Sun Mote Copse And it might get cold, I just don't care

If Towhee had mentioned the whole thing about Arcturus to him, Phox probably would have been able to relate those two things together quite well. Like Towhee, it took him longer to get attached to others. Even with Camilla, their relationship had been... well, not especially close or deep. It wasn't that Phox lacked that ability, it just took him months, if not years, to stir up more intimate feelings for somebody. Still, he set his own opinions aside and tuned himself into what Niamh was saying, taking on a more serious mood.

If she's as much like you as you say she is... good luck, Phox teased with an impish grin, nipping at Niamh's ear. Do you think it'll help if I do my best to avoid her? I'm not really... sure what to do here. I've only been the object of somebody's affection a few times—that I know of—and it's never been unrequited, exactly. One might say that he could be an unrequited love of Camilla's, but he wasn't even sure if she'd loved him. At least not in the way that he thought that partners were supposed to love one another.

That, of course, got him thinking about Niamh. He knew he had feelings for her, and he knew their future children would bring them closer together... but the L-word was still much too strong for him to even consider saying aloud right now. Love was something that took time and attention to grow. A garden that needed to be tended.