"So, they're scared of ghosts? Are we not beca..us..e..." Snow trails off, eyes going wide.
"Did you remember that we actually do die on contracts and that they, as most likely regular people, would die?"
"What's sanity mean?" Snow asks instead. "It's not actually sanity, is it? Cause I don't feel crazy when my sanity is low."
"Sanity is what the game uses, because it apparently marketed better. However, in terms of us on contracts, or, as you're meaning, the effect ghosts have on us, we usually call it 'tangibility'."
He waits exactly ten seconds for Snow to let that sink in before continuing.
"Tangibility is the connection between the body and the spirit. We, the investigators who go and deal with real ghosts, are called 'pre-separated' folks. Our spirit and body are only connected by sheer force of will. We don't need our bodies to exist, nor will our spirits go over to the spirit world without a fight.
Think of it as most people being in a vacuum, where there's suction keeping their spirit in the body. When a ghost comes by, the tangibility is how much that suction is turned down - the connection weakened - by the presence of a strong spirit. Now, for us, the difference is that our spirit is inside that container but there was never any suction to begin with. That's why, for us, tangibility is more a measure of how strong the ghost is and how likely it wants to hunt.
A ghost trying to kill is a ghost that actually is just pulling that spirit out, and they prefer when it's easy to overpower the suction. They're more likely to try - or hunt - when they can sense that low tangibility. Questions?"
Snow waits for a minute or two. Tussle lets him, watching the albino look around at the scenery. He gets whacked on the arm after a few seconds, because his eyes apparently need to never leave the road - stupid driving - but the kid seems... calmer than when he first arrived.
Eventually, the kid asks his questions.
Well, maybe not questions, exactly.
"It's basically that we're the only ones. People aren't guaranteed to die in every dangerous job, and for the things people believe in, it's all about making things safer, effective, efficient. People don't believe in ghosts, though, not anymore and not much. Which means that we're doing something that most people don't even know needs doing...
How many exorcists would die if we weren't there?"
Tussle sighs.
It's the age-old question of this work. How many do they actually save? Are they needed or just wanted?
How bad would it be if they weren't there to take the job?
"I'll say some, but this is usually about when you'd go talk with the exorcists, see one or two, get used to how it all works. You three learn fast, because usually it'd be months into the contracts before you even realize that this is all... all more than just a game." He sighs again.
What he wouldn't give to not know himself...
"Exorcists have to guess. They would go in, try to learn, to figure out the ghost, but they do lose tangibility and feel it. It's not pleasant, and you gotta have a strong will and good health. Then they have to go through ritual after ritual, trying to see which one works, to guess which type of spirit it is. For every ghost we figure out, they can just go in, do the right ritual, and leave. For every ghost they don't have, they go in, fail, go in, fail, over and over and-"
He shakes his head. At least these three are free from all of that. They're free and can enjoy the fun. It'll be fine. They'll be fine.
"We make things faster. The faster we go, the less they lose tangibility, the less likely they are to even have a chance at dying. Most ghosts won't even try to attack someone who hasn't lost a quarter of their tangibility, even exorcists. Like you said: safer, effective, efficient."
He goes quiet after, and Snow doesn't break that. They sit like that, listening to the rumbling of the van and the faint sounds of an empty city.
Tussle misses not knowing, but it is always better to have someone who knows. That's him. That's been him for a long time.
Now, he just needs to make a plan of action. Deep breath in, deep breath out, focus.
They find the haunted houses. Once inside, they note the ghost type and the street name and house number. That keeps them knowing which ghost is where. Regardless of what people think, ghosts don't actually roam much. Even the most wandering of spirits are unlikely to leave the neighborhood.
While the interns go in, he'll stay outside. He can try to remember the rituals for each ghost type. With how certain his kids can get, it's unlikely they'll get even a single house wrong. Even if they do, he hasn't been lacking the ability to go in and solve it with their notes in hand.
So he will gather the exorcism stuff, perfect the rituals through trial and error, and... and start freeing this world from the fear of ghosts.
Or at least giving people back their homes.
"Why can't thou get along..."
"Did you just say 'thou'?"
He nearly slams the breaks when he is brutally reminded he is not alone in the front seat. Shit.
"Uh, just thinking. Sorry, had a Shakespeare kick before you lot came."
Snow stares hard enough that he can feel the individual gaze of the kid's eyes. Through sheer skill alone, he manages to not shift or sweat or show any discomfort at all.
"Okay. What were you thinking about?"
"Why ghosts and the living can't just get along. It's the same reason people can't, and then some. I mean, some people get murdered, or miss their living families, so they stick around when they shouldn't but even so, they need to learn how to avoid the tangibility loss. Ghosts actually can do that, it's just that VV keeps track of them and most ghosts don't even try."
"Ah."
He thinks that, given how insanely observant his kids are, he's been found out. However, he also is of the mindset that the worst way to be found out is to incorrectly assume it's happened and confess or give away anything.
He's not about to ignore his own advice.