[speaking of that tap tap. there it is again, and Helena clears her throat. there's a faint skittering in the ceiling, something...alive, a tile bending but not giving way, and Helena smiles, standing up on her chair. ]

So we've come to the crossroads...

[her cane is more like a scepter, the way she holds it now, and if she wasn't wearing kitty ears and an oversize coat, it might even look like...plotting?]

The way I perceive it, you have two options right now. My path may lead to testing your limits. The price of hacking your way to success. Or, you can still try to make your own.

[that, and...yes. there's that clicking again.]