So magic's been in decline where you come from? It's the same in my world. At least to an extent. What I see here is the sort of thing I'd associate with ancient eras on my planet.

[Well. He is a magus and all, and more than a little bit of a nerd at that. Comparing the magic he knows to what's here, and again to what other people are familiar with, is genuinely very interesting to him on a personal and academic level. He's written so many magecraft essays across the years of his studies!

As he finishes up the outline of the circle and begins his second pass around to catch all the finer details—they're easier to fill in once the skeleton of the array is in place—he could almost, almost forget about the stench. Being distracted by the conversation is teaming up with olfactory fatigue to make it almost bearable. But then his chatting shifts his mask just so, and he gets a little blast of very-not-fresh air; he has to pause and cough thickly, hand to his mouth.]

Ugh, shit.