Totally commonplace, [ Matt agrees, with a hint of wistfulness. He'll never forget watching as Sebastian conjured the Atharvaveda for him from the shadows, right out on the street. People didn't so much as stop to look. ] But in your case, was the mixed perception because people who couldn't use the Arts didn't understand them, or because people used them badly and gave them a bad reputation ...? Or a little of both?

[ He isn't trying to avoid talking about home on purpose. But maybe he wants a little more time before he delves into it. ]

Or something completely different.