Kanimir is, as he often is, sitting in his library enjoying a book on magic and pondering theoretical innovation. He has an idea; he writes it down. It probably won't pan out, most of them don't, but it might.
Hmm.
He murmurs something else under his breath, and then says, "Excuse me, who are you?"
"The skylight is of relatively minor consequence; it can be repaired easily. What is Penumbra and why are the two of you here?"
"Exploring for a purpose or for the pure joy of the frontier? What are the characteristics of a Penumbra?"
"Yes, obviously. Am I mistaken in assuming she is inherently magical in some way? She certainly seems to be."
"She is inherently magical in a way I am not currently familiar with, and I am familiar with a great many kinds of magic."
"Elementals have a lot of one or two elements of magic and mage humans have some of three or more."
"Which elements are in use and what you're trying to do with them and... how much capacity you have? And if you're a human you can borrow capacity from a - helpful elemental."