" - but -"

"I can probably derive some linguistic features from her accent but I'm not placing it at all."

"Linguistic features?" Lintalai says.

"When people have an accent, usually that takes the form of not distinguishing sounds that aren't distinguished in their native language, sometimes distinguishing sounds that are distinguished in their native language but not in this one, and not pronouncing sounds their native language doesn't have. So by noticing when you do that, I can guess what sounds are in your native language."

"I don't remember what it would be."

"I know. But we might be able to come up with some guesses."

"Okay. I don't know what else to say."

"Trains were new. Flowers were not new - right?"

"Flowers were not new. Online is new. I didn't know what blood was. I didn't know people ate things that are not food. I didn't know that I would get parents. I knew what clothes were, and what my basket was. Sunshine is not new."

"Houses? Glass? Porcelain? Machines? Radio? Computers? Rain? Snow?"

"Radio is new."

"Lightbulbs? Embroidery? Kings and Queens? Taxes?"

"Those are not new."

"Democracy was new."

" - huh. Compasses? Navigation? Spaceflight?"

"Not new, not new, new."

"Population controls."

"...ish."

" - child permissions? Child credits?"

"Nnnnndunno."

"What did you mean by 'I didn't know people ate things that weren't food.'?"

"They keep trying to get me to eat things that are not food. They eat them, so I guess they think they are food, but they aren't."

"She will not eat milkshakes, cheese, chicken, bacon, caviar, tuna, egg, cake, custard... she will eat rice cakes, crackers, fruits, vegetables, honey..."

"So no animal products."

"She did not ask if they were animal products. Didn't taste them, either."