A spoonful of sugar

She's imperfect, but she tries She is good, but she lies She is hard on herself She is broken and won't ask for help She listens in silence, trying to really hear, to take the words and understand them despite her own frustrations. It's something she knows she has to work on, especially if she is to build a relationship with Sam, to mend the bridges she's burnt with Wessex and Maea. Guilt is a dance partner she, took, knows intimately; she nods, her eyes closed briefly in sympathy as he mentions how it has shaped him. Guilt and grief and a jealous sort of insecurity, clinging tightly to the things they love for fear it will be stripped away. They're not so different, the Sage and the Shield. Perhaps it is why they clash so much. His silent statement nearly has her laughing, an eyebrow raised in wry amusement as she turns her gaze upon her friend. Neither do you, she remarks in return, a crooked smile pulling at her lips. "You always... you feel like you have to protect everyone, and like you're responsible for everything, but that's not human either." Sighing, she settles back against the pillows, turning her eyes to the ceiling once more. It feels... it feels as though see me as something extraordinary, but also something to be protected. Like a piece of glass. And it feels like... like I can't make mistakes, because if I do you'll just blame yourself for them. I just... want you to see me as me. As a person with flaws. Because it's exhausting to always try and be good enough for you. a m a l i a She is messy, but she's kind She is lonely most of the time She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie She is gone, but she used to be mine