Caffeine Fix (Open!)

[BEN BRADLEY]

Ben sighed as he sank into the leather seat, letting the messenger bag slide off his shoulder as he nursed a steaming, foamy mug between his slim fingers. He was a self-professed coffee addict and, while he usually kept up a steady intake of the stuff while on the job at Encom, there was a point in the day where his body let him know it wanted--no needed--something other than the black sludge that came off the company burner. Bringing the mugs to his lips elicited a slow sigh; that first sip always did the trick.

Thankfully, this particular café was one where he could get some peace and quiet. It was his day off, but he'd gone into the office for a few hours anyway... there was an upgrade he was working on for Tram and some other work he'd been looking to get ahead on. Speaking of which... He pulled his laptop out of his bag and booted it up, running through his notes while he sipped his coffee.

"No Encom. No work. Just peace and quiet... and coffee," Ben sighed happily.

Although he did wonder how things were going on The Grid. He'd have to see Tram later to install that upgrade to his system. It wasn't particularly vital, but it was one that might help a bit. He couldn't help but smile fondly when he thought of his program. When it came right down to it, Tram was essentially his best friend.

Although, since his mind was on the subject, he couldn't help but recall that the security program had seemed somewhat on-edge as of late. Whenever Ben had attempted to broach the subject, Tram would adopt a guilty look and avert his eyes while attempting to change the subject. Ben respected the fact that certain details about The Grid's security were not to be discussed, even with him, but he prayed that if there was a problem that Tram, Tron, Sam, Clu... any of them... would let him know if he could help. In the meantime, he was alone and free to enjoy it. Hopefully things would stay that way for a little while.

Hopefully.

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire had been spending far too much time in her apartment recently. It wasn't as though she didn't do anything but work away at her computer. After all, hygiene and area upkeep were also very important matters. Even if it wasn't every day that Encom would give her a project. Granted, she was a senior, but she didn't even have her degree in hand yet. Maybe...just maybe It could be a foothold into being an employee for the massive technology company as well? If she did well enough to satisfy them, they surely would at least consider it?

She had heard of a nice cafe from classmates, and had even been there once or twice with them. There were a few adjustments to be made on her work, plus...it would just be nice to get out. Even if her nose would still be pointed at a computer. Computers were better company than people anyways, or...at least most of the time it seemed to be the case for her. She had her USB Drive around her neck on a lanyard, being far too important to entrust to just her pocket. Just knowing that the upgrades she was working on were contained on it made her feel better. More important even, or at least as important as a college student could feel.

After feeding the parking meter a few coins, she walked with her laptop case down to the cafe's entrance. The atmosphere was like it was last time she was here a couple of months ago, quiet. There was the smell of coffee brewing as well, but Claire was the latte kind of girl. There were a few people around, but most were working at their computers or enjoying a good book (god knows too few do nowadays!). Or their electronic kindles or ipads. Either way, there wasn't much talking going on at the time, minus a few words passed here and there. And the woman with two of her friends, they were chatting a bit.

She quietly set her laptop bag down not too far from a couple of the coffee lovers, but discreetly far enough from anyone so that she wasn't right next to people either. With that, she walked up to the counter and ordered a mocha. With the said drink in hand, she strode back to where she had been before, and took a seat. The humdrumness of unpacking her computer and plugging it in may have been a bore to most, but she was smiling. A soft touch on the power button caused the computer to boot.

While this was going on, Claire chanced another glance around the area at people she had the pleasure of being around. One of which, a red headed male, seemed to draw her attention. Had she seen him before? Shaking her head, she looked down in time to see that the desktop was now up and ready.

[BEN BRADLEY]

Ben's blue eyes flickered up from his coffee to the door as he heard the bell chime, signaling someone had entered. His gaze quickly traveled from the newcomer back to his computer screen as he slouched in his seat slightly, hot mug pressed to his lips. The young woman who had just entered, he swore he knew her from somewhere, but he was having difficulty remembering from where. There was a definite air of familiarity about her, though, that much he was certain of.

Frowning slightly, he turned his attention back to his monitor, unconsciously smoothing down his light brown hair before moving to readjust his glasses. Well, perhaps it would come to him while he was working. he was so engrossed in working on Tram's upgrade that he almost didn't notice the barista at his shoulder with a fresh cup for him.

"Ah, thank you so much. I almost hadn't noticed my cup was empty," Ben admitted with a sheepish smile.

"Well, I figured I'd get over here before you did. You sure are a coffee fiend, Mr. Bradley," she said, taking his empty cup and moving over to see if her new customer needed anything.

Ben shook his head with a little smile. He'd been coming to this particular CAFÉ for years, but he had always been addressed as "Mr. Bradley" and never "Ben". It was cute, in its own sort of way, and the ease and familiarity with which they used his name was welcome. By this point, it was more of an inside joke, really.

Wait, wait... the young woman was... a Ms. Vogel? Something close to that, anyway. She was working on a project for Encom, if he wasn't mistaken, and had met with his father on more than one occasion. He hadn't ever really been formally introduced, but he did recognize her. Well, he supposed it wasn't impossible for anyone he knew to find the place, but he'd rather thought of it as his Fortress of Solitude; his Batcave. It was a bit odd having someone else within its confines among the mismatched furniture, multicolored walls and baroque styled interior.

Maybe if he kept his head down, she wouldn't recognize him... he wouldn't know what to say to her if she did.

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire had started to pull up the data on the upgrades she had been working on while the barista had been making her way over to the guy she was getting an odd sense of déjà vu from. It wasn't easy, really. Alan had already done an extremely stupendous job on his security program, Tron, and it had taken more than a few days to even begin to spot coding that could be strengthened. It helped in some ways that she had been to the grid once or twice before, just long enough to get an identity disk in all honesty. It wasn’t anything major, but she could at least better understand what the coding she had been working on was going for. Before she forgot, she pulled out her reading glasses and pushed them into place. She really didn’t care to have to keep moving her head back to just read.

"Well, I figured I'd get over here before you did. You sure are a coffee fiend, Mr. Bradley," came the voice of whom the college senior felt had to be the barista.

She peeked up from her laptop screen in time to see the guy from earlier accept the new cup of what was obviously the coffee the employee spoke of. Her eyes widened a bit once it hit her. It, being a thing called realization.

Of course… She thought to herself. Bradley…like Alan Bradley. She specifically remembered that the Encom higher-up had a picture of him on his desk, and had mentioned something or another about his son. What was his name again? Billy? No… Perhaps Bobby? Definitely not. She was certain it began with a B however…

The blonde then snapped her fingers. “Got it!” she said, perhaps a bit more loudly than she had intended. But then, didn’t most people talk to themselves, even just a little? She resisted the urge to cringe, and hoped that perhaps if those around would just write it off as being from something from the computer, and not just her rambling thoughts.

With a soft sigh, Claire decided it would be rude to just ignore him. So she stood up and slowly walked over to him. Rushing towards someone that was the son of a guy that was better known as a celebrity in the technology world was never, ever a good idea. “You’re…Ben, right? I’m sorry to bug you,” she said, a bit awkwardly. Maybe talking to him would be more rude after all? Augh…the rituals of socialization… It’s why she preferred computers over people. They were far more predictable and easily dealt with.

[BEN BRADLEY]

Ben tried not to let his discomfort show as he heard footsteps approaching. She'd recognized him somehow, he just knew it. Well, there was really nothing left to do now but grin and bear it. As she addressed him, he lifted his head and compulsively reached up to once more readjust his glasses; it was a move typical of whenever he was uncomfortable, his hands tended to need something to do to distract him.

"Yes, that would be me," he answered with a soft smile. "And you're... not bugging me. I just come here on my days off sometimes. It's quiet and I can work on my software in peace. Forgive me, but as we've never actually been introduced, I'm afraid I don't recall your first name, Ms. Vogel."

It was Vogel, wasn't it? The last thing he wanted was to get her name wrong entirely. That would just be embarrassing. He had to curse himself at moments like these. It wasn't as though he were so very terrible at making small talk, it was just generally that around new people, his shields went up. Maybe he was a bit paranoid, but he never really felt he could trust someone at face value. Trust was something to be earned, wasn't it? So he'd never understood why co-workers had teased him for being so uptight and proper; he was a professional, that was all. Ben wasn't about to open himself up to just anyone.

He wondered just why she was speaking to him. It had never been of his opinion that he was the kind of guy that people just walked up to and started a conversation with... unless they wanted something. He was sure this was a perfectly nice young woman he was dealing with, as his father probably wouldn't agree to work with her if she wasn't, but all the same he was on his guard.

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire blinked, and pulled off her reading glasses. He did remember her last name after all. That was better than what she had accomplished without any prompting. "That's good to know. And...my name is Claire," she said, not even broaching the subject of her last name. He had gotten it correct after all.

He brought up the subject of work and her gaze dropped to his computer for a moment before returning to pay full attention to him. He seemed pleasant, if not a bit off in his mannerisms. But than again, she couldn't blame him. If a nearly complete stranger had come over to her, she probably would've done much the same as him.

"What do you do for Encom?" she finally asked, then feeling fairly silly. It was a stupid question, but then, even a programmer he could easily answer more specifically. “Err….specifically. Assuming you’re a programmer.” She then quickly added, “I’m sorry if I shouldn’t have assumed.” She was flustered, which wasn’t hard for her to get to. It wasn’t even him as Alan’s son that was doing it. It was her rambling and feeling awkward about the situation in general.

She subconsciously grabbed the lanyard around her neck. The USB drive, even if it was just the back-up copy of her work, was important to her. It usually was her back up for whatever project was going on at school, but this was especially important. If her computer crashed, it would be the only remaining piece of her most recent work on Tron’s upgrades. Thus, that was her sign of nervousness, or frustration. In this case, it was combination of both.

[BEN BRADLEY]

"Claire," Ben echoed, eyes roving towards the ceiling as he committed it to memory. Nodding once, assuring himself that it wouldn't be forgotten, he looked back to the college student. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

his fingers hovered over the keys to his laptop self-consciously before he forced himself to drop them to his lap. He'd always had a bit of a thing about people watching him while he worked; something about having their eyes on him just made him all kinds of anxious. He blinked vacantly when she asked what he did specifically at Encom, and had to stop a moment to think of what to say. It was always odd trying to explain it.

"I am indeed a Junior Programmer at Encom. I've worked on a number of various projects since the company has hired me," he informed her, reaching for his mug of coffee. "However, I would have to say my primary function at the company is the care and upkeep of the Tram Program. He's a security program I had written for my senior project in college as an add-on to my father's Tron Program. Sam Flynn found out about him and decided he'd be an excellent addition to The Grid... so here I am."

Ben could never help the small surge of pride that bubbled up in his chest whenever he talked about his program. Tram was so much more than he could ever fully explain to anyone; more than a simple security program, Tram had become a friend, a confidante, a brother. And the fact that he worked so well with Tron, well Ben couldn't have been happier. Ripping himself from his mind's little detour, he looked back to Claire curiously.

"Forgive me for being forward, but hadn't you gone to my father for something to do with a project of yours, Miss Vogel?" he inquired, eying her lanyard. "How has that been coming along?"

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

As Ben answered Claire's questions, the pride and happiness was so plain on the young man's face, she couldn't help smiling at him. It was something she thought she may be able to feel someday as well. Well, hopefully she would. How interesting it was that he was working on an add-on to Tron. She knew that particular program's coding pretty well by now. She decided it'd make more sense if she took a seat nearby. She had also noted that as his explanation ended, his eyes went to her flash drive. So he had guessed correctly that at least a portion of her project was on the device.

Claire nodded at Ben's inquiry about her project. "Yes, that's correct, I am working on a two-part project. I was recommended by my professors and by luck ended up working on it," she answered, then pausing, thinking on how to actually answer his question. "So far, it's going well I suppose... I'm not quite finished enough to implement it yet but I'm nearly finished."

She then reached for the small drive that had caught the other programmer's eye. "I was told a bit about what happened to the Tron program...Rinzler I think." She looked a bit down, wondering just how it affected the program. She hadn't spent much time at all in the Grid, but she at least liked to think the programs had emotions. Whether she was right or wrong on the assumption that they did, she didn't know yet. If she was right, it had to have been painful... She then realized she stopped talking.

"Anyways, I was asked to find a way to make it harder to re-purpose Tron. And if I figured out any other upgrades to work on that as well." The college student then made a face. "It took a while to even begin to find anything at all I could improve, your dad did a really good job with the coding." Yes, she still had some work to do on that too.

The young woman then thought about the other part of her project: Hestia. "My project also deals with a fail-safe measure in the event your dad's and my coding aren't enough to protect him from corruption or re-purposing. If something were to happen to Tron, it would potentially put a lot of people in danger, considering how public Encom has made the Grid. So, I took some of the coding from him and then made quite a few edits to make a program to shut him down if it ever happened. It's really only supposed to activate under those conditions for Tron, but I'm going to try to write in enough to make it able to act as a usual security program in the meantime."

It felt awkward explaining it to him, and she instead held out her flash drive to him. "If you're interested in what I've done so far you're more than welcome to look. There's only two folders on it, one being TronUpgrades and the other Hestia. ...The latter is the name I've given the fail-safe program," she offered, smiling a bit nervously. Even though she offered, it still made her nervous for someone to look it over. What if he looked and laughed? Or worse, was going to laugh just based on her explanation? Still...he may have some insight that would help her project, if he decided he wanted to anyways.

[BEN BRADLEY]

Ben sat patiently listening to Claire explain he projects, unable to stop the grin on his face as she mentioned his father. People had a habit of underestimating mild-mannered Alan Bradley, so it always managed to put a smile on his face when someone actually acknowledged his father's skill. He leaned forward with some interest as she began speaking more in-depth about her work. It really was fascinating.

"You must be very skilled to be granted that particular access. Especially on Tron," he said honestly, sipping from his coffee mug once more. He was running low again. Man, that barista was right; he really was a coffee addict. "You know, if you wouldn't mind, I really would like to take you up on your offer. I consider Tron to be... a very close friend. It's not that I believe you're going to hurt him at all, quite the opposite, but I believe you understand what I mean when I say that I'd like to see what kinds of upgrades he may be getting."

He knew his father wouldn't have allowed her to so much as think about Tron unless she had some definite skill, so he was confident in that regard at least. But it never stopped him from worrying. Tron was an exceptionally remarkable Program, he should never have had to suffer through being repurposed to become Rinzler. And the fact that he looked like a younger version of Ben's father? Well, it was just another reason for him to care about Tron.

"And your Program, Hestia, sounds fascinating," Ben said further. "In fact, I think she would work very well with my Tram. Considering all the work you're doing, I have to say that I believe you may be doing The Grid a lot of good. Perhaps, once you've graduated, you'll think of applying for a position at ENCOM? I know that I would be happy to work with you."

He found it odd that he seemed to be rambling on like no one's business. Typically, he was never this open with anyone he was unfamiliar with. But for some reason, he felt a bit more at ease. Maybe it was the coffee? Regardless, knowing what she was working on just made him all the more curious as to what kind of person she was.

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire smiled at Ben's praise and nodded to what he said. "Maybe Hestia and Tram could cooperate on things on the Grid? It'd be interesting to think of at least. Also...I think I can understand your feelings on the matter of my upgrades. I certainly don't mind you looking at both projects," she replied, placing the small flash drive onto the table next to his laptop. Upon hearing the young man's suggestion about working for Encom, she started to laugh a bit.

"Yes, I have thought about it," she answered. After a moment's pause, she then sheepishly, yet honestly, added, "I actually am hoping that I do well enough on these projects to be hired. Even if I don't I won't think badly of your father or Encom, but it's still a hope anyways." She felt less nervous about him looking at her work, and was actually looking forward to hearing his critiques.

She chanced a glance back to where her computer was and said, "Oops, I guess I should get those over here. Excuse me for a moment." Not to mention, her mocha would probably end up cold too.

The young woman then quickly walked over to her computer, not bothering to sit down as she went through the normal motions of shutting it down and packing it up. Once she had her bag on her shoulder, she picked up her cup and went back over to sit near Ben. It was nice being able to chat and "geek out" with Ben, he seemed to be an honest, nice guy.

[BEN BRADLEY]

Ben nodded slowly, drumming the fingers of one hand against his armrest while those on the other hand occupied themselves stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Yes, I could see Tram and Hestia working very well together. Hypothetically, you understand," he murmured. Eying the flash drive with interest, he listened to Claire talk about the prospect of working for Encom and plugged the disk into his own laptop. He smiled at her words, his blue eyes flickering with practiced ease over the lines of coding within her files. "I'm certain you'll have no issues with gaining employment once you've finished college. Encom is always seeking out bright young minds such as yourself. More so since Sam stepped up and took control of the company. Besides, you never know... you could be the next Kevin Flynn for all anyone knows."

Yes, it had seemed that Sam had a talent for picking out the diamonds in the rough that most companies would turn their noses at. Their generation took to technology like ducks to water and Sam Flynn made certain to take advantage of that fact. It seemed that more people were comfortable applying to a big company like Encom with someone like him as the head; he was young, talented, handsome and charismatic. Really, he was everything his father had been and then some. It didn't take a genius to see that Sam had brought in a much needed breath of fresh air--and with people like Alan Bradley and Roy Kleinberg backing him, well, Encom only seemed to be going from great to greater.

Ben hummed appreciatively at her work. "You've done a fantastic job here, Ms. Vogel. I do have one minor suggestion, though, if I may be so bold. While he typically keeps to just the one, Tron does occasionally use two identity discs in combat. Now, this is an aspect that has typically been associated with Rinzler. If you were to tweak this particular section of coding--"

He pointed at one section on his screen.

"--with something a little more like so--"

He patted down his own blazer, locating the pen in the inner left pocket. Dragging a napkin from across the table, he jotted down his suggestion in his typical untidy scrawl and pushed it lengthwise across the table to Claire.

"--then I believe Hestia would be far less likely to perceive the action as a warning flag. It seems highly unlikely that she would in the first place, but one can never be too careful," Ben explained even as a memory bubbled up from the recesses of his mind. He sipped at his coffee, an amused expression making its home on his features. "You see, I was told that the first occasion on which Tram witnessed Tron dual-wielding, well... he was rather startled, to say the least. This should take care of the possibility of any such thing occurring with Hestia."

Poor Tram had been rather startled. He'd never seen something like that before and had therefore come to associate two discs with Rinzler. The poor young monitor had nearly short-circuited himself with anxiety over the thought that there could have been something wrong with Tron. It would really be best if Hestia could avoid all of that, especially given her particular role on The Grid. The last thing Ben wanted was for any of them to get hurt.

(OOC: Lawl, don't mind me. I'm just making stuff up as I go.)

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire happily laughed at Ben's remarks about being able to work at Encom, mainly the part about being the next Kevin Flynn. "No, I'm pretty sure my skills are nowhere near on par with someone like Kevin Flynn," she said, thinking about what little she knew of the man. It would definitely be something though. It wouldn't hurt to aspire to at least try to match him, right?

She watched as Ben looked over the work she had done, and was a bit relieved when he complimented her work. She was taken a bit off guard herself as she was told about what happened with Tram, and the fact that Tron still used two disks. "O-oh! Thank you for telling me, I didn't realize that he still used both. I don't want to have any mistakes...so I'll add that in soon and run a few tests with that in mind," she said, picking up the piece of paper gently. "Poor Tram, he's okay with it now though, right?"

She had only been to the Grid once so far, and it had been an eye-opening experience. Claire had been really only brought to see what sort of effects her coding would have on both Tron and her program. The very thought of having Hestia in there, helping to protect people and programs alike made a surge of pride pass through her. She couldn't afford mistakes. Then, a sudden thought occurred to her, and she looked at Ben.

"Where did you come up with the name Tram? If it's okay I ask, that is. Is it an acronym?" she asked, then looking at the coding he pointed out before for the change, mentally noting herself to change it once she could and base the changes off of what Ben had written out for her. There were plenty of ways to change coding and what he came up with on the fly may not have been the preferred way for her to map it out. She decided now was a good time to finish up her mocha as well. She drank from the cup and waited for Ben's answer, if any were to be given, and thought about Hestia's own name origins.

[BEN BRADLEY]

Ben chuckled, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Well, we'll see. You're still in school, after all. If you're this talented now, just imagine where you'll be in another five years or so. We're growing and changing all the time. You're never the same person you were five minutes ago," he said. "I'm glad I could help with something, even if it's only a minor detail. Haha, yes, Tram is quite alright now. He's just... extremely fond of Tron. The thought that something could have been wrong with him was just extremely distressing for Tram."

Really, Claire's work didn't need much of his help at all. What she had so far was spectacularly done, especially considering she was still a college student. But he knew from experience that there were some things that she would need to spend more time on The Grid for. When he'd said they were constantly changing, that went for Programs as well. Ben was constantly busying himself with new upgrades to Tram's programming, preparing him for the threat of new Viruses or even so that he would remain compatible with The Grid's OS. Sam had gracefully accepted Ben's request that no one else be allowed to modify or otherwise touch Tram in any way. It was possessive of him, certainly, but he worried more than what was healthy.

"Tram's... name?" Ben echoed, blinking repeatedly in surprise. His face turned a bright shade of red and he slouched in his seat somewhat, his hands cradling his coffee mug. "Ah, well... there's no harm in explaining, so long as you promise not to laugh. As a child I was, er... extremely taken by the Tron arcade game and its characters. Kevin had gone missing by the time I was old enough to really understand it, so when Sam came to stay with our family following the death of his grandparents, he would regale me with all the tales his father had told him."

He paused to take a sip of his coffee, somewhat reflectively. It was odd, almost, how they were all interconnected. Sam had become something of a surrogate brother. Kevin was his godfather. And he'd always known Ram's User, Roy Kleinberg, as "Uncle Roy". It had really been Kevin's adventure in Encom's system that produced these strong ties.

"Naturally, I was very proud that Tron had been my father's creation and that Ram had been created by my Uncle Roy. Although, at that time it wasn't quite in the way I understand it now. Back then it was all just a game," Ben said. "I carried that childhood admiration all the way with me to college. When I developed Tram, I struggled with what to name him. And then it just seemed natural to pay homage to may father's Program, my Uncle's Program... really, to the Legacy that our fathers had left us. And so I combined the two names and got Tram."

He really did feel constantly amazed by the things Alan, Roy and Kevin had accomplished. By comparison, it made him feel terribly ordinary, especially considering Sam was very readily following in Kevin's footsteps. Still, he was happy with where he was; with the work he did on The Grid, at Encom and just having the people he cared about around him. Still, this talk of names had him curious.

"Since we're on the subject of names, if you don't mind my asking, what inspired Hestia's naming?" Ben queried.

[CLAIRE VOGEL]

Claire smiled. "If I were a freshman, or even a sophmore, I would probably agree with you, but I'm almost out of college. Hestia is kind of like my senior project," she said, then re-thought that. "No...it and the upgrades definitely are my project, combined."

Ben was a supportive person. The funny thing was that she usually found herself in that role, and it was an entirely new experience to be on the receiving end. That may have been why she was reluctant to agree with him on that matter. Could he possibly been right about it? She relaxed on the seat she had taken as he spoke further on the subject of Tram. Ah, so that was it... The senior had to bite back a laugh at hearing him. It wasn't the story or the idea at all, it was just the manner in which he felt embarrassed about it. He really thought she'd think it was so weird that he slouched back in his seat?

"Mr. Benjamin Bradley..." she began, sounding a bit exaggerated in the seriousness she was now portraying with her voice. "That is the most heart-warming thing I've ever heard from a programmer. I could only wish my reasoning for naming Hestia was even half as sentimental as something like that."

It was then she realized Ben had asked her about just that. "For Hestia, her name is derived from Greek mythology. I've always had an interest in fantasy and mythology as a little girl," she answered, while gathering her thoughts. "Hestia in particular is the oldest and youngest sibling of Zeus, the goddess of the Hearth. Especially after seeing how programs are in the Grid, I thought it would be a good name to keep her level-headed."

It was an amazing idea really. Imagine! She used to simply joke about computers or other technology having a personality or various "issues", but to learn that programs did in reality? It was fascinating. Maybe their personalities were simply an algorithm?

"Hestia is one of the least known of the main Greek deities because she was too mild and really, smart, to get into the shenanigans of the others. Otherwise, she was a protector. She would protect guests or suppliants that would come to temples to pray. So, I thought since she'd help as a security program and would be protecting 'guests' of the Grid, it would be a fitting name."

[BEN BRADLEY]

"Well, regardless of your level of schooling, you'll look back on it in a few short years and wonder how you could even call yourself the same person," Ben explained thoughtfully. And there the barista was at his side again, refreshing his cup. He smiled his thanks, glad for the caffeine now running through his system. He turned his attention back to Claire. "You know, I was in your position a couple years back. So as I said, this talent of yours is only bound to blossom even more once you get out and stretch your wings. If I'm this impressed with your work now... you'll probably find yourself my boss in no time at all."

He chuckled at his own remark. She really was remarkably talented and there was no doubt that she was going places. He may have had seniority on her, but it was easy to see she had a particular spark that wasn't going to be put out. Hopefully, she'd fan it into a flame. At her words on his story, however, he couldn't help but fidget somewhat, clearing his throat uncomfortably. His hands flew to his face immediately, adjusting his horn rimmed glasses with his nimble fingers. He wasn't sure why it embarrassed him so, but it felt... odd laying himself out there. To someone he barely knew. Well, Tram and his creation were a special matter to him; he didn't think he'd ever put as much love into anything as he did into creating Tram.

"Well, I... thank you," Ben said, feeling humbled by her words. "It's usually difficult for people who aren't programmers to understand just how much I... how much I love Tram. So, I suppose I'm rather thankful you are one."

He tilted his head to the side curiously as he listened to Claire's explanation for Hestia's name. Ah. So that was it then! He smiled, nodding with interest. It really did fit rather well, when you got right down to it.

"Mythology, eh? That really is a fascinating route to go down," Ben hummed pleasantly around the rim of his coffee mug. "I really do quite like your reasoning for her name. I've always enjoyed mythology to some degree myself, but admittedly Hestia is one that I wasn't very familiar with. Hearing you explain, well... I couldn't think of a better name for your Program. A level-headed protector. Yes, I like that very much. Mythology is something close to your heart, I can see, so I don't think your reason for naming her that is any less sentimental than mine, really."