[Liem, still with a mind to completing the objective he volunteered his company for, is attentive to Voryn’s browsing even as their conversation drifts on through unrelated waters. He reaches out to rub his fingertips over the mahogany-red fabric, examining the stitching of the hems and hefting it to assess the weight of the cloth.]

I see. Religion has brought your people grief, then?

[The position became familiar enough to him during his higher studies, when he was seeking entry to Abadar’s priesthood. Atheists were not common in his own country, but the nation of Rahadoum, across the Inner Sea, was known for its long history of forbidding religious practices: a history born from a terrible, bloody religious civil war that had previously wracked the nation.]

I’m sorry to hear that your experiences in this place have been soured thus.

[He doesn’t have enough ego to preen in the glow of Voryn’s praise, but some of the feathers quietly ruffled by the discussion of his lineage smooth back down.]

Abadar does encourage his faithful to foster communication and understanding, as discord leads to conflict, and conflict is the enemy of trade. But also, my life for the past century has been spent in service to others, in one way or another, and I find myself now away from all of my duties. It pleases me to be of assistance.

[He looks up from the thoroughly examined curtain.]

I like this colour. The fabric, as well.