Starglow Basin Re_jaded.

before sangre could relay what he said, the amazon spoke. soto stood attention, his gaze resting curiously on the equally strange shapes she made with her mouth. it was such a useless, cumbersome language!

he understood none of it; and what was worse, sangre could only haltingly translate it. he was left hanging on her every word -- quite literally -- up until the point he noticed la amazona leaving.

he made to stop her but something in sangre's gaze said don't. and what little she pieced together, soto had no choice but to listen.

he leans back with a disappointed sigh, accepting but deeply displeased about it.

very distantly, he hears nino murmur something under his breath. it's disregarded as soto turns back to sangre, who seems equally noncompliant.

still feeling he was missing something of great contextual importance, soto returned to lookout point and could not help the way he looked occasionally for the skipping shadow of towhee's departing form.