"What you see is not the rawest form of magic, but rather a condensation of intricate rituals which correspond directly to functional arcane aspects."

"It's nothing like any kind of magic I've ever heard of before. I'm almost surprised they use the same word. For that matter, there's never been a Translator talent, and I have no idea how one would work if there was..."

"Perhaps it is merely that they use similar energies. After all, your door left residue that my analysis recognized as magic."

"I'm not sure if that makes any sense either. They're so different."

"How much do you actually know about the theory of your magic?"

"I'm not sure what you mean..."

"Why it does what it does."

"I'm not sure anyone knows why."

"Perhaps I should have said, how it does what it does," he amends.

"I'm not a scholar of selfspace," she says, shaking her head. "I only know what most everybody does."

"Well, suffice to say that things which appear extremely dissimilar on the surface may share underlying principles."

"Like what?"

"Fungi are taxonomically closer to animals than to plants."

"I've never looked that closely at a mushroom."

"Most of the relevant characteristics are too small for the human eye to see."

"Then I definitely haven't looked that closely at a mushroom."

"It is possible, with certain machines."

"Hmm."

"Hm?"

"...My selfspace doesn't work right," she says. "It shows me things about the world instead of being full of things I put in it. That's why I have opinions about what your magic looks like even from before you put the spell on me. And I'm wondering if I'd know things about mushrooms if I'd ever paid attention."

"Ah. Would you like some mushrooms?"

"Maybe not right now."

"Yes. What would you prefer to do while not interacting with me in the short-term future? I'll be spending a considerable quantity of time doing theoretical research and experimentation that does not lend itself well to simultaneous human interaction."

"You have a lot of books. Can I read them?"

"...Yes. Although I'll have to ask you to stay out of several sections of the library, especially to start with; I have a great deal of personal and/or dangerous material."