Redsand Canyon we built these dreams on sand

Glaukos had been tasked with something new, now that he was recovered from the worst of his injuries. He had been told to scout the northern canyon to the best of his ability and to take all the time necessary to get a good lay of the land; now, upon his return some days later, hew as in need of a proper bath and a hot meal. If he had anything to report he would seek out Germanicus; but he wasn't hunting for the Imperator by any means, which was indication enough that the time spent on patrol hadn't amounted to much.
His dark shape slouched as he marched, first to the soldier's quarters where he thought Kallik might be resting, then to the common ground when he could not find the other soldier. The others were most likely out on patrol or hunting, given the time of day. Glaukos walked until he felt the need to sit and practically deflated on the spot, peering wearily towards the nearby rise. Just over that ledge was the path to the civilian housing.
Take a wife. A familiar voice revived upon the wind, which only he could hear. He scoffed and turned his attention to the sorry state of his coat, and began to lazily clean dust from his fur.

Between the number of Redhawks in regional circulation these days and her recent conversation with the Imperator, it was probably only natural that Towhee’s mind wandered to a lot of places in the past day or two. Currently it flew to Sapphique. She wondered how Meerkat was doing. Was she pregnant yet? Towhee would love to visit personally, though she really ought to send someone in her stead. Maybe @Phox would be happy to do it?

Wrapping up her admittedly distracted patrol, Towhee headed toward the canyon’s center to grab a bite to eat and rest a bit. On her way toward the housing, she spotted Glaukos seated in the common area, grooming the inevitable dust from his swarthy pelt. Without really realizing she was doing it, she slowed and then stopped, staring thoughtfully at the Scutarius.

Working at some knots in the fur of his belly for a touch too long, Glaukos was distracted from the attention he was receiving as Towhee made their approach. He moved on to one forleg and then turned to inspect the other, when he caught her eye.

What. He queried sharply, listening for some explanation or another while he continued the chore of self care.

He noticed her. His lips formed a very perfunctory question: “What?” Naturally, she didn’t catch the lack of inflection. Glaukos didn’t seem particularly bothered, though he was a bit hard to read.

How old are you? Towhee asked, apropos of nothing.

Glaukos blinked at the question. He might have been doing mental math or reeling from the spontaneity of the question, maybe passing gas as quietly as he could, there really was no way to tell.

His cleaning regimen was properly interrupted so he stopped trying to tidy himself up, and after a short shake of his unruly nape fur, watched Towhee with a squint.

Around... Two winters. Why. And if he had any understanding of biological processes, barely old enough to be a father himself, not that he entertained that thought.

What did she need that information for?

Just curious, she answered truthfully, turning over that information in her mind. Who was older, Glaukos or Maxim? You’re about the same age as my daughter, Meerkat. It was kind of strange to put these things in perspective, though informative in a sort of disappointing way.

Towhee considered leaving him to his grooming so she could eat and rest. But she found herself saying, Germanicus—uh, I mean the Imperator—and I were talking about marriage and it just got me thinking. Even if I wanted to—which I don’t—all y’all are so young. I’m five, she revealed, aware that he probably didn’t give a rat’s ass about any of this.

Towhee admitted her own age which only earned another blink from Glaukos. He really didn't care about the ages of his fellow soldiers or their marital status; he wasn't up to speed on the goings-on around Mereo when it came to interpersonal crap, so Towhee's comments mostly went in one ear and out the other.

You have too many kids already, he remarked with a scoff, thinking of the twins that had appeared, and now talk of this daughter.

It got him thinking though. Are you jealous of the Matrona? You could fight her for the Imperator if you need some dick. The woman was a civilian before she was their boss, plus she had a bad back. It would be a easy win for someone like Towhee.

I'm never getting married, The boy boasted a moment after, to get the image of Germanicus and Towhee out of his head as it sprang to life.

His remark surprised a laugh out of her. Rather than take any sort of offense, she felt a flicker of pride. She had procured quite a few of them, hadn’t she? The Redhawk legacy was in no danger of ever going extinct, that was for sure. In any case, he wasn’t wrong, and not so long ago, she’d totally agreed with him too. Well, she would’ve said she had enough kids, not too many… but, well, semantics.

Glaukos’s next query surprised yet another huff from her. No, she replied without thinking, then realized that was a lie. Towhee would’ve used the word “envy,” though that was just more semantics. Ruenna deserves the honor much more than I do, she added, orange eyes flashing. She found his take humorous, but let no one think she’d ever seriously contemplate trying to take anything from her greatest friend.

I definitely don’t recommend it, the Redhawk said when he declared he would never get married. Well, she amended, thinking out loud, I don’t believe in romance. But situations like what Ger—the Imperator and Rue have? Where it’s more of a business partnership, built on mutual respect? Now, that I could maybe get behind. Maybe.

But why was she sharing any of this with him? Towhee didn’t mind discussing it, though Glaukos didn’t seem to want much to do with the conversation, or any other, at least in her experience. She could respect that, even if it had frustrated her before.

Well, I’ll let you get back to your bath, she said and began moving away toward the housing.