Sleepy Fox Hollow brimming and broken and somehow

as was his wont, mahler had the right of it. 

pantsed by grief, that's what this was. phaedra couldn’t make sense of it, but the humiliation made itself keenly felt all the same. 

losing heart with all possible haste of the utterly mortified, phaedra vied to reunite with some sense of self-control. she could bear any pain provided that it had meaning, but this felt unbearable. 

'you have had so much change in your life, phaedra. do not blame yourself for the reaction of your eyes.'

“there's no one else to blame,” she said distantly, ears flush against silvered kiss-curls. 

dark lashes dewed with tears fluttered rapidly, raining on the sill of her cheek. she felt her father's tender, doting linger, and it made her inner child want only to crouch under his aegis like parchment curling away from flame. 

absurd! she again laughed at herself, wringing tears. she felt unstable, disturbed, and stared misty-eyed at the ground not knowing where to put herself. 

"i'm afraid—" but the words ebbed from her lips in a feeble little quaver.  to be hopeful, her thoughts continued privately.