"Oh." His first thought is so much the better. The sheer number of humans here has yet to stop feeling strange and a bit unpleasant to Percy; there's something about the monotony there that's a little unsettling, though he hasn't been able to quite put his finger on why. "I'm surprised I haven't noticed him around, then."

Near misses, nothing that rises advice the matter of filling the silence with chatter. He realizes he's run out of things to say about Vax's new paramour; everything else he could ask feels like prying, or like he'd be better off directing the question to Vax himself. Not that he's above a bit of prying, of course, but in the moment, when his presence here is that of a guest, he thinks he'd better not.

It feels masochistic to press the subject further but cowardly to avoid it - and if he does avoid it, he's going to be eaten up with wondering. Clearing his throat a bit awkwardly, Percy forces his own hand. "And have, er, have you found someone like that?"

God, does he hope not. But if she has, he should know sooner rather than later. It might save him the indignity of confessing feelings she no longer shares. It'll definitely save him the misery of staying up all night, trying to game out every possibility.