For a while, Ethan thought about telling her the truth. The entire truth. He could tell that he wasn't fooling her, and she wasn't pushing. But could he really rely on her to tell him the whole truth if he wasn't willing to share it on his own? Timed slowed down as he wrestled internally but eventually the decision was made for him. Charlotte swiftly changed the subject, much to his relief. Ethan vowed to tell her though, on his own, before it came up again. Trust goes both ways, and in his mind, she wouldn't trust him completely until he was completely honest with her. "Yeah, i'll come work with you, and i'll let you help me with my current predicament. But I want to be clear about this: it's a loan. I don't take handouts. You dock my paychecks until I pay it off, then i'll pay it on my own. Deal?"<br/><br/>It was no secret that, while he wasn't dumb, he was not the smartest guy in the world. It made him wonder how he could possibly work alongside a literal genius. A GENIUS! Charlotte's work was well known for being revolutionary and way ahead of their time. What could he possibly offer her as far as skills? "So I'm really concerned about what i'm going to do for you. I mean I have literally no skills that are useful to a roboticist. I guess I could be a test dummy? Or your personal assistant?" Both suggestions were jokes, of course, but he was a little serious. There wasn't much he could do other than fight. It was a narrow skill set. "How about this? I know a place in town that sells some of the best street food you can get. I know, it sounds gross and dirty, but it's clean and it's the best grill around. You can call it a work lunch and write it off.... on your... taxes...!" Ethan couldn't help but laugh as he tried to get that sentence. He doubted she ever paid a dime of taxes in her life. That's why the rich were still rich and the poor would always be poor.<br/><br/>"We can discuss the terms of my employment. That's the best I can do... considering I have exactly ZERO idea on how to cook."