Lyra followed Finrod to the clearing, her cheeks still tinged with embarrassment over her failed attempt at healing magic. [i]Note to self: practice that more,[/i] she scolded herself inwardly, resolving to hone her skills once she had some privacy and access to some magic books. 

She ignored Finrod's nod toward her own log near his, plopping herself right next to him on his, and waved off his compliment with a self-deprecating grin, her cheeks flushing once more. "Oh, that? It was nothing, really..." she muttered, her gaze flickering nervously to the ground.

Her attention was drawn to Finrod as he effortlessly conjured flames with a flick of his hand, a display of power that left her in awe. [i]I wish I could do that,[/i] she thought wistfully, suppressing the urge to ask him to teach her.

"So, a fellow member of the magic arts?" 

She nodded, determined to impress him and alleviate her former mistake, holding up a finger for him to be patient while she closed her eyes and focused on her next spell, her brow furrowing once more with concentration.

With a flourish of her hand, she attempted to cast Raise Zombie, a spell she had practiced extensively on small animals in the past. However, her confidence faltered as she sensed the presence of the nearby dead rabbit, and her spell went awry. The bones of the dead rabbit she had chosen raised from the ground before them and rearranged themselves in a grotesque manner, a shape nowhere near what a rabbit should look like, with all the parts in the wrong places. Then, the creature released an agonized screech, collapsing to the ground in a heap and eliciting a horrified gasp from Lyra.

[i]Great[/i], she thought, her cheeks burning. [i]He definitely thinks I'm an idiot now.[/i]

But there was no time to dwell there, as she watched Finrod closely, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "We can't avoid the topic forever,' she said, her voice tinged with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. "You saw something too, didn't you? Tell me what it was."