[ Somehow, through his explanation, Hibiki manages to maintain a neutral expression on her face as he speaks. It's a practiced look to be sure, but where she would normally use this when she doesn't want someone to see plainly how she is feeling, this time is different. She wants to hear everything he has to say in full before reserving judgment.
And it's abundantly clear that he assumes she will cut this off. That she would see him as a monster, a tool of destruction rather than a human being.
What this does is put some things into context, the conversation that shifted their friendship into something more. The millions of lives lost. The desperate need to atone for sins from the past. There is so much weight on this man's shoulders that she isn't sure how he hasn't buckled underneath it a long time ago. Seeing even a part of it laid bare, hearing it in his voice and seeing it in the way that he holds himself... She would act the same way, if their roles were reversed.
And she knows exactly how to react.
Pulling her hand away, Hibiki moves closer to him (as close as she can with these swings at least). Reaching in, she draws him close, arms hooking underneath his as she pulls him into tight embrace. Her head resting near his shoulder, she doesn't say a word, letting a comforting silence wrap around them as long as he needs. She doesn't have the words to reassure him, if those even exist, but the least she can do is show him that she isn't going anywhere. ]
no subject
And it's abundantly clear that he assumes she will cut this off. That she would see him as a monster, a tool of destruction rather than a human being.
What this does is put some things into context, the conversation that shifted their friendship into something more. The millions of lives lost. The desperate need to atone for sins from the past. There is so much weight on this man's shoulders that she isn't sure how he hasn't buckled underneath it a long time ago. Seeing even a part of it laid bare, hearing it in his voice and seeing it in the way that he holds himself... She would act the same way, if their roles were reversed.
And she knows exactly how to react.
Pulling her hand away, Hibiki moves closer to him (as close as she can with these swings at least). Reaching in, she draws him close, arms hooking underneath his as she pulls him into tight embrace. Her head resting near his shoulder, she doesn't say a word, letting a comforting silence wrap around them as long as he needs. She doesn't have the words to reassure him, if those even exist, but the least she can do is show him that she isn't going anywhere. ]