a little street magic

[minthemagician]

Who: Irmingard of Landing and YOU
What: Magick-ing about
When: Tuesday mid-day
Where: The streets of Jhelbor

"There is more to being a magician than magic. You need to be clever."It's cold in Jhelbor, colder than she's used to. Definitely not the right weather for a curbside show. Luckily, there are other ways

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[cassie_of_troy]

Cassandra had been restless. Her feet yearned to move and so, at last, she surrendered to them, grabbing her ill-gotten quiver and bow. She meant to head down to the old, gnarled tree, and get back to the task of killing it slowly with arrows. But something caught her attention. Someone caught her attention.

She pulled into the dark shadow of a building to watch the show. Magician. The same silvery gray aura. She had never seen any of the others attempt spells quite like that before. Then again, there was little occasion for any of the worldwalkers to be putting on a show for others. Such was an act of merriment. They had been far too concerned with their own survival.

As the dragon flew away and the man gave the girl a coin, Cassandra clapped her hands quietly. Amusing. But still, Cassandra remained where she was. This girl was not necessarily harmless, even if her last trick seemed that way. She was not a worldwalker. Cassandra couldn't trust her.

[minthemagician]

As she began to sweep the passers-by for anyone who appeared worth the time and energy to bother, Min caught sight of the woman in the alleyway. It wasn't in time to see her applauding, but just in time to see her hands drop.

The woman seemed impassive. But she was watching. That could mean something. It was worth a try, in any case. Not too much time would be wasted if Min failed.

She approached and adopted a stance similar to the one she'd shown the man: bowing slightly at the waist, one arm around her back and the other extended. "Enjoying the show, madam? I could do more, for a bit of encouragement."

[cassie_of_troy]

A faint smile threatened to break Cassandra's lips. Madam? That was a new one. "I'm afraid," she told the magician, "that the only encouragement I could possibly offer would be in the form of words. And I doubt very much that is the sort of encouragement you wanted." A pity too. Few people recognized the power of words. But this was hardly the time to dwell on such things.

"Instead, I suppose I should offer you welcome, Min the Magician. Welcome to Jhelbor." She dipped her head slightly, out of respect rather than any sort of humility. "I cannot promise you how your business will be in worldwalker territory, but I can certainly promise you everything unexpected. That is our creed here in this city."

[minthemagician]

Min straightened and shrugged. Nothing gained, only a moment lost.

Except -- hold on a minute. 'Our' creed...?

"You're a worldwalker?" Her tone had changed suddenly, from one of showmanship to... well, one that Cassandra would probably recognize very well. It was the same way people from Earth might ask her if she was that Cassandra.

[cassie_of_troy]

Cassandra supposed it couldn't be all that obvious. She hardly wore a sign around her neck that said, 'I am a worldwalker.' And Min certainly wasn't a shaman, so she couldn't simply look at Cassandra's aura and tell. Nevertheless, she was a bit surprised by the reaction. Frankly, she thought she had been rather obvious about it.

"Unfortunately," she said with a slight nod.

[minthemagician]

Min's eyes narrowed and swept Cassandra up and down. Her clothes might have looked a little odd, but it was difficult to tell with winter garb.

"You look just like everyone else to me." A little secret smile appeared on her face. Prove it, it said.

[cassie_of_troy]

"Well, I am like everyone else," Cassandra mused, the humor of it saturating her voice. She was unlike anyone in the world. And yet, as she stood there, she had two eyes, two arms, two legs. And yes, occasionally two voices inside of her head, but that was another story. "The only thing that makes me different is that I'm from another world."

She swept her long, tangled curls back behind her shoulder with one fluid movement of her torso. "Where are you from?"

[minthemagician]

"My full name is Irmingard of Landing." Min was finding herself underwhelmed. The woman looked -- regal, she supposed was the right word. But hardly like a god or a legend. Still, Min was willing to play along, just for a bit longer. "Where are you from?"

[cassie_of_troy]

"Troy," Cassandra answered mechanically. "The chosen kingdom of Zeus, east of the Greek city-states. Long sacked by now, but you wouldn't know much about that, being that you're not from my world." She shifted the quiver on her back, drawing the strap over one shoulder with both of her hands. It was interesting. Cassandra could, if she so chose, completely make up a fictional history for herself and no one would be the wiser. Perhaps, she thought wryly, she should have realized this before she told the first worldwalker that she was a Trojan princess. It might have saved her some annoyance. There had to be other girls out there with the name Cassandra.

And why Min wasn't interested in her name was another mystery.

"I must confess," she said slowly, "that I have no concept of just what or where this Landing you speak of is. I'm still quite unfamiliar with the Rowanese landscape as a whole."

[minthemagician]

Min, meanwhile, was starting to wonder why this supposed worldwalker wasn't offering her name. Min had already offered hers.

"Well..." Min reached up to draw back her hair and reveal her ears. Perfectly round edges, no hint of a point. "Supposedly, your ship stopped overnight at our fair city after His Highness plucked you out of the desert." She shrugged. "So. Do worldwalkers have names, or...?"

[cassie_of_troy]

Cassandra smirked. She rather liked this magician's pluck. "I would be remiss to speak on behalf of all the worldwalkers," she said dryly, "but as for myself, I am called Cassandra. Of Troy, I suppose, but I will hardly be offended without the title."

Vaguely, she recalled Landing now. Or at least, she thought she did. The whole exodus after the desert had been something of a blur. But that must have been where she and Cris had their heartfelt, rooftop conversation. Yes. That had been a good evening. It brought a slight, albeit wry, smile to her lips. But most of her smiles were wry.

"You seem a bit disappointed. Were you expecting the worldwalkers to be mighty and impressive beings? If so, you'll be sadly disappointed."

[minthemagician]

Min offered a wry smirk of her own, and her eyes swept over Cassandra one more time. "My sister still doesn't believe you exist. I may have to exaggerate a bit in my letters home."

[cassie_of_troy]

"I'm not sure we do exist," Cassandra murmured. "Socially. Politically. Spiritually. Jhelbor is our home because it is a place where no one belongs." She liked the sound of that. The city had been abandoned once, discarded and unwanted. And she felt quite at home, at this point, living among the fossils.

Like a curious cat, she tilted her head to one side. "What brings you here?" she asked.

[minthemagician]

Well, how about that. Somewhere in this conversation, Min ended up believing Cassandra. Or, at least, not completely disbelieving her. She looked away for a moment, back toward the street and the passers-by, appearing thoughtful.

"The same thing that's bringing dozens of others in every day," she said, turning back with a cavalier air. "The prospect of a neutral city, and the chance to meet beings from another world."

[cassie_of_troy]

Idealistic? Foolish? Or a good liar? Cassandra couldn't be sure but, much against her will, she found herself drawn more and more to this mysterious woman. "The chance to meet beings from another world, I can promise you. Neutrality is tenuous at best for now, but decidedly in everyone's best interests. I am glad that other people recognize that fact."

As much as she wanted to ask Min if she had come to Jhelbor because she belonged nowhere else, Cassandra held her tongue. There was a first time for everything.

"I had a sister," she said, hoping to perhaps learn more about this woman. "Polyxena. She never believed a word I said either." Nevermind that no one did. "What's your sister's name?"

[minthemagician]

"Adelaide." She couldn't help but wonder why Cassandra was so interested in asking so many questions, but on the other hand she couldn't find much harm in answering them. "She has got a brain between her ears. A bit too much of one, I sometimes think. She refuses to look at anything from an illogical point of view." Still, one corner of her mouth twitched upward as she thought of her sister.