Philip was annoyed, he`d had a rough few days at work and didn`t really care enough to be on time at the Circle, though he easily could have been, as an Acanthus. So he came in casual, with a gray sweater, jacket, jeans and gray-yellow running shoes. Seeing Winter in the Circle before him made him slightly uneasy, as did seeing Walker. But he greeted all of the Awakened present with a smile. The smell of smoke did dampen his mood though, although he tried to appear strong outwardly so as to not discourage them, seeing as that it brought them happiness.
So let`s see, Walker and Chambers are having fun smoking... Indoors?! What? That has got to be illegal. But it seems they need it to improve their mood, despite it being a filthy habit. So I guess I`ll let it slide, and try to be strong for them. And great, just what I need, a continued discussion about his unrulyness.
he thought, annoyed and torn, rolling his eyes inwardly. It also seemed, because he was late, he`d missed at least some relevant talking points. He did catch the last parts Walker had said about himself, though. When he spoke of the `richy-rich people in assemblies doing the talking`, he cringed inside, because technically he qualified there. But he was annoyed at such people, too. This was why he disliked that mischaracterisation, taking Walker`s general statement somewhat personally. But he put it to Thyrsus overenthusiasm, and said nothing of it. After all, Walker didn`t seem to be the most politically correct person, after their first encounter at the Circle. And he was determined to keep him in good spirits, despite having only recently met him. His agreement with the others, last time, had been a major point he thought about over and over. He`d failed to stick by his colleague and encourage his lifestyle and happiness. So he was determined not to let Walker bother him, this time.
"Hi, guys. Sorry I`m so late, I`m just frustrated at work. What are you guys talking about? Did I miss anything interesting?"
he asked with a frown and a shrug, while still trying to keep up his smile and bursting into whatever conversation was currently ongoing. Meanwhile he went with firm strides from the door to further in the Circle, where the group had loosely gathered.