For this was Laks’s one and only trick. He was not that fluent in Punjabi, no matter how much time he spent watching Punjabi soap operas on TV. He did not have an easy smile. And yet he found that if he just kept showing up, nothing bad would happen, and gradually people would stop noticing him. And that—the simple comfort of not being noticed—was all he wanted. — 188: 2685-2687
“That ‘smoke’ would be sulfur dioxide,” Saskia said. “Yes, Your Majesty, and as I’m sure you know it loves to get together with water to make H2SO4.” “Sulfuric acid.” Bob shrugged. “So if there’s more rain—?” “Think lungs,” T.R. suggested. “There’s available water in your lungs,” Saskia explained, “so if you inhale sulfur dioxide, next thing you know you’ve got sulfuric acid in a place where you really don’t want it.” — 259: 3733-3738