This was the first time someone had asked her outright. Rita didn't want to have to come out and say she'd lost to that little twerp. How did that even happen, anyway? She'd been so sure that her magic could take down any brute, but he just wouldn't stay down.

In the end, she settled for a quick, vague summary. "I got in a fight, got knocked out, and woke up the next day in a box with half a dozen bone fractures." A bad night indeed.

More importantly, the man seemed to react to the books she'd selected. Rita's eyes narrowed at him. "I study magic. I was hoping to learn about the magic of this world, but so far, everything I've found just reads like a guide to ritualized wishful thinking." She paused, studying the man's face for any reactions that might hint at his knowledge of the subject. "Are you familiar with this kind of stuff?"