I've been digging through the Script file, mostly for writing references for Warmth, which led me to find this:
It looks like Cant is actually supposed to be a mechanic, with encounter variations likely for the Brigand and other Vagabonds, which hasn't been implemented beyond the current WIP use at the Cottage encounter.
This has me HYPED, I really want to see more expanded content for these encounters, we could in future see a pseudo-Met Condition with her! Perhaps Thieves can start with it, unless we have to learn it from a specific quest.