[ In that instant, she doesn't hear Taako but Hiruma. She remembers his biting words, how much they'd stung. But to them rung a certain sort of truth that she couldn't deny. Blunt and to the point but exactly what she needed to hear. The woman never imagined she'd meet anyone like him again, yet-

Here he is, not taking any of her shit the same sort of way as he did back then. ]

I'm usually pretty good at fakin' it, at least. Guess this place really has been getting to me. I'll get back to it. [ Back and better than ever, as so many music artists like to say. ] And maybe someday I'll actually believe it, right?

That'd be nice. In the meantime, at least other people will think I got my shit together.