Pushed away: Heather

It keeps every exchange small, pleasant and slightly untrue, deflecting anything of consequence with a joke or a triviality, and the same reflex is applied to its own life, so the questions that would set a direction never get asked out loud either. An intimidating and untrustworthy household with a father who was dangerous to contradict and a mother who went along with it made frankness expensive, and a person who has never spoken plainly has no practice at hearing what they actually intend. What it asks for is one true sentence said in a conversation that matters.

I can talk for an hour and tell you nothing, and I do it without thinking.

It echoes Sir Kay, always ready with the remark that keeps the moment light, and never once the man the moment required. The form implies a task: to be plain in one exchange and see what it costs.