Okay, that was it. There was all this hand-touching and it was nice so he was doing something about it. Before she could draw her hand away, he held onto it, clasping their hands together. Awkwardly, given he only had three fingers, but gently. It was a hand clasp of camaraderie, warm and reassuring.

"Well if Leo's gonna be there waiting to kick my butt if I'm out of line when I get back, I need to make sure I stay in line until I get there, right? And if a lot more time passes here than there, there's a lot more trouble we can get into before we ever get back. So I'll watch your back, you watch mine, how's that sound?"

He gave her hand a squeeze. "Because I'm definitely sensing friend material here, and at this point, I know I'd at least trust you in an invasion of killer clowns, which I think really says a lot about a person. You clearly have a level heard on your shoulders: you know not to poke around the big tent that fell from space, not to eat the acid cream pies, and to outrun the popcorn gun. Also, you can basically set things on fire with a magic stick and your mind. I just feel like you're well qualified to watch my back. Anyone you could probably survive a horror movie with is someone you can probably trust to help you out."

The smirk he shot at her was indeed a smirk but it was still somehow warm and genuine and kind, like his way of beaming out kindness was always through smirks and smartass expressions. That was because the brunt of the smile was all in his eyes, green and sharp and twinkling with a sort of mirth and sincerity all at once.

"And I know all that stuff, too, plus I'm a ninja, so I feel I'm equally qualified to do the watching your back thing."