[ That reaction wasn't one he expected, not that he really knew what to expect about any of this. The situation at hand is bizarre, but Jesse herself is also a stranger, and he's still figuring out who she is and how she thinks. It's obvious to him that what he's said has rung a bell with her, so maybe she knows something about the mysterious lady who seemed to lurk down a hallway waiting. ]

The Scratching- What? [ He shakes his head in something like disbelief. ] A lady who's a folktale but not a folktale... She seemed real enough to me. And how can someone drown but still be walking around?

[ His confusion only seems to be growing, but he wants to understand, so he adds: ]

If she's not a real person, then what is she?