Ten suns before, Xyra had received the command to take the lightbringer back to Corinspe. Ten suns before, Theo was rescued then collapsed. Ten suns before, Xyra had been complicit in abandoning one of their crew members. Ten suns had seemed like a classification. So much had happened since they had rescued Theo, yet she wasn't around for any of it. After giving the command to place Red on the other ship and having her sent back to her father, Theo had walked into her new quarters and stood for about ten seconds before she fell over, passed out. She had since been asleep, heavily sedated, and taking her sweet time with recovery. Xyra and Cooker couldn't be removed from Theo's side. All of the treatments and check-ups that she had received in their time since her collapse had been done with the both of them present. No matter how much Tuni insisted, they wouldn't leave. Xyra didn't want to let her out of her sight.

She had convinced herself that Theo would leave them in her sleep if she were to step away from even a moment of fresh air. Her close proximity to Theo's recovery process meant that she had witnessed every injury Theo was sporting. The red, swollen, slightly infected gash that ran across her eye was slowly getting better. Every sun that passed, it scabbed up more and more. Her ribs were purple and blue, showcasing through a nasty patchwork that Theo was more than hurt. Her body had nearly been destroyed. The various cuts and bruises around her body were visible and didn't bother Xyra much but what she couldn't stomach was seeing Theo's back. It hurt her, seeing Riva's symbols defaced. Thinking about the pain it would have caused Theo made Xyra queasy.

Every sun that passed, Xyra felt the hope of ever seeing Theo up and walking again fade. She didn't know what was worse, never having found Theo at all or having come so close to saving her just to fall short. Eventually, Xyra was needed to complete her ship duties. After three suns hovering over Theo, she finally pulled her weight on the crew. If Xyra wasn't attending to interim captain duties, she was at Theo's side. If she wasn't doing either of those, she was at Morgana's side. Cooker, surprisingly, was also around quite a bit. If she wasn't engaged in her responsibilities, she was at the infirmary with her watching over their two rescued pirates.

The lightbringer had arrived back to Corinspian shores six suns prior, four suns after rescuing them, and since the ship had no way of fitting into the bay through the small pathway in between the coral, they had to orchestrate an elaborate mission in order to get their injured back to shore. After almost getting shot at because they brought a lightbringer into Corinspian waters without sending anyone to alert the island, they had managed to get everyone onto the island safely. The journey from recusing Theo back to the island had been eerily calm. It wasn't a welcome kind of calm but it was there anyway.

However, the moment they were within sight of the island everything picked back up into a swirl of chaos. Xyra was barely given a moment to get Theo settled into the infirmary before she was whisked away by Captain Owl to meetings. In their absence, the cleanup and recovery of the island had begun. Navy ships had been gathered, the things of value on them had been collected, and the repair of ships had started. But Xyra hadn't missed it all, she had come just in time to help figure out a system to distribute the spoils of war.

Of course, being known for her administrative capacity and Cooker being known for her charisma and diplomacy put them at the front of the effort to get back to normal. Pirates had already been cooped up on Corinspe preparing for the fight and they were itching to collect the benefit of their sacrifice before getting back into the open ocean. Xyra and Cooker were not alone in the effort to get pirate life running again, the same faces that lead the charge on preparing for the fight were helping with the aftermath. Some faces were missing, most notably Theo's.

There were many nights that Xyra stayed up until the sun rose, swamped with work. Both for the crew and the island. As acting captain, she was the one that represented their crew in deciding which spoils went to them. Almost unanimously, except for some greedy captains, a plan was agreed upon for how to distribute the new riches. First, those who lost ships and incurred heavy losses would be paid back. Either in gold from the fund, valuables or weapons found in the wreckage, or ships from the new stockpile. What was left would be distributed based on the initial contribution to the fight. To make it equitable, a formula created by the finance chair of the council would see pirate crews compensated not on the absolute value of what was given to the effort, but as a percentage of the crews' capability that they gave to the fight. Xyra wasn't interested in the details of the formula, as long as everyone agreed on it and it was fair. And the formula did just that, most pirates were happy with what they received and there were few complaints.

Having lost the Scorned Woman, which was one of the biggest on the island, they were able to keep the lightbringer they brought back. In addition to that, they received 6 ships that ranged in size from a sloop to galleons just under the length of what the Scorned Woman had been. They were given their hand cannons back, along with regular cannons and a sizable portion of weapons from The Center. For whatever reason– probably to bribe pirates to give them information or buy their loyalty– there were dozens of chests onboard the Navy ships full of gold and gems. A few of those chests landed in the possession of the Scorned Woman's crew once the spoils were split. It was twice what Delraid's treasure had been and Xyra couldn't help but laugh at the fact that a length before, they had almost died attempting to steal what seemed like such a small amount compared to what they had just made.

When she had returned from the meeting with a list of their new assets, everyone on the crew went crazy with the news. They had immediately begun a party to celebrate but Xyra had hardly been in the mood. All she could think about was the fact that they barely had a crew big enough to command the lightbringer and they had too much money to handle. The past length had come with much bad news but it had also come with many unexpected riches. All of the money and ships a pirate could want yet no one to help them use it. Xyra was the one in charge, the one that would decide how they would proceed with a fleet they couldn't handle, and she wasn't exactly the most ideal leader they could have at that moment.

Xyra had been left alone to handle all the changes without Theo's presence or input. Cooker was helpful, stepping into the role of quartermaster and first mate and helping adjust the crew to post-fight life. They couldn't do much until Theo woke up but everyone was ready to go. Corinspe was safe and familiar, but they had been there for far too long. They were all ready to get started on the next phase as a crew. Cooker did her best to keep everyone busy and positive while Theo's life hung in the balance and Xyra tried to keep up with the work she had been given.

Once the finances and spoils had been distributed, most crews had left the island. However, a few of them stayed back to offer their services in rescue missions for potentially lost pirates. An island-wide mission to find their missing pirates was underway. Many ships had already been sent out in search. Xyra was given the responsibility of writing letters to their underground contacts and asking for any information as to the whereabouts of pirates. There were hundreds of them that she handwrote, each one with a special detail or note so the contact felt appreciated and more inclined to help. After the letters were finished, they would be taken to Nefriti and dropped off to a mail carrier. The letters would be sent all over Baethos and eventually, if their contacts cooperated and there was information of a captured pirate, a letter would be sent back to Corinspe where standby crews would go for a rescue.

Letter writing was what consumed most of her nights. If it wasn't trying to figure out finances and potential recruiting strategies, she was writing until her hand was cramping too much to get legible words on the paper. Between helping the island and thinking of solutions to their staffing problems, Xyra was exhausted. It was a waiting game, waiting for Theo to be awake and lucid. Waiting and postponing any decision that had to be made. Waiting for a thousand experienced sailors to drop from the sky and help them run their new fleet. Waiting for a miracle that would not happen. But, even with Xyra's skepticism, the gods had some favor left for them after all.

On the tenth night that Theo had been asleep, hope sprung up once again. Theo was being kept heavily sedated and when the drugs would wear off and she would wake up, she would be barely lucid and in extraordinary pain. She had been running a high fever for quite a few suns, Tuni said she was fighting off infection, and the fever was the reason for the disoriented attitude. The only times Theo was awake was when Tuni would come in to feed her and get her to drink, while Xyra and Cooker would be pushed out of sight. Tuni didn't want Theo to pull herself out of her state prematurely and stop her healing process.

Tuni said it was normal for Theo to be out of it for so long and for her to have just collapsed like that. Given the injuries she could see on Theo, she could see the pain and torture she had been put under. Given the information Morgana provided, they knew that Theo had also endured mental torture. Given the traumatic experience, Tuni said that her body's reaction was understandable and that Theo would most likely make a full recovery but Xyra was still nervous, that wasn't a guarantee.

She paused from her letter writing, her hand quite rudely clamping up and not allowing her to continue with her ink and quill no matter how much she wanted to. Xyra grabbed a hold of her hand and began to massage it with her good one. Voices outside caught her ear and she looked up. Through the open door of Theo's room in the infirmary, she could see straight out to the main room that housed multiple patients. It was almost dawn and quietly helping Morgana slip out of a wheelchair and into an infirmary bed was Navi.

Xyra watched quietly. Morgana looked better than when they had first seen her ten suns before. The bruises she had were healing, she looked less pale, more well-fed, and hydrated. But, there was no doubt about it that she was fucked up. She was missing fingers on her dominant hand, she had broken bones, her body was weak, and she was having a hard time sleeping. Hence, her being out so late at night. Tuni didn't know about her midnight escapades though, Morgana would have never been allowed to leave the bed.

Xyra wasn't even sure where Navi had gotten the wheelchair or where she stashed it when they weren't using it. It had been three nights since Navi's nighttime visits had begun occurring and Xyra sat in her chair and watched them every night, like a creep. Navi was sweet, the way she took care of Morgana made Xyra's heart warm. She had at times been the recipient of that affection, albeit in a much more romantic way but that was a time in the past. They had yet to talk, all Xyra could bring herself to do was to make occasional eye contact with her.

A voice to her left brought her out of her stalker gaze, "You have the ability to string together words to form sentences, you know. It is called communication. Works much better than staring"

Xyra turned to Cooker, who had a book in her lap and a candle on the side table next to her. She narrowed her eyes, "Shut it."

"I'm just saying, mate, go talk to her," Cooker sighed, "it's been cycles since you have spoken a word to each other outside of business. Isn't it about that time in the length where you make up and start fucking again?"

"You are so boorish," Xyra shook her head.

"Go talk to her," Cooker insisted and Xyra didn't understand why her feet were listening to Cooker's command.

She stood up and began to walk out towards Navi. In the few minutes since Morgana had been put to bed, she was already out cold. A sun full of sedatives tended to have that effect. Navi had been watching over her for a few minutes to make sure she was alright and hadn't yet left. Xyra took a few steps out of the room and then a few more and suddenly she was a few feet away from Navi. Xyra cleared her throat and Navi whipped her head over to her.

There was a flash of surprise across her face that was followed by a slight frown. She didn't say anything. Xyra was expected to start the conversation. She reached up and rubbed the back of her neck then cracked a smile.

"Tuni would kill you if she knew you were taking her out at night," she attempted to lighten the mood.

Navi fixed her with an unamused stare and shook her head with a scoff, "First conversation in cycles that you initiate with me and that is what you decide to say."

Xyra realized her mistake and sighed, "I am sorry. Can we talk?"

Navi shook her head again before turning around and walking out of the infirmary; Xyra followed right behind her.

"Navi, I know I have not been the best at being open but I think having a candid discussion might help things," Xyra tried to reason with her.

"This isn't me asking for a chase, Xyrabellis. I'm not walking away because I want you to follow me to my room and convince me with well-calculated words to talk to you," Navi stopped and turned around, "I just don't want to be around you. I don't want a conversation. Can we leave it at that?"

Xyra's eyes widened a bit at the words and blinked slowly trying to process what was said. Her mouth pressed into a tight line and she nodded, holding her hands up as she backed away, "Right. Again, I am sorry. Have a good rest."

Xyra turned around and pushed the door to the infirmary back open, walking inside as she clenched her fists trying to subdue any wounded emotions that arose from Navi's statement. She stomped back into Theo's room and shut the door, going back to her small desk in the corner of the room and picking up her quill again.

"Assuming it didn't go well," Cooker observed.

Xyra just rolled her eyes and continued on her task, taking periodic breaks to stretch out her hand. She wasn't really sure why she was the only one writing letters when Cooker and about a dozen other perfectly capable people could do it too. But, she didn't say anything. Having to get through all of the letters felt like torture and that was probably why she kept doing it. Some sort of punishment for all of the pain and confusion she had caused in the past cycles.

Her body, which was exhausted from sun after sun of work and worries, eventually forced her to succumb to sleep. She was hunched over her desk, arms under her head to provide some form of cushioning. She didn't remember closing her eyes or giving in to her body's pleas for rest. So, she was disoriented as she was startled awake. A loud bang followed by clattering and slight yelling made her head shoot up and it took her a few moments of staring at the scene in front of her to be present and remember where she was.

Cooker was out of her chair and holding Theo's shoulders against the bed as Theo was struggling against the grip.

"T, you gotta calm down," Cooker tried to soothe her, "no one is here to hurt you."

The look on her face was a terrified one like she didn't understand where she was or who was holding onto her. But at the sound of Cooker's voice, Theo calmed down a bit but she was still resisting being held down. Xyra rushed over as well, trying to figure out a way to get her calm without hurting her.

"Theo, we are both right here and you are safe, alright? You are at the infirmary in Corinpse," Xyra tried, putting a hand over Theo's thigh.

As the familiarity with where she was and who she was with began to settle in, she stopped thrashing in bed. Her confused, slightly scared expression was still present; the light was barely peeking in through their window and illuminating it. Cooker removed her hands from Theo's shoulders and was eyeing her with a worried look. Theo's chest was heaving up and down, and her eyes were darting in between both Xyra and Cooker and then out the window and back to them. She tried to say something but it seemed like her throat was dry and the words wouldn't come out.

"Both of you, out," a voice came from the doorway and Xyra turned to find Tuni at the entrance, a pitcher of water in her hand, "I need to check up on her."

"She's more lucid than before, I think," Cooker commented without breaking her gaze from Theo. Xyra watched as Theo nodded to confirm what Cooker had said.

"That's good. I'm going to assess her and let you back in if she is okay," Tuni said and walked towards the bed, flashing Theo a warm smile.

Xyra reluctantly pulled away, keeping her eyes on a spacey-looking Theo as she backed out of the room. Cooker was with her as they waited in the hallway, waiting for the healer to emerge with better news than she had any other time Theo woke up the way she did. It wasn't the first time she had woken up in that way and it wasn't the first time they had gotten their hopes up. Cooker was biting her nails and tapping her foot against the floor. Xyra reached out and moved her hand away from her mouth, shaking her head. It was a bad habit Cooker had as a child and if left unstopped she would chew her fingers raw.

"I just want it to be over," Cooker put her hands behind her and leaned back against the wall, trapping her fingers.

"Waiting for her to be awake?"

"Everything... The meetings, Theo not being around, the uncertainty of what's next, not knowing if she is going to be okay when she wakes up," Cooker shook her head, "we need a full cycle at the grotto for each sun since we landed on Corinpse and were jailed."

"We would be gone for lengths," Xyra smiled a bit.

"Exactly," Cooker chuckled a bit, "I want us to run away."

"I do too..." Xyra agreed with a solemn nod. Cooker had no idea how true that was. Leaving and going to be with her family for a few cycles was at the forefront of her mind lately. But, she couldn't leave, especially not then. They were in the middle of an expansion, one that had stumbled upon their lap rather than a planned expansion, which was even more difficult to handle. Like Cooker had said, they were in limbo. Uncertain as to what they would do or what direction their crew would go in. Xyra couldn't run away, none of them could.

Xyra leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes, they were heavy with sleep and her body begged her to lay down, to get some rest. She was teetering on the edge of just collapsing into a napping pile on the floor but she managed to keep one foot tethered in the realm of awakeness. She couldn't hear anything coming from Theo's room, which worried her. Theo had seemed more alert when she had woken up and she had foolishly thought that this would be the time that Theo would come to.

The morning was starting and Xyra could hear some people enter the infirmary. Cooker greeted one of the people that came in and struck up a conversation with them. Xyra listened in, not opening her eyes or chiming in. Her thoughts wandered to Navi and she replayed the conversation in her head again. She didn't know why she had listened to Cooker, why had she thought that simply just going up and talking to her would work? She had given Navi the cold shoulder for cycles, for something that wasn't her fault. Of course that would be her reaction to being asked for a conversation.

Before Xyra could wallow too much in her idiocy, the door to Theo's room opened. Xyra opened her eyes and turned her head to find Tuni standing with the same pitcher of water in her hands. Xyra didn't say anything, she couldn't bring herself to ask if Theo was alright. They just looked at each other for a few moments before Tuni nodded her head with a half-smile. Xyra straightened up, pushing herself off the wall, and cleared her throat.

"Cook," Xyra called out and Cooker came to stand next to her, leaving the conversation she had been having. They both looked at Tuni expectantly.

"She wants to see you both now," Tuni confirmed what Xyra was hoping was the case, they both let out a deep sigh; Cooker being more dramatic and crouching down to take in the news, "she has requested that I keep her recovery to myself, for now. She wants to see you both before everyone comes to see her."

"Is she alright?" Xyra asked.

Tuni nodded, "As long as she listens to what I say and does what I tell her to, she should make a full recovery. She didn't give me much time with her so there might be something you notice that I didn't, please fill me in."

"Of course," Cooker nodded as she stood back up.

"She's still very tired and a bit spacey. She refused any drugs but she's going to need them later. Once what is in her system wears off, she is going to be in immense pain," Tuni warned, "please don't push her to speak about any business. Those things can wait."

Xyra nodded in confirmation and placed a hand on Tuni's shoulder, giving it a short squeeze, "Fortune, you need to take a break. You have barely stopped since the fight."

She shook her head and gently took Xyra's hand off her shoulder after giving her hand an appreciative pat, "We both know there is no time for that right now. I'm going to arrange breakfast to be brought here for Theo and you two."

Before the tables could turn and Tuni could be lectured at by Xyra, she was slipping out from in front of them and walking down the infirmary hall and out the door. Xyra gave Cooker a look and they silently exchanged shrugs. Cooker walked in first and then Xyra followed. The window was letting in more light than before and the room was brighter. Yet, the person at the center of it emanated a gloominess that was uncharacteristic. Theo was staring out of the window, a looking glass in her lap, her hand loosely still wrapped around the handle.

"Morning," Cooker was the first to speak, trying to break the tension.

Theo looked over and flashed a smile at them. It didn't reach her cheeks and her eyes looked hollow. It was an attempt at being reassuring but it fell flat. Her smile gave way to scrunched eyebrows and her lips turned down. Xyra knew Theo's crying face well, and this was leading into it. Xyra acted fast, grabbing a pillow that had been discarded onto the floor and putting it in Theo's lap. She took it and pressed it against her face as they both stood by and watched as Theo's shoulders shook with muffled cries. Cooker, nimbler than Xyra because of her shorter limbs, climbed into bed next to Theo and gently hugged her. Xyra pulled a chair up and sat next to the bed, putting a hand once again on Theo's thigh to show that she was there.

It was painful to listen to and watch. Xyra had always wanted to be able to take away her friends' pain and bear it herself but that was impossible. She wasn't sure why Theo was crying, it could have been about anything, but not knowing was worrying her sick. After a few minutes had passed, the pillow was removed from Theo's face as she set it over the looking glass on her lap.

There was a sniffle, a larger inhale, and then a deep sigh, "I..."

Both of them were quiet as they looked at her for what she was going to say. Theo's frown returned, a deep one that appeared right before she started crying again. But no tears came, she pushed past it and then took another deep breath.

"I am so sorry."

"Sorry, T, I'm not sure I follow," Cooker said, voice more soothing than she usually was able to muster, "There's nothing to be sorry about."

Xyra didn't comment on it but she did think that Theo had things to apologize for. Mainly the fact that they were down a quartermaster, having abandoned her in her time of need. But that wasn't what she thought that Theo was apologizing for so she didn't stop Cooker's coddling.

Theo managed to compose herself and shake her head, "I'm sorry for being an asshole. For treating you both the way I did before the fight... I should've put pettiness aside and let you both speak with me. I should've been there for both of you. I shouldn't have acted that way."

"You were hurting..." Xyra found herself saying,

"I was. But I dragged on your punishment for too long. You were handed down a fair judgment by our crew, I shouldn't have made it worse," Theo shook her head, "please, accept my apology."

"Why the sudden change?" Xyra asked, she didn't know why but she felt defensive and combative. She hadn't imagined that when Theo finally woke up there would be any lingering resentment or anger but there was, bubbling deep inside her.

Theo paused for a moment. Her eyes seemed to disengage from their conversation, going a bit distant. She pursed her lips and shrugged a bit, clearly uncomfortable with whatever place her mind had taken her to. She cleared her throat and finally looked up to catch Xyra's eyes intently for the first time since she had entered, "Vaith told me you were both dead. And at that moment, I realized how stupid I had been. How small and insignificant the secret seemed against the backdrop of you both being gone. I knew I was being a dick before that too, but I kept justifying it thinking I was allowed to be an asshole because I was angry. But I took it too far."

The words that Theo was saying, ones she didn't even know she wanted to hear, went over her head. She ignored it, the only thing she could focus on was that Theo remembered what had happened prior to collapsing.

"You remember what happened on the lightbringer?" Xyra tilted her head, Tuni had said that there was a possibility that Theo wouldn't remember because of the state she had been in. Or that her mind could have blocked things out.

"We aren't supposed to be talking to her about this kind of stuff right now, Xy," Cooker shot her a wide-eyed look and shook her head a bit, "we have time to ask questions about it later."

The roles had reversed in such a short amount of time. Cooker was sober and responsible and Xyra was angry and ignoring instruction. Instead of fighting over it, Xyra nodded a bit and kept quiet.

"What have I missed? Tuni says it's been around 15 suns since the fight ended," Theo asked, her voice still a bit raw and not quite used to speaking.

"We aren't allowed to talk about business either," Cooker said.

"I would very much like to speak about business," Theo frowned, "Am I still the captain?"

"Aye," Xyra nodded, nobody had seemed inclined to want to remove her from the position when she floated the question to the crew.

"Then I outrank everyone and as long as I have that power, I have decided that we will talk about what went on while I was out," Theo argued and the stubbornness that was so typical of her began to surface once again. She lifted her arm, just a bit, and pointed at Xyra's desk, "what's that?"

Xyra rubbed her face before composing herself and shrugging, no energy or enthusiasm could come to her. Every ounce of willpower that was keeping her going had fled from her once Theo woke up. The only reason she had been holding everything together and keeping the crew running was because she had to, but now that she didn't, her eyes were begging to be closed for a short nap.

Xyra glanced over at the table, "My desk. Been working there. I have had to write letters to Corinspain contacts all around Baethos to request that they send word if they hear of any pirate trials for our missing pirates."

"Who are we missing?" Theo asked and Xyra frowned, looking down at her hands. She shook her head and tried to neutralize her expression to avoid crying.

Cooker got the hint that Xyra was going to say anything and so she did, "I have the full list. I can give it to you later..."

"Any officers on that list?" Theo asked and Xyra wanted nothing more but to yell out for Tuni and force Theo to get rest instead of talking business. Even though she was angry at Theo for whatever reason, she was also fiercely protective and didn't want Theo to have to worry about things like their missing crew before she was fully recovered.

"Pearl is dead," Cooker said and Xyra looked away, not wanting to see Theo's reaction to the news. Xyra's throat tightened and tears threatened to emerge as flashes of Pearl squeezing her hand and saying goodbye passed through her memory. She was pushed closer to the edge of crying with Cooker's next words, "Oceane is missing."

"I'm going to check on breakfast, you need to eat, Theo," Xyra stood up from the chair suddenly and began to leave the room, "Cooker, you can fill her in."

Xyra exited the room and briskly walked out of the infirmary, turning into the alleyway of the building. She caught her breath and let a few tears fall before wiping her cheeks. She wasn't sure what all of the emotions were about, she had been fine for a long while before then. And it wasn't like anything new had happened to set her off.

Xyra had been overwhelmed with all of the responsibility and the weight of thinking about a future without Theo. The relief of that pressure almost made everything worse. There was a lingering resentment that she hadn't identified until right then with how Theo had handled the few cycles between their trials and the fight. There was also resentment at how Red's case was handled. Everything going on was a lot to handle and she had to remind herself that it was alright to not be a rock. Emotions were not abnormal, it meant she was alive and human. Something that Navi had taught her. The thought of Navi brought a fresh round of tears and to avoid spiraling into heartbreak and despair, she marched out of the alley and went to go get breakfast; ignoring all lessons on how expressing her sadness was good.

------

When Xyra returned to the room with a few plates of food, Theo and Cooker were already eating. In her haze of emotions, she forgot that she was supposed to check on the progress of the food, not bring some herself. Along with the breakfast, Theo was holding a stack of letters in her lap. They were the letters that had arrived a few suns prior. The mail ship had brought in a stack of about 20 envelopes addressed to The Scorned Woman's crew. Xyra had yet to open any of them because they were not addressed to her, they were for Theo. Only Theo could make the decision on how to handle what was written in their mail.

"What do they say?" Xyra asked as she walked in and placed the plates of food on the foot of Theo's bed in case she was still hungry after her current plate.

"Haven't gone through all of them yet," Theo put down what she was reading and took a bite of a pastry on her plate. It was more a nibble, "Cook filled me in on a lot."

"The new ships. Requests from other pirates to join our crew. Missing pirates," Cooker filled in what Xyra had missed.

"Good. When Fortune gives her approval, we can meet with the officers and decide on our next plan of action," Xyra sat back down at the chair she had pulled to Theo's bedside earlier.

"I thought we already went over the fact that I don't need approval to do things," Theo argued.

"Why are you so fucking stubborn?" Xyra shut her eyes and shook her head.

"Xyra," Cooker scolded, "the fuck is your problem?"

"Nothing is my problem. Sorry I refuse to treat her any differently," Xyra crossed her arms over her chest, "Sorry I will not coddle her so she can continue to be an arse."

"This isn't coddling her. It's treating someone a bit nicer because they were near death for ten fucking suns," Cooker shot back and the frown on her face was deep-set.

"I'm also in the room with you both. I don't need coddling but I would appreciate it if maybe the first thing I woke up to wasn't your sour mood, Xy," Theo said, her tone was a bit pointed like she had noticed Xyra's attitude and was hurt by it.

"Fine," Xyra stood up and walked to her desk, "I have to finish some of these letters before the first of the mail ships leave tonight. Should get on that I guess."

Xyra sat down and ignored the looks she knew she was getting from the others in the room. She had thought that she walked it off. She had rid herself of what was bothering her when she had stepped out. Xyra had told herself she would be gentler, nicer, sweeter when she returned. Yet her words had been acidic in tone and content. The grip she had on the quill was tight and it was where she was releasing all of her frustration.

Cooker and Theo continued to talk about business. She kept her ears open, absorbing the new information she caught. The letters that had come in had been a mix of requests for help from businesses and also a pile of letters from groups of women that were waiting for The Scorned Woman to pass by and recruit them. They spanned all through Dove Island, Aeliz, and Efriti. When Xyra had sent a few letters to Dove Island, almost a length before, announcing their intention to recruit it had spread like wildfire. The words spread through the continents but they were none the wiser. Xyra had even forgotten they had sent letters announcing they were recruiting, so much had happened since then. They would have a lot of work ahead of them to manage to recruit all of those people but at least filling their fleet seemed to be more feasible.

The conversation turned into one about where their crew's heads were at. How were they feeling after the fight? What were their feelings about how Theo had handled things? Did anyone have any thoughts on moving forward? Then, there was a discussion on how the officers felt. How everyone was holding up with the missing girls. Not once, however, was Red mentioned. Not once was her previous position on the ship acknowledged nor was the fact that she had been abandoned and sent back to her family. It was grating on Xyra, her patience wearing thin until she finally slammed her fist on the table and looked over at them.

Theo jumped a bit, Xyra had never seen her react in such a way, she was usually able to keep a stoic face about her. Cooker's frown returned as she stared Xyra down.

"Have you got nothing to say about Red?" Xyra asked, her eyes angry and her voice barely below a yell.

"Xy, drop it," Cooker warned.

"I know I fucked up. I know I let my emotions get the best of me," Theo looked down at her hand a bit, she looked ashamed, "I let my judgment get clouded. I know that she would have been more valuable back on Corinpse. I know that we needed to question her but I just let my heartbreak take over. Which is something I will work on."

At first, Xyra was surprised at Theo's admission but as it went on, it was clear Theo still believed Red was working for her family. Instead of replying, Xyra stayed quiet. She was unsure of how to approach the situation. Maybe it was her fault, maybe she gave up control to Theo when Theo wasn't able to make the right decisions. Red was on her way to Aubermasse because Xyra had been too dim-witted to realize Theo was in too bad of a state to make any sort of decisions.

"Theo... She wasn't working for her family. That was a fact we knew before your capture," Xyra said, her tone softening tremendously. She didn't know what else to say.

Theo shook her head, her face screwing up into a pained one, "You don't get it, Xy. You weren't there."

"What don't I understand? That Vaiths know how to manipulate? That it was within his interest to turn you against her? That he used her relationship with you to try and break you?" Xyra scoffed, "this is torture basics, T, you were there when we learned it."

"He knew everything!" Theo snapped and Xyra could see the collected demeanor she had been keeping was cracking, the traumatic experience with Ulises coming forward in her memory, "He knew who my parents were. He knew I had been with her. She told him..."

Morgana had told them as much. She hadn't gone into much detail but when Xyra was debriefing with her, she had mentioned that Vaith was using mind tricks and making her believe lies about Red. Xyra had known what Vaith knew, she also was certain that Red wasn't the one behind the secrets being spilled.

"I know what he told you," Xyra replied, "I know what he knew."

"Then how can you sit there and continue to defend her? She was the one that delivered me to him!" Theo looked away from Xyra with a huff and turned to Cooker to find a form of support in her advisor.

Cooker bit her bottom lip and looked away, not wanting to say her piece. Xyra knew where she stood on the matter, she knew that Cooker didn't believe it had been Red to give up the information.

"Not you too," Theo scoffed, "I'm still asleep. This is a fever dream."

"Theo, it doesn't make sense for it to have been Red," Xyra tried to convince her.

"It was either you, Cooker, or her. And I doubt it was either of you."

"The information Vaith knew, we weren't the only ones to know it," Cooker chimed in, finally backing Xyra up once the tide looked like it was about to turn.

"It was either me, Cook, Red, or Viv," Xyra clarified.

Theo laughed, "What?"

"Viv knew about your parents. Viv knew you and Red were together-"

"She didn't know that," Theo interrupted.

"She knew," Xyra insisted, "the way she approached Red that night we left her on the road, whatever she told Red it was about you and her."

"How do you know?" Theo's eyebrows were furrowed together, she was shaking her head slightly and her eyes were unfocused.

"I read people, Theo, it was what I was trained to do."

The shaking of her head continued and her mouth opened to say something but she was still stuck in thought. Theo was at a loss for words.

"T?" Cooker asked and put her hand on Theo's shoulder but Theo flinched and shrugged it away.

"It's not true," Theo said.

"It doesn't make sense, Theo. Think about all of the opportunities she had to sabotage us. Think of the things she could have done to fuck this crew but she only ever helped," Xyra tried to make her point.

"It has to be her!"

"Why? So you can feel less guilty for shipping her back to where she escaped from?" Xyra raised her voice and she felt a slap land on her arm from Cooker, trying to get her to bring it down.

"She came into my room. She said she was there to help and I listened to what she told me to do and next thing I know, I was beaten for it," Theo frowned, she was trying her best to sit up all the way but she couldn't quite manage to gather the strength to do so.

"You were dealing with Ulises Vaith. Do you think he wouldn't have taken any opportunity he was given to continue to push the lie he had sown? Theo, the evidence against Red is coincidental and more signs point to someone else being involved than her. If you really stop to think about it, you'll see it wasn't her."

"You're saying it was Viv," Theo wasn't asking.

"It was Vivexa. We left her stranded on a dirt road, miles out of the city at night, with no compensation for what she gave us. Viv has retaliated against others for a lot less. This was her doing," Xyra felt like she was breaking through to Theo.

The captain looked over at Cooker for a slight moment to gauge her reaction to it all, to see if there was anyone on her side. There was a frown that seemed permanently etched into her face. Her head resumed its slight movement from side to side, she looked to be grappling with what was said. Cooker had stepped away, physically distancing herself from the discomfort she must have been feeling. Cooker always had a limit with the emotions she could handle and being sober made that threshold even smaller. She had done a good job with comforting Theo and trying to help her adjust but whatever energy she had for trying to be responsible and level-headed had been depleted.

But they didn't have to stay for longer because Theo looked up at both of them and whispered.

"Get out."

"Theo, that is not a good idea," Xyra tried to step toward Theo but spoke up louder that time.

"Get out!"

Cooker was already walking out and she grabbed Xyra's arm on her way out, tugging her along, "Xy, give her some space."

Xyra tried to pull back, "Cook, we cannot leave her alone right now."

"I think Tuni was right when she said not to speak about these things with her right now," Cooker whispered, tightening her grip on Xyra, "now let's get the fuck out of here."

Xyra looked back as she was pulled out of the room to see Theo shut her eyes and put her hands over her face, bowing her head down. Cooker closed the door and Theo was out of sight. Only a few seconds had passed before they heard a crashing sound, like glass being smashed. Then more banging and crashing. Xyra went to storm back inside but Cooker barricaded the door with her body.

"Go get Tuni."

"She can hurt herself," Xyra argued.

"Fucking Go!" Cooker screamed and Xyra reluctantly spun around and ran towards where Tuni was.