Gale was not quite what she had been expecting, but she found she wasn't too terribly disappointed about Merri's perceived failure.
"No, you are not," she agreed, "or else the spell would have worked." She was not the type made to be a teacher or a tutor -- lacking patience and empathy for the struggle of others -- but she admired Merrion greatly, as much as she admired the other council members. He was her fellow guild member; there was an unspoken sense of obligation that had her pulling up patience she was surprised to learn that she had. Hiding, perhaps, but it was there.
"Perhaps you need some sort of incentive," she mused. "I have a suggestion that could help but it might not be very -- comfortable."