[ It's impressive how Claire simply had this all ready, almost as if she had been expecting company. It does give Tifa a moment of pause as she casts a glance around them, wondering if she's accidentally put Claire into some sort of awkward situation. Maybe she'd been waiting for someone else, but then Tifa came by and she'd invited her into her garden out of politeness.

Before Tifa can say anything about that possibility, Claire begins to explain why the use of magic had given her pause. There does end up being a reason beyond it being something foreign, and a frown takes over Tifa's expression as the explanation continues.

It didn't take much for society to find a reason to blame women for something, and Tifa doesn't hold back on a sigh as she takes a sip of tea, then adds a spoonful of honey to it. ]

It sounds like the whole magic thing was just an excuse to target people. I'm sorry you had to live through something like that.

[ Tifa makes a soft humming noise in response to Claire's question. ]

To be honest, I was also pretty surprised when I realized that just about everyone here can use magic. It didn't take me too long to realize that it would be helpful to relearn how to cast a few spells, though, and I was lucky enough to have people offering to teach me almost right away.

[ Other women, funnily enough. It's good to know that they can all look out for each other here, and Claire is just another example of that. ]