"You have nothing to apologize for," was both kind and sincere. "I agree with you that it's an idea worth pursuing. And I think the perspective of someone seeing the situation with fresh eyes will be valuable in it, for what it's worth. Mages who grew up here, we all carry ... particular experiences that shaped us. It leaves a particular shape."

He glances around the room they're in. The remains of that life. It's striking that Ness sometimes struggles to picture it, and when he was her age, he hadn't been able to picture any meaningful alternative. On which note, he resumes, quieter:

"For what it's worth, it took me a long time to even get to the position of abandoning the Circle system, personally. And part of what held me back was that I'd seen the aftermath of magic gone wrong personally. The rebellion here involved blood magic and abominations," plural, "and it came very close to wiping us out before they could even bother to annul the Circle. I've changed my thinking on the future for Thedosian mages, but not because I've forgotten the ways that magic can go lethally wrong. I think we will need to work through safeguards for accidents, yes, but ... if you are talking to rich natives who aren't mages themselves, they're going to ask what about abominations early." They might even mention Uldred by name, if they're in Ferelden. "It's something we should think about in this project."

He doesn't speak as if it's something she should have known before, but as if it's something she'll need to factor in. If (when) they move forward.