It does not strike him as odd he would seek her opinion - that she is his first, best and possibly only friend is a sad indictment of a Garlean childhood, yes, but is also an undeniable fact, and the credence he grants her opinion is fittingly substantial. He may not always agree - indeed, he frequently does not - but understanding how Himeka thinks has been an interest (some would, rightly, say an obsession) for some time now.

Another series of images, very similar to the first though now more definitively Not Garlemald, none of his memories bleeding in around the edges; dark spires reaching upwards, seemingly endless spiral staircases, figures in masks (some throwing gems, or flower petals, other beseeching a blessing), a brief flash of the room he currently occupies. Lavish though this scenery is, this very much does not feel like he is boasting - indeed, there is a weary boredom to it, as if cycling through particularly uninteresting holiday snaps or discussing what he intends to have for dinner that evening.

"Thus far I have seen little to recommend it." A beat. Where previous inquiries have been very obviously fishing for tactical information, this one is... almost conversational? "Where you are is far less tedious, I trust?"