I have a friend who lost an eye. Then she got a fairy eye, but, um, that didn't work out great. The Fairy Queen was spying on us, it was a whole thing. [Quentin made a face and then laughed.] Wow sorry I do tend to ramble nonsensically. [He's tightly wound on a good day, but he really needs to get his shit together if he's going to survive this situation. He really is trying this whole 'wanting to be alive' thing.]

Yeah, the gestures are how we're harnessing the energy, it's part of the spells. Some magicians can do it without, but that's a mastery level and rare. [Quentin is still a young magician, despite everything he's been through. He didn't even graduate Brakebills, it all went horribly wrong before that was possible. Highly gifted, only barely trained.] If we have potions or magical items though, that can be used differently.

[Quentin sighs, making a gesture in the air that would normally do the minor mending that became his natural mastery gift. It was such a tiny specialty but it still seemed right.] I used to dream of like, easy firebolts and flying and magic is still really cool, it's just a lot harder than the fantasy books I love say.

[He puts his hands down.] What about you? Are you used to the supernatural?