An old man named Vask asked if Rohan could carry replacement lens brackets to the wall.
A healer named Iri asked if his ash sense could detect contamination in a batch of salve powder. It could not, but he tried, and she appreciated the honesty more than a fake answer.
Pell asked him to show how the spear worked.
Rohan said no.
Pell asked again the next day.
Rohan said no again.
On the fifth day, Rohan gave him a broom handle and taught him footwork in the ash-house yard, under the stern supervision of Pell's mother, who watched as if Rohan might accidentally teach the child how to explode.
Liora watched too, leaning against a wall.
"You're terrible with children," she said.
"I'm barely an adult myself, and an only child at that. It's not like experience dealing with kids will magically appear from nothing!?."
"You told him his stance was embarrassing."
"So? It was."
"He is twelve."
"When I was twelve, I suffered far more embarrassing things."
