Sleepy Fox Hollow brimming and broken and somehow

she felt cocooned in sheepish silks for having revealed some vulnerable part of herself, head bowed and face buried in the pale flounce of her ruff. 

her father was so very elevated in her eyes, held enskied and apotheosized. to be open was to reduce herself in his eyes -- or so the girl mused; and in that way, she saw herself undignified by her lack. self-hatred seethed to the fore of her, her breast and throat wicked away by the heat of humiliation. her mouth went dry as he spoke honestly of what may or may not come to pass.

the quiet part being, she supposed, 'you are not wrong in your uncertainty.'

lifting her head, phaedra took courage and fixed him with a listless smile that struggled to meet her eyes. nonetheless, she scooted nearer to him, and allowed the comfort of his closeness to thaw her.

"i love you more more," she elbowed him in good nature -- as best as she could conjure it -- and sniffed away the remnants of tears in her nose. 

resting her cheek against his shoulder while her eyes gazed out at the daisied meadow, phaedra twisted her lips in curious thought. a nosy thought. 

"what made you fall in love with my mother?"