"He's nice." Chu-e concludes, this camera clicking as it took a photo. A few more taps and he dropped it back on the table between them, too. "I'll call it a 'beef whistle' and see where it goes from there."

Sighing, Chu-e leaned back in the bath, stretching his legs out so he could press his feet against the massaging jets. He let the silence ring out a few more moments before breaking it again, tilting his head to glance at Lulu Flint.

"I'm glad you finally came out with me today."

This wasn't posturing or some seedy goal. He just... was.

"Hmmm... Been trying what?" He didn't really follow, which was no fault of Lulu Flint's own. Lately, he had been dealing with a few random bouts of confusion.

But, with her staring, Chu-e did eventually glance over and catch her eyes. There wasn't anything insidious in them. He didn't seem to mind. Just gave an easy smile at her attention before continuing.

"You work yourself hard. You deserve to be pampered." Said easy and he meant it. "What kind of asshole would I be if I didn't take you out from time to time? You're fun to chat with." Even if their last one on one had ended on a somber note, even if sometimes their styles of communication grated against each other in an uncomfortable way- Chu-e still liked Lulu, still wanted to spend time with her. If only he was on her level, could wrap his head around what she worked on. Maybe then he could try to chip through her barriers to really understand her.

"You are!" Was asserted, a small laugh leaving him. Chu-e took a cue from Lulu Flint, sunk deeper into the water, let the steam relax tight shoulders and work tension out of joints. He would still be sore later, he was always sore lately, but for the moment it felt so nice.

It felt like he could sit in a comfortable silence with Lulu and be content.

As with most things, Chu-e was good at ruining moods.

"Hey, Lulu," He spoke up, staring idly at a crack in the ceiling's tile. Eyes somewhere far away. His mind had gotten away from him. "Do you think we can ever be good people again?" His tone was light, apprehensive but not quite timid. The words of one killer to another.

"Ah."

Chu-e didn't add anything of his own there, just took in Lulu Flint's opinion.

"You know, that's part of why I like you. It's never felt like you've just wanted to tell me what I want to hear."

At least, it seemed so with him she had been. Lulu also didn't really put up with his shit as much as other people might, which was a trait that Chu-e almost always respected.

Lulu was pragmatic. Chu-e was more ruled by his emotions than real logic. Even if Cillian Quinn was his friend, he knew the other could fall into the trap of sentimentality too often as well.

A question for a question, an answer for an answer. It only seems fair.

But it was one that Chu-e found he actually needed to think about. Had he been disappointed in her answer? A bit. However...

"I would want to hear whichever one you hadn't told me."

There wasn't a 'right' answer. When Lulu Flint had said they couldn't change, she was right. Chu-e had the chance to get out, to be a better person, to use his last time alive doing something good, for those around him and for himself. Even if he saw his own goals as good, some days, he wasn't such a dreamer to know they weren't lofty. What he wanted could never really be achieved, not really. He had come back, had bloodied himself, perhaps worse now than before.

But if Lulu had said they could change, that wouldn't have felt right either. Chu-e had hurt so many, done so much, why would he deserve to change? Why would he, of all people, get to try and repent? It wouldn't be fair to so many whose lives he had ruined. It was almost like spitting in their faces.

He wanted to change the subject.

"What kind of stuff do you work on down in the Lab?"

"I have access to that machine and the Floette."

When he had talked to Walsh that day months ago, when MAGMA had become a thing, the boss had given him rights to it. It wasn't something he had shared with many people, just Rowan Wrynn, and he hadn't been able to play around with it very much. Chu-e was curious and willing to experiment, but he wasn't a scientist. He didn't have methods, just mayhem, and didn't have the backing of knowledge to think of interesting things to do with the machine like Lulu Flint or even oscar clayton might come up with.

"I'm not sure I can help, but I would like to."