[ Astarion does care, insofar as he wants to know who to suck up to, but anything resembling actual politics leaves a sour taste in his mouth. It's all so boring. Honestly, he doesn't really care what the Zhentarim do, as long as it doesn't involve putting their hands on his precious Iorveth. ]

If I were still a magistrate, I'd sentence them to far worse than flogging.

[ Again, only because they roughed up Iorveth. Although admittedly, in the past, he probably would have cared about sending some sort of message with swift and brutal punishment.

He leans his head against Iorveth's, seeking out his hand to interlace their fingers. ]

What do you make of all of this city living, anyway?

[ Yes, this is an obvious ploy to see if Iorveth would ever be amenable to living in proper civilization. ]