James nodded smartly at Claude's request for coffee. The man dressed well, stood straight, and spoke in an articulate manner. Whenever Claude entered a room or spoke, James found himself subconsciously straightening his back, or speaking more carefully. It was the atmosphere of the older presence, or maybe even that James felt the need to impress him. James had never treated his teachers with as much respect as he gave towards all of his co-workers at the agency; even Carol, who had a more laid back personality, and . The bits and pieces of her past that James had gather from others or Carol herself painted the picture of biker gangs, fights, and accidents. Even with his inquisitive nature, he tried not to pry into the lives of people at the agency. They all had their skeletons.<br/><br/>"It does look right aces," James added to Claude's statement, looking over at Alexandra with - sympathy? - empathy? James wasn't sure how he felt. He felt almost detached from his boss's death, like his mind was just denying him the ability to be sad, angry, anything. As if everything was normal. He had been at the agency around a year, enough to get to know everyone, but he still felt a bit on the outside. Just a kid, he was to some of them. He had been asking to go to crime scenes and observe bodies, but so far the answer had been no. James had never seen a 'regular' dead person, compared to a murder victim. He was sure he could handle it!<br/><br/>Alexandra requested her coffee black. James knew what they all preferred, but he still asked, in the case that one of them might change their regular. He himself didn't drink coffee regularly. There wasn't a particular reason why. It just wasn't a ritual he held. Tommy, on the other hand, seemed much more strongly opposed to the stuff. Sometimes James brought him water or other drinks if he requested. James had considered bringing a random drink to Tommy, covered by paper, to see if he could use his abilities to determine what it was, but James didn't think he could ever pull off something like that.<br/><br/>After listening to Evelyn coffee request and Bert's amusing change of mind, James left the office space quickly and walked toward the table near the fridge and sink where they kept all of the necessary things for coffee, tea, and other drinks. Occasionally people put food like bread or baked goods in the fridge, but usually it was mostly empty save milk and cream. He wanted to be back as soon as possible, to avoid missing anything important. It was one reason he completed tasks that were separate from the group so quickly. He poured the coffee grounds and water into the machine and tapped his foot impatiently. In order to have something to do, he walked over to the sink to fill Tommy's water glass.<br/><br/>All orders filled, James returned to the office. His bad mood was lifted, as he had shoved his family business firmly into the back of his brain. He was good at that, but sometimes he slipped. People at the agency were clever, and he dreaded the day they learned anything about his home life. Work and home were defined by a very firm line in James' life. He passed around the coffees and other drinks. It was easy to keep them from becoming mixed up, as each person had a distinctly patterned cup. "Did I miss a rousing speech from our new boss?" he quipped, leaning against the wall and looking around the room. As he had come in, he heard Bert mention a police report, and natural causes. Something about Alexandra's father?