[ Root has been a staunch atheist all her life, despairing of others and their religious beliefs in a frankly scornful way. At least until she'd found the Machine. Now she understands a little, and despairs differently: that they're looking to something that doesn't exist, when there's something that does.

But she knows social convention very well and she's hardly about to pick Christmas to pick a fight with a Christian over their beliefs. For the time being, she's on good behavior. It would be easy to put on an effortlessly elegant affectation, but for some reason she finds herself being forthright instead. ]

Still more than I expected. I never thought I'd find so many people who'd think of me, not even in a place like this. You know what I mean?

[ Root thinks he might understand, somehow. ]