Swamped

"Hmmph. Right now, my main issue is that there are wild sandy-mockers flying by, and they keep squawking at ours."

"Didn't Simone make you those earplugs sometime back? Are they not working?"

"Oh, no, the noise isn't the issue. It's that for some reason, they like to roost on top of this tent at night and that makes it a real mess in the morning. I clean it off when I get up, but obviously I'd prefer not having to climb up there so often. But I doubt there's anything that can really be done about it."

"I'll make a note of that," you say. It occurs to you that Rider might be able to help out with this. "Thanks for your time."

That was less unpleasant than most of your meetings with Jeb, probably because you were able to keep it short. Now there's just one person to meet with before you finally check in with Dominique.