Hmm. That wasn't quite right--but it wasn't his fault, but Isabel's own shortcomings in explanation. How to do it better?

"I'm not being clear, I guess. That was just the way I called it into being?" That sounded a bit better. "By doing martial arts katas, channeling my ki. I did certain things to produce certain types of magic. Like being able to sense where a person was, or calling down a lightning bolt. Two entirely different effects, which means two entirely different ways of evoking them. Does that make sense? Which isn't to say I couldn't produce cosmetic effects if I wanted to as well, changing the color of my hair or clothes, stuff like that."

She'd get up and show him a kata or two, but the lab was kind of crowded, and the actual magic wouldn't go off anyway. It was disappointing, but that was the way things were, at the moment.