Sun Mote Copse time is a revelator;

it was too late for arcturus to pause as towhee looked away; the cat was well out of the bag, and he could tell by her expression she had pieced enough of it together to have a good understanding of what had been set in motion.

what arcturus did not expect was the question. towhee popped it so innocuously -- it was the elephant in the room they all knew of, but none dared to speak. and now, he was being confronted (not unkindly) about his true feelings for wraen.

arcturus had never truly spoken these emotions aloud. he had kept it close to his heart, even if his actions said otherwise. to be so plainly seen -- to be so openly called out by a harmless inquiry -- made arcturus feel small.

he took in a deep breath and looked at towhee as respectfully as he could while still managing some semblance of eye contact. he did not want to flinch or look like he lacked any sort of contrition. "yes. i always have."

which made his actions -- especially with towhee -- confusing. arcturus genuinely regretted being so conflicting almost as much as he regretted the rift he was creating now, between them.

would she accept it? mock him? cast him out then and there? arcturus found his heart was racing and his blood pounding in a way that made him light-headed and anxious.