"Nan-nan, she has no idea what she's talking about," Alex shot back, turning away from her uncle and back to her grandmother. She knew that memaw rarely believed Dani over her, but she couldn't risk it. She knew the way to act, how play the victim and deny, deny, deny. "She's so mean to me all of the time," she lamented with a soft sigh, eying her cousin as she said it.

"I don't think Dani even likes me, uncle Markus.. I mean, after she practically beat me up and all," she went on, after Dani blatantly turned down the invite to tea. She was quite glad the other girl wouldn't be joining them, but she knew that once her dad heard her cousins playing Quodpot, she'd be ushered out of the parlor and onto the field instead.

When Dani pointed at her, Alex let out a gasp, lifting a hand to her chest as if wounded. "Just because you don't know how to behave like a proper young lady doesn't mean you should treat me so cruelly, Danielle! You're so cruel sometimes.."

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Grandmother Quentin sighed as Dani went on her tirade about Alex. "Danielle, enough. You've got to stop blaming your shortcomings on those more well mannered than yourself," she said cuttingly to Dani. She turned on her son. "And you Markus, you let your daughter sulk there and talk like that?" she rose an artfully crafted eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest.

"Aint blamin' none of my shortcomin's on that piece a..."

"Dani!" Markus barked. "We're sorry mother. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," he smiled at his mother and smacked Dani in the back of the head. "You really need to think before you speak Danielle, you're hurting your cousin's feelings," he looked at the other girl sympathetically. "Danielle was promptly punished for that digression at school Alex," he reassured her. "She knows that it was unacceptable to attack you..."

"Bitch fought back! Like a fuckin' banshee too! Fuckin' she-devil with her..."

"Grandmother Quentin!" Jada said coming up from behind. She threw her arms around her mother-in-law, hating every second of it, but pasting on that fake smile like it was the last thing keeping her on earth. "It's so good to see you! You're looking well," she knew very well that she was interrupting another fight. She hoped, very much, to divert.

Grandmother Quentin wasn't fooled but she took the bait regardless. "Jada, so glad to see the whole crowd could make it... well Jaden..." she had never liked their middle child, he was always causing trouble or making a fool of himself.

"He'll be along any minute," Jada said dismissively, waving her hand. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Tea first. Then that barbaric game quodpot. The boys insist," she said as if they word itself left a sour taste in her mouth. "Dinner afterwards and the traditional ladies parlor time after dinner," she explained, finally leading them through to the sitting room where they had all been sitting.

Dani sighed and grumbled, but a little elbow to her side reminded her that this was not the time. She followed quietly even if her skin was crawling.

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"It's okay uncle Markus," Alex sighed softly, shaking her head. "You can only work with what you're given," she added, eying her cousin skeptically as she spoke. She opened her mouth to go on, but when her aunt interrupted, she quieted down and just watched the scene with her arms crossed.

"We really should get back to tea," she suggested at the first opportunity, hoping to perhaps avoid Quodpot all together if they got sidetracked enough. But as they entered the sitting room, before she had a chance to usher everyone into their seats, her father was jumping up out of his own.

"Markus!" he bellowed, crossing quickly to gather his brother into a mixture of a handshake and a one armed clap on the back. Regarding Alex just standing there, and seeing the quod nearby, Dimitrius broke out into a grin. "Pumpkin, be a dear and go and get changed! We've got to show your uncle here how Quentins really play," he suggested. He was not really a fan of tea himself.

Barely keeping herself from gritting her teeth, Alex forced her best smile. "Sure, daddy.. I'd love to."

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Dani slumped grumpily through the house, trying to show how clearly displeased she was with the whole thing. Tea with her mewmaw and her cousin was the bane of her existence, it was like listening to nails on chalkboard while sitting in wet clothes with pins on her chair and something sharp and pointy constantly prodding her.

"Dimitrius!" Markus said just as warmly, giving his brother same bro-clap as always. "I'm sure you and Alex are exceptional players," Markus grinned

Dani looked at her cousin, absolutely gloating and flashed a big toothy grin. "Uncle Dimitrius, maybe you should come to the games for the rest of the season so we can show off to you old farts," she said loud enough for Alex to hear. Sometimes she just couldn't help herself when an opportunity presented itself.

The boys were already running down the hall and out the back door to the expansive yard.

"Don't tear up the grass!" Grandmother Quentin hollered over the ruckus of all the boys jostling down the hallway.

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