Amaka made me laugh today. She had me read her first journal
entry to “see if she was doing it right”. She spent the first half of it
describing what she looks like, which is fine I suppose. I guess it’s ok to
give people a good mental image of what you look like, but she went into too
much detail I think. She then spent the last half complaining about Jonah and
the grief he’s caused her. Fine as well I guess, but nothing about what she did
that day. Told her to write more about the present and I’ll check it again in a
few days.
Johan started trying to teach Starlight how to write today,
that is once he showed up. I figured she’d be writing at least as well as she
speaks by now, but Johan said that learning to write isn’t the same as learning
to speak a new language for them. Apparently, they can learn a new language
through some mystical ritual that imparts some of the knowledge of the language
from one to the other. But this only works for speech. It’ll be a week or so
before she can actually write.
So today, we spent the day going over how I plan to get King
Raleigh involved with Jonah’s scheme. It will only work, though, if General
LeBaptiste is Jonah’s so-called “business partner”. Amaka will be on his tail
soon to confirm if my suspicion, based on what she heard, is correct.
I figured I’d go ahead and write this out now, since Berith
loves to drink while he’s here, and he won’t let me live it down if I refuse to
drink with him, especially since it’s been nearly five years since we last
drank together. I know he can out-drink me easily, so I’ll be too inebriated
later to do this.
Confirming whether the General is the business partner is
simple. Once Amaka tails him to Jonah’s establishment and she witnesses their
transaction, she is to return here with everything she has found out. If no
transaction takes place, then she is to wait until whoever is his partner
arrives. If she can identify him safely, she is to do so. Otherwise, she is to
just return here and report her findings.
Or, if she tails him to some other location, then once his
business is completed there, if she’s up to it she is to scout Jonah’s
establishment to identify, if possible, said business partner. If she isn’t
comfortable with that, and I doubt she will be, she is to just report here and
tell me what she was able to find out. I don’t want her to put herself in any
more danger than is necessary.
Starlight wanted to go with her, but I couldn’t allow that.
Too risky. I told her that her safety and well-being was of the utmost
importance, and that she would be safest with me, Johan, and Berith once he
showed up. She just sighed and sat back in the booth at that. I think she’s
concerned about Amaka’s safety. She isn’t wrong for doing so. I am as well.
Amaka is about to leave here in a few minutes, so I’m going
to go over with her one last time what she is to do. I’m going to instruct her
to take notes of everything she happens to hear. If possible, she is to write
out conversations she hears word for word. And, most importantly, she needs to
stay safe and hidden. I’d hate for either one of those two to get their hands
on her. I know what Jonah will do, make her a new girl at the “brothel”. I have
no idea, though, what the General will do. The only thing I know, is that he’ll
abuse her to death if he gets the chance.
