Sun Mote Copse Just like before

Part of her hoped that mentioning the names would prompt him to inform her they'd been with him all along, just like Fig... but no such thing happened. Towhee felt a tightness in her chest, then let it go, paying close attention to his answer to her question. That same knot loosened and her belly flipped with joyful relief, only to sink a moment later when he described the nature of his injuries.

She felt a jolt of fear when he mentioned being blind in one eye. She worried that it would affect their ability to communicate. Then she realized not only had she not even noticed anything so far but—oh, yeah—their daughter was totally blind and they managed just fine. Towhee felt like an utter moron for a second, before grinning idiotically at Phox's little jab.

-"But you're okay. And Fig's okay. Fen too. And we're all together again,"- Towhee replied in her best approximation of a singsong voice, which was downright godawful. She pressed her lips together and hummed happily. -"And I can't believe you two were so close all this time..."- And, abruptly, that made her remember something.

For the first time since clapping eyes on Phox and Fig standing at the borders with Fen, Towhee stopped smiling. -"I would've found out a lot sooner but X, she didn't make it. I'm not entirely sure what happened but she was with me during the very first quake. I didn't see her after that and I finally found her body about a week or two back."-