"I should have brought something," he says warmly. "I've forgotten my manners."

Percy's already assumed that there's nothing more that can happen up here. Standing in Vex's room is simultaneously pleasant and awkward, a potent reminder of past trysts as well as all the affairs she's involved in here. The parlor seems more like neutral ground, and there's the possibility that they might be able to sit together on the couch.

"I'm surprised everyone here isn't blind drunk constantly," he adds. "It seems like something miserable is happening to someone, every time I turn around."