[ it's real to them, if nothing else. she has to believe that means something, despite the fact nearly everything about their predicament is disturbing. she has been taking notes ever since she arrived, and maybe when they're not stuck in her bathroom she'll ask chekov if he has notes of his own she can study. she can't control being here, but she can control what she learns.
so she nods, more decisively this time, and falls quiet. when she speaks again, the subject is altogether different: ]
Do you mind if I ask you something? ... Who's Tessa?