come in! You don’t even have to knock!” She exclaimed, kissing him on the cheek before practically dragging him inside, only to be greeted by her giant, black-and-white, fluffy polar bear of a puppy. Maslow’s tail was wagging so hard that it was practically a blur, and his whole body was wiggling along with it. At the very least, he wasn’t jumping all over Darian.

“I just finished making fudge! But if you don’t want any of that, I’m sure there’s some leftover cinnamon rolls…” Or he could have both. In fact, Maiko would later insist that he eat copious amounts of everything she had leftovers of in the past two days. Partially because Kohaku (in her mind) didn’t eat enough of it, nor did he bring enough of it across the street to Aileen and Abby’s. Mai was also very much convinced that Aileen didn’t know how to cook and therefore Abby must be living on three-minute ramen noodles (the horror!). She had no evidence to support that theory yet, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

As if on cue, Kohaku walked in and gave Darian a plate with both fudge and cinnamon rolls. He muttered something about his Xbox and Halo before walking upstairs.

“Aww, and I didn’t even have to ask!” Actually, she didn’t have to ask because Kohaku knew that if he didn’t make an appearance, he’d never hear the end of it.

Mai sat down on the couch and leaned back, “So. Tell me everything. I’ve missed you so much, I feel like we haven’t caught up in forever!”