The cafeteria was already alive by the time he pushed the door open.
Most of the lads were already done with their required morning gym sessions and had their sweat traded for dry shirts and food.
He moved through the room naturally, stopping here and there, greeting faces he had not seen properly in a week or two.
"Back at last," he said to Ricardo Calafiori, leaning in for a quick handshake.
"Didn't miss the flights," the latter replied, smiling.
Miko padded along at his side, her white coat drawing attention before Izan did.
She soaked it all in as hands reached down without thinking, fingers disappearing into thick fur.
Someone scratched behind her ears, and another rubbed her chest.
Her tail swayed slowly, satisfied, as if this was part of her daily routine too.
"Still the most popular one here, though that might make WIN jealous", someone joked.
[Okay, so once again, if you've forgotten. Arsenal have a club mascot called WIN, and it is a chocolate therapy labrador.]
