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When the food gets delivered, you and K-Mom eat at the dinner table together with Talia. During a lull in the conversation, Talia announces: "I think I'll be ready to go home soon."
K-Mom stabs her noodles with a fork and shovels them into her open mouth. She uses the time it takes to chew as an opportunity to consider this. "Take however long you need," she finally says. She douses her food in onions sauce again.
"How soon is soon?" You want to know.
"Tomorrow."
You huff. "Tomo-- you've barely been here a week..."
Talia eats by drawing chopsticks to her lips and letting the noodles dangle between them as she slurps them noiselessly up.
"Mom," you plead.
K-Mom looks from you to Talia. "...Yeah. We want you safe. So you might want to stay a little while. At least until we know that your brother isn't in the picture anymore. Just a thought."
Talia stands and gathers up her mostly still-full plate. "I'll be here forever, then."
"I've had guests I'd like hearing that from less," K-Mom tells her.
But that doesn't defuse things and Talia doesn't reply as she goes on into the kitchen. She sets to washing dishes.
You give K-Mom a worried glare. She whispers, "Snug-- Talia's the type who gets anxious about being a freeloader, even if she isn't. She'll get over it." Bringing her voice back to a normal volume, she adds: "you could learn a thing or two from her."
"Like what," you say flatly.
"When was the last time you ever cleaned a plate?"
You frown at her.
"Just saying."
You join Talia at the sink and help her wash up. She does most of the work, though. You mostly just set the dishes in the strainer.
