"And dragons in your world are different?"

"Yes, as you yourself have so astutely observed."

She glances at Brisingr. "Are you from the other world, too?"

Brisingr shakes her head. "Nope! I'm just thoroughly odd," she says with a toothy grin.

The girl rubs the back of her head, a bit sheepishly. "I can understand being - unusual for what we are."

Brisingr huffs, still smiling.

" - I'm kind of curious what you were planning with Smaug. Since he's significantly more 'rawr I am fire and death die before my might' than us."

She pauses, considering, then - "I was mostly hoping to scout, but also steal a specific gem from him. The other dwarf royal lines apparently swore their allegiance to the King Under The Mountain and then argued that they swore it to the guy with the Arkenstone in his crown, not to his blacksmith of a grandson. I think said grandson's been hoping if he had it they'd have argued themselves into a corner and would have to support him, or else he could use it as a blunt force weapon if they continued playing legal games."

"My loose plan if I got caught stealing involved challenging Smaug to riddle games with my unharmed freedom as my prize if I won - stories mostly agree dragons like riddles."

"...Big super shiny gem?"

"Think so, they were pretty insistent it's very obvious."

"Oh yeah that thing was really cursed. Smaug possibly knew someone would come for it? I dumped it in a river outside of the Desolation and would really suggest finding something less stupid to swear loyalty oaths to. Or waiting a year before you go find it."

"I'll pass on the recommendation - why is everything in this part of the world cursed - "

"Because it is poorly managed."

"The Lone-Lands don't even have any sort of government and they mostly just end up with wandering wargs - and okay the Barrow-Wights - "

Her brow furrows like she just noticed that everywhere seems to be at least moderately cursed.

"I speak not of mortal governance, but of those who are look after the natural world and keep it on its proper course."

"...Pretty sure the only one of those is Tom Bombadil, and he either won't or can't leave his forest."

"And see the state of the world. Poor management, as I said. There should be a multitude of others."

"Are there where you're from?"

"Yes. Five entire Flights of dragons."

"Are you going to try making the dragons here into - natural managers or something?"

"Possibly."

She nods.

"Thank you for talking to me."

"Are you going to go talk to your dwarves now?"

"Yeah. I might come back with more questions a bit later, if you don't mind?"

"I think I would rather accompany you."

" - The townsfolk might find that a bit alarming."