"It's cheaper and safer. Takes up less of your lifeforce. That's why I cast with a bow." 

"Hmm, good to know, and—This isn't the first time you mention 'lifeforce,' what exactly do you mean, there?"

"The energy you use to walk, to talk, to do things, that gets used up for magic." 

"Huh. I never got tired with the gendershifting thing, I think? It was pretty minor until I found the card, though."

"Gendershifting? It's worth trying to expand it, take it further than you have, or broadening the scope, trying to affect age or body shape." 

"With my own magic all I could do was, like, making myself look a bit more feminine or masculine, change details and stuff like that. I never used any magical artefacts or"—she glances at Alistair—"rhymed."

"The more elaborate and well-crafted a spell, the more effective it is." 

"You might find an artifact that suits you, or you might be able to use some kind of weaker focus, like makeup or jewlery or...watches? Something to match the gendershifting, so other spells might be cheaper too." 

"How do you craft a spell, or make an artefact, or a focus?"

"Most sorcerers don't know how to make actual artifacts, those are really powerful and usually ancient. Clans usually get them by trading with each other. Focii are much easier; you invest a certain amount of your lifeforce upfront, and later casting is easier. I can coach you through it." 

"That sounds cool. Are all spells—rhyme-y?"

"Rhyming spells are cheaper, but if you're in a pinch, and you can afford to waste the lifeforce, it's probably not worth coming up with something. Having some generic ones prepared helps a little, and generally, calling upon a specialty helps. By the 'power of the sun', or 'under the shade of the trees', or whatever."

"Yeah I'd kinda really enjoy it if you coached me through it, this sounds fun."

"Our family will be happy to help, but there are pressing concerns. If the cardcaptor is out there, and as incompetent as they seem to be, we have to focus on that."

"I know you and dad are working on that, but I bet Kit would help me train a newbie, he loves that kind of thing."

"Alistair, you know I love your uncle, but he can be a bit reckless. The girl needs careful instruction."

"She needs someone willing, who knows what they're doing. We can handle it."

"And I'm pretty systematic with experimenting! I have notes on the Change and all. Also I could help, if the cardcaptor is that bad. Once I have more of a grasp on this."

"Whoever they are probably doesn't mean any harm, that would be more obvious, and I think Clow was a brilliant sorcerer, he wouldn't make that kind of mistake. He's just the kind who would pick someone who needed a learning curve."

"Would he pick someone who would fail at this?"

"If he had all the powers the stories say, what looks like failure to us might be success in the long-term. There's just no way to know that he did have those powers. If the cards destroy the world, I would call that a failure."

"Yes, that's sort of what I meant. Unless maybe he was evil?"

"Everything we've seen makes it seem like he was a good man, but there's also...we think Clow lost control of the cards to a sorcerer who killed him. If that's true, if possession of the cards can be passed down in a way other than what Clow planned, it doesn't matter what he thought; his vision might not be as good as some sources claim."

"Oh. But weren't his cards sealed? What happened to this sorcerer?"

"The sorcerer suborned the cards upon killing Clow, and hoped to have them fall into the wrong hands. If Clow foresaw that, then there may be hope of the cards returning to their proper line of inheritance."