Who the fuck are Percy and Pierre, Lambert wants to know, but a look at Peridot’s broad grin tells him he’s better off not feeding any into weird conspiracy theories. Still, ‘complement each other so well’? ‘A near perfect team‘? That makes him crack a smirk, then finally laugh, looking away.

“We fight all the time,” he points out. Not exactly the stuff of romantic daydreams there, not by a long shot. Even so, there’s something nice about hearing someone say so out loud. No skepticism, no “why you?” — just an unequivocal acceptance and more enthusiasm than Lambert expected. It’s flustering ... but there is something that needs to be said.

“Nobody else really knows.” Yuya, Rita, and Cole do, but Cole is a massively creepy spirit and the other two are children and furthermore weren’t told voluntarily so they don’t really count. “So, ah, don’t go spreading it around? I would have said something but he’s kind of ... private.”