Tricked

out of it she’s going to be embarrassed, and we just met her .
    › Bacon is the Way and the Truth! But I’m beginning to have my doubts. These noises she’s making are kind of annoying. ‹
    Bark once and she’ll stop out of surprise .
    Oberon barked.
    » Oh! You’re getting excited, aren’t you, Snugglepumpkin? I’d better stop, then. «
    › Hey, good call, Atticus. ‹
    » So how long you think it’s gonna take you to get that road graded for us up to the top of the mesa? « Coyote said, redirecting us back to business. » I wanna start buildin’ that hogan as soon as possible. «
    » Should be good to go by tomorrow morning, « I replied.
    Sophie frowned. » I beg your pardon? You’re going to have a functional road built to the top of that mesa by tomorrow morning? «
    This was also news to Darren Yazzie, whose workers would presumably be accomplishing all this. » Wait, how are we gonna do that? We don’t have the right equipment out here. «
    Whoops. Coyote had already clued me in that these people weren’t aware of his true nature—or mine—but I’d answered him without adjusting for » normal « ears. I covered brilliantly: » Uh— «
    » I think we’re talkin’ ’bout two differ’nt things, « Coyote interrupted, a sly smile on his face and a glint in his eye that told me he was enjoying my mistake. » Don’t mind Mr. Collins here. He’s just a geologist. Completely worthless when it comes to buildin’ shit. He can ’splain the fuck outuva rock though, heh heh. «
    I shot Coyote a glare while Granuaile coughed to hide a laugh. Darren and Sophie confined themselves to smiles, but Frank Chischilly chuckled hoarsely.
    › I think he got your goat, Atticus! And I’ve been meaning to ask you about that expression. When people get your goat, what do they do with it? Do they eat it or hold it for ransom or what? ‹
    See, this is why I enjoy Oberon’s constant commentary. Much of the time it’s a bit distracting and funny enough that I might laugh inappropriately in the face of people who can’t hear what he says. But in this case, it saved me. If he hadn’t been around to point out that I looked irritated, I might have said something stupid and escalated things with Coyote. Instead, I excused myself by saying, » It was nice to meet you all, and I hope to speak with you later. I have some work to do right now though. « I turned and strode up the incline to the base of the mesa, Oberon and Granuaile following in my wake.
    Typically you never get your goat back , I explained to Oberon. So you’re left with two choices. Either you let it go and get another metaphorical goat, or you try to get their goat in a sort of eye-for-an-eye revenge thing. Most people get another goat .
    › Wow. Sounds like a sweet deal for the metaphorical goatherders! Those guys must be livin’ large. ‹
    » That was an interesting encounter, « Granuaile observed, once we were safely out of earshot. I grunted sourly, and my apprentice laughed. » You’re going to build that road tonight out of spite, aren’t you? «
    I grinned, amused that she could read me so easily. » If I can get the elemental to cooperate, I will. Then I want to see our so-called Mr. Benally explain it to Sophie and Darren, because I’m supposed to be a geologist who can’t build shit. «
    » I think it’s funny how he messes with you, « Granuaile said.
    » You do, eh? Well, we’ll see how you like it once he starts playing his tricks on you. They’re not always harmless tricks, you know. There’s a dark side to all tricksters. Coyote laughs at other people’s misfortune more than anything else, and this little name and occupation game of his could be the setup for something bigger down the road. «
    Granuaile’s amusement faded. » We’re protected against him, though, aren’t we? «
    » Protected how? You mean magically? « I snorted. » Coyote doesn’t need magic to trick us. The only thing we can do is try to stay ahead of him. Gotta be smarter than the anthropomorphic canine. «
    › Whoa, did you just talk smack about canines? ‹
    No, I said that Coyote’s a dog in the shape of a man .
    › Oh, yeah, well, I feel sorry for him when he’s like that. He probably can smell hardly at all! This is why we need smelling-nose dogs, Atticus. They’d serve the burgeoning arthro … uh, powerstick canine market. ‹
    Anthropomorphic .
    › Right. That’s totally what I said. You don’t get a point for that. ‹
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