Starglow Basin Re_jaded.

Was Tierra opposed to the venue, she wondered, or the time it would take to carry on a proper conversation? Towhee opened her mouth to suggest they could just stand here and chat a while longer when she saw her daughter’s attention shift, likely reacting to some sound or another. Her eyes followed, spine stiffening when she immediately recognized “Casanova.” She’d almost forgotten she’d called for him.

She thought about what Tierra had told her: he was harsh, but he’d saved her life. Towhee compared and contrasted this to what little she knew about him: he was a good lay. There was something disarming about the easy grin he offered, right before his lips moved to form the first words he’d ever spoken to her.

Towhee didn’t catch a single one of them. Her eyes cut over to Tierra, seeking assistance, and was a little surprised by its rapidity. When the younger woman tacked on, “I think,” her brow furrowed. Did he have a speech impediment? Or perhaps an accent? For all he knew, he was speaking in an entirely foreign language.

She looked back and forth as she puzzled this out, resisting the urge to sign a question to Tierra. Instead, she shifted her weight and focused entirely on the man, her orange eyes speculative as they rested on his face. She felt an unwelcome flash of heat pierce through her when she realized he was, well, hot. She licked her lips, trying not to think of the day they’d made Bushtit together.

Drawing in a breath, unsure whether he would understand her, Towhee demanded, Why are you looking for me?