[ There's a slight pause. It's mostly Ange trying to determine if this is him trying to deter her - the words might imply as much, after all. But even though Ange can't exactly claim to know all that much about Astralin, she's pretty sure she's got a good idea of the other's general personality, at least.

And if she's right about that idea, it feels more like he's trying to make sure that she doesn't end up disappointed by getting her hopes up too high.

(Annoyingly considerate in a way she doesn't know how to deal with.) ]

That's fine. I'm not, but that just means I've already experienced the uphill struggle.

[ It's probably easier to learn magic when you're actually born with it, after all, than when you have to start from the ground up with something that's hard and unfamiliar, something that sometimes still feels like it's tearing you apart. ]

I'm not the type who gives up so easily, you know.