Chapter Six: Operation High Tail — Part 10
Jynx is left alone to endure the distracting clatter of tools, the hum of a mobile autoclave, the soft breathing of those within the considerable range of her ear. The words, useless now, have fled her mind. She is alone with ChoCho, and ChoCho is deep in his dreamless sleep, healing his mind and body, stitching together his soul. Over the next few weeks, Jynx finds herself working with Jon and Teri in the evenings, helping Heath and ChoCho, Kevin and Paige, and even Joe, to restore their physical and spiritual sense of wholeness. Kevin proved the hardest because he came about unaware of his injuries. Perhaps the Kevin facet was in denial, perhaps Paige thought she could stay in control long enough to heal, and so did not write about the damage in the mysterious journal within Kevin’s head. If Jynx had any doubts about Kevin and Paige being two sides of a well integrated multiple personality, those doubts fled with Kevin’s first awakening.
Jynx spent her evenings working on the Edgewind. She didn’t push herself, because she had no desire to be put to bed by Kia, to be kept inactive when so much still left to do. Over the weeks, she found herself with the occasional extra hand. Slowly, and not at the same time, each of the crew began recovering to the point where they could help with the Edgewind’s maintenance cycle. After three weeks, the crew is declared healthy enough to travel by Kia, Jon and Teri. Despite being fit enough to set sail, Joe makes a point of taking an extra week to relax at Tó Naneesdizí before ordering a finish on the ship, the labor of which he would disappear mysteriously from, sometimes for hours, returning with freight or letters, various unidentifiable bundles, and miscellaneous supplies. Two days before getting the ship faced and ready to head out, Joe makes a point to pull Kiyoshi aside. Some of his scurrying about must have resulted in numerous conversations about town, and for some reason, Kiyoshi’s wellbeing had been part of his reasoning.
He takes a moment to pull Kiyoshi aside. “Has my first mate taken the time to apologize to you?”
“No, he has not.” Kiyoshi says quietly. “I do not think he’s forgiven me yet.”
“It’s not you he has to forgive. He’s probably feeling stupid for losing his temper.” Joe grumbles something under his breath. “Listen, We got off to a bad start because I was in no condition to reign in my other half. I don’t want you to feel threatened or unsafe, and I have talked to Blake and I know he will never, EVER raise a hand to you again except in defense of himself or those he loves. His wife is still not speaking to him, and I dare say that’s punishment worth ten pounds of pain.”
Kiyoshi has watched, over the weeks, and learned about the relationships among the crew. Heath is Blake’s wife, and they don’t have sex. Joe and Blake are cautiously intimate, while George and Jude bitch at each other like they’ve been married since high school. The foursome who would be five is even harder to fathom, and he has kept his thoughts about them to a minimum. But all lines of thought start the same way, and end with the same concern. That line of thought is starting now, as this is the first time that any of them have really taken a moment to speak to him since his surrender.
These people are crazy. This first thought rings through his mind almost every time one of them speaks or moves, expressed almost unintentionally in one form or another.
Joe doesn’t give Kiyoshi time to come up with new thoughts before he’s off talking again. “At any rate, I’m giving you a choice.” Joe says. “You can stay here in Tó Naneesdizí and work with an old friend of ours named Tomas. He breeds horses and cattle and has a good heart. He’s agreed to have you for a year, until we come back and get you. Or you can stay with us and work with Blake for the next year, which will be violence free. But I don’t want you to think you’re stuck with the man who hurt you so bad, or with people who remind you of what happened.”
There is that saying about the Devil you know… “This is to be a lonely year, regardless of my choice.” Kiyoshi considers.
“It can be, depending. But I don’t think most of our crew will let you feel alone for too much longer, especially once we finish setting up your quarters.” Joe says.
“My quarters?” Kiyoshi is caught off guard. “I thought that there were crew barracks and Captain’s Quarters.”
“The sleeping arrangements are a little more complicated than that … ” Joe sounds suddenly uncomfortable. “It isn’t a lot of space, because you are only one person, but it will have a door, and you will have your privacy when not on duty. It’s not much bigger than a closet, but it’s yours if you want it.”
I am certain they lock their closets from the inside. Kiyoshi thinks suddenly, then feels guilty, because it isn’t a kind sort of thought, and certainly not something he wants to hear his own mind saying.
“I just need to make certain that you and Blake will be peaceful with each other.” Joe adds nervously, perhaps because he knows that Kiyoshi might have a right to get back at Blake, and take the opportunity, should it arise.
Why am I doing this? “When I was a kid,” Kiyoshi begins, “I had a friend who was always getting into fights over noble matters. He would come back broken, battered, and bruised, and go right back in the next day, taking on bullies twice his size. When I asked him about this, he said he made a promise, and that he would never break his word to any man, demon, or god. I hope that Blake is like my friend, and if he is, then there will be no more fighting between us. I will stay with all of you, see the trip through, and serve the year with you, as was agreed.”
“Good, I was hoping you would say that, because we need another wit on our side. The Edgewind will need an overhaul at the end of this trip, and though I love my crew, eight hands are simply not enough to do all the work that needs to be done when we get back home.”
Joe puts out his hand in a characteristically American fashion, and Kiyoshi accepts it, the result is a vigorous and earnest shake. “Welcome aboard, friend.”
