Egotistical, yes, but it was all that Rayne could do, wasn't it? All he had to offer anyone, in Cater's position. His job was to look out for the students under his purview, to make sure he did what he could to support them through their school life. This might be a little bit of a stretch of that, sure, but... if he wanted to change the world, to make it a better place...

Even his harsh words needed a sweetness to them, at times.

"Don't." Rayne replies easily, to that first comment. Falling for him? No, the very idea was even more stupid than anything Cater had said during this conversation.

Oh, but that smile. That smile-- the sight of it was so different than the other one. Rayne can feel his heart pick up its pace in his chest. A decision is made, then and there. Not a conscious one, not nearly close enough to the surface for Rayne to realize it had even been made at all.

"Good." Leaning back in his chair, Rayne nods, seeming contented with the acceptance.

"We'll start tomorrow. To motivate you to work extra hard-- if you can put your all into it, find something within the realm of Practical Magic that pushes you to learn more or that makes it easier for you to focus on the subject, I'll spend one day with you in town." Cater's asked enough times that this should be ample motivation, right?