"Wow. Okay, that's worse, why are you in hiding?"

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure? Probably because humans would freak out, and a lot of us are represented really badly in mythology. Plus they might - not think some of us are people, because I don't look anything like this in my actual form."

"How not-anything-like-that, like, are you more like a dark elf, or like a yokai, or like a dragon - please don't be a dragon."

"I'm not going to hunt or eat you. Dragons aren't extinct where I'm from, though."

"Thanks, I'd protest against being eaten," says Darren dryly. "Kind of tempted to geek out about dragons, but - those sound bad where you're from?"

"They - vary, but I wouldn't want to be alone with one in a bar, just in case."

"That makes sense. What's your magic like? Assuming you have some. I have some of mine, but I'm trying to learn more and it's really, really annoying how no one will teach it."

"I only know high-school level arcana so far," says Bella. "And I'm not even majoring in it, so I couldn't tell you much more if you'd caught me with a college diploma in hand. And I know no divine magic at all. Why won't anybody teach you magic? They could, you know, charge tuition, it's a racket."

"If I knew that I might be a bit more forgiving of it. Basically if you screw it up, bad things happen, it's kind of volatile. But, that's why you make good schools so people don't screw it up experimenting to figure out what works on their own."

"Yeah, wow, that sounds like a really unstable situation."

"It's kind of frustrating, yeah. I am teaching myself magic, and plan to publish things once I'm any good. So there's more to go off of than, 'Don't ever do magic ever, not even if you require it to make the items that let you go outside in public with opposable thumbs, and the knowledge to make more has been lost.'"

"You can't make more of your passing-for-human things? That sucks."

"Yeah. It really does. So I want to learn how, or at least get a system set up so we can collectively get to learning how."

"I wonder if there's a good way to get you something that'd do that from my plane? I can't think of an off-the-shelf product, but maybe an applied enchanter could come up with something."

"Maybe! What's your world like, anyway? It sounds like you have all kinds of magic. We just have the one."

"Uh, well, there's lots and lots of sapient species, but as far as I know none of them are winged deer. And there's lots of specialties of magic, but again, I only know high school level arcana and nothing about divine magic - I can tell you that at least those two things are both magic as opposed to, say, subtle arts, which technically aren't. Annnnd dragons aren't extinct? What do you want to know?" Pause. "I haven't introduced myself, I'm Bella."

"Oh, I haven't either - I'm Darren, nice to meet you! Just - assume I want to know everything, it's easier. What's subtle arts?"

"Mental powers. And telekinesis and pyrokinesis, for some of us. - I'm a subtle artist but I'm not reading your mind, I don't do it without permission."

"... Thank you, for not doing that, that would freak me out!"

"Yeah, no kidding. Most subtle artists don't read accidentally, but people worry so I tend to disclaim early that I don't have that problem."

"Makes sense. I've gotten weird racism for peryton's special snowflake ability, so I can relate. By the way, I don't eat hearts."

"I had not been going to guess that you did until you said that."

"Well, I felt like assuring you about it, anyway. Perytons get shapeshifting, to a specific person. When they eat their heart. It's extremely terrible, and I am never doing it."

"Good plan."