"I can affect spells in progress, and nudge artifices a little. It's not much help with potions unless they have ongoing effects."

"Affect spells how?"

"I can counter most of them, but it's usually less effort to redirect them or something."

"Any boosting?"

"Yeah, I can do that, but at that point I'm not much of a leg up over co-casting something in the first place."

"Makes sense.  Can you nudge artifices a little at once or in total?"

"Little at once, but I might be good for part of a team making a reviser proper, by senior year."

He whistles.  "Well, I wish you luck with that as well."

(See look, he is totally capable of mustering genuine positive emotions and therefore social reactions even about people who he is maybe possibly someday in the distant future going to mass murder.  It's so distant and in the future!  Not even really relevant at this stage, is it, especially since he'll probably die before then.  He still wants people to have the best possible lives in the meantime; he hasn't lost sight of that and he's not going to.  And maybe her idea will even work and then he might not even have to mass murder anyone, wouldn't that be grand, and the chances of that increase if he's helping and the chances of him being able to help increase if he smiles.  It only looks a little strained.)

"Thanks, I could use it. Luck on whatever you're doing too."

"Thanks.  Hopefully I will shortly develop more immediately actionable plans than 'wishing I hadn't been born' and 'nonetheless trying very hard not to die horribly."

"Mood."