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Hector pocketed the phone.

'The way that guy talks reminds me of a Sixth Age aristocrat,' said Garovel.

"Is that a bad thing?" said Hector.

'I suppose not. Bit odd, though. Makes me wonder how old he is.'

"Why? You're old as shit, but you don't talk much different than I do."

'Excuse me, but just because I do not pontificate with the eminent magnitude of my lexiconic mastery during my frequent bouts of loquacious glory does not mean that I am any less of an esteemed and erudite gentleman than someone like him.'

"...What?"

'Just 'cuz I don't talk funny don't mean I ain't smart.'

"Oh. But I mean, that was kinda my point, wasn't it? The way he talks isn't necessarily reflective of his age. Just like with you, right?"

'Yeah, okay, sure, but I'm also a reaper. We have a tendency to be a bit more adaptable when it comes to social and cultural changes in the world. Unlike you stubborn corporeals who get all worked up whenever the youngins invent a new word that you never used when you were their age.'

"...I don't know if I'm old enough to really appreciate this conversation."

'New words are great! Language is a fascinating thing, and honestly, being able to observe its evolution firsthand over the ages has been one of the best parts about being a reaper, in my humble opinion.'

"I feel like all reapers must feel that way, considering how chatty you all are."

'Pretty much,' said Garovel. 'Exceptions no doubt exist, but in general, I would say that in order for us to come to terms with the extremely strange nature of our own existence, we have to be able to take enjoyment in whatever ways we can. So even if we start out not giving a crap about things like conversation and culture, we'll eventually learn to love them. Or alternatively, get super fucking pissed off at all of existence as we know it.'

"Hmm. You talking about Abolish reapers, now?"

'Not all of them, but yeah. I'd argue that the origin of Abolish was probably reapers who simply could not find any way to cope with what we are.'

Hector felt like he'd heard Garovel talk about this before. And he hadn't understood it very well back then, how someone could reach a point where they wanted to destroy humanity or the world--or even all of existence.

But now, somehow, he could almost wrap his head around it.

Still seemed supremely stupid, of course, but it felt somewhat comprehensible, at least.