Danika turned and flew toward the market. On her way there, Shrubbery's golden mouse dropped out of the sky holding tightly to a feather and pa.s.sed her its message on its way down. Danika laughed and hovered a moment as she read: "Sorry I'm just tired. It's been a week in the game since I tended my garden and it relaxes me to work on it, so that's what I'm doing this morning. You guys are welcome to come visit it if you want."

Danika swiped over to her friend list and saw that everyone except SaltySiamese was currently logged in to the game. Seeing Logical Heart's name reminded her that she needed to either earn another 10,000 coin or sell the Black Datura seed she'd gotten from the fox. It seemed a shame to sell a rare seed in order to buy her garden s.p.a.ce though, kind of like those stories about people selling their hair to buy a gift and receiving a gift designed to be worn in their hair.

She looked at Ais.h.i.+n's compa.s.s and followed it, only to find him a moment later, apparently following his own screens to her. Ais.h.i.+n looked up as she descended to his level and flashed her a smile. "Hi," Danika greeted him.

"Aw, you aren't a cat anymore," Ais.h.i.+n complained.

"But at least I can just talk to you directly," Danika pointed out.

He flashed her another grin and agreed, "Yeah, that's definitely an advantage."

"I thought you weren't going to have time to play for a few more days?" Danika asked. Then she realized that it was basically the same question she'd asked Shrubbery, except she hadn't mentioned school, so she added quickly, "I'm glad to see you though."

"There were some delays, so I'll be extra busy later, but I've got a little while free for now," Ais.h.i.+n informed her. "I should avoid combat though, I might have to leave suddenly."

"Ok," Danika agreed. "Shrubbery said she's working on her garden this morning, and that we're welcome to visit?"

Ais.h.i.+n gave a short laugh and said, "It's almost sunset."

Danika looked up at the sky and then commented, "That's kind of disorienting sometimes."

Ais.h.i.+n nodded and then Danika turned to orient herself to Shrubbery's compa.s.s. She was facing a building. Ais.h.i.+n asked, "Have you been there before?"

"No," Danika replied.

"Ask her if we should use the North or the West gate, and which town or village is nearest?" Ais.h.i.+n suggested.

Danika sent her little bird off with the request, but then glanced at Ais.h.i.+n and asked, "I thought you could track people."

"We can find her," Ais.h.i.+n agreed, "but I didn't tag her."

"Did you tag Logical Heart?" Danika questioned.

Ais.h.i.+n nodded. Danika gave him a look, and he winked at her. After a moment she asked, "Have you tagged me?"

"No, but good idea," Ais.h.i.+n replied and flicked something almost invisible at her through his menu. Her evasion triggered automatically and she dodged it, but it hit anyway. Nothing seemed to happen and she looked at him. He flashed a grin at her.

Shrubbery's little golden mouse arrived and held up it's message. Danika dropped down to take it and the mouse scampered off. The people around them pointed and commented on the gold messenger while Danika read: "It's just inside the walls of the city. The closest landmark is probably the Koi ponds."

One of the nearby players approached and asked, "Do you know where your friend got that mouse messenger? It's from one of the new repeatable quests right?"

"Yeah," Danika agreed. "It was from helping a group of mice find something to help them build an infinite cheese stone."

"A mischief of mice," Ais.h.i.+n corrected. When both Danika and the other player turned to him with confused looks, he added with a grin, "That's what a group of mice is called."

"Where were they?" the player questioned.

Danika replied uncertainly, "They were at an enchanter's shop here in the human capital, but I'm not sure that they'll appear in the same place again."

--

Ais.h.i.+n led Danika to the Koi ponds as sunset fell. It was a rather enchanting view with the soft red light enhancing the colors of the koi and tinting the lilies, but when she looked at the large pale lily blossoms Danika couldn't help but remember the rotting turtle in the frog swamp, and it kind of spoiled it all.

A few minutes later they found Shrubbery's garden. Danika flew into the low walled garden and gasped in amazement. As night was falling the garden was lighting up. She followed her party compa.s.s right up to the tree in the center of the garden, but still didn't spot Shrubbery. "h.e.l.lo?" she called out. "We're here?"

"Oh," Shrubbery replied. "Just give me a moment to finish energizing my jasmine and I'll come out."

"Sure, take your time," Danika agreed. She couldn't see any building or anything for Shrubbery to come out of, but her voice sounded very close. "Your garden is amazing!" Danika added with enthusiasm. "Do you think I could get the seeds of some of your flowers when I start my little garden s.p.a.ce?"

"You're starting a garden somewhere?" Shrubbery asked curiously.

Ais.h.i.+n asked suddenly, "How did you afford a garden in the city?"

Danika answered Shrubbery first, "I hope to if everything works according to plan at least."

Shrubbery answered Ais.h.i.+n, "I didn't buy it, but I started this character right after the game opened, and this is where it placed my tree. The latest dryad to join our guild was placed out in the farmlands between villages, and I've only met one other who had a tree within the capital city, and she moved hers to her farm as soon as she could afford one." She asked Danika, as she stepped out of her tree, "You were serious when you asked about my guild?"

Danika and Ais.h.i.+n were both staring at her. She'd stepped out of the trunk of her tree as though it had been an illusion. Danika zipped forward and touched the tree. It felt like a normal tree, but when she pulled up her lens and looked at it, it said: "The Gardener's Tree: Level 50, Health good." When she tapped on it, it expanded to read: "A dryad's tree. In late spring after leaves have formed, flowers bloom with four slender white petals. When the summer sky calls, the seeds take flight. Wrapped snug beneath a soft coat of snow, it's sap runs sugary and slow. Identification: Flowering Ash. Sometimes mistaken for an Elder Nimble Tree when occupied."

Shrubbery asked, "ZipZing?"

Danika turned back to her and replied, "Yeah, I mean, don't know that I'll want to join it, but if you don't mind telling me more about it I'd like to hear more. SaltySiamese said that you told her it was great."

Shrubbery tilted her head in thought and then said, "I think we're about half farmers and gardeners as far as paths go. Most of our guild quests are to grow rare fruits or flowers. Everyone is really good about helping each other out."

"Do you have to be a farmer or a gardener?" Danika asked with a frown.

"No, we also have a couple of witches, and there's no rule about it," Shrubbery a.s.sured her.