When she confirmed his suspicions and moved to hug him, he accepted it. He would not push her away, after all; he did not dislike her, and though he was a solitary person and unused to physical contact, it didn't exactly make him uncomfortable. It just put him on uneven ground, which, in some senses, he was more than comfortable with these days.

"You're too kind, Ruby," he said, and though he didn't think she would hear it as such, it was a double-edged phrase, for in his experience kindness could turn on its giver as quickly as an act of callousness. Still, if she was careful it could serve her well.

"I rather think a lip print would improve my countenance," he said, but allowed her to clean the lipstick off.