[color=D6CC88]Amuné had done her share of training, but she was still reluctant to let Gage too close to her, and avoided him as much as she could.  Instead she'd watched Ethan, or Cedric, or helped in the infirmary.  She wasn't all that much help on the healing front, but the girl knew how to follow directions, and she could recognize many of the common herbs at a glance.  Most importantly, she knew how to stay out of the way when it was needed.  She even managed to wheedle a couple lessons out of the healers when they had down time.  But she preferred to stick near Ethan and the others.

When he dumped a handful of grass on her head she flailed at it and at him.  "Aaah!  Hey!"  She laughed, but her smile quickly faded at the mention of her teacher.  "It's...going, I guess."  Amuné looked at her lap, splitting a thick blade of grass into tiny shreds.  "I still don't like him.  He's scary, and he says mean things."  Her chin thrust forward in a pout.  "And I'm no good with that crossbow, either.  It's hard to hold, and if I do hold it right then I can't draw it, and if I can draw it then I'm not holding it right anymore.  And none of what I do manage is good enough."  The child's tone was sulky, and she frowned at the last little shred of grass before throwing it away.  "Talia's right...I'm just going to get everyone hurt because I'm useless.  If it wasn't for Wyth, I wouldn't have made it even to where you found me -- and he can't protect me from everything.  I can't even hold a stupid crossbow right, much less hit anythig with it."

The girl knew that Gage was just harsh and critical, and she knew that it took time to learn a new skill, and to train her hands to remember the right way to do things.  But she was young enough that the constant negativity had a real impact on her self esteem, and when she already had the nasty little voice of guilt insisting that she should have done more, it was much harder not to listen when she was told she was completely inadequate.[/color]