[ He blinks at her slowly a moment, not expecting such an emphatic reply from her. Especially not over this. He’s not actually sure how to reply to that. Any of that. ]

I do say you have nothing to repay me for, Hilda. But I appreciate all the trouble you’re going through anyway. And you don’t need to apologize for anyone. Especially for ghosts that would never have apologized for themselves in the first place.

[ He’s pretty sure those words hadn’t even existed in Miklan’s vocabulary. They certainly had never existed in his father’s. ]