"Let me guess. Coal?"

Daisy's eyes sparkled. "That would be too easy. You'll find out if you don't get yourself in check."

"Oh? How about you, Miss Vitamin Hustler? Sorry, I mean Mrs. Vitamin Hustler. Did anyone ever get after you for that?"

"Hun, what I did happened in the springtime. You're acting up around CHRISTMASTIME, AND setting a bad example for our girls in the process."

"Acting up? How? By saying you were a funny kid? Here, what if I tell you something stupid I did as a kid? Would that mollify you?"

"Fine, but make sure to be loud enough that everyone can hear you."

"Nope. This is for your ears only." Lucy lowered her voice. "When I was a kid, my friend Skyla and a couple other kids from the neighborhood would come over to visit, and we'd usually play house. Skyla was always the mom, another kid was the dad, another was the child, and I, without fail, would be the jaguar. Because, you know, all functioning households own a jaguar. So I would meow and roar and climb on things and ask for pets."

Daisy fought her laughter. She said nothing, but she fully intended to try and compel Lucy to crawl around and ask for pets tonight.

"Oh great, you're getting that look," Lucy groaned.

"WHAT look, Hun? Hey, didn't you say you'd make Christmas poffins with Leaf today?"