"Well, there are different ways of being acquainted... I guess a lot of people where I'm from had little animals and various kinds of beings living in their souls or swords or wherever. I think it still counts, even if you don't actually talk to it. ...But mostly I think I was sort of surprised and relieved to hear that the fish was a real thing from your memories and not just some weird new thing Retrospec is doing." He frowns.

And he continues to frown as he thinks about how to answer her questions!! "He... the afterlife was sort of... I don't think 'military dictatorship' is quite right, but I don't think it's totally wrong, either. So as a soldier, he had lots of stuff to keep him busy. And his particular division got saddled with all kinds of chores. Even though it was literally the afterlife, it wasn't particularly ethereal or transcendent. But there are still things about it I haven't remembered, so..." He spreads out his hands as if to say what are you gonna do?