Some things are just beautiful to see.

---

You speak quietly in flowing elven, preparing the Song of Tonis spell...
Your spellsong is ready.
You weave another verse into your harmony.
As you sing, an invigorating squall of wind swirls about you and you hear a barely audible burst of laughter. You feel yourself moving a bit more smoothly and quickly than before!
Your twisted rowan runestaff pulses with a white-blue light!
You feel 35 mana surge into you!
Sing Roundtime 3 Seconds.
(Forcing stance down to guarded)

---

(Emphasis mine.)

While you're here!

It seems to me that it is within the realm of possibility--if "unlikely" in the extreme--for a Tier5 sigil staff with Tier5 mana flares to actually pay the caster.
("Full price" returned for the base cast, "full price" returned for the sigil flare.)

It actually starts being possible at mana Tier3 (+60% and +60% == you end with more than you started with).

.

Legit?

So it's based "amount used" rather than "amount cast".

Good clarification!