It takes him a moment to recover as Lizzie returns the hug. Of course he should have expected it coming, should have known that given the state that she’s in, of course she would want to return the hug in kind. But still, he’s not used to such touch and even given all the expectations, his grip loosens for a moment before it tightens again. He wastes a moment’s worry that Lizzie will notice the hesitation before he lets the thought go in favor of comforting his sister.
Rocking slightly side to side as he holds her, Nico is quiet for a moment, considering what he should say, if he should say something at all. ‘I told you so’ would just be cruel, even if it did hold some truth. But Lizzie is hurting enough and he doesn’t need to add to that at all. There is the option to not say anything at all, which he supposes could work too, but in some way that seems almost cowardly, and a mental shake of his head dismisses the thought. To see someone hurting and not try to help, especially if that person is his sister, that would make him worse than any monster.
A sigh darts out of his mouth. “I miss my mom too,” he says carefully, not looking at Lizzie’s face for the moment as he speaks. Nico’s not even sure if his words will help, and almost certainly all of this is going to take longer to heal than anything he might say or do now, but he doesn’t want this to keep festering in Lizzie. Not any more. “I don’t… I don’t think you’re wrong for missing her. And–and knowing is different than feeling.”
He grimaces. That sounds stupid and he’s not sure that makes any sense, so he squeezes her just a little tighter for a moment before he relaxes his grip again. “Can you travel? I can take us back to the Underworld,” he suggests. Maybe getting her away from this place will help, and he ignores the voice in his mind that points out that hopefully someone else will better know what to do.
father has told her countless times to leave almira’s spirit alone. she disobeyed. almira’s spirit had twisted and become corrupted by the paranoia that haunted her during her short life. elizabeth prides herself on being independent, strong minded; to not form such emotional connections with the living. it’s easier to connect with the spirits that have been dead for centuries or simply spirits that she didn’t personally know during their time alive. yet this is her mother’s spirit she’s dealing with. a loss she has chosen to ignore even after all these years, grief that hasn’t been processed.
seeing that pain, feeling it just as almira felt it. the betrayal...the anguish of all those years gone by without having any real answers as to what has become of her daughter to how her child, hours after coming home from the hospital from yet another bout of pneumonia was able to escape the flames quicker than she could. such violent deaths make for the most bitter spirits - biaiothanatoi - and almira’s death was caused by her own hand, intentional or not.
“i don’t miss her.” the words slip out, speaking her true feeling about almira. “i just wanted to give her closure, to help her find some sense of peace in her afterlife.” she felt guilty for being the cause of almira’s descent into paranoia. if only; she had told her father or her grandfather about the spirits she was seeing instead of her mother...almira might have lived. everything went downhill after she confessed her secret. but at four years old; she was told to not keep secrets from her parents. “i don’t miss her..” she repeats, lifting her head off of nico’s shoulder, groaning as she does so.
“that wouldn’t be wise.” her breathing is shallow, “can’t risk it.” elizabeth removes herself from nico’s grasp, eyes closed as she focuses on recentering her psyche. never disobey father again. nothing good comes from disobeying him. she mentally scolds herself. “just give me a few minutes. if you have any ambrosia or nectar; that’d be helpful too.”
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