He seems -not uncomfortable, nor stiff, but perhaps for a moment he seems a little bit more tense, more guarded. It's a slight shift in his body language and tone, before easing back again. "I had the honour of travelling with an elf, dwarf and four Halflings for a long journey."

'Honour' is a very specific choice in words, and it's wholeheartedly meant. He held his friends in great regard -still does- but right now he cannot allow himself to think about them or how he left them. Not now. He tries a smile before asking, "Have you heard of their kind before?"