She inhales with a hiss through her teeth.

"He's dead, his main lieutenants are dead, we're working on cleansing Orr again..."

"Right," she agrees, carefully taking slow, measured breaths. "He's dead, you killed him, his lieutenants are dead, everyone he trapped in their own rotting corpse is either free or on their way to being free. He is dead, and he's not coming back, and if he does so help me I will rip him to pieces with my bare fucking hands—" She sucks in another breath, and closes her eyes. No, calm. "Dead. He's dead. Very dead."

"I'm sorry, this was not the best way for me to—tell you—"

"I don't think there could be a best way. I don't think this is that kind of thing. I think it's just, just bound to be awful no matter how you could have approached it. You don't have anything to be sorry for. I'd rather know than not." Lean. Carefully measured breaths. "The important thing is that the bastard is dead."

"Extremely dead. We—did not know they could be killed, before."

"I realize the others are probably just as bad in new and exciting ways, but I am glad you found out with him. I'm glad he was first." Deep breath. She's calming down a little now. "He's very extremely dead. Thank you, on my own behalf and on, on whatever ability I have to thank you on Orr's behalf."

He nods. "Heads up." Aaand updraft.

She leans into him and lets herself make a little sigh. Yes, that's very soothing, gliding is so great.

"So," she says, attempting to change topics a little so that she can get some distance from her anger, "if he was one of the dragons, I am definitely available for further dragonslaying. I don't—I don't want monsters like that to exist in the world." Lean. "I figure after the Mists I get to have a long and aggressively happy life, it's not my problem if they just so happen to be stupid enough to try to get in the way of that."

"We are of a mind, then," he says, grinning under his mask. "I, too, would rather have a very long and happy life."

"Good." She smiles prettily up at him. "You're..." She's not sure how to put her feelings into words without it coming out wrong. It's much easier just to say something witty and irreverent, she has a lot of practice with that. Not with feelings. "... I'm glad you were the person I landed on straight out of the Mists. I like you."

He chuckles. "I am glad you were the person the Mists spat out at me."

"That's not nearly as flattering as my declaration," she points out, amused.

"Is it not?" he asks mildly. "Heads up." And another updraft.

She makes a little happy squeak at the updraft, then snorts.

"Mmmm, no. Most other people you would have gotten would have been... less okay than I am."

"I suppose that's true," he concedes. "I am glad I met you regardless of circumstances. How's this?"

"Much better," she hums. "I'm so glad to be here."

He laughs. "Last one..." And after that updraft they reach the enormous floating rock where the coliseum is.

He looks for a spot to land at the lowest outcropping of the rock and finds the ruins of what was a plaza or a room of sorts.

After he puts her down, she notes that this is reasonably secluded, then gives him a speculative look. "James? Take off your helmet for, mm, thirty seconds?"

He obliges. "Miss my face?"

"Terribly." She leans up and very gently presses a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you. Carry on, clothes may go back on now."

"Wouldn't want to overwhelm the princess," he agrees, and puts his helmet and the gauntlets back on. "Let's find Canach and perhaps a traitorous minister, shall we?"

"Let's!"

He goes through the doorway on the wall that's still standing and there's another wall with another doorway on the other side of that space, but he stops a couple of feet before it and peers at the spot on the floor directly in front of the doorway.

There are several circular holes on it.

"... Huh," she comments. "Good eye. Trap?"