"That is an excellent question," she says, rocking back and flashing a brighter grin.

"The short answer is, not all of us do. The long answer would take a few millennia to show you. The in-between answer is that a little while after we discovered we weren't the only real people in existence, we realized each of us had unique advantages when facing off against the other powers. It's safest for the family if we keep each other around."

She bites her lip, then glances down. "But there are seventeen of us now when there should be twenty-one. And the odds suggest another one or two of us might die before the round is over, if we're not as hopeful, lucky, balanced, or traditional as it's possible for us to be. So we hope, and we balance, and we follow traditions - all in the name of enlightened self-interest."