Jacques stared inquisitively at Nevin, noting the sudden appearance of surprise, which was quickly replaced by a look of thought. He smiled, still slowly sipping his drink. Listening closely as Nevin explained briefly his connection to the Crimson and how he knew little of the Tap, Jacques nodded slowly. It was all quite a bit to take in, mental notes being filed away into the recesses of his mind to be thought about later. Jacques swirled the remaining swallow of amber fluid left in his cup, staring into the whirling liquid as if it were hypnotic. The flickering light of the lamps above their heads played off his eyes, illuminating the startlingly green orbs. He contemplated the man’s statements for a brief moment.

“So. Blood magic. Odd. Interesting though!” Jacques said, shrugging. He’d just last week heard of a criminal who killed people by ripping their bones out of their bodies telekinetically. Blood magic wasn’t that bad. Thaynes be damned, it was interesting. “I’ve heard of blood magic several times. Everybody seems to think it’s some awful thing. I’d say magic is magic, so long as it’s not used to harm unduly.” Jacques continued, studying the scholar sitting before him. He pulled up a stool and sat down himself, downing the remainder of his drink and raising an eyebrow.

“And you say that normal mages can’t tap into your Flow. I’ve never considered myself quite, well, normal. Perhaps you’d be willing to work with me on seeing if we can make an attempt?” Jacques inquired, eyes questing for a shift in body language, a tensing or relaxing. “You see, while I am a normal mage thus far, there’s only so much droning of ‘the elements are to be respected, not abused. Pure sorcery is dangerous. Meddle not.’ that I can bear. I’d like to expand my reach beyond the normal, if that’s acceptable to your senses.”

Jacques stood once more, fetching his journal. He flipped to a page filled with drawing of simple and complex runes, ranging from abstract concepts such as fire to overtly specific designs meant to fill a certain area with fire if activated with a certain amount of pressure. “You see, the applications are nearly endless. Now in a purely theoretical sense, if it’s source of energy be it blood or not, there should be a runic formula able to be applied. The key is finding the right one.” Jacques said, a tinge of excitement creeping into his voice.

Jacques shook his head. “No, no. Excuse me. I got a bit carried away. Sorcery and magic is my passion, and it tends to drag me on.” He muttered scoldingly, mostly to himself. He reached for a bottle off the shelf, this one non-alcoholic judging by the label, and poured himself a glass. A dark red liquid flowed out of the bottle. Jacques chuckled at the irony of the color, before stoppering the bottle and replacing it. “May I at least ask for a description of this blood magic? I wish to provide some sort of satiation to my awful curiosity.”