[Altius only shrugs a shoulder with a brief hum at the counter; he can't really argue about it, and he knows it. It makes sense that those suffering through this place would seek whatever refuge they could, whenever they could. It's human nature.]

I run a medical company, [he says simply to start, turning back to his drink. It's a neutral statement; no real pride, no real disappointment. It's just a fact.] We have offices all over the world, so there's always somewhere to go or something to be done.

[He opens his mouth as if to continue—this would be where he talks about recent changes in his life, in the script of a casual conversation leading to interesting or personal topics that might draw some connection between them.

Instead, he closes his mouth and lets his breath out through his nose, the silence heavy. There's no point in taking a drink over it when he wouldn't allow it to affect himself anyway.]