He was pleased the insult, unintentional as it had been, had sailed over her head. That was one of Winter's most endearing points: her undying naivete. It was just as charming as it could be frustrating. But Gareth liked it.

He listened to her philosophy with a hopeful smile on his face. It turned into a big grin as she giggled, fixing him with those striking yellow eyes. "You think a lot differently from my teacher," he remarked. "She was all about magic being important only because it's used solely where it's needed, never for frivolous things... although frankly, she and I had different definitions of 'frivolous.'"

He snapped his fingers (quietly!) and sent up a shower of sparks. "But I always, I don't know... kind of liked the flashiness of even the simple stuff."

"Do you... would you mind telling me about that? When magic made your life better?"