[She can't see it, of course, but he raises his eyebrow at the question. What... exactly is supposed to "work", exactly?]

The hell are you even talking about...

[Whichever it is, the answer is most likely "no", as literally nothing works out for this guy. Not that he'd openly admit as much.]

It was just an example, dammit. Don't hang on to those... [Sure, he was the one to say it first, but the more those hypothetical "ethereal beings" are discussed, the more uncomfortable he's feeling.] And it's not like I need protection, I just─ wanna know.

[Why is asking for help without asking for help so hard.]