"I've read a lot about magic," you say. "Nowhere does it mention preparing your mind."
"There's reading and then there's doing," Desmond says. "You should do more. Doing, I mean. Do more doing."
"Couldn't your partner use your help?" Manish asks. He's good at the political stuff.
"My partner's got no promise," Desmond replies. "Not like you two." Desmond plucks the ping-pong ball from Manish's hands and places it in yours. "Okay, Mandeep, when you're ready to stop channeling, look back at the pattern to help you close off the energy flow."
"Uh, it's Manish, actually," Manish says. "And I don't think that's good advice. The pattern—"
"You're new here," Desmond says, ignoring that he's new here, too. "It's understandable that you're unfamiliar with more advanced techniques." He smooths down the front of his pink polo shirt. His collar, of course, is popped.