He goes in a practised sequence: a tiny Lightning Bolt destroys a poring the size of an apple, a flame brings water to just before boiling and keeps it there, another glass of water becomes a glass of ice, and a paralysed ghostring gets blasted to ectoplasm by a Soul Strike.

"The fire and the ice were not Bolts," she observes.

"Bolts would have been inefficient."

"But they were also not Skills," she adds. Not really a question.

So there's not really an answer. He got the hang of talking to Wizard Mara and it involves sometimes not saying things.

"Hmm. Congratulations, you've actually managed to impress me."

At that he can't help but beam widely.

"But you're not going into spell development? Despite the clear knack for it?"

"...I mean... I can't say I wasn't tempted. But. I really couldn't quite convince myself that that was how I'd be able to do the most good in the world."

"Oh, I think it would've been a waste of your talents," she says, contemptuously, "but it's my job to ask. But no, you can just develop spells on the field and I'm sure a tower wizard or another will pick it up eventually."

"Pick it up...? Oh. You're a partisan of the collective unconscious theory of Skill creation?"

"Partisan? Scientific theories aren't politics. But yes, I do favour that interpretation; it's the only one that makes sense of what I've seen over the years. And if I'm wrong, well, you can always become a tower wizard when you're a hundred and twenty, hmm? Just don't waste your youth on that like certain people do."

Bjorn flushes but he's in a corner and not officially part of this conversation and Wizard Mara wasn't even looking at him so he'll do his best impression of not having heard it. Besides, it's not like he has any conflicted feelings about that; he wants to be a tower wizard.

"Yes, ma'am."

"In any case, I don't think the Academy has more to offer you and since I'm not taking students I suppose I'll send you off to Geffen."

Yesssssssss! "Thank you so much, Wizard."

"Sure sure. Go grab your things, here's a teleport ticket for Kafra, here's my seal, goodbye see you never."

He accepts the documents then he pauses and decides that, what the Hel, he may as well ask.

"Out of curiosity, why are you stationed here at the Academy?" What with how she seems to think so little of tower wizards, being stuck here doesn't sound much better.

"That's none of your business. Now go."

...alright. He goes.

"Well, then."

"Well, then."

"I thought I'd go first."

"This isn't a competition." But if it were Vallynn would've won.

Taharqi laughs. "But if it were you would've won," he says.