"If it comes free with rank zero Witchery, can't I just summon another one if I lose it? Or like, summon the same one back to me I guess? Is there a cooldown?"

"You can but at rank zero this takes ten minutes so it would be a dueling liability."

"What if I rank it up?"

"Rank three and you can resummon it in an eyeblink! But, this counts as magic. You will have a bootstrapping problem in an emergency still. I know someone who had a wand implanted in her arm."

"Wait so like, if I do lose my wand, how exactly do I get it back?"

"You borrow something, or go home and get something. Tarot deck or crystal ball or backup wand, whatever."

"Wait, does it have to be a specially enchanted tarot deck, or just a regular one from like Barnes and Noble or wherever?"

"You would have to prepare it by magic in advance. My shop being a shop is mostly decorative but I will sell you some things and lend you my wand long enough to get ahold of yours and enchant your backup props, if you want this one."

"Hmmm... How many points does this one get me?"

"Six!"

"Hm, given my understanding of how valuable points are, that's pretty tempting. I think I may have to take this one, though I'll probably regret it later, but whatever. Katie wanty pointies."

"Into the shopping basket! One where you close off a particular school of magic for always?"

"Hmm. Probably not, but maybe there's one that's particularly uninteresting to me?"

"You cannot do all the elementalisms anyway, as you are not a sorceress; you could pick which ones you will do and restrict others. There are ways to get affinities for more so they are not forever locked away, without the restriction, but they are quite very inconvenient."

"How inconvenient?"

"Cosmic pearls are rare jobbies that can one time each make a potion to glue on a new affinity. As a neutral you have affinity for no elementalisms at all, and nonsorceresses get only one non-affinity elementalism; the other six will be closed as soon as you take one until and unless you get an affinity for it. Nature affinity would be most efficient, gets you three in one go because of some interactions - Naturalism but also Earthmoving and Windkeeping. So in the most probable story of your life, you will get zero cosmic pearls, or just one, and you will pick up one and only one of fire, water, psionics, and metallurgy; you could pick which now, restrict the other three, pick up six points. Or perhaps you never want to do demon summoning or hate the idea of having a familiar or are bored to tears by the sound of divination. - not point efficient to restrict a magic that is good for academics, though you can."

"Will wind let me fly? Are there other ways to fly? Because unless it's the only way to fly, wind sounds pretty boring."

"Wind will let you fly, breathe in space, and do lightning! But there are other ways to fly, most prominently Witchery, lets you turn your wand into a broomstick."

"Oh shit never mind, lightning and breathing in space sound cool. Earth and Nature sound like the next most boring ones, do those actually do anything cool?"

"I like earth but it is in my affinity so I have learned to; it is mostly what it sounds like, more ranks means more rocks; except some are surprised it means they can hit concrete from a skyscraper and bounce. Naturalism is plants and animals and mushrooms and such, talk to animals, greenest of thumbs, genetically engineer your organisms, by rank three be immune to natural infections. Rank four awaken animals or make ents or whatever. I made my giant butterflies myself this way."

"And how many points will the complication get me?"

"Two points for restricted magic. Did you understand me for sure when I said that wind, earth, and nature are the three you can avail yourself of later all at once by adding one affinity? Fire psionics water and metallurgy you would have to spend a separate entire cosmic pearl to get, each, after your first which you can get completely out of affinity."

"Yeah, I think I'll pass then. Planning to be immortal so I'll have time to get all the pearls eventually."

"Neutrals are not by nature immortal but many magics can do that at rank five."

"See, that would make me reconsider taking Neutral, but it seems like I'll be able to hit rank five before my natural lifespan is up. Hopefully before I even get any grey hairs. Which ones?"