Stein decided he rather liked that awkward little smile. It wasn't difficult to calm Birkin down when he flipped out, either, and that was nice. There was a bit of Spirit in how easily he was riled up, and it was fun.

"Thank you," he said in return, grinning at the other man. "I guess I'm just good at connecting with people on a deeper level. Or seeming to." He shrugged and glanced at the microscope again. "I saw something interesting in the brain tissue here, would you like to take a look...?"