"Oh, he's fine," Martin assures him, glancing about the room. "He's here, actually, probably trying to blend into a wall." It's a gentle sort of teasing; he knows this really isn't John's thing, and he's glad he showed up anyway. "I found him sort of herding them back toward the ocean by poking them with a stick."

It had been sort of hilarious, though that had taken a backseat to how relieved they'd been to find each other, and the ease with which John had hugged him had clashed a bit with the conversation he'd been having with Michael. But he has no desire to get back into that again and fortunately, there are better things to ask about.

"And you found yours, I'm assuming?" He smiles faintly. "Are congratulations in order?"