"I didn't doubt that for a second." Pearl so rarely says things she doesn't mean, after all -- and least of all to her.

Rose tilts her head to look at her, though with how close they're pressed together the most she can glimpse is the corner of a sharp jaw. There was plain vulnerability in her voice just now, and it makes Rose hesitate for a beat -- before she takes a single step back, just far enough to cup Pearl's chin and redirect her gaze towards hers.

She holds it, steady.

"You know I love you the way you are, don't you, my Pearl?"