What else was he going to buy, ammunition? A new coat?

"You looked attached to it," he said lightly as he handed over his card to the clerk. He didn't display a smile, though his tone was soft.

The real answer was that she didn't need to work the cute act, she just had to exist. And exist in the same general age range as the little girl who'd plucked his heart from his chest with her raven's claws. Badd didn't fool himself into thinking he wasn't using Anise as an emotional proxy for Kay, but felt no harm could come from it. She needed someone to be nice to her right now.