practicality

Well, I like it. [He holds out his hand] You can try, if you'd like!

[The corners of his lips quirked slightly as he tried to hide the grin at what Tian's reaction to being called 'Mr. Tian' would look like]

Tian-dono can be very scary, it's true. But not always.

[There's a small, hastily stifled snicker at that before the perfect composure is back.]

Tian-dono doesn't eat humans. Just fish.

Well, I don't usually taste like grape candies - even if I eat a lot of them - so I don't think Tian-dono tastes like fish.

[He grins a little]

That does sound like a strange flavor, though.

[Oh small child, you amuse Dai with your cluelessness. That isn't actually cluelessness]

Hmm, I think I'll leave the choice of who checks if Tian-dono tastes like fish to him, ne?

[None the less, that grin is kind of betraying that he knows the answer already]

[Time to get even clueless-er then~

Huo knows better than to react to that grin. No idea what you're on about, friendly candyman.]

Yes. Because you have to lick him for that. Or kiss him. [And he makes the universal face of a little kid on the subject of kissing: EWW.]

[That gets an amused smirk out of him.]

It's not so bad - though you probably won't understand that until you're older.

[Secretly grown-up Huo does not like that smirk. But he has to stick to part.]

Maybe kissing a dragon isn't so bad, [he says doubtfully.]

[That look has Huo in a bit of a predication. He'd very much like to believe that he is misunderstanding, but knows he isn't. He's understanding entirely too well.

He needs an innocent question. Quickly. Before that understanding shows on his face.]

What's 'dono' mean?

Ohhh. [That... is intriguing, actually.] So Mr. Tian is a lord?

[That's not exactly the answer Huo was looking for, but it's getting somewhere.]

I'd respect a great big dragon too, even if he only eats fish...

[The little boy breaks into a huge grin at that. You may not know it, Daitou, but you have just caused him untold relief now that he knows that you know what you're getting into when you, ahem, have tea with Tian. It's about the only good turn the conversation has taken so far.]

Wow! [Now how to make that into a properly childlike reaction...] Can he do magic? Can he make me taste like candy too? [And a serious face.] Should I pray to him?

Aww... [So Tian has not shown Daitou any particular powers - if the other man was telling the truth, and why would he lie to a child? He fixed Daitou with an innocently fascinated stare.] Do you pray to him?

[A child would not understand, but Huo does, and it's another piece in the puzzle. It makes him wonder how much further he can push the matter.]

He must get sad if no one prays to him...