"It's just an expression," Lea said to Willard before turning his attention back to the girl, who seemed unable to be brief to save her life.

"And beyond the amount of magic that I have to learn to avoid blowing up, or whatever, what, exactly, am I supposed to learn here that would be at all useful to me once I get back home?", he said. "By all appearances, the magic here is too different to be compatible, and that goes double with regards to my powers. And sitting around in a classroom has never been my thing in any world. I'm not really in a position to refuse the room and board for now, but aside from that, I want as little to do with this school and this world as possible. Got it memorized?"