Jim doesn't do anything so obvious as smirk - no, wait, yes he does.
But only a little. He's already more interested in reading the instructions closely. It doesn't pay to be careless with alien technology, not when it's his mind he might hurt if he misses something. An ordinary injury he could live with, and he wouldn't have to live with getting killed, but his mind is something he needs to protect.
(He's only up here at all because the key came from Bar. She wouldn't send any of her patrons to use something that would harm them.)
"It's an exchange," he says after a moment or two. "Each of us concentrates on what we want to share for long enough for the machine to get hold of it, and it does the rest."
He doesn't really want anything of Rich's in his head, but - fine. If he must.
no subject
But only a little. He's already more interested in reading the instructions closely. It doesn't pay to be careless with alien technology, not when it's his mind he might hurt if he misses something. An ordinary injury he could live with, and he wouldn't have to live with getting killed, but his mind is something he needs to protect.
(He's only up here at all because the key came from Bar. She wouldn't send any of her patrons to use something that would harm them.)
"It's an exchange," he says after a moment or two. "Each of us concentrates on what we want to share for long enough for the machine to get hold of it, and it does the rest."
He doesn't really want anything of Rich's in his head, but - fine. If he must.