The little girl didn't know if she should tell her or not. Sometimes
grownups got up set if you asked things that were none of your business.
However, Julia was so nice and seemed to want to know. "Was Derek mean to
you," she asked earnestly. Sometimes he got grumpy if people interrupted.
NM:
She smiled apologetically and turned to her, setting her cheek on the seat
as she met Kat's gaze "Nope but I think I was grumpy with his friend."
"Actually," she admitted in a mock whisper and a 'surprised' expression
"Derek's never been mean to me."
That's not to say they haven't had their moments of going toe to toe, but
Julia could honestly say that even then, and in an odd sort of way, they
actually enjoyed being challenged. But Derek had never been mean.
"The one time he was grumpy with me," Julia told Kat one of the instances
with a crooked grin as she remembered "I ended up making faces at him until
he did this..."
She fixed her expression into one of those that Derek had had in the past
that just YELLED 'I'm the Precept and you'll do what I say' and spoke
"Julia, I'm serious.."
Then she broke off enough to whisper to Kat "And I'd make a face at him
until.."
She went back into serious Derek mode and then sighed expressively and shook
her head, imitating his accent "My gott, Julia, what am I going to do with
you?"
"'Buy pizza and let me eat dinner.'" she voiced her reply from them and
grinning. Derek had bough pizza and they had ended up talking about the
reason they were both aggravated in a totally different fashion - over pizza
and drink and at ease.
