"They're beneath both of us." He's already made up his mind on that front: Whatever the world thinks of Vex, whatever she thinks of herself, she doesn't belong here any more than he does. She's done nothing to merit the torments of this place.

And you hardly know what those are. But he's not planning to plumb the depths today. This is a pleasant conversation, one he doesn't intend to ruin.

"Quite sure," he adds, when she goes on. No doubt there are things she could say that would hurt him, but Percy doesn't imagine she will. And if she does - well, he'll likely deserve it, in that case. "You don't have to make anything up out of thin air, but if you've already got a complaint in mind, I might as well save you the parchment."