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[credere]

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[magician_king]

"Well-"

Says Quentin, whose first impulse is to say 'absolutely not,' but that feels like asking for trouble when he's never actually seen one in action.

"I don't think so. You know I took down Alice when she was a niffin. It's objectively very dangerous, so if it jumped on me in my sleep it'd be fucked- but if you turned right now I could probably take you."

And, who incidentally will never develop strings, or turn out to be Grindelwald or Voldemort or any other kind of dark lord. Just Quentin.

[credere]

For better or for worse.

"That's - good. I mean, I'm sure there's a lot of other people who could, as well, but..."

But it's specifically important that he likely can't hurt Quentin.

[magician_king]

"Actually, I wouldn't think so. From what I can tell, you're top ten percent."

He says, because;

"You do have to be careful, which you don't need me to tell you- but when you can get your magic turned in the right direction, you're going to be one of those people we rely on to hold the barge during a fight, to keep the non-powered safe."

[credere]

Credence looks at him suddenly, right in the face - because he needs to, to know he's not lying.

"Do you - really think so?"

Every conversation so far about using his magic has boiled down to being about keeping people safe from him. Not from some external threat he might protect them from.

[magician_king]

"I told you once when we very first met that magic beats back the darkness. That a magician uses his power to break the rules of a world that has tried to break him. Magic can be the secret spring inside your chest-"

He says, looking him right in the eyes, and means this.

"You know I love it. There are so many reasons why."

[credere]

"Yes."

He's still reeling.

"Sorry, I just - nobody's said anything like that before? About saving people."

[magician_king]

"And I think you're going to be good at it. People who've been hurt make the best protectors."

In Quentin's gentle experience.

[credere]

"Oh."

Sometimes, when he's feeling particularly low, he goes back to the reassuring thought that Ma will never hurt Modesty again - but then he remembers he hurt her too, made her watch the Obscurus kill their family and tear apart their home.

"I - I'd like that. I'd like to do more than just...not hurt people?"

[magician_king]

"Hey," says Quentin, "if you want that, you can take other steps towards it. Ask Alec about setting you up with someone who'll help you in the gym, or teach you tactics."

He says, thinking for other ideas, other things to interest them.

"And there are books to read."

[credere]

"What kind of books?"

He's hesitating over why the gym would help him, but they'll get back to that.

[magician_king]

"Military tactics. Or stories about relationships where one person protects one another. Like-"

The Road, he wants to say, then his filter kicks in and he realizes he'd better not destroy his best friend. What's better?

"Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher."

[credere]

It's such a ludicrous title that it almost startles a laugh out of him.

"I might - get it wrong again. Like the last book I read."

[magician_king]

"This one's nicer. It's about a boy who pops into a shop one day and gets given a mysterious egg- and his decision to protect the thing he becomes responsible for."

He says, with a little smile. It's been a long time since he read it.

"It's part of a series. Jennifer Murdley's Toad, the Talking Skull, the Monster's Ring. But Jeremy Thatcher was the best one, if you ask me."

[credere]

"Okay. I'll, um - I'll see if the library has it."

He feels like he ought to redeem himself for his utter misunderstanding of his first attempt with a recommendation of Quentin's.

[magician_king]

"If you like it, let me know. I've got more like it."

He says, smiling warmly to think of all the books that might be in store for him.

[credere]

"Thank you. And, um - I won't say anything about it."

On the network, as he had before.

[magician_king]

"Oh, I didn't mind. Sorry people went nuts on you, I should have warned you that the content was really political."

He says, with a little wince.

"But this won't have anything like that."

[credere]

"Okay. That's - thank you. I guess I'm - still getting used to reading books that aren't..."

The Bible and related religious screeds.

[magician_king]

"What did you read back home?"

He wonders, realizing he doesn't actually know.

[credere]

"The Bible," he says. "And - Ma had some books about...witchcraft. She said that she wanted us to understand what we were - fighting against.

[magician_king]

"Hm."

Says Quentin, with a snort.

"Assume those are innaccurate, obviously."

[credere]

Credence can't argue with that.

"There's a lot in my book about - M-A-C-U-S-A that's...different," he says haltingly. "It says there were some wizards who handed in people to be tried, even though they knew they weren't - just for money."

[magician_king]

"You were telling me, about the reputation of the old Barebones."

Unless he's confusing two different things.

"That's them, right?"

[credere]

"Yes. They were - they called them Scourers. They hated witches and wizards even though they were...."

He still doesn't understand.

"I don't know how they could be like that."

[magician_king]

"Especially not from a book written from their enemy's perspective."

Agrees Quentin, eyebrows raising.

"You'e got to find a more even handed account."