Phalanx does a little of all of the above. Maybe this is what spirits do when no one is watching--simply floating alongside the living, aimlessly experiencing the space with them--because Phalanx seems to forget that they're just as visible flesh-and-bone as everyone else.

After tasting (just a little lick, really,) the bits of cracker, they are forgotten and left behind. Phalanx stands around, happily listening without comprehending. They hum two, quiet notes. They hook a finger on the edge of a container so they can pull it closer and tilt it to see inside. They get distracted and make a fingerprint on the dust of the nearby vase.