"You went and visited through the winter?" Spike asked curiously. The way she phrased it sounded like she'd been going on a fairly regular basis up until then. He knew she was excited about the tree and blossom, but he hadn't realised she was quite that into it. "I guess it looked a bit sad after that?" he asked quietly. Just the same stark brown branches against the white snow, no new growth or colours to see.

He rubbed his lips together, smothering a chuckle, as she repeated his words. At the same time though, there was a hint of colour flushing to his cheeks. There were some people he could just be himself with, and they wouldn't care...and still love him for it. Lottie was one of those people. She had an excitement that reminded himself of when he was younger, and in doing so, she brought it back out in him. He was thankful for it, given what else had gone on this year. "We'll bravely go where no-one has climbed before..." he added with a serious nod, followed by a broad grin.

"Why wouldn't she like you?" Spike asked, tilting his head to the side, causing his curls to fall in front of his glasses. He brushed them lightly away, and pushed his glasses back up his nose. Stupid things. The glasses, that is, not the curls. "She likes having girl friends..." he said, biting his lip. "Not that she has many." One, maybe. One that Spike didn't want to think about. It might only be Matilda that was holding that 'friendship' together.

He would have showed her, but for once Killy and Kranky weren't in his pockets. He'd left his frogs on his pillow in the Great Hall. Hopefully they weren't getting up to mischief. "I'm not sure," Spike said. "I think so. I rescued them together, so it's quite likely." But without testing their DNA or something he'd never know. "They certainly stick together as a pair." He'd never known one go do one thing, and the other something else. "And I'd never dream of splitting them up."

And whilst he'd been talking about his frogs, Matilda had made her move. A leg reached out to his hand from within Spike's curls, and soon the whole tarantula appeared. Spike smiled proudly. He always loved his best friend, but after two weeks of her molting and growing, it meant so much more to have her with him. He brought his hand down, and held Matilda out to show Lottie. Yes, he'd noticed her gaze had never left his hand. "Matilda, meet my friend Lottie," he said with a smile.

From where she'd been sat in his palm, Matilda stretched out in the direction of Lottie. Her new friend would say hello properly, yes? A stroke maybe, or even a hold?