"Because a workroom keeps the magic worked inside the room locked inside," Bo said. "The others probably suspect you don't have magic, but you don't want them to know you're working on this."
                          
"Again, why do I need a workroom? The problem and the solution is the same. I don't have magic."
                          
"But you know how to use a mage's magic," Bo said.
                          
Maeno made an annoyed sound and rubbed at his forehead. 
                          
"Bo, you seem to be missing the part where I don't have magic so no one would be able to tell that I'm even doing anything."
                          
"They can and can't," Bo said with a wince. "But if you don't. It's..."
                          
"One of those things I have to experience to know?" Maeno asked.
                          
"Sure, let's put it that way," Bo said. "You don't want to go traipsing all about collecting only when you need immediate magic. And collecting magic at all is pretty amazing. The best I can find so far says that you can collect magic to use right away, but you can't collect for use later on, but..."
                          
"But?"
                          
"Hellfire thinks it's possible."
                          
"The Magi did it, so..." Maeno trailed off as he turned to Bo entirely.
                          
"You do know about the Magi, don't you?" Bo asked.
                          
"Nobody knows about the Magi," Maeno protested. "That's why they're just called the Magi. They might not even have been human. They could have been dragons for all we know."
                          
"And you think you can do it because the Magi could do it?" Bo countered. "Where did you even hear that?"
                          
"So, I can't do it, why are we here?" Maeno asked. "And myth says so. The Seven wiped out the Magi because they were too powerful."
                          
"I'm going to teach you how to weave pure magic. And that's not true. Since when can you carry on two conversations at once?"
                          
"Have... you met Naena?"
                          
The two of them stared at one another for a long moment before they snorted, laughed and looked away at the same time. 
                          
"The Seven didn't kill the Magic," Bo said. "The Magi just sort of... died off. And they existed before but also during the reformation of the university but they existed alongside Mason. It's a very confusing part of history. And carrying on two conversations is a mage talent, one you need to learn to really manage anything. Sure, she does it, but I thought it was because of her background."
                          
"Oh, it is. She'll be talking about dinner, drop a question in there about how you robbed the guard, then switch over to the coin inventory and then ask your plan for teaching yourself how to read."
                          
"That's a four-way conversation."
                          
"Have you not had that pleasure?"
                          
"Sounds like an attention problem," Bo said.
                          
"Most mages have attention problems, is something I've noticed," Maeno said with a motion around. "If I don't use magic, why do I need this?"
                          
"You'll be dabbling in actual magic, you don't want the others feeling the spells you create."
                          
"I can't even use a regular spell. Everything I do is pure magic."
                          
"No sacrifice because you don't have the spark of magic you need to trigger those kinds of spells."
                          
"Plus side is, I won't ever go crazy," Maeno said. "Won't cripple myself accidentally by reaching too far... or, you know, get eaten by a dragon I accidentally summoned."