InsaneJournal

Cimorene didn't relax at the sound of the woman's voice, namely because she had a staff. Wizards were men, so that wasn't much of a worry, but she didn't like the idea that there could be a wizard nearby, just waiting for that staff to be passed over. So, she stayed on her guard, hand at her side, but finger pointed, ready to drench any wizard within a hundred yards with soapy, lemony water. That'd show them.

"Leave the staff," she replied, holding her hand out, palm flat, indicating that the woman shouldn't move any closer while she still had it. "Where did you get that? Who from? You know what that is, don't you?" she asked, wondering how far in this woman had been taken. She wouldn't have been the first to fall to the false charm that wizards always seemed to possess, after all. "I won't hurt you, just leave the staff."

"I am Princess Cimorene of the Kingdom of Linderwall, now princess of the King of Dragons, Kazul. And that is a wizard's staff. It's not safe, you really shouldn't carry it around like that," she advised, wondering if there was something in this strange world that could destroy it. There certainly wasn't in her own.

Cimorene's eyes narrowed. "So that's your staff then?" she asked, and then raised her pre-pointed finger to aim a jet of soapy, lemon-scented water at the woman's foot. There was no point in soaking her completely just to relieve Cimorene's unease, after all. But, as the woman didn't melt, she obviously wasn't a wizard in disguise, so that was something. "Just had to make certain."

The voice at her side had Cimorene turning with the same started look she'd given the other woman, her hand still on her sword. Was this some sort of ambush? Was she going to have to fight her way out? "Haven't a clue, and yes, I did say wizard. That looks exactly like a wizard's staff, and I'd rather avoid having contact with them again, if it's all the same. "I'm Princess Cimorene of--" she stopped herself and shook her head. "Cimorene. And you are?" Then she blinked and turned to the other woman. "You didn't give your name, now that I think of it..."

The princess made a face. "Cimorene is fine, please," she assured the younger girl, shaking her head. "Well met, Hermione, Yuna," she offered, dipping slightly at the pair of them each in turn.

She noticed the light coming from the stick in Hermione's hand and tilted her head to the side a bit. "I've never seen a witch use a wand before," she commented, pointing at it. "Just fairies, but they're fairly useless unless they're performing christening curses anyway," she shrugged. She hadn't had one, but plenty of people she knew had. Rightly annoying.

At Yuna's suggestion, Cimorene nodded and then stepped back next to Hermione. "Hold still," she said quietly, tapped the girl's chest with an outstretched finger, and then threw the energy around the pair of them. It was invisible, but the air around the girls seemed to shimmer. "Just in case," she said with a polite smile at the summoner.

"They don't need them, at least, where I'm from," Cimorene said with a shake of her head at Hermione. She blinked and laughed a bit at Hermione's idea that her world was strange. "You haven't heard of the fairies in the Sleeping Beauty story?" she asked, knowing that the tales of her family and others like it were spread far and wide. At least, where she was from. "Rose was my great aunt." She kept her gaze trained on Yuna while answering the girl's other questions. "Shielding spell. And soapy water, with a bit of lemon, melts wizards. It's not permanent, but it helps a great deal when you're surrounded. But she's obviously not a wizard," Cimorene shrugged.

Cimorene's eyes widened at Shiva, and she felt a great deal more at ease when the apparition disappeared. She took down the shield and let out a bit of a sigh, relaxing slightly. No one was looking for a fight, and Cimorene knew that if they each laid a portion of their cards on the table, everyone would feel a great deal more at ease. "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves a bit better," she said with an air that she generally used in the court, though it wasn't on purpose. She was just used to taking charge.

Spreading her skirts, Cimorene sat gracefully in the grass and folded her hands in her lap, forcing herself to be comfortable, so that the others might do the same. "I am Cimorene, as I said before. I was taken from the Enchanted Forest, where I was the princess of the King of Dragons. Where I come from, as I said, witches have no need for wands or staffs, like the pair of you carry. I'm not one, though I do have some skill with magic, but it's things I've picked up along the way," she said, gesturing to the blue ball that had been floating above her head the entire time, which sank into the grass in the center of the three women, functioning as both a light source and a bit of warmth.

"She was very real," Cimorene insisted with a emphatic nod. There was no maybe about it. "I haven't run into any wizards to try it on yet. But I don't see why it wouldn't work."

She listened to each woman's story in turn and nodded a bit. Hermione's was sad, of course, and Cimorene gave her a small hopeful smile, but given her own uncertainty, she certainly couldn't offer much more than that. After all, her absence was destroying her whole world. "I hope things work out," she sighed, shaking her head a little bit.

"Oh this? It's dragon magic," she said with a slight shrug. "Where I am from, there are different kinds. Most can be learned to some extent by just about everyone. My talent doesn't extend much past a basic invisibility spell though."

Cimorene leaned back slightly when the bird thing appeared out of nowhere, but other than that, she didn't show any fear, just interest and idle amusement. It must have been nice, to be able to cause creatures such as those up to do your bidding. Cimorene was more of a hands-on type of person though.

"No, I don't need anything as far as staffs or wands go," she said with a shake of her head and a little smile. "The initial casting is more difficult, and usually requires ingredients, but once a spell is set, I only need the code phrase, and sometimes a pinch of an herb or something," she told the women, patting the little bag on her hip.

"Every intelligent creature - where I am from - carries their own inherent magic or abilities. If you have a mind to, you can learn just about any variety, though it's always easier if you're part of the species that created it," Cimorene explained. "I've lived with the dragons for quite a while now, and so it comes easier to me than it would to a normal human."