And there she was, calling out her greeting. Nyx was learning quite a smattering of Norse phrases through this relationship, and perhaps she was a bit biased, but she thought Hel's accent was far more lovely than any other she'd heard. The other Nords sounded as though they had mouths full of marble, but Hel's phrasing was always delicate and quaint.
Nyx opened her mouth to return the greeting, but from behind her came the rich, deep voice that she loved so very much. Oh, he was so sneaky, moving about in the shadows. She's reprimand him for that later, but at the moment, she was too pleased that he'd arrived to greet their guest with her. Though she would have helped the girl with or without Ere's aid, the truth was everything was better when they worked together. Which meant that together, they could really do something wonderful for this young woman that needed affection.
As Erebos kissed Hel's forehead, Nyx reached out to take Hel's hand. And like her husband, she didn't pay attention to which one it was, but the moment she felt the texture against her palm, she slipped an additional element into the connection: she slid a bit of night, soft and cool as the evening air, between her skin and Hel's to protect the fragile nature of Hel's complexion. The last thing Nyx wanted to do was cause her any more hurt, she'd been through enough.
“Of course Cerberus did not drool on her, she's not even a bit damp, Ere, stop teasing her. Come along now, dear heart,” Nyx instructed Hel, gently herding them both on the path back to her home. “You must tell us all that's happened since the last time you visited. Has Garm finally gotten over his habit of chewing on your shoes? I do think he only does it because they smell like you, since he's obviously devoted to you, but it must get tiresome to keep replacing footwear. Did the advice Erebos gave you work?”
She was speaking a little too fast, she realized. Because she was still rather nervous. As she walked up the front steps of the temple of Night and Darkness, the large conglomeration of various temples, houses, cells and abodes that were all combined into one odd building, Nyx could not help but wonder just which of their children would be joining them tonight. Most of them not only had a room in the temple, but what was essentially an entire home within the home, so many of them made their own meals. But there were always a few that tended to straggle in for various reasons. Who would it be tonight?