"That's a terrible pun."
"That's an excellent pun and you're just jealous you didn't think of it first."
"I don't make puns about vegetables."
"Your loss. Vegetable humor is very popular in agricultural communities."
"I'm beginning to see why you and the village suit each other so well."
"Was that a compliment?"
"More of an observation."
"You and your observations. Do you ever just experience things without analyzing them?"
"Experience without analysis is just chaos."
"Sometimes chaos is fun."
"Said the woman who organized a task list with footnotes."
"Those footnotes are necessary contextual information."
"One of them just says 'Remember: the vicar is afraid of geese.'"
"That's crucial information if you're going to be involved in goose-catching."
"Why is the vicar afraid of geese?"
"Childhood incident. We don't talk about it. But if you see him and a goose in proximity, intervene immediately."
"This village is insane."
"This village is colorful. There's a difference."
"Is there though?"
Marianne moved to the window, looking out at the square where various villagers were bustling about with armfuls of decorations. "You know, Mr. Fletcher, most people would be grateful to be included in community preparations."
"Most people haven't seen your task list."
"The previous steward, the other Mr. Fletcher, never complained."
"He also stole from the estate and fled in the night."
"Fair point. Though I'm starting to think the theft was incidental and the fleeing was about the geese."
"What exactly did these geese do?"
"What haven't they done? They're criminal masterminds with feathers and a taste for chaos. Last year they organized a coordinated attack on the pie tent."
"Geese can't organize."
"These geese can. They have a hierarchy and battle tactics. The large one—we call him Admiral Feathers—he's the strategic mind. The two medium ones are his lieutenants. The rest are foot soldiers. Or wing soldiers. Whatever you call goose infantry."
"You've named the geese?"
"You can't fight an enemy you don't know.
