Richard waits warily in that quiet; there’s a sidewinding quality to the way he squares against Loxley’s approach, gathering himself up into a more defensible coil. He does not like this, but his liking it is not a requirement for his participation.

He narrows his eyes at (valid, tbh) Insinuations made about the nature of Yuan-ti deities.

“I didn’t choose to follow Oghma. But I am in his service.”

So chosen, however dubious a choice that might have been.

“I was raised in a temple of Dendar,” he adds, approximately 10% spicier in answer to the feeling Loxley had. This is clearly a more tender subject than the notion of friendship. “The Nightmare Serpent.”