So I'm about to introduce in a new chapter to the 'The balloon'. So a noblewoman going sightseeing is now going onto a hot air dirigible to sight see. Nothing truly special, just go up a few thousand feet into the air and see the world from the perspective of a bird. There's, of course, a problem. Conversation. The noblewoman is very curious, and seeking to know more. Just plain curiosity. She's seen interesting things in the city, and wants to know more about the source of it. She's got a single guard, her advisor who knows some sorcery, and a single maid who's also cooking. The point of the entire conversation is to have a curious denizen from another world, interact and talk with the sorcerer, who is someone from our world but also acclimitised. So far I have a few ideas: 1. The sorcerer starts talking about things like science and tech, only to be interrupted by his 'guard'. Apparently he has a problem of trying to overly explain and simplify things, which would be fine if not for that the technological secrets he was holding onto had the potential to overthrow kingdoms. It's not that hard to make a hot air balloon. He just doesn't think it's that important, and everyone else disagrees. 2. There's a cartographer on board, and he's in charge of making new maps each time a new airship is sent into the air. There is a conversation on maps, using of sorcery to get useful practical stuff, and his work as a cartographer as well as the governmental re-organization and centralization. There's a lot of stuff happening, and the scribe is a source of valuable information. Also conversations on ultimate goals. 3. A conversation with the sorcerer, and the noblewoman's own advisor, who has knowledge of sorcery. A showcase of different views of the world, on sorcery and tech. This is kinda where I have to start showing about a difference in mindset and views between natives, and people from well, here. This is the harder part. 4. A friendly conversation with the maid on the topics of tea, cakes, soups, and tarts. Even in another world with vastly different cultural customs and technology, there is always the concept of cooking to keep a person sane and grounded. After all, a difference and variety in food is something to be celebrated and discussed. 5. And then lastly I kinda want to show the sorcerer as kinda... 'off'. Wrong body language. Tapping. Staring off into the distance. Word choices, actions, usage of the words 'this world' and 'human beings'. Basically I want an interesting dialogue between people from very different places and cultures.
What does each character want to get out of the conversation? Can you give them opposing goals or motives? Both characters want to convince the other that their viewpoint is right. A is annoyed that B is bothering him and wants to end the conversation without seeming rude. B needs to gather information to report back to her superior and hates feeling like she's being looked down on. A thinks they're flirting, B is stringing him along to get what she wants. A holds an unpopular and or dangerous opinion and is testing the waters to see if B might share that viewpoint, but is scared of what will happen if he's wrong. B is forced to confront the fact she might be wrong about a deeply held belief and lashes out in response. Push your characters to change, to conflict, and conversation becomes much more interesting. One other type of 'change' can also be the reveal of a new element of character we weren't aware of. The character doesn't change, but our view of them does. Or, a significant change in the relationship between two characters, like you might see during a date in a romance novel. Or, the conversation ties into some sort of internal conflict the character has been having and affects that. For a character who has felt extremely isolated, a friendly conversation about how cooking brings people together might change her internal state in an interesting way. That brings us to the subtext of the situation, the things that aren't being said directly but can be inferred when you read between the lines. The surface-level conversation may be perfectly innocuous, but the subtext adds a layer of intrigue and development. It can also engage the reader, making them feel like part of the conversation as they interpret it. Good luck!
Agreeing with @Idiosyncratic —conversation works best, like any part of story, if it includes conflict. After all, conflict is the driver of narrative form. Example—which is more interesting? "Time to get up honey." "Ok." —or— "Time to get up honey." "I am up." It doesn't need to be intense, you should let it range through various levels.
Personally I'd focus on a conversation that adds some depth and personality to the characters. I really like that idea of having the sorcerer having some strange speaking patterns that could make the reader take an interest. One thing I like to do is instead of just having more boring, he said, she said, dialogue try describing what a character is doing while they speak. Instead of telling the reader how a character is feeling, let them figure out how they are feeling by describing actions they take along with they dialogue. For example telling a reader that a character said something angrily vs telling them that they clenched their fist as they said it.
I think your biggest issue here, and the cause of your concern, is that there is no drama value in the outline of their conversation. Your idea thus far is "infodump" or "exposition"; missing the core that's been mentioned above, one or multiple characters seeking to change up a status quo in the conversation. A way I could easily see this conversation/ride develop a narrative value is the Sorcerer revealing that the cartographer are his confidant and invites his guests to a conspiracy / plot / plan along the ride that furthers the plot. High in the air is a perfect place where there's very little stranger ears and eyes.
In other words, what you're saying is that instead of tourism I should have an end goal, whether it's verbal jousting, prying out information, seduction, or trying to convince of an alliance?
Precisely. Bring at least some level of tension into the scene, else it will feel as an infodump of the countryside / cityscape they see and describe.
Then perhaps I have chosen the wrong setting and set up for this scene. It would be better to set up an ambassador scene. And also try and find scenes to copy.
