X doesn't enjoy pointless scares as a rule, which is why, despite enjoying the rest of the festival, he's currently standing on the street in front of the transformed shopfront and frowning at the short line of people waiting to go inside the -- haunted house, as it's called.

Theatre is theatre, isn't it? Some people enjoy certain genres more than others, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's definitely one of the most subtle adjustments X has had to make since arriving in Aifaran, though -- accepting that here, people do the craziest things simply because they want to, and not because they're being forced into it.

The freedom to be an idiot, as Kassana would have put it. The thought makes X smile. He watches a little longer, then turns to move on to something else.