There's a flicker of emotion there, yes, but it's...pity. Sadness. A strange emotion on Estinien's normally sharp and derisive features that softens the edges of his face. But the pity is not for Gaius.

"I could tell him how many lives that road has claimed, both by those walking it and by innocent bystanders. If anything Ishgard should serve as an example to the world of the price paid for the indulgence of mindless, eternal vengeance." He can't help but think of Nidhogg in such a place. Chained, declawed, kept alive but harmless in the bowels of the Holy See - would that have made the life of a single child in Ishgard any better? No.

"None of his bitter words can harm me, because I don't care about his opinion. Perhaps it is the same to you. I worry about the collateral damage he may cause, though."