Dinner was hereby known as entertainment-hour. After a lengthy period of Troy watching Charlie keep a small amount of balance, while standing on only his toes, and not walking on the food, things had calmed down somewhat.

While it had taken a while, the 'Bender` had been successfully turned off. It didn't even cause any interesting reaction when the forks were thrown at it. That had been tested a few times before it got old.

The commotion, which had been started with the creation of the barrier, had fallen low. While some were still shooting glances in their general direction, the shock had only been in the initial start. The people here had seen too much, to be surprised by a simple jester move. A floating mechanical device was nothing, in comparison to the current direction of the Strings.

This didn't stop any at the table from eating their fill. Sure, the conversation was important and all, but soon, dinner would be over. Charlie and Darlow had gotten there before them, yet hadn't used their time too wisely. After having checked the time, a realisation about the time left was had, and, to preserve as much time talking as possible, food was removed from the equation as quickly as possible.

“You never explained why you showed this device of yours”, Dr Hale stated, after having emptied her plate. Scraps had been taken care of, leaving a clean white surface. Dedication to leave no losses showed itself in strange places. Some would never even be seen.

Charlie looked up from the rampage of his plate, never stopping his chewing. A forceful swallow was heard, before he cleared his throat, for good reason for once.

“Right you are, with that weirdly delayed perception of yours, Dr Hale”, Charlie answered, making a quick grabbing of his neck. It seemed, as if, he was trying to massage the momentary blockage away. Not a strategy Troy had seen before, but, from the more relaxed expression on his face, it looked to have worked perfectly.

“It was one of the points, which you had detailed. It would be best, for everybody, if you held the presentation to those subjects. Leaving one or more out draws negative points,” Dr Hale said, talking eerily close to the teachers of old.

Troy had never had the displeasure of meeting such people, but this was much closer than what he preferred. A quick readjust brought his mass a few centimetres more in distance away from it. Or, was that too harsh of a judgement? Being frightened by a simple concept, without having been in contact with it yourself? A question for the philosophers, and not just the back of his brain, afraid of getting ridiculed for a late assignment. How Troy had even begun such a line of thinking, he wasn't sure.

“I guess you're right on that. Not like explaining it will make my reasoning any less valid,” Charlie amended. “It's just… not saying what it adds a layer of mystique around it. It keeps you guessing what it is, constantly twisting the question around in your head. Maybe you even go past all prior conversation, trying to fish out what great backstory that led up to this very moment. Doesn't that sound familiar.”

“It certainly does not, and I would prefer it if you hurried it up. We have five minutes before we need to leave. In those five minutes, you will be explaining your reasoning for this debacle. Or, I can always file another complaint to your leader, about the expensive resources being used, while not on the clock,” Dr Hale not so subtly threatened. While the food-consumption may have been a setback, there was clearly no such things present anymore. With nearly no time back to chat, the offence had begun. And, with it, came some rather underhanded tactics.

“You wouldn't dare”, Charlie said, mock shock across his features. “You're the reason he even started quality-checking everything I did. Just because I brag about putting self-destruct mechanisms into my creations does not mean you had to redistribute that knowledge. And, this is included. If you tell him this, he will have enough of a background layout into getting me a hearing. With the things we've both said in our shared company, I can truthfully say that such a scenario would not end great for either of us.”

And, the game was most certainly on. Charlie hadn't even considered the thought of Dr Hale bluffing. Instead, he had widened the hole for himself, making falling into it a near certainty. But, the push needed to make him fall would not leave him the only victim. A hearing? Troy wasn't too sure, what such a thing entailed exactly. But, from the hints, it would mean a thorough searching of everything he had done, everything he had said, and the same treatment for everybody he talked with.

If his memory didn't disappoint, the two verbal duellers were drinking partners, when the need called for it. Troy had certainly heard Charlie talk when more than slightly intoxicated. And, when one put in the clearly hiding personality of Dr Hale, it would certainly turn into a special type of show. There was obviously a clear reason, that one of them had been kicked out of the shopping street semi-permanently.

“I am confident in my beliefs, Charlie. I believe that my work is more valued than what I have said during my off-hours”, Dr Hale stated, her voice stable and confident. “Can the same thing be said about you?”

“Oh, I am more confident than any being ever has the right to be. Yet, we both know that some things said can never truly be ignored. I guess you would know it best when it comes to such things. Right, Dr Hale?” Charlie threw back, his voice honey-sweet. His head tilted to the side slightly, protruding misguided innocence.

A roll-back on their differences. His counter-attack had been put into question. She denied its validity, and if it would come to affect them both. Charlie straight up assured her it would, while bringing earlier happenings into the case, as make-belief proof. Troy had no idea what these earlier events had been about, yet, from the glare Dr Hale was giving the sickly sweet smile, it could not have been the most pleasant ordeal.

“Let us not get into the previous situations, which we have experienced together. If we did, at least one of us would be brutally murdered in his sleep. And, it would not be me”, Dr Hale reassuringly reminded the just as the chipper man across him. Troy and Darlow looked at each other, a non-verbal communication happening between them. Should either interfere, before it went to the eighteen hells, or should they hope for it to fizzle out? Neither of them had a good answer to this, leaving it at not interfering, due to lack of an answer.

Seeing as he took a full five seconds, before answering, Charlie clearly hadn't expected the threats about imminent death to have been so quick in appearing. Not that they hadn't been scheduled to come forth. When one discussed with that fine lady, one always needed to think of their own personal safety. While no one had explicitly disappeared, some had become a whole lot more quiet, after a talk with her alone. Or, so the rumours in circulation said.

“That is definitely a more than fair point. I see what you mean, and will try to better myself about it in the future”, Charlie finally answered, taking the necessary steps back in the duel. He signalled his loss and was giving the reward to the one left standing. “While initially, I showed this device of my mine due to the benefits it had given me, my reasoning has changed in the last few hours. My hint at you having to think back to our earlier conversation wasn't just a dead end. One of our shared conversation as of late started the whole process up, in fact. If you think back to the moment, where Troy’s security level was revealed, my reaction to it was less than positive. And, such a thing was obvious. I couldn't let a random guy, new to his position, hold a better clearance than mine. I mean, Frank has one better than mine as well, but I don't want to get close to whatever he’s working with, so I guess that's fine.

The point is, that I was not satisfied with the old status quo. It needed to change immediately. The only path, which would bring instant results, would be to introduce some new piece into the game-board. Such thinking led me to realise that I actually already possessed such game-changers. They had just been lying around, gathering dust, without being used as they should have. In my more youthful days, during my first few years here, I created a variety of tech, not specialised within my department. This was mostly for fun, trying to create the most mind-boggling stuff. And, to create such a wonderful thing, I mostly did it while incredibly drunk. Not point in shaming me for that. It brought results, and that all that mattered.

One of these incredible devices were this little thing. As you may have noticed, if you've been listening to me with any kind of focus, it is called 'Bender`. The reasons may confuse some you uncultured doo-batters, but it has meaning. Every name needs a meaning, and it likely has, if one looks closely enough.

I brought it over to my boss, who gave me the needed promotions for the work done. It wasn't anything close to the rank-up, to match Troy’s general security level. But, it brought me special clearances, which he couldn't get access to, so it is all fine for me.

That was the old reason. I thought it would have stuck for an entire day, but, after lunch, the reasons changed. Having served its purpose, in getting me something, which the new guy didn't immediately posses, I saw no reason to keep it around. While I had been granted the position of leader, within my own group, such responsibility did not sound too fun at all. Too much work, for too little pay. Or, well, there honestly isn't pay enough to give, for me to willingly do more tasks than what I already do. My leader didn't like that. Told me that the promotion had been so recent, that there was no reason to demote.

Now, my reaction to that was to give him a reason to demote me. So, Dr Hale, if my demonstration of this thing’s capabilities had been slightly more subdued, I would have likely encouraged you to tell him yourself. But, I don't think any anecdote, other than the one told by myself, will have a balanced level of complacency and stupidity. I'm hoping to get demoted, from doing this. Not fired. Honestly, the consequences of the latter would be utterly annoying to deal with, with the whole contact holding me by my parts.

Anyway. Was that enough of an explanation for you? Because I think those five minutes you gave yourself have passed thirty seconds ago.”

The explanation was a longer one, and Troy had already heard most of it before. He didn't mind too much, though, due to the newer inclusion. Charlie had told him, that he would be getting himself back in his old position. Yet, he had never thought it would be in such a… risky manner. A self-made balance between being moved to a lower position and being removed entirely. He didn't get how one could take such a risk. Thinking about being demoted was enough to stress Troy out alone. Getting fired? At that point, using him as a regular floor would be more functional.

And, the methods of getting himself demoted wasn't the only thing, which Charlie had talked about. The mention of the contract had appeared yet again. Those damned contracts. Not a single positive thing had been said about them, within Troy’s hearing distance. It was, as if, they had been spit on by Beezlebub himself. Yet again, an incentive has been gotten, for him to read his own. But, he had already asked Dr Hale about it, and she hadn't provided anything informative about it. Dr Fidelis needed to be asked if he wanted any chances of getting to see the contract. Yet, with how… shifting the man had been in his expressions, Troy wasn't too sure, that he wanted to do so. For now, it would be better to ask Dr Hale about it again, after a customary waiting period of a week or two. Wouldn't take too long before access would be more widespread. Right?

“You might be right on that note”, Dr Hale said, looking at the time herself. But, from what he could see, no indication of her moving from her seat presented itself. No tensing of the lower body. The legs were as limp as they always were when one was enjoying their food.

“Which means, that you should probably get a move on”, Charlie continued, trying to make the professional doctor move it along.

“Can't say that I find the greatest need to now,” Dr Hale confessed. Troy was initially confused by her words before he understood.

“Clever girl”, Charlie originally muttered, before going back to his normal speaking voice. “There weren't any time restrictions. Were there? You could sit here as long as you want, without time being the least of your problems!”

“I would say, that time would be excluded as one of my concern. It simply wouldn't have taken priority,” Dr Hale said. While her voice still had the usual professionalism attached, Troy could catch the faint scent of smugness. She was imitating Charlie, and they both knew it. “When I say that I had five minutes before we needed to leave, I meant it in a more general fashion. Time is relative, as some would say, so it could be, that I just took think slowly today. Who would know?

Certainly not you.”