[It is the outburst that draws Astarion's attention. Oh oh good. He isn't the only one who finds this all absolutely, patently absurd. That's enough to snag his interest, so he waits for the boy to pass before he stands to follow him out, with some degree of subtlety.

At least until he steps out and sees that Steve has stopped short. Oh well, he'd wanted to start up a conversation anyway. This works.]

Sadly, I think it's genuine. Honestly cultists all sound the same. It's tedious at best, usually. The whole being forcibly kidnapped from our homes does make this one more annoying.

[Then again, given the sharply pointed ears, the red eyes and the posh accent, Astarion probably isn't helping with any shred of normalcy for Steve.]