Alvin managed to have an eyebrow conversation with Miss Thompsett's brother just after ordering the butterbeers. It all felt a little surreal, but he supposed there really wasn't anything amiss. It might raise a few eyebrows, but they were clearly in the middle of the room and her brother was right there and he had no idea why he was overthinking this. If Sloane were here it would have been completely normal. Perhaps that was the hiccup. Sloane wasn't here, so it felt far less normal.

Setting the drinks down, Alvin slid into the chair opposite Miss Thompsett, and passed hers over. He took a healthy swig of his own to give himself a moment. Her question about landscapes had him thinking through his last few pieces. "I suppose, a bit." The focus had been far too much on family recently to really have much time to paint. He supposed he had taken his small easel to Wally's hospital room and done a few smaller pieces, but not much. Mostly he was deep into his sketchbook, between Zinnia's and the broom sketches.

"Been doing a lot of sketching lately, much more portable." He felt like he was rarely home these days, which was probably for the better. "How's school going?" Man that made him feel old. It was fine in letters, but out loud it made him feel the age gap even more apparently.