[ Lightning tenses immediately, then with a stressed, gusty sigh, rounds to sit heavily on the edge of the couch. Her first priority is reaching for Hope's arm, to make sure the teen's okay and that the Brand hasn't actually progressed any, though she also glances to Sigmund with more of a frown tugging at her lips as well. She's already seen his lunaglyph looking bad during the course of the experiment; as desperate as she is here, possibly hurting himself for the benefit of people he barely knows isn't really something she's expecting out of him. ]

It's like they're trying to protect themselves. [ Great. Just what they need is to find out is that there's some sort of actual will involved here or something, and that what happened to her wasn't just a fluke.

Hope hadn't lost consciousness or anything like she had, though. Yet. Lightning grits her teeth, frustrated and uncertain... then turns, pressing a hand to her chest. ]

There's my Brand too. It still works, just... doesn't change any more.