Sun Mote Copse at the end of the day

Phox seemed to go into solution mode which wasn't exactly what Eljay wanted, but he was too polite to tell Phox not to. So he answered the questions anyway, even if he didn't much feel like it. He'd been in the mood to explain to Weejay why he had turned down going with Maia, after all, not to be convinced otherwise. To him, it was pretty clear that he wasn't welcome, so why try create an opening there. No. I -- we used to be friends, but I feel as though things turned sour after... After Wiffle died... When she became a leader and I wasn't always -- there -- I guess... He didn't know how to phrase it, but one thing was very clear to him in this: Wraen didn't even come to tell me she was leaving herself. I don't think she'd want me there.

Weejay might be old enough to make her own decisions, but Eljay still didn't want to leave her. She was the most precious thing he had left, even if she was practically all grown up now. Elfie had left them and it had broken her heart -- so he could never leave her. I don't think it's fair on her. When Elfie left... He trailed off and frowned, so vividly remembering her pain next to his. He didn't want that for her.

Against the last argument he had nothing to say. He supposed that was an option... If all the other problems were solved.