"Ooh. Electronica, including classical-inspired, as well as pop punk and folk, I've got all of those for sure."

She flips the binder to a page showing some albums by various electronica artists, including Pendulum and Tiesto.

"But now I'm really tempted to hear some folk songs from Terra."

Lillian picks out Hold Your Color by Pendulum, mostly on the strength of the really cool album art. 

"I can sing some snatches of things, but I never learned a lot of songs. I did memorize Jabberwocky, if you have a Louise Mirror here. Let me try this one -" 

She clears her throat and tries to sing a ballad. Her voice wavers a little and is a bit off key but the tune is broadly recognizable.  

Once there was an astronaut who sought to build a land

of green and shining water from Ares' reddish sand

and brought from earth a magic seed to plant it on the plain

and Ares took that seed and gave only this refrain: 

Space is vast and cold and dark

and in it we are but a spark

of light to shine amid the void

enough to make you paranoid

that humankind will sputter out

but we're still here, so raise a shout

and grow, grow, grow, little seed, seed, seed

humanity is a tough old weed! 

Once there was a venturer who broke the permafrost

Once there was a climber to Asrai's far-off tops 

Once there was a pioneer to break the vasty plain

So off away to the frontier we venture once again - 

"And then the chorus repeats. It's a relatively modern song since the moon landings but I like it. I forget the bridge right now, I'm sorry." 

"Awww! That's a great song! Thanks for sharing it, Lily!"

She coughs, manages a smile, and puts the CD into the CD player. She does recognize this technology, though it's kind of antiquated on her homeworld. 

And they enjoy the music the whole way there. Once Sable parks, she turns to Lily and asks, "We should figure out what name we're going to give the police for you, since y'all have three."

"We'd be most comfortable with Audrey, even me and foxbox, if we're going to share a name. And this is maybe silly, but where and when are we?"

"Today is the seventeenth of March, which is the third month of the year and sits on the border of winter and spring, in the year two thousand eight. Today is Monday, the first workday of the week, but we lucked out that I have this week off. And we are in the city of San Francisco, in the state — like a province — of California, in the United States of America, one of the three most powerful nations, and maybe top… twenty? top fifty? most sensible. That give you about the context you need?"

"It's enough to get by with, I think." 

Lily takes a breath. "We may cry in there, just so you know. Getting questioned by a medical professional who doesn't even have my interests at heart is... messy, and if Audrey is in front the homesickness might hit her. But we should be okay as long as I stay in front. It's my job to protect, after all."

She nods. "If you're crying, or for any reason at all, don't hesitate to ask for me, although they shouldn't need us separate for too much of this. Probably don't call me auntie in there, though, that might confuse them. Probably you just know me as Miss Sable."

"I'll do my best not to confuse them."

She looks out of the car. "That building on the left?", she asks. 

"Yep. I'll do most of the talking until they take you aside for a few questions."

"Okay. Here goes."

She gets out, walks around to Lily's side and lets her out, and then offers her hand on the way in.

Lily takes it. It's a comfort.

She's still not quite used to how short she is, but she'll be okay. 

And in they go. Sable walks up to the front desk and greets the officer there. "Hello, officer."

The officer on duty looks up from the desk, and his gaze goes over the pair of them. Purple haired woman in a dark green dress with a warm but slightly worried smile, with a not quite so little child who can't be older than twelve, dressed in a lavender dress that's slightly too big for her, a pink pleated skirt, pink arm warmers, long pink and white striped socks, and flower-petal flats. Her hair is pink too. The kid looks like she's trying to be brave, but she's holding on to the older woman's hand pretty hard. 

"Hello there," he says, directing his gaze first to Lily and then to Sable. "Is our little lady here lost, perhaps?" 

(It's the princess dress. Nobody comes to the police in a princess dress if they have anything else to wear.)

He pulls a notepad from his desk, somehow managing to keep his smile bright and professional. Best not to scare the kid further.

Oh good, an officer that knows the basics of being nice to children. Off to a pretty good start, here.

"Yep. Little miss Audrey here turned up on my front step this morning, found her just as I was stepping out to hit a café with my morning paper. No memory of how she got here, last thing she remembers is a test she took yesterday. Decent odds we need to see a nurse, just to be safe, and definitely missing child reports. Doesn't know her address or I'd've just driven her wherever that was. Her moms have got to be worried sick."

There, that should be enough framing that he won't ask any questions that have a chance of throwing Lily off when it comes time for her turn getting questioned.

The officer nods along. "No memory of how she got there, huh? That is concerning. I'll have an EMT take a look at her. When did you say you found her, and where?"

He takes down notes in shorthand as he talks. 

"Early sevens, on my front step." She gives her address. "Just stepped out and there she was."

He takes down the date, time and address in shorthand. It's a little slow for Sable to have gotten her here, but factoring in the time it must have taken to get her calmed down about being separated from her family it's not suspicious. 

"I would have noticed if there was a missing child report for our little highness," the officer says. "With that pink hair she's pretty distinctive. Either her family hasn't noticed she's missing yet or she's a long way from home. I'll try the national reports and see if I get a hit. You said she has two mothers - were you able to get their names out of her?"

"Yeah, Eva and Topaz. She didn't know their last names."

Topaz, huh. That's a new age hippie name if he's ever heard one. And fairly rare. That seems to indicate west coast, along with the "two moms" thing. 

Slightly odd phrasing saying "their last names", wouldn't they be the same? He supposes that if they're a gay couple they might not be. 

"Alright," he says. "I'm going to have to ask the little lady to come into an examination room to be looked at by one of our EMTs and ask her a couple questions." He gives her a reassuring smile. "Don't you worry now, little miss, we're here to help as best we can."

Man, fostering's going to be hard on this kid if he has to put her into the system. He should see if he knows anyone on the welfare side... 

Interestingly, when he looks Sable up in his database, she is listed as a newly-registered foster-mom, having just been certified six months ago.

Sable turns to Lily and squeezes her hand encouragingly. "I'll be right here if you need me, okay?"

"Okay." Lily lets a little of her anxiety bleed through in her voice. "See you Miss Sable."

She squeezes her hand back once, sharply, then lets go and steps in close to the desk. "Where should I go to see the nurse?"