Tisu poured in the cream, humming to himself.<br/><br/>"You're welcome, Saika."<br/><br/>"I don't mind at all," Tisu told him. "The nuthatches will not mind it, either, I suspect. They are calmed in my presence. Perhaps they will let you hold them."<br/><br/>When Saika spoke, however, claiming to know why he was here, Tisu closed his eyes in a slow blink, a dragon's version of being extremely taken aback.<br/><br/>Tisu reached out, and gently cupped Saika's neck, feeling the knotted scars poking out of the neko's shirt. "Saika, listen to me," Tisu said. He paused, searching for words. "It is not quite what you think, why you're here. You're here to help me. The world around me has grown cold, and I have greatly feared the reintroduction of warmth."<br/><br/>Tisu drew his hand back. "You are warmth," he told him. "But you will never hobble from a room I'm in. You'll never suffer a bruise. I will never strike you. You may speak your mind, for I'd like to hear it. Nothing need happen if you do not desire it. It will not be what you've experienced before."<br/><br/>"Are you hungry?" he asked him softly.