Lindsay just sighed when Hollie said that.

"All right." he replied.

"I hope this isn't a dead-end." he told her.

"For Hazel's sake." he clarified. "She's had far too much happen to her, and though I can see cracks of who she really is shine through, those barriers are just TOO strong." he said.

"That damn Vanessa..." he then said further.

"Even after death, her cruelty lingers."

Lindsay nodded in response.

"Yeah." he said, grabbing the drink she'd given him.

"You do that." he told her.

He then leaned back in his chair, took a sip of the drink he had, and sighed once more, this time more deeply.

"....mmmm." he mumbled.

"That's good." he told her.

Lindsay took another drink, and nodded.

"Very true." he said.

"And yeah, let's finish this." he agreed.

"We're getting close to being done, though." he told her.

"This wasn't as bad as last time."

Hal sighed as he pulled into his driveway.

"Ugh." he groaned. "Another stressful day." he said.

"I should really consider taking a vacation soon." he mumbled, as he got out of his vehicle and locked it.

"Guess it's ordering in again tonight." he told himself, making his way to the front door, unlocking it, and stepping inside. As soon as he did, though, he was immediately greeted by the delectable aroma of homemade cooking.

"Eh?" he muttered, shutting the door behind him.

"What's this now?" he asked himself, sniffing the air.

"Smells like Chicken Korma..." he mumbled, as he followed his nose.

Hal was already salivating by the time he'd come into the room... and now it was cranked up 5 fold.

"Oh my..." he said.

"I am never not interested in your cooking." he told her.

"And yes, I DID skip lunch, effectively." he confirmed. "I doubt a cup of coffee and 2 mini yoghurts counts as a real lunch." he muttered.

"So this is VERY welcome." he went on.

"My favourite, too. Chicken Korma." he then commented as he got closer to Hollie.

"What's the occasion?" he asked her with a chuckle.

Hal was silent for a moment, and then smirked.

"You know, you're even more irresistible when you pout like that." he told her.

"But all right then." he said. "I'll go and take a seat." he said.

With that, he walked off, taking a seat, and enjoying the aroma.

"That DOES smell divine." he told her.

Hal licked his chops as the food was brought before him.

"My goodness, it just keeps smelling better and better." he commented.

"Seriously, this is some of the best food I've smelled in a while." he told her.

"This was a real treat to come home to, and just when I needed it the most." he then said further, preparing himself to dig in.

"Things have been quite stressful at the Unit." he lamented with a small sigh.

"Regardless, bon apetit to me." he finished with a light laugh.

Hal sighed once more.

"Well, our most reliable test subject has had to move on." he told her.

"They ended up getting married, and felt they needed a more... stable and less risky... career path. Which is fine, I can agree with that." he said.

"And I'm not one to stand in the way of someone's happiness." he continued.

"But this had almost ground R&D to a halt, in terms of progress." he lamented.

"And it's a nightmare to find someone as resilient and reliable." he finished, shaking his head some.

"......hm." Hal muttered.

"I see." he said.

"Figured there were strings attached." he commented... though he DID have a small smirk on his face.

"See, I'd need to meet them first." he told her.

"Find out their deal and see if they can be a fit in my Unit." he went on.

"But I will never refuse someone that needs a place in the world."

"....." Hal was silent as Hollie said what she did.

"Hmmmmmm." he mumbled.

"Well, if anyone can help, it's me, I suppose." he commented.

"I'll need to arrange a meeting with her." he said.

"Would you prefer I go to her?" he then asked.

"Anything works, really."