Didi was passing through the school building, and she paused outside Drake's office. it wasn't entirely a coincidence; she missed having a class with him and wanted to say hello.
"Hi," she said from the doorway. "Are you teaching the flowers to sing to somebody in particular, or just for fun?"
Drake looked up and smiled at Didi, waving her in. "They're all about love, so I'm giving them a little musical lesson," he said. "Singing flowers. I'll make a fortune!"
"It sounds like the best vaudeville act ever," Didi said, slipping into the office. "They look good, they sound good, and they smell good. It'd lose something on TV."
She was still inspecting the flowers as she added, "I'm just here to say hi. I miss being in your class."
"Did you ever know that you're my heeeeerooooo?" a pink peony crooned at Didi.
"Awww, I miss you too," Drake said, nudging a pair of carnations out of the way so he could brace his elbows on his desk and rest his chin on his hands. "I'm telling you, some of these kids this time around don't want to believe they have a romantic bone in their bodies. So what's up with you these days?"
"My sister's here!" Didi announced, stroking a flowerpot encouragingly. "Well ... not exactly my Del. not the one you met. But it's still her. And I think your students should be too young to be cynical."
"I heard, but I wasn't sure if she was yours or not," Drake said. He eyed the flowers; an asiatic lily was berating some alstromeria for not being a "real" lily. "Hey, that's enough, you're both nice. Think these are her fault?"
The lilies immediately began to serenade Didi. "Tell me what you see, is it close to what you dreamed? If I play a part can I be redeemed?"
"I've still got the frogs your sister made for me," Drake said. Indeed, the psychedelic amphibians were in an aquarium on one corner of his desk. "I'll have to find someone to take care of them at the end of summer."
"You still think you're going, huh." Didi's voice was flat, but with a tinge of wistfulness -- half because she didn't want him to go, half because (Jono and Del aside) some part of her wished she had a deadline too. "I'm sure one of the other teachers would play frogparent. Maybe that Loki guy."
"Plenty of time," Drake grinned. "End of August. Enough to teach flowers love song, try to open young minds to romance, do a favor for an old friend, and whatever I decide to teach for the second summer session."
"I don't know, it's back in my world," Drake said. "I have to save an epic love and make sure someone else doesn't give up on love, all while sticking my tongue out at the Elders and going nyah nyah." He put his thumbs in his ears and waggled his fingers. "But if I can use some help, I'll be sure to let you know."
"Cole's got this complicated plan involving Thorn Demons and the power of looooooove," Drake said. "Not so sure about the first part, but the second? I'm so there."
"Hi," she said from the doorway. "Are you teaching the flowers to sing to somebody in particular, or just for fun?"
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She was still inspecting the flowers as she added, "I'm just here to say hi. I miss being in your class."
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"Awww, I miss you too," Drake said, nudging a pair of carnations out of the way so he could brace his elbows on his desk and rest his chin on his hands. "I'm telling you, some of these kids this time around don't want to believe they have a romantic bone in their bodies. So what's up with you these days?"
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To the lilies, she added, "Hey, do you know any Dar Williams?"
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"I've still got the frogs your sister made for me," Drake said. Indeed, the psychedelic amphibians were in an aquarium on one corner of his desk. "I'll have to find someone to take care of them at the end of summer."
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As bargains with the underworld went (a subject about which Didi's general feelings were: Don't), she honestly thought he'd gotten a fair deal.
"You still have a few months to give flowers singing lessons, right?"
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