[ The way her tail flicks also brings a slight smile to his face, and along with it comes a wish to touch her tail as he did her ears. But he decides that he should work up to that, rather than jumping in too quickly and too soon. He might be pushing past some of his reticence, but he has not yet put all of that aside. ]

Not typically, no. Put pen to paper and express my thoughts that way? Perhaps. Of course, I have had many discussions with Lucia about what our next moves ought to be, but I suppose that is somewhat different than thinking aloud.

[ And in the interest of attempting to lighten the mood, he says: ] Perhaps I feared being the recipient of curious glances if anyone should come across me speaking my thoughts aloud. As you know, I do have a certain dignified image that must remain intact. [ And while it has been many years since he displayed anything akin to childlike playfulness, he suddenly feels struck by the sudden urge to do something not so contained and rigid. Carefully, so as not to dislodge her with his sudden movement, he slowly moves into a sitting position, being also mindful not to move too quickly and undo the comfort she's giving him, and sticks his nose into the air, clearly a snobbish gesture.

He holds that pose for a moment or two, hoping to give her a moment of levity in return. Eventually, he resumes his position with his head in her lap, because he would be lying if he said he was not enjoying this. ]

I see. It seems to me, then, that the both of you had to grow up somewhat quicker than most, if you had to learn to care for yourselves from an early age.

[ It also seems to him that that is one thing that makes them similar, but he does not wish to be too forward by drawing that conclusion. ]

Now that you mention it, I would like to speak more with your sister and become better acquainted with her.