Elsie was a little too excited to have Zelda come for a visit. She loved her family dearly, obviously, but with each confinement to the house and this time actually minding her manners about it, she was getting to the point of stir crazy. Fortunately she had secured an afternoon with her mother and Lottie for the children, who were almost as eager to have them as Elsie was to send them. Tyb was who knew where, but she had suggested that perhaps he abscond from the house for a little while so she and Zelda could discuss lady's things.

With tea on the table in the sitting room and Elsie perched in her favorite armchair, feet tucked up beneath her as she worked on stitching up a pair of Bentley's trousers, she heard Mrs. Robinson announce Zelda's arrival and though she wished she could, she was too entrenched in the chair to get up and greet her friend. "You'll have to excuse me, I'm far too round to get up quickly these days." Elsie said by way of greeting, smiling, enjoying the quiet, but also ready for adult conversation.

She motioned for Zelda to take a seat wherever she liked. "I'm glad you could come by today, I feel like it's been so long since I haven't seen someone I'm related to or that works for me." At least the weather was still nice and she could go outside. The Park was still off limits, not that she ventured quite that far anymore, but if she could coerce Tyb to go with her, it might have been possible.

"You think I would be used to it." The children were all about eighteen months apart, this was the third time and it hadn't been any worse, really. "You're welcome any time. I could use some adult conversation, truly." Elsie loved this time home with the children, obviously, but she had always loved her work as well and it was hard to be gone for the long periods of time. The balance of working part time was good for her, kept her from going a little stir crazy, even with Miss Halliwell to help.

Elsie leaned forward awkwardly to fix her tea before leaning back, balancing the saucer on her belly with no shame. It was the perfect perch and she doubted Zelda would care. "Oh, is he off again?" Els didn't know how Zelda handled that. If Tyb was gone for any length of time, she would lose her marbles. The snowstorm had been bad enough to turn her into a basket case, never mind months at sea. "That must be difficult." She passed Zelda a soft smile of understanding. She was curious what it was that Zelda wanted to discuss that she'd mentioned in their letters, but was here to listen to anything the other mother had on her mind.

Elsie nodded along. Tyb was so hands-on with their children that she couldn't imagine not having his help with them. But she supposed that Mr. Darrow's work was necessary, and so he had to do what it was he needed to, in order to provide for his family. "A change in routine is the worst, I swear. I won't even go anywhere at nap time, lest we get off schedule." Els tried to keep them roughly in the same routine, though it ebbed and flowed with how successful she was.

The suggestion of letters nearly came forward, but Elsie thought that might even still be too abstract for Orion to really get. "But he must have such good stories to tell when he returns." Though she would never outwardly share her opinions on the subject, as it truly was none of her business, Elsie had to wonder just how Mr. Darrow could still, with two children and a wife at home, pursue such a career. Surely there was something closer to home that he could do. "But again, you're welcome to visit any time, with or without the children, if it helps." If Zelda needed some help, Elsie was more than happy to give it her best.

Els smiled at the thought of a house full of their children running around playing. It would be chaotic, certainly, but Elsie had already gotten used to her two, and now that Maisie was also already on the run, nothing was safe. It was wild to think that some time in the not-so-distant-future, they would all be off to Hogwarts within a few years of one another.

"Whatever works best for you, we're happy to have you any time." Just Zelda, with the children, however it worked best. "Bentley is a pro, it's Maisie I'm a little worried about this time. She does love to beat on her brother." Both of her children were much more like Tyb in personality, so far, which she loved, but sometimes it was exhausting. Maybe she would get lucky with this one and she would get one more like herself. Then again, if she could have six or seven miniature Tybs she would be quite content, so she wasn't about to complain. "I can't imagine going from two to three is any different than one to two." She chuckled. Ben's pregnancy had been fraught with social expectations, but with each addition to their family, Elsie grew more and more content and felt perfectly at ease with having more. Not the ten Tyb liked to joke about, but a couple more, at least.