Dabbing her cigarette into a small ashtray, Valen extinguished it before glancing up with a broad smile; happy to see Brian even if he didn't seem so over-the-moon to see her. "It's around one PM; you're not in a hurry to get away now, are you?" she asked with a playful pout as she hopped off her desk with a swing of her legs and a light push from her arms. Despite her enthusiasm however her heart felt something more like concern as she noticed his completely worn appearance. Circling the boy she took his broad shoulders gently into her hands and began to lovingly press at them, attempting to massage the tightness from his muscles. "Loosen up Brian, you're far too tense," she admonished; a little curious about his glasses but believing it not the best time to bring in that spark just yet, especially while he was obviously so on edge.<br/><br/>And then Jacob appeared, looking like he'd been attacked by thugs; but that was how he always looked. Glancing up she smiled just as brightly, greeting her son with a cheerful, "Hello Jacob," while choosing not to respond to his request. She did comply however, feeling that she was just making things worse, and so resisted the urge for small talk or to peek into their personal lives. Instead, while still gently rubbing at Brian's shoulders, she asked, "Okay, I was going to go through the usual motions of checking your reports and progress but since you're both looking a little tuckered I'll simply ask a favour instead. I want you both to choose one short activity, anything you want, from squash, to swimming, to riding, for us all to do together in the next hour or two." Looking down at her watch she added under her breath, "And hopefully your sister will join us in time to also participate."<br/><br/>Glancing back to the boys she stopped the back rub and fell into a nearby chair, crossing her legs as she awaited a response before adding, with just the hint of a sigh, "If you like though, you can also just leave."