[It's an odd moment, being stared at with a gaze that seems to look straight through him, with a fire in her eyes that almost makes him feel itchy. Like he's being read--and he doesn't like it. She'd better be thankful he's such a collected guy, else he may have reached out to smack her if she'd continued the odd look before speaking.

He makes a face under his mask that she won't see, but she may see the way he cocks his head back with that almost shift of disbelief in his body language.]

'Friendship'? If that's what you're hoping from this, you're going to search in wilds unknown and find yourself wanting, if you want me to use your own impressive vocabulary against you.

[yeah he's read Shakespeare ok]

Magic isn't a construct that holds up in the place where I come from. As far as I'm concerned... 'magic' just just a fancy word for 'science' that isn't yet understood.

[Now he's just trying to play off that he agreed to let her cook him dinner.]