"So it's pretty silly to think about you and him in that way," Vax concluded. "...Mildmay isn't 'violet,' is he? Not that there's anything wrong with that," he hastened to add. "I just didn't get that vibe from Mildmay, was all."

Simon, being an intelligent snake, who rather liked attention, took this as encouragement to headbutt Corbie's finger twice more for good measure.