"Oh, cool. We have lights made by engineering at home, but they look nothing like those. How do they work?"

"I'm regrettably no craftsman. Family politics rather made that impossible. I can put you in touch with one when we head in."

"Well, I'll have to meet someone like that at some point if I'm going to explain how tanks work, at least."

"Back in Eithel Sirion we have our share of capable craftsmen. I can shoe a horse, but a steel tank sounds beyond me. You know how to do it?"

"I couldn't make one, but I know enough of the principles that I expect it could be reverse-engineered."

"Then I'll summon them to come hear you out." He pauses for a second. "They should arrive tomorrow evening, with some more variety in food."

"Alright. I could try teaching you magic, in the meantime."

Another smile. "Sure, go ahead."

"...I've never tried explaining the sensation to someone who presumably has no point of reference. It's probably a good thing you're telepathic. It feels like this," and she thinks of three distinct yet closely related actions, "and, um, what's a good beginning exercize, which one do you want to start with?"

"Can we start with effort, as you said you favored it?"

"Sure. So--" she glances around for a convenient implement. "You've never done any magic at all before, so I'd want to start you on something really small--and it's best to start with something that no one will care if it's damaged, too."

"I could ask someone to bring us a plant? There aren't many non-essentials in these fortresses."

"Gratuitously damaging a plant seems wasteful and anything that wouldn't damage it would be too complex. Um, a random rock would probably work."

He nods. "Could someone bring us a rock?... Are plants scarce, where you're from??"

"No, but they're alive, and--they don't have minds or anything, if there's a good reason then there's no reason not to hurt a plant, but doing it just because feels vaguely wrong."

"All right." Someone knocks on the door and hands them a rock. He sets it on the table.

"Try pushing on it, like I showed you, to get it to move. It should be--" like this. "It'll probably take a bit, but you should be able to get it to work. And it it hurts that's a good sign because if it doesn't hurt then you're not succeeding at doing magic at all."

He concentrates. "Can you send again what it's like?"

She sends it again.

He concentrates again. The rock slowly starts moving.

"The more you push, the stronger the effect gets and the more it hurts. Anyway, Effort is my specialty, but different people have different aptitudes--you should probably try Sympathy and Conquest too."

"How are those done? Effort sounds like the one more natural to me."

"Feelings like that are usually accurate but it's still a good idea to try all three just to be safe. Sympathy feels exactly the same except you're coaxing instead of pushing, and Conquest the same except with commanding--" like this and this.

The rock scoots across the table again with Sympathy. Conquest takes a lot more tries.

Illia observes this. "Does Effort still feel more natural than Sympathy?"