**Platina's POV**
*SLAM*
The door closed as Kaius sat on the bed, his expression unreadable to me. I supposed the loss was just too much on his pride, what with the fact that he never lost before. I could understand, because I was just like him – afraid to lose and too proud for my own good.
"Kaius…" I started, about to comfort him. How? I didn't know. I was never good at comforting people.
"Platina, I'm sorry," he cut me off and I waited for him to talk, "I was too preoccupied with winning, I didn't think first about your safety. I know you didn't choose to be my familiar and it was wrong of me, the way I treated you since yesterday. It's just…" he sighed, as if saying those words was very hard for him. "I was always confident in my ability. People hailed me as a genius, even amongst the elves, my record was perfect. Over time, I let it get to me. I blamed you for being my familiar because that means I have fallen short of my and others' expectations. I was rude to you because I thought you were the cause of this whole mess."
I stood before him, silently listening. He raised his head to look at me in the eyes, and I could, for once, clearly see the raw emotions from his deep blue eyes.
"I'm sorry you were hurt because of me."
Silence. We stared at each other, Kaius with regret and I with surprise. Finally, I smiled, for the first time since I got here and also the first time in a long time, even when I was in my own world. It was a small smile, barely there, but it made Kaius heaved a relieved sigh.
"I forgive you," I said. And I meant it too. He reminded me of a child, learning for the first time that he couldn't have everything and there were others to consider.
"Thank you," he whispered back, also showing a smile of his own. I gave him my hand, and he shook it timidly.
After a moment in which we stared into each other's eyes with understanding, Kaius spoke again, "Platina, I know you don't want to be my familiar, and I don't blame you. Heck, even I would hate being my own familiar. So… So let me suggest something."
I peered at him curiously, "what is it?"
"I can't really break this contract, but I can try to give you as much freedom as possible. You don't even have to act like my familiar."
I was surprised. My first impression of him was that he was the kind of person that didn't care about anyone else, but his recent actions suggested otherwise. For him to go from a complete jerk to someone considerate was strange and pretty darn impressive.
"But what about the practical exam next month?" I reminded him.
"You don't have to participate. I'll just forgo the familiar portion. It wouldn't affect my grade that much." He shrugged, as if he wasn't worrying about it at all. However, if his worry about his perfect record before was any indication, he was probably having a hard time letting it go. Heaving a sigh of helplessness, I patted him on the head for comfort.
"Let's make a deal, Kaius. I will act as your familiar until the contract runs out. In exchange, you will provide for me and listen to my requests. How about that?" I didn't know what had gotten into me, but I felt like helping him. I thought he wasn't a bad guy, by any mean
"What kind of requests?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Jeez, what did he think I was going to ask?
"Nothing serious. I promise it wouldn't affect you badly in any way."
He took a moment to think before asking, "What would you get out of this? Being a familiar is hard work and I don't believe you would be satisfied with just those conditions."
I shrugged, "I'm curious about this world. I think it's a great chance to learn, especially about magic, as long as I'm here." That wasn't a lie. Magic was my only passion, and although I acted like I hated my current situation, a part of me didn't want to go back to my own world and face my troubles. This provided a temporary solution to my problem. "It's a contract made out of convenience."
"Contract of convenience, huh. I like it," Kaius grinned and I couldn't help but smile back at him.
"Let's swear on it, then," I said and stuck out my pinkie. Kaius made a face, commenting on how childish it was, but after some persuasion (I suggested making a blood swear instead), he reluctantly agreed to do a pinkie swear (he didn't want to get hurt).
"You can have the bed tonight," he said before lying down on the floor and covered himself with the thin blanket I was using yesterday. Not wanting to waste this good chance, I climbed into the bed, gently lulled to sleep by the soft snores of my "master."