In the small part of his mind that was not totally occupied by the vision stretched out on the table, Jerry realized that all three wizards could see what was going on. In fact Malus was standing on the bench and craning his neck to get a better view.
“It gets worse,” Cindy said. “You should see the things she does!”
“Yeah,” breathed Jerry. “I mean, no. Of course not!” The demon shifted her shoulders and pointed her delicate toes at him, still smiling.
“Well, it’s supposed to be user-friendly,” Larry said in an aggrieved tone. “Hey, I offered to do a male version. Tom Selleck or something. But noooo, she wants to spoil everyone’s fun.”
“If that’s your idea of fun . . .”
The demon smiled again and scissored her legs in a way that showed off her dark pubic patch.
“That’s enough!” Jerry said sharply, tearing his eyes away from the demon.
“Look,” Jerry mumbled, examining his shoelaces, “this module is supposed to help the user, not distract him. Do some work on that interface, all right?”
As Jerry walked away he heard Danny whisper urgently. “Hey Larry, give me that code, will you?”
“Sorry about the interruption,” Jerry said as he came back to the wizards. “Now, let me show you what you came to see.”
“I think we have seen enough of this—this circus!” Petronus said.
“Quite enough,” Bal-Simba agreed amicably. “My Lord, could you create a demon so obedient to your commands as the ones we saw when we first came in?”
Petronus froze. “I would not demean myself . . .”
“But if you wished to, could you?” he shook his head. “I could not, I know. Have you ever seen a demon so instantly responsive?”
“No,” Petronus finally admitted. “No, I have not.”
Bal-Simba turned to Jerry. “And how long did it take to create that swarm of demons?”
“Hey Danny,” Jerry called out, “how long did it take you to write that air combat game?”
Danny stuck his head around the corner of his cubicle. “Jeez, Jerry, you always assume . . .”
“How long, Danny?” Jerry said inexorably.
The young programmer shrugged. “Oh, maybe four hours.”
“You see,” Bal-Simba said to his fellow wizards. “In less time than it takes us to frame a moderately complex spell, this young one created a dozen demons whose subtlety we cannot match. This shows the worth of the effort, I think.”
Petronus snorted. “Trinkets. A handful of magical trinkets.”
Bal-Simba shifted his bulk and the bench teetered alarmingly. “You would rather they write their spells large for practice? Or released them outside the confines of this building? No, I think their wisdom in making trinkets is manifest.”
“Well,” said Malus, looking longingly down the table toward the spot where the “user interface” had been, “they are certainly accomplishing something.”
“It is obvious they are accomplishing a great deal,” Bal-Simba said. “I think their work should continue unhindered.”
Petronus looked from Bal-Simba to Malus. “Oh very well,” he said at last. “I only hope we do not regret this afternoon’s work.” He rose and bowed to his colleagues. “My Lords, if you will forgive me, my own work presses.” He turned and stalked the length of the Bull Pen without a backward glance.
“I too must be gone,” said Malus. “Unless you have another demonstration?” he asked hopefully.
“No,” Jerry said firmly. “Thank you for coming, Lord.” Malus bowed and followed his colleague out.
“Thanks, Lord,” Jerry said to Bal-Simba as the dumpy wizard pulled the door shut behind him.
“Petronus is firm in resolution, but not subtle in debate,” Bal-Simba said, smiling to show off his filed teeth. “He gave me an opportunity and I took it.” Then he sobered. “Besides, I was afraid of what might happen if we stayed within a moment longer.”
“You and me both, Lord,” Jerry agreed fervently.
Bal-Simba rose and Jerry rose with him. “I admit I had some misgivings, but it did not go badly, I think.”
“I had a few misgivings myself. Uh, we really are making progress. I can show you if you want.”
Bal-Simba chuckled. “Oh, I believe you, Lord. And no, it is not necessary to show me. I trust you and I doubt I would understand half of it.”