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Really...? Thought Magnus. Was that really okay? In his entire life he'd never heard anyone say something like that. Since he was a little boy the only one who didn't care if he acted formal was his dog. In public he had to do it. In private his parents made him practice it.

Ironically, his dog was probably the one who understood him the best because of all that. He wasn't sure what to say. "Yeah," he said finally. "Partners." That was what his parents had wanted, a high-class partner for him. To him the word partner only meant someone you were supposed to work with to get something you wanted. The idea of partners being friends was strange to him. Was that what she meant? These thoughts went through Magnus's head as they continued to walk. He noticed once again how pretty her smile was.

For the first time in a long time, Magnus let his surprise show. "A...a game?" He asked. He was at a loss for words. "uummmm.....uhh....okay....I guess."
He thought for a moment about her question. After a bit of thinking his answer shocked even him. "I....I don't know..." He said. He had never really stopped to think about what he wanted. It was always about impressing his parents. What did he want...? "I guess....to be strong. And smart. And successful. And wealthy. Famous too." He realized he was babbling and blushed slightly. He'd never said anything like that to anyone before.

"What do you want?" He asked after a moment.

"Love? I see. No, I can understand that." He did understand, but he also did think it was kind of silly. Marriage was for status and negotiation. Love was something in stories that happened to other people. He saw her blush and smile again. That desire must make her happy. Then it was good enough. "Your turn," he said, starting to enjoy himself.

"My what?" Asked Magnus. "My dream girl...." He didn't know what to say again. "I....I guess. Hmm....if I could choose her qualities I would say....caring. Kind. Trustworthy. She would be smart and pretty. I would know she would be able to handle herself well in battle and in social situations. She would be someone high-class." He paused for a moment, wondering if he should say what he wanted to. "...and she would be someone I could...relax around. Someone I wouldn't need to impress all the time."

He continued; as if this were some big secret he had to get off his chest. "You know, someone I could make mistakes around and she would forgive me. She wouldn't hold it against me or over my head. She wouldn't judge me all the time and we could just.....have fun." He trailed off, unsure what else to say.

"Does someone like that even exist?" He asked quietly. He turned to her. "Okay, umm...dream guy I guess. Who is your dream guy?"

Magnus noticed she had mentioned nothing about money or power or success. Does she not care about those things? He wondered. I thought that's all that mattered to a woman in marriage... That had been his experience at least. He was stunned she didn't even care about the class. "A hopeless romantic...." he repeated thoughtfully. He turned to her. "Dreams are always nice. But seriously...like which family would he have to be from? Or how successful would his parents have to be?" Magnus admitted he was a bit more interested in this than he should be.

Magnus paused. "Seriously? You'd just elope with someone even if your parents didn't approve?" That was it, she HAD to be joking. "hahaha yeah right!" He laughed. "And lose everything? Your family, your wealth, your status, your social contacts? Come on now"

"Well," Said Magnus thinking. "I guess...I mean you don't want to be with someone you can't stand. I mean the more you like each other the better. I mean...." He stopped again, thinking. Finally he sighed. "Yes, that would be nice." He said. "To find someone like that and just be able to be together. But I've never seen that. Not ever. I don't think that's even real. Not for people like us. Or people like me perhaps."