It's been a while since he had to deal with an ego like Naugus', but the break has given him time to process his past encounters with the mage. Hopefully it's given him the chance to learn from them.

"But if they needed caring for and you..." He stops in his tracks to choose his words carefully. "What if you were focused on more important areas than the maintenance of the gems? If you shared the task then you wouldn't be so much like a caretaker. It would be more like a joint responsibility with people who have the power to help with things like that."