"Would it be mean to call you Egg Man, or would you not care?"

The man glared his eyes.

Kris shrugged. "I'm still tempted to call you that. You kind of look like one, y'know."

The man turned away from him. Drops of white stuff fell from the man's physique, landing on the ground with soft patters. Kris thought it was sort of gross, but he wasn't in the right to judge what was gross and what wasn't. Hell, Kris licked charcoal dust and ate probably poisonous glowing moss. Most of that was pretty gross.

Susie drinking shampoo was gross too, being honest. But she denied ever drinking it, so uhh...

"You've got another thing you want me to do, don't you?" Kris teetered back on his heels, refusing to tilt his face up to look at the man. Out of his own control, it did. Kris blew at his hair. "Why don't you just tell me where it should be done and get it over with? Or, better yet, make me do it and wipe my memory afterwards. That always works for you, doesn't it?"

The man didn't say anything. Classic. Kris almost felt like he was talking to himself. Or rather that he was someone talking to himself. Unlike the man, Kris could talk, he just didn't do much naturally. Silence was his first thing, and most people thought he was a good listener. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. He wouldn't say anything to that.

"You also didn't answer my question."

The man looked back at him. Kris cleared his throat, wishing his voice was louder even from the misuse. There was a look in the man's eye that poked at Kris in the soul.

Which question are you referring to?

"Oh, so you can talk," Kris said, flat on his feet.

I could, years and years before. But being here now has reduced my communications abilities tenfold. Just recently, I learned how to speak in telepathic manners through your soul.

"Goody."

Your sarcasm has no power here.

"Would you rather me be silent?"

Preferably.

"Too bad, because I've got a newsflash for you. Tomorrow is not only going to be a beautiful day, but there's also going to be zero chance of rain or high winds, as well as-" Kris immediately stopped talking, voice dying out in his throat. He gave the man a solemn glare, bordering a little bit on hateful too.

Perhaps I should've stayed quiet.

Kris agreed in his thoughts. He crossed his arms over his chest and faced away from the man. He wished he wasn't dragged here unwillingly. He wished this man would just get bored of him and find some other poor sap to play around with. But noooooo-

Would you rather me test out these abilities on some other unfortunate person who has a hunger for everlasting life, knowledge and power, or you?

"Neither."

It's such a shame you don't have much of a choice.

"If only you'd give me one."

Why does it matter if the ending's always the same?

"It's only the same if you feel like it's the same."

You think you can change fate?

"I think I can change my ending."

You're a fool.

"It takes a fool to know a fool."

I'm done talking to you! If you want to act like a righteous brat, do it somewhere else.

"I'm just telling you what I feel. I thought you would like a heart to heart, considering you like to remind me how much you're interested in mine."

You accepted it because of her. You accepted it because of them. You accepted it because of him. You accepted the transaction because you wanted to stop all the hurt that's consuming the village. And yet you talk to me as if I'm the bad guy in this?

"You're not the bad guy," Kris muttered.

Interesting. Then tell me who is.

"Nobody. Nobody is the bad guy. Depending on our choices, it defines what sort of person we are, and there is no one who is inherently good or bad. For example, Susie chose to only fight in the end, but that was because she didn't know how to spare people without hurting them at the same time. And Ralsei thought that mercy was always the answer, understanding that in the end sometimes there are people who don't want to be spared and who just want to fight."

And what about you?

"What about me?"

You talk about your friends like they learned valuable lessons, but yet you have not talked about yourself.

"Oh. Well. I guess I learned that sometimes I have to take control of myself."

The man narrowed his eyes. What is that supposed to mean?

And Kris showed the man his. "I'm learning self care."