Quinlan smirked. "I remember your words perfectly."
"Daddy… I'm hungry," he quoted. "My senses are telling me… I should consume a different type of extract your body makes…"
"Where was your third pattern speech right after your birth, Daughter?"
Rosie let out a high-pitched squeal, spun around on his head like a spooked squirrel, and tried to dash off.
But Quinlan, who'd raised her since the moment she sprouted, caught her leafy little legs in one hand like she weighed nothing at all.
"Noooooooo!!" she howled, flailing dramatically.
"Uh-huh," Quinlan said smugly. "You're not fooling anyone. You're an extremely intelligent girl who heard Blossom speaking in third person, thought it was adorable, and decided to copy it."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Rosie wailed, red in the face, flailing with all the fury of a betrayed anime protagonist. "ROSIE HAS NO IDEA WHAT PAPA IS TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
