#fenixtj

"My eyes are bright too when I have a fully belly." She grins.

"I hope they all can stay."

"There is plenty of room. And they will grow strong and quick, and catch la ratón, and no one will tell them to go."

"See, you just need to be useful, and everything works out."

Constance says "Girls... that's up to the Countess. If I may suggest, make sure you're ready to change their litter boxes and take care of them?"

"We can!"

"Mamacita should guard the library."

"There is sand outside, it is all sand. Can they not go out there?" She wrinkles her nose a little, but she looks resigned. "I suppose -I- would not like to potty out there." A giggle.

BIG eyes, then a giggle.

She leans in close so that Constance will not overhear, and whispers to the girls, "When it was frescas season, we would all go to pick the berries. You had to be quick and get them before the sun got too hot, or they would be no good. It was too busy to go to find a bathroom so we just would water behind the trees. It is much nicer in here. We could eat all we wanted though, as long as we filled the baskets. But I didn't listen and ate so many berries that I had a tummy ache for hours. So never each more berries than a bushel will hold, or you will wish you had not. I DO still like them, though."

"Oh nooooo!" Horror and wonder.

"Oh, do not worry. I will eat some of your berries so you never have a tummy ache."

"You can eat all you want here..."

"but there's a potty."

"I wonder if we could have a little garden here. El jardín." She adds, serious about her goals to teach Ellie Spanish. "We could grow berries and the gatitas can chase each other under the leaves. I know how to make potatoes too, you cut the eyes out, and into the ground, and soon you will see sprouts. Get it? See!"

"I can get you all sorts of things to grow"

THat from Ariel

"Like my hair!"

"Can we grow flowers?"

"I only know how to pick them. Uh oh, I will pluck your braid and sell it to the man who makes hats down the way." Twitchy fingers reaching towards Ellie with a giggle.

"We're gonna need to rip up some pavement and free the soil... on the outside I mean" Ariel says

Then she laughs at wiggling fingers

Giggle! "No tickle!"

"Oh, the hacienda would be so pretty with some flowers. What colors does the Condesa fly? We can grow a banner on the ground."

"Oh, purple! And yellow for you, and red for Ariel?"

"And Jessica likes Blue..."

She stands and shyly goes over to Constance. "Senorita?"

Constance turns, "mm? yes, Salma?"

"Or, Lady?" A curtsy, just to be sure. "Do any of these books show the flowers that we can grow here? "

"Flex, Specs, could you be so kind " She gestures.

She gives a smile to the Pixies. "Oh, I know them, strong and the wise pequeños. They found me my book!"

The two little winged body builder pixies flex and grunt.. and make hup noises... and fetch a book from a top shelf and bring it down showing how MUSCULAR they are

I mean... ANY one can lift digest! And Abridged versions!

She claps for them! "Muy bien!"

"Oooo.."

"Here we go, it's in Spanish.. but there are pictures" She opens them and pictures of trees in one chapter, cacti, bushes.. oh wait.. near the back, Flowers!

"Thank you, Flex, Thank you, Specs!" Constance says "No search engine is as mighty"

Darn right. They would kick sand in Gurly Man google's face!

Does it even CONTEXT, brah?

"I will be the Lorax and speak for the flowers, since they cannot speak to you until you learn to read Espanol." She offers graciously to Ellie. "Si, you are both wonderful!" Waving up at them.

Oh puffing up is natural to them

"Than- Gracias, Flex y Specks!"

Constance says "I see you girls are reading those Spanish tutoring books?"

"Uhm.. " Ariel blushes.. "Un.. potato?"

"Popas."

"Oh, now I'm hungry."

"Hopefully not for berries."

"When is the last time you girls had a meal?" Constance raises a brow

And she giggles. "Remember, Papa is potato, and Pápa is your papa. Do not deep fry your papa, he does not like it. Oh, it has been years since we had a proper meal." A sad, sad look, her long ears drooping in melancholy.

"Oh my. Years." Constance rises "Okay, off to the dining room or kitchen with you. I will not have starving waifs in the library. It's a rule."