Oh! [ charles' grip back is steady, too, almost tight in the way a professional sportsman might do it, like he grips a hand the same way he grips his cricket bat; but altius' words, if possible, make his expression light up even more. ]

You know Octavian! He's right brills, isn't he? [ please cherish his adopted ghost uncle — ]

But you're right, he's totally different. I think I'm more like the usual ghosts, you know? Like, Death collects souls and sends them onwards to the Afterlife unless you avoid her and stick around on Earth, that kind of thing.

[ he has no qualms about speaking of all of this, alas... ]