[he smiles a little, despite the danger they're in, bolstered by pleasant company and the discussion of various pleasant and/or interesting topics. it's been a while since he's had this sort of conversation, after all, and he'd almost given up hope of having it again]

It is, yes ... though I've long been accustomed with the Buddhist principle of the world being a constant engine of change and suffering, there are a couple of aspects I still haven't quite been able to get used to. ... Mostly the change and the suffering.