Sun Mote Copse Time and time again

She hadn't picked up on any queerness in tone before, though now Sugar sensed Fen's defensiveness. She thought back on her phrasing and frowned to herself, thinking she could have worded it better. Her lips parted, wanting to reassure her peer that she hadn't intended that as accusatory.

"I'm glad you're here and not there, that you're safe," Sugar said, more mindful as she chose her words now, "although I'm sorry you're cut off from your family. Hopefully they're okay and you can get back to them soon." The youngster didn't know the word "platitude," though she understood the sentiment all the same. She wished she could say something more helpful about the matter, yet if the adults couldn't figure out how to bypass the rock slide, then what could she possibly do?

Recalling her original reason for seeking out Fen, Sugar seized on the opportunity to redirect the conversation. "When I met Fig, he mentioned you and told me you were blind." She paused, a tooth scoring gently into her lip as she wondered whether this was a sensitive subject. But curiosity overruled politeness. "Were you born blind? How do you move around without, you know..." She raised a paw and swirled it in the air, then remembered Fen couldn't see it and set it down again. "Bumping into things?"