He nods, unwilling to relinquish the mug due to it being the only object he has to occupy his hands. So he sits and stares at it, thumb running absently up and down the curved handle, studying the material of the mug's design without much interest in defining what it happens to be comprised of.

Were Daniel in a state of more self-confidence in his oratory abilities he's certain he would be a fantastic conversationalist, but as it is he currently has very little faith in his capability to maintain a discussion that won't inevitably steer itself to one of two polarities, the first being yet another "thank you," words he's certain Seth is tired of hearing, and the second being, bizarrely, "sorry about all this". Also the previous, oh, dozen or so attempts he's made in engaging in excitable scholarly discourse resulted in him being glared out of the room, or everyone else leaving the room, or him being asked to leave the room in case the glaring was too subtle, and his hands have really tightened around this mug, haven't they?

Daniel hastily forces himself to relax his grip with a small start. Well. Whoops. What a wonderful, talkative guest he is.

"So," he says, a desperate attempt to put effort into words and talking as is polite and socially expected from most people, a reciprocation of discussion about one's personal life, sure, let's go with that since that seems to be the people's choice of popular topic today. "Um, what about you? In terms of, um, you know? Personal life?"

Oh, for want of a halfway decent segue. Spectacular, truly. Didn't he take a class, several classes even, on oral communications?