"Hey, Tiger," I cooed as my sleek tabby cat trotted over to greet me, winding herself round my ankles and rubbing her ear against my shin affectionately.

Although she carried the stripes of a tiger, that was where any similarity between her and one of the ferocious beasts ended, with her temperament was about as far removed from a tiger as it could be.

I stepped over her as I tried to get into my home without hurting her.

"Yes, I'm happy to see you too," I reassured her as I managed to take my shoes off and hang my coat up while avoiding stepping on her as she meowed. "You can leave your shoes here," I told the Katki while the three of us were squashed in my small entrance hall.

While we were in the main trade district, I'd bought the blond man some basic footwear. My father had grumbled that I shouldn't waste my money, and that the Katki were used to walking barefoot, but I'd ignored him and bought the shoes anyway.

After the transport-bus had dropped us back in our village, I'd waved my father goodbye at the crossroads, telling him I'd drop by later.

Making my way into the lounge, followed by my now barefoot companion, I decided introductions were in order.

"We have a guest," I said, addressing my cat as she continued meandering around my feet. "Tiger, this is Seven Zero Eight One. Seven Zero Eight One, this is Tiger."

I gesticulated towards the cat for the Katki's benefit.

Tiger meowed loudly.

"I know," I acknowledged, looking down at my feet where she was rubbing her ear against me. "It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it? And it's a little impersonal. We need to find something better to call him than a four-digit number."

I looked back up at the Katki. Unsurprisingly, he hadn't responded.

"But that can wait," I continued. "Seven Zero Eight One. I have absolutely no idea whether you're going to remember anything about this conversation or not, but I think it's only fair that I at least try to let you know what my plans are." I paused as I thought about how much I should tell him. "So, you can call me Matthew. I'm a scientist. I know you're trained in various domestic tasks, but that's not the primary reason I took you home with me. You're here because I want to understand the Katki better, and ultimately, my aim is to find a cure for your condition so that none of you have to live like this anymore."

He stared back at me blankly.

"Your enthusiasm is underwhelming," I noted. "Anyway, in order to try to help you, one of the things I need to do is see you in your natural state. Which means, we won't be needing this."

I held up the box containing the Ravim.

"Unless, of course, you prove too difficult to manage without it," I caveated. "But I really hope it doesn't come to that. I'd really like it if we can work together as a team."

I hoped that at least some of what I'd said had infiltrated his mind. It was difficult to tell when he was looking so languid.

Tucking the Ravim carefully into the back an expansive drawer, I decided that there was enough space that any new supplies that were delivered could also be kept there in the short term. A longer-term solution could be made once I better understood what I was dealing with.

"In the meantime, you probably need to know where things are," I reasoned. "Let me give you a quick tour. Come and I'll show you the kitchen."

He followed me into my simple kitchen, where I showed him how to find basic tools and where each type of food was kept. I let him know that he could help himself if he was hungry, but that I also planned for us to eat together when possible. In addition, I showed him where the bathroom was – from previous experience I knew that the Katki would take themselves to the nearest toilet if they needed to, unless instructed otherwise.

When we reached the bedroom, I realised I hadn't thought this through very well. Since my plan was to return empty-handed today, there was nowhere specific for him to sleep. I knew many people just let their Katki sleep on the floor, but I didn't feel comfortable with that. My previous one had slept on a makeshift bed that I'd created from a mattress and some blankets, but I'd disposed of them after he'd passed away, after promising myself I wouldn't ever have another Katki.

I studied my reasonably sized bed. Unlike his predecessor, this Katki was petite, so the bed would probably be large enough for us both. It might work at least until I managed to get another mattress, and I surmised that at least he'd be more comfortable than he would be on the floor.

"We'll sleep here for now," I stated decisively. "Until I figure something else out."

My stomach growled, and I realised I hadn't eaten since breakfast.

"I guess you wouldn't tell me if you were hungry," I speculated. "But if I am, I suspect you probably are too. Let's go and get something to eat."

The blond man followed me obediently to the kitchen.

"I don't particularly want a slave," I told him as we entered. "But equally, I don't want to be yours either. So, until you get your free-will back, I'm just going to try to make the best decisions I can for both of us. We both need to eat, so I say we both need to cook. I think that's fair."

I checked the cupboards and fridge, wondering what I had around that would work.

"I think I have enough to make a stew that will feed us both for a couple of days," I decided, bringing out some potatoes, carrots and onions. "So, you chop the vegetables and I'll do the rest."

It wasn't long before we were both seated at the small table I had tucked in the corner of the kitchen, with a bowl of warm stew in front of each of us. Although I wanted to know whether or not he liked it, I also knew from my experiences with my previous Katki that there was no point in asking.

As we ate, I studied him in silence. I wondered what it was like for him in his stolid prison. Could he feel anything? He obviously understood instructions, but how much of what else I'd said did he understand? Were his desires just being suppressed, or was it that he was incapable of having any?

These were the kind of things I hoped he might tell me when he became lucid.

Assuming I could tame the beast without using the Ravim, that is.

I reasoned that I probably had just over a week to prepare. Once the fiend was loose, I'd have to ensure we were all safe in my house, Tiger included. And I'd have to make some changes if my home was about to become a laboratory.

After we had lunch, I decided that my companion and I would get the transport-bus back into the main trade district again. The technology use to run the transport-buses was limited to the Andekas family so that it didn't get misused. Some people, including myself, used bicycles for individual journeys if we wanted to go somewhere where a transport-bus wasn't available, but it didn't happen often, since the transport-buses ran regularly and were pretty efficient.

The excursion didn't take too long, and it meant I was able to pick up the things that I needed without my father with me asking questions.

We returned from the trip with various items. My main aim had been to get bells, pulleys and levers so that I could construct a simple alarm system. While we were there, I thought it was also appropriate to pick up additional toiletries, some 'normal' attire, underwear and some comfortable sleepwear for the Katki, since anything of mine would be far too big for him. I found the brown outfits that were customary for them to wear somewhat distasteful and only served to dehumanise them further, and I was keen to at least try to be respectful. I ensured that there were at least a couple of turtlenecks included in the clothing I purchased, in case we needed to cover the number tattooed on his neck.

After returning home, I cleared out one of my drawers for him and filled it with his neatly folded new clothes. Once we had a clearer picture of what lay ahead, I'd consider something more permanent, but for now, it would work.

I checked the time. I was scheduled to be at my parents' place for a birthday dinner, and while I wanted to take the blond man with me, I knew I couldn't.

I wondered what he'd like to do while I was out. If I didn't allocate him something to do, he would just sit motionless until I returned, but I had no idea whether he'd rather be occupied or not. Deciding that if I were in his situation, I'd rather be engaged in an activity, I pulled out an Isaac Asimov book from my bookshelf.

Besides being one of my personal favourites, 'I, Robot,' didn't seem out of place given the circumstances.

"It will look odd if I take you to my parents' place with me," I told him with regret, passing him the book. "But I'll be back later. In the meantime, you can read this so that you don't get bored. Hopefully Tiger will look after you while I'm out."

The tabby cat meowed as if agreeing with me.

The fifteen-minute walk to my parents' place passed quickly, and soon I was inside greeting my mother and father again. My mother had made plenty of spicy chilli con carne to eat, with piles of rice.

"I'm so full!" I declared after finishing my second plateful. "Thank you, Mother, that was amazing."

"You can't fit in a little more?" she asked hopefully.

I knew my mother delighted in her cookery skills being appreciated, and I wanted to demonstrate my gratitude for the efforts she'd put in.

Besides, it really had been delicious.

"I really can't," I answered wistfully. "But if I can take some home with me, maybe I can have it for lunch tomorrow?"

I grinned, showing my cheeky side.

"I'm just glad it'll get eaten," she smiled back as she went to box some of it up for me.

We left the traditional birthday cake for an hour, to let our main course digest a bit, and chatted happily in the meantime. When the cake arrived in the customary way, I rolled my eyes and grumbled that I was too old for candles now. However, my parents insisted, and I indulged them.

Soon we were tucking into the iced fruit cake and herbal tea. The cake was just as good as the chilli had been, and it took very little effort to persuade my mother to let me depart with several slices of it.

The streets were getting dark, and the air was decidedly cooler as I walked briskly home. I was greeted by Tiger in her usual manner when I arrived.

"You're very cute, but you need to let me take my shoes off," I told her as she wove herself round my feet. "Did you look after our guest?"

She meowed and trotted in the direction of the lounge.

Sometimes it felt like that cat understood more than she let on.

I followed her into the room where Seven Zero Eight One looked as though he was about quarter of the way through the book that I'd given him to read. Taking a leather bookmark from the shelf, I slotted it into the page he was on.

"You can stop reading now," I told him. "I hope you're enjoying the story. You can read more another time, but now it's time to eat."

I sat him down at the small table, while I gave Tiger some cat food and water. I heated up the remaining chilli and rice that I'd brought back with me for the Katki. With him being smaller than me, the portion size seemed about right for him.

"Here," I said as I put the bowl of warm food in front of him. "Eat this. It's my birthday today and my mother made it especially. She's pretty good at cooking, so I hope you like it."

I washed up and put a slice of the fruit cake on a plate for him, while he finished the chilli.

"Today we get cake too," I told him as I swapped the plates over. "It's fruit cake. Do eat it, and then we can sort out sleeping arrangements."

When it was time for bed, I told Seven Zero Eight One to brush his teeth and get changed into his sleepwear in the bathroom, while I changed into mine in the bedroom and brushed my teeth afterwards. The navy buttoned pyjamas with white stars on them that I'd bought for him earlier were just the right size and suited his complexion.

"So, I think you should take that side of the bed and I'll have this side," I indicated. "Let's try to get some sleep."

Laying on his back on the bed, the blond man closed his eyes as instructed. Although I lay on my side next to him, mine wouldn't close so easily. This porcelain angel looked incredibly fragile and like he might break easily. It was difficult to imagine that there was a vicious individual in there that needed subduing.

However, I knew looks could be deceiving, and reminded myself of his inherent violent tendencies by focusing on the number tattooed in his neck that was just visible above the collar of his pyjamas.

I stared at the ink for an eternity, until my eyes were heavy and my vision started blurring with fatigue.

As my eyes closed that night, the last thing I saw were those numbers distorting. Blending together in a haze, the digits warped until my brain was no longer translating the symbols I saw as '7081,' but transforming them into letters that spelled out, 'TOBI.'