Given he's already made a fool of himself with innuendo both intentional and un-, Barcus opts not to question deep pressure. Instead, he commits it to memory and makes a faint humming noise of acknowledgment. He can't help but recall part of the pitch of him sitting on Ashton's shoulder was so they could cross the room without getting lost in the crowd, and now they're just...standing here, enjoying touching one another? Which already makes for a nicer evening than he anticipated.

The lean feels like a hint, and so he gamely runs his fingers over the crystals, in the clefts between the points. "They look like amethyst, only with less pleochroism. Hmh. Amethysts usually form around volcanoes or hydrothermal vents. Maybe that says something about your hot temper, you think?" Teasing. He hasn't really seen evidence of Ashton's temper as of yet, except for the references to punching.