Daisy in the Fringe

Dear Diary,

The fight was over and we was all sitting around talking about what to do next.  Hank was doing most of the talking (nothing new about that), and most of it seemed to be about what Dorothy wanted.  One of them folks we was fighting was Dorothy’s brother who’s also her fiance, which seems pretty weird to me but seeing as I ain’t got a brother maybe I just don’t understand.  (Though I have had a fiance, and all in all I’ve got to say I’m just as glad Geoffry ain’t my brother.  He does just fine as my husband.)  Dorothy was saying she wanted her brother to be a brother to Hank, which we all reckoned meant that she wanted Hank to kill him, though that weren’t the case.  And Hank was worrying on whether Dorothy would pick her brother or him, though he didn’t seem to want to buy her jewelry or flowers or say pretty things to her or do anything that might make her want to pick him instead, so I reckon that if Dorothy decides to marry her brother which someone mentioned would destroy the world, Hank has only himself to blame.

Anyway, I wasn’t paying that much mind, seeing as I had lunch to make.  Geoffry helped me, though his help was mostly just getting in the way.  But I liked it anyway: after all we done lately, it was nice to have something normal that needed doing.

But all in all, no one seems to know just what to do.  It seems like everyone has their own path, and I just don’t see how we’re gonna be walking them together in the near future.  Dusty’s got her recording contract, so she has to put together a band and write some songs.  Hank’s got the Knights of Isis to get organized.  And Geoffry’s talking about going wandering and healing people, though that would be easier if the Nihonese gave us that spaceship they said they’d give me.  So I don’t reckon I know just what all we’ll do next.

But it is nice to be back to our part of the world.  Whatever we do, maybe we could find some time to stop off back at Antioch for a while to be at home.  (Geoffry says that even with all his wanderings, that’s still his home.  Which makes it my home too.  Strange to think I got me such a nice home, and I ain’t slept in it more than a few times.  But everything about being married is different, so it ain’t no surprise that home would be different too.)  Then maybe we can go visit Momma and Grandmother too, cause I’d like to see how they’re doing after Momma’s gotten over her sickness.

Anyway, I reckon things will get back a little more to normal.  To a new normal, anyway.  And I’m looking forward to it.  I’m looking forward to taking care of my Geoffry, cooking and cleaning for him and being his nurse and all.  Nihon was nice, but it ain’t like real life.  So I’m ready to find out what my real life is going to be, to spend some time just being Mrs Bentry.

Dear Diary,

So we was up on the Minerva, and Tacita said she saw us fighting in some temple dedicated to the Knights of Isis.  Hank was awfully stubborn about heading down there, something to do with prophecy that I couldn’t make heads or tails of.  But we finally went and it was a good thing we did, because when we got there a whole bunch of folks was getting ready to sacrifice a couple of kids.

(I don’t rightly understand why it is that there’s so much human sacrifice around.  First it was Tacita, then it was a whole bunch of others, and then it was Dusty, though I guess that weren’t so much a sacrifice as an out-and-out torture killing.  It seems every time we turn around, some girl is getting tied to a table by a nutcase with a knife.)

Anyway, we had us a fight with them men, and there was even some of them frog fellers there, and we beat them bad.  I killed a bunch myself, sticking back and shooting them with my new laser rifle.  That thing sure does shoot a treat.

I’m not sure what’s gonna happen next, but I reckon there’s one more little girl that ain’t gonna get sacrificed thanks to us!

Dear Diary,

We’re in the Iron Falcon on our way back to the Minerva.

I reckon it was a successful embassy.  Anyway, the Nihonese don’t seem inclined to go to war with us, and their new emperor likes us just fine.  Further, we got us some high-level folks coming back with us, the Daughter of Heaven, Lord Toda, and Lady Michi.  So I guess all’s well.

But I don’t have my spaceship.  I guess that Emperor Nariaki was too busy to see to it or something.  Oh well, I reckon Geoffry and me will find some way to do without.

It’s gonna be nice to see the girls up on the Minerva.  We got them some awful nice gifts that we picked up in the city.  Tactia and Flanna will look mighty fine dressed up in sailor suits!