Redhawk Caldera All black everything.

She stole away for a little while this afternoon, taking a walk ahead of what promised to be a decent soaking judging by the blackening horizon. As she meandered around the caldera, she rifled through the same old bags of mental crap she carried everywhere these days. But then she touched on something new to fray at her nerves, the knowledge sawing at her so badly she slowed to a stop and stared off into the distance.

Apart from the day of their son's death, had she really not spent a single moment alone with @Reyes since the birth of their children? No, it had been even longer than that. The last time Towhee could recall being with him was the day he'd returned to the caldera. If that wasn't bad enough, acknowledging this fact made her abruptly aware of the chasm yawning between herself and her mate. Evidently, sharing childcare duties day in and day out did not necessarily nurture a romantic connection.

Towhee laughed humorlessly even as she thought those words. Things had never been put quite right since his exile, had they? She found herself eyeballing that metaphorical canyon and wondering if they could possibly bridge it or shrink it. Did she even want to? She had never been one for relationships, after all. And it wasn't like she blamed him, or hated him, or didn't want his help. Towhee just didn't know if she loved him. Fuck, that was awful.

She stood there so long, the storm swept in and drenched her in a heartbeat. "When it rains," Towhee groused, making no attempt to seek shelter, "it fucking pours."