Sly looks generally do not bode well for the Soldier, but they are here to pass along intel, not make judgments. Or at least keep their judgments and worry to themselves. "The spirits themselves are not necessarily one of them," they say. Not exactly a warning, that would be above the Soldier's place, but maybe a gentle nudge away from the idea of considering their friend something that has to be overcome. "Not all of them. Communication with them may be the important obstacle, not they themselves. They don't think like humans do. But my contact is relatively clear when you get used to how they communicate."

You know what, maybe it would be easier to just... copy the intel from Misty's private message, to Cao Pi's, so he has it clearly. (Fuck, pal, maybe we should just dump the whole thing onto the network. I. I don't know if that's safe. At least it'd reach everybody the same and people could talk about it.)

The Soldier's arm plates run a recalibration loop, making a metallic buzzing noise under their multiple layers of sleeve, and they say, "They want us to lead them, sir."