27 JAN 26

Yali's sneaking in a bowl of chocolate ice cream before eight AM... small I notice so as not to draw overt attention...

Then he and Patience get busy barking at each other about sneezing on each other's breakfast as the dog follows behind them... trusty vacuum...

An hour later while Patience is tediously studying third person to first person narratives...

...Yali is sword-fighting his own fencing helmet balanced on the back of the couch with an amazing clattering and clashing of metal and garbled yelling... tossing and catching blades and kicking them up from the tops of his boots... which ultimately ends in an unfortunate stabbing of Mama in the ribs with the saber blade... “I didn't mean to! I didn't mean to!”...

With no actual damage done... both kids finish lunch then vault themselves downstairs in a sort-of attempt at quiet while Pops is on multiple back-to-back video calls... to miraculously begin cleaning up the basement... I hear their loud whispers float back up the stairs... “SHOULD WE SHOW MOM OUR PROGRESS?” // “NO NOT YET”...

After their work has been appropriately admired for an appropriate length of time... they really did a great job... Yali changes into his black suit and white sneakers and slicks his hair over just because he can and he likes lookin' good... then gets busy re-Sharpie-ing the tattoo on his arm which he designed yesterday to symbolize his brotherhood with Puck...