[@kalanggam]

"Yeah, the semester is finally done." Tobias' reiteration of the phrase lacked the typical relief that a student wielded in such times. Indeed, the realization that the official end of the semester had arrived only seemed to add to his present fervent state. "I'm staying in town. Phil even gave me a deal on one of the rooms upstairs, so if I'm ever not here when I'm supposed to be you can just go and drag me down yourself."

The lighthearted nature of the conversation seemed to soothe Toby, and he concluded that thought with a wink.

"I'm still [i]technically[/i] taking a course over the summer. I'm trying to get ahead on my Philosophy credits to catch up to the advanced position I had in the classics department and qualify for another scholarship in the fall. I'm not worried about it— in fact, I'm glad I had an excuse to stay in town. I like it here, and I'd have been stir-crazy cooped up back in ye-olde-Malkinson-Manor for the summer. All my friends are here."

His eyes wandered as he spoke, moving away from Val and surveiling the coffee shop. The young woman he'd referred to as Miss Enfield was a fellow student of the classical department, and as he glanced that way she offered him a friendly wave when their eyes met. He returned the gesture in a small replication even as he conversed with Val. Though the espresso machine performed its task with much admiration, Tobias couldn't help but feel as if its sole purpose now was to torture him with the necessary wait for his addiction's latest satiation.

"Besides that, I owe Phil approximately one and a half arms and both feet for clearing a room on my behalf, so I'll be filling in more time here in town than typical. I've still got a key to the library and intend on keeping ahead of my studies. Oh! I recently got word from Aviva that she'd been digging through old maps of the area and she clued me in on what she called 'choice hiking trails'. The nearest one is out of Lexington, heading up Little House Mountain then upwards again to Big House. I'm keen on that, but there are still trails here in Sanctuary Hills that I haven't had a chance to fully explore... Some of them have older histories than the University itself, which makes them somewhat spooky if you ask me."

As always, whenever he had a chance to bring up his younger sister his entire visage lit up like a Christmas tree and his utter adoration of the girl becomes woefully apparent. His eyes swivel back to Val and he takes another breath.

"—But I'm rambling again. Sorry. I haven't even asked you how your day was yet. This rain is absolutely horrid, the kind that'd make my grandmother tell...[i]stories[/i]."

He makes a grandiose gesture as if passing conversational initiative were a gentleman's sport, his implied query hanging in the air.