"I mean that rudely eavesdropping and stuff is a habit."

"I wasn't eavesdropping. I was just pretending to be a tree. And a bush. And some sand. Not my fault you and Fishy were chatting near me."

"Being near people who are talking without their knowledge is eavesdropping. It's totally your fault."

"I waved at you!"

"When?"

"When Michael was talking about Squishy."

"Did you wave in a way that a regular person would think was a wave and not, like, the rustling of the trees?"

"Who says what's regular?"

"The other six billion people on the planet."

A woman's voice drifts in. "I hope my kids are treating you all right, Sadde."

She turns to look at the arriving woman and purses her lips and looks down. "Yeah."

"Are you sure. Don't feel the need to lie on their behalf."

"I'm not lying on their behalf."

"Okay. Good. Anything you need?"

"Clothes. Somewhere to sleep. Something to do."

"That I can definitely arrange, any preference when it comes to clothes? As you might've guessed from Evan,"-he blushes-"We have some variety."

"Not really. ...um, boy clothes and girl clothes?"

In the speed seemingly typical of her family, Zaneta procures some clothes. "I put some sets in a room I think will be suitable. I can move them if you find somewhere you prefer. In the meantime, I think we should talk. In private." She glares at the other children. "And your parents will want you home soon, Maurice."

"Okay," she agrees softly.

Zaneta leads Sadde to where she thinks will be a non threatening place to have an important chat for a young girl. Of course, she is over a hundred.

And given that Sadde's mind now has slotted Zaneta somewhere between Alexandria and Legend, there's really not much Zaneta can do to seem non-intimidating.

Zaneta sits down on an overly stuffed chair. She gestures towards a somewhat smaller, but very similar piece of furnitre. 

Okay.

She hops onto it.

"So, how has your day been? I can probably guess your general answer, but the Devil's in the details."

"Fine," she mumbles.