The Taranis was parked for the night, safely tucked within a dense forest and away from Berman eyes. Despite its menacing exterior, the vibes inside of it couldn't be any more peaceful; a certain group of twelve children enjoyed their time away from the frontlines, having spent all night relaxing and chatting together.

By the time the children had settled down and started to change into their pajamas for bedtime, Mei was already yawning. A girl her age needed a lot more rest than, say, Malt, who was still wide awake and busy gently untying her hair.

"Sleepy already?" Malt asked softly, petting her hair; it felt softer than a moosheep's wool.

"Weh... I wanna stay up really late like you, Malt..." She said, rubbing her eyes. She was already starting to nod off, too.

The ever-responsible older brother was having none of it, though. "I stay up 'cause I have to, you know... In case bad guys show up. I just wanna keep everyone safe. After all, I'm--"

"--The oldest, I knowwww!" Mei whined, tilting her head way back. Even a four year old had heard this one a million times already.

"Hey, at least I'm not on guard duty tonight -- Britz said he'll cover me, so... You can sleep with me tonight instead of Hanna, if you want."

"Yaaahahahayyyyy!!!"

Mei's face lit up as soon as she heard this, jumping up and down with the kind of energy you'd normally see during a sugar rush. Once Malt was done getting her ready for sleepytime, she rushed to the bunk beds and climbed to the top of an unoccupied one. Though few of the other kids were asleep at this time, her delighted giggles -- and the creaking of the bed as she did little hops on top of it -- still dwarfed every other noise in the room.

...On the bottom bunk, a groggy Kyle muttered "Shaddup..." and fell back asleep, drool pooling up on his pillow.
Malt made sure to take it slow as he climbed the little ladder to the top bunk and carefully laid down in bed; right away, his giddy little sister curled up to his side, wrapping a tiny arm about halfway around his waist. He did the same, though his paw barely needed to stretch to hold her closely. Her snout pressed against his chest, and she took nice, slow breaths as she enjoyed her big brother's warmth -- and his pleasant scent.

"Mmh... I know it's only been a couple days," he whispered, "but I missed cuddling ya, lil sis. I'll keep you safe."

"Eeheehee..." Even when he couldn't see it, Malt could tell Mei was smiling from ear to ear. "Keep me safe... Hanna said the same thing." The excited little Caninu finally started to drift off, and stray thoughts filled her busy noggin. "She gave me super good cuddles... And her boobies are really big."

"Uh--"

"I think hers are the biggest," Mei answered, even though Malt didn't ask.

He was obviously flustered, as a growing boy right at the age where he starts to notice certain things. "W-Well, I'm not going around comparing sizes or anything, but--"

"I did!" Mei said proudly. "Hanna's got the biggest boobies, then Sheena, then um... I forgot the order. But mine are the smallest ones!"

"Aw, sorry to hear that," Malt said, half-joking. He didn't really know how Mei felt about it -- until she spoke some more.

With a confident giggle, she assured her brother: "It's okay. If I rub 'em enough, they'll get as biiiig as Hanna's!"

Malt raised an eyebrow, and made sure to look away when Mei slid a hand under her own clothes and squeezed the flat, fluffy areas where her boobs will be one day. "Who the hel-- ...who the *heck* told you that??"

"Chick did!" Mei pointed at her dear friend, though the Caninu was conked out next to her twin brother. "She said the more you rub and squeeze them, the bigger they'll get! It's like, science stuff."

"N-No, it's not..." Malt was about 99% sure Chick made that up, and he didn't want to assume that's why Hanna turned out... like that. "Mei, boobs just... grow on their own when you get older. And some girls get big ones, l-like Hanna."

The tiny girl seemed to get it, at least. "Ohhhh..." She seemed to have her doubts settled -- until something else crossed her mind. "Y'think mine are gonna be big when *I* grow up?"

Malt had no way of knowing, but he figured it might be good to indulge his little sister. "I bet they'll be huge."

A hopeful expression soon covered Mei's face, and stars shined in her eyes. "They'll be bigger than Hanna's~!!"

All Malt hoped for is that the Felineko wouldn't overhear this bizarre conversation. "O-Okay, okay, just careful about the volume, sis..."

"Shh, right, right...!"

"And first, you have to get older, after all..." He said, though he didn't understand the significance of such a phrase at first.

Get older.

He didn't even know if they'd all still be alive tomorrow.

Day in and day out, the kids were risking their lives to keep searching for their families -- and keep each other safe. How could Malt possibly know what Mei will look like one, three, ten years from now, when there's no guarantee they'll survive the next Berman attack? Is it even responsible to fill Mei's little head with lofty dreams like that?

"How old?"

Just as soon as he fell into the intrusive thoughts, Malt was pulled away from them by Mei's prodding. "Hm?"

Her ears perked up, and her fluffy tail swayed with curiosity. "How old do I gotta be to get big boobies?"

Talk about a loaded question. Malt began sweating. "Uh... I dunno. Hanna's twelve, so--"

"EIGHT YEARS??" Mei squealed. That's twice her current age! (Also, she did the math surprisingly fast.)

"Shh, shh!" Malt hurried to shush her; everyone was sound asleep by now.

"Shaddup!" Except Kyle.

Mei whispered: "Sorry...!" She wasted no time crossing her arms and pouting. "I don't wanna wait that long..."

"Well, you'll probably have to." Malt was being realistic about it this time. "I just hope..."

"Mm?" This piqued Mei's interest.

Malt bit his own lip. He was thinking it: he just hopes she lives that long. But what kind of brother would he be if he made her doubt something like that? The thought clung to his brain with a fierce grip. "...Never mind."

"Okay..." She muttered.

Malt hugged his sister tight. "...I hope you can experience that." He slowly ran his fingers along her soft hair. "It'll take a while, but one day, you're gonna be as old as me."

Mei's brain was full of possibilities, but one fact stuck out to her. "...Wow, I'll be REALLY old."

"H-Hey now..." Her brother took a teensy bit of offense to that.

And then... Mei pulled out a question he wasn't expecting to hear. "Big bro, have you had your first kiss yet?"

"H-Huh?? Me? Well, um," He stammered as Mei went on.

"Yup! You're the oldest, so... You should know, right?"

Malt sighed. He played with his hair; an uncommon sight. "...Yeah, Hanna taught me how to... yeah. She gave me a few."

"Aha, I knew it...!" Mei sounded like she cracked a mystery of some sort. "You two are really grown up and smart, heehee. You should get married and stuff..."

"Bwuheuhghuh?!" Whatever noise Malt made wasn't in the dictionary. "Me and-- L-Listen... She's cute, but we don't-- I don't know her that well yet! We need, you know, more time together." He nervously tugged at his pajamas...

"Ohhh, so you have to know someone really well to marry them?" Mei could feel the gears in her mind turning.

Malt continued: "Yeah, that's usually good--"

"You can marry me, then!" She cheerfully assured him.

He just stared, unamused. "...But you're my sister, Mei..."

"So?" Mei didn't care.

"I-- D-Do you even know what marriage is??" He wondered aloud, looking more and more confused every second this conversation went along.

"Mhm." She twiddled her fingers as she explained, or at least tried to. "It's when you like someone a lot, and you give each other rings, and you um, spend more time together or something? And you kiss a lot?"

Malt nodded along for most of that. "That's... Yeah, that's the idea, I think-- Wait, no, Mei, we're *siblings*! Siblings don't marry each other...!"

"Yeah, they do. Chick told me she wants to marry Hack when they're both older!" Mei countered, smiling.

"S-Stop believing every weird thing Chick tells you!" He told her, sitting up and ruffling his own hair. "It's not like that... We both gotta grow up, and find someone nice that we know really well, and love a lot."

"..."

Though Malt was trying hard to be considerate, he could already tell he hurt Mei's feelings with that one.

"B-But... I just..." She babbled, trying not to let her eyes get watery.

"Lil sis... Alright, c'mere." He pulled her close, and hugged her with tender affection, rubbing her back and rocking her lightly. "Sorry. Was a bit too harsh there."

Mei reluctantly hugged her brother, and she sniffled a few times as she held back tears. "I don't wanna wait..."

"I know. You're really young, still." He left a small kiss on her forehead. "You just... have to be patient, sis."

"But I..." Her voice only got shakier.

Malt felt her pull away from the hug. She stared right at him, and fear coated her face.

"What if the bad guys kill me?"

Kill. She was way too young to be throwing around a word like that, let alone to understand the sheer weight of it. Malt was taken aback, seeing his usually-cheerful sister so full of doubt and gloom suddenly. She was full-on trembling now, and she gripped fiercely onto her brother's pajamas.

"I-I don't... I don't wanna m-miss out on all the grownup stuff... I-I-I wanna get married and have my first kiss and, and--"

Malt tried his best to comfort his sister, who was preemptively grieving herself all of a sudden. "Alright, it's okay, it's okay... Mei, listen. I promise I'll protect you, so you can grow up and do all that stuff."

"Yeah, but..."

"I promise."

Mei's hands drifted, choosing instead to hold Malt's hands. She pressed her cheek against his chest, feeling his steady breaths, and trying to slow down her own hurried, shaky breaths to match them.

"There you go," he said. "Deep breaths, sis."

She sniffled. "...I promise too."

"Mm?"

"I promise I'll keep ya safe too, big bro." She wiped her snout on his pajamas.

Malt scritched behind her ears and caressed her cheek. "Ah... I feel safer already."

"Eehee..." Though still shaky, she was already letting out her cutesy little giggles again. Even the most grim thoughts aren't a match for Mei's cheerful ways.

A different set of thoughts soon bounced into her mind, though, and the tiny Caninu grew pensive and quiet as she started to doze off in her brother's arms.

"Mmm... Malt..." She tenderly called out to her brother all of a sudden.

Malt leaned back, resting on the bed as he played with Mei's hair. "What's up...?" He asked.

"I... Do you think..." A mix of sleepiness and sheepishness caused her to hesitate. "Is it... okay if I *pretend* we're married...?" She looked into her brother's eyes. "Til I fall asleep?"

"...Alright." Despite his own muddy, conflicted feelings about it, Malt knew one thing was clear: he was not about to reject his precious sister in any way. Though Mei never got to know what her parents were like, Malt had at least some idea of the way they talked. "Sounds good, honey."

Mei's tail wagged, and she felt more at peace as she slumped on top of Malt's chest. "Heehee... Nice."

"Sleep well," he told his temporary wife, giving her the same goodnight kiss on the cheek he always does, though this one sure felt different for her.

Mei delivered a cheek kiss of her own, blushing quite a bit. "You too, big bro-- I mean honey."

"Heh, you first," Malt insisted, kissing her other cheek.

"No no," Mei playfully shoved his face aside, but not before kissing the other cheek, too. "I gotta counter your kisses, and give ya the last one."

"Lemme guess," Malt interrupted, "Chick said that's how it works?"

"Eh? How'd you know?" She looked surprised (and tickled).

The one-night husband rolled up his pajama sleeves and held down his little wife. "Alright then, try and counter *this*!" Right away, one after the other, Malt delivered a flurry of kisses all over Mei's face, going from the forehead to the cheeks to her soft snout, then traveling down along her sensitive neck and along her shoulders, making sure to get both arms and hands, and leaving a few on her tummy for good measure.

Mei was left a blushy, giggly mess. She tried hard to conceal her giggles, with how late it had gotten, but it was a far tougher battle than she expected.

Something about it felt *different*, though. The giggles occasionally gave way to shaky breaths, but they were the good kind of shaky. She felt like something was building up, and she needed to release it... And the kiss on the tummy made something around that area start to tickle.

Once again, she felt a little too awake to doze off and fall asleep, and she took advantage of these odd new feelings. Mei climbed on top of Malt and wiggled in place as she sized up her brother slash husband. Mei took aim, and readied an unexpected move to pierce through his defenses.

A mischievous look filled her eyes.

Mei leaned down, closed her eyes, and kissed Malt on the mouth.

"Mmnh--?!" Though he was shocked, Malt didn't push her off or complain. He decided it'd be better to let his dear little sister enjoy this moment for now. She was having her first kiss, after all, and she trusted Malt enough to let him be part of it. Granted, she wasn't very good at it -- she simply pressed her lips against his own and made a silly noise -- but it's the thought that counts.

It wasn't until she pulled back that Mei started to understand what was so special about this whole "kissing on the mouth" thing. A unique taste lingered, and she felt like her whole body was starting to tingle.What's more, her face swiftly turned bright red, and her tail swished faster than ever.

Malt was left with his mouth agape, but he soon came to his senses and took ahold of his overstimulated sister. Placing her on the bed this time, and towering above her with a nervous, yet defiant look, Malt decided this was the time to teach her a lesson or two.

"Sis-- I mean honey..." He asked, staying quiet. "You wanna do this the way grown-up, married partners do it?"

Mei had no idea what he meant, but she nodded yes anyway. Doing grownup stuff with Malt? Of course she was gonna agree to it. It made her feel loved, lucky and, in a way, wanted.

She understood what Malt meant when he leaned down for another kiss on the mouth, as this one was a lot more elaborate than the last. Her brother opened his mouth a bit more, and she could feel his strong, yet delicate paws sliding under her pajamas and getting a good feel for her chest and belly. Mei took a long, deep inhale as she let her brother touch places she didn't know were sensitive.

If she knew it felt this good and comfy, she would've asked to pretend to be married way earlier.

"Bwuh..." A weird, warm feeling built up in Mei's fluffy crotch, and she felt the urge to take her pajamas off. Malt helped her with that, leaving her mostly naked, with her cute little tummy nipples exposed, and her white panties looking a bit more soaked than usual. Before that damp spot spread further, and as Malt kept fondling her tiny body, she eagerly took her panties off, a string of something wet and kinda sticky that had leaked from her private parts, and it *definitely* wasn't pee.

"Doing good so far?" Malt stopped for a bit, just to check on his sister. Already, he worried that he had gone a bit too far with this little bit of roleplay. "We can stop if you want, Mei--"

She wasn't having it. "N-No no, keep doing that," she insisted, pulling one of his paws towards her crotch. "Please."

He felt how wet she had gotten. Even at her age, even when they're just pretending to be a couple, Mei was already getting this worked up... What kind of brother would Malt be if he rejected her advances? Plus, she said please.

Slowly, nervously, his digit reached down and traced along her slit, and Mei took a shaky few breaths as her brother toyed with her soft, plump pussy. He was inexperienced, but he at least had some idea of what to do in this situation.

"Tell me if it hurts, Mei." He spoke in an even softer tone than usual.

"Okay..." Mei didn't know *why* it could hurt; everything's felt so nice and funny so far.

Once Malt started to toy with her clit, rubbing it in slow, gentle circular motions, she started to get it. It didn't hurt, but the sensation was way stronger than before, and her legs squirmed and raised as she let the sharp feelings wash over her.

"Mngh, wow, wow..." Mei was clearly amazed by this surge of new feelings. "And married people do this all the time?"

Malt let out an awkward chuckle, though he didn't stop rubbing his little sister's clit. "Well... When they want, yeah."

"Neat..." Mei trailed off -- her mind started to wander, mostly forgetting about the whole 'pretend to be married' scenario in favor of enjoying what her brother was doing to her. "Malt, it feels really funny... Wish we did it more often..."

A slight, brief sense of concern crawled onto his mind. "We're siblings, though, Mei... It's not normal for us to do naughty things like this to each other."

"Well, it *should* be normal," she pouted, crossing her arms even as Malt kept rubbing. "A-And, like... weh... it'd be more normal if we were married for real..."

Malt sighed. "You're really fixated on this marriage thing, huh?" His finger soon stopped rubbing, in favor of trying something a little different. "You know, married couples do more than kiss and rub each other, like uh..." In some way, he wanted to dissuade Mei from going along with this weird idea of hers. "They raise kids, they clean the house, they eat a lot of veggies, they uh, pay taxes..."

"Booooo, lame," Mei said. It seemed to be working. "I only wanna do the fun stuff, like this...!" She tugged Malt's paw and guided it to start rubbing her pussy again, though this time she jumped a bit. "Eep!" It seemed like, in her rush to encourage Malt to rub her down some more, she had shoved his finger into her pussy, something she's very much not used to -- not yet, at least.

"Ah, sorry..." Malt apologized. "I guess you're not ready for *that* sort of thing yet. You'd need to practice with smaller things first."

"Practice?" She cooed, growing curious. "For what?"

Well. The responsible big brother had opened yet another can of worms. "I, uh... I'll tell you when you're older, Mei."

"I'm old enough!" She huffed.

"You're also tiny..." Malt patiently told her. "You can't even reach half the shelves in the Taranis, let alone take a finger up your pu--"

"Mmm?" Mei's ears perked.

Malt was at least thankful that he caught himself first. "...Wow, I almost said a bad thing."

Mei's curiosity simply kept growing, though. "You're supposed to put fingers in my pussy?"

"MEI??" He squeaked and jumped. Wow, language!

"Shadduuup." Kyle issued yet another sleepy warning from below, tossing and turning on the bottom bunk.

"Wh--" Malt whispered, though he wanted to yell instead. "Where'd you learn *those* kinds of words...?! Ah, dumb question, it was probably Chick..."

"Nope, this time it was Wappa." Mei answered with a smile, nonchalant.

Some leader she is; Malt kept a mental note to nag her tomorrow. More importantly, he was surprised that Mei understood those kinds of dirty words already. "Mei," he wondered, "no, you're not *supposed* to put fingers in, uh... In there. Again, you'll get it when you're older."

"Fingers are too rough..." She whined. "Can't you just rub it some more, Malt?"

"Well... Hang on. I got a better idea." Something had gotten on her brother's mind now, another in a long line of naughty thoughts that he's not even supposed to be having yet, especially with his precious little sister. But now that the cat -- or rather, the dog -- is out of the bag, he might as well, make it more fun for her. "Spread your legs."

"Mmh!" Mei complied pretty quickly, her crotch still wet from all the rubbing and kissing on her petite body that her brother helpfully provided.

Malt placed her belly-up, and crawled over so that his face was inches away from her wet pussy. Still, by instinct, he wanted to be gentle. "Remember, if it hurts just--"

"Do it, do it!" Mei was pretty impatient already, though she had no idea what Malt was planning to do.

He took a deep breath, his warm exhale tickling her crotch, and he firmly placed his snout on it, as if giving it a soft kiss. Getting kissed on the mouth was embarrassing enough, but now down *there*, too? Mei could only cover her blush and giggle excitedly as her brother tried this odd new thing.

This, to her, felt different than being kissed, though; it was like Malt was lapping up a tasty drink, and she had to feel every slippery brush of his tongue against her delicate slit. She felt it spreading her open a little more each time, and pressing slightly deeper whenever she felt her legs tremble, and sliding along her little nub. She even felt Malt suck on her naughty parts a little, with a lewd slurp that made her toes curl and a cute little whine slip past her mouth.

"Maaaalt... Mnngh...!" She could barely handle it for a minute before those cute, bashful noises started to leak out on their own. She didn't lose her playfulness for even a second, though. "That's a little gross, heehee..."

"Hey now," he interrupted for a few moments. "You just took a bath earlier, so you're clean." Without saying anything else, he went right at it again, digging his tongue a little further in to get a good taste of her juices. It did taste a bit tangy, though -- not that he was complaining or anything.

"Bweh, a-ah..." Mei's little body twisted with every lick and slurp. She sat up a bit, just to get a good grip on Malt's head and push him even further in. "Malt... Feels like... I-I gotta pee..."

Malt simply gave a thumbs up. He knew what that meant, and he was pretty damn pleased with himself, knowing Mei was already this close to finishing. Every time he took a peek up at his sister, he saw her make a funny face, each one more embarrassing than the last.

Mei, meanwhile, felt like her whole body was going limp like a noodle. She drooled and kept her eyes half-closed for most of Malt's special kisses, and her steady lineup of whines and cute moans was interrupted a few times by goofy-sounding giggles.

There was, of course, a limit to the funny feelings she could get before the floodgates opened, and it sure seemed like she hit it pretty quick.

"Bwuhhheuhhh~...??" She was a tad too busy enjoying it to understand what it *was*, exactly. A rush of hot feelings spread from her crotch outwards, and she nibbled on Malt's ears as her first orgasm hit. Wetness leaked freely from her pussy, and Malt couldn't lap up enough of it before it started to spill on the sheets and squirt onto his snout. Her brother slowly massaged her nipples, sliding a paw up and down while the other held her down.

When he looked up, Mei's cheeks had a deep red blush, and she looked like she needed to sneeze, but instead kept her face like that for about half a minute. Her little breaths were rushed and shaky, and her eyes got watery from the extreme stimulation that her brother was so helpfully guiding her through.

"M-Malt... Big bro, gwuh..." She wasn't about to put any sentences together yet, so the most she could do was call out to her sweet, kind brother. Malt's licks slowed down, since he didn't want to overstimulate her, until they felt more like careful kisses as a reward for a job well done.

Eventually, she rode out the rest of her orgasm, and slumped back onto bed, wiping sweat and happy tears off her face; Malt helped with that, too. He cuddled up next to her sister and fixed her messy hair up a bit, then helped her put her pajamas back on, despite the clear, wet mess they had made on their sheets.

"I hope I wasn't too rough on ya, Mei," he whispered with his usual coddling tone as he buttoned up her pajamas.

"A-Ah, Malt..." She mewled. "Bwuh... Love you."

"Awww..." He said, teasing her a bit, though he did feel it genuinely. He planted a quick, affectionate kiss on her mouth. "Love you too, sis."

The trembling, exhausted little Caninu placed a paw on top of Malt's, and squeezed it tight. "You're so nice to me... Even though we're not married yet, teehee..."

Malt just sighed. He licked his lips, the taste of her crotch still lingering in his tongue, and petted his tired sister. "You're really stuck on this marriage idea, huh?"

Mei smiled wide and wagged her tail, already trying to charm her ideal future husband. "Are ya gonna think about it~?"

He sighed, again. "I'm... thinking about it, yeah." Malt slumped next to her, staring at the ceiling of the Taranis, while still holding Mei's paw. He took a moment to massage it, and spoke in a quieter tone as conflicted thoughts bounced around his head, a close tug-o-war between his responsible side and his hormonal urges.

He knows he can't have both.

"Mei..." Malt whispered, though he soon trailed off. "I... Hmm."

His sister closed her eyes and leaned her head on his shoulder, exhaling deeply.

"...You know how I am, Mei..." he said to her. "I just wanna protect you. Care for you. Keep you safe now that mom and dad aren't around to do it for me. A-And who knows if grandpa and grandma are okay..." He tensed up. Is it even okay to do *that* sort of thing with her, even if she enjoyed all of it? 

The mere possibility of ever hurting her -- or letting someone else hurt her -- often made Malt nauseous with anger. He could be quite vindictive when those he loves are threatened, and he wasn't very proud of it.

"I... I don't wanna wake up one day and not be able to hug you first thing in the morning. You matter to me so much..."
Malt felt himself starting to tear up, but he held back, not wanting to see Mei cry too. A slight shake in his voice was the only sign of vulnerability he could show.

As long as Mei was anywhere near the frontlines in this war, that possibility would be there.

...Maybe she was onto something, after all.

"I'll tell you what, sis..." He said, exuding his natural leadership skills. "If we both make it out of this war okay, then maybe... Maybe I'll ask around about it."

A certain sense of relief washed over Malt. He loved his sister, after all, so what's so wrong about it, really?

"W-Well, I dunno of any grownups in Gasco that can marry cubs, or siblings, but..." He tenderly played with her hair as he stared at the ceiling, still. "I'm sure our friends can help us find one, huh?"

"...Srrrrrgh."

Mei was snoring.

Her brother was, at least, pleased that she was sleeping well already. "A-Ah... Okay, uh, I dunno how much of that you heard, but--"

"Snrrrrk." A snot bubble formed on Mei's snout, as cute as it is gross.

"Alright, alright. Gonna sleep too." Malt took his sweet time covering himself and Mei with a blanket; despite her being a heavy sleeper, he preferred to err on the side of caution.

Still, Mei showed one last tiny sign of wakefulness: she smirked a bit, and let loose a sleepy giggle. "Eheh... snrrrrh..."

Her brother slept by her side, admiring her cute, furry face while he finally dozed off, too.

"Night-night, little critter."

Despite his many, many doubts, Malt was at least sure about one thing if he went through with this silly idea of hers: Mei would be the cutest, most loving wife he could ask for.

-----

A basket full of dirty sheets arrived at Hanna's feet. She already knew what to expect when it's time to wash them. Some habits are hard to fend off -- the most noticeable (and stubborn) tasks are food-related, with sauces, drool, crumbs, and every type of fruit juice decorating the bed sheets like abstract paintings.

One set of sheets arrived in an unusual state, though.

"U-Um... what happened *here*??"

Hanna held it up, and curiously ogled the large sprinkling of a clear, fragrant liquid on what seemed to be Malt and Mei's sheets; she recognized their scents pretty quickly.

"Mei, darling..." Hanna mumbled to herself, frowning and shaking her head as she inspected the big, still-wet stain in the middle. "...Maybe you're *not* too old for sippy cups."