Tisu glanced at his own hands, which were perfectly fine, and held them out to Saika to show him. "I'm a dragon, lad," he told him. "It takes more than fire to harm me."<br/><br/>Tisu watched him. Dragons were great predators, and not truly designed to have the same elegance and fineness of facial features of communal prey creatures like nekos. The boy's nerves showed easily, but Tisu's were harder to sense. Someone who knew him, or a fellow dragon, would have said he looked distraught, even scared.<br/><br/>To Saika it was probably difficult to read anything but blankness.<br/><br/>He watched the teapot for a moment, head cocked to hear birdsong outside the window.<br/><br/>He said nothing for a while, feeling strange to be around another. He was curious about the boy. Glancing at the tea, he judged it ready and poured two cups.<br/><br/>“Tell me if t’is too hot, lad.” Tisu intoned, sipping the sweet raspberry blend with no fear of burning himself. "Do you take it with honey, Saika, or cream?" he inquired. He watched the boy with the same uncanny expression, warming up to the possibility of company.<br/><br/>“Tell me about yourself. I wish to know what’s in your past, in your head."<br/><br/>Keeping the kitchen stocked with things like honey and cream without visitors had been easy enough. Dragons were deeply magical creatures. Such things could be summoned, and payment left in their place. There were whole industries allowing magic-wielders to do that.<br/><br/>Tisu watched Saika, considering how delicate he looked. He touched the boy's hot teacup and the steam coiling up from it lessened considerably.<br/><br/>"I have cooled it," he informed Saika. "If you need it warmer or even cooler, tell me. It's a moment's effort, no more."<br/><br/>He sipped his own tea.<br/><br/>Tisu had his ear bent to the birdsong. "The nuthatches who are nesting under my eaves are about ready to fly,” he commented. He had a thought. “Would you like to see them, Saika?”<br/><br/>He turned the boy’s chin up with a single finger and kissed him, warm and tasting sweetly of raspberry tea. It was chaste. He let the boy think through his reaction, forcing nothing, least of all the boy’s opinion.<br/><br/>“Come out with me,” Tisu said. “We will bathe, perhaps check in on the fledgelings, and discuss—” He groped for the words. “—why you are here.”