"Ow."

She brushes a bee off her calf, remembering a memory that doesn't belong to her about an actress and her talents when it came to insect kind and the choking terror that came from the girl who remembered her-- it's complicated, a bit, how Benji's head works. But here it works to their benefit. A black bird with its bright orange beak suddenly descends, shooting like an arrow between mermaid and dreamwalker, taking out a bee before it can wander in its trajectory for Shrieky's face.

His certainty and the apology in his glance has Benji hesitating, some reassurance in the shake of her head. She feels like she should try to communicate without talking, too, because it seems polite, but instead she sort of awkwardly explains-- "My aunt."

The bird, apparently. Or birds. Despite the speed of the boat jetting for the castle's island, another one, a sparrow, darts in to snag another insect out of the air, although the one-by-one nature of the attack probably isn't going to help against a potential swarm... unless it's a flock.