[ What a simple answer. Layered with complexity, no doubt.

He checks a price tag and frowns a little. ]

If they are anything like the demons I am familiar with, this city must be a trial for you. [ He's feeling a surprising amount of sympathy for Anna by his standards, which is to say: a little bit.

So, he offers a small tidbit of it. ] I find myself in, perhaps, a similar situation.