"Yeah." 

"Okay. So people should have some intuition for magic immediately, be able to quickly pick up basic magics, with progress slowing over time so that you can keep working toward mastery," he summarizes. "Potentially with discrete levels of achievement."

He ruffles through the papers on the clipboard, mumbling under his breath. "Let's see ... effects, aesthetics, entities ..."

"Right!"

He straightens up and gives her a smile.

"Thank you for answering so many questions! I really appreciate it. There are some more supplemental things I can ask, but that was really all the main stuff. Are there other things about magic that you want to request? Or do you have any questions for me?"

"Oh, I suppose one question I should ask is what's up with your system of magic? Was it made the same way as this worlds will be? Might also be interesting to hear a worked example." 

"Oh! Yes, that's a good question."

He leans back in his chair and straightens his tie, trying to think where to start.

"Yes, my world gained magic by the same process. I wasn't around then, of course. That was years and years ago. But the way things work in my world is a little less ... comprehensive than the things you've gone for here. Basically, there's this ritual you can do to summon another person to perform a job. You need to provide the tools needed for the job—"

He waves the clipboard.

"— and in return the person who is summoned has to complete it. But when a request goes out you can kind of feel how much you'll enjoy the job, so people don't tend to latch onto summonings for things they wouldn't like unless they're desperate. Accepting a summons gives you the skills you need to accomplish it with the tools provided. Your first summon of a kind doesn't give much, but you keep them afterward, and they sort of build up."

"My husband is a carpenter; when he was first summoned he didn't get much more than skill with using carpentry tools. But he's been taking job requests since before we were married, and now he has instincts for how things fit together, wood-specific telekinesis, the ability to detect structural defects, and so on. He has a little shop with a permanent summoning circle so that people can come commission him for a job," Hammond explains.

"I'm more of a generalist, but I was excited to take this job because I think it's going to net me a boost to my manual dexterity. Usually I do deliveries, since they're plentiful — it's given me quite the turn of speed, when I put my mind to it — but I've also taken jobs as a schoolteacher, a butcher, a maid, a lifeguard, and so on."

Gay walrus! Gay walrus! That's cooooooool. 

"Oh that's interesting! Is the magic in the contractor, the contractee, or both? Could you give me the specification for the ritual and let me call you sometime after this?"

"Our magic system isn't really 'in' anyone; it's just the way things work. The talents say in the contractee afterward, though; they're inherent," he explains. "And sure! One nice thing about our system, which isn't always the case, is that it works into 'adjacent' universes, so you should be able to call me up just fine. That's how I ended up over here to start with. Do you have a big sheet of butcher paper, or a whiteboard, or something? The necessary diagram is a little complicated, so it's better to draw it fairly large."

"Don't have anything like that, unforunately? I've got a bunch of printer paper somewhere, though..." 

"That should be fine; maybe we could tape four sheets together?" he suggests.

"The important part is really where you put the dribbly candles, honestly. But the whole thing goes more smoothly if you've got the circle right as well."

She pops over and fetches them, spreading them out on the table, and nabbing some tape to put them together. 

"Honestly, there's not too much more I have to say offhand, beyond a quick thanks for how congenial and professional you've been? I might also be able to get you a few more addresses for people who I'd expect would be happy to answer these questions themselves, if you're not just bound to work down a list your employer gave you or something like that." 

He sighs.

"The list is assigned, unfortunately. The bosses say it cuts down on sampling bias," he explains, sketching a diagram on the paper. "But thank you; it's always nice to hear that one has done a good job!"

There's a large circle for the contractee, with three smaller circles arranged around it. One holds the tools, one holds the description of the job, and one holds the summoner. Candles go at the intersections of a Fano plane to give the whole thing structure.

"The candles have to be dribbly," he warns. "Fresh candles don't work. Nobody's quite sure why."

After a moment he leans back, diagram complete.

"Make sure you properly define the job, or it won't take. If you want to summon someone in particular, you can sort of 'narrow' the request by putting things representative of them on top of the job description. A piece of paper with my name — Hammond W. Burns — and a drawing of me should be plenty to narrow it down."

"Okay! Thank you again for everything. Have a good day."

She smiles gently. 

"Thank you, Topaz," he replies, hopping down from the chair and collecting his clipboard.

"I'll get all your answers back to the bosses by the end of the day, and then the actual 'settling' of magic will probably take another two or three weeks," he warns, making his way to the door. "But sometimes it takes more or less time than that. Magic is like that, sometimes."

He gives her a last wave from the stoop, and waddles off. True to his claim, he vanishes into the distance a lot more quickly than a walrus would typically waddle.

She smiles gently, and smiles warmly. 

Goodness this is going to be quite the story soon.