"It does have rules, but if you weren't going to behave honorably, you wouldn't be signing in the first place, right?" He scratched his head. Although he didn't have first-hand experince with the next analogy, he still observed other people joining their lives together. "It's like getting married and joining a whole different family. You're a part of their world just like they're a part of yours."

The snake he summoned had crawled out of his tunic, and was now lounging on his shoulders. The snakes (all snakes, any snakes) seemed to inherently know he'd signed a contract with them. His energy practically radiated it. There was an inherent trust there, a mutual respect.

"A lot less enforcing, a lot more like being teammates."