"I suppose so," Gonou murmurs, gaze drifting down to the popcorn bowl as though he's very absorbed indeed in choosing a piece. He's not sure what IHOP is, but he's developed enough fluency in Eiffel to recognize when he's saying, You'll just have to tell me if you want me to know.

In the face of that, he'd be a liar if he stayed quiet, and not merely a coward.

"She was both my sister and my lover," he says at last, with the slightest drawing-in of his shoulders, the faintest protective gesture against the reaction he expects. Eiffel's not Jedao; Gonou seriously doubts he'll think it's swanky.