Chapter 29: The Settling — Part 5

Jynx and Daria do not return immediately to the house after completing their workout. The two are in the middle of a hike that is about five miles in a circle around the home, checking their boundary markers, the ones meant to help them determine if larger animals are pushing in closer to the home front. On one part of their walk, they find themselves walking up against the beach, where the foursome often like to walk the shore, looking for shells. It is also where Daria and Kevin get their hands on crabs and shellfish, and boil them in beer. Jynx doesn’t know if the crabs and other odd species are a new edition, or have migrated in recently from one of the arches that connect different parts of different oceans, she just knows that they seem to like being near the arch foundations, probably because of the lower gravity and heavy airborne moisture. In another few minutes they will pass a lake once called Tinker, now called ‘the big fishing place,’ the one where the men drop net and take in fish about twice a week.

“The men were out at Tinker for two days just after the thaw.” Daria sounds coy, “I bet it was a veritable fish and fuckfest out here.”

By the men, it is a given that Daria is talking about Joe, Blake, George, and Jude, and by reason of attachment, Gryphon. Jynx highly doubts that any of the men were engaged in sex between anything more than their own lovers, if they were having sex at all. Daria’s mind however, has contrived an orgy that may or may not include the dog, and since Jynx doesn’t want to encourage Daria’s wilder imagination, she changes the subject.

“I hear they got that antenna up.” Jynx says.

“I reckon we’ll be hearing from Tó Naneesdizí soon enough.” Daria agrees.

“Maybe some other places.” Jynx says, trying not to sound too hopeful.

“Maybe.” Daria sounds less hopeful.

Jynx is suddenly defensive. “It’s not that I don’t think there are other larger surviving groups out there. There have to be. It’s just that none of them have been able to get commercial broadcasting centers back online, or we might have heard of them. If we were in range of them.”

Daria feels a chill in her spine, thinking about the cities of dead and blown power stations they had driven by while coming here. By nature, Daria starts thinking about sex. The warmth returns and she expresses her curious thoughts.

“So did Paige finally step up?”

“I wasn’t too rough with her.” Jynx says.

“I can see that, since you are out hiking with me, rather than feeling up your boy in the showers. Not that I can pretend to be offended.” Daria giggles, probably thinking of things she’d like to do with ChoCho while Jynx and Kevin watch.

Jynx doesn’t know if it is good or bad that she can almost predict Daria’s every thought, and keeps quiet for a moment, pondering. “In some ways ChoCho has a blessing and a curse. He gets three wives and a husband out of this.”

“And he only gets to sleep with two of the wives.” Daria’s voice is oozing with false pity. “Oh the poor little dear.”

Jynx does something between a grumble and a growl, composing herself. “Will you knock it off already. I’m not sleeping with Kevin or Paige, so stop trying to connive your way into my boy’s skirt.”

“You don’t think it’s silly, this rule about us not swapping husbands?” Daria says.

“You don’t think it’s silly either, given their fragile natures.” Jynx sounds more annoyed than she is, a trait she finds necessary when discussing such matters with Daria.

“Fragile has nothing to do with it. I just want my child to marry your child, and sex it up and make more babies. Can’t have that if we don’t know who the parents are.” Daria sounds serious.

“Like we can’t tell ChoCho’s children from Kevin’s, because you know, they’re practically twins.” Jynx chooses to be sarcastic, not having the strength to throw in just how different she and Daria look.