"It still shocks me that you did Thornlight without a ritual to follow. I can help you fix that for next time," Stillwater offered. Bridget was shocked on so many levels she barely knew where to begin.
"You think there are things I need to fix? What about Thornlight was ineffective?" She asked sharply.
"Well you weren't able to light the fire. Had you thought ahead you could have brought dry kindling and avoided that problem."
"I wasn't supposed to be able to light the fire. I was supposed to look incompetent. Your reaction… that was the point." Stillwater audibly gasped.
"You mean… that was on purpose? But… why?"
"I don't know. I was just told to go, completely unprepared… and so I did. I think I was supposed to be seen for my effort, not my skills or my ritual. I was just supposed to… connect."
Stillwater thought hard about this, suspicious that any ceremony could be purposefully and effectively be performed off the cuff… but yet… it did. Her usual quietness turned solemn.
"Stillwater," Bridget began. "I'm thinking about going back to the swamp. There seems to be confusion about humans. Spirits keep trying to help me but making it worse. Would it be helpful if I went and told them about my experiences?"
"That is a wonderful idea, Bridget. You already have credibility with them. Let me plan it for you, and then you can go and deliver the message."
Bridget had to stare at a tree to keep her eyes from rolling all the way into the back of her head.
"Perfect," she said. "You tell me exactly what to do."
And Stillwater came up with a plan.