She almost mentioned that his name sounded German until she recalled that he was from 'another world'. That piqued her curiosity despite how troubled she had been moments before. Pepper was nothing if not adaptable. It came from years of constantly dealing with a man who was talented at making life 'interesting' for a woman who was first his PA and then his company's CEO.

It was impossible to forget some of the things she had walked in on.

"Right now I need to sleep for a week," Pepper said with a wry smile, "but sometime I'd really like to hear about where you come from, Dr. Stein."