Wreath's injuries might have been a good distraction for everyone else, but Dex was still having trouble wrapping his mind around everything. Wait, so if Skulduggery was in love, did that mean that--but he was a skeleton--but there were probably ways that--maybe they'd been researching the Internet because you could find anything on there and--

"Please tell me you're not having sex." The words were blurted out before Dexter could even consider trying to stop them. Then, of course, he had to try and clarify. "Or whatever equivalent you can manage. I mean it's probably possible, with a bit of research, but that's just--"

"Vex, stop talking," Corrival ordered, and Dex thankfully shut his runaway mouth on his own words, his face flaming red. The healer was choking in the corner, though she had a good enough grip on her nerves that she hadn't stopped working either. Then again, that might be because she needed the distraction. Wreath was quivering suspiciously though, staring over her head and unable to contain the twitch of his mouth that was either disgust or amusement. Or possibly pain. Dex couldn't tell which.

He cleared his throat. "Just a friend. Some old sailor who talked like a proud daddy." He grinned suddenly, relieved and thankful for the distraction as he remembered something and dove into the pack hidden by the chair. "Asked me to give you this, Erskine. Catch!"

Quick as a snake he yanked out an auburn-furred teddy-bear and tossed it at the Elder.