"If I needed recognition, then I chose the wrong vocation." He's still halfway smiling, keeping it light. "Still, it's hard to imagine that such unrelenting hostility doesn't grate or wear." As a Fereldan, he had been on the receiving end of resentment, but not the unbridled hatred he knows many feel for Tevinters.

"I know you impressed my men and women out there. Scared the Void out of some of them, too, but impressed them. We were better off with you there than without you. And the mages love you. It's very evident." In some cases it looks to him from the outside in like hero worship. It's not too surprising given the state of things.

He continues sipping the tea, letting the mint refresh and relax him. This time he keeps the cup cradled in hand and idly pushes it side to side between his thumbs, letting the handle be the stopping point for the reversal. "If I ask you something more personal, will it anger you?"