"Noted." Dan all but winks. He flexes his hands and waves his fingers in front of the fire, now that they're more comfortably mobile. He catches the concern, and right about then, he feels like he understands that Miguel's standoffishness shouldn't be interpreted as selfishness or meanness.

"Not pedigree per se, but I'm an uneducated hick." He doesn't sound self-deprecating or bitter or joking; he simply sounds like he's stating a boring fact. "Limits the labor market a little."