Redsand Canyon (M) The needle.

Hearing about the soldiers’ disrespect of the Plebians made Towhee’s laughter stop, her face hardening. Why was she not surprised? She had begun to get to know them better, yet their default setting seemed to involve sticks up their asses. She knew she was a bit of a hypocrite, yet it really baked her noodle that anybody out there would have the gall to look down on someone like Rue.

She remained stonily silent as Aquene continued tending to her, explaining that some oral medication came next. She nodded her understanding about what caused the pain. Towhee had experienced this sort of thing enough times in her life, though she didn’t mind that the healer liked to whistle while she worked, so to speak.

The question was a little triggering at this juncture in her life, though Towhee only said casually, I’ll never get married again, so it’s moot here. She never should’ve done it the first time. She wasn’t built for that shit, nor did she want it. I have twelve kids already, she shared. She would’ve counted fifteen, but Phox’s youngest hadn’t had the chance to fall into that role. And a few of them were deceased, though she didn’t say that. A grandson too, and more grandkids on the way.

She sniffed, shifting her weight to get a bit more comfortable. What about you?