Stein pretends to think about that one for about three seconds before he gives in and laughs. What a perfect question.

"Yes!" he says brightly once he's done. "Don't say it like it's a bad thing, it's worked pretty well for me so far." He holds up a finger to show he's not done yet, a crooked smile lingering on his face. "So if you wanted to change your brain so you could think more clearly how would you do it?"

This time he doesn't even sound patronizing, even though there's still humor in his voice. He looks more like a teacher expecting an answer to a pop quiz question than anything.