audio.

[mercedis]

( as always, he's trying to make this as short as possible, but it's hard to even know where to stop with the way his voice carries into the charm. it's likely going to come out all wrong, but: he figures it's like posting something on the notice board in the slums. no one's going to listen to it, right? )

Looking to head back out into the forest to see if there's any trace of the people that went missing.

Figured it might be best to find someone, or someones, to come with me. Not looking to become one of the missing myself.

Some questions if you're considering it...

One, are you afraid of ghosts?

Two, how do you react when you're scared?

( --and then, with a measured sigh: )

My name is Cloud. Blonde hair, big sword. If you're worried, I'm pretty good at keeping people alive, but.

( imagine if he had just, you know, done a video. )

Comments

audio.

[mercedis]

Manage? I didn't think you had fear.

( it isn't sarcastic, but more--curious. )

What scares you?

[overtid]

[ That it isn't sarcastic is almost startling. Self-regulation is literally his rule, but a total lack of fear would seem, at least in his mundane case, to make him less human. ]

I don't like to make generalizations, but I'd think most people have fear. We could distinguish between the instinctive, biology fueled fear of a moment, and the more psychological. Certain people may be more predisposed toward one or the other, both or neither.

As for what scares me... not ghosts.

[ ...as with their conversation in the fields, he isn't trying to be difficult. In fact, he might have answered more personally, were this not a public audio "channel". ]

[mercedis]

Have you seen one before? Or do they just not exist?

( at this point, he's heard--and experienced--all sorts of things. )

[overtid]

By now we know that the answer to that question must vary by world, and depending on the world, it might not be a simple yes or no.

Which is an overlong way of saying: I've seen something like a ghost.

[mercedis]

Right. I wanted your answer.

A spirit?

[overtid]

A spirit. Specifically, a cursed spirit.

[mercedis]

They're not all cursed, then?

[overtid]

They are. The distinction is nonetheless important, because by and large, they aren't equivalent to the lingering ghosts of regular people. Instead, cursed spirits are understood to be the manisfestation of human negativity.

You don't need to know more than that, do you?

[mercedis]

I probably didn't need to know any of it at all. But it helps me know you.

[overtid]

Which is in and of itself not interesting. I assume you aren't afraid of ghosts.

[mercedis]

I am, actually.