Dropping his bag on the counter, he heads for a cupboard over the sink to retrieve two glasses.

"Cryptography, huh. Okay, so, two questions: one, have you read Cryptonomicon, in that case, and two, do you take your rum neat or mixed with something?"

(Cryptography. Interesting. Not that there aren't plenty of civilians interested in that kind of thing -- witness Walter Newman and his number station -- but it's unusual. He automatically files it away.)