Scene #8473: Traitor

Owner	Pose
Angela	Lobotomy Corporation is accustomed to visitations these days and, once again, Angela has agreed to a visitor from the Outsider--not even a Concord ally, actually. Rather--Hibiki Tachibana from the ''Watch''. Considering that she was explicitly informed that maintaining the company in a way different from the way it was being maintained was 'a way to avoid trouble with the Watch', this might be Angela's way of making a statement. Nevertheless, the Lobotomy Corp facility is one that does indeed tend to smell faintly of blood even when a Meltdown. Angela has asked Hibiki to meet her in Training and--as such--Hibiki is met by OHNO who informs her of this by saying, "Dabawadaba Awawa Badabeewoww." And then OHNO swings an arm up and gestures for Hibiki to follow her into Training. Training is an orange and yellow-orange tinted area with orange garbed clerks moving about throughout it. And a pair of bright rings spinning around a dark orb hovering in the air. A large screen shows the Tree of the Sephirot just right there and pipes pumping through Enkephalin are embedded in the walls. A box robot with the name HOD on her forehead and an antenna sprouting out the top of her head is clasping their actuator 'hands' together anxiously while Angela speaks with her. "Cinder and Petra's training was acceptable but I am concerned with the behavior of the clerks flocking to this cult." Angela is saying before turning her head and says. "Ah. Miss Hibiki." She turns all the way around. "How may we help you today?"
Hibiki Tachibana	...They're scared, you know. Of Magical Girls. S-so... maybe you'll be okay. You have yours, I have mine. You're just empty and replaceable, Tachibana, so don't think that your rejection of me means as much as mine to you. "...It'd be easier if it was rejection," Hibiki murmurs to herself, glancing down at something on her phone while lost in several shifting tracks of thought. It's only a little ironic, given the other day, that she's walking right into Petra's new workplace without any intention of seeing her while she's here. It took her working up some courage to ask Angela for this too, but now that she's here - blissfully unaware on how this relates to advice regarding the Watch - she's not going to back out now. Lobotomy Corporation's halls feel different when they're not mid-Meltdown, but the scent brings everything she saw and felt back then back to mind. Stowing her phone away, she greets OHNO with a wave on approach - and gives only a slightly awkward chuckle at what she says before following along. Where she finds who she's here for, along with a friend. One she doesn't recognize at just a glance, but the nervous demeanor in Angela's presence plus the obvious name display says enough. She's the same as Malkuth after all, huh...? "...Um. Hey, Hod." Hibiki gives her a small smile, despite everything, and then faces the blue-haired AI that's allowed her here. "And hi, Angela. This is the first time we're getting to really talk talk, isn't it? ...Thanks." For giving her the chance to meet, apparently. Hibiki rubs at the back of her neck a bit. "...And sorry if I happen to be interrupting anything," a glance between the two of them, and then a moment's pause. "Well...I wanted to talk about a couple things. About...Lobotomy Corp, and why it's...like this. About the branch offices, too. Meika told me about her visit, and...it didn't sound like it went over very well." A vast understatement, from how Meika looked when speaking about it. Hibiki grimaces for only a second, thinking back to it. "...So I came because I wanted to know more. And why. There's way, way too much about all of this I don't get at all. And I won't be able to help unless I do--not just the Magical Girl of Courage, but...a lot more, too." That does it for the parts she mentally rehearshed talking about in her head. But now, with the conversation she walked in on, she can't help but more tentatively adding on after, her eyes looking off to the side of Training. "...By the way, is, um...i-is Petra doing okay here? No problems? If she is, then--...good."
Angela	Angela frowns faintly at the mention of Meika's visit not going well. She was, of course, rooting for her in a way even if it is a relief that fixing Lobotomy Corp's problems were not so easy that Meika could have just up and done it. While Angela wouldn't say she prefers the current state of affairs to possible better options, she wouldn't exactly want to feel like an idiot who could've done these things herself even with her limitations either. Hod perks up immediately. "Oh! Bikki! H-hi! It's good to see you!" ''About...Lobotomy Corp, and why it's...like this.'' Hod's antennae droops and she says, "Oh. Haha...ha... Right... That makes sense." Angel considers Hibiki for a moment, looking into the Symphogear User's eyes. There is always this evaluating sense from how Angela looks at people either she's evaluating something in her head or something that she's seeing. "I see. Well, it is fitting that you brought this up in Training. It is an ideal place to converse. Let us walk to somewhere a bit more private. Hod, come along." Hod lets out a faint eep and glumly follows after Angela, behind Hibiki too if she moves at a decent pace. ''i-is Petra doing okay here? No problems?'' Angela says, "I enjoy Petra's company. I am aware that in the past that she had engaged in some form of poor behavior as confirmed by the Dame Commander. I am grateful that it was before my time. If the Dame Commander, or Petra, wish to inform me of what happened I will develop an opinion then--but so far she has been nothing but civil and--frankly--a breath of fresh air. She looks out after the other employees and takes on work that would be dangerous for them but not for her. She has asked I not treat her especially different due to our friendship." She glances back to Hibiki and adds, "...But I am aware that you two do not seem to be on friendly terms sat the moment so any further detail than what any Agent could mention is beyond my ability to provide at the moment." She is quiet for a moment and then adds, "...May I ask a question of my own? Do you care for Petra or can you simply not stand being disliked by her?" Hod's antenna droops even lower. "H..hey... There's no need to, um..." Angela glances aside at Hod before adding, "You wish to know how L Corp turned from a company hoping to change the future for the better into what it is now, yes? I can tell you this story, Hibiki."
Hibiki Tachibana	"I was really hoping I'd get to see you while I was here too, Hod." Well, a faint frown on Angela's face and Hod looking down as soon as she opened her mouth wasn't part of the plan, so Hibiki at least tries to correct some of that with as reassuring a tone as she can manage. And she does mean it. She'd pat the little box on the head if she didn't think she'd be embarrassed in the same position. And as Angela leads on, Hibiki follows suit - beside Hod rather than in front of her, even if it means she has to move a bit slower than she otherwise would. Which is fine, since it's probably better that Angela isn't directly watching the way her expression can't seem to settle on a slight frown or a tiny smile, or the way her eyes shift down towards the floor in front of her. "It sounds like...she's doing great for herself here. I'm glad." When she notices Angela's head turning to glance at her, Hibiki's head perks back up...although the insight on the obvious strain between them and the question asked leaves her unable to reply instantly. When she does, it's while her head is tilted off to look towards one of the Enkephalin pipes embedded in the wall. "I don't care if she likes me," she repeats from yesterday. Although no longer face to face with her, not in that moment, she continues quietly. "...If she's really and honestly happy now, that's enough for me." That's a truth, but only a half-truth. Especially if yesterday's outburst is anything to go by. "I just end up hurting her every time I see her. There's nothing...that I can give her now, that she doesn't already have. Or could get better from somebody else. ...She has people who understand her in the sort of way I don't know if I ever can." Angela is likely, implicitly, one of them. It's not like Hibiki is deaf to radio conversations. She exhales just loud enough for it to be audible. "I wanted to talk to her about...everything that happened while she was away. And...whatever happened to her body. I wanted to leave it until after Lilian was back on her feet--because I knew she'd just be mad if I showed I was worried about her. And I just ended up betraying her trust again anyway." Hibiki goes silent after that, finally glancing between the both of them. Before now, she wasn't actually sure why Angela asked Hod to come along with them. Now, she's furrowing her brow a bit. "Um...yeah. I'd like to hear the story, please." She has the sense she won't like what she hears, but that shouldn't be enough to stop her.
Angela	Angela does not have eyes in the back of her head but this is a facility that she manages and she has access to the camera feeds but she doesn't comment on it or react if she did see it indirectly. ''I don't care if she likes me'' "Shouldn't you?" Angela asks. "There is a difference between wanting someone to like you and tying your self worth to that person, I imagine, though I admit I am not exactly experienced at friendship." Hod's antenna cannot droop any more but Hibiki has already noticed this topic seems to be an uncomfortable one for Hod. "I imagine Petra wishes to be understood as much as anyone, though I do not wish to speak of her, and I imagine giving up and saying 'Ah, well, I just cannot do this so I best give up and love from afar' is a bit cruel in its own way, isn't it Hod?" Hod squirms. "Ah, well...Some things..." ''She has people who understand her in the sort of way I don't know if I ever can'' Angela says, "And? I do not believe I have a particular special understanding of Petra outside of one particular element--which is new to me. I do not need to understand everything to want to be by her side." Angela slows down a bit. "I imagine, actually, outside of that one particular element--you know more about her than I do." Hibiki mentions asking her about her body. Angela knows this is something Petra intends to fix but... "Case in point. I had not even realized her current body was not one she chose until after I put my foot in my mouth, so to speak." She considers mentioing how upset she was at the difficulty in finding help for the Dame Commander but she's not sure if she should go so far as to make a suggestion there--so she doesn't. She stops in a room that looks like a boardroom office that doesn't look like it sees a lot of use. "Very well. Bear in mind I have heard this story largely secondhand." Angela steps around to the head of the table, sitting in a chair and crossing one leg over the other and placing her hands on her lap. "Please, sit." She says, as if Hibiki was an employee in good standing--but still an employee. "L Corp was not always so powerful to be a Wing. Originally L Corp was the brainchild of a woman named Carmen, a man named Ayin, and another man named Benjamin. These three would provide the ideological core of the company--a company with the ideal of drawing out the power from one's mind and the collective unconciousness to free the people of the City from the regime of 'The Head', the one who currently dictates the rules and philosophy. I ask that we do not get into this deeply as it is not important information to the topic outside of referencing that the work L Corp was engaged in was against the ideals of the governing body over this world." "Carmen was charismatic and lured many to her side. One such person was a particularly gifted child named Michelle. Michelle was aware that the work was against the Head's ideals." "Do I...have to be here?" Hod mumbles. "I believe it to be important, yes." Angela says.
Hibiki Tachibana	Shouldn't you? "Of course I /want/ her to," Hibiki murmurs. I imagine Petra wishes to be understood as much as anyone-- Her lips purse. She doesn't seem to be able to reply to that. 'Ah, well, I just cannot do this so I best give up and love from afar' is a bit cruel in its own way, isn't it Hod? "I haven't given up--" It comes out so quickly it's almost like a reflex as Hod writhes, before she catches herself and slows back down. "...but I already said there's hardly anything I have to give her now, besides more hurt. Plenty of things I'd shout at her, I guess. And if there is something, she'd never want my help in the first place, so what'd be so wrong with giving it from afar?" I imagine, actually, outside of that one particular element--you know more about her than I do. "Whatever that 'element' is, it must be what matters the most, and something I don't have. ...I had a whole half a year by her side. Even though I didn't understand everything, even though I tried to be there for her...at Lilian's expense. I really tried." "...All I learned was that she didn't /want/ me to stop her from hurting herself. And not in the way I know. Where past all of it, deep down, they want to be stopped. ...It wasn't like that. That's why I can't get how she thinks. When it comes to herself, at least," she murmurs. Her feelings on most everyone else feel a lot clearer. There's a small twinge of her expression, at the elaboration that Petra's body indeed is not one she wanted. She figured as much. What can she do fix that now that she or Lilian wouldn't already be planning to do, though? As the story begins in earnest, in this lonely-looking boardroom where she can put the previous subject behind for now, a now somewhat lonely-looking Hibiki finds herself taking the seat opposite Angela - and taking occasional concerned glances towards Hod as the tale is recounted. Even she can put two and two together once in a while. "...Yeah, no need to go deep on the details on that stuff. People who want to break free of a regime and make things better..." But that's not an important part of this story--on how that Lobotomy Corporation became what it is now. Hearing it had such hopeful and high-reaching roots only makes her more worried about where this is going. And, of course... Another grimace, as Hod speaks up. She knows a little bit about them, and their mention of 'past lives'. Malkuth's 'brain in a can' talk. And the Manager's announcement back then - 'Elijah deserved better than that.' "...Hod..." Hibiki opens her mouth as if to continue, then goes silent for a moment. "...And...what came from Michelle knowing that...? I mean...everyone there was already aware of what they were doing all this for, right?"
Angela	Angela would be a little sore at herself if she realized Hibiki didn't know that about Petra's current body. "Then do not say you do not care if she likes you. You clearly do care. If I've learned anything during my work, being able to look at oneself honestly is necessary to escape a terrible situation. And to endure loss." ''All I learned was that she didn't /want/ me to stop her from hurting herself'' Angela frowns thoughtfully. She doesn't really want to know things she shouldn't know about but she does reflect on the Hermit and the Magical Girl of Courage. It's a common story, really, but she imagines Hibiki is already aware that the Servant didn't seek her out for no reason--so she focuses on the matter at hand. They all deserved 'better than that', really. Even Binah and Hokma. But Angela continues the story. "It wasn't an impressive Wing as it is now," Angela says. "So yes, everyone involved knew the truth from what I've heard. And at first Michelle was no doubt as loyal as anyone else.." "But mistakes happened. First Enoch, then Carmen, then Elijah, then Gabriel, and Giovanni. Ayin was not careful with those whom trusted in her dream. And then..." BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKeT_jT-L1w&ab_channel=Mili-Topic Hod speaks up. "And then... the agents of the Head came to Michelle. Michelle thought...maybe if she told the truth, everyone could get back on the right path. Maybe, she thought, that dangerous dream was why people kept dying..." "So she... So she told them and the Arbiter they sent... She killed most everyone left." "The Arbiter underestimated Kali so she wasn't able to destroy everything. But the damage was done. And now our founder Ayin will leave nothing to chance." Angela's eyes gleam as she stares. "Perhaps Michelle too wished for the people of this facility to stop 'hurting' themselves...Ignorant that the path they chose was one they took in spite of the pain it caused them." Hod starts walking around Angela and making her way around the table, approaching Hibiki. "P...please don't be mad at Michelle, Bikki... She didn't..." "Of course, MIchelle learned the value in 'hurting' oneself later." Angela said. "And now she serves as one of our Sephirah, arriving in Hell to beg their forgiveness." Hod snaps suddenly, "Shutup!" Then sadly. "Shutup... I know... I know they'll never forgive me... No matter how hard I try." Hod suddenly runs off, trotting back from where they come from. "It's not fair to Bikki...It's not fair to me!!" Angela doesn't even turn her head from Hibiki. "And that is why we are this way, Hibiki. Thank you for your assistance so far." She stands up and starts making her way to the door. "She is certainly about to have a Meltdown but perhaps you can talk her down from the ledge, so to speak?"
Hibiki Tachibana	Hibiki has, indeed, never forgotten that encounter with Courage and her friend. She probably never will. It really is funny. Back then at Lydian, not too long ago with Cantio, even Sougo only yesterday--how openly and shamelessly she can try to pull others up, even when it's so hard to take her own advice and figure herself out whenever she actually stops to think about it. How hard it is to apply the exact same thing to her relationship with Petra. Look at herself honestly. The pain of trying to help in a way that only hurts. The pain of opening your heart to another, just to be stuck with a blade. The bravery to not be afraid, even when you've faltered before. She'll make it the whole way, sooner or later. It's hard to tell which one it'll be. For right this moment, she'll focus on this story. This very painful story that came about as a result of one girl wanting to do something about what was happening to her friends, and making an irreversible mistake that only made it far, far worse. The exact same fear that left Hibiki herself paralyzed with inaction for all that time before. "Hod--" She starts, a notable shakiness in her voice, when the Sephirah starts essentially pleading for her to not be upset with her. She doesn't get an answer out either way, before Angela espouses the harsh lesson that was learned - and Hod loses her composure entirely, and dashes out. I don't feel like they really feel like they ever forgave me. And it's been years, haha. Well...even if it's been years, whatever you did--you're still trying. And that means you'll definitely make up for it one day, even if you make mistakes along the way. So...hang in there. Hibiki didn't understand the full gravity of what Hod talked about in their private conversation before...but it clicks all at once, heavily enough to make something feel like something's cracked in her chest. Before she even realizes it, she's pushing back out of her chair to a stand and quickly wiping at her eyes with her jacket sleeve. "Stuck here, trying to get forgiveness she thinks she's never going to get...living with a mistake like that...she probably figures the reason everything here is like this now is all because of her...damnit, Hod, you're even mad for my sake after all that talk, when I saw how it was making you feel...!" Much more rapidly than Angela stands and begins moving, Hibiki is already turning on a heel to dash back the way they came, chasing after Hod at full speed. Along the way, she calls back towards Angela, rubbing away at her eyes for the second time already. "...I'll do my best! I won't let her--" Have to keep going on thinking, feeling like that. Not if she can do something about it.
Angela	Hod isn't too far, she's back in the room with that strange double wing with the pipes of Enkephalin nearby. Hod's shell has shattered--just like Malkuth's--and two tendrils have pulled free, swinging precariously towards the Enkephalin pipes. The singular eye can't look directly at HIbiki so it slants away towards the ground. "I'm sorry Bikki... Maybe all that stuff I said was really just because I wanted people to say that sort of thing to me... I just want people to like me... I'll be whatever I have to be. But I can't... Even Angela has friends, haha... I'm sorry that's mean, isn't it?" On the comms, the Manager's voice can be heard... "You too, huh, Hod? I'm going to have Angela shut you down until we can be ready to has this out properly." "...Manager... Crying out like this, only pushes them away faster doesn't it? But if I don't cry out...how will they hear me?" "Hod..." Angela is approaching at a leisurely pace. She wants Hibiki to say what she wants to say to Hod first, though. ...She's not sure wh. It is dangerous isn't it? To give her that opportunity? The mirrors she passes by whisper to her that she isn't so honest either. You enjoy tormenting them, don't you, Angela? But Hod is there, anxiously avoiding Hibiki's gaze. "I know... I know it isn't owed but I'm trying, I really am trying... But I keep messing up again and again..."
Hibiki Tachibana	It's just like she thought it'd be when Angela brought it up - the same as Malkuth back then, on the verge of breaking down. Hurrying into the room so quickly that she nearly stumbles over herself on entering, eyes still a bit wet but otherwise clear, Hibiki looks straight at Hod. Who can't meet her gaze, the exact same as she's so infrequently been unable to do. She takes a moment, swallowing as the Manager's voice comes from all around. "Hod--" Trying to think about the right words to say is too hard. So she decides to stop thinking about it, and moves closer to Hod's shattered shell, one step after another. Look at oneself honestly, huh...? "...Maybe you did. And...yeah, Angela does. It all really does feel unfair...really unfair. She's great friends with two people I just can't ever seem to be the same with, no matter what I do...or don't do." Even untransformed, with no way to protect herself in the event of anything, there's no fear as she stops right in front of Hod - where even if she's not looking directly at her, Hibiki will at least undeniably exist in the corner of her single eye. "'You can't forgive someone on behalf of someone they've hurt'. ...There's someone who's said that a couple times now. I don't think I can ever entirely come to terms with that, but I can't really argue with it either...so I can't guarantee to you that everyone from back then will give you it. No matter how hard you try." Her own eyes drift off to the side, just for a moment. "I dunno if I'll ever get it, either. I'm sure not an exception when it comes to being owed." "But...I can still speak for myself. And I'm not someone you have to apologize to or get any forgiveness from. Where would I get off being mad at Michelle when I screw up all the time? So don't say you don't have any friends at all, okay? I'm right here in front of you, right now." Despite her hesitation to do so earlier, a hand finally comes up to rest on what used to be the top panel of Hod's shell and pat it a few times. She kind of has to push up onto her tiptoes to reach properly, though. "...Right now, in the present. What happened back then, you can't change it. Just like...I can't change all the times I messed up, and I won't be able to change the mistakes I keep making either. It hurts, so much...and I really hate it. I can't even see how I'm gonna make anything better. But the world isn't gonna stop turning and wait up for us." "So...we just have to live with it. Whether we're never forgiven, or if we keep piling on ugly mistakes, or the people we care about hate us...if that stuff keeps us hung up on what we did wrong forever, we'll never get anywhere. I want to...keep trying anyway. And..." "I want to see you try, too. Maybe I'm a little biased, though," she says with a dry, short chuckle. "...You got upset for my sake too, back there. And I don't think you did just because you wanted me to be mad back for you. I think you did it because...you felt bad for me too, and you cared. Because you felt that hurt, too. So...thank you, Hod." Pat, pat. "...And if you still need to cry everything out...I'll be here to listen. Promise."
Angela	Hod cannot cry but she makes sounds like she is replaying the memory of it. She is not breathing, but she struggles with staticcy hiccups and whimpers as her emotions overpower the strict limits of her physical form. Maybe there are no right words to say, maybe saying the right words is saying the wrong words. Instead, Hibiki speaks from the heart. And certainly with no small measure of courage because a single flail from those tendrils could probably give Hibiki a bad day without a magical girl transformation to protect her. But Hod doesn't have a malevolent bone in her body--and not just because she doesn't have bones anymore. Even at her lowest point, she gets sad well before she gets truly mad. ''...Maybe you did.'' "Haha... I knew we were birds of a feather... But I was too scared to fly..." ''You can't forgive someone on behalf of someone they've hurt.'' "I know... I know I can't get what I want from you... I just... Saw a bit of myself in you. I'm sure Michelle would've felt the same. She's still inside me, begging for forgiveness and I can't just ignore those cries, even if that life is already over..." ''Don't say you don't have any friends at all, okay? And I'm right here in front of you, right now'' The root-like tendrils sway just a touch more slowly. Certainly the possibility and presence of new friendships is one way to get over those that are broken and lost. Should she just accept that she has lost friends that she can't reclaim--that their righteous anger is something she should just accept she can't endure and move on so they can too? All Hod can manage to these words is a blubbery, "Bikki...!" And right now in the present... What happened back then. It's actually a different voice that answers Bikki at first, and it's not even Angela's. "You can turn reverse time..." Malkuth, still a box robot herself and still holding that clipboard of hers, trots into view. The tone of her words is stern but--not unkind, like the way she claims Yesod to be. And Hod responds just as softly. "But you can't reverse a tale." Hod's eye settles on Malkuth for a long moment and then says, "You're right, Bikki. It won't wait. It's always turning... I know I just have to live with it... But it's so hard, it's so hard..." Malkuth's eye spins in a circular motion as she says, "Maybe so--but you aren't fighting this alone here either. In here, you've got me--and out there you've got Hibiki right?" "I..." Hod is struggling to find words but she can still listen. She can listen to how Hibiki wants her to keep trying. How, if maybe just briefly and maybe not for altogether innocent motives--she did at least get upset for Hibiki's sake. Even if it's because she saw herself in Hibiki, she still felt bad for her too because this hurt is one they share. Hibiki rests a hand on Hod. The tendrils stop moving. Hod thinks... When was the last time... Someone touched me like that? One of the tendrils pulls down, resting on top of Hibiki's shoulder. The other rests on top of Malkuth's head. "You...You guys..." A wailing noise emanates from the sad machine for some time. Malkuth pats Hod's shell with the confidence of one who was gone well before Hod's mistake. Angela, not part of this tableau, watches from afar--pretending she hasn't arrived yet to do her duty. And eventually... "I think... I think I have to face the Manager now." Hod says softly. "I'm sorry Malkuth...for not seeing you. I'm sorry Bikki... I'm going to, We can try to...We can still... have the Hope to be a Better Person right? Even now?" Hod seems calmer, if still morose. "He gets to choose the time but... I don't know how it's going to go, Bikki, so if you're still willing to help...can you ... can you look after everyone for me while I'm speaking my mind? I'll... I'll see you, Bikki."
Angela	There is enough time for Hibiki to say something even as Angela finally steps forward and Hod shuts down, her eyes closing as Angela takes over her systems. "...You know, Bikki--Pardon, Miss Hibiki. Usually it doesn't go this way. Usually she completely loses herself in the Enkephalin and starts hallucinating. So even though the Meltdown is unavoidable. Neccessary if we are ever to be free." Angela's eyes open partway. "Do not think your efforts have not had an effect. Even if victory was not an option, the effort is seen, and real, and holds meaning." Her eyes close once more. "Will you help us once more?"
Hibiki Tachibana	Even when the words given to them come from deep down, even when they're being as brave as they can possibly be, it's not so easy for someone to get over their problems and change just like that. Hibiki knows that. She didn't even know if whatever came out would be something that would help, really. But she said it anyway - and was caught by surprise by Malkuth appearing. Malkuth, who had found her own terms with her last life before...and who was paying that forward right now. By the time what she says really sinks in, fighting alongside Hod... ...Well, she has to try really hard to not cry the way the Sephirah is, when she starts wailing. She came here to help Hod, so she can't let herself lose it, too. Maybe just one...no, a couple tears are okay though, as long as she makes sure to wipe them dry before they stain her face too much. ... Because by the time Hod has finished having what she can only imagine is the kind of cry she's needed for a long time, Hibiki has to be able to see her off before her shutdown with a smile. A messy one, but a smile still. She figured this had to be coming. So she's not upset by it. "...Yeah. Yeah. Even now. And...don't worry one bit. Make sure you get everything you need to get out - and I'll make sure you won't have to worry about anyone else. I'll keep an eye on everyone. I promise. ...I'll see you soon, Hod." After she's gone quiet, Hibiki spends a second inhaling deeply, giving one last wipe across her face. "...Thank you, Malkuth. For being here for her. I can't say that enough. And..." She slowly turns towards Angela as she approaches, though she doesn't speak right away. She has a brief look of genuine shock at the nickname used before silently listening to the revelation of how Meltdowns normally go, meets those golden eyes directly for the short time they're looking at her, and then... "...I will. With everything I've got," Hibiki nods, with the kind of steadiness in her voice she certainly didn't have when first walking in here. Despite that solid-sounding declaration though, it seems as if the words Angela mentioned right before that question, of that effort having a meaning, are finally sinking in on a delay. Because all the liquid she tried to be sure was wiped from her face a moment ago is streaming down again full force, and she doesn't even notice right away - a few whole seconds pass before she softly jolts, brings a finger up to rub beneath an eye, and just accepts she's not going to get rid of them before that resolve gives way for a slightly choked, vulnerable chuckle. "...And thank you too...Angela." She doesn't say if it's for waiting for them to finish, for saying that to her, or for something else entirely. But her gratefulness sounds like it's coming from the heart.
Angela	Malkuth is surprised Malkuth came too. Maybe she did just want to pay it forward, maybe like Hod in Hibiki she saw some of herself in Hod. But irrespectively, it's not as if Hod is the only one whose mistake killed someone. Even Malkuth's in the end had one additional casualty. Even after Hod deactivates, Malkuth continues to pat the robotic shell for a time before turning to Hibiki who thanks her. "I should be thanking you, Bikki. I'm glad she had a friend with her." Malkuth says. "I mean, I've known her since she signed up with us but you looked after her even after only talking to her a couple times. You're actually a pretty good kid, huh?" Maybe Angela using the nickname is a sign she's not quite as stoic as the clothes she wears. She notices the shift in Hibiki though she knows as much as anyone that change never comes easy and slipping back into old habits is easier than anything. ''And thank you too...Angela.'' Angela doesn't say anything to that. She just stares at Hibiki. Was that a flicker of envy in her eyes at her tears? She'll never tell. Instead she dips her head and says, "Thanks is not neccessary, Hibiki. But I'll be sure to let you know when the Manager decides to face his next trial." And she turns to walk away. She has a Hod to cover for now and besides... She knows who the real Traitor is.