Rake shrinks under her admonishment. Not that he's scared of her, exactly, but he's rarely even noticed by anyone more important than the squires, back home, let alone corrected. "Well, they're going to good use, then. I cannot say as much when they're victims of my clumsiness... I promise I will keep up better, m'Lady. It is hard to remember the forest isn't like my garden, in some ways." Where everything was neat, orderly, and deliberately planted, and he could walk through it blindfolded without so much as bruising a leaf.

But at least he found something useful. With a nod, he hopped a little and grabbed the branch - he was a tall, gangling thing, so it was within his reach - and broke off a good chunk of the fungus before he dropped back down. "Will I ever learn to make potions?" The idea was what made all the homesickness seem almost worth it.