Girl: I couldn’t see them before I was bitten… Then, all of a sudden, there were so many of them… hundreds of red seaghosts… All around me, SMILING…
Pavel lurches forward, on the edge of his seat to hear what happens next. The girl doesn’t even seem to notice, eyes still fixed on a far off point.
Pavel: Then what happened? What do you remember?!
Girl: I only remember waking up on shore. They were all gone.
Pavel: Just like Paolo. And Shannon, too.
She clutches her wrist, seemingly just for something to hold. Pavel put his hand to his chin, thinking. The memory of Cheth’s grinning ghosts haunts the girl, human skulls and leering faces with too sharp teeth cackling.
Girl: But I still see them when I sleep… The look in their eyes, and all of those TEETH. All of them looked so… hungry…
The girl brings a bleached white hand up towards her face and clutches at her eye, hidden beneath the curtain of white hair. The memories overwhelm her and she sobs.
Girl: I don’t know why they didn’t bite me right then and there. Or take me down to… Take me down to-!
Pavel: Down to CHETH? Nah, you don’t have to worry about that.
Pavel smiles at her, disarming and maybe even excited at the opportunity to explain his theories on the subject. His explanation is illustrated by a chalk figure drawing of the girl surrounded by seaghosts- most of which are sharks- each of which have red eyes, a red aura, and an alarming number of sharp smiling teeth.
Pavel: Sure, Redtiders are Cheth's minions, but they won’t hurt you. They just show up when someone dies. They come to collect souls, not to kill. But they do tend to like being around us seabitten for some reason. I guess because we’re the only people alive who can SEE them? No one else can give them any attention, and I’m sure they like to be noticed!
The girl stares at him, wide eyed and still with tear tracks running along her cheeks, but with less fear in her expression. Despite the uncomfortable nature of the subject he is explaining, she looks at him in wonder.
Pavel: So, yeah. They’re still SUPER CREEPY. And they have this weird habit of smiling scarily at everything? But they aren’t really dangerous.
Girl: Wh...what?
