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[aquaveiled]

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[fightforthejoyofit]

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?"

[aquaveiled]

It's information--whether or not it will prove useful is something else entirely, but she makes note of it all the same. Zenos isn't someone she believes would really care much for the opulence that's been bestowed upon him no matter how used to it he is and the feelings that accompany those quick flashes confirm those thoughts. If the Regent can provide him something of interest he could be a powerful and useful tool to that cause, but he won't be bought with satin and silk.

Were it nearly anyone else Himeka would feel the need to offer something in kind. But this is Zenos. No matter how casually he may be taking this exchange, she cannot.

"Mayhaps." It's a non-answer, guarded as she needs to be. He may get an occasional flash of a tree or a hammock despite her best efforts to clear her mind, but nothing particularly telling. "I don't think you'd enjoy it."

"Don't try to visit," is the real meaning there.

[fightforthejoyofit]

"I am certain I could find something to recommend it."

The implication being, of course, that he's already considering how best to track her down.

There's a brief pause before he adds "Your Coerthan companion, for instance." This, more than anything else he's shared so far, feels closer to Intelligence than Chatter, though ultimately the desire not to reveal plans-in-progress to an enemy loses to the much more pressing one to have someone acknowledge quite how gross an injustice it is that Estinien's name has been placed above hers on the Kenoman Kill List. "I understand he is building quite the formidable reputation."

[aquaveiled]

The mention of Estinien gets a reaction--as any of her friends in particular would. Zenos can feel not only her instant attention but a palpable worry. What are they saying about him over there in Achamoth? Nothing good, she can imagine, as 'formidable reputation' speaks for itself.

"He has always been a capable warrior," she says somewhat defensively. As confident as she is in Estinien's ability to take care of himself, the last thing she wants is to sic Zenos on him.