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"And the rest of it..." prompts Grayson gently.

"The rest of what?" asks Kero in confusion.

"The rest of what he said. Repeat for me what he said. If you remember that much, you remember all of it, right?"

Grayson walks over and touches Kerobian between the eyes. Suddenly his memory is a clear as a bell and he hears Ai's words ring in his head.

"And if ever you repeat what you just said anywhere near where your niece might hear of it... I might just forget I don't give spankings. Where in heaven's name did you learn such a thing. Not from me, I know that for a fact."

"Well...." prompt the monk with a tiny frown.

"Ah, so he was giving you a clear warning, correct? And the warning wasn't something you felt comfortable with?" asks Grayson with a lifted eyebrow.

"Are you absolutely certain of that? That he wasn't that serious? And it didn't sound to me as though he was bluffing. He never said he would spank you only that he might reconsider it, true. But I know how he feels about physical punishment and it sounds to me as though he was trying to get a specific point across with as much impact that he could muster. He laid out a warning, complete with consequences. He told you if you did something within the hearing of your niece, he would be extremely angry, so angry he wasn't certain he could control his temper. That really doeosn't sound like he's bluffing when you word it that way, does it?"

"He's a bard, Kerobian. Words are their tools of trade. Even more than the music they play. The first bards were merely walking news mongers who walked from settlement to settlement informing the inhabitants there of recent events. Over time someone thought of putting that information to song to make it more uniform and easier to remember. Would it have sounded any better if he had worded it like this. 'Kero, please don't say that in front of Salunia or I will be mad at you.' If you ask me, that seems rather limp and watered down. Which statement has the most impact? I think you were already fuming because of that misfiring spell... had you not been and you simply said 'why duh, what kind of fool do ye think I am?' would the fight have escalated to where it now stands?"

"Kero, I can see this troubles you and I know it won't help to learn you are not the first young adult to feel that way. Sometimes it seems as though we want you all to be better than we are ourselves... and maybe it will help to know we do see our faults... we're not blind to them... it's just... we don't want you young people to grow up weighed down by our burdens. Listen, something tells me you and he need to talk... not shout... not point a finger of blame or grumble or gripe... but talk. Talk it out. Tell him how you feel. Let him know how much of a burden that spell can be. Maybe when he took it down, something went wrong. Maybe he lightened it by linking it to something else... something that he didn't realize would cause you more problems than it even did before. If he internalized it so it was triggered by a behavior rather than the spoken word, it was probably mis-cued. But most importantly... and this is important, my young impetuous friend... you will need to keep a tight rein on your temper. When hurt and frustration get in the way of understanding, communication seems to fall to the wayside. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"Oh but he does respect you, Kero. You have more freedom than most lads your age, are allowed to make decisions some fathers would never dream of letting their sons decide at this stage in their lives. You have a student. Does he tell you how to teach him? Does he drill you on your lessons? No, he does not. He knows you work hard and respects you enough to wait until you are ready to share... correct. I have a little exercise for you... I want you to go around to your friends... ask them three questions... any three you want about how their father treats them... keep a tally of their answers. Then go sit somewhere quietly and answer those selfsame questions about Talesian. You might be surprised at the results."

Grayson shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Kero. but I'm not so sure that's it. A person can't seal away someone's magic without physical contact. Are you feeling alright?"