Hushed Willows like eating glass

For the life of her she could not recall the sound of Lily's voice. It had struck her earlier, this thought, burrowing like a wasp's sting just beneath the surface of her skin. At the time she had not realized how wholly and completely Elysium had fallen. The near silent whispering of the willows had been the only sound for a long while; even Ereshkigal had gone, giving Ibis space to process when it was then the very last thing she wanted. What she craved most of all was the sound of girlish laughter to deafen her ears; to lay her eyes upon the warm smile of Olive, and most of all, to hold close to Seabreeze. One by one these thoughts took form for her, each so precious, until the moment she had begun to walk the grounds. The emptiness screamed at her and she wanted desperately to scream back, yet her sweet little voice had fled her.

When she had seen it all and returned by way of a central line through the core of the old claim, she saw Okeanos and felt herself unfurl. The dry soil crunched beneath her slight weight, and she curled, like a spider caught by a lit match, until Okeanos spoke. His voice came from leagues away; muddy in her unfocused mind, but recognizable, to which Ibis raised her head enough to look upon him for as long as she could. Her eyes were dim; one would expect someone as emotional as Ibis to perhaps sob brokenly on this giant grave of a home, but she was silent, composed.

Each of Okeanos' subsequent questions was heard yet disregarded just as easily, in one ear and out the other, while Ibis fought with herself. Blamed herself. Above all, she loathed herself for being too afraid to visit before - perhaps if she had been present, even for a moment. . .?

The rough sensation of Okeanos' broad face and warm scruff against her finally drums up something. She tenses, her whole body rigid as it tries to contain the disaster within. Her mouth is a thin hard line and she tries so hard to keep herself composed, but it is only a matter of time before she cracks, her mouth splitting open like a fissure. 

I lied. Ibis says.