Neither rain, nor snow, nor gloom of night: A Flying Circus Quest

[X] The coolest route: I'm going to fly under the Princess Theresia Bridge that used to cross the sound. The part that's still standing, of course. I told Kasimir and Viktoria I would do it and Viktoria said I wouldn't, so now I have to!
 
[X] The safest route: I will just follow the coast north the whole way, then turn west out to sea once I reach the beached warships, which should take me right over the island. It's impossible to miss and all I must do is keep the coast on my left (even if stupid Waldemar says that I do not know my right from my left).
 
[X] The safest route: I will just follow the coast north the whole way, then turn west out to sea once I reach the beached warships, which should take me right over the island. It's impossible to miss and all I must do is keep the coast on my left (even if stupid Waldemar says that I do not know my right from my left).
 
[X] The coolest route: I'm going to fly under the Princess Theresia Bridge that used to cross the sound. The part that's still standing, of course. I told Kasimir and Viktoria I would do it and Viktoria said I wouldn't, so now I have to!

I mean, now you have to do it.
 
[X] The fastest route: Once I take off, I will turn to the appropriate compass heading and head directly out across the sound towards Treburg. It will mean a lot of flying over water, but it is the quickest way and will get me there quickly. It's a good way to show that I mean business.
... I trust Annalise to be able to navigate this. In any other circumstances, any other, I'd suggest being all over sightseeing or daredevilerey, but our cargo is precious! Even if not monetarily.
 
[X] The coolest route: I'm going to fly under the Princess Theresia Bridge that used to cross the sound. The part that's still standing, of course. I told Kasimir and Viktoria I would do it and Viktoria said I wouldn't, so now I have to!
 
[X] The safest route: I will just follow the coast north the whole way, then turn west out to sea once I reach the beached warships, which should take me right over the island. It's impossible to miss and all I must do is keep the coast on my left (even if stupid Waldemar says that I do not know my right from my left).
 
[x] The coolest route: I'm going to fly under the Princess Theresia Bridge that used to cross the sound. The part that's still standing, of course. I told Kasimir and Viktoria I would do it and Viktoria said I wouldn't, so now I have to!

We have to! Says right there.
 
[x] The coolest route: I'm going to fly under the Princess Theresia Bridge that used to cross the sound. The part that's still standing, of course. I told Kasimir and Viktoria I would do it and Viktoria said I wouldn't, so now I have to!
 
[X] The most interesting route: I very badly want to see the Steel Harbor and it is not so very far away from my route, so I am going to detour a little so I can look at all the old wrecks from the war. The winds there can be unpredictable (and it is supposed to be haunted) but I am a good pilot and not scared of silly things like ghosts.
 
[x] The fastest route: Once I take off, I will turn to the appropriate compass heading and head directly out across the sound towards Treburg. It will mean a lot of flying over water, but it is the quickest way and will get me there quickly. It's a good way to show that I mean business.
 
1-2: Routine flight
0935 hours: I have good things to report about my first successful delivery!

Firstly, as I am writing this, I did not die! This is a good way to start a career, I think. Secondly, my journey was as wonderful and exciting as I could have hoped, and while I'm taking a moment to relax I figure I should recount it, while the memory is fresh.

Takeoff was smooth and problem free, and the Fledermaus is as stable now as in its first test flights. It simply jumped into the air after a short roll, eager to take to the sky, and unlike the town's battered old Ritter Model C, there was nearly no torque to fight. A bit of a wobble at slow speeds, but nothing I can't handle! Also, it's not making me inhale castor oil the whole time, which is a plus. The exhaust is much more tolerable.

I climbed to about three hundred meters at first, not wanting to gain too much, and circled the town a few times to ensure everything was in order. Seeing Feldhausen from the air in my OWN aeroplane is something that is still magical. You can see all the houses and fields laid out like postage stamps. The windmills look like toys, with their arms turning in the breeze. You can also see the big opening torn into the old dam much better from up here. I wonder how big the bomb that was used had to be for that? It must have been loud--and I am glad we were not here when it happened. Papa said that the whole valley would have been underwater for weeks.

I have just noticed that I am flying the Feldermaus from Feldhaus, and I quite enjoy the cadence of that. Feldermaus. Feldhaus. Feldmaus. Felderhaus.

I set off down the coast, towards the monolithic steel bridge that always looms on the horizon just over the sea cliffs. According to Herr Staus the bridge was supposed to carry the Sky-Line from Kohlingen all the way to Treburg Island and the new city they were building there. He says he rode on it when he was a boy. To me, it's just the big spooky metal towers.

I used to imagine there was an old wizard up in one of them, looking down at the town and planning evil plans. Of course, there is nothing in the towers except birds and wires, but it still has a certain menace. I mentioned I might fly close to it to Waldemar, and he immediately ran and told everyone, and Viktoria said I'd never do it, so of course now I simply must. I'll do more than fly near, I said I'd fly through it!

I did it though! I flew right under one of the spans that was still there. It is a strange thing, with all sorts of cables hanging from it. I had to go very close to the water to make sure that I didn't catch any, but it made it all the more fun. My floats were almost skimming the waves! Hopefully, Kasimir and Viktoria were watching when I made it or else they'll probably never believe me!

After that, I went back up to five hundred meters and just followed the line of the bridge out towards the islands. It was fine and clear and for a while I got lost in thought because I had nothing to worry about. Looking down at the water, I swore I saw something. A shape or a shadow moving in the surface in the deeper part of the sound, but I think it was probably just a reef or something and my mind was playing tricks on me. I should make sure to pay better attention.

I checked my watch and made a note of the time when I finally crossed over the coast towards Riffdorf. 0815. Pretty good time. The cliffs here are very high and I can see why you wouldn't want to do this in a boat with the way the waves smashed into the rocks. I had to focus more on the course plot then because I had to make sure to catch my landmark, which was the unfinished tower in Riffsdorf. The lopsided steel framing makes it look so odd that you can't miss it. Then I turned north along the coast and finally set down in the cove at 0852.

The nice man at the fuel station agreed to top off the tank and then I had to walk down the street to the farmer's house. Frau Kron was very happy to see me and the delivery! She even made me a cup of tea and insisted I sit down for a moment. So here I am sitting at her parlor table drinking tea while she gets the chicks settled into their new home. They all made it safely and she has signed her receipt! I have completed my first delivery. :)

Now I just need to get home. I think I'm going to loiter a bit and eat my lunch, maybe explore and go look at all the empty buildings in Riffsdorf. No one really lives there, and I do not need to rush home or anything.

I can't wait to tell everyone about this at supper.

1204: Bad news.

I'm not going to be able to fly home today. Mama and Papa will be worried sick.

[ ] The spotting balloon at the edge of town spotted a clump of brightly coloured planes flying a circuit over the water. They've come back twice. A Flying Circus! No way I'm going up there: they'll shoot me down just to paint a mark on their plane, I'll bet! To tell the truth, I'm very frightened, and I even had them roll my plane under the cover of the hanger so they don't get any ideas of waiting for me to take off. At least at home the militia is always around so you don't have to worry about them getting weird ideas.​
[ ] Frau Kron asked me to stay for supper, and to meet her wife and children, and talked on and on, and I simply could not find the courage to say no. It will be dark when we are finished, and I don't trust myself to find my way back at night. Or worse, landing in the dark! The airfield doesn't even have electric lights and they wouldn't know I'm coming so how would they know to put out landing lanterns? I wish sometimes I knew how to stand up for myself, but I always freeze up when people start talking.​
[ ] The weather has taken a turn for the worse. The fellow at the fuel station says the lighthouse keeper on the cliffs is reporting that there are dark clouds coming in off the sea very fast and they expect to be storming here very soon. We put my plane in one of the hangers as it is too risky for me to fly home as I might get caught in the storm and he said he would not charge me for it. The last thing I need is a downdraft or to get hit by hail or something else awful. Frau Kron says she can put together a bed for me in her loft and will feed me supper.​
 
[X] The weather has taken a turn for the worse. The fellow at the fuel station says the lighthouse keeper on the cliffs is reporting that there are dark clouds coming in off the sea very fast and they expect to be storming here very soon. We put my plane in one of the hangers as it is too risky for me to fly home as I might get caught in the storm and he said he would not charge me for it. The last thing I need is a downdraft or to get hit by hail or something else awful. Frau Kron says she can put together a bed for me in her loft and will feed me supper.
 
[X] The weather has taken a turn for the worse. The fellow at the fuel station says the lighthouse keeper on the cliffs is reporting that there are dark clouds coming in off the sea very fast and they expect to be storming here very soon. We put my plane in one of the hangers as it is too risky for me to fly home as I might get caught in the storm and he said he would not charge me for it. The last thing I need is a downdraft or to get hit by hail or something else awful. Frau Kron says she can put together a bed for me in her loft and will feed me supper.
 
[x] The weather has taken a turn for the worse. The fellow at the fuel station says the lighthouse keeper on the cliffs is reporting that there are dark clouds coming in off the sea very fast and they expect to be storming here very soon. We put my plane in one of the hangers as it is too risky for me to fly home as I might get caught in the storm and he said he would not charge me for it. The last thing I need is a downdraft or to get hit by hail or something else awful. Frau Kron says she can put together a bed for me in her loft and will feed me supper.
 
[X] The weather has taken a turn for the worse. The fellow at the fuel station says the lighthouse keeper on the cliffs is reporting that there are dark clouds coming in off the sea very fast and they expect to be storming here very soon. We put my plane in one of the hangers as it is too risky for me to fly home as I might get caught in the storm and he said he would not charge me for it. The last thing I need is a downdraft or to get hit by hail or something else awful. Frau Kron says she can put together a bed for me in her loft and will feed me supper.
 
[X] Frau Kron asked me to stay for supper, and to meet her wife and children, and talked on and on, and I simply could not find the courage to say no. It will be dark when we are finished, and I don't trust myself to find my way back at night. Or worse, landing in the dark! The airfield doesn't even have electric lights and they wouldn't know I'm coming so how would they know to put out landing lanterns? I wish sometimes I knew how to stand up for myself, but I always freeze up when people start talking.
 
[X] The weather has taken a turn for the worse. The fellow at the fuel station says the lighthouse keeper on the cliffs is reporting that there are dark clouds coming in off the sea very fast and they expect to be storming here very soon. We put my plane in one of the hangers as it is too risky for me to fly home as I might get caught in the storm and he said he would not charge me for it. The last thing I need is a downdraft or to get hit by hail or something else awful. Frau Kron says she can put together a bed for me in her loft and will feed me supper.
 
[X] Frau Kron asked me to stay for supper, and to meet her wife and children, and talked on and on, and I simply could not find the courage to say no. It will be dark when we are finished, and I don't trust myself to find my way back at night. Or worse, landing in the dark! The airfield doesn't even have electric lights and they wouldn't know I'm coming so how would they know to put out landing lanterns? I wish sometimes I knew how to stand up for myself, but I always freeze up when people start talking.
 
[X] Frau Kron asked me to stay for supper, and to meet her wife and children, and talked on and on, and I simply could not find the courage to say no. It will be dark when we are finished, and I don't trust myself to find my way back at night. Or worse, landing in the dark! The airfield doesn't even have electric lights and they wouldn't know I'm coming so how would they know to put out landing lanterns? I wish sometimes I knew how to stand up for myself, but I always freeze up when people start talking.
 
Hey, the other two options conflict with the title :p.

[x] The spotting balloon at the edge of town spotted a clump of brightly coloured planes flying a circuit over the water. They've come back twice. A Flying Circus! No way I'm going up there: they'll shoot me down just to paint a mark on their plane, I'll bet! To tell the truth, I'm very frightened, and I even had them roll my plane under the cover of the hanger so they don't get any ideas of waiting for me to take off. At least at home the militia is always around so you don't have to worry about them getting weird ideas.
 
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[x] The spotting balloon at the edge of town spotted a clump of brightly coloured planes flying a circuit over the water. They've come back twice. A Flying Circus! No way I'm going up there: they'll shoot me down just to paint a mark on their plane, I'll bet! To tell the truth, I'm very frightened, and I even had them roll my plane under the cover of the hanger so they don't get any ideas of waiting for me to take off. At least at home the militia is always around so you don't have to worry about them getting weird ideas.
 
I'm conflicted. Going with the Flying Circus could be fun because by introducing them to the story, we might get to meet them later on, and as @Nuew suggests, it does match the title better. :p

On the other hand, the image of Annalise snuggled up in the loft after having had supper with the farmer and her family is quite comfy, and comfy vibes are definitely one of my main goals for this quest.
 
[x] The weather has taken a turn for the worse. The fellow at the fuel station says the lighthouse keeper on the cliffs is reporting that there are dark clouds coming in off the sea very fast and they expect to be storming here very soon. We put my plane in one of the hangers as it is too risky for me to fly home as I might get caught in the storm and he said he would not charge me for it. The last thing I need is a downdraft or to get hit by hail or something else awful. Frau Kron says she can put together a bed for me in her loft and will feed me supper.

Storms are cool. All kind of neat things can blow in on a storm.

Who knows, maybe some weird critter blows in from the sky?
 
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