Nicola stared at James for a bit, not fully understanding what was going on. Silas, watching from the other end of the room, bitterly shook his head as it became clear to him that his chances with her were dwindling with every second that James was allowed to use his voice.
After a half a minute, Nicola’s eyes opened wide, and her mouth opened as if to speak. No sound came out, but after some struggling and stammering, she managed a single word. “..... J-J-James?”
The toad nodded, as Elspeth set him down on the floor in front of her. The witch then walked over to Silas, as the other two looked at one another in a mix of awkward silence and uncertainty as to what to say next. “Come, Silas,” Elspeth said as she gestured to the door. “Let’s let these two catch up.”
Silas looked as if he was about to protest, but he merely sighed annoyedly before following her out the door. Before she left with him, however, Elspeth gave James a reminding look that Nicola was too in shock to notice, and exited the room while leaving the door open for them.
“James..... I thought Elspeth sent you home???”
“..... She didn’t want you to worry. I didn’t. I had asked her to tell you that.”
James wasn’t entirely sure why he had said this. Elspeth had told him she would “own up to the fibs”, yet he had completely disabled that chance for himself. Was it because he wanted to get on Elspeth’s good side again as much as possible? Did he not fully trust her? A combination of both?
“James, you didn’t have to do that. I was so worried. I thought I’d never see you again.”
James felt slightly happy hearing that Nicola had been that concerned about him. However, this joy was short lived as Nicola asked more pressing questions he was forced to answer.
“Why couldn’t you talk like me? How can you talk now?”
“I forgot to ask to be given the ability to talk. Elspeth just realized that and fixed it. She thought I was ribbiting because I was..... committed to the role.”
“Did you ask to be turned into a..... toad?”, she asked in a somewhat confused tone.
James thought for a minute. Knowing very well that Nicola would eventually repeat whatever he said back to Elspeth or to Silas (the latter of which he was hoping she didn’t trust enough to confide in after he had lied to her about who he was), he chose his words carefully.
“Well, no. But it was my fault. I wanted to be a..... a dragon”, James said in an attempt to impress her. “Mistress Elspeth said it would be a bit dangerous and it might not even work, but I insisted and..... and; well. Here I am.”
Nicola laughed, quickly catching herself and apologizing. “Sorry. Don’t mean to laugh. It’s just..... of all things, a toad instead of a dragon. I mean, they’re both reptiles, but still.”
James didn’t bother correcting her on how one was reptilian and the other was amphibious.
Suddenly, Nicola went quiet. After seemingly composing herself, she asked in a very deadpan voice her next question.
“James..... does this mean..... you were..... watching me..... when Elspeth had me..... take off my..... my clothes? When she..... transformed me?”
If James could, he would have hopped out the nearest window. Unable to lie and say he wasn’t looking, which he very clearly had been, he could only bring himself to say one thing as he prepared for the worst:
“.......... yes.”