"You're too kind," Babs noted easily, shooting a wry glance at the cat. "And having Martian friends will pound telepathic etiquette in to your head if nothing else." Ah, but the dry sarcasm was probably not worth mentioning.

"And as far as I can tell the city doesn't give a damn about polite." At all. The whole 'not being alone' thing seemed to trump all other concerns. "At least you're not alone in experiencing the draw on your resources."