"Oh. I think human magic is like people magic."

"You mean the local human magic is like the local magic for your race? You can't do anything alone and you have to get a bunch of people in a place together?"

"I think."

"Sounds a lot more complicated. But maybe that's good, no powerful dangerous people just roaming around being impossible to do anything about."

"There's stories about mage packs who do that."

"Yeah. I'm guessing it'd be harder on the whole but maybe coordinating a group of people isn't harder than finding one talented enough."

"Humans can be mage packs in twos. Ours have to be bigger or live in a town."

"Why's that?"

"Can't be alone."

"Why not?"

"Makes you go mad."

"Does anyone know why that is?"

"Because there's not enough people."

"Are you going to go mad?"

"...dunno."

"What happens if you go mad."

"I dunno. I never met mad people."

"Are you guys, like, psychically connected to each other? You can sense all the people of your race who are around, all the time..."

"...no?"

" - cause then it'd make sense that you go mad on your own, it's like you're missing part of your mind or whatever. What causes the going mad - is it being far away, or not interacting much, or..."

"Eating plums and stuff."

"Specifically plums?"

"Maybe it's a metaphor."

"Seems important to be clear on what they don't want you all to do."

"Things we're told not to."