The next sun went swimmingly, quite literally. They were due to meet someone on Tyrize on a specific sun and it looked like they would be getting there early. Before leaving Corinspe, Xyra had heard that Tyrize had been a hotspot for soldiers and she didn't want to risk a run-in with them. Getting there early would put them at risk. They wouldn't slip into port until they were due, two suns from then, under the cover of darkness. Xyra would have the sloop back on the way by morning to avoid any unwanted encounters. With only half a sun left until they arrived at Tyrize, spending some idle time out at sea was imperative. Xyra found an island that looked like it had a suitable beach and ordered Navi to drop anchor off its coast.

Xyra's first nice act as Captain, giving everyone one full sun and a night on a beach with no work. The crew had been working hard and Xyra wanted to reward them. The pirates had woken up in shock, having not known about Xyra's plan to stop for a relaxing moment, and promptly began to celebrate. Some even forwent the boats to the island and instead swam there themselves. Xyra had stayed back, using her leg as an excuse to stay on board.

Her night with Navi had gone great, amazing, world-shattering, even. Sex with Navi was always above average, even during lazy or rushed times. But something about having said the words 'I love you' made it better, more fulfilling, more invigorating. They had been awake and writhing under Xyra's sheets until the first rays of sun came over the horizon. Then, they had both gotten to work, Navi taking the wheel and Xyra looking out for an island. When they anchored, all Xyra wanted to do was sleep so that is what she did. Navi didn't join her, having the skill of being to stay up for a ridiculous, borderline inhuman, amount of time.

Xyra spent most of the morning and aftermorning asleep, only waking up because some rowdy pirates had made their way back on board. She was sore, in all the right places, and sure that if she checked into a looking glass there would be passion marks lining her chest and neck. Thank the gods that winter in Aeliz called for long coats and thick scarves or she would have a lot of covering up to do to not be embarrassed. After drifting in and out of sleep for a bit longer, Xyra had dragged herself out of bed and began to prepare for the upcoming meeting she had called for the next aftermorning.

Besides the few pirates that boarded and then made their way back off the ship, it was quiet. Xyra was not onshore and would miss out on yet another dinner but that was okay, she wasn't even that hungry anyway. Her stomach disagreed and screamed at her. Maybe she would be able to find something in the kitchen. Xyra ignored her stomach, for the time being, and began to work, being more inclined to go hungry than eat stale biscuits for another night. It was rather late when her door opened.

"Good evening," a chipper voice called out, it was Red.

"Why are you not on the island?" Xyra responded without even looking up.

"Thought I would come to have dinner with you. I planned ahead and brought many snacks with me," Red tapped something on her side, what Xyra guessed to be a bag. She wouldn't know, she didn't look up, "can I join you?"

Xyra was going to dismiss her but the first island they were to dock at was quickly approaching and she needed to have this matter settled with Red by then. This was a perfect time, no one around so Xyra could scream at Ava without anyone to hear. Xyra had considered torture but ruled it out, she couldn't cross that line again. Could she? Either way, that ship had sailed because Xyra would have to be able to get Red tied up in a chair and there was no way to do that without drugging her, something Xyra had not prepared for. Her kit was elsewhere. So without torture, she had to get her frustrations out through an angry line or two and having people around would be bad for their image as officers.

Xyra looked up and motioned to the chair in front of her desk, "Take a seat."

Red did as asked and then emptied her bag out on the desk, goodies falling out over the pile of papers Xyra was working on. Xyra huffed out in frustration at the mess on her desk and glared at the quartermaster.

"Sorry," Red mumbled and began to pick up the satchels filled with snacks, sneaking them back into her bag, "I see since that is not your chosen method of snack picking, I shall provide you with a list of what I have available."

Xyra held up her hand, "Refrain."

Red nodded and instead opened her bag and held it in the direction of Xyra. Xyra peeked inside and grabbed the first thing she saw, opening it up she saw dried fruits; it would have to do. She began to pop them into her mouth as Red launched into a retelling of the sun's events, not even being prompted to do so. Xyra listened and as she did, her cold demeanor began to melt. Red's face was excited to share and her tone was genuine as she spoke of the girls and their antics. She looked to be so in love with her life, with what she had become, with where she was and who was by her side. Xyra felt bad, ripping that peace from her hands, but it was the choices she had made along the way that led her there.

But the dismissal of Xyra's guilt was not that easy. A nagging part in the back of her brain was telling her to not shatter the girl's future. To keep the secret. To report back to Theo that Ava Ableworth was real and pronounced dead by her family. It told her that it was the easy way, the way that no one got hurt and everyone won. She could go along with Cooker's original plan and never say a word, take the secret to her grave. Theo would never get mad, Cooker would not be removed from her position for her role in the secret, Navi would be by Xyra's side forever, and Red would be able to live the pirate life she wanted.

Xyra had a duty though, one she couldn't just toss aside. She had to confront Red, assert her control over the situation, find out everything she could, and she had to do it right then. Xyra waited until the conversation about the crew was over and when it was, she placed her elbows on the table and clasped her hands in front of her. She had a whole plan for how to approach the subject subtly but subtly was out the window, Xyra didn't have the patience for her own plan.

"Ava Ableworth..." Xyra said the name, elongating it like she was pondering it. The girl across from her narrowed her eyes.

"That is not my name," she scrunched up her nose in what Xyra could only assume was a slight annoyance and maybe a bit of contempt.

"Forgive me," Xyra dropped her clasped hands and looked directly into Red's eyes, "Avery Vaith, is it?"

The girl's eyes went wide and Xyra had seen that look many times to know what it was, fear. Almost like out of a comedic play, Xyra watched as Red's eyes rolled back into her head and she slumped to the side and off her chair, limply falling to the ground. Xyra rolled her eyes and looked up to the ceiling. The gods gave Red the ability to faint but not Xyra? How was that fair?

Xyra stood up and peeked over her desk to see her quartermaster out cold on the floor. Xyra wasn't planning on resorting to torture to seek the answers she wanted but it looked like the chips had fallen just right. Xyra got to working as quickly as she could, she had maybe a minute to get her tied up. Luckily, there was a rope in her desk drawer and Red was light enough to pick back up onto the chair. By the time Red was blinking out the confusion and coming to, her arms were glued to her sides and she was tied to a chair.

As Red regained consciousness, Xyra was rolling out the tools that she kept wrapped up in her drawers. The chair had been pulled several feet from the desk so that when Xyra walked around to the front of the desk, she could lean against it while still leaving room between her and the interrogatee. Xyra rested against the desk, arms crossed over her chest as she watched Red realize what was happening.

Xyra, not being new at the art of torture and tying people up, knew better than to leave the other girl ungagged. Which paid off seeing how Red was squirming and shouting past the cloth in her mouth. Xyra reached out her good foot and kicked the leg of the chair, startling Red to attention.

"I'm not sure if you've been made aware of the skill set I possess," Xyra hovered her hand menacingly over her tools and the girl had terror in her eyes as she stared at the first mate, "but I assure you, I can cut off your tongue before you could get a single sentence out. That being said if I remove what's in your mouth. Are you going to scream?"

Xyra watched as Red took three shaky breaths before shaking her head, a tight movement from side to side, never breaking eye contact. Xyra reached for a small knife with one hand and leaned forward to slowly pull at the gag with the other. As promised, no screams were let out.

"Xyra I can explain!" she began, her words were stammered and she seemed at the edge of freezing up, "I-I can explain."

"Alright," Xyra motioned towards her, giving her the floor, "go on."

Red couldn't explain. She was frozen, mouth slightly ajar so as to speak but no words came out. Her face was screwed up in both concern and determination. Moments passed without a sound. Xyra dragged the tip of the knife along the desk and she saw Red close her mouth to swallow while continuing to struggle for a credible explanation. Xyra felt bad, truly, but she could not show that. She had to be feared and believed to be an actual threat for this conversation to go to plan, for her to see if Red was a conspirator for The Center.

So far, she was leaning with her previous assumption; no. Xyra was looking at Red's reaction to the promise of torture. Being sent by her father to work for The Center would have meant she would have some type of training to resist the sort of situation they found themselves in. Mock fear or perhaps even a display of victimhood would carry hints of strategic manipulation, things obvious to Xyra's trained eye. Another telling reaction would be if Red clammed up, refused to speak, went on the defensive in an aggressive way. None of those were happening. Genuine fear over her safety and what could potentially happen to her were present, emotions that spies were trained out of.

"I-" Red continued to search for words.

"Perhaps you cannot come up with anything because your actions are inexcusable," Xyra mused, calm tone, calm demeanor, calm eyes, "tell me, Avery Vaith, how is it that most of the known world presumes you dead yet here you are."

"Pirates attacked Aubermause and I had a chance to escape," Red admitted, finally averting her gaze and looking down, "so, I did."

"They found a body. The report detailed it to be you, wearing your clothes. There were witnesses," Xyra pointed out.

"I found a body to put my clothes on and pushed it off a cliff, I doubt anything but the dress was recognizable," Red almost whispered, still not looking up. As if acknowledging anything from her past brought her great shame, "my chambermaid helped me run. She stayed back to say she saw me die and could do nothing to stop it."

"Which is how you managed to get all the way down to Barian," Xyra finished, "you had no one looking for you."

Xyra shook her head in amazement, Red had gotten lucky as all hell. The escape didn't sound planned and her story didn't seem fake.

"I'm not a rat," Red stated firmly, fear leaving her voice for only a second before it seeped back into her.

"Interesting how that is the first thing you bring up," Xyra hummed and pushed off the desk, "a bit suspect, no?"

"No, Xyra-" Red fumbled, scared she had stuck her foot in her mouth, "I just- I'm not stupid, I know what it looks like."

"That it is no coincidence that you come along and all of a sudden pirates start disappearing? Our crew is targeted?," Xyra turned to her desk and put down the knife she had, picking up instead a pair of pliers. Xyra heard the chair creak from Red attempting to jolt her chair away from the desk, "Your damned father is most likely the main contributor to this effort, how am I not to believe you are a part of his plan?"

"I do not have much to convince you with," Red admitted, "but please, Xyra. Please, don't do... whatever the fuck it is that is in your hands. I swear I am not here to hurt anyone. I'll answer anything."

No fight. No having to get nasty. Boring and easy. Xyra had never had an intention to cause physical harm to the girl but she at least had hoped for some room for threats, a harder exterior to crack, some grander displays of intimidation. Red was about as defenseless as a fawn.

Xyra sighed and put the pliers back down before turning to face the tied-up redhead, "Gods, I really don't know how you made it this far."

"What?" Red looked between the discarded tools and Xyra, "how did this become about pointing out my flaws?

Xyra almost wanted to laugh but that was highly inappropriate. She kept a blank face, "You are the worst interrogation I've ever had to do."

"Is your version of torture just to throw insults at me? I'll assure you, my mother prepared me well for withstanding that," Red huffed, having the nerve to act indignant even under threat of pain and mutilation. Typical noble.

Xyra rolled her eyes and picked up the knife again, so Red closed her mouth quickly, and straightened up. Even without the tools though, Xyra felt feared by her even without the tools. So, the knife was promptly set back down and Xyra made her way back over to her chair and sat down.

"What are you doing?" Red asked.

"You said you were going to tell me anything I wanted to know so I see no need to stand over you menacingly waving my instruments around."

"What if I refuse to?"

"I can stand back up and we can do this all over again," Xyra supplied, "I have no qualms about making due on my promise and ripping your tongue out of your throat if my patience wears thin."

"Understood," Red swallowed, "so if we are being civilized about this, are you going to untie me so we can have a conversation?"

"No."

"No? To which one, the conversation or the untying."

"Both, I will not be untying you and we will not be having a conversation. I will be asking questions, and you will be answering," Xyra elaborated.

"Fair enough," Red nodded and got as comfortable as she could, wiggling around in an attempt to loosen the rope, "If I can at least get one question answered, how did you know?"

"Cooker."

"That bitch," she gasped out, "yelling at me to not say anything to anyone, and then she turns around and does exactly that."

"I was going to find out eventually, this isn't Cooker's fault," Xyra scolded, a direct contradiction to what she told Cooker, "it's yours."

That seemed to shut Red up. No longer a growing comfortability or confidence in the situation. She had been humbled to remember the current situation she was in. Humor and charm were not going to save her. Cooker still got most of the blame in her eyes but Red had done her part and Xyra was going to make that much clear.

"Now, I believe I was promised answers," Xyra rested her elbows on the arms of her chair, "what do you know of your father and your family's affairs?"

"Nothing," Red responded, "the only thing I was ever dishonest about were things that would lead me back to the Vaith name. I know nothing that would be of value to you or to other pirates."

"Do you know any of the locations in which your family frequented? Taverns, social clubs, shops, secret midnight rendezvous."

Red's face scrunched in concentration, "I... I mean I think so? My information is limited and most likely outdated."

"If I asked you for a layout of your estate in Aubermasse, could you tell me?"

"Aye," Red didn't hesitate.

"Your other residences?"

"Yes."

"Party protocol while at these different residences?"

"I suppose so."

"The rooms each of your family members sleep in?" Xyra continued.

"Might be different now, but yes," Red nodded.

"Then you do have valuable information about your family affairs," Xyra said, "would you willingly share this information with this crew?"

"To use against my family?"

"Is that something you are opposed to?"

"No," Red shook her head, looking sincere about her answer, "but whatever is planned, I just ask that my sisters be spared."

"I was under the impression that you and your sisters did not care for each other," Xyra cocked an eyebrow.

"They are just as in the dark as I was," Red finally looked up and made solid eye contact, "I hold no sympathy for many in my past but they are pawns in the game as was I."

"Interesting," Xyra said and leaned over onto the desk, "good news is I don't think you're a rat so I am not going to tie weights to your ankles and throw you overboard."

"And the bad news?" Red grimaced.

"You will be telling Theo the truth-"

"No!"

"-once we get past this war with The Center," Xyra finished after the interruption.

"I can't."

"If it is not within your abilities then I will do it for you," Xyra's tone began to get more firm, the somewhat casual tone from before now wiped.

"Xyra, you can't do this," panic returned to Red's eyes, "I am going to lose her."

"You never had her," Xyra tried to keep the venom in her voice at bay but she couldn't. Her instinct was to be nasty, to hurt the one that would soon hurt Theo, "Ava did. Red did. Not Avery."

"I love her!" Red exclaimed, tears were beginning to form in her eyes and Xyra felt the sight punch her gut.

"You are lying to her,"

"I didn't know the significance of my deception until it was too late,"

"I understand that you didn't know you were making a bad choice but you did and then when you realized it, you kept it from everyone, Avery."

"Don't call me that!"

"You must face the truth of who you are!" Xyra yelled and Red recoiled, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks, "when this is over, you will tell her who you are."

"Please," Red let out a sob, and the sound pained Xyra, "Xyra, please, don't make me. I'm not Avery, I'm not a Vaith."

Xyra stood up and grabbed her crutch, "I'm sorry, Red."

"I'll show you that I'm worth keeping the secret for. I'll make myself indispensable," Red pleaded, a sound Xyra knew all too well, "Keep my secret a-and if she ever finds out, I will say you never knew! Or give me some time until after the hunting ends, let it be in the past before I tell her."

Red was grasping at straws and Xyra could bear to hear it no longer. She began to walk towards the door.

"Xyra, I'm not a Vaith!" Red struggled against her restraints, "I dropped that name, you saw me do it."

"That is the one name you cannot drop," Xyra said coldly and opened the door.

"What are you doing? Let me out," Red tried to turn her head back to look at Xyra but she was too far back.

"You can figure a way out of it yourself," Xyra made her way out of the doorway, "you might find yourself in this situation again, it's good practice."

Xyra slammed the door behind her.

-------------

"Thanks for meeting this early," Xyra said as she entered the mess.

There was a table towards the back of the room that sat four pirates, each of them engaged in conversation with each other. At her entrance, all of them looked over at the pseudo-captain.

"Did we have a choice?" Morgana muttered and she was quickly met with a slap on the back of her head.

"That's your captain speaking, be respectful," Navi scolded and shot Xyra a wink.

"I'm not your captain," Xyra rolled her eyes and walked towards the table before throwing down a stack of papers, "and Morgana is right, there was no choice in the matter but either way I appreciate your efforts to be here on time."

Pearl got up to grab Xyra a chair but Xyra motioned for her to sit back down. She was planning on standing, the meeting wouldn't take long. She was planning on going back to sleep after it ended and make up for the rest that her nightmares robbed her of. Her night was less than ideal, and so, it seemed, was Red's. She was quiet, her face looked sunken in and her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed from many hours of crying. Xyra felt guilty and wished to get through the meeting even quicker. She wasted no time jumping into business.

"Most of what we are supposed to do was already covered by Theo back in Corinpse," Xyra crossed her arms as she hovered over every at the table, "we've got to bring back port manifests, gather information from our contacts, and interview leads suspected of having been corrupted."

It was either because it was too early to have much energy or because the girls were afraid of speaking out of turn when Xyra was in charge, but there was nary an interruption as she ran through expectations. She explained to them that they wouldn't have information as to their route until later and that their next destination was dependent on intel received at their rendezvous scheduled for that night. They were set to meet with one of Cooker's long-standing contacts who was an insider in the Aelizan government.

It was arranged that he would hand their crew a list of Aelizan ports that Baethan ships had entered in the past six cycles. Xyra would have to use both intuition and the information of where pirate deaths were located to figure out the most productive ports for them to visit. There, they would collect their own information, find port manifests, and interrogate those they believed to be working for Baethos. Their goal was to get a more complete picture of what was occurring and how The Center was operating, a bonus would be to pinpoint where the leak within the captains was coming from.

"Any questions?" Xyra paused her long speech and looked at the blank faces staring back at her.

"Is that all?" Morgana asked and this time ducked the incoming slap from Navi.

Morgana sat up from her duck and punched Navi in the arm. Pearl covered her mouth with her hand to prevent a laugh from coming out. Red, notably, watched the interaction without so much as a smile. Usually, she would be right there with Pearl and trying not to laugh. Xyra patiently waited for them to settle down, her unamused face got her muttered apologies from both Navi and Morgana.

"No, that is not all," Xyra said, "I have taken the liberty of assigning each of you roles. We might not know where we are going yet but we do know what we are doing. We need to get our information and get out of wherever we are as quickly as possible. Every time we dock or drop anchor, we risk being caught up in a government scheme. For our own safety, we won't be spending extra time in any city we get to."

"Girls ain't going to be too happy about that one," Morgana pointed out.

"And I am sure they won't be too happy to hear that they won't all be able to get down at once either," Xyra answered, "when the route is finalized, Red will sit down with the girls and create a schedule. Five girls get to go down at a time. No one is to go twice until everyone has had a chance to go. Schedule changes can be negotiated between themselves after picking."

"Why?" Red asked, speaking up for the first time that meeting. Her voice was weak and strained, "what's the difference between letting one go down and letting them all go down."

"It's easier to wrangle five of them instead of thirty. Plus it's for accountability," Xyra looked straight at her with her reply and raised an eyebrow at being questioned.

"How so?" Red continued.

"If one girl fails to make it back on time or causes trouble while we are anchored, they lose their privileges," Xyra answered.

"I don't see why the same punishment can't be administered if they are all let down at once," Ava challenged, "if one girl misses the time for departure, they are not let down again until they have learned their lesson; it works the same with five girls and thirty."

"They will be less inclined to break it in the first place if they have fewer opportunities to get down on land," Xyra crossed her arms, "it only takes one time for them to break the rules to take us all down with them and we want to avoid defecting on the rules even once. We also run less of a risk of getting into trouble when there are five pirates running around, not thirty; that is simple math. Is that a reasonable enough explanation or are you going to continue to question my authority?"

"I am not questioning your authority," Ava snapped, "I am advocating for the women given that I have been charged with looking after their wellbeing. Leaving the ship once every five or six cities will not be best for them."

"Your advocacy has been heard, your points have been made, and I am not changing my decisions," Xyra stood firm in her previous decisions, "the women will adapt and if they do not I am sure we can come to a solution to their boredom."

"Very well," Ava crossed her own arms as well and gave an indigent look, one Xyra wanted to wipe off with a slap, "I will make sure to pass on the information as well as whose decision it was so they can come to you with any of their issues."

"You are the second in command on this ship and you will act like it, Quartermaster," Xyra admonished, "you will enforce the rules and deal with the consequences of those rules, even if you were not the one that set them. As is your duty."

Ava narrowed her eyes at the tone that was being used towards her but submitted to Xyra's authority with a tight nod and then dropped her gaze back to the wooden table. The other three surrounding the table were awkwardly looking at each and other spots around the room, waiting for the small battle to be over. Navi cleared her throat and offered Xyra a smile.

"So, what's my job?" Navi tried to break the tension.

"Right," Xyra also cleared her throat and squared her shoulders, "Navi, you'll have to stay on the ship and at the helm ready in case something happens and we need to leave immediately. Pearl, you'll be in charge of going shopping for all the ship's necessities when we land. Navi and Pearl, you can decide amongst yourselves when and how it will happen but you are allowed to trade duties so that Navi can go on land every once in a while."

"Fucking grand," Morgana said, "no shopping duty for me. Can you be our captain forever?"

"I am not your captain," Xyra repeated, her teeth slightly gritted together. The more people said it, the more irritated she became. She was not a captain and calling her one was an affront to Theo's position, "Mor, you will choose one of the other girls belonging to the vanguard and come along with me and Red to protect us and give us support if things go awry."

"So, a bodyguard?"

"Aye, is that an issue?"

"No, but can I wear a uniform? To look all official and shit," Morgana's eyes glinted excitedly, "like a real bodyguard."

"The point is to not stand out," Xyra replied and Morgana looked a bit dejected, "but if you feel it necessary, you may coordinate with your partner to wear whatever you would like. Please, keep it subtle."

"Subtly is my strongest attribute," Morgana chuckled.

It truly wasn't.

"And Red, you will come with me to conduct all business," Xyra said and Red's head shot up like she hadn't been expecting that, "interrogations, meetings with contacts, and anything else we might get up to. Is that alright?"

"Aye," Red nodded and her posture seemed to loosen. It seemed as if she had expected to be shunned away from crew duties at the discovery of who she was.

Xyra figured it made sense, she wasn't always the easiest to approach and her harsh demeanor usually meant people assumed she was irrational. She wasn't. Red was a good leader amongst the crew, proved to be attentive, was helpful when it came to business, and was almost certainly not a rat. There would be no reason to keep her from acting as second in command, as rank ordered her to be.

"Very well, then the meeting is adjourned. Morgana, stay back for a moment, the rest of you may leave," Xyra dismissed them.

"Alright but no funny business when we are alone," Morgana smirked, "I know we have been away at sea for a while but need I remind you that I am a taken woman."

"I feel bad for Fortune," Xyra sat against the table, "when we return to the Scorned Woman I am going to have to tell her that you were killed. What a tragic way to pass, strangled to death by her own braids."

"Oh how sad," Navi said as she backed out of the room with the others, "and there were no witnesses around either. No one knows what happened or who did it."

"Even if you did try and kill me, you wouldn't succeed," Morgana laughed.

"Keep telling yourself that," Xyra also laughed.

"What is the reason for preventing me from going back to sleep?" Morgana got up from the table and stood level with Xyra.

"How is training going with Red? I have seen you out there in the aftermornings but haven't had time to watch," Xyra said.

Morgana huffed a little as she was thinking of how to say what she wanted to. She pursed her lips together, "I mean the kid's got talent, no denying she's a quick study."

"But?"

"She'd get absolutely crushed in battle," Morgana admitted, "I mean, she's quick but for close combat that isn't enough."

"Close combat isn't everything the vanguard does," Xyra reminded.

"I know," Morgana nodded, "which is why I haven't given up on her just yet. She's got a few more things to learn."

"I might be mistaken but I heard she shows some promise with archery," Xyra recalled, "we are in need of archers."

"I can't shoot for shit."

"Pearl can, to some degree," Xyra tapped her chin with her finger, "have her supervise and guide Red for a few sessions with a bow and arrow. Observe her and let me know if she's any good. If she is, she can keep practicing until Oceane is around."

"Should I stop my training then?" Morgana asked with a disappointed air to her voice.

"No, keep at it. She's the quartermaster she has to at least be able to defend herself no matter the situation," Xyra reached out and squeezed Morgana on the shoulder, "that is all. Enjoy your nap, my friend."

Xyra grabbed her crutch and hobbled out of the mess with Morgana in tow.

-----------

Xyra's arms were crossed behind her back, her shoulders squared, and her posture straight. Her expression was stern, neutral, focused. She was on the helm helping navigate through the small clusters of islands to get to their meeting spot, a beach on the east of the island Tyrize. This beach was secluded and had no cities or towns for miles in either direction, which meant no soldiers or nosy townspeople. They would be able to conduct business and then be straight on their way.

The preparations had been made, everyone had been informed of their duties, and all that was left for the information to fall into their hands. Then, their mission would truly begin. Navi was steering, both hands on the wheel, expertly maneuvering them through the water even in the near pitch black. Every minute or so, Navi would spare a glance over to where Xyra was standing. Xyra looked over as Navi did and caught her.

"Do you have something to say?" Xyra raised an eyebrow.

"You and Red," Navi started, "were you mean to her or something?"

"Or something," Xyra admitted, "Why? Has she said anything?"

"No," Navi shrugged and looked back to the ocean, "she didn't need to. There was tension between both of you this morning and Pearl said she had caught her crying."

"Caught her crying?" Xyra feigned being uninformed.

The reality was she had heard Red crying, actually more like sobbing, when Xyra had left her in the room tied up. Xyra never actually heard it stop, she just got tired of waiting around for Red to get out of her quarters that she had gone down to the mess to wait it out. Xyra did feel bad for the girl, it must have been hard to be confronted with her past the way that she was but there was no other way. The crying had actually pinched her heart a bit, also part of the reason she had left down to the mess.

"Aye, apparently when Pearl got back to their room- because they are sharing," Navi provided helpfully as if Xyra was not aware, "-she said that Red was crying but stopped when Pearl got there and then started again when she had thought Pearl was asleep."

"There is more to it than just me being mean to her out of turn," Xyra defended herself, "but I will admit there were some acerbic statements exchanged."

"Normally, I would be all for it, I love when you're mean to people," Navi trailed off a bit, "but you're in charge of this ship now and she is your second."

Xyra unclasped her hands from behind her back and brought her arms up to her chest and crossed them, "Was not aware you cared much about rank and the etiquette that comes with that."

"I don't," Navi said, and she sounded genuine. This wasn't coming from a place like Theo or Cooker would come from, one about order and respect, "Red just doesn't seem like the type to be able to keep her emotions from influencing her work. A distraught second is a distracted second, which means your back is left open to attack."

"So, you're worried about me which is why you care about Red?" Xyra smiled a bit, "what a valiant and noble reason."

"I would very much prefer if you were alive, I don't think I should be faulted for that," Navi laughed, "but in all seriousness, I do care about the little runt. For your sake and for hers, you should talk to her."

"Fine. I'll try and fix things, but I can make no promises," Xyra said, she wasn't even sure if her mood was fixable.

The time went by quickly and before they knew it, Xyra was yelling out commands to the sailors to drop the anchor and to the deckhands to prep the boats. She began to move towards the boat she was taking to shore when she heard Navi fake a moan behind her.

Xyra laughed and turned around, "Navi!"

"Why is it that you in charge and bossing everyone around is such a turnon?" Navi questioned, a mischievous look on her face.

"You are ridiculous," Xyra said but before turning around added, "but perhaps you can pass by my quarters once this is over and I can assist you."

"Only if you let me call you captain," Navi smirked and Xyra rolled her eyes before turning around.

"You ruined your chances!" Xyra called over her shoulder as she continued forward.

-------

Xyra felt the mattress shift and she turned her head to watch Navi climb out of their bed. Xyra smiled to herself a bit. Their bed. It wasn't really theirs, it was Xyra's, but Navi seemed like she had no intention of ever returning to her own room. She watched as Navi pulled on a shirt and walked over to where Xyra had set a pitcher of water earlier in the night.

"Get me some too," Xyra said with a yawn, it had been a long sun and she was ready for rest.

The information had been acquired, they had successfully made it out of Tyrize alive, the route had been set, and she and Navi had even managed to destress in bed.

Navi poured the water into two glasses and on her way back to deliver one to Xyra, she stopped by the window and peeked out, "Red's out there."

"And?"

"You haven't spoken to her," Navi pointed out and walked over with the glasses.

"There was no chance for it," Xyra sat up and grabbed her water, promptly chugging it all.

"Go," Navi motioned towards the door, "no time like the present."

Xyra sighed but knew it was what she had to do. Navi had been right about Red not being able to keep her emotions from interfering with duty. She didn't have the lengths of experience as a pirate that most of them had. With time, one learned how to push grief and sadness aside when it was time for business and Red didn't have that yet. Xyra got dressed, she was getting the hang of having to account for her leg being in the way. She yawned again as she found her crutch and made her way out of the door, fixing her sights on the quartermaster. Red was leaning over the side of the ship, long blonde hair covered her face.

Xyra's wooden crutch made a loud tapping noise every time it touched the deck until she was standing right beside Red. It looked like she hadn't left the deck since they had arrived back from the beach in Tyrize. Her boots were on, which was a rarity for Red, and her clothes she had worn on the beach were still on and wet at the bottom of it. They had had to hop down from the boats and wade a few feet onto the shore and it looked like Red hadn't bothered to change. Not only that but the blonde wig she had been provided before leaving to shore was still on her head. It was quite a funny sight and if she were in a better mood, Xyra would have poked fun at it.

The silence enveloped them. Red clearly knew she was there but said nothing. Xyra cleared her throat hoping that would start things but the girl didn't so much as move; her head affixed on the barely visible line between the night sky and the ocean. Xyra wasn't used to this at all, she was rarely ever the one to start conversations between them.

"You don't seem like yourself," is all Xyra could come up with. She kicked herself for the comment.

"That is what happens when you are told your life is over in a few cycles," Red said but her body didn't move, a voice hidden behind a yellow curtain.

"It will take more than a few cycles before this whole ordeal is dealt with," Xyra replied, again the wrong thing to say. She was trying to fix things, dammit.

"How comforting," Red said and finally shifted, pulling away from being hunched over the side, " this is what happens when you are told that your life is over in several cycles, then."

"Red, your life isn't over," Xyra said, she was being a tad dramatic.

"No, you're right," Red looked over at Xyra, a bit of anger registered on her face, "I'll just lose my position, my crew, my relationship, my friends, and where I live."

"It won't come to that," Xyra shook her head, "you'll come clean and probably be asked to stand trial but it will go well. I can feel it."

"Didn't go well for Viv..."

"Vivexa was a spy. You are not, of that I am sure," Xyra said but the girl didn't look any more convinced, "Viv didn't do much for the ship, you do. Viv wasn't revered by the crew, you are. Viv wasn't honest, you will be. They will feel slighted by your lies but I think they will understand."

Red shook her head and crossed her arms before looking back out into the night sky, "Why can't we just keep it a secret, Xy? No one will find out."

Red seemed dejected when she said it. Like she hadn't even expected the statement to be given any thought. Xyra wanted to roll her eyes or tell Red to get over it but honestly, it wasn't in her. Over the cycles, Red had grown on Xyra more and more and now she was at a place where she cared for the younger girl. It pained her to say it but they were friends. Vaith or not, Xyra felt bad for her. Telling her to get over it, that she was the one in the wrong, wouldn't help matters much. She was sent out here for a reason and that reason wasn't to make Red's mood worse.

"I've thought about it... It would definitely save us the trouble but I cannot," Xyra reached out and gently pulled Red's elbow until they were facing each other, "I hope you can recognize that I am bound by my duty."

Red looked down and nodded a bit, "I get it."

"For what it's worth, I understand why you did what you did," Xyra said and that caught Red's attention, who looked back up, "it's not justifiable but it is understandable... and forgivable."

"Let's hope others see it that way."

"I'll be a witness at your trial," Xyra promised and Red looked shocked, "I'll attest to your character, advocate for less severe sanctions."

Xyra watched as Red's face fell, what had been a split second of a hopeful glimmer had descended into a full-on frown. The kind where one is trying to keep their tears at bay. Red quickly turned back around and faced the ocean, practically hugging the side of the ship. Xyra heard a sniffle and she didn't know what to do. She was good with three people crying and that was it; Theo, Cooker, and Oceane. Anyone else she had no clue how to handle, comforting wasn't always her strong suit. The sniffles didn't go away and Xyra couldn't very well walk out.

Xyra once again cleared her throat as if that would help her figure out what to do. She inched closer to Red until she hesitantly draped an arm around the other girl. After a few moments, she felt her arm jostle with the first shake of Red's shoulders, and soon enough the girl was full on crying. Xyra knew she hadn't made things worse, she wasn't the best at fixing things like this but she was positive nothing she said was wrong. Red must have just been overwhelmed with everything. Xyra tugged her closer and Red took that as a hint to bury her face in Xyra's chest and begin to cry harder. At first, Xyra stood there with her arms slightly in the air, hovering over Red but after a few seconds of regrouping, she wrapped her arms around the crying figure.

"I've got you, kid" Xyra whispered as she rubbed Red's back.

Xyra felt herself thinking, I'm sorry I can't help.