[Her own smile softens with her understanding— though she is newly arrived and there is a great deal that does not make sense to her and even more she doesn't yet know, there is no denying the truth in that. A friendly face makes everything easier, and for Claude to have been here for any length of time without seeing one...

She knows full well how it feels to be far from home in an unfamiliar land with no one you know to lean on. It's not so different from when she'd first come to the Empire.]

I am also having relief. I do not want to think about what this would be like if I had not been knowing anyone. I have already done that before. It was enough.

[In the absence of friends, you can always make new ones— but she likes not having to start from scratch.]

This place is... confusing. We have traveled between countries before. We cannot do that here? Why not?