You need them both, Thatcher. Talent and discipline. One without the other is useless. - Bruce Coville

Gadfangled girl things, always robbed me of my common sense.

"What are you going to do next?"
"Go to bed!" I said, trying to keep down a yawn. "I'm exhausted."
"That's two good moves," he said. "Then what?"
"I'm going to get up."
"And then?" he persisted.
"And then I'm going to find out what's going on in that theater!" I said emphatically.
He nodded. "That's what I figured."
"You don't mind?" I asked cautiously.
"Of course I mind!" he said. "You're probably going to get in as much trouble as people usually do when they stick their noses in other people's business, though I supposed I should be used to that by now."

"Funny thing about chains," he said. "They're everywhere, once you know how to look for them. I like chains.
When Cara laughed at this, he shook his chest, causing the hundreds of golden links that hung there to sparkle in the firelight.
"There's lots of kinds of chains," he continued. "You can't see most of them, the ones that bind folks together. But people build them, link by link, Sometimes the links are weak, snap like this one did. That's another funny thing, now that I think of it. Sometimes when you mend a chain, the place where you fix it is strongest of all."
As he spoke, he held up the chain, which was whole again. Passing the amulet to Cara, he said, "Never was a chain that couldn't be broken. Sometimes it's even a good idea.