Hissabeth: Oh, you're here. Perfect. I have something to tell you.
Hissabeth: My transfer request finally went through.
Her formal announcement doesn't receive the reaction she expects, but Hissabeth's excitement is enough for her to overlook the confusion in her colleague's eyes.
Hissabeth: This is the best news I've heard all week! I thought they wouldn't get back to me for months.
Hissabeth: Good thing I didn't wait that long to start clearing up my work.
Hissabeth: Why are you looking at me like that?
Prismagreen: So, you mean you're leaving our project?
Hissabeth: Relax, I'll handle everything. It won't have any … effects on the research, non?
As the storm clouds gather over her colleague's face, the perceptive Melusine stammers out a compromise.
Hissabeth: You know what? I can finish all my work in three days. Don't worry.
Hissabeth: I can even rebook the ticket a few days sooner. That way ...
Prismagreen: Do things really have to end like this?
Prismagreen is known for her dramatic reactions. Still, the tremble in her voice catches Hissabeth off guard.
Hissabeth: Three days is tight already. I still need time to wrap the buffer material around my biosphere.
Hissabeth: Ah, ça va. Your call. What's our timeframe?
Prismagreen: cry If something happened between us that made you want to leave, you could've just told me.
Hissabeth: What's with that look? I thought we were getting along swimmingly.
Hissabeth: We were co-first authors on that paper last month. As far as Laplace is concerned, shared authorship is thicker than blood, n'est-ce pas?
Prismagreen: I just don't understand, darling. If nothing's wrong, I mean if there isn't any bad blood, why would you just up and leave us?
Hissabeth: 'Cause I found a project I'm even more excited about! I've got to say, the direction is amazing. That's why I wanted to tell you right away.
Prismagreen: Sylvie, darling, you … Ah! My words fail me! How am I supposed to pour out all this sorrow you've poured into my heart?
Hissabeth: Umm. Aren't you happy for me?
The sincerity and confusion in those slit pupils throw Prismagreen into a brief moment of self-doubt amidst her pantomimed sorrow.
Maybe she really did just want to share her good news?
Kiperina: I'm so sorry. I can see why you're so upset. It sounds like it really came out of the blue.
Prismagreen: Upset? It felt like someone yanked open my coat on a freezing night and started shoveling snow down my neck!
Pointer: Expecting Hissabeth to act with another's feelings in mind is a lost cause. If you want to keep her around longer, just give her extra tasks. That's more her style anyway.
Prismagreen: Still, when a coworker you got along with suddenly tells you she's leaving—after already filing the paperwork!
Prismagreen: Oh dear, it was just so ... so cold! I couldn't help but be shocked. It hurt.
Kiperina can't help but nod, preemptively heartbroken at the thought of being "abandoned" like that herself.
Pointer: It's Hissabeth. It's well within the parameters of her behavior.
Pointer: She'd slap on a dive helmet and leap into the Mariana Trench if a new project caught her interest down there.
Pointer: In a way, she did try to consider your feelings. She just used the wrong formula to figure them out. Does that make you feel any better?
Prismagreen: Dear, thank you. That's heartwarming. But I know she'd never make that kind of mistake with her actual work.
Hissabeth: I thought I heard my name. Guess we chose the right time to get up.
Hissabeth: That batch of reports from last night nearly did me in … Hm?
It's not easy to run into an unfamiliar face in Plesetsk, especially not one that feels … halfway familiar.
Hissabeth: Did you come with the latest delivery from Laplace?
Prismagreen: Oh, my darling Sylvie! My icy little Cornichon! How long has it been?
The sudden warm hug earns a confused look from the sleep-deprived researcher.
Prismagreen: Sylvie?
Hissabeth: Yeah, it's been a while. Still ... you, I see … uh …
Time has rusted over memory as she tries to spit out a name. It's familiar, right on the tip of her tongue.
Prismagreen: Oh no! It can't be ... Can it? You've forgotten me? That's just cruel!
Hissabeth: Forgot? No. No, we worked together just before I transferred to Plesetsk. Your name is ...
Hissabeth: Okay. You know I just woke up. Sometimes it takes a second ... any second ...
Luckily, one of her less forgetful siblings jumps in.
Snake VIII: Camille! We'd never forget our most beloved, erudite, and passionate friend!
Snake VIII: Did you ever get around to finishing The Invisible River between experiments? I'm dying to talk about it with you.
The little snake peeks out from Hissabeth's hair and gently curls around the visitor's wrist.
Prismagreen: Aww, why thank you, Estelle. I feel so much better now. Whatever would I do without you?
Hissabeth: Camille? Oh, yes. Yeah, definitely. Of course, Camille. It's so good to see you again.
Prismagreen: I don't even know what there is left to say to you, my cold little Cornichon! I thought we were friends! More than friends ... colleagues!
Prismagreen: Was it not I that was here for you when you first arrived at Laplace HQ—I that helped you during your first project? I came all the way to the Arctic just to see you!
Prismagreen: And you—you can't even remember my name!
