Lethe wasn't any good at comforting people. Even when their sister cried she always ended up letting their parents deal with her, and later Ranulf. No matter how much she cared about someone, sympathy just didn't come naturally. And that went double for beorc.
It was easier when Jill was just some human she couldn't stand. If she'd just stayed stupid about the laguz and never joined their army, or turned her coat when her father spoke to her, Lethe wouldn't be out in the hall pacing and worrying and waiting for the sounds of crying to stop.
What could she do? Her own parents had been dead for years, and she barely remembered mourning them, so she couldn't just say I know how you feel. She'd never known the guy, so it wasn't like she could say anything good about him. And the usual sappy platitudes were out of the question, she'd sooner bow and scrape before Ashnard himself than...okay, maybe she wouldn't go that far, but still.
Silence. She hadn't heard any crying for the last ten minutes, she realized. Suddenly she caught sight of Mist, that beorc girl Jill had gotten so close to lately; her eyes were puffy and it looked like she'd been crying, too.
"Oh...hey, Lethe."
"Hey." Lethe tried not to let on that she was jealous, jealous of Mist for probably being way better at this comfort stuff. "Um...is she okay now?"
"Well, she's asleep, at least." Mist smiled sadly. "I think maybe you should go in there and be with her."
"Me?"
"Yeah...I-I cried with her and let her get it all out, but I think if you were there when she woke up, she'd feel a lot better. She...she really likes you, Lethe." Likes? They'd come to an understanding not long ago and she knew they were at least friends now, but if Mist meant something else by like...
"If she's sleeping, it's probably better no one bothers her."
"You're not just anyone." Mist sniffled, rubbed her eyes and tried to smile a little more. "I think you're the one she needs most of all right now." She left, and Lethe shrugged. Eh, what can it hurt? Quietly, she shifted forms and padded into the room, then carefully jumped up onto the bed, curling up beside Jill. The girl's face was streaked with dried tears and her eyelids were still puffy, it didn't look like she was sleeping very peacefully at all.
So Lethe began to purr, hoping the vibrations and the sound would help calm Jill's heart, if only a little. Gone were any reservations she had about her feelings or caring this much for a beorc, all she wanted was for Jill to feel better.
The next morning, she'd shifted back into human form, arms draped messily over Jill's shoulders, one leg thrown across hers. Jill woke up, saw she had company and smiled.
"Thank you, Lethe."
Lethe only smiled back. Comforting wasn't so hard after all...as long as you didn't need to use words.