"I know," Atton said. His face wasn't sure what expression it wanted to make, and so - clack clack, that was thirty-three - it slid studiously into Atton-neutral. "And you have to teach yourself how to believe otherwise."

He brought up that glass. Took a sip.

"Nothing I say will change that," he said. Thought about throwing in some caveats, the usual protestations about not telling anyone he said that, that kind of thing. Very deliberately decided not to do that. Not now. Maybe not the rest of this conversation. "But you are good enough."

Better than some of us, he didn't say. Wouldn't make things better.