"Yes," she says slowly, because she's thinking. "It would greatly simplify the theorem to replace the two fields with something less complex."

"I imagine that if it were working as intended, the balls would... become one ball, twice as bright, hanging between the casters."

"I would be interested in trying it with you, but I know I have failed to successfully duplicate your magic before. I would understand more about the five distinctions you have described. The skein of thread you handed me--which type was that?"