"He pointed out a couple to me as well." There's a beat. He could be aloof. He could keep distant. It would be safer, really. But safe has never gotten mages anywhere, and it's certainly never gotten him anywhere either.

"I'd heard the word before, whale, but never imagined the size of them, the scope. I feel like sometimes, if mages could get a chance to see things that large and know how much larger the world is, they'd not want to go back to the walls that held them."

...Okay, maybe he shouldn't have taken it political, but his words have a habit of running away from him. At least his voice is friendly, that should... something? He has no idea.