#shoulders:asks

lips pursed, marie counts to ten before she turns a disapproving gaze in his direction. it affords her a moment to breathe, a moment for heart and lungs to catch up in the wake of adrenaline. ❛ sheer luck and nothing to be afraid of are not the same thing. ❜

nothing to be afraid of implies a near zero chance of things going wrong. marie's no statistician, but she'd have set the odds worse than that — by a long shot.

once, the pessimism would have irked her, might even have shaken her confidence ( not that there's a lot of that going around right now, but at least she has learned equanimity in the face of uncertainty ). now, she can see the grim humor in it, and the corners of her lips tug in a wry smile. adewale would have been proud. ❛ you're an optimistic one. ❜

a muscle in her jaw twinges in a momentary irritation that she quickly collects back beneath her impeccable control. they have every reason to doubt, to keep a close watch over her shoulder as if she is some green cadet on her first tour on a starship, all unsteady hands and jumpy reflexes. she may claim to be whomever she wishes — it does not give them proof, nor cause to believe her.