Mages are scary folks. That's all it is. You could turn into a monster any minute, and even if you don't, you could turn Haelan into a monster or something nasty or just kill him without even touching him. That's frightening. The fact that Mages are now running around without Templars to shield the populace from them is just... it's something people can't help be nervous about. It's like letting a whole pack of tame wolves loose. They might be tame, but they're still wolves.

The smile and excitement over books... maybe that goes some way to making Haelan relax. Books aren't his cup of tea, mostly because although he can read, he has to use his finger and sound out most words still. But the childish pleasure the mage in front of him displays is at least endearing.

Haelan's head tips slightly to one side, listening and sort of understanding. He knows about choke points, if only because Kirkwall is full of them, and they're useful to work. Battlefields are another thing exactly, but he doesn't interrupt the mage, letting the elf continue. That is, until he says interesting possibilities which is when Haelan's attention is really piqued.

"Such as?" He prompts. Magic is scary, there's no doubt about that. Mages are dangerous and it's a foolish thing to get too close to one doing any sort of spell work. But then again... it's also really fascinating. If he plays his cards right, maybe he'll get a demonstration.