"I quite agree," a little slyly, of better to learn from a person than a book; testing her weight as she moves, illustratively. She can't learn from reading about it the things she's going to learn from Araceli. (It's second-nature to be playful, to undercut a potentially politically dicey conversation with a light air.) "Ah - each Circle is unique. In Nevarra, mages are treated differently...we are respected. In some cases, revered. The Mortalitasi, my order, we occupy a position that southern mages cannot often rise to."

Vivienne is a singular creature. Benevenuta admires her.

A shrug- "But even in Nevarra, all Circles are not created equal, I cannot speak for those I did not know. My life began easier than many others, before even my magic."