John leads him into the house, straight into the kitchen, and once the dessert is in the icebox...

...okay, so maybe he hasn't been quite ready for this level of socializing yet.

It shows a little in the way his shoulders drop with a loss of tension, and the momentary display of fatigue on his face when he turns away from the icebox with a rueful little smile at Siebren while he leans back against the counter for a second to just...breathe.

"Not a lot of people here yet, but I guess enough." he deadpans. "Been years since I've been this social. Guess playin' host is a little more intense than just heading to a get-together."

And there's the constant ache in his bones...he's well aware now that there's nothing he can do about the chronic pain. It's not an injury he can treat or soothe--he's even tried going to the spring, but his mind gets away from him if he spends too much time in the warm water. Plus, there's only so many blankets you can pile on one bed...

He takes one more clear, soothing breath of the clear, free air of a room empty of anyone but Siebren--someone safe, familiar, comforting...and pushes off the counter.

"You wanna see something cool?"