Prota suggests magic impacts Nell's skill as a cartwright. 

"If it can happen without you even noticing it might be why you're so good with carts," you remark.

Step 136

Prota is correct that Nell's magic makes her better at carpentry than she would otherwise be. However, Nell takes offense at the suggestion that she's reliant on magic; Nell takes pride in her years of practice, and in fact her design and assembly skills are just as important as fine detail and repair magics, if not more. In addition, Nell made a point of developing her skills in spite of her perceived lack of magic, and the implication she was using it all along kind of stings. Nell is a generally easygoing person and the offense may not last, but it's still a sore spot for her. It also stings that she's not really getting a new magic, just finding out about an existing one that she didn't know she was using. Nell is still shocked and off-balance, not sure how to feel about this discovery. 

How long has Nell been practicing carpentry? If, like Prota, she set out to the Blue in her late teens, and if she began practicing carpentry shortly thereafter, she'd be about twenty years old at that time. Lifespans are shorter in medieval settings; magic mitigates this somewhat, but most blusefolk are on the poorer side and have few options against disease. Glint is probably in his mid-forties, fairly old but with magic that makes him hardier than most. Nell is younger, but still Glint's peer in many ways, so her age should be early to mid thirties. This means she's been a carpenter for about 15 years. [Glint is about 45 and Nell is about 30-35 years old.]

"Excuse you," Nell snaps, "I'm good with carts because I spent fifteen years fixing them! I never needed magic before and -" her voice catches, tightens, "- and, and there's a lot more to carpentry than just fixing scratches!" She glares, blinking tears from her eyes. 

None. 

"- of course there is, if you were a weaver you'd be fixing fabric, but like, it must - help, at all," I say, backpedaling.

Prota agrees with Nell's rebuttal and points out that the magic is useful for many things, not just carpentry. Prota tries to defuse the situation by explaining what they meant. They imply no insult was intended. It is not quite an apology, but more of a de-escalatory clarification. Prota may feel confused by the vehemence of Nell's response, not knowing its source. 

You quickly attempt to clarify. "- of course there is, if you were a weaver you'd be fixing fabric, but like, it must - help, at all," you say. 

Step 137

Prota's response doesn't hit a nerve the way their original statement did, but it doesn't improve matters either. Nell is still on edge, feeling hurt and confused. Opportunity may remain for this conversation to end on more pleasant terms. How does Nell respond in the moment? She's still coming to grips with the idea that she's had magic all this time. If it can get past the shock, Prota's point is a good one. Nell's magic helps only on the margin. Would she recognize this? Maybe not immediately. Feeling insulted and distraught makes it hard to stop and consider arguments, even good ones. Nell would definitely agree with Prota after some quiet deliberation. 

What about Glint? He feels out of his depth here. He knew that Nell was touchy about her lack of magic. He might have expected her to be delighted to find she had one after all. He is fairly dependent on his own magic for his livelihood, and is largely content with that. He doesn't fully understand Nell's reaction. He can at least imagine why this isn't the easiest way to learn. He's not the best judge of people, but he's known Nell for a long time, and has enough background to put the pieces together. 

Possibility: Nell excuses herself to think. Glint gently chides Prota and explains what he knows about Nell's past. After some time, perhaps in the morning, Nell apologizes to Prota and Glint. This provides another opportunity to talk about Nell's magic. (This seems reasonable. It demonstrates to the Player that actions have consequences, even when they don't have all the information they might need to predict those consequences. It is not a permanent loss, and shouldn't feel overly unfair.) 

"I - I need some time to think," Nell stammers. She lurches to her feet and flees in the direction of her tent, in the center of the clustered wagons.

After a pause, your uncle sighs. "It's not your fault, greenjay. I think you touched a nerve. Nell was pretty upset when she didn't seem to get a magic from the Blue. Threw herself into carpentry, seemed determined to do well without magic. Finding out she's had it all along - well, it's kind of a blow, I think. But you're right, it's not everything, her skills are real, and I think - I hope - she'll see it that way too." 

None. 

"I hope so." I sigh. "We should get out of her way, I guess."

Prota implies it's best to leave Nell alone for a while. 

You sigh and respond, "I hope so. We should get out of her way, I guess."

Step 138

(It is reasonable to end the scene here.) Prota and Glint have a tent they can pitch. Glint is unhappy about leaving Nell alone, but expects she needs her space. It's easier for Glint to help pitch a tent in monkey form, so he shifts to help Prota. The motions are familiar by now so he can get away with moody silence. Glint turns in early. 

(Is there any reason not to proceed to morning? No. Should the morning begin with a conversation with Nell? Not quite yet - while time has passed in-universe, for maximum impact more should happen before this topic recurs, lest the Player feel a sense of whiplash at the sudden shifts.) Glint can ask an open-ended question - what does Prota want to do with the day? They have a whole day before the council meeting. Glint is up early as a matter of habit, probably cooking breakfast. 

Glint nods. He shifts to the form of an agile simian to help you set up the tent nearby, seemingly in agreement about giving Nell space. The motions are familiar by now, and you accomplish the task quickly. Your uncle turns in early, lapsing into a moody - or perhaps thoughtful - silence. 

In the morning, you find Glint cooking breakfast. There's no sign of Nell yet, though it's still early; your uncle has a habit of waking with the dawn. Over a stack of grilled flour cakes he asks, "Well, greenjay, what would you like to do? You've got a whole day in Clan Pratchett before tomorrow's council meeting." 

None. 

"Might as well pick up an odd job or two to make use of the time, earn some money. I could run errands or spin - I don't know what you usually do but you'd probably beat anybody at gathering berries and stuff."

Prota has some ideas; they are interested in work at the Pratch. They suggest a few kinds of work and ask what Glint usually does.

You answer, "Might as well pick up an odd job or two to make use of the time, earn some money. I could run errands or spin - I don't know what you usually do but you'd probably beat anybody at gathering berries and stuff."

Step 139

(More worldbuilding may be needed to let the Player make an informed choice.) Brenelo listed jobs before, including running errands for traders, spinning wool, gathering, delivering items around the camp, and hunting or trapping. Glint will expand upon the options Prota named, and describe some of what he does when he's in camp. 

What does Glint do during downtime? His magic makes him good at his profession, and he is reasonably well-off. He also doesn't get much downtime while on the road, so he might take camp time to rest and relax. He will have acquaintances among the Pratch other than those named so far, and might enjoy telling them stories of the road, entertaining children, or going for the occasional romp in a pasture as a dog. Other than rest, his downtime activities aren't a great match for Prota if they want to earn money. When he is in a tight spot, he can probably earn a decent income scouting from the sky, since migrating groups often find themselves in terrain they're not totally familiar with. 

What does Glint tell Prota about their options? Errand-running usually consists of making deliveries throughout the camp. It doesn't pay very well, but it's low-skill enough that anyone can do it. As a skilled trade, wool-spinning pays better, but requires tools and isn't often available for brief periods. Prota's words imply they are competent at wool-spinning, which is a reasonable skill to have in a shepherd clan. Portable spinning wheels might exist to enable such trades. [Prota knows how to spin wool.] Gathering takes a bit of skill, which Glint has been teaching Prota. He could scout for them, maybe locating forage that would be otherwise hard to find, and let Prota do the gathering, while offering instruction. 

Relevant, though not recently mentioned: Glint is still recovering from his recent injuries, mostly the shoulder cut from the gallowgale. He can function well enough in animal form, and recovers supernaturally fast in his human form, but does not heal while shapeshifted. A reminder of Glint's healing mechanics would be relevant here. (This also presents Prota with a tradeoff about asking Glint for help.) 

(Worldbuilding: greefolk often leave behind things that aren't worth carrying.) Some can be valuable to poorer blusefolk. Foraging can sometimes turn up such salvage, though the best is usually grabbed early. Is there a cultural hangup against foraging near a friendly clan? Perhaps slightly, but holding territory is difficult when you're always moving, and the Pratch in particular are probably happy as long as the salvage finds its way to the market. 

Your uncle scratches his chin thoughtfully. "Believe it or not, even your almighty uncle gets tired of the harsh road sometimes. When I'm alone and in a friendly camp, I usually take some R&R with the locals, if I'm not strapped for funds. If I get bored of storytelling or entertainin' the kids, I'll sometimes go sky-scouting." He rubs his shoulder where the gallowgale cut him; the wound no longer needs bandaging, but it was still raw the last time you checked him. You recall that your uncle's healing is unusual; he recovers quickly in human form, but not at all while shapeshifted, even if the wounds do temporarily disappear when he shifts. The gallowgale cut has been healing unusually slowly, for Glint, though it has kept improving. 

"Running errands is about the easiest work to find and do," your uncle continues, "but it doesn't pay so well. Spinning's decent, if you can find tools for it; some folk carry portable wheels and set up when they're not traveling. It's hard to get on short notice, though. Gathering's always an option, too, and you've been getting better at it thanks to yours truly. Sometimes you find more than food - the greefolk throw away all sorts of things." He winks. "If you'd like to find forage to dry or trade, my specialty's spotting the good stuff from the sky. No guarantees, though; sometimes the area's already picked clean." 

None. 

"Oh, if you want to help out I'd love to do some foraging together around here. Anyplace they might not have checked out because it doesn't look worth it if you can't fly should be full of plants."

Prota settles on foraging with Glint. They will specifically look for areas that non-flyers would have missed.