Penelope followed Percy to the couch and tried to maintain restraint. She felt the nearly uncontrollable urge to chatter on and on, and she realised she had been a bit starved for companionship. Most of the time, she enjoyed the quiet and her solitude, but everyone had a limit, and clearly she had reached hers.
Percy handed her a bottle of wine and she beamed at him. "Oh, Percy," she said. "You have always been so thoughtful. Shall I open it? Will it pair well with what you've brought?" she asked as she glanced at the label. It was a good vintage, too.