If I had an Ahn for every time Trigger was involved in an event that forced the Sephirah to have a meeting, she'd have two Ahn... which isn't much, but it's weird that it happened twice. So of course at the moment it's a coincidence...

At least it would only be the Sephirah the Manager has met so far, less chaos is bound to unfold that way.

But if another event happens? Well as they say, 'two is a coincidence, three is a pattern' and while I trusted Trigger just as much as I trusted Carmen, I can't help but feel like he himself has a greater role to play. I would like more time to ponder about the issue, but I'm running just a bit late to the meeting...

I just had to share the song with Beth, she missed it since she ended up a bit tired when dealing with Trigger's part of the work.

Not that it matters, I'm almost... there...

Right there on the hallway where the elevator to the Manager's office is... Gebura of all people was waiting there, she must have been waiting for me, it only makes sense. Yesod would be there already, and Angela literally works next to the Manager.

Now, the two of us were never... close when it came down to it.

Before she was Gebura... she was Kali, and at the time she spent most of that past life with Carmen, Chesed, both Tiphereths, 'A', and Hod. Not that we didn't talk a couple of times, but I was simply one of the scientists in the Old Lab, and she was the biggest defense we had.

I'm a bit... missing on details on how her life ended, but it certainly involved Gebura's seemingly endless hatred for Abnormalities and Binah. Both had been the reason the Old Lab fell in the attack of the Head and the Abnormalities that they released, she defeated both and succumbed to her injuries.

Not that I stopped my stride, there was the vague chance she wasn't looking for-

"Malkuth." Her strong and firm voice made me stop and stare at her, and I had just gone past her...

Is this how Trigger feels when put in the spotlight? No wonder he seemed so stressed moments ago, "Can I help you Gebura? I'm running a bit late already, as you can see..." Maybe she'll let me go, and we can do this... never?

"It won't take long, I just have a couple of easy to answer questions." I highly doubt that, but even if her posture wasn't hostile, she WAS a Color Fixer, and it showed because even when I knew she wouldn't try to physically stop me from leaving, she held an air that made her hard to ignore.

Having a couple of guesses of what she wants to know and... none of them are pretty, "If you say so, ask away." Gebura walked forward and looked down at me.

"What are you playing at?" Her voice was like a razor sharp sword.

But I wouldn't buckle, never again, "I believe that being in charge of the Control Team shouldn't be compared to a game, just as your methods shouldn't be called... sensible." Maybe Trigger is starting to rub-off on me.

Gebura wasn't affected by my words, not that I wanted them to have any effect, "The Manager may not see it, but you can't fool me. Whatever it is that bastard got into your head... better remember what we're here for." What are we here for?

What an interesting question, "I'd like to think he simply showed me what I knew was always there, but let's put our attention to your question... 'What are we here for?' To gather energy? Make the Abnormalities suffer? Find more about them? Yes, what a great question." Because in the end, we are here because 'A' wanted us to.

"Get on with it, I'm not here to listen to what you THINK." Her voice carried out, and I gave her one look and walked past her.

"Then you are better off asking someone else, because as far as I care? We are here for NOTHING." Gebura growled, almost like an animal or one of the Abnormalities she seems to hate so much, but that didn't stop me.

Once I entered the elevator, I would have wished to have a mouth and lungs again, because sighing sounded really relieving right now...

But I'm finally here, now just having to deal with the storm that is Trigger while dealing with Angela, the Manager and Yesod... maybe talking with Gebura would be better.

There was no time for regrets, the doors of the elevator opened, and I was met with flat stares, I'll ignore those, "Sorry, Gebura held me back a little." It was a polite and professional apology, nothing more, nothing less.

Angela nodded once, "Then let's begin, this day of work had experienced an irregularity, yet again the one in the middle was Trigger, fusing his body with the Heart of Aspiration. It seems the act was unwilling from his part, so we can only speculate that the 'Heart' reacted to him in this manner, probably because of his way of thinking." Her explanation was sound to some degree.

"Well, taking into account on how the 'Heart' made other's feel... maybe Trigger just had more aspirations than the 'Heart'? That's how it seems, at least." I commented, not really feeling any interest towards this, mainly because we know little and because in the end it changes very little.

Yesod for his part simply stared at the Manager, almost waiting for him to say something. Of course, the Manager simply nodded at our words, prompting my fellow Sephirah to speak up, "Is that all? No abnormal behavior? Or extended vigilance on him?" I gave him a side glance before focusing my attention back on the Manager, who sighed.

"I can't say we should cause at the end of the day, we haven't lost much, and a new Tool Abnormality is coming to take the place of the 'Heart'. The 'Heart' itself never drives people insane unless small circumstances are met and none of them apply to Trigger anymore. He is, by all technical means, safe and sound." The Manager explained to Yesod, who in return... didn't react at all, a simple nod was all he gave.

Well... he took that better than expected.

Angela threw me a look, I threw her a look. We both looked at Yesod since his eye socket seemed to let out a single drop of a black, very familiar liquid, or he may have just come full circle.

Not only that, but Angela... seemed content with this? Or more like she was expecting it.

...

Wait a minute...

"So, putting aside that particular... pain in my ass, what do we have in the incoming tool?" The Manager asked, but I decided to let Yesod and Angela handle the rest, while I tuned out their talk in favor of piecing something together.

The upper layer are the Sephirah I know the most, so how come I never noticed something so obvious? Our positions aren't given just because we know how to work in that particular area.

Yesod's death was attributed to how he handled his emotions in the past. I may have been from the first to go but not everything was kept under wraps, more so since I technically out-ranked everyone but Angela and the Manager, so finding this wasn't something they could bother with. How we, the Sephirah, died is documented with our old names so none of us would know better.

While the finer details are gone, this seems like a similar attitude Gabriel showed before he... not only that, but Trigger has been constantly berating him... the environment feeding into the trauma, just like it happened to me.

This is planned.

I need to tell Trigger.

"You have been awfully silent, Malkuth." Yesod, why do you have such poor timing!?

Um... "I just didn't feel like there was a lot to add on my end." No matter what anyone says, that was NOT a question.

I didn't need to look at Angela to know she didn't believe a lick of what I had just said, but the Manager and Yesod seemed to buy it, so I'm completely counting that as a victory.

"Then that would be all, at least this one didn't last that long..." The Manager sounded exasperated, and I guess simply hearing the questions and demands of the Sephirah last time wasn't exactly pleasant.

"If that is all, I'll be leaving." I said quickly already inside the elevator, ignoring how the Manager was looking at me with disbelief, Angela didn't comment or react at all and Yesod simply narrowed his eye at me.

The elevator was already moving down, I was jumping slightly on my feet, can't this thing go any-

The doors opened, and I was about to rush through the door until I saw who was waiting for me on the other side, I'm starting to think Trigger rubbed on me more than just his attitude.

"Where would you go in such a hurry, child?" Binah in all her smug and terrifying glory was waiting there.

Because of course Trigger would rub his luck on me... of course, "Uh, my team really needs... a new approach and tactics." There is no way she is buying that.

Her single eye closed for a moment and I have a feeling she was smiling knowingly and scarily at me, "Such dedication is rare, but I would like to bother you with a few inquires of my own, little insurgent." It took me a second to process her words.

... She is not as dangerous as we think, he says, she seems passive, he says...

"I'll take your silence as confirmation, shall we begin?" She said with a calm voice that carried a lot of weight.

There is only one thing to say here... shit.