Same deal.

"Maybe we should try writing the whole phrasing down in English and seeing if that helps, since just the one word doesn't seem to?"

Willow and...

...Juniper do just that.

Maya times it, as she has been careful to do this whole time.

Once again, same results.

"Okay, so, just writing it doesn't seem to work."

"At least with pen and paper. Perhaps the material makes a difference, but I'm not sure we should spend too long on this route if, like, chalk doesn't work, especially since what's-his-face apparently used the paper, so." Shrug.

"I wonder if we can cast on the actual paper? Maybe there's something, like, charging it up?"

"Do you want to compose a chant for that, then? Presumably it needs a chant to charge if it can charge, unless we can just… direct magic at it somehow?"

"Hmm... Let's try without, first? Writing it and... meaning it, the same way we do with spells?"

Well, Willow can't help there.

But Juniper can! She writes 'wind' on a piece of paper while "meaning it," whatever that means...

...and the piece of paper ripples a bit in her hand. "Okay, I think this actually did something."

Maya tilts her head at it and notes down the results.

"Does it ripple if you try writing, like, 'I'?"

She tries. "It doesn't."

"What about 'see' – as in 'to see' – and 'sight' and 'light'? It might be important what words it ripples on. Oh, and maybe someone else should try writing the ones that fail in case it's a mana thing or it varies between people or something."

Tyler volunteers to write if desired.

'See' and 'sight' don't work, 'light' does.

And if Tyler tries the same words?

Same deal.

"Okay, so now we should probably re-try the spell with one of the charged words and see if that improves how long it lasts or makes the flight better or something? And also see if the Chinese words work when written with intent, and see if you can vary how much energy you put in, but first things first."

Maya is ready with a timer for when Theo starts.

And Juniper hands him one of the papers.

So he takes it and recites the shortest phrasing!

And he gets finer control over his movements than he used to have! Plus, the spell lasts longer. Quite a bit longer, actually, at least as long as the longest phrasing.

Also the paper's consumed by invisible flame and is destroyed.