With no clear intervention from Doreen, Erik just continued his conversation with Benjen. His smirked changed into an inquisitive smile as he heard Ben's counter-comment. "But Dr. Colvin, I will stay in school. Mom would kill me if I didn't. But..... I want to work in your lab one day...with you......just to try it out....you know........just to see what it's like."
"I see how it is..." - he started, while his eyes were filling with compassion - "Well then, since it's your birthday... Let's make a deal. You pick some sort of technology or field of science, and I'll give you a one-day internship in a laboratory focused on your chosen domain. But here's the catch: you have to work very hard that day. Sounds good?"
Erik kept thinking what was he to do... For some reason he just couldn't refuse the boy, even if any kind of work at Yuma Robotics was well beyond the understanding of such a young pupil. Although, it was unclear if Erik's compliance came from the boy's lovely persistence or due to his mother's intriguing behavior. He figured he'd just do it as an experiment in the end. Do a good deed, have some fun... and maybe who knows, Ben actually had some talent for it.