Trigger: POV

I followed Tiffany for quite a while, right until she reached Safety, where she simply sat down next to the giant plant and… kind of stared into space.

Walking towards her, I took a seat right next to Tiffany. She didn't react aside from throwing me one glance, before going back to empty space staring.

Guess I'll start then, "What happened?" I probably should have been a bit less direct…

Tiffany released something between a sigh and a growl, "I'll be thrown back to Training. The Sephirah, Hod… seems like she wants to reward me for getting over my issues." At the end, she scoffed.

"What a joke… that bitch never did her whole 'helping' thing for me, she just wants to feel better about herself." Spitting words like they were venom, Tiffany glared at nothing in particular.

"Well, I don't think doing something selfless for a selfish reason is wrong, but at the same time, this seems bigger than what you are just telling me." I tried to be fair here. It's not like my reasoning to just help because I like it is right, but not wrong either.

"Does it look like I care? She fucked me over!" I threw one glance at her, seeing anger and pain. I made a… interesting expression.

It felt annoyed, "I don't know about that. Sure, she can give you the drugs, but I can kind of see you just taking them anyway… she didn't help, yeah, but you really didn't try to get better." She flinched at my words, threw me an angry stare before looking away.

"Not saying you have to like it, but come on. Me and a friend of mine will be going as well, we'll watch your back." I offered a small smile and Tiffany gave me a flat stare.

Then reluctant acceptance, "Fine, but I'm not happy with it… I'd thought you'd be angrier, with her being all about herself while saying she wants to help people." Thinking on that a bit… I found out I didn't care that much.

"I can't judge a person I haven't met yet, and I just do what I do because I like it. I'm not like a… ideal or margin to how to go about helping others." Shrugging my shoulders, I saw Tiffany just stare at me like I grew a second head.

"Could've fucking fooled me…"

"That's not nice."

"I'm not nice."

We smiled at each other, making me pat her on the back a couple of times, "Feeling better?" She nodded once.

"Kind of. Still mad that I have to go back, but at least I'm not going back alone." Tiffany smiled at me, it was a bit… grim but genuine. I call that a win in my book.

I scratched my cheek and smiled at her, "Don't you wanna spend some time with Jeremy? Make most of what you have and all-" She punched my shoulder, a small blush on her face.

"Asshole…" She mumbled, making me smirk.

I can be such a dick at times.

"Time to get moving then, I doubt you'd want to stay here moping." Tifanny sighed and we both got up.

"Sure… as you can see, I have better things to do anyway." My smirk grew, annoying her even more.

The moment we left the Main Room, my eyes narrowed. Familiar emotions moving down the elevator… that's 'B'.

Sighing, I threw a glance at Tiffany, "I forgot something in my room, you go ahead of me." She looked at me in confusion before nodding once.

The elevator came back up and Tiffany took it to go above… the moment she did, I grabbed both metal doors and jumped down without an elevator, this will be quicker.

Once I was at the same level, 'B' was there. A bunch of butterflies moved at my command, putting themselves beneath my feet to slow my fall. The door was closed… I think this place is around the same area I met the Tipherets.

Opening a tear, with Primal Impulse now equipped, I had to make sure I opened the entry close to me, I just wanted to get through the door after all. I jumped in and saw the golden/yellow walls of the department of… I don't know.

But I know that in here I just have to keep going down, off to the side, to reach that place Malkuth dragged me to when she was still… a bit crazy.

I know 'B' is in there. Slow and careful steps, I don't want to be heard after all… I looked around the dreary place with a frown. I looked at the hydraulic press all the way to the back and sighed, I had a good idea who was put in there before… that kid didn't deserve it.

Shaking my head, I ducked under some scrap. I felt 'B' being close to said hydraulic press… a bit of a long walk and he would obviously hear me coming by then.

"...re not hired because you are a 'remarkable' person." I grimaced when I heard his voice, looks like I didn't come here fast enough. Still, this is a good time to see what he is all about, I'll watch him a bit longer today.

There was a moment of silence and I heard what seemed like a grunt of surprise.

"...Because you wanted to." 'B' said gravely.

Blinking, I had to suppress my frustration. If I had been here before him, then I'd know more about what they were talking about.

Wanting what? What did the Manager want?

Hearing footsteps, I crouched more, seeing 'B' walking cautiously. He sighed and pulled out a small device… it was like a walkie-talkie, more futuristic too. He looked at it and his hand trembled.

He shook his head and nodded once, "Sorry Angela, it has to be done…" I tensed, and I kept staring at him while he was leaving this… scrapheap.

…

I followed right behind him.

Using my empathic sense, I kept his location in check even when we moved between elevators, and he was ahead of me. Never once did it seem like he noticed me.

He reached the dormitories and I frowned, he was coming towards me… his room seems to be the last one too. I leaned against a wall and my butterflies pulled out my smoking pipe, time to act natural.

'B' was walking, he no longer had the bag with his gadgets… weirdly enough, he stopped right next to me.

Weird… I'm sure he didn't notice me following him.

"So you're Trigger… nice to meet you, I'm Benjamin." He extended an arm with a small, if a bit disarming, smile.

I looked at his hand before taking it, making sure to NOT crush his bones, "That'll be me, need anything?" 'B'… or Benjamin stared at me before nodding.

"A bit of a personal question, I'll understand if you refuse to answer." I narrowed my eyes when he decided to beat around the bush.

"Just ask, we'll see if I answer or not." Was my simple answer, while I gave him an arched brow.

Benjamin took a deep breath…

"Why did you decide to befriend Angela?"

Judging by his sudden flinch, the face I'm currently making… is not pretty, at all.

"Elaborate." Benjamin frowned at my words, before seemingly steeling himself.

"Whatever you might think of it, I can tell she enjoys being around you. What drove you to try to befriend someone that at some point saw you as expendable?" I glared in his direction for a couple of seconds.

Scoffing, I made direct eye contact with him, "There wasn't a major reason, I just did what I felt like, and that's all there is to it." He blinked twice.

"What? That can't be it. You must have wanted something in return, a higher position, anything!" Growling, I pushed him back with one hand.

"Is it really that hard to believe I did it because I wanted to?" I asked in annoyance.

Benjamin made a perplexed face before… smiling, "Guess there are still some of you around…" I kind of just stared at him.

"That was creepy."

"Apologies, you seem to be honest with me. Thank you for answering." He started to leave, and I called out to him once.

"What was that all about?"

He was silent before turning in my direction, a sad smile could be seen, "Just call it… me understanding more of the situation." He left after that.

I stared at his leaving back in wonder before shaking my head, gotta find that weird device he had in his hands when talking about Angela. Waiting a couple of minutes to make sure he was gone… good thing I can sense him, and he should be far enough by now.

Equipping again to Primal Impulse, I had taken it off to not attract attention to me. I walked up to the door of his room and opened a tear just in front of it, jumping in.

It's… very clean, the bed is prim and proper, the locker for his clothes is clean… there is also a writing table.

Now… where would he keep it?

And with that thought, my butterflies flew out, looking through every nook they could find. No matter where they looked, there didn't seem to be anything around.

I looked at the bed for a moment and saw it was… oddly shaped. It didn't seem that comfy now that I think about it.

While my butterflies were putting everything back in place and I lightly punched the bed… it's weirdly solid.

Removing Primal Impulse, I slowly started to feel out the bed, there has to be some kind of opening. Right at the top of it there was a gap. Moving them aside, I managed to grab a bag, which I pulled out.

Laying it on the bed, I opened it and ignored just about ever- I blinked.

Slowly I picked up a photo of three people, 'C' told me she was part of the original team that started it all… but what's the Manager doing there?

'C', Benjamin and the Manager, all of them happy. 'C' had her hands wrapped around both their shoulders, while Benjamin seemed to be smiling awkwardly and the Manager was looking away with a small amount of embarrassment.

Actually, I saw a whole album of photos here. A red haired woman, two kids, some guy with blue hair that loved coffee, a purple haired guy with a lab coat, two young girls with lab coats too, a green haired man… it really didn't take me that long to put two and two together.

These are the Sephirah… odd, I don't see anyone that feels like Binah here. Then again, it seems like she is a bit of an odd case.

It was a small album in a small book… I quickly had my butterflies shove it inside the coffin. After a bit of searching, I found the walkie-talkie device.

Giving it a look over, I glanced at the bag before shoving it inside the bed again, and trying my best to make it seem there was no one here.

Using Primal Impulse again, I opened a tear to my room and walked in.

The device… I'll ask Angela what it does, she should be able to figure it out.

As for the album? ...I'll keep it for now, I think at some point it'll become useful.