He's about to ask if Persephone is okay, considering she sounds quiet- but then she squishes his cheeks, and he blinks.

"I am?" His voice is a little muffled, at least until she pulls her hands back from his cheeks. "What have I done?"

He doesn't quite realise how he comes across when he's talking about Emet-Selch, admittedly. But he has never found any reason to hide how he feels- except for perhaps playing off anything too obvious as just greatly admiring his friend. Which works, really. After all, he admires Azem too, and he's just as relentless in his praise for her.