It's not exactly clear if that's what happens especially since materia can occur naturally and it can reproduce. We don't know if using the lifestream does anything damaging to the essences or if it just gives these essences fewer pathways where they can flow. The only ones who could have answered that were the Cetra, but they are all dead. [Another can of worms entirely.] What is certain is the exploitation of the Lifestream could destroy the planet, funny thing human exploration can be.

[It's a very difficult question to answer, do these essences merely flow with the Lifestream like debris, does something in them replenish the Lifestream and in that case, the Lifestream would be using these essences anyway to create new life, or is it something else completely.

The only thing Reno could say with any certainty was that the Lifestream did keep the planet from dying and Mako Reactors sucked up that energy without recourse.]

Hm...family sounds complicated, business associates...that's so much easier to deal with, focusing on a job because it's your job without the nuances or having to shimmy around disagreements. [When it's work, you get over it and move on.

Okay so he does have friends and yeah he does look out for those friends but slapping a label on that shit and calling it something isn't Reno's style.]

So what's your magic then, or do you have any yet? [Call him curious, but he has a need to know.]

You hate demons, but they're not off the table for discussion, I'll keep that in mind if I have a question later, but I don't have much to compare them to or a frame of reference for what one is other than evil.

So if it's a good thing then wouldn't that make the tattoos a good thing? [or are the two unrelated? Reno's a gossip, he asks personal questions. You'll know he's feeling really gossipy if he starts asking you about who you like-like...but they aren't there yet.]