[colour=gold]“Cute, really cute. Maybe I said that wrong. My bad. But I also know that you’re not an idiot, Mary, so you know damn well what I meant. At no point did I say that I was doubting what I was seeing. All I wanted to know was how did Kanoa come by all this knowledge. There is no way in hell that that is an unreasonable question,”[/colour] Maxwell said calmly, shaking his head in disbelief that his comment was being taken with such hostility. He had thought that he had been quite reasonable, his intention having been to simply calm the tension. Instead he had managed to inflame certain members. He guessed that something must have happened between Mary and Kanoa to invoke such a response. Not his business. 

[colour=gold]“So as inspiring as the whole magic tree house is my point still stands. After we’re done with this little adventure I want to…you know what, never mind. I’m not going to argue with you,”[/colour] he said coldly. [colour=gold]“But I’m not going to apologise either, so let’s just leave it at that,”[/colour] he said, taking the potion carefully from Kanoa and holding the vial up to the light, before dropping the potion carefully into his jacket pocket. The sight of gills on Kanoa’s neck made his own neck itch. He endeavoured not to give in to the sensation, which only made it worse.

It was as they approached the lake that August seemed to lose it, as if some mental dam had just burst, releasing everything at once. Maxwell had no idea what had happened, or why, as he had spent next to no time alone with her, never mind in conversation. In short he knew nothing about her, save for her ability. Not that it would have mattered either way. As was his natural inclination he immediately moved toward her but stopped before he reached her. It had been his intention to reach out toward her but her words stopped him dead in his tracks. She was deadly serious. He could hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes. So instead of going any closer he knelt down in front of her a good distance away, well outside of arms reach.

He smiled warmly at August. [colour=gold]“Well then, I guess I'm on guard duty again huh? There’s no way I'm leaving someone up here on their own, even if they tell me too.”[/colour] Maxwell stood up and put his hands in his pockets, a gesture to show that he wasn't going to try and touch her in any way, shape or form. [colour=gold]“If I get too close don’t hesitate to tell me to piss off, k? I'm not that easy to offend.”[/colour]