Open: Well young lady, have you been good to your mother?

[biteybaby]

Sunny Baudelaire has been having quite an exciting time lately. For once, "exciting" means "filled with fun" and not "filled with terror, pain, panic, and an inordinate amount of running and hiding". Without the threat of Count Olaf and his associates finding her in an attempt to steal the Baudelaire fortune, Sunny has had more time for her studies. "Her studies" is a phrase which here means, "catching up on learning how to do things most people take for granted".

She has finally learned how to walk. She thinks the amount of words she is now able to say has increased. Magnu has even taught her a few things in sign language, which she finds is a little easier than speaking. The biggest news is that she now has five very sharp teeth, as opposed to the four she started with when she arrived.

Shortly before she arrived, Mr Poe had told the Baudelaires about an aphorism: It takes a village to raise a child. She wonders if that is why she has had so much time to grow. Her days are spent rotating around between several different guardians, babysitters, and friends, and it has been lovely. She hopes her siblings are having just as good of a time in the village of V.F.D.

Unfortunately I must report that her siblings are not having just as good of a time in the village of V.F.D., nor are they even still in the village of V.F.D. Sunny does not know this. It would probably be for the best if nobody tells her.

Comments

[kadewest]

Sunny has the precise comportment of a teenager. Kade does know what to do with teenagers, and is summarily charmed. "Oh, Sagramore," he says. It seems that they have a lot to catch up on! "And... Laertes?"

[biteybaby]

“Esh!!!” That’s what she said!

[kadewest]

"Well, I'm sorry, little lady. I'm slow on the uptake," Kade laughs. "One of my many failings, I assure you. Would you like me to take you to them?"

[biteybaby]

"No," she says. She's exploring the mansion right now. She can head back to the house later.

[kadewest]

"No?" For the first time, Kade wishes he could text here, just to let Sagramore know Sunny is safe. "Would you like me to take you somewhere else?"

[biteybaby]

She shrugs. Like Crowley says, she's an independent woman, and definitely doesn't need a man to escort her places.

[kadewest]

Kade can't just leave a baby alone! He's used to waiting teenagers out; he sits on the floor to wait the baby out, too.

[biteybaby]

"Kay. Bye!" She starts walking down the hallway, heading to the library. She thinks a picture book would be nice to look at right now.

[kadewest]

Kade gets to his feet again and wanders after her, an expression of utmost innocence on his face.

[biteybaby]

Sunny walks for a while before stopping and turning to look at Kade. "Following."

[kadewest]

Since Kade has strict rules about not lying to children, he doesn't deny it. "Yes."

[biteybaby]

"Why?" She pauses. "Olaf?" she asks, wondering if he is perhaps a new associate of Count Olaf's who is trying to kidnap her.

[kadewest]

"Olaf? I'm afraid I don't know any Olafs." Kade pauses and tries to recalibrate. "May I keep you company?"

[biteybaby]

"Why?" she asks again. She's beginning to think she shouldn't trust him. Strangers following you isn't usually a good sign.

[kadewest]

In Kade's experience, most kids don't like being told that they're young enough to need particular adult support. He's honest with all children, but that doesn't mean he can't be selectively honest! "I'm a teacher back home. I miss my students. I'd like to spend time with someone student-aged." Who can he talk to about getting, at the very least, pagers up in this place! He hopes Sagramore isn't searching too frantically for Sunny.

[biteybaby]

"Prufrock," Sunny says skeptically, which here means, "I am not old enough to be a student. That is why I had to work as an administrative assistant when attending Prufrock Preparatory School".

[kadewest]

"Prufrock?" Kade says. "As in, the Love Song of J. Alfred? 'In the room the women come and go, talking of Michelangelo?'"

[biteybaby]

Sunny gives him a look that seems to say on what planet would that be what I meant? and responds, "School."

[kadewest]

"A school named Prufrock," Kade says, with a big, disarming grin. "My school was called Eleanor West's Home for Wayward Children. We taught kids who went to different worlds and then came back again."

[biteybaby]

Sunny's breath catches. To say someone's breath catches does not mean her lungs put on a baseball mitt and caught a ball, rather that she temporarily stopped breathing, rather involuntarily. There are many different situations in life which could cause this in someone. An unexpected present could cause your breath to catch. The sight of your wife in a pale blue vest, high waisted pants with suspenders, and rolled up shirtsleeves on your wedding day could cause your breath to catch. In this case, Sunny's breath catches because she did not think anyone here knew how to go between worlds.

"Back?" she asks, cautiously hopeful that this creepy man who keeps following her might be able to get her back to her siblings.

[kadewest]

"Back," Kade confirms. "My students were ones who went to different Worlds that were remarkably well-suited to them and their needs, and then somehow stumbled back to one that isn't as nice."

[biteybaby]

Sunny thinks this world is remarkably well-suited to her and her needs, but she desperately wants to somehow stumble back to the one that isn't as nice. Ideally she would prefer it if Violet and Klaus would come here, but since they seem in no hurry she thinks she might have to go find them instead. "How?"

[kadewest]

"It really depends," says Kade. "I have a friend who became a mermaid in her new World, and she got sent back because she woke up one morning missing sandwiches! Mermaids can't have sandwiches, you see. The bread gets too soggy underwater. I had another couple friends who got sent back just for a little bit, so they could make certain they really wanted to live in their Worlds forever."

[biteybaby]

Sunny thinks about this. Is there something in her old world that she can't have here? Just her siblings, but she wakes up every morning missing them, and has yet to be sent back. The problem is that she can't think of anything else to miss that she couldn't just get here by getting someone to open a cabinet for her. She's certain even Aunt Josephine's cold cucumber soup would show up if she thought about it hard enough.

[kadewest]

"You came here from another world, didn't you, Sunny?"