#in all seriousness: *waves my discord tag at u*

[timeclipsed]

— ;; TRUSTING THIS STRANGER IS RISKING his hide enough on its own, but the malevolence in his wording and attempts cement the absolution in the sentiment that this man should not be counted on in any way. Mouse traps, brazenly laid out with a far-fetched square of cheese, ready to snap shut at any moment, to crush Tails' fragile spine under the weight of its alloy.

...Still, the potential of Clutch's spread, of his abilities, could prove useful in completing the Time Twirler on his own.

Who cares if he's being used? If he's being used, it means Clutch needs him; that he's lacking something in the way of his own skillset that is desperately necessary. It's not like anyone would care, anyway— no one's coming to find him, to rescue him. So in the end, he wins. Doesn't he?

❝...Fine. So, think about it like this—❞ Hoisting his upper half over the desk, he searches the contents beneath upside-down for a moment. Returning with a large blueprint, unraveling it to show the other, he starts to explain its purpose and functionalities. ❝—I have the groundwork for a machine that can hop between dimensions. The problem, though, is that the current version seems to hop uncontrollably and the Doctor refuses to let me start from scratch. If I had the right space and the right parts, I could build the version I've come up with here, and tweak it to perfection.❞

Gutsy, wasn't he. To demand something so firmly, from the person who evidently had what he wanted.

Admittedly, this did turn the tide back in Clutch's favor...

"...And what kind of machine are we talkin'? There are other ways to find someone that might be just as effective, ways that don't waste resources. You 100% that this contraption of yours will get the results you want?"

Finally, the older of the two leans back a little, staring the boy down unblinkingly.

"Information like that in and of itself is valuable, to the right people."