Wrap your teeth around the pavement

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." 'It is what it is.' Those were words to live by. As her hands clung to him, her thoughts latched onto that simple idea. Like a beacon of light in the dark, a dangling rope thrown to a raging sea. Maea felt him, heard him, and found that it wasn't nearly as awful to show Sunjata all her broken, bloody pieces as she might have imagined. He neither blamed her for her tears or tried to keep them from falling, and for that she held on tighter, cried a bit harder, leaned into him all that much further. Entrustied him with all that she was, in this singular moment of utter weakness. If he wanted to destroy her, then... now he had a wonderful chance. But he did not. Just held her, his cheek pressed to hers. The stubble on it scratched against her tender skin, his nose tickling on her neck, and it was comforting. Gradually, after what seemed like an eternity, Maea's breathing calmed. Grew less frantic. Still there were little hiccuping gulps of air sucked in - though parted lips, because her nose had become terribly clogged  - but it didn't matter. The storm was passing, if slowly. What did she want to do with what she had left? At the moment... just stay right where she was. Shelter in the safety of Sunjata's embrace, and merely... exist. Her arms moved, shifted up to wrap around his neck. A quiet plea not to let go of her yet.