“I did not say to hide it from me,” she reminded him as her eyes continued to make sense of the clues around her. “I have some theoretical understanding of the topic but no practical experience.” Her curiosity had acquainted her with magic best left to books. There was dark magic in astronomy, and curiosity had taken her there. She thought about her orientation to this discovery. She knew that Samuel had some experience with blood magic; he wore the proof across his skin. She hadn’t run from him upon discovery. “I dislike the binary approach to magic. It is too simplistic to separate magic into good and evil. It seems that our magic is in our blood, somehow. It stands to reason that we could harness that same magic outside of the body. There’s nothing inherently unethical in its use. As long as it is freely given, why not?” She voiced her thoughts as she considered the cavern around her. He’d answered the most important considerations before she had them. He wasn’t giving this power to children, and he wasn’t forcing his magic on her. It was her decision to know more, if she wished. Themis had never rejected an opportunity to learn in her life.
“Does the blood’s source impact the quality of the magic? Would your blood produce a different sort of magic than mine? If the blood in your veins is the same as the conductor, does it serve as an amplifier?” Magical creatures. They were magical creatures. She looked back at Samuel and considered him as such. He was a primal force beautifully contained in a human form. His magic seemed like an extension of himself, a medium he could mold like clay. That his strength was blood magic felt right to her. Samuel was a creature of fire and the earth. The cavern around them didn’t suit her, but Samuel seemed carved from the stone around them. He was meant for dark, tangible things beyond her understanding. She was almost jealous at the thought. She considered the change in his posture between here and upstairs. He was still wound tight, but there was confidence in his voice: ownership. He cared about his craft; he took pride in it. He was at the top of his field and took the time to invite her into his world. She was an amateur, fully aware she stood before a master. It was as humbling as it was attractive. “This fuels you.” She observed, the revelation further endearing him to her.
“Does the blood’s source impact the quality of the magic? Would your blood produce a different sort of magic than mine? If the blood in your veins is the same as the conductor, does it serve as an amplifier?” Magical creatures. They were magical creatures. She looked back at Samuel and considered him as such. He was a primal force beautifully contained in a human form. His magic seemed like an extension of himself, a medium he could mold like clay. That his strength was blood magic felt right to her. Samuel was a creature of fire and the earth. The cavern around them didn’t suit her, but Samuel seemed carved from the stone around them. He was meant for dark, tangible things beyond her understanding. She was almost jealous at the thought. She considered the change in his posture between here and upstairs. He was still wound tight, but there was confidence in his voice: ownership. He cared about his craft; he took pride in it. He was at the top of his field and took the time to invite her into his world. She was an amateur, fully aware she stood before a master. It was as humbling as it was attractive. “This fuels you.” She observed, the revelation further endearing him to her.
![[Image: Bka0H0x.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/Bka0H0x.jpeg)