Hope was careful and wary. Her upbringing instilled in her from a young age that in order to survive, it was sometimes necessary to keep your distance. It was also necessary to have walls that were impenetrable to most people around you. It protected your heart and it sometimes saved those you cared about most from the follies that the name "Mikaelson" brought by association.
She watched him shift forms from a cat to an eagle and then to a lizard. He was not shy about his abilities, but if you were the original, true Merlin, why would you be? He was not human and not bond by human constraints, not even in form. Finally, a woman sat before her where Merlin had previously occupied. No, living with him, her, or it would not be easy and Hope wasn't sure if it was the right fit for her.
While she did not have an issue with magic, she was not inclined just yet to share her own magical abilities. That would have to come in time, when she felt as if she could possibly trust Merlin and found his story to be true. "No, I suppose living with someone who could be any animal, any gender, definitely would be difficult," Hope responded smartly. Everyone always said she was too smart for her own good, but that was another trait that came from her parents.
"Art is nothing compared to all of that," she added. "But it can be a good way to express yourself."