You with the sad eyes

"Oh, absolutely.  It can't go back to the way it was," Bethany wholeheartedly agreed.  Being freed from the former, overly strict Circle structures had allowed mages the chance to flourish for the first time in centuries.  There were always some bad actors, but with the falling of the Veil magic permeated everything again.  There was no containing it in the way they had before, no weaponizing tranquility, and while the Chantry could preach what they liked there was no returning to an overly cumbersome definition of a single line of the Chant.

"And we do have to work together for it to happen, for people to continue to see us as people.  That's part of why I want to do this."  An idea struck her, and she found herself starting to explain it before entirely thinking it through.  "You know, I know many of us are wary of the Chantry, and rightfully so, but maybe this is something we could approach them about locally.  In a way, it harkens back to the whole "magic is meant to serve" thing, just in a different way.  And the Chantry is supposed to help people."

Proposing it felt a little funny given events of the past several years.  She considered herself Andrastean, but she also couldn't stand for the atrocities that had been committed against mages in her name.  They were all fumbling through this new reality, though.  Perhaps a small olive branch wouldn't be such a bad idea.  Or, if nothing else, a way to feel things out.