Glancing at the pen he didn't know he had, Joe gave a small laugh and raised it a little towards Lala. "Merlin must love this highlighter," he said, by way of a well-meaning joke before he placed it back on the table, safe away from his reach.
As for his own belongings, he placed the worn manila envelope on the seat closest to him, after making sure it was clean, so he could concentrate on gathering the papers, make a smarter job of it. He waved at Lala vaguely when she went down with him. "Please don't bother, this was my fault. I'll clean it up," he said, stacking papers on the floor, bouncing them on it so they could find their heights and he could sort through their shapes and right them.