Why did Mr. Rand's looming and smirking feel so disruptive? Who went away for half a decade and seamlessly reconnected with an old friend like that anyway? There should have been less touching, more hurdles, couldn't he be bothered to grow as a person in his amazing, incredibly important adventure? Oh, but clearly Colleen had stagnated without his influence, he was an irreplaceable teacher.
This party must have been making Jasper edgy. He glared intently at the alcohol selection, getting his bearings and reevaluating his discomfort, incrementally placing that energy from Mr. Rand that felt to abrasive to him. Overconfident, overfamiliar--they weren't exactly twins, but Jasper suspected Mr. Rand had more in common with Mr. Stark. "Rye," he guessed suddenly of their selection, fairly sure with a thumb up for Mr. Rand to approve, then to Colleen, for whom he did struggle for a moment against the context of the party until he came up with a much more vague, "Shots?" He was losing his confidence quickly, maybe he shouldn't have gotten them alone. Bending to check behind a row of bottles, he added curiously, apropos of absolutely nothing, "Was your time away from us as long for you, Mr. Rand?" Not that this was an interrogation.