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The sound of feet scuffing against the dirt would alert anyone further down the path that someone was approaching. Elena was doing a sort of dance down the path outside Barton; while she didn't live in the town, most of the doors from the House led there. A small planet floated around her head, and she occasionally reached up to twine a finger in the vines covering it.

"Well, I don't think it was so bad of a day," she said, looking up at the winged mouse creature following her. Cer made a noise somewhere between a chirp and a meow at her, which the girl took for agreement. "But I don't know, really, what birthday's are supposed to be like," she added whimsically. "After all, I'm only one year old today." Elena smiled and continued her twirling dance down the path, her long skirt flaring as she turned, revealing silvered anklets that chimed gently as she walked. In the fading sunlight, her hair seemed even more brilliant than normal, the sparkling constellations twinkling as brightly as the stars in the sky.

Elena stopped suddenly at the scream, her skirt swirling around her ankles as the planet skidded forward a bit, then floated back to hover on the left side of her head. "Um? she asked, blinking in surprise. "Are you really being kidnapped?" the girl asked, stifling a small smile. Cer fluttered down closer, chirping at Khali curiously. "Shh, Cer," Elena said, still looking at Khali and Aiden as the E-Mouse skittered back above the girl as well. "Well?" she asked, setting a hand on her hip and glancing between the father and the daughter.

"Ahh," Elena said on an exhaled breath. "I think, little princess, that I agree with him." Here the Tale bestowed a dazzling smile on Aiden. "Princesses can be overruled, you know," she added with a wink at Khali. "Especially by their parents."

Elena cocked her head to the side as Aiden explained what he was trying to accomplish. "Mm, french toast," she said dreamily, closing her eyes momentarily. They snapped open, glowing more than slightly as Khali spoke.

"Once again, my dear, I find myself in agreement with, oh dear. I don't seem to know your name," she said, flushing faintly. "Ah, I'm Elena," the girl said, introducing herself and dropping a curtsy to Aiden.

Elena stuck a hand out and wobbled it back and forth. "It depends," she said in reply. "I think it's best to pick your battles," she added with a sly wink, although it could have been directed at either Aiden or Khali.

"Well, you're right," Elena continued. "A good princess shouldn't lie. People won't believe you after a while if you lie too much. This was enforced with a stern glance at the younger girl.

Another curtsy at his introductions. Princesses should be gracious, after all.

About to retort with the 'evidence', i.e. the lies Khali had already told her, Elena instead smiled somewhat smugly as Aiden reprimanded her. "See?" Elena murmured quietly with a wink at Khali. "I had to learn that lesson the hard way," she continued. "You should try some postive reinforcement," the older girl said brightly, although once again it was unclear exactly whom she was addressing. Khali, however, would likely find it easier to bribe Aiden with good behavior than the other way around.

Oh, boy! A new father, and a new kid. What fun. Before a more devious expression could work it's way on to Elena's face, she bobbed her head at the pair. "Mmm, positive reinforcement," she echoed, rocking back on her heels slightly, causing her skirt to swish about her ankles again. "I'll give an example. Say you, Aiden, want Miss Khalindra to do something, like go to bed on time. Offer a reward, like some jewelry, or a book, or being able to stay up an hour later some other night," she said, fingering her own bracelet, acquired in a similar manner. "It works the other way around, of course," the older girl added. "By behaving nicely, Khali, Aiden might decide that you deserve a special treat." And that was all she was going to say on that matter - if Khali wanted to know more, well, she'd have to talk to Elena again, minus the father-person.

"You do have to be careful, on both ends," Elena said after a moment's thought without elaborating further. They could always ask, if either one really wanted. "But then, I've probably ruined the whole idea now, since you both know about it."

"Yes, you could," Elena replied with a nod. "Or whatever else Aiden can think of that would be a good reward."

"Bribe?" Elena said, arching an eyebrow. "You make it sound so...crude," she complained teasingly. "That is one of the things you have to be careful about. I, myself, learned that good behavior is a much better plan than throwing a tantrum to get my way." A minor wince, there; that may have revealed too much about Elena's methods. Oh well, hopefully he wouldn't pay too much attention. "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, after all, and that's the point of doing things like this." She tilted her head to the side slightly. "Well, kind of. I suppose the point is to teach that good behavior is it's own reward," Elena continued in a slightly bored tone of voice, as if to indicate that that was the parent's logic behind the idea.

"Well, that's why I liked my word better," Elena replied, a quick smile taking any sting out of her words. Twirling another strand of hair around her finger, the older girl offered a much more genuine smile to Khali.

"Why, thank you," she trilled out happily. "You're rather pretty yourself," Elena continued, returning the compliment. "In fact, you remind me of someone else I met a while ago, who has blonde hair like you, and wings that look like my hair," she said in a bright, but wistful tone. She hadn't seen Donny for very long when she was younger, and she didn't have a way to contact him and let him know that she'd grown up a bit.

A quick glance over Aiden and Khali gave Elena the impression that it would likely take a lot of spending to break the man's bank, but she kept that thought firmly in her head. "Only if you don't find other ways to reward her," she said instead.

Before either could reply, a chiming sound interrupted. Elena frowned, and pulled out a small, star covered cell phone. "Looks like it's time for me to go home," she said with a sigh, not bothering to answer the call. "Maybe we'll meet again sometime," she said brightly as a farewell, heading off to a relatively secluded area of the park in order to head home.