"Yeah," says Martin a little half-heartedly, both feeling a bit guilty as he often does when others learn he got so lucky, and at the news being 'wonderful.' It feels staggeringly childish to mope about how hard it is that even in coming here he got to keep the one person he most wanted to have, but... it's complicated. He's not sure how to explain John, really, or even if he should. He's only really gone into it with Greta so far, and she... well. She understood better than he wanted her to.

He realizes he's been quiet a little too long and clears his throat. "He's, ah, we worked in an archive for a place called the Magnus Institute, John was the head archivist there, and..." Christ, he's not about to explain all this over lunch. "We've sort of started that up again here. Set up a place on Crescent & Haight. Managed to get contracted to handle the city's records, which is an absolute nightmare as it turns out, hence, uh... needing a break." He nods at his beer, well aware it's much earlier in the day than when he would usually drink. "I was thinking about trying to get John to go with me to that party I heard about, the one about... pirates? This Thursday. Not really his thing, but... might be fun?"

He gives an awkward chuckle. He's rambling. It must be so painfully obvious that he'd been keeping to himself for so long, that he's forgotten how to behave normally with casual company. He buries himself in another sip of his drink.