[center][h3]~Early morning, day after the Library Break In~[/h3] Swen & Gwynn[/center] After leaving her room Gwynn honestly just wanted something to do to take her mind off...thinking in general. Yes, she wanted to talk with Swen, but she had no idea where he lived. So she needed something to distract herself with until class time. She had decided the best way to do that, was to practice, like she always did when she was bothered by something. So the noblewoman decided to head to the practice fields. After all, she did want to practice her magic. The little bit she had right now? Well, that wasn't going to help her if she ran into bitch teacher again. So she needed practice. Thankfully, the training fields would be only a small walk away, she just had to walk past the...library. At least this early in the morning there would likely only be a few people about. As she walked passed though, she noticed Swen still passed out on the ground. If only she had some sort of...ink or something she could use to doodle on his face. It seemed like he was just waking up though, so she wouldn't have much time for that anyways. [color=8dc73f]"Swen? Hey, Swen!"[/color] She said rather loudly, as she jogged up. [color=8dc73f]"You alright there? The hell are you doing still passed out here for?"[/color] The Prince rolled over as a loud voice boomed at him, muttering a curse or two as he gradually returned to reality. Swen's eyes opened to a pretty sight before him, an angel looking over his rest. Then he realized it was Gwynn. [color=gray]"... uhhh ... Might have gone overboard with my magic."[/color] That was an honest answer, although as the magierprinz looked around, he noticed that he was no longer in the library. For a moment, he debated asking what happened when he would be filled in on that anyways. [color=gray]"How ... nevermind. Out for a late night jog?"[/color] [color=8dc73f]"No, we got caught. Some bitch of teacher threw us out. Ugh, I want to kick her ass so hard. Not that you'd know - you fell asleep on the job."[/color] Gwynn growled though the last bit was obviously intended to be more playful than actually anger. Taking a seat next to the Prince on the ground, she continued. [color=8dc73f]"That information you got had better be worth it because we're probably gonna get into so much trouble..."[/color] She sighed, obviously displeased. [color=8dc73f]"But uhm, that's not important. I actually kind of wanted to talk to you."[/color] The prince paused for a moment as Gwynn sat down next to him, frowning slightly at her playful teasing. For a moment, he thought about how they were outside and how Gwynn didn't seem like the sort of person to bring up this sort of thing unless it was very serious. [color=gray]"Well ... I hope it is too. But if this is important perhaps we should take it back to my place? It's more comfortable and there's less likely to be unwanted eavesdroppers."[/color] It was rather obvious the man hadn't considered the implication of taking her home. [color=8dc73f]"U-uhm, no, it's not anything that important."[/color] Gwynn replied quietly, falling silence for a bit. Ugh, how could she ask this? This was difficult. Not because she didn't want to ask it, but because she just didn't know what exactly to ask. She couldn't really just say she 'hit Maoin, now she feels guilty.' That just...she sighed, resting her elbow on one of her knees.[color=8dc73f]"My uhm, familiar - Maoin...I may have...well, she may have annoyed me and I may have sort of...hit her. I think she's scared of me now and I don't...really, understand it. I mean, isn't it...natural to fight or stand up to someone who's being mean to you?"[/color] In her position, she'd have bitch slapped whoever hit her back. She didn't care who or what it was. The Prince nodded, remaining on the ground as he listened to her explain the situation. Of course, being a scholar he wanted more details than that. [color=gray]"... What exactly happened? Although this familiar has proved herself to be ... incredibly obedient. I don't think she's the sort to express herself through violence."[/color] For a moment, the magierprinz's cheeks flushed as he remembered the kitten climbing onto her mistress. [color=gray]"... can I assume this is the first time you have hit her?"[/color] The man tried to meet her eyes, trying to read her expressions. At the mention of her obedience, Gwynn gave an annoyed huff. [color=8dc73f]"See, that's the problem! She does everything I tell her too!"[/color] Gwynn replied. [color=8dc73f]"I don't want a familiar like that! I want one that's...I dunno - her obedience actually [i]annoys[/i] me! Not to mention she's still following the orders of my parents. Which is conveniently the only time she ever does anything remotely to stand up to me or for herself."[/color] Gwynn's voice faltered after that, returning to a quiet level. [color=8dc73f]But uhm...yeah...its the first time I did it. In the Library..."[/color] The Prince blinked for a few moments, unsure of how to reply. Familiars weren't exactly slaves, but a certain level of obedience was expected. Following orders was an expected part of the contract, although it was considered rude for a mage not to at least listen to their advice. Swen scooted a little closer to Gwynn, uncertain if he should put an arm around her. For now, he decided against it as he collected his thoughts. It was rather obvious this was part of a larger problem, but he decided to start small. [color=gray]"... can you explain what happened? Perhaps she it is annoying, but I don't think you would hit her for being a little bother."[/color] Gwynn went on to explain rather briefly about what had happened. The entire confrontation happened rather fast, to begin with. She explained what happened initially, with Maoin saying she should go be with him instead of wandering off on her own, the comment she made about her not wanting to go simply because she was being contrary, and the obvious result of that. She then explained about the confrontation with Aetheria, the fact Gwynn tried to hide Maoin to prevent her from getting into trouble and the result of that. [color=8dc73f]"...and well. When I woke up in my room earlier...normally she's rather excited to see me, even if she doesn't like showing it. It's actually kind of adorable."[/color] She chuckled. [color=8dc73f]"But...well...she was keeping her distance after that and it looked like she had been crying."[/color] The magierprinz listened as she spoke, avoiding the urge to cringe as he was specifically mentioned. Luckily, his blonde friend didn't blame him for their confrontation, so he decided to remain silent about the subject matter. Being part of the nobility, it was common for Swen to be around familiars. Almost everyone in his family had one, although the magierprinz never saw the need to have one for himself. After he moved to school though, the thought to gain one had been growing in the back of his mind. It would be useful to have such a companion. Using that background, he pondered for some time on what to say. [color=gray]"... from her perspective, you basically hit her for following an order. Based off what you've said, she certainly could have phrased her words better ..."[/color] The prince summarized the situation, before countinuing. [color=gray]"Your familiar is probably scared that she'll upset you again without warning, and probably is uncertain about what you want. I'm assuming you haven't seen a lot of familiar-master relationships growing up?"[/color] Gwynn grimaced. That had sounded pretty bad, hadn't it? [color=8dc73f]"I didn't hit her for explaining or following an order."[/color] Gwynn replied. [color=8dc73f]"She was...thinking more about what my parents told her too wasn't she? She wasn't thinking about [i]me[/i] at all. She was just telling me that I should go along with it because my parents told me to. She's [i]mine[/i] isn't she? I...just got tired of her always doing what my parents want. Not what I wanted...that's all she's ever done."[/color] She shook her head, unsure what to do with that line of thought. All of this was...just so goddamn complicated and frustrating. She didn't want to deal with it, but...she couldn't just walk away. [color=8dc73f]"And its not that I didn't grow up with them. I've just never understood them! The whole familiar and servant thing just confuses me. I don't get how people can be so...submissive and just blatantly follow orders of someone else with no say in the matter most of the time. I mean, Maoin didn't always do what I told her too. She stood up to me sometimes, but she never followed through with it. I...dunno."[/color] She grumbled, shaking her head. She didn't understand this whole thing, but she did know the question she wanted to know the answer to. [color=8dc73f]"What can I do to not make her be afraid of me and apologize?"[/color] The prince nodded as she spoke. The problem was one his father had spoken of, although Swen was suprised that Gwynn as nobility hadn't heard this. [color=gray]"I think part of it will be time. But there's a fundamental imbalance in your relationship that you need to address."[/color] She seemed to be fairly against the idea of servitude, so the Prince had to think about how to phrase it. [color=gray]"You view Maoin as being yours, and yet desire her to act completely as a friend. But by the very nature of that relationship, you cannot solely be friends because you are in charge. The difference between the two causes friction, which in this case came to height."[/color] The prince looked upwards towards the sky, leaning back slightly as he spoke. [color=gray]"You have to address that difference. A familiar fundamentally is some sort of awkward combination of a friend, a pet, and a servant that ends up somehow being your trusted compainion. You need to be comfortable being her mistress as well as her friend, and you need to discuss what that entails. When there are clear boundaries, she will have more freedom to act within them comfortably and therefore will be a better friend and advisor to you, sense she will have an idea of what you want. While they aren't there, she has to worry about crossing them and have something like what occured in the library happen."[/color] [color=gray]"As for your parents, you need to trust her. You need to tell her everything, especially when it involves you two. That trust will give her purpose, and she will trust you in turn. She might be relying on your parents right now because they gave her purpose, and the trust to fufill it. If you give her trust, she will turn to you instead. This doesn't mean she will suddenly agree with you on everything, but it does mean she will repect you and try harder to understand you. So when you apologize, be completely honest in how you feel. Don't cover something up because it sounds better."[/color] The prince gave Gwynn a light smile. [color=gray]"As for why she serves you? Unless she was forced to, the cat chose to be with you and serve you as her mistress. Respect that decision at least."[/color] A few teasing words followed to end the serious advice. [color=gray]"I can't fathom why she would, but perhaps you should ask her."[/color] Honestly, this was just confusing Gwynn more. While she wasn't dumb by any means, following all of that was...difficult. He was speaking in too many words, and they were going in one ear and out the other. [color=8dc73f] "Okay, you're not writing a giant multi page essay."[/color] She replied. [color=8dc73f] "I stopped listening about halfway through."[/color] The Prince frowned slightly, then laughed a little at himself. The magierprinz knew he could get carried off in his academics, and needed to learn to cut things down. [color=gray]"Alright then. Sorry about that. Forgot I wasn't writing a novel."[/color] A few seconds passed as he mentally summarized what he just said. [color=gray]"She chose to serve you, so trust her. Tell her what you just told me about your frustrations with her. Then ask her about what she wants and expects from the relationship, and you do the same afterwards. Since her fear comes from uncertainty, once she knows you both understand eachother, she'll stop being afraid since you'll have established what to expect. Of course, be gentle, but firm. Don't let her run away, and don't let yourself."[/color] Gwynn frowned. Well, she could understand that much, but that didn't help her at all. There was a key point Swen was misunderstanding here. [color=8dc73f] "What, you expect me to tell her I don't want her - or anything - as a familiar?"[/color] She shook her head, there was a very good reason why she hadn't done that before. That would break Maoin's heart, and she wasn't mean enough to do that. [color=8dc73f] "I...can't do that. I'm not mean enough to tell her to get lost, Swen. That would break her heart and I just can't do that. I mean, I guess I could tell her that I just want a friend but I'm not sure how well she'd react to that..."[/color] Swen blinked a few times. He thought for a bit about everything that Gwynn had said. [color=gray]"You don't want her, and yet you call her yours and are upset that she aligns with your parents? You just said you enjoyed seeing her excitement when you are around. You seemed to have fun bossing her around at the reasturant with her, at least. And you are obviously very, very protective of her. And your obviously concerned right now. If you didn't care about your relationship, you surely wouldn't care about any of that?"[/color] Argh, this was difficult. She didn't explain it right. [color=8dc73f]"It's not that...I just...I really don't want to have a familiar. Yes, I care. Not because she's my familiar. I care about her because she puts up with me, and I'm not exactly the easiest person to get along with sometimes, heh."[/color] She chuckled a bit at that, leaning back and supporting her body with her arms, on the ground, though her smile quickly faded. [color=8dc73f]"At least I hope...I'd feel bad if she's just doing it because she's my familiar. And I boss her around because I don't want to be mean to Maoin. She likes following orders, why, I'll never understand. It annoys me, but I do it anyways because I [i]do[/i] care. If I don't, she'll just sit around the house and do absolutely nothing. Its like, she can't even think for herself."[/color] Blagh, she still wasn't exactly explaining it right. She placed a hand on her forehead, trying to think of a way to explain this as simply as she could. For someone who didn't like long winded explanations, she was surprisingly bad at putting her thoughts into words. [color=8dc73f]"I don't want a familiar, but I know Maoin wants to. I don't [i]really[/i] mind it if she does, but I just think she could...I dunno, think more about [i]me[/i] instead of what my parents want if I'm putting up with her? I just don't really know how to tell her so she doesn't look at me like she's just seen a puppy get run over by a horse or something."[/color] The nobleman laughed slightly at her des[color=gray]"Well, puppies getting run over by horses tend to be bad."[/color] Swen nodded, thinking over her words for a few moments. The explanation would have to be simple, or the woman would be lost in it. [color=gray]"Here's my advice then: If your lack of understanding bothers you, then ask her why she decided to serve you. Her answer might surprise you, and perhaps you would understand the girl better. Talk about your frustrations and your relationship afterwards."[/color] [color=8dc73f]"...I guess I could?"[/color] Gwynn replied sounding somewhat unsure. Why did Maoin want to serve her? She had never actually asked that. She just assumed she was because her parents were making her. She honestly only accepted the whole thing because it got her parents to shut up about it. Maybe Maoin had a specific reason? Though she couldn't think of anything. It wasn't like their relationship was anything special. She doubted Maoin viewed her as a friend - otherwise she wouldn't just keep calling her 'mistress'. [color=8dc73f]"Well, thanks for the talk, Swen."[/color] She said, standing up. That was probably all she was going to get out of Swen for the moment, and to be honest she was tired of this talking. She had some stuff to think about anyways. [color=8dc73f]"I'm not entirely sure...but well, its better than nothing I guess. I'll see ya around, okay? I'm gonna go to the training fields."[/color] The prince nodded. [color=gray]"Anytime. Next time, and be safe!"[/color] Swen of course was concerned for Gwynn, but he was sure she would be able to handle it. Perhaps it would be a good idea to put off getting that familiar for a bit longer though. For now though, the man decided to return home. A bed would be more comfortable than the ground, for sure.