"You would probably have an easier time finding someone more compatible than I would!"

"You know, I kind of can't tell why you're arguing."

"At this point, no reason. Just for its own sake."

"Is that a mage thing or a you thing?"

"I think it's a mage thing in the sense that people who do this are disproportionately likely to become mages but I've always been like this."

"So the stereotype that mages are all obnoxious does have a basis in reality!"

"Most stereotypes do."

"So, uh. Thank you. Is what I'm trying to say."

"You're welcome." He looks at Magnhild out of the corner of his eyes.

"...what? I don't have anything to thank you for."

"Nothing, nothing. So you're going back to Juno?"

"I'm not going to drop months of work just because she finally pulled her head out of her ass, now I'm committed."

"I pulled my head out of my ass, is that what we're going with?"

"Would you describe it a different way?"

"Miss special princess finally deigned to step down from her pedestal and have a human conversation?"

"I have had plenty of human conversations with people who aren't as thick-skulled—"

"Oh that's rich coming from you, do you have a mirror—"

"So you're not dropping adventuring?" Vallynn interrupts to ask because once these two get going they don't stop until they run out of steam.

"Who else is gonna make sure the princess has a drop of common sense in her body if I stop?"

"Common sense, is that what you're calling going after a rank 2 bounty as you are?"

"Clearly I wasn't in any danger, now, was I? I'm just fine and I learned a lot, which is more than you can say. Have you even taken a single bounty since you left?"

"Not everything is field practice, and if you'd known that you wouldn't have—"

"I'm glad you're fine," says Vallynn because again. "And I'm down to go after more bounties with you again, if we're smarter about it."

"Oh, had you been under the impression that I was going to let you just sit on your ass here? I'm dragging you with me no matter what you say."

"It's a date."