Welcome to Gaia! ::

Perhaps it was the fact that neither Orah or Liryn had been home when he had finally let himself into the apartment, but Arian had found himself rummaging in the kitchen cupboards–

And it had felt a little like old times when he had managed to find enough ingredients to make up a batch of chocolate brownies.

He had indulged in a couple, because of course he had - and the warm gooeyness of the brownies had been familiar, comforting.

The bulk of the brownies had been carefully covered over with a food protector however and left to cool.

Arian had ended up on the sofa, had meant to wait for Orah to get back, but after his eye lids had drifted down a few times he had told himself that perhaps a few minutes wouldn't hurt–

A few minutes that had turned into several as tiredness caught up with him and Arian slipped (unbeknownst to him) from doze into true slumber.

Arian stirred to the sound of someone moving around in the kitchen area of the apartment, eyes blinking owlishly as a hand reached out almost automatically to sleepily fumble around for his glasses.

There was a brief moment of panic, until he realised belatedly that he'd actually forgotten to take them off - but fortunately they didn't seem like they were the worst for wear.

Fortunately - after all it wouldn't have been the first time that he'd ended up damaging the frames after falling asleep with his glasses still on.

Orah had reached the couch by the time that he had the glasses settled properly and Arian's lips quirked up in one of his small smiles, as he looked up at her.

"Hi Orah" and his quiet voice was sleepy but warm, the warmth matching the warmth in his eyes.

And it felt a little like old times, back when they'd both been still in their teens - when Orah had often caught him napping after he'd fallen asleep whilst working on a jewellery project.

Arian gave Orah a tired smile as he returned her hug with a gentle hug of his own. "It feels like forever" he admitted as Orah was one of the few people who had known why he had gone.

His smile faded "I didn't think that I'd go back to the UK again - not after father's wedding." He'd felt like the odd one out, an outsider, his relationship with his father as awkward and as strained as ever - even whilst his father and Rianna had appeared to play happy families–

And certainly Rianna had always seemed to have a better relationship with his father than he had.

His father, not his dad - because even now - even after everything Arian found that he still couldn't bring himself to call his father 'dad' - not when the other man hadn't really been a dad to him in years–

And hadn't been since they lost mum.

"But everything was such a mess."

And whilst a part of Arian had known that his father had been overworking himself for years and that nothing good would come of it, it was still hard at times to believe he was gone.

He did his best to push the bitter thoughts down, did his best to focus on Orah's question.

"End of October" he admitted, "But I got caught up in more family stuff."

He hesitated and then added "I was in Destiny City in November, but got caught up in some sort of battle."

"Truthfully I still don't really get everything that happened in that battle" Arian admitted quietly and for a moment he just sounded tired. "I guess that mayhaps it's because I've been away for so long."

Too long maybe given how out of the loop he was–

But at the time Arian didn't think that he'd had any choice - not after finding out about Robin - and he knew himself well enough to know that even if he'd known that he would end up walking into a battle where he would come dangerously close to corrupting that he would have still made the same choices that he'd ended up making.

Arian didn't mention almost corrupting to Orah, or the fact that he still had nightmares of that battle, instead he reached out and up with a hand like he had sometimes back when they were both younger, intending to give Orah's hand a gentle squeeze if she took it.

"I survived it" he said quietly, because he had survived, had still somehow managed to stay himself, his lips quirking up in a small but fleeting smile "And I managed to avoid any new scars."

Well at least visible ones.

"Liryn wasn't with me for it, he's been hanging around my cousin a lot - I think he'd finally managed to badger her into agreeing to take him to her Wonder."

Arian gave Orah a sad smile "And I'm glad that he's looking out for her in his way, because I worry about her and everything even though I know that Saffy has to figure things out for herself." The smile faded into a quiet sigh "And I wish sometimes that she and I could talk about powered stuff like the two of us can - even though I know that it's my fault that we can't."

He continued, "I know that Liryn is definitely around though - he's been hanging around the twins" and then added because he couldn't remember if he had ever mentioned the twins to her "He awakened one of them but he's really close to the two of them."

His lips quirked up into an amused smile "Even if he and Breanna are a little too similar personality wise."

Arian looked up at Orah, his green-flecked grey eyes earnest from beneath the lenses of his glasses as he added quietly "By the way I know that I don't always say it - but I am really, really glad that I'm finally back home."

Arian laughed at Orah's musings about how much a knight would be able to get out of a cat, "And me too" he admitted, as laughter faded into a gentle chuckle, because in truth he didn't really know much about knights either.

"But I guess that sometimes just being there and being an ear that someone can talk to can be important."

The laughter faded "I know in the early days, when I first started in all of this that I would have loved to have had someone to talk to, to not feel all alone in it all."

People to talk to had been something that had come later - much, much later.

"And I haven't been as active as I would like either" he admitted - not least because powering up whilst he'd been away in the UK was something that had been a big no-no. "Although, I'd like to think that I still do what I can, even if it's just a little."

Because even a little could help some, and Arian knew that he wouldn't let himself turn his back on his chosen senshi path.

His lips quirked up in rueful smile for a moment "But I guess that things were simpler back when the only thing that I had to worry about was trying to fit senshi stuff around my classes - even despite it all."

He let Orah hold his hand in both of hers, his voice serious as he admitted "And I've missed you too."

Because whilst there was such things as letters and emails and international phone calls - none of them were the same as just being–

And Arian considered Orah one of his best friends - she was certainly one of the few that knew him better than most.

Orah's words had neatly encapsulated anything that he would have said and so Arian had instead opted for a small but heartfelt nod, lips quirking up in another small smile as she asked if he’d like some tea.

"I'd love some tea, thank you " he agreed, because whilst Arian tended more towards hot chocolate he also drank a fair amount of tea - albeit tea that was generally doctored up with an equally fair amount of sugar–

Well okay more like he still tended to put enough sugar in the cup to legitimately fall under taking tea with the sugar.

And if Arian left his fingers tangled with Orah's for a little longer. If a part of him wanted to keep the connection at least for a while longer..?

Well it wasn't something that he was going to admit to openly.

All in all however it was good to be back.

It was good to be home.