"Pretty much, yeah," said Graham, his smile just a little tempered by his embarrassment, but in a way that made it clear that it would take nearly crippling levels of embarrassment to bring this cheery mood down even a notch. "But back home, we call them choco-chips. And putting them into pancakes is one of my specialties!"

There was a moment of preening, before he chuckled a little and admitted, "Okay, pretty much my only specialty, but don't let that fool you! They're really good!"

"It's definitely not an every day kind of breakfast," Graham agreed, turning again to return to getting what he'd need to make the pancakes from the cupboards and fridge, "more of a treat! And I think today is a great day for a treat!"

Would he say that about most days?

Yes, yes he would.

But that was beside the point!

Graham's head tilted, for a moment, as Amicia spoke into her phone in what sounded like a different language. He did, after all, like to think that he had a pretty good ear for that sort of thing, although that was usually for animal languages, not necessarily different human ones!

But when the translation came through, he had to laugh.

"Yes!" he assured her confidently. "Always!

"Well," he amended with a grin, "maybe not always, but it sure takes a lot to bring me down!"

Death, usually, that would do it. And failure. And betrayal was going to knock him back pretty hard in the future, too, but for now? That cheerfulness was pretty in invincible!

"Yeah?" asked Graham, feeling flattered as his brows lifted with interest, his smile going a little softer as he noticed the way Amicia's seemed a little uncertain at first there. "In a good way, I hope!"

Graham's shoulders lifted a little, squaring proudly, to know that he could remind someone of not just a boy, but a very nice boy. It was simple praise, but, sometimes, Graham was also a pretty simple boy, too.

"Thank you," he said, ducking his head. "That's very nice of you to say. I'm glad I can remind you of someone nice; I definitely do try to be nice, you know? You seem pretty nice, too."