Bale-Batman nodded slightly, rolling his eyes upward to look at Schiller, wrinkles bunching above his brow ridge. Schiller wrote down four names, circled them, then drew branches beneath them as though making a mind map.
"I don't often go to the Abyss, so I don't know much about them. But since they are spirits, they will certainly appear in the forms they like best."
Beneath the four names, Schiller wrote several words describing clothing. Bale-Batman leaned closer and saw that beneath the first name, Pursuer, was written "Black Shirt."
"He often attends gatherings of the rich and famous, following his prey through ballrooms, corridors, and restroom stalls. What clings to his clothes is not just spilled liquor and lipstick marks, but blood as well. Black is the color that shows grime the least."
Schiller's low voice echoed through the room. Bale-Batman felt a bone-deep chill creeping up his back, and he began to understand the protagonists of those haunted-house horror films.
Then he saw Schiller write "White Shirt" beneath the word art, and explain it this way.
"If a pitch-black background can swallow every color, then white exists to make the brightest colors stand out. When he creates upon soft, burning material, the traces left on a white shirt become part of the work as well. They are keepsakes worth preserving."
When Schiller looked toward the final two names, his pen paused briefly before he wrote "Gray Scarf" beneath Gluttony.
"He is not an elegant eater. Usually, he gorges himself without restraint, because consuming large amounts of food can rapidly restore strength and replenish energy, leaving him fully prepared for whatever comes next. At the very least, he often carries a gray napkin to ensure soup does not drip onto his clothes."
When he reached the last one, Torture, Schiller's