Plans

Navimie put her pen down, a thoughtful look on her face as she perused the letter she had just drafted.

Nobody had listened to her, despite her complaints and protests.  Her guildies had turned a deaf ear, saying that it was a game of chance, so why was it only her that was having trouble?  Did she lack skill?  Navimie shook her head, as she thought about it.  No.  She didn’t lack skill.  But if those Darkmoon Faire carnies wanted to cheat her of her gold again, then they had another think coming. 

Navimie was convinced that there was something decidedly anti-druid about the Faire.  And she was determined to even the odds.

The Blastenhemier cannon was one of the games at Darkmoon Faire where the competitor gets shot out of a cannon and they fly through the air, with magical wings.  One had to release the magical wings at some point in the air, and try to land inside a designated ring in the water.  To complete the game successfully you had to accrue 5 points, which depended on where one landed in the ring, and would take most people somewhere between 1-3 times.

For Navimie, to successfully complete the game, a normal run was approximately 3-5 times.  And today, she did it 8 times.  She was infuriated.

Which is why she had decided to ask for help, from the only other druid she knew would understand her plight.  Sealing her letter she went out to send her letter to her friend, Akabeko.

Only a day had passed before Navimie received a reply from her friend.  Eagerly she ripped open the letter, shaking out the contents of the correspondence Akabeko had written to her.  A loose sheaf fell to the ground and Navi picked it up, frowning at the sketches that Akabeko had made.  She turned it upside down, but the diagrams still made no sense to her.  With a shrug, she put it underneath the rest of the letter and began to read.

“Dear Navi,” she read.  “It has been too long since we’ve corresponded!  I wish that it could have been over better terms, but I wanted to let you know that I truly understand what you are saying.  I too, agree that something sinister is going on at the Faire.  Though the Blastenheimer has not caused me any particular concern, I agree that it seems ludicrous that you still miss the ring after having practiced it more than 100 times since the carnival first opened.  I think the plan you outlined has some merit.  I wanted to let you know, I feel the same about a certain turtle, and I have some ideas of my own.  Perhaps we can meet in the near future to discuss this?  However, it must be done in secret, sister.  Nobody must know of our plans – swear it on the graves of our forefathers.  But until I hear from you again, walk with the Earthmother, my druid sister.  Akabeko.”

Navimie walked to the fireplace and dropped the letter into it just as Lushnek and Azadelta opened the door.  She jumped with a guilty start, before she regained her composure.  “Oh, hey guys!”

“Hey, Nav!” said Azadelta.  “You ready to go to the Faire now?”

Lushnek walked over to Navimie as she turned to face him, hiding the burning letter from him.  “What are you burning?”

“Yeah, I’m ready to go.  Just gimme a sec, I was just cleaning up some old letters and things.”  She brushed past Lushnek who looked curiously at the tongues of flame licking up the paper and dissolving the words, but he could make out one word clearly.  He frowned.

“Navi,” said Lushnek, suspiciously.  “You’re not still angry about the Blastenheimer are you?  I told you, if it bothers you that much, we can just do what we said to do – get Aza to put a summoning portal in the middle of the ring and when you’ve been shot through the air…”

“No, no, I’m fine,” lied Navimie, hastily.  “It was just bad luck.  I mean, it’s just embarrassing it took me 7 or 8 goes to get the points for landing in the ring…”

“Well, as long as you’re OK, Navi,” said Azadelta, giving her a hug.  “You were pretty upset yesterday.”

“Well,” said Navimie, glancing over her shoulder at the charred remains of the letter in her fireplace as she closed the door.  “I think I’ve pretty much got it all sorted now.”

This story is part of a joint story series with Akabeko of Red Cow Rise.  You can read her story "Causing Trouble" here.