"Good girl," she said, shaking the hand like you would a puppy's. Then she released it and held out her other hand, switching that one to scratch behind Mokou's hear. She could hear the way that the girl's breathing was ragged.

"Now, give me your other paw," she said, looking down to see if the pain had gotten to Mokou enough to make her reaction time faster, wanting to avoid more pain. If so, it would be time to up the ante a little.