"You're back, Sahpec?" a husky yet feminine voice came from the doorway, then an enormous -- from Arianna's point of view" --figure strode over to the table where the cat looked up. A well-built woman with deep scarlet hair reached out to scratch behind Sahpec's ears, who began purring contentedly. Finally her piercing eyes turned to Arianna.
"So that was the source of the curse I felt," the woman muttered, looking Arianna up and down. "That fool Bachus, always flying off the handle."
At first, Arianna was still stricken with terror, until she heard the name "Bachus." That seemed to flip a switch inside her, at which point she began her tirade anew. Of course, it came out as nothing but squeaking.
"Hmm..." the woman pondered, ignoring Arianna's vociferous behavior. "Even communication, huh? This should make things easier..." she said as she traced some figures on the table around the beaker which held Arianna. Suddenly, the high-pitched onslaught was transformed into a furious, but very small, voice.
"-- who I am? I demand you return me to my glorious form at once! Once I let my father know the indignities I have suffered--" Arianna, who was too incensed to realize her words had returned to human speech, was cut off by the strange woman.
"I can't do that," the woman said flatly. Before the dumbfounded Arianna could register her words, she continued. "Every curse has a specific 'key' to unlock it. Only Bachus would know what that is, since he's the one who invoked it. Useless men, always causing problems others have to clean up."
"By the way, Sahpec, who is she anyway?" the woman suddenly turned to the cat. "Where did you find her?"
"The royal palace," Sahpec replied easily, shocking Arianna into silence at the thought of a talking cat. The fact that she was currently a talking mouse did not enter her thought process. "She's the princess."
"Really, that damn Bachus," the woman held her forehead and cursed. "And that useless king on top of everything."
"Who do you think you are to have the temerity to insult the royal family?" Arianna squeaked indignantly, her current form lacking any of the coercion necessary to intimidate.
"Well, little princess, I just happen to be the infamous witch Orenia," the woman sneered with an overly exaggerated curtsy.