Redsand Canyon Put your hands on my _____.

I’m full of muse and shenanigans…

Following her appointment with Aquene, Towhee returned to #1A to sleep. She hoped she would feel better after a few hours’ rest, then maybe she could get back to her duties later in the day. Instead, she conked out and didn’t rouse until the following morning.

She felt badly disoriented when she woke to early morning sunshine. Her mouth was dry and she had to piss like a racehorse. Towhee swiftly exited her den before she could have an accident, only realizing as she relieved herself that her leg felt much better now. It definitely ached, especially while she squatted like this, but it was much more tolerable.

After peeing for what felt like twenty minutes, Towhee rose to her feet and tentatively rested weight on the injured leg. Slowly, she turned and shuffled back through her doorway. Someone had left some dried meat just inside. She scarfed it down and then stepped back outside.

Wondering if maybe it was @Maxim who’d left the food, she took a couple steps next door and peeked her head inside #1B.

he was half asleep, only having just woke himself. the sunshine just barely pushing into his den.

not that it mattered because it was soon shadowed by a familiar frame. and maxim swore, for a moment too long, that he was dreaming. some bittersweet dream full of spring hormones.

why was towhee in his doorway? why had she asked him about marriage and children?

towhee? he offered in a tired lull.

a soft swing of his head to invite her in if she wished.

Had she woken him? Towhee smiled sheepishly, then paused and looked thoughtfully down at her foreleg. She lifted it off the ground and flexed it gingerly. Every movement made it throb a little and she knew she should be careful, but it was still manageable.

-“Good morning,”- she said and signed, the movements slower than usual in favor of her injury. -“Did you leave me the snack?”- Towhee said, slinking into the dim interior of his apartment.

I decided he did bc I can :3 lemme know if details are not okay!

he was almost stunned by confusion for a moment, forgetting that he had set something out in the late evening for her. especially when it had been clear she was not waking up from her little nap.

-yes.- he offered, slow and sleepy still even in his signing.

his signing was still not good enough for full sentences, so he would have to resort to looking at her head on, lips moving clearly for her reading.

you are healing and you were asleep still. i thought it would be important for you to have something to eat whenever you did wake.

he shifted towards the edge of his bed, in case she wished to rest her leg further.

We love to see it! #collaboration

Her tail twitched when he confirmed her suspicions. It wasn’t that extraordinary, a comrade bringing her something to eat, but Towhee sincerely appreciated that Maxim had put in the considerate effort on her behalf.

When he moved over to make room, she sidled closer and took a seat. -“I did not plan to be out that long. I always hate oversleeping, it makes me feel weird afterward, you know? Like I put on my skin backward and my brain fell partway out of my ear…”- Okay, that made no damn sense, but hopefully Maxim knew what she was trying to say.

Easing forward to position herself like a sphinx, Towhee kept her snout angled toward the younger soldier. -“Anyway… thank you.”-

she always has the wildest sayings, but maxim enjoyed them. evident by the way he snorted with humor. not that she would hear it, but his features certainly crinkled the way they might with laughter.

you're welcome, he offered sincerely. briefly dropping the signing when she was this close, looking at him.

can i ask you something, towhee?

perhaps tiredness made him bold.

or stupid, either or.

His question immediately intrigued her. Towhee’s brain would’ve probably started yelling all sorts of things if it hadn’t fallen partway out of her ear. She chuckled at the thought, drawing in a deep breath. She felt rested but she wanted to clear out the lingering grogginess so she could get her ass out on patrol soon.

-“Sure, shoot,”- the Praefectus said, shifting her weight a little to angle her face more toward Maxim, expression expectant.

suddenly he regretted asking to ask, but here he was. brows furrowed for a moment before his features softened once more.

are you, ah, considering marriage in mereo?

it was a heavy question and he felt the need to quickly punctuate it with a joke.

or wish to stay, uh, #ForeverAlone as you said?

He couldn’t know it but that was such a loaded question. Towhee didn’t really know how to answer it, at least not without giving it several moments’ thought. She held up her good paw to indicate she needed a moment to mull her response. She wanted to speak candidly and with honesty, for both Maxim and herself.

I guess ‘considering’ would be a word I’d use, she eventually replied, speaking slowly and not bothering to sign as she needed all her awake brain cells just to form words with her tongue. The thing is, I don’t want a romantic partner. I’m not built for it. I tried it once and it was a catastrophic failure. Towhee paused. But marriage in Mereo isn’t necessarily about romance. It can be a business partnership. Look at Germ and Rue, she said, forgetting to use his title in her muzzy state.

She fell silent for a few beats before deciding to share, I do think about having more kids. But I know it requires marriage here. And I want to stay here. My #1 priority is being here for Rue and her kids. So… uh, I guess you could say it’s complicated.

Her orange eyes probed his face. Towhee didn’t say it out loud but her expression wondered, Why do you ask? Probably he regretted it.

it appeared he had unknowingly opened some sort of box here. her response came after silence, heavy and thoughtful.

she did not wish for marriage of love. she wanted something similar to germanicus and ruenna — a relationship that maxim knew little about, but he supposed that was the point, wasn't it? they were not lovey-dovey, sucking face in the common areas.

but she also wanted more kids.

he wondered what it would look like. to be a father not from love but from a deal.

he supposed it would look like what parenthood had looked from his own parents. suddenly, maxim realized that he had not thought of love when marriage was spoken anyway. he had asked germanicus about arranged marriages when he had first arrived.

it was a bold ask, but he was already here.

maybe you will consider me, as business partner.

he offered, soft and thoughtful.

whenever you, ah, have figured out what is best for you in this complication.

She’d wondered if this conversation was going to go there, yet all the same, Towhee’s head reared back in surprise when he actually said the words. She immediately gave him a weird look, then caught herself and schooled her expression. Using her good paw, Towhee reached out and tapped his nearer elbow.

Oh, you sweet summer child… not that I’m not—you seem like a terrific guy, honestly. Oh, lort. Towhee withdrew her paw to knead the bridge of her snout even as she laughed dryly and asked, Am I really about to say, ‘it’s not you, it’s me’? She set her foot back on the ground, huffing a breath, orange eyes boring into him weightily. Don’t you want to fall in love with some pretty young girl, Maxim? she asked with a small, tight smile.

his brows furrowed tight, green eyes darted from her features to the opening of the den. remembered he had to look at her to speak to her, so his gaze did eventually return to her.

why? so she can be disappointed in the life of a soldier? so she can leave when she finds mereo is not a place of whimsy?

he huffed with laughter.

bittersweet.

He made a point. Towhee deliberated whether it was valid, her head actually nodding side to side as she weighed it. Her thoughts slid a little off track as she wondered if this meant Maxim did have some sort of crush on her. It would be much more ideal if he didn’t, if they wanted to seriously talk marriage, a thought which made the Praefectus laugh out loud.

Sorry, I just… she apologized, shaking her head lightly. What about Mulberry? Towhee found herself saying. She did not consider naming the Redhawk yearlings out of sheer weirdness. She’s young and aspiring to be a soldier. Wouldn’t she be a better choice for you?

towhee did not want a marriage of love. business she had called it. so why was she so quick to ask him if he wanted to fall in love instead?

i offer myself for your business partnership, towhee, i am not asking for your...love.

he settled on finally. shoulders sagging some. this was far too much first thing in the morning.

what good is falling in love with some pretty face to distract me from work when there is a woman who knows what she wants and understands soldiers? i do not ask for your decision now, just...consideration.

I understand, Towhee said, growing much soberer to show she took his offer seriously. And I don’t mean to assume things about you and what you want, she added. She meant to just ask him outright if he was sure he wanted to sign up for a business partnership and thus eliminate any chance for a romantic one down the road, when he said something that stilled her tongue against the backs of her teeth.

Fair, she said slowly, blinking a few times. I can do that: consider your offer, Towhee continued levelly. And she would try to stop patronizing him. Maxim was younger, but not so young that he couldn’t know what he wanted in life, reach out and grab it. Which—I’m complimented, by the way.

Her brain had woken up enough to yell some nonsense like, Does this mean you’re courting now?! But Towhee ignored it. Slowly, she began pushing upright again, minding her leg. Once she sat up, she bent down to sniff at the wound. It smelled faintly floral, probably compliments of Aquene.

Would you like to join me for the AM patrol? Towhee invited.

fade and something new soon if you'd like? :)

he appreciated the way she sobered up, seemingly taking him at a more genuine face value now. it was all he asked for. to be considered seriously in her search for a business partner.

and he too, meant it, when he said he was not asking for love.

a mutual, respectable marriage seemed proper for two soldiers. especially if they both prospered from it.

i would like that very much.

sincere, softer now with a more friendly air after realizing she did take him seriously.

For sure!

He accepted the invitation and Towhee bobbed her head, then began moving. They fell into step with one another and she hoped he wouldn’t mind the snail’s pace. She didn’t feel any particular need to say anything else, allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts a bit as they wandered toward the borders.

She didn’t even have to ask him his stance on children. She already knew he wanted them, thought they were “cute.” Towhee snorted and then covered it with a cough and a sideways glance. She tried to put that train of thought aside for now and focus on their tandem task, though she couldn’t help but shoot Maxim speculative glances every few moments the entire patrol.