"In order to power spells without being a maleficer you have to do effortful things. Like exercising or doing very hard calligraphy."

"....Huh? Is it, like, literally metabolic effort? As in, do wizards - burn more calories and need to eat more food if they're making more mana?" 

"I don't think so? The Lan gain mana by meditating and I don't think they need to eat more."

"....Okay, weird. - Is meditating hard in the right way? I've done a little bit and it - doesn't really seem hard in the way that exercise is." 

"They call it meditating but I think it's a specific way of thinking that's very hard and effortful?"

Well, it's not like it's really any weirder than anything else about this place or their horrible death magic system. 

"- Right." Marian glances at Ribo, in case she has anything further to add. 

"I build mana by holding Yoga poses for a long time and moving between them very slowly. Anything involving fast movement is enjoyable enough that it builds less. As for gaps in Mother's curriculum, probably social skills. She's not really fond of most people and talking to nobody but her and the occasional patient or internet person... I feel like I make mistakes a bunch."

Social skills is not an academic subject. 

"You seem fine to me," Marian says. (Marian is, herself, perhaps not the most socially graceful or perceptive person in the world.) "Did you have, like, friends on the internet? That's...somehow hard to picture going along with the whole secret wizards thing, but I guess why not." 

"It's not hard to keep magic secret. People mostly think you're joking or doing a bit if you talk about magic online."

"Mmm, yeah, I guess that's just about what I would think! ...Except when I was thirteen and wanted to be Wiccan, I guess, but I'm - not sure I really believe-believed it, I think I just thought it was really cool." 

"Yeah, it's also that real magic doesn't quite match up with the stories people tell. Most people imagine fewer monsters. And it's not like I could share the details of Mother's work that she let me see even if it wasn't magic."

"Right, makes sense. Uh, what sort of things did she work on? Or is that secret even here." 

"I think some of it is supposed to be secret, other stuff was like finding ways to cure specific cancers, or other rare conditions. I think her overall priority is trying to apply knowledge she's gained with magic to creating mundane cures but she tends to bounce off because of all the procedural work required. She also wants to invent external wombs because she didn't like being pregnant but that's been harder."

"She– whoa! That's really cool! I've read a bit about mundane artificial womb research - it sounds like they're getting together a prototype that could keep really really preemie fetuses alive outside the womb? But making something that can carry a whole pregnancy sounds way harder." 

"It is, though the hardest part with magic is making sure the final result isn't using magic so it doesn't turn into a Mal or turn the fetus into one. Mother is pretty accustomed to that though, we have very through precautions for containing things if they turn into Mals."

"Your mother sounds great. I'd love to meet her." Wen Qing has a flexible attitude towards things turning into mals.

"She said I was allowed to bring interesting friends to meet her but that I shouldn't send upperclassmen who graduated before me unless I had a really important message."

"That makes sense, I'll wait."

Ribo smiles.

Marian would also really like to meet Ribo’s mother, but that’s not going to happen, is it. She looks down at her feet and tries not to look visibly upset.

She doesn't fully succeed. "Are you okay?"

“Yeah.” Shrug. “I guess I wish I could meet your mom someday, is all.”

"Yeah, that would be nice. The people who added the nurse to the school didn't really think things through carefully enough."

"It was a good idea when they thought the school would be safer."