Merlin considered the bugs and grinned. "You know? I think you're right. Very nice." He grinned at her directly, then, bouncing on his toes and feeling a little bit good about this. He had tried a new thing, and worked with someone else, even! This was cool!

"Did you have someone teach you magic, or do you study on your own?" He had always avoided talking about magic, but since coming here, he had realized that he needed to know more and get better. And frankly, every magic user he met seemed more competent than he. Maybe not more powerful, but more knowledgeable. And that meant asking questions and trying to learn from answers.

"I'm trying to get better at mine. I never had any real... schooling." Of any kind, really, but, yes. As he considered her, he realized a second thing. She was kind of hot, also. And that was his cheeks going red as he realized he was staring. His eyes dropped and he nodded.