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Jenner, being Jenner, had assigned the job of arranging "mandatory socialization time" for Indigo to Tizzy, then promptly gone off to do something inscrutable and Jenner like watching TV in her boxers. Used to her mother's caprices, Tizzy had simply sighed and herded Indigo out to the playroom to do her coloring, before calling that nice Mr. Oleander to see if Yeesha would like to come over and play.

Now the young demon sat on the table, watching as Indigo scribbled away at her numbers worksheet with her big box of crayons. "I like those two colors together, Indigo," Tizzy remarked when the little girl pulled out pink and yellow to use on her number 6.

"Uh-huh."

"I also like the purple you used on the O 'octopus'."

"Uh-huh."

Oh boy. Tizzy knew when she should just be quiet and let someone alone, even if she didn't always do it. She heaved an enormous sigh, looking toward the patio and fidgeting with her paws. Hopefully Mr. Oleander would be along soon with Yeesha!

Indigo, meanwhile, started in on the number 7. She loved coloring more than most anything else except swimming, she reflected, scribbling away with a green crayon. Aunty Tee had said that Missy Yeesha was coming over; maybe she'd like coloring, too! Indigo would even share her favorite purple crayon, since Aunty Tee said sharing was a nice thing to do and Indigo liked to be nice.

Indigo wasn't used to demonstrably angry people. Quietly angry, sure--she knew what sulking was, and did it quite a bit herself. She looked up as Yeesha stormed over, antennae twitching with curiosity and a bit of worry. Unhappy people smelled different, though she wasn't quite sure what was wrong with this new girl. "Hi," she said, uncertainly, then added, "M'Indigo. This is Auntie Tee." She pointed over her shoulder with one of her upper arms at her "aunt".

She watched, first curiously, then somewhat amused, as Yeesha began destroying a piece of paper. Finally, she started giggling, covering her mouth with two of her hands and trying not to laugh too loud. "Your 'posed to draw on it, Yeesha!" she finally said. "Not tear it up into bits."

For her part, Tizzy was still wringing her paws with unease as Yeesha stomped over. Oh, oh, oh, this didn't look good. Hennet provided ample distraction, though, and she looked over at the man--bounding down off the table and bouncing over to a chair to be on a level with him. She extended one delicate hand-paw to take his hand, mustering up her best smile. "Yes, Mr. Oleander; the pleasure is all mine. I'm sorry my mother couldn't be here today with Indigo."

Her tail twitched behind her, and she snuck a glance at Yeesha, before looking up at Hennet with a worried expression. Lowering her voice, she asked, "Did I call at a bad time? I'm very sorry if I did..."

"Oh." Tizzy clasped her hands together before her, looking at Yeesha again, before making a face. "I do hope not. --Err, no offense; I'm sure she's a wonderful child. She just looks like she'd have--" One of the demon's ears went back. "Teeth."

Teeth and an attitude problem, it looked like. Indigo's blue eyes went round as saucers when Yeesha picked up her coloring and deliberately ripped it in half. She didn't even reach to stop the other girl, so stunned was she by the casual cruelty. "M...muh colorin," she managed after a moment, lower lip quivering.

Over on the chair, Tizzy sucked in a breath, fearing the oncoming temper tantrum. Oh please oh please oh please oh please...

Her lip still quivering, Indigo reached over to take a marker from her stack of coloring things. She glanced down at it, then looked up at Yeesha--before twisting the cap off and leaning over to scribble on the other girl. Pretty yellow sundress? Meet blue scribbles. "FINE! I'll color on YOU then!"

Indigo screeched like she was being murdered the instant Yeesha grabbed her hair. Though her fists were small, she had four of them, and so grabbed whatever she could of Yeesha's sundress and gave a mighty attempt to haul the other girl off of her. "Let go let go let go LET GO LET GO!" At least Yeesha hadn't grabbed her antennae; then they'd be in real trouble.

"Oh, oh--INDIGO!" Tizzy leapt down from her chair, bounding over to where her charge and Yeesha were busy going at it. Up onto the table she went, sinking her fangs into the back of Indigo's worn t-shirt and hauling the little girl away from the fight with Yeesha. For a few seconds this made the child scream all the louder, until Yeesha let go and Indigo, Tizzy, and all were knocked arse-over-teakettle off the other side of the table with a thump.

In the manner of all young things, Indigo recovered rapidly. She sat bolt upright and got her legs under her, preparing to charge around the table and attack her enemy once more. Tizzy appeared to be out of the fight for the moment, sprawled out on the floor with the breath knocked out of her. Fortunately, Jenner had chosen just that moment to investigate all the shrieking--

And stepped up to collar her errant daughter before Indigo could get more then two steps away. "Now, hang on just a minute," the red-headed woman said. "What's all this fuss about?"

The tears threatening to spill over in Indigo's sky-blue eyes finally did when Jenner picked her up, trickling down her face as the little girl sniffled unhappily. She'd quit struggling as soon as Jenner picked her up, in favor of the melodramatic tears. "She ripped m'picture," she burbled in response to Yeesha's accusation. "An' pulled m'hair."

Now, lazy Jenner might have been, but she'd mothered more than a few baby demons in her own time. She looked down at Indigo, then at Tizzy--who had a paw to her forehead and a pained expression on her muzzle--before scooping up the latter with a foot. The smaller demon shook her head rapidly, grabbing on to her mother's pant leg before skittering up to rest on Jenner's shoulder.

"We-ell," Jenner said at length, looking up at Hennet, even as she patted Indigo's head gently. "It's been my experience that it usually takes two people t' argue. Indi, why did you draw on her dress? That wasn't a very nice thing to do."

Indigo looked down, silent. Jenner smiled a little, ruefully. "It's all right, sai Oleander. Hopefully they'll get along better after everyone's had some time t' calm down."

Indigo sniffed again. As if a "sorry" could make up for the beautiful picture she'd be working on, or her hair! Jenner shifted her grip on her child, looking down at her and making a noise low in her throat. "What do you say, Indigo?"

Obstinately, the toddler turned her face to her mother's shoulder, pressing against it with a fist held up near her mouth. Jenner's rueful expression melted into a frown, and she set the toddler down--to Indigo's protestations. "Mommy--"

"What do you say when someone apologizes t' you, Indigo?" Jenner said, relentlessly patient.

The toddler scuffed a foot on the carpet, staring down at it. "Septyourapology," she mumbled. Jenner cleared her throat delicately, causing Indigo to give her an anguished look.

Then she repeated it louder: "I 'sept your apology, Yeesha."

That said, she promptly attached to her mother's knees, burying her face against Jenner's pants. Tizzy, from Jenner's shoulder, let out a long sigh. "I'm sorry that happened, Mr. Oleander, truly I am," the small demon said.

"Hush, Tiz. No sense in makin' a ruckus over it."

Ohboi. Not even demon mothers could stomach hearing a child wail the way Yeesha was. Jenner's smile grew strained as Tizzy put her ears flat back, and Indigo winced with her antennae. Still, as Hennet extended the offer of another playdate, the elder demon put on a brave face and nodded. "Sure thing, sai Oleander. With any luck, th' next one will work out better, hey?"

As the teacher hauled his wailing child out the door, Jenner raised her hand in a finger-wiggling wave. Tizzy did likewise, while Indigo made a noise somewhere between a sigh of relief and an unhappy burble.

When at last Hennet and Yeesha had departed, Jenner lost the strained smile and ruffled Indigo's hair. "That could've gone worse," she remarked to no one in particular.

"It could have gone better, too," Tizzy said, morosely.

"I'm hung'y," Indigo weighed in on the subject.

Jenner seized on the opportunity. "Right, then. Lunch it is. Pizza, anybody?"

A chorus of subdued cheers met the offer, and with that, the two demons and their velvet worm headed out of the playroom.