It’s all about perspective. Sometimes you just gotta look from a different angle, you know? I can sit on the desk and stare into a crystal ball for hours and hours and see nothing, but as soon as I look at it from above, peering down into it, it starts to make sense.

That’s how birds like me hunt, you see, I can spot a mouse in the grass from miles above. So when I try to look as others do, like my young mage does, all neat and orderly at a desk, I don’t see anything but my own reflection, frustrated and warped into a curve. So I must look as I would if I were a wild thing, from above, gazing down into the world or, in this case, a crystal ball. Maybe some animals see better at night, and others underwater, and others from a distance. The traditional way doesn’t work for everybody, and sometimes you just gotta find what works best for you, even if that means getting a few funny looks in the crystal shop.