[center][b][u]Carmen[/u][/b][/center]

[b]"You know, for a 'vacation' there have been an awful lot of 'mandatory' activities."[/b]

Carmen's response to Maria's announcement wasn't without reason, and certainly not without a hint of annoyance. However, it [i]was[/i] Maria, who hadn't interfered with their lives thus far so it couldn't be too bad. To be frank, Carmen was mainly slightly annoyed because it got in the way of her continuing to talk to Lily about fashion, which is what she had been doing for the past [s]eleven years[/s] few hours as the two unpacked Carmen's massive clothing collection. To her, it was easily one of the nicest things that had happened on the vacation thus far, and also one of the most relaxing.

Sitting down on the bed, Carmen looked up at Lily. [b]"So...do you want to go over there now, or take judicious advantage of the fact that she didn't say 'immediately'?"[/b] she said as she crossed her legs and had a playful smile. She was not about to be rushed to do anything, let alone go to a "mandatory" meeting.