By the time you both reached the beach house, the sky was already a vibrant orange and the sun had started to set behind the horizon.
"Ah-! Aren't we gonna watch the sunset like you said we would!?" You exclaimed over your running, struggling to keep up with Steven's pace as he marched forward. Steven didn't respond, as his eyes were trained on the shape of the approaching beach house, his eyebrows drawn forward in a tense expression. He didn't even seem to take notice of you stumbling over your feet to keep from falling over.
"Oof-! Milord! Why are you upset??" You asked breathlessly, hoping for context at least. "What did I do-"
Finally, this question seemed to have snapped Steven out of his trance, as he abruptly stopped in his tracks, releasing your hand as he did. The halt was so sudden that you couldn't stop yourself from smacking into his leg with an Oof! prompting you to stagger back and absentmindedly hold your nose after it took impact.
Without looking at you, he finally speaks, his voice colder than the ice cream you were eating just minutes ago. "Stop that."
You stiffened slightly, his tone taking you off guard. He was so relaxed just a few minutes ago... "S-Stop with wha-?"
"Milord. I want you to stop calling me that." He turned to glare down at you with an equally cold expression, irritation ringing in his voice. "In fact, why do you still call me that after I tell you to stop?" You shrank slightly, idly rubbing your wrist where you had gripped as you took a small step back.
"I... my sire said it's a term used from days of old to address nobles? Y-You know, individuals with higher status?" You heard yourself ask in a small voice. Steven's hand clenched upon hearing higher status. "A-And since you've been so noble to me and seem to hold a very high status here, I-I figured it would fit better.."
Steven inhaled deeply through his nose, trying to keep himself steady. "It... doesn't." He replied as calmly as he could. "I'm not high class. I'm... a regular... middle-class person like everyone else." He said it slowly, sounding almost uncertain. "I... I don't want to be called that anymore. And I mean it this time. Okay?"
You your hands idly fiddling with each other as you looked down to your feet sheepishly. "I... uhm... okay."
Steven huffed, reaching into his bag to provide you a (candy). "Good."
You took the treat gratefully, but found you didn't have the appetite for it. Instead, you just stared at its colorful wrapper, fiddling with the ends of it.
"I'd also like to... address a few things regarding what you've said." Steven grumbled, prompting you to look up at him again, your brow lifted.
"About what I said?" You thought back for a moment before furrowing your brow. "You mean what I said to that Kevin person?"
Steven's brow twitched upon hearing his name. "Yes, him. You didn't need to tell him all of that."
Your eyes darted left and right uneasily before looking back up at him. "...why? I was just telling about your teaching-"
"Just don't!" He snapped, making you flinch and gasp. You could almost swear you saw pink flash briefly in his eyes. His expression softened upon seeing your fearful body language and he took a deep breath to steady himself. "It's just- not everyone needs to know this technique."
"Ah..." You bit your lip, still playing with the candy in your hands with your tail between your legs. "I'm sorry... but why no-?"
You're halted by a large hand under your chin, and you find yourself being forced to look up into Steven's stern eyes.
"Stop. Asking. why."
You froze. His face was almost apathetic as he stared at you. "Just... do what you're told. Okay? That's all I ask."
You nodded sheepishly. The grip he had on your face wasn't overly tight, per say, but it was firm enough to let you know he was serious. Even with the various questions that still continue to pop up in your head, you decided it would be in your best interest to not push the envelope. "O-Okay."
Steven's face softened and he reached up and ruffled your hair. "Good. Now, let's go. If we hurry up, we'll be able to watch the sunset after dinner." Steven sounded tired as he offered you his hand. "Come on." You hesitated for a second, but took it regardless, unwilling to irritate Steven any further. From there, you both continued to make your way to the Beach House, this time at a more slower pace, but you were still rather uneasy and silent, from Steven's sharp shift in moods and behavior.
It's... likely caused by that Kevin individual. There was a bit of tension between the two. You reasoned to yourself, staring down at the candy in your hand. The more you stared, the more prominent your guilt felt. I probably should have kept quiet. It's not like he had to know Steven's teaching methods for me anyway. Your brow furrowed with a huff of resolve.
I'll be better. Just gotta follow his instruction.
You took a deep breath and marched on. This'll all blow over tomorrow.
~~~{Steven's POV}~~~
Stupid Kevin!
Can't he learn to mind his own business?? The day was going by so well until he showed up!
And now thanks to (Name)'s rambling he thinks I'm trying to condition them!
Gah, why did they have to phrase it all like that?? 'If I listen well to milord, I get tasty stuff'?? They made it sound as if they really are a pet!
Ugh. It's not like it's just used on animals anyway... they use it on kids as well! And it works out just fine! Besides, even if I was conditioning them, it's not like it's necessarily bad...
Just... being human.
I shook my head of these thoughts.
No. I'm just teaching them to fit in and adapt. Nothing more. It's not bad. I'm not doing anything wrong.
It's for their own good.
~~~~~~
So, I did see that they use positive reinforcement on children when I researched it, but my old schools focused more on negative reinforcement. The positive reinforcement seemed more like bargaining.
'you do [work], you can play on the computer for a while!'