"Okay, so it is a staff +5 of card slaying. Can it break? Or run out of charge? Or does it consume mana? What makes a card truly someone's? Can a card belong to two people?"

"The staff can't break and it doesn't have a charge. It's just there to help. For a Card to be yours you capture it and write your name on it and become friends with it. Cards can only belong to one person."

"Uh." Temple examines one of the cards. "Will they stop working if I write my name with a pencil and then erase it with an eraser? I mean, how resistant are those things? Could I use a sticker or something?"

"You can only erase your name if you really mean to give the Card up."

"Okay, but that is only half the question. Are the cards hard to erase or tear?"

"Yes, they can only be destroyed by magic, and only very strong magic."

"Okay, convenient. What did you mean with they always return to me if I own them? Also, does this mean I could do something like lend one for a pre-specified time?"

"You could lend it indefinitely, if you told the Card you were lending it."

"You said he had to keep the Card still for long enough. How does that work? I mean, how do you keep, like, fire still or something?"

"...um. I—it's the job of the cardcaptor to figure this out."

"Splendid."

"Magic?" Temple thinks out loud. "Other cards? Actually, how much do you know about the cards?"

"A bit?"

"Okay, how much do you know about the fire card? Is it vulnerable to water or cold? Or maybe lack of oxygen?"

"Yes, all of those things."

"Is wind capable of removing the oxygen from the surrounding air? Or surrounding the fire with a gas we provide?"

"Yes, the only Cards as powerful as fire are the other elements."

"Oh, okay... And I think we got off track by this line of questioning and should figure out more actual cardcaptor stuff instead of card capturing stuff. Do you have any idea of how much the cardcaptor contract affects the other kinds of magic and the benefits? I mean, usually when I cast my own flight spell it lasts like 8 minutes, would becoming a cardcaptor shaving that down to 7 minutes or 10 seconds or what?"

"It wouldn't change anything about that."

"Than what would change?"

"How easy it is to do."

"In what sense? Would my energy reserve end up lower and I wouldn't be able to cast it as often or the act of casting would require more concentration? Something else?"

"Yes, you won't be able to cast it as often."

"Any idea how less often? So far it sounds like someone should be the cardcaptor if only because of the benefits of the staff."

"I don't know. It also makes Cards more powerful when you use them and you can use them better."