Swamped

"Maybe something happens when someone's inside," you muse. "You want to try it? It might be something with ether, in which case I wouldn't notice."

Marshall seems a little skeptical.

"I won't touch anything!" you say, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "I'll just close the door and you tell me if you see anything. If the ether's fading, there's no way it's going to act up on its own, is there?"

"Not on its own, no," Marshall says. "And I don't think I can subconsciously manipulate ether if I'm specifically sensing it. I'm just a little worried that if something does go wrong, I might end up halfway across the world."

"I guess that makes sense. But you're a lot more likely to be able to figure out if that's happening than I am."

"You're saying that like I've known anything about how magic works for more than a few days." Marshall paces back and forth for a bit. "I think it would be safer to ask Captain Long... but then, he probably needs to rest."

"Okay, tell you what. If you notice anything about the ether that worries you, just open the door. Or, I guess if you need your hand for something else, then kick the door real hard so I know to let you out."

"All right. I suppose that's safe enough."

You open the door to the chamber, and Marshall steps in. Then you shut the door and wait for a response.