Moonspear sparkling water

There was at least one more person he wanted to catch up with before they started back home, and why not today? He had slept well outside Moonspear's borders last night, although Sialuk had been kind enough to let them wander for a bit. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was intruding, so he ended up standing awkwardly at the borders sort of twiddling his nonexistent thumbs when she waltzed up.

Oh! Hey! Sorry! I was just hoping to see Fennec before we left our lil' encampment. I hope that's okay? he asked.

just this one from sia. <3

Phox, the brother of Towhee, the father of Fennec. His leg missing just as Bridget's. Perhaps this was a sign of good spirits to live through such a thing. He asked to see Fennec, and Sialuk nodded. He was a man with as many years as her mother—perhaps more. A large scar across his face told a story, too, though the starwoman did not pry.

Come, she said, and led him to the place she had seen @Fennec. He followed after a beat, and the journey was short. With father and daughter now together, Sialuk took her leave, a dull ache for taataa, whom she scarcely knew.

She wasn’t really in the mood to speak more with family, but she didn’t have much of a choice when Sialuk approached with Phox. Fennec acknowledged the leader and then waited for her father, silently searching for patience with a small breath.

She felt coiled, like a snake threatened and cornered. Right now he was just a reminder that Fig wanted nothing to do with her.

Hi dad. She gave him a small smile and a greeting, then fell silent.

A single word was all the silver woman spoke, leading him to Fennec in a short amount of time. And boy howdy, did Fennec look a wreck! She looked like she was about ready to jump out of her skin, and Phox grimaced, glad she wasn't able to see his expression for once. Hey, kiddo. How's the new digs? he asked.

He knew it must have been difficult to not have Fig here, but what could he do? Instead of leaning into his sibling, as Phox had always done, Fig seemed to be doing the opposite: trying to make himself into an individual. And sure maybe Phox and Towhee had a bit of a codependent relationship, but it had comforted them so many times now, it wasn't a habit he (or she, Phox presumed) was about to break.

Phox greeted her like normal and she responded with little interest. It’s okay. Sialuk has been great, and everyone else, I guess. She hadn’t made much of an effort to integrate.

Her mind was really only able to focus on the one thing, and she couldn’t help herself after a moment from bringing it up. He isn’t coming, is he. I fucked everything up.

He made a little O with his mouth when she replied, seeming more glum than usual. When was the last time he had seen her really happy? Phox grimaced, thinking it had been way, way too long. Then again, he had done everything he could think of to help. Not that it would ever be enough, and not that he would ever not feel bad for her. She was his oldest alongside Fig, and making their lives (along with their siblings) the best possible was kind of his whole job these days.

He isn't, Phox admitted, thinking of adding in a whole "don't blame yourself!" spiel, but figured Fennec wouldn't want to hear that. I don't know all the deets between you two, but I've fucked things up with your mom more than a billion times, and somehow she keeps letting me stick around. Towhee had been especially hard on him when they were younger, but thankfully seemed to have soften over the years... a smidge. She was even pissed when I wanted to hang around Epoch a bit longer and wait for Maxim.

Which, hindsight being twenty-twenty, turned out not to be worth sticking around for. Maxim was still nowhere to be found, Epoch or otherwise, as far as Phox knew.

It hurt more than she wanted to admit.  She wanted to take the reassurance he offered to heart, but she couldn’t.  Fig isn’t like mom.  I know, when I fuck things up, mom will want to talk it out.  Fig’s… different.  It’s hard to explain.

When things were hard, Fig always seemed to want to avoid it or pretend everything was fine. Maybe that now meant he had to leave her behind to do it. That’s what she’d done to him, right?

I don’t think there’s any fixing this. Sometimes shit just stays broken. And that seemed more the case with her than anyone else. Bronco, Germanicus, Fig… the line of failed relationships was growing exponentially. She always tried her hardest, but usually that only made things worse.

Sorry, dad. I know it sounds fucked up, but I think it’s just honest. We can only fix things if they want to fix it too. The we was a bit of an accident, but she knew he’d understand because she knew that he would have fixed things with Niamh if he had been given the chance.

She wasn't always like that, Phox explained. Did you know she put me out for a really long time after I left the first go-around? She wouldn't even speak to me. I basically groveled at her feet in order for her to get me to trust her again. I know it's an old trope to be all 'it'll change as you get older,' but it's got some truth to it. And maybe one day you and Fig will both want to fix it. You two have plenty of time.

Hell, Phox liked to think that he had plenty of time. He wondered if his loss of limb would have changed his lifespan. Thinking about The End wasn't something he did terribly often, although he had noticed a decidedly upward trend in those thoughts ever since his leg went away.

On the other hand... sometimes shit does stay broken. Usually when somebody stops trying or, well. You know. Phox still felt like he could have saved his relationship with Niamh if she'd survived whatever had happened to her. Letting go of the "what if" of that had taken a long time, and he still wasn't sure he was totally over it.

Maybe. I want to try, it just depends on if he will let me. She replied, still a little dejected, but absorbing what her dad said. She didn’t know that her mom had done that, and while groveling seemed like a little much, she was sorry. It wasn’t really up for any kind of debate - she’d been the one to fuck up, one hundred percent. It didn’t matter if she’d been upset or that Fig hadn’t been the support she needed right then. She shouldn’t have just disappeared on him.

Yeah, I definitely know. She paused a moment in thought, then moved over to give him a hug. They both deserved better than what they’d gotten, but at least they still had mom and the family here. She was trying to appreciate that a little more every day. We both deserve someone who tries. Anyone who doesn’t get how great you are is an idiot.