"I am?" [If Flug had a nickel for the amount of times he heard that so plainly. It does abate the doctor's frustrations, at least a little, it isn't often Black Hat would be so considerate of him expressing such doubts. This felt less like an scolding and more of an actual conversation.

With those final clasps undone, the shirt is removed and they can begin. Wet clothe meets the first wound to flush out any debris.]

"I have no use for a drudge." [More to the point, Flug loathed anyone getting in the way and touching his experiments, costing him valuable progress. The man wasn't a hatbot. Flug can't trust a botanist mechanic with no training to handle his equipment, moreover make someone who didn't necesarrily want to be hired respect the authority of a position they did nothing to achieve. Anything involving coding was out, nothing with complex formulas, think, think, what use could Virgil provide?]

"I'll set him to errands. Research gathering." [Though Flug will admit he sometimes enjoyed going out on those for some fresh air; mores the pity.]

"Keep to his current projects. See what merit can be found in them." [Drain the fluid, clean water, rinse and repeat.]