"Hm..?" He'd been halfway to giving a muffled chuckle, eyes half lidded while he basked in the praise. But the genuine compliments to things other than his looks have him tipping his head again. He truly doesn't understand how Illario sees him. He's not really ever considered himself much more than a spare son or a scout his entire life.

Even now...

It's Varric's team. Varric's job. JIm's just keeping things together in his stead while the dwarf convalesces. And doing not a great job of it by his own estimation given how things just keep seeming to get worse.

But the job is later. It's outside these walls where Jim finds his arms bound together peering up into Illario's eyes when the man's hand covers his own bound together as they are. He nods when Illario speaks about trust. Even though it's not a question.

Because he does.