Sometimes Canada feels like she's drowning in Marianne's presence - it's so easy to do. Follow the waves and undercurrents and riptides no matter how far away shore gets. But now she's under the surface and it's...

Fire and touch and tongue and lightning. Intensity and curiosity and intimacy. Her tongue touched the inside of her mouth and tasted her thoughts and she melted into that. [i]Please. See me[/i]. The mask she could never take off was torn away and her knees shook in fear and her heart pounded in exaltation. She'd missed this. [i]Please[/i]... she needed to be known because she didn't know herself. She needed to be vulnerable because being strong was so hard...

And then she was standing, blinking, lips glistening, hands trembling as judgement was passed.

She tried to speak but her tongue had not accepted the idea that it was free and untangled. She tried to fall to her knees but before she could she was supporting Marianne whose weight was on her shoulders and she couldn't drop her. She tried to blush and at least something went right.

And through it all she had the intense feeling she'd been found wanting. So much for confidence. 

She started taking shaky steps forwards, the kind of stiff march that came when every footstep was an individual requiring dedicated care and attention. "You..." wantkissedsavedshattered "...disapprove." she managed, resisting the urge to touch her lips that still sparked like stars. "I'll work harder," she said because that was all she could think to do.