"I would love your company. Truly. It's no fun to make your surrogate big brother miserable by yourself all the time. Sometimes I need knew ideas to make him miserable. I mean seriously... he's like an angry cabbage that begs to be prodded." Pausing, she smiled to herself at his concern of being thrown over. "Regardless of what he may wish to do... He'd have to throw me over first... And We could figure out how to tame a shark and ride it to shore. I always wondered if I could charm one." It was a sign of someone too old with too much time on her hands that she'd even come up with such a thing. Granted, Magna had a knack for the strange and grandiose.

In the end, she really did like to find the good things in the moment to focus on. Make something exciting that really hadn't been a good scenario to begin with. Like Ragnor's unending pessimism over Alec. And well... life. "And either way, I'd save you, so you'll be fine. I'm actually a good swimmer, I just don't care for water. But if you're afraid of something, you should learn to conquer it, right?"

The admission was strange likely, but for a girl nearly drowned by the hands of her stepfather it made sense. She learned even if it terrified her at first. That and being far more catlike than planned didn't help. Yet, a small smile pulled at her lips as Alec said he didn't want to mistreat a lady. "I don't think you would ever mistreat me, Alec. If you did, I would never believe it intentional. Even that, I doubt will ever happen..."

Sighing dramatically she laughed. "Nonsense. A good host lets the guest have the bed. I'll not hear any argument. I have a wonderful couch. I'm perfectly fine sleeping on it. Final." Giving him her best 'no argument' look, she fought off the desire to smile at his almost fidgeting when their eyes met. Lovely as he was, his eyes and the emotion he tried so hard to guard behind it really did far more to her.

Which was why she spaced out when she finally pried out of his sight. After healing a bruise, she'd not even realized that one hand pressed to her chest as though to keep her heart in its place. In fact, it took a moment to realize he'd asked a question. "A little over a day." Of no sleeping or bathing as she sat by his bedside waiting. She'd noted how lovely he was then and what a shame it would be to lose someone that stood out so much...

Now she was even happier he survived. "It felt longer than that."