Magic very well is bullshit, but a kind of bullshit Russell can, somewhat, wrap his head around. With the conversation taking a turn to the scientific, with technical planning beyond a level he can follow, he reaches in his bag for another bag of trail mix and starts nibbling on it while they talk.

"...The river mouth. Right. Didn't Mary Ann say... You said it's right under there? Can't be a coincidence you both had something." Russell glances back the way of the tunnel. "I think everyone's gotten something from the smaller mice, by now. Was it... Was it when you started climbing, or when you reached some specific point, do you think?"