"Pleasure to meet you.

What's with the glasses? I thought --"

Madison turned and slapped Heda in the arm.

"Is there anyone you haven't told?!"

"What? They were going to find out when they met you anyway."

"It's all right," Jessica said.

"Your secret is between you and the world, and it is not mine to share. I understand the value of keeping some things for yourself. Okay Heda," she said, “let's go see this little commune that you started up."

“Why are you assuming it was all my idea?"

“Precedent.”

“Hey!" Heda looked at her brother. It was someone else's turn to be criticized.

“Ed didn't even tell me you guys were coming until this morning."

“Traitor,” he growled.

“Edgar Elias Adler, you were supposed to tell her a week ago and --"

Thomas took Madison by the arm like a gentleman would and led her away from the fray.

“They're just getting started, so why don't we go get the bags."

"So their face-to-face conversations are like their phone conversations?"

“With three-way calling." They stopped.

"You can tell what's going on without turning around, right?"

Madison grinned a little. She scanned outward and then, "Ed keeps trying to walk over here it seems, but either Heda or your wife keep dragging him back."

"Ed could have escaped all this if he had just told Heda earlier. He knows the rules of the ongoing Adler Women's Debate. Fuel the fire, tend the flame."

"Do you fuel the fire?"

“I'm married to one and am father to the other. The best I can hope for is to keep the whole thing from burning the neighborhood down."

"I thought they Liked each other."

“Oh they do. It's just they're both stubborn, opinionated, and love to argue. Jessica's only problem is she raised Heda to be better with words than she is, and my wife is no slouch."

"I heard about the dictionary. And the ‘assess' debate."