The Courtyard
Just a small favour. — the other side
An offer of help means different amounts of time to each person.
“Could you look after the stall?” The answer depends on which hour you heard.
Your bus leaves in twenty-five minutes. Mina says “just for a bit”, and the shop is nearby. You can help for twenty minutes, but cannot miss the bus. You feel awkward turning a small favour into a negotiation.
No account. No countdown. You can change your mind.
Read the situation without playing
“Could you look after the stall?” The answer depends on which hour you heard.
Your bus leaves in twenty-five minutes. Mina says “just for a bit”, and the shop is nearby. You can help for twenty minutes, but cannot miss the bus. You feel awkward turning a small favour into a negotiation.
Say yes and hope it is quick
Mina leaves expecting a longer cover. Your limit exists in your head and becomes urgent only when it is time to go.
Offer twenty minutes, then closing
Mina can decide with your real limit in view. A smaller offer may be enough; it is not permission to assume an hour.
Decline the favour
You keep the bus connection. Mina has to solve the gap another way, even though a short bounded offer might have helped.
Take it into your day: Offer the part you can actually do, with a clear boundary and a plan for delay.
Check: Do both people know when the offer ends and what happens then?
A clear boundary cannot guarantee agreement or remove the other person’s disappointment.
Sources, story rules and useful reading
These situations and their consequences are written examples. The factory is a small authored model. Neither measures your personality or proves a learning effect.
Knowledge release: MHC-RPUB-20261011-9e4b62c5. Story edition: 1.0.0. Public links share the authored experience; your tool entries stay out of them.