"Okay," says Magnus. "I mean, the word for help is"-- he holds out one hand, flat, and puts his other hand in a fist with his thumb up, thumping the fist against his flat hand. "And helpless is," and he curls his lip, making a face as he brings his partially-curled hands up and down in an arc in front of him, fingers straight and separated. "The facial expression is part of the sign," he explains, and purses his lips. He hadn't really taught help to anyone here specifically, and now he's wondering why. "But you should also know that I taught Claudius and Galahad overwhelmed first," and then he walks Lan Wangji through the variations they both know: overwhelmed (positive), overwhelmed (negative), and too much.

Cognizant, thanks to Little John, of the fact that he tends to say too much at once, Magnus stops there, waiting to make sure Lan Wangji is still with him.