Staring at the countless papers scattered among her desk, Lucy's eyes darted about the words being written by her ink-stained fingers. Her right hand, held the the quill and with her left, fiddled with the broken key of Aquarius. After everything that had past, Lucy vowed to herself that she will not forget her spirit's sacrifice; that she will leave a mark on the world, detailing the blue haired mermaid she knew and lost. Dipping her quill in a pot of jet black ink, she wrote words of great reverence, worshipping a character inspired by her dear mermaid spirit in hopes that the future will hold some sort of evidence that Aquarius was part of the world she protected. Lucy subconciously bit her lip and furrowed her brow in concentration that was soon broken by a flash of golden light.

Not even turning to look nor stopping her work she sighed, "What is it that you need, Loke?" Accidently smearing her writing because of the disturbance, she mumbled a soft curse. Loke did not respond, opting to brush his hand through his untamed, ginger hair. Walking closer to her, he gently placed his hand upon hers and eased first the quill, then the key out of Lucy's slightly shaking hands. "What are you doing?" she whispered fleetingly, exhaustion clear in her voice. Loke picked Lucy up from the chair she had been sitting on for hours and gently sat her upon her bed, all the while not saying a word. "Loke?" she asked again, noticing his uncharacteristic silence. With a deep sigh, Loke stared into her chocolate eyes, once bright but now tired, and murmured, "Don't do this to yourself." The golden haired female looked away in guilt, "I can't forgive myself," came a stuttered response. He pulled her in a tight hug, burying his nose into her soft hair and advised, "You can lean on us, you know."

With a soft cry, Lucy balled her hands into fists, clenching his white dress shirt, now starting to be stained with wet tears. "I can't," came a muffled reply, "Not when I wasn't strong enough."

Loke's encircled arms tightened around the blonde, hoping to bring some comfort. "It wasn't and never will be your fault. Aquarius knew what had to be done," Loke reassured. However, his reassurance only made the mage weep harder; Tears dripping like waterfalls. "Anyone else...anyone else could've fought him and won without any sacrifice!" She lamented, sobs racking through her tired body. Loke said nothing more, knowing words of reassurance (no matter how true they were), would not get through the impenetrable defenses Lucy unknowingly created. He just held her, rocking back and forth as she cried out the weight of the burden she placed on herself. A weight she only shared in moments like this. The night dragged on, with the crying blonde trying to force out the endless guilt and pain she held in her leaking heart. All Loke did was hold her, yet for Lucy, it was worth more than fleeting words of comfort.