You mean the ruler his Highness is currently away trying to court favor with? [her head tilts slightly, looking askance in thought.] At this stage, most anything is possible, I'm sure...but I can't say I know much about this queen you speak of to give you an answer of substance.

Indeed. The King informed me it is known as the Perilous Desert, and is allegedly aptly named. What few surviving accounts he could recall speak of intolerable, deadly conditions out there.

If someone is qualified and strong enough to endure it, I'm not opposed to letting them take that risk. It's just not something I myself would be willing to follow them into... [her eyes wince briefly.] And I'm not entirely sure I wish to have that potential blood on my hands just yet. Perhaps when I'm more powerful and skilled myself.

[she nods, picking at a quill tucked in the binding of her book, taking a moment to jot down some notes to herself.]

That should be doable, yes. We may as well take as much advantage of this venue as our capabilities allow...without risking harm to the safeguards, of course.

[she speaks up a bit so she can be heard from where she still sits.] If any of it is useful, I wouldn't be able to tell. The King made a point of warning that trying to do harm to those machines would result in the loss of all your current possessions. Clothing included.

[what? no! no way; her back is to him, which means she can just full-on roll her eyes in peace! which she does.

dryly:] Pray tell, what exciting treasures do you envision "us" unearthing that will assist undoing the calamity? I have to imagine if there were any leads, the King would have pursued them?

[by the time he moves back over, Cecelia's reined in the smirk and instead just sports a kind of dry, flat expression. she quirks an eyebrow, her eyes still down on her note-taking:] I trust that nose is attached to a head and body which can coordinate such efforts it seems so keen on, mm? Bearing in mind I may not have the capacity to teleport an entire retinue of explorers, of course.

[what a coincidence -- there are two other bracelets laying in wait for new owners! but Cecelia's not about to bring that up just yet; she has to see if this cheeky, nosy fellow would 1: want the role himself, 2: know someone for it, and 3: be worthy of it himself! it's...practical pickiness.

she lets him mull things over in peace for a time, content to finishing composing her shorthand thoughts about the above -- observations on him, mostly, tied to some additional thought given to the desert at large. perilous though it may be, there were survivors to give accounts in the first place, so...

eventually:] Mm. We have time. Not unlimited time, but time all the same. Time enough to learn and grow stronger, in any case.

Very well.

[she lifts the quill, closing the book and slipping the quill in the binding. she stands with a soft sigh, tucking the book into her satchel and taking a moment to adjust her shawl.]

Cement this place to memory, Claude. Lest you become complacent and forget what fate awaits us all.

[what a pleasant thing to say! in any case, she holds her hands out to him once more.]

[when his eyes close, Cecelia risks a brief, grim smile before her own eyes close and she draws in a breath. her familiar draws in close, horn glowing and assisting her in the channeling of the magic that kindles the spark upon the bracelet. as before, it glows, brightens, and then engulfs them in a flash of light. the oppressive stillness of the brink is banished, and they are once again in the midst of the breathing, active land just outside the city proper.

Cecelia lets out her breath very carefully, her brow knit as she tries to acclimate to the dizziness overtaking her; it means gripping onto Claude's hands a bit tighter for a moment to keep her balance. there's got to be some method to expanding her magical stamina here, because this feeling will get old quite fast.]

Well then... [she withdraws her hands, combing hair back behind her ear as she looks over her shoulder toward the city.] Curiosity sated for now, mm?

Mm. [she closes her eyes for a moment as she turns her head back to him, nodding and then opening them back up.] I'll need an arm to lean on for my walk back to my lodging, so if you don't mind...

[gods, she needs to find a better space to do this than out in a field if she's going to be this worn out each time. the pace is slow, and that aggravates her, but she doesn't let that eke out into her tone.]

Ah, no. No...nothing of that sort. I just need to rest for a time, is all. Surely it will get easier the more I do it, the way a muscle grows when practiced. [so long as magic follows some sense here...]

[her eyes briefly flicker skyward despite herself.]

Better to simply obtain a more convenient location than wind up having to care for a living animal, I'd wager, mm? I'll be working on that, especially since...this seems to be the way of things for the foreseeable future.

[which is...grim. she'd had a modicum of hope she could contact her celestial cohorts to, if not rescue her outright, at least give her some of the typical tools she'd need to solve this matter! but if they're truly as frozen as the rest of the realms...then she's on her own without her own resources.

it's been a very long time since she's felt this feeble, and part of her is afraid of what the long-term impacts of being in this place will do to her lifespan, distorted as it already is.

some of that anxiety plays outwardly in the way her mouth goes taut and her eyes wince, smoothed back out to neutrality after closing her eyes a few paces as they pass back into the noisy city and she has more to deal with besides her troubles.]

About that, though...improvement. Have you noticed it within yourself? I assume you've lingered here a touch longer than I.