Autor nods and clears away her hot chocolate mug. He offers her a glass of water to clear her palate and then turns to assemble a tea ball for her--not lavender, but the same mix she had the first time they baked croissants.

Teacups in hand, he turns back to her and shakes his head. "Well, that's rather deterministic, and I bet Others shoulder the blame," he says. "No wonder humans discriminate against them. What is it about the Other blood that warps a human's magic-handler's child? I've been studying this, but it still seems odd to me that a person would genes would have that much an effect."