[Darin's face is still flushed. He knows that damn tone when he hears it! It's smug. She's got him right where she wants him and it's because of his own stupid, honest self. He can't even walk it back because Zelda is far too smart to fall for something so paper-thin! She'd likely nod along and smile, blatantly patronizing his excuses in that "I know how you really feel" tone of voice!]

[No, he's gotta mitigate this somehow.]

[Without another word, he sits up and stands, moving over to retrieve her bucket of toads. He returns and sets it down, then sits so the bucket is positioned between them. With a grin, he leans in with a clear, mischievous intent.]

You're right. I did give you a lot to work with, didn't I?

Now, it's your turn. Unless, of course, you're content to just let me experiment all by lonesome~

[That last sentence a clear challenge, said in the tone of "Unless you're chicken~"]