Through her tears she could see that Raiden was bent over as if he was trying to carch his breathe, but it seemed she finally was able to guess his reaction. βThat was weird, have we met them before?β Thinking about it the small girl realized it was rather weird but she didn't care. Mai was just happy to know that Cassiopeia was still okay. After that nightmare somewhere inside assumed that her newfound friend hated her since she died protecting her. So in response Mai merely shook her head, doing her best to keep her sobbing to the minimal. I finally initiated something. Smiling again, it was a small achievement to some people but for Mai it was the first step in her attempt to open up. To be less dependent on Raiden if you would.
Hearing her name called Mai returned her attention back to Raiden who seemed confused by her tears. With a single finger he wiped them away and she could help but let out a hiccuping giggle escape her lips. βLetβs go back home and.. yeah.β Mai was glad they were finally going home and that Raiden was going to lead them. She doubted she'd be able to take them back to the apartment in one piece. If Raiden hadn't already caught on or rather remembered, as kids Mai had a poor sense of direction and often got lost as a kid. However back then she'd just laugh it off and now if she got lost she knows for a fact that she'd cry.
A warm strong hand broke her remenicing thoughts. Looking to her hand Mai seemed to stare at Raiden's holding her small hand. It actually surprised her since he never really initiated hand holding without her soing it first. A soft smile on her lips, Mai gazed up at Raiden most of her tears had stopped although she was still sniffling. Mai shifted her hand in his grip so that it wasn't too uncomfortable for her nor Raiden. The small girl was happy with the silence. It meant she didn't have to talk and break this serene moment with her shaky speech. So in silence they walked until they finally reached their home destination. At that point as they ascended the stairs, Mai let go of Raiden's hand so that he could focus on using the key to their apartment.
It seemed the jiggle of the keys in the lock alerted a certain creature that had been waiting inside. As the door opened, Mai slipped past Raiden surprisingly quick and let out a happy gasp as she squatted to give Raiden's dog a belly rub. Mai genuinly looked happy while she focused her attention on the dog. Smiling Mai looked over to where Raiden went and wondered if he was going to shower before they ate. Even though it had just been a nightmare Mai felt rather dirty and she wouldn't mind taking a bath at the moment.
"Uh-Um I c-can c-cook so-omething for us t-to eat, if yo-ou'd like?" Whenever she was alone Mai didn't stammer as much but even in the presence of family she still couldn't stop it. Cooling was one of the few things she knows she can do without messing up or anything. Whether Raiden wanted to eat a real meal or to just skip dinner was up to him. Already Mai was heading to the small kitchen they had and began to search for a few ingrediants for a very simple dinner.