Many people found being yelled at made them want to yell in turn. For Hakon, it was the opposite. Whatever fury he was feeling extinguished in the face of Vivian's anguish. What the lad described sounded, well, beastly. Exactly what one could expect from a godless nation like Daravin, but never mind that for now. For the first time, he saw through the gravid belly and the makeup and the big attitude, and saw just how young the man across from him was. He realized, with horror, that could have easily been him in that position had his father not fled back to the relative safety of Jorikford. It had not been far enough, but it had ensured Hakon had been safe from the sorts of people who had clawed and snapped at Vivian throughout the young man's short life.
"I wouldn't dare compare you to them, Vivian." He stated, his voice low, solemn, and even. "I merely meant that you are tempted into using your magic, and that it will lead to your corruption and your downfall if you are not careful. Many of my Magus peers here are such, though they are allegedly held in check by the Guild. I have been here long enough to see that rogues and iconoclasts cause great harm, but that even within these halls, Guildmages occasionally lose their temper or go mad, and those around them suffer for it. To be a mage requires control, always. To lose control is to invite danger upon everyone around you."
"This does not mean that magic is solely dangerous, but it's a powerful weapon, and many of the people who have it use it only to subjugate those around them. I don't think you're one of them," he added, because he didn't. Vivian could have taken the opportunity to hurt him just now -- they were alone, he'd let his guard down -- and he hadn't. While Hakon had little doubt that he was dangerous, it seemed like he struck defensively, to protect himself or what was important to him.
"I don't want you to become one, either. And by the Path, lad. I didn't comprehend how young you are until just now. I can tell you had to grow up fast. I'm not trying to tell you that you aren't an adult. Just that you should have had --" he was struggling to not just say that Vivian should have been brought to the Guild young, as he had been, and so he finished with, "support, and guidance."
