"He is, er, was... no, is," Miku flushed. She knew that he'd been spirited off, but part of her desperately hoped that he'd somehow miraculously managed to survive Kirie and that cave-in.

"Anyway, I can tell you a few, I think we have time for a few," Miku wrinkled her brow. "Time is so unpredictable here. Mm..." Miku looked thoughtful. "We have lots of spirits called kami, and lots of monsters and things, but... for they're mostly fairy tales. Then, there are the ghosts, the bakemono, the yuurei..." the photographer paused. The names she'd given the ghosts had strange (though fitting) names. "There's a creature called a kappa, and it will eat you up. But... a lot of the ghosts... are unfortunate, and the stories say they are bound by duty or revenge or jealousy... Let me think of a good one.."

The photographer looked thoughtful for a few moments. "Ah. I know. I have a... friend that runs into lots of stories. Ahem." She sat up a little straighter, and smiled, before starting. "Once, a very long time ago, there were villages that did certain rituals. These rituals were said to be for the good of the village, and the surrounding areas, because it kept them safe from ghosts, and evil, and all kinds of things, like Malice." The girl's tone was hushed and secretive, almost reverent. "But they had very exacting costs - like sacrifices." Miku shivered slightly, as though something was crawling up her spine.

"And there were times that the rituals, for one reason or another, failed. And if they failed, then... sometimes, the sacrifice would come back..." she flicked her eyes down to her lap, and away from Larsa's inquisitive face. "Whole families or even villages would vanish in a night, all inhabitants spirited away, but it was folklorists that would collect the information, so that's how they know what happened. Or at least, had very good ideas."

She leaned against the arm of the couch and looked up at the skylight. "I wonder, what people thought, coming home to nothing."