Drake sipped his mocha latte. "It was your birthday yesterday. It's the least I could do, Mer." Which actually reminded him; from his pocket he pulled out a small bag that was tied up with a ribbon. "Here you go. Sorry I didn't get it to you on your birthday. Things have been crazy." There was no doubt that Merri knew that, so hopefully his friend wouldn't hold a grudge.
"I'd never seen Mama Mia," he added while Merri took the present. "It was definitely fun, but they really needed to have hired a better bard for the girl. Her voice was shrill during I Have A Dream." He winced just remembering it. Ari would rip it to pieces if she'd seen it, but he doubted she'd go and watch something while she was busy preparing for Romulus and Julianna. "We should go see Romulus and Julianna. Ari's in it."
He'd considered asking Aspel, but things were a bit awkward since their last date. He supposed he was going to have to talk to her a bit more than just teasing her mercilessly, but it seemed the easiest way to deal with it at the moment.