Rose is all gentle patience as she waits for Pearl to give her feelings voice. Her warm eyes coax without pushing, and her hold around her hand remains grounding and firm.

But once the words have left her mouth in full, all Rose can do at first is blink.

"What?" One corner of her mouth curled upwards in bafflement, Rose's voice comes out oddly-pitched and a little breathy -- dangerously close to a guffaw. And then her shoulders are shaking as another, similar noise ripples through her throat, and another, and -- oh dear, she really is laughing. She can't help it.

"What are you saying? Of course it isn't! I just said, oh--" Rose manages out a wheeze between chortles before being overtaken by them again. It takes her another couple seconds to get the rest out. "--there's no comparison, didn't I?"