Chapter 21: Fickle Luck

Friday, March 13

The second month in a row that we had a Friday the thirteenth and I started it off by falling out of bed. It was a result of tripping on the blanket as I was still partly asleep. Not only that, but it was raining hard, with the winds rattling the windows. I tried not to think too negatively on it, but I couldn't get my shower water warm and I accidentally knocked a bowl of cereal on the floor. After I had put the milk in it, of course.

Sitting at the Ranch Table that served for my dining area, I recalled the last Friday the thirteenth. That had been when Bob had asked Monique out for the first time, after getting a lucky pink rose. It had been icy and cold, but it hadn't really been that unlucky. Given the way this one was starting out, I had to wonder about it.

On thinking of it, I pulled the first letter I'd gotten from Monique in her new town. It had arrived a few days ago.

Dear Nadia,

Hello; I hope you're doing well. I'm tired tonight, as the moving about is hard work. But I thought I would write to say that we arrived safely and things are working out so far.

We've moved to a town called Dusk. Apparently, it's a joke because the anchor is a sheep named Dawn, although I'm not sure it's all that clever. Bob thinks it's funny. I suppose it's because dawn and dusk are two different times that shouldn't be together… I'm still not sure it's funny.

Dawn seems too fussy on first impressions. She met with us as we were looking around town and suggested that we move into certain spots, to keep balance in town somehow. We told her that we'd rather live close to each other. To that, she offered two spots that were divided by the river, but close to a bridge so that we are practically neighbors anyhow. More uneven distribution seemed to bother her, so we went ahead with that area.

Dusk's river flows directly through the center of town and the layout is very nearly mirrored on both sides. There are two shops that are in the northern part of town balanced across the river, while the town hall and a formal garden are balanced in the southern part. It does give this place a sophisticated and elegant layout, and there's no cliffs and hills to climb. I think that I'll like it here, although the obsessive attention to balance seems overboard.

I'll write again when I'm not falling asleep at the table!

Your friend, Monique.

It was interesting to hear what another town could hold and look like. Verdant's river roamed about town and there were small hills, the cliffs, and Yggdrasil's hill. But it sounded like Dusk was quite flat, with a formal garden instead of a museum as well as a small river and no lake. Maybe Dawn liked her life to be more orderly, and thus her town reflected that.

No matter what day it was, I had my usual chores to attend to. I took my batbrella and headed outside to check for weeds and fossils; I was still working on furnishing the guest bedroom and paying off that whole upgrade. Before long, a gust caught my umbrella and nearly tore it out of my hands. "Careful out there today, Nadia," my gyroid called.

"I will, thanks," I said and I headed off the path to inspect things. The squish of the ground told me that I'd have to clean my shoes again tonight.

The ground seemed out to trip me during my walk, as I stumbled over roots and small rocks. I came across a dandelion puff once, but its white puffs were clumped and miserable looking due to the rain. On the bright side, when I was on the hill, I could see that Yggdrasil was starting to turn green at the tips far above my head.

As I walked-slipped down the hill, I spotted a bright yellow umbrella coming down the path. It was Dora, clinging onto her protection with both paws. "Morning Nadia," she called out.

"Morning," I called back, getting my balance on flat land again. "It's something of a rough day for a walk."

She nodded. "I know, but I like to take daily walks. I thought I'd better get back into it. Oh, and have you seen any clover patches around?"

"I've seen one pop up," I told her after going over my walks yesterday. "It's by the waterfall's pool, down on the east side."

The mouse thought on it. "Hmm, I'll have to look closely at it. See, I um, I'm looking for a four-leaf clover. A while ago, I had felt like I was in a rut, so I thought a good luck charm might help." She grimaced. "But then Sweetvale disappeared… I probably could use some good luck."

"Nobody was expecting that," I told her. I smiled. "Sorry about saying so, but this would be a tough day to start looking for one."

Dora chuckled. "I suppose so. Even without being the thirteenth…eep!" Both of us clasped our umbrellas against another sudden gust. She sighed. "Yeah, this weather is rough. But I thought that maybe if I looked anyhow, then I might be rewarded with a four-leaf clover for my persistence."

Then a voice spoke to us out of the rain. "If you wish to find a four-leaf clover, then you must think like the clover." I then saw Snake coming up to us; he carried a transparent umbrella that could only be seen by its frame and the water droplets.

Dora stiffened, her tail going still. Then she looked up and saw him. "O-oh, Snake, it's you. Don't scare me like that, squeaky! I thought it was Loki or something."

"Sorry about that," he said. "Too used to sneaking up on people." He spun his umbrella lightly, sending water droplets careening off it. "But learning to be unquiet is harder than it sounds…"

"I could agree with that, I guess," Dora said. "It's harder for me to speak up. You seem the same way Nadia, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah, you just get used to it. But, what were you saying earlier about thinking like a clover?"

The rabbit smiled. "Oh yes, just my thoughts. When you wish to find something hidden, think as it does, and you will find it."

Dora seemed about as puzzled as I was. "But how do you think like a four leaf clover?"

Oddly enough, this seemed to perplex Snake too. "Hmm… I'm not really sure. They like sunshine, right?"

"All plants like sunshine," she said.

But anything else was interrupted by a call from down the path. "GAH, you?"

We turned to see Goose running along the paths as usual, his pants and bare feet muddy today. He was carrying a flame-edged black umbrella, although it didn't seem too effective while he was at his usual jogging. "Hi Goose," I said. "What's the matter?"

"Hi Nadia, Dora." Glaring at Snake, the rooster took a moment to tune his breathing down from running. "How long have you been here?"

"A few minutes, talking with them," he replied. "Why?"

"But I just saw you heading down to the beach. How did you get up here before me?"

"Oh, that." He put a paw to his chin. "Well I thought I'd lost something at the beach, so I went there. But it wasn't in the spot I thought it was, so I went up to the police station to check the lost and found. It was there thankfully, so I was heading home when I saw them." He said this all calmly in a soft-spoken way; he definitely had a voice that was hard to imagine yelling.

Goose looked unconvinced. "But I ran nearly straight here when you say you were all over the place. How did you get here before me?"

Snake smiled proudly. "Oh, I move like the wind." A gust decided to blow our way then, splattering all of us with raindrops again.

"Cold and wet?" Dora asked, pulling her umbrella in closer.

"Quick and silent," he corrected.

"I guess I was moving pretty casual like," Goose said. Then he grinned. "But if I were to run at my best, you'd never beat me."

"Oh really?" Snake asked, daring him to try.

"Really," Goose dared back. "Sorry about running off so sudden, but would you mind counting down for us Nadia?"

"If you're sure you want to race on this slick day," I told them. Both nodded, so I relented. "Okay, don't get yourselves hurt. Three… two… one… go!"

Snake dashed off into the trees to the east, soon vanishing from our sight. On the other hand, Goose took off at full speed down the ramp, purposely slid the last half down, then raced off to the southeast.

The mouse and I watched them go. She shook her head. "Boys, always so competitive. What are you doing out this dreary morning, just wondering?"

"The usual things," I said. "Looking for weeds and fossils."

"Oh, mind if I help?" She smiled. "If you're going to be out working in a rain like this, might as well not be alone."

I smiled back. "If you don't mind, thanks. I've checked all of this upper area now, so we'll just head down. More carefully then he did, though."

She seemed to mostly want someone to talk to, which I didn't mind. We checked the one clover patch that had come up, but it was all three leaf clovers, holding in their buds until the rain cleared. And a bit later, we saw Goose running by us again. From the look on his face, I guessed that he had lost and challenged Snake again.

"I don't think I've ever gotten that worked up over something," Dora told me. "And, I can remember a bit about my life, where running was something I did if my life was in danger. So, it's not really pleasant."

"I can understand that," I said. "Although they must have enjoyed the speed." I did remember some of Goose's story, but I didn't want to share it, especially without his knowledge.

Another gust came by, but this one caught me adjusting my umbrella. It hit right into it, busting two of the supports and flipping the material off some parts of the frame. The 'fwap' noise it made startled Dora into slipping into a mud puddle, getting her blue dress muddy. I nearly slipped myself helping her up, laving me muddy on the pants legs and soon soaked in my shirt.

"Ick," she said, sweeping off some of the mud. "Too bad about your umbrella, Nadia. I can just wash this, but that's trash now."

"Right," I said. Then I pointed off to the south. "At least the Able Sisters are right there. Let's go in."

We hurried over there after Dora handed me her umbrella so we could share. To our surprise, Sable wasn't working as usual. She was at her sewing machine, but she was chatting there with Phyllis and Mabel over mugs of coffee. The younger sister got up quickly, "Oh sorr… sorry Phyllis!" Mabel squealed, after she bumped her mug into splashing a bit on the pelican's dress.

She just huffed and pulled out a wet napkin to dab at it. "You should drink more of your coffee while it's good and hot… but not splash it then."

"Oh, hello girls," Sable said, waving. "Looks like some nasty weather out there."

"No kidding," I said, shaking the umbrella outside before closing it to hand back to Dora.

"Welcome to our shop," Mabel said meekly. "Sorry, we were discussing Pointed Love over there."

"Really?" Dora asked, interested. "Oh my gosh, I just caught back up on the episodes last night. I can't believe that Reginald and Harold both asked Louisa out to the Harvest Moon Festival! I can't guess who she's going to pick either."

"Oh yes, that was intense," Mabel said, apparently forgetting her job or ignoring our wet and muddy clothes. "I really hope she goes with Harold; he's so rugged and cool."

"I think Harold is still trouble," Sable replied. "And Reginald has gone through so much that it'd be really sad if he doesn't win Louisa's love. But then, I'm afraid that they're going to just tease us with this choice and keep things inconclusive."

"She should go out with both of them," Phyllis stated. "That'd solve a number of her issues."

"What, seriously?" Mabel asked, sounding scandalized.

"I doubt they'll do that," Dora said. "But um, I need a new dress and Nadia broke her umbrella."

"Oh, of course, sorry," the blue hedgehog said, blushing. "We have some nice clothes in today, plus I pulled out the raincoats and boots along with the extra umbrellas, in case you'd rather use one to get back home and change. Or you can use the dressing room in back, so long as you pay first."

The other two continued talking about the show, which I guessed was a fairly popular soap opera. I hadn't watched much of my TV aside from the news and a comedy movie once. Dora found a Dutch shirt that could be made into a cute dress for her, but she also got a yellow raincoat due to the wind. And I bought a mint gingham umbrella, a matching shirt, and a pair of rain boots to go over my shoes. I wasn't too worried about my jeans, as I could change back home and get them washed later.

Saturday, March 14

"After catching nothing but cans and boots for a while, I finally hooked a rainbow trout," I said, telling a group at the Saturday party about my day yesterday. "But it somehow slipped off the hook and made a huge splash returning to the water, getting me soaked again. That Friday the thirteenth wasn't going to give up on me."

"Ouch, that sounds rough," Fang said. "When days like that start up, I find it easier to stay in my house instead."

"At least it was a fluke day," I said. "I haven't noticed anything particularly good or bad happen today in terms of luck."

Puddles patted my arm. "Hey, at least you helped clean up the river! Although, I'd like to know who keeps throwing that junk in."

"Mist monsters," Snake said abruptly, sitting in a chair that I was certain had been empty a minute ago. "That's the only explanation that works."

"EEP!" the pink frog said, hopping up into the seat of her chair and startling everyone in the Roost. "When did you get here?"

For a brief moment, Snake looked amused. "Just now," he said.

Fang was amused too. "Now you know how I feel when you jump into a conversation, Puddles," he said, grinning and showing off his teeth.

"Aw, but I do that because you're cute when startled," Puddles said.

"Huh?" the wolf asked, startled at her statement.

She giggled at that. "Just like that." Then she turned to Snake. "Did you startle me because you think I'm cute?"

"I do that to everybody," he replied. Then he frowned, seeming worried. It didn't last long though; he was pretty good at snapping back to a neutral emotional tone.

Most of the group didn't notice, as Puddles grinned in response. "Okay, so that settles it! Fang's my new boyfriend."

"Wh-what?" the wolf sputtered. Then he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. "No I am not, cha-chomp. You annoy me."

"Well then I'll have to convince you otherwise," she said in a decisive tone, sitting back down in her chair.

"You have a big job there," I said teasingly.

"I don't care."

"The challenge can make it more exciting," Snake pointed out, sipping some hot tea out of one of Brewster's white mugs. It was odd, because I hadn't noticed it with him until then.

"You really are quite the ninja with your disappearing and appearing acts," I told him.

Pleased, he nodded. "Thanks."

"Isn't it usually magicians who make things disappear?" Puddles asked.

"It's the same trick, more or less," Snake said. "I did belong to the magician's club for a while."

"Oh yeah, they were cool," she said, nodding. "But I could never get the magic handkerchief trick to work right, because people would notice them and I never did like long sleeves. I belong to the Bug Hunter's club, the organic tea club, and the Sunshine Optimists Club."

"That's not surprising," Fang said.

She looked to him. "So did you join one of the fishing clubs? And are you in any clubs?" She then looked to me.

"You ask enough questions and we won't be able to answer anymore," Fang said gruffly.

"Maybe," I said. "I don't belong to any clubs yet. I've heard bits about them on the radio, but not much."

Puddles bobbed up, all eager. "Oh, then you ought to join something. Most of the clubs are really cool, and you get to learn new things from them and meet new people that are interested in the same things you are. And they hold competitions for nice rewards a lot, so you can become kind of famous too. Like when I finally earn my golden net, they'll put my name in the newsletter and everybody will know about it."

"You can usually find forms to join different ones at a library," Fang added. "I'm not sure ours is big enough to have many forms, though."

"Current members can send you forms too, in the mail," Puddles said.

"That's true. Then you just fill it out and mail it. Some have requirements, though. One of the better fishing clubs requires that you must have caught a certain number of different kinds of fish. I haven't got my collection book for fish yet, so I don't know if I qualify for that one."

Puddles chuckled. "If you don't watch yourself, I'll buy you one and send it right to you. Come on, you really need a fun hobby to loosen up with."

Fang frowned. "Why do you have to keep nagging me about that? I can handle myself."

"Cause I'm your girlfriend, silly billy."

"No you are not!" he replied firmly.

"Calm down, both of you," I said, holding my hand out. "Puddles, you could be more subtle about it."

"Isn't that like telling lightning to be subtle?" Snake commented.

Puddles laughed again, while Fang nodded. "See, he's only been here a few days and already he knows you."

"It's so funny because it's true," she agreed.

But her suggestion of joining a club stuck with me. There were still a few things that I was learning, but I had the hang of everyday life in Animal Crossing. The job of being an anchor and taking care of Verdant and its population kept me busy, but I had time to myself too. Also, I wondered about taking up a hobby. A lot of the residents seemed to have one, even if it was as simple as walking.

Besides, I thought, it might be necessary. Loki kept getting after me for being bland. But if I was part of a club or had a hobby, then that had to be interesting. And it would be working on one of the conditions on the card that stated the weaknesses of my soul.

I talked with it later with a calmer group, Dora, Rodeo, and Pecan. "I don't know what I'd pick, but there should be interesting options out there."

"Oh yes, there's lots of options," Dora said. "I've belonged to several, but right now I'm just with the Cheese Lover's Club."

Pecan sniffed, bobbing her brown tail. "The food clubs are so easy to belong to," she said with a bit of disdain. "The discounts on gourmet items are nice, but you don't do much of anything unless you're in a cooking club."

"I guess," the mouse said shyly. "But some clubs take a lot of work, more than they're worth. What clubs do you belong to?"

"Elegant Homes, of course." Seeing my curious look, she added, "A club dedicated to being the very best interior designers. And the Stalk Market Masters Club. It's difficult to belong to the first without being a member of the second, due to the finances required."

"I saw a Market Masters' newsletter once," Rodeo said. "It was so confusing, what with all the talks of spikes, busts, and blips. And none of the Market Masters seem to actually eat the turnips."

"Of course not, chipmunk," Pecan said dismissively. "They're much too valuable. They should only be eaten if they're close to a week old and the market is at rock bottom price."

"I like beets and lettuces better anyhow," the bull said. "I belong to the Green Thumb Club, but I'm working through the application process for the Rose Guild."

"What's different about that one?" I asked.

"Oh, it's a lot of work," he said, momentarily looking dispirited. "See, you have to have an exclusive rose garden with at least twenty flowers and two hybrid colors."

"But you have that, don't you?" Dora asked. "I've seen your pink and orange roses."

He nodded. "And I have the climbing rose, which helps. But then you also have to have it planned out all nice, with garden decorations that fit in. After you get it ready, you send in the application with a petal from one of your hybrids, and then they send a representative to judge your garden. I'm already getting the Sweet Roses magazine and they say that the Rose Guild is the hardest gardening club to join because of the garden judging. That's even over the Exotic Plants Club, which is expensive to join because they require you to have five rare plants in your garden and they don't count most hybrids."

"But if you like something, you should try joining the club for it," Pecan said. "Such as your Rose Guild. What do you like to do, Nadia?"

"Well I like to read," I said. "Maybe a book club."

"There's a few of those," Dora said. "Can you do anything special?"

I smiled a bit. "Je parle français. Y atil un club pour cela?"

"What?" she asked, puzzled.

"I speak French," I told her.

"I doubt there are any foreign language clubs around," Pecan said, smirking. "Everyone speaks the same words here, although a few individuals cross over knowing a second. Not enough to make anything social out of it."

"There might still be," Dora said. "I mean, it wouldn't be anything formal like the Rose Guild, but if enough people can speak two languages, someone might have started one. You haven't been around long enough to do that yourself, though."

"Well there's no need to rush, so consider it well," Pecan advised, sipping at her coffee.

Tuesday, March 17

I didn't have any Irish heritage to my knowledge, so I never really did much special for St. Patrick's Day. And I didn't expect there to be anything going on. But I did encounter Tortimer and Goose on the town hall plaza. "Enjoying the sunshine?" I called out to them.

"Oh yes, of course," Tortimer said, smiling. "After that last snowfall and all the rain and wind storms we've had since, a nice sunny day is just the thing to lift the spirits. And it's a holiday." He chuckled. "Good thing you're wearing green, sprout."

I did have my mint gingham shirt on. "Right, but I wouldn't have expected St. Patrick's to show up here," I said. "Would anyone remember enough to know Ireland?"

"Well it's not an official one," he admitted. "But, I'll take any excuse to make a day special!"

"Yeah, but why green?" Goose asked. I noted that he was wearing a red tank top with the number 1 on it. "I don't know anything about this holiday."

"It's because Ireland is a very green country, and they're proud of their history," I said. "Also, it's associated with things like four-leaf clovers and the coming official start of spring. I don't know much of it myself, but St. Patrick is said to have converted Ireland's people to Christianity, which is historically based, and to have driven out all the snakes from the country, which isn't based in history."

"Huh." Then he frowned and muttered, "Well I can think of one snake I'd like to drive out of here." Then he headed into the town hall.

"I also like green because it's my color," the tortoise said jokingly. "Well I can't give you a four leaf clover, but I can give you this." He pulled out a leaf item and handed it over. "It's a grass model, which will put a very realistic patch of grass on your floor. Put enough of them down and maybe you'll get a clover to grow inside!" He laughed.

I took the grass model. "That would be impressive," I said to amuse him. "Thank you." Then I went inside town hall myself. While I had a book to turn back in, I was also concerned about Goose. He was mailing off some letters, so I waited for him to step away from the counter. "Is something up with you and Snake?" I asked.

"He infuriates me," the chicken said, tensing up. "I mean, sometimes I think I shouldn't let it get to me. But he keeps winning our races! Without breaking a sweat even! I don't know about you, buh-kay, but I think he's cheating."

That puzzled me. "Cheating? How would he cheat in a race, but not make it obvious?"

"It isn't obvious, not like tripping me or throwing something on my path. But still, I run an honest race and when I can see him, Snake doesn't seem all that quick. But once I lose sight of him, bam, all of a sudden he's right at the finish line just chilling out." He crossed his wings over his chest. "I just don't get it."

I considered what I had seen of our newest resident. "Maybe he jumps through the trees instead of running around them," I suggested. "I've seen him drop out of trees before and he seems comfortable doing so."

"Could be." Goose sighed, relaxing his body some. "I dunno, it makes me feel bad when I run an honest footrace and work so hard at it and this new guy shows up and moves even quicker than me, not seeming to put any effort in. Maybe it's because he's a rabbit."

"Have you tried asking how he trains?"

"That could be interesting," he admitted. "But when I asked him how he keeps winning, he wouldn't say. Said it was a ninja secret or something."

"Odd." I thought of something which made me smile. "Well if you're going to be rivals, be friendly about it, all right? Having someone who can do that well egging you on is sure to make you push yourself to be even better."

He brightened up to that. "Hey, yeah! That'd work out great. Thanks Nadia. If he's going to be all chill and smug around me, well then I'll have to throw it right back at him and push up my game. I'd better get to practicing then. See ya!" He headed out.

"Good luck," I said to him, waving.

In WW, Sable will talk about watching her favorite soap opera, Pointed Love (I think on Thursdays if you're friends with her). In the GC game, Phyllis will complain about missing her soaps at some point in her dialogue tree. So it only makes sense that if those two were to connect, it'd be about soap operas.

The neighbors will talk about clubs at random, but usually weird ones. Queenie was gossiping with me about how two random neighbors were in the same organic *random food item* club, and I had one jock-type want to start a lacrosse team with me once. Love those random dialogues.

This morning, I got my golden fishing rod for WW! But I have to wait until June (and the firefly) for the golden net...