"No," Ken admitted once Hawke had finished, frowning and giving a small shake of his head, "It doesn't." He didn't know what he'd expected the older man to say or even why he'd asked the question, but the answer was difficult to think about. While it was true that the first eight years of his life, the years that he'd spent living with his mother and knowing nothing more difficult than studying for school and scrapped knees from soccer practice, seemed more distant to him every day...at least he'd had them. He didn't know what else to say.
Fortunately, Koromaru soon interrupted the silence. Finally growing restless in the unfamiliar position in which he'd been cradled, the dog began to fidget in Hawke's arms and whined softly before managing to turn off of his back and jump down to the floor. A nimble beast, he landed without a stumble or even a clattering of nails on the wood, then shook off and barked at the two men with gusto. His tail was wagging and he looked toward the library door and then back again without any subtlety.
A smile that Ken hadn't expected broke across his face and he looked sheepishly at the mage. "I think I've had him cooped up too long," he explained, "He's not used to it. Usually, he stays at the shrine when I'm at school and he does what he wants. Here..." Here neither of them wanted to leave the other unprotected for long. He shook his head again. "Do you want to come with us?"