He stopped, unmoving at first. One last rush of mental preparation. Then, he slowly turned his head first, before propelling his whole body to face her.

The look he wore was remarkably austere, a rare sight for Chiyo's eyes. Calm, undisturbed. His mind was set on a wavelength that drove his behavior away from fumbling. There was quite a bit of distance between them still, but Mondo remained where he stood, hands in his pockets.

"Hey. ...It's been a while."