[Aubrey lets out a mirthless little huff.] It never lets us get used to it for long....

[He doesn’t need to tell her to keep close twice; she appreciates it, all the same. And silently curses herself for not paying more attention in history class.

[She expects noise, clashing weapons, mangled cries… though, maybe that’s just from the dark. No one steps forward to force them into armor, suit them up in some barracks and prepare for slaughter… There doesn’t even seem to be an audience.

[And it’s not an empty arena that greets them, either. Blistering sands, desecrated structures, warped plants twisting into the sky so highly, it’s hard to make out if there are seats past the horizon at all. The building didn’t look half this big from the outside.]

Is this familiar to you…? [Hushed, despite the seeming lack of listeners.]