Sun Mote Copse Night on earth.

To her credit, Niamh made an effort to humor Towhee, though even as she tried to switch gears to a lighter topic, it all fell flat for her. Whatever magical moment had allowed her to crack a joke despite her heartache had come and gone, just like that. She fought back a sigh, wishing she could just drop this entire conversation and go to the river to be alone.

But though she couldn't really handle Niamh's inexplicable emotional outbursts, Towhee didn't want to just shrug off her friend or her attempt and disappear into the dark forest. She sucked in a deep breath and held it in her chest for a moment, then released it, wishing she could simply exhale all her negative emotions just as easily.

She forced the corner of her mouth upward into a tiny smile. "Oh yeah? How'd that go? I guess it's better to learn from your brother than learn by watching your mom get it on..." Towhee mused, hoping the conversation would feel less forced after some back-and-forth.