"Full of good ideas today, aren't you?"

The words were given in good humor despite his current troubled mindset. He considered the board as he decided on his next words.

"Have you...ever unexpectedly experienced..being somewhere...different unexpectedly? Without actually being elsewhere physically?" Maybe that would get what he wanted to convey across without sounding too outlandish. As he finished speaking he lifted a hand to move one of his pawns forward. The game might not go anywhere really, but as Ben had said prior, at least it would look like they were busy with it and thus kept others from bothering them hopefully.