"Mingling isn't the word I'd use.  I've helped a handful of mages escape to the north while I've been free.  Thane became a friendly face at the end of the pipeline.  Reliable and helpful."  She tried to explain.  She was sure it was obvious what sort of feelings he might have for her, but they had always been unrequited.  There had actually been a few men like him, that found her attractive and wished for more, but she had always kept them at arm's length.  The way Ellion looked at her now, she wondered if it had been a mistake.  It wasn't until this moment she realized she had truly been waiting for him.  She had kept them at bay on the sub-conscious hope that they might see each other again.<br/><br/>"And no, they don't.  There are those that still use blood magic within the Imperium, just as some do here, but it is banned through the empire."  There was an evident air of frustration about her, because she wondered if this was how he saw her as well.  A mage consumed by darkness.  It was what the Chantry commonly taught, that any mage teetered on the balance between this world and the fade.  "Thane likely just wanted to ensure I was safe.  He tried to keep my from returning to the Tower, he was certain he could garner the support of some magisters...I refused.  Whatever he has done, I believe he is acting with his best intentions..."<br/><br/>She sighed, some of the frustration went out of her.<br/><br/>"Do you believe that of all mages, Ellion?  Or just those from Tevinter?  That we're all ready to murder an innocent in order to avoid inconvenience?"