[Luckily for Rikku, Ferran is not only familiar with fantasy tropes, he is one. The explanation serves well enough for him to get the gist of the situation, and he nods along as she continues, although he pauses before responding to her question.]

I guess I can see how desperately people would cling to that kind of thing with a monster like that around... it's easier to hold onto a tradition of false hope than actually face the truth.

[Tradition might not come into it in his personal experiences, but he definitely knows how that is.]

You managed to get through it, though—that's pretty incredible.