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Kho shrunk a bit at Xavier's initial comment, then sent an accusatory look toward the bird on his shoulder. His mouth opened briefly to start chiding Teken when the sudden chill prompted him to snap it shut as both parties returned their focus to the Magus. At first, Kho briefly considered Xavier was casting some unpleasant spell as a punishment, though he quickly pushed that thought aside once he noticed the sensation wasn't mere thermal manipulation; Xavier was summoning... something.

The flame caught both master and tutelary's eye, easily impressed as they were, and both their heads synchronously canted to the side in mesmerized interest. When the small inferno finally took form, Teken's feathers ruffled up defensively until the bird came to the conclusion he couldn't eat the creature that had emerged. Kho had no such reservations, and instead began inching to the side for a better look at Drygnir. [i]That[/i] was a pyromancer's tutelary; all flames and stone and images of destruction. It made the eyes of the man it rested on seem mundane by comparison.

Kho's body jerked rigidly upright when he was addressed again, flashes of embarrassment faintly visible on his face after he assumed he'd been 'caught' taking too much of an interest in Xavier's tutelary. 

[color=ff5c33]"Uh, right. It won't be a problem."[/color] He couldn't say he considered Teken his equal, and he certainly didn't rank the bird higher than himself in status, but there was still a sense of novelty that lingered. Teken wasn't some animal on the level of the bees his family's servants tended to behind the manor, or even comparable to the servants themselves; he was a creature of the Aether. Surely that warranted some level of respect, even for an entity as juvenile and undignified as Tekenkhasut. Probably useless sentimentality he had yet to rid himself of.

The boy followed along, using the scenery to distract his mind from what he considered subpar performance on his part so far. Familiarizing himself with the area was probably prudent, in case he was sent on errands in the future. But with everything around them moving in such perfect harmony, Kho began to grow self-conscious that his mere presence would disrupt this careful rhythm. For the first time in quite a while, he felt out of place in his own city, but even so the splendor of it all dwarfed his misgivings. 

His attention dutifully returned to Xavier as the man spoke again. The magus' words carried a great deal of weight to them; once again Kho had been thrust from jovial morning stroll into his role in Photep for the rest of his life. Not unexpected, but pressuring all the same. He wasn't worried; Xavier seemed to think he was up to the task, and Kho had no reason to doubt his own abilities, nor would he be lacking in opportunities should he somehow fall short of the cult's standards. Still, the Magus intended to invest time, hopes, and who knows what else in him, and he needed to reciprocate, even when faced with heavy questions he wasn't sure how to answer yet.

[color=ff5c33]"Thank you for this opportunity, Magus. I'll try my best to not disappoint,"[/color] Kho sputtered as he formally bowed before Xavier in a show of gratitude, [color=ff5c33]"But, um, do I have to choose [i]now[/i]? That's a bit of a big question. I mean, I want to be useful. I love Photep, and I want to give back to her for everything she's given me. But, I'm not sure if that's what you asked..."[/color]

[hr][@Dead Cruiser]