“No—but you can do that without Skills? Really? Can you teach us? Please? We’d never be allowed to take [Juggler] as a class—but if we could learn to juggle—”

The young woman was suddenly besieged by Sasi and Culin, as well as three other children who’d heard.

She smiled, and then honed in on a phrase.

“Wait, you can decide to not take a class?”

That wasn’t what Idelt and Violetta had told her! Sasi barely had time to nod; she was thrusting tomatoes into Cara’s hands. Culin was hopping up and down and—

Cara sensed the inevitable and hurriedly stopped him before he could try a backflip.

“Back flipping can break your neck. Get off that wagon. How about this? I’ll teach you how to juggle!

Let’s get some stones…I don’t think tomatoes are good for beginners. Hey, do you want to learn?”

She spotted the three shy town kids. They were reserved, as Cara had noticed of Noelictus’ children, but kids were kids. Soon, all of them were trying to juggle as she showed them the basics.

“That’s right. It’s just a pattern. Try the cascade—wow. You’re good, Sasi.”

The girl blushed with pride. She was extraordinarily coordinated for her age.

“It’s because of my Skill.”

“Your…Skill?”

Cara blinked. Sasi shyly explained, and Cara’s jaw dropped.

Talk about breeding for success! It instantly struck her as wrong. That was literally…

“And only nobles get the class?”

“Almost only them, mother says. She says she only had one Skill, so only a few people bid for her hand, but she wanted to marry father.”

Sasi said all this with the frank openness of a child. Cara’s mind raced. She opened her mouth.

“That is the most inequit—”

She caught herself at the look on Sasi’s face. Not her fault. But—it bothered Cara so much.

Unfortunately, the conversation had an unintended side-effect. As Sasi and Cara had been juggling and succeeding, Culin had been trying and failing even with Cara’s gentle coaching. He lost his patience.

It would have been better if everyone failed. No one should pick up juggling as fast as Sasi unless they were gifted. But he had seen his sister do it, and, reminded of the Skill he didn’t have, he threw the stones down.

“I don’t have the Skill because I’m a failure.”

His face turned red. Sasi’s turned white. Cara looked at him.

“Hey now. That’s not true. I don’t have that Skill. Did your father and mother?”

She was praying…Culin hesitated. Sasi gazed at Cara.

“Father doesn’t.”

“There you are, you see? Skills don’t limit us. We can do anything we want. Your sister is just…better at juggling. No one’s fate is decided by how they were born. No one.”