"I couldn't say what the aim is." Bertie sipped his beer with a regretful little nod. "Practical applications aren't really my expertise. My aim is to determine whether there's anything worth investigating in the first place - there is - and what it means for our understanding of the place of numbers both here and in the stars. I suppose ten years down the road someone may decide it bears on how we build our houses, but I won't be holding my breath. It really is much more satisfying just to marvel. Which doesn't sound very scientific, I know, but you - maybe you're used to that." He leaned back in his chair, letting his shoulders rest against the slats, taking his time in studying her. She didn't seem to be dropping off, which was a good sign. He always appreciated that; it made him perk up a bit, not that he needed the extra incentive. "The more medical disciplines must be subjected to a certain amount of sentimentality, I'd think." He smiled. "And awful pick-up lines."