One of the most positive changes Reed had made in Emerson's life was that being around him allowed Emerson to loosen up. He'd always had a more easy-going personality than his parents would have liked, but he still had been instilled with the proper upbringing that other purebloods in his social circle were brought up with. That was why he spoke in the manner that he did and ultimately why he was so naive to a lot of things. It was why he'd seen the Muggle world through a child's eyes initially. But being able to just relax, and not have to sit up perfectly straight or use the right fork for every course in a meal was really refreshing.
His response to Reed's remark about the bubbles was a good example of how much he'd relaxed since coming here. At home (while he never would've been cleaning dishes in his own house), his mother would've said an excess amount of bubbles would've been a ridiculous waste, and in turn Emerson probably would've agreed (though secretly he would've been admiring the iridescent colors shifting in the bubbles). But with Reed, he just smiled. "You're absolutely right. I don't know what I was thinking." He tipped the dish soap over so more of the liquid dripped out into the sink and then flipped on the faucet so the water started bubbling up twice as much as before. Emerson dipped his fingers into the bubbles and reached up to dab them on the tip of Reed's nose. "Now you're clean."