[ oh no, that's pure... his heart actually kind of melts. ume doesn't pick it up at first, because this is the first time she's heard his name! with the nudge, though, she'll learn, slowly ambling over on her unsteady paws towards him, and tsurumaru reaches to pick her up and to put her in his lap. ]

Are we teaching her our names? [ he gives her a gentle pat between her ears, before turning her around, so that she's looking towards hijikata. ]

That's Hijikata. Hi-ji-ka-ta.

[ as if responding, she gives a loud bark, her tiny stub of a tail wagging once more at 100MPH. do puppy tails ever stop wagging? stay tuned. ]

I think she also likes toys, too. Do you think we could teach her how to play fetch? And how to do tricks?