Theo had a piece of wood she had found that was the width of half of her palm in one hand and a knife in the other. She was whittling it down, she wasn't sure into what just yet but her projects always started as such. Theo would find her direction eventually. In the meantime, she was thoroughly engrossed in slicing small pieces off the wood. Someone entered her quarters and she took her feet off the desk and put the items in her hands down. It was Rose.

"Breakfast was lovely this morning, thank you, Rose," Theo complimented her visitor, "What can I do for you?"

"Want the girl gone, the red one," Rose said bluntly.

"Ava?" Theo laughed, "She's only been working with you for a sun, she can't be that bad."

"Red's good," Rose conceded, "Don't need help."

"Rose, all due respect but you do need help. You work from sunrise to sunset in a hot and stuffy room cooking three meals for over 30 women," Theo reasoned and got up, "Eventually you are going to need to train someone to help because we are expanding."

"Eventually, not now," Rose insisted and Theo sighed.

Theo would at least give Rose a few more cycles until she pushed the idea again. That way by the time Rose actually needed to start training someone to take over a new ship she would be ready to accept the help.

"Fine," Theo gave in, "Go tell her she's off for the day while I figure out her next job."

Rose made no move to leave, only stared at Theo. Theo should have known better. Firing Ava would have taken more than three words which is not something Rose was willing to do. And it was after breakfast when Rose would have her daily walk with Miss Yurwa. Going to fire Ava would put Rose at risk of being late for that very important part of her routine.

"I'll go," Theo stood up, "Where is she?"

"Kitchen."

"Thank you, Rose," Theo pocketed the piece of wood, tucked the knife into the sheath, placed it on her waistband, and walked toward Rose. She planted a kiss on the cook's forehead, "You're getting someone in that kitchen eventually."

"Eventually," Rose repeated with a chuckle and followed the Captain outside.

Theo walked towards the kitchen, saying hello to whoever she passed on the way. She made it down to the mess hall and there was no one left eating breakfast. All of the plates had been cleared and there was no mess to be found. Walking into the kitchen was a different story. The plates were piled high and there was leftover food everywhere. Ava was standing in the middle of the kitchen, arms crossed in front of her chest. She was staring intently at the fire that was burning in the stove and had a scowl on her face.

"I was going to say good morning but apparently it is not one," Theo teased and Ava jumped slightly. Theo had been popping up and scaring Ava far too often. Theo would have to find a way to announce her presence in a less threatening manner.

"I was told I couldn't help by starting on lunch or doing the dishes," Ava sulked.

"And that warrants a battle stare? I don't think you are meant to be a pirate," Theo laughed and Ava's face softened into a hurt expression and Theo felt guilty, "That was a joke, I just meant that pirates are lazy. We love to be told to not work."

Ava usually wasn't too sensitive when it came to their banter. A nice back and forth had always been present between them but as time went on and they spent more cycles together, their banter became quicker and wittier. Ava hadn't ever reacted so poorly to something Theo had said before while teasing her.

"You okay?" Theo asked.

Ava chewed on her bottom lip, staring at the fire again, and shrugged her shoulders. Theo came closer and stood next to her, staring at the fire too. She figured Ava was processing whatever was bothering her and would spill eventually, she always did. Ava wore her emotions on her sleeves. If Ava was upset, slighted, tired, happy, curious, elated, angry, or confused, she would be sure to let someone know. Theo appreciated it, it just meant there was one less walled up, stubborn pirate that refused to talk about their feelings.

"If I can't help Rose, how is she going to know if she wants to take me on? There aren't many jobs left and cooking is probably my best bet. I can chop things and put them in a stew. I think," Ava let it off her chest.

Ava was worried about not having a place on the ship, Theo concluded. Theo never told recruits that they would most likely get voted on and accepted even if they didn't find a perfect fit. There were a few floaters on the boat, still crucial to the crew but never functioning as a permanent worker in any of the ship's departments. Theo preferred the women to try their hardest to find their place on the ship and if that didn't happen then they would have a conversation about moving forward without a job. Ava wasn't at that stage yet, there were still a few jobs left to try. However, if she was that upset about not being able to help she wouldn't like it when Theo broke the news she was being fired.

"Listen, I'm sure you will find a job onboard, it's just a matter of time," Theo tried to reassure Ava and figured that after a bit of encouragement would be the best time to break the news, "It just won't be as a cook..."

"What?" Ava said with a laugh, it wasn't one full of humor.

"Rose is refusing help. It's not you... it's her. I'm sorry, Red," Theo said genuinely, a hand over her heart.

"If I didn't see it happening I would never believe you got elected into your position," Ava grumbled and crossed her arms tighter over her chest.

"Uncalled for," Theo gasped.

"Oh, I'm Theo. I can rally the troops with a single sentence but can't figure out the correct way to break important news to someone in a fragile state," Ava snapped.

Theo laughed and pointed, "Oi, I get final say if you get to become a pirate or not, careful."

"You do?" Ava raised an eyebrow and looked away from the fire and at the Captain.

"Not really. But if I say I don't like you, they won't vote for you."

"Have you ever done that?"

"No," Theo laughed again, "point is, being nice to me is in your interest."

Ava sighed and titled her head back and closed her eyes. After a moment of silence, she straightened her head and looked at the captain, "Sorry I'm being difficult. You are a good captain."

"I know," Theo nudged her, "thanks, Red."

"Do I have another job then?" Ava seemed hopeful to be able to jump onto the next job.

"Haven't lined one up yet. You're free to go unless you want to come around the ship with me for the sun," Theo offered, hoping Ava would. Theo had a long list of duties and she wanted company for them. Her brain nagged at her that it wasn't just anyone's company she wanted, it was Ava's. Theo ignored the voice, not allowing herself to get caught up with something that would go nowhere.

"I'll go with you," Ava shrugged but Theo could see Ava was at least a little excited. Her icy and grouchy demeanor was slipping away.

"Excellent, first stop is waiting in the storage room for Miss Yurwa," Theo said and began to walk expecting Ava to follow along without prompt.

"She's not there?"

"She's on a walk. We are going to sit and wait until she comes," Theo repeated.

"Why not just do other things until we know she is back," Ava asked, which was a logical question.

"Because I don't feel like doing other things and if we waited in my room people would come to bother me," Theo explained and she opened the door to the storage room once they arrived.

Theo claimed Miss Yurwa's chair and left Ava to find a spot amongst the many crates and boxes. Theo took out her wood and knife and began to carve away at it. Ava watched for a while and Theo could feel eyes on her. Ava stayed quiet, without doing anything, for far longer than Theo thought she could. Theo laughed to herself at the thought and saw Ava tilt her head curiously.

"What?" Ava asked.

"Nothing."

"Did you ever work in carpentry?"

"Never," Theo answered, focusing on whittling her piece of wood, "I learned this from one of my vanguard leaders when I was growing up."

"What did you do before you were Captain?" Ava pulled her knees up onto the crate she was sitting on and hugged them.

"First couple lengths I was at sea we didn't have jobs since we weren't on any crew. Just coasted by with some stealing, sneaking into cargo holds, offering entertainment for gold and passage. When we finally had a crew I did all kinds of jobs but never carpentry," Theo answered and finally, the wood was speaking to her and she could see what she could turn it into.

"What kind of jobs?" Ava pressed on, itching for more about Theo's life.

"Sailing, rigging, lookout, cook, first mate, leader of the vanguard, and many other things," Theo shrugged nonchalantly, trying her hardest not to seem like she was bragging. Ava had failed at two of those jobs already and something told Theo that Ava wouldn't be cut out for some of the others she listed either. Ava's skinny frame and lack of overall experience with the sea put her at a disadvantage.

"Is there anything you can't do?"

"Carpentry," Theo laughed.

Ava rolled her eyes but a smile was on her face. She hopped off the crate and began to look around the room.

"What about you?" Theo sparked up the conversation again, "Not a job but did you ever learn any special skills or do any rich people things growing up?"

"Surpingsly, I don't have many rich people skills under my belt," Ava laughed, "They tried to teach me, though. Oh, did they try."

Theo laughed, "Did you learn like, I don't know, feast table utensil placement?"

"That's not a thing," Ava chuckled, "the servants placed the table for us. We just had to know which utensil to use for each meal."

"I apologize. Our realities were very different as you can tell," Theo said, "So if not table setting then what did they try to teach you."

"Sewing, singing, instruments, calligraphy, dance. I was quite good at tutoring but that's worthless now. It was all untrue information," Ava lamented.

"I cannot imagine you doing any of those things. All of those require extended periods of silence and I do not think you are capable of that," Theo half teased. She was serious, she couldn't count on her hand the number of times Ava had been quiet for more than two minutes unless she was reading.

Ava laughed, "I would be upset at the jab if it weren't true. My chambermaid would get so worked up trying to teach me. I would never pay attention during the lessons from my teachers so it fell on her to help me." Ava's fond smile turned into a frown.

"You get sad when you speak about her..." Theo pointed out and stopped whittling, "Why?"

Ava shrugged and looked down at her hands then began to pick at her pants, "She was my friend and I left her behind. I don't know what happened to her."

"Did she ask you to come with you?"

"No, but I never offered either," Ava admitted.

Theo didn't want to offer false promises that her friend was safe and fine. Theo didn't know Ava's family, the chambermaid, or their customs. Theo wasn't sure if Ava's family would have blamed the disappearance on the chambermaid and fired her or simply put her with someone else. Theo had heard many different kinds of stories of how chambermaids and servants were treated in Elox, she saw it first hand too. Theo didn't want to make Ava more upset by relaying that fact.

"I'm sorry you were not able to bring her," Theo said, "I don't think you should beat yourself up over it. I'm sure if she was your friend and wanted to leave she would have asked."

"Thank you," Ava said softly, still refusing to look up from her pants.

Miss Yurwa had impeccable timing as she entered the room. She stopped, looked between Theo and Ava, and shook her head, "No."

"No?" Theo laughed, "What do you mean?"

"No help," Miss Yurwa said and walked to her desk, shooing Theo off her chair, "Not hiring."

"I'm not here for that but I'm telling you what I told Rose, you're going to get help eventually," Theo stated as she left the chair, they were not going to get away with being the only ones that didn't train people for fleet expansion. She knew they hated help, it was an older Islander thing to refuse aid. Independence in their jobs and tasks was a cultural thing and Theo wanted to be careful with how she approached it. Slow pushes always worked well for the two older ladies.

"What do you need?" Miss Yurwa asked.

"I need you to bring me up the ledger, the book with the ship's account, and the one with mine too," Theo requested, "I need it as soon as you can."

"I can review them. They will be ready and updated tomorrow. Send someone to pick it up," Miss Yurwa said, a less pinched tone now that she wasn't under threat of having to work with anyone.

Theo gave the older woman a one-armed hug and whispered, "Kimmint reo var."

Miss Yurwa patted Theo's arm and whispered back with a chuckle and a smile, "Kimmit reo vera."

Theo's chest felt light and her smile grew. She planted a kiss on Miss Yurwa's forehead, the same as she had done for Rose, and then made her way out. Again, expecting Ava to follow. Ava did, probably accustomed to the crew and the way things were done without explanation.

"That wasn't Aelizan. How many other languages do you know?" Ava asked with an impressed tone.

"It was Dovish," Theo answered, "I know how to speak a few languages here and there. Phrases and whatnot. Some better than others."

"What were you saying to each other?" Ava asked.

"What if I told you I couldn't divulge that?"

"Then I would drop the question and simply ask another."

Theo laughed, "Kimmint reo var roughly means I respect and care for you, elder. And she said Kimmit reo vera which means I care for you, child."

"That's sweet," Ava smiled, "What other languages do you know?"

"A bit of Dovish and Safritian. I also know Nefritian but it is not that common so I don't use it as much, Xyra taught me that one when we were kids," Theo explained. She wasn't an expert in the languages by any means and anyone who heard her speak them knew she was a foreigner. But Theo knew enough to conduct business, understand the gist of conversations, and could communicate with owners of the establishments she had. There were a few other dialects spread out throughout Baethos but not used enough for Theo to need to learn them.

"Speaking of you and Xyra as kids..." Ava had a lightly teasing tone to her voice and Theo groaned.

"No," Theo insisted, "Whatever you are going to say I need you to never say it."

Ava laughed, "An anonymous source told me that when you were kids you were in love with Xyra. I was going to ask if it was true but given your reaction..."

"It is not true. I vehemently deny any accusations," Theo laughed. Ava would have to pry a lot harder if she were to get that kind of information out of Theo. Her past with Xyra was something she was mortified about and she was going to find the rat who leaked it, "How do you know?"

"Angeli told me," Ava shrugged.

"Angeli? Brunette, medium height, Nivealean Angeli?" Theo asked, bewildered at the fact that she and Ava had ever crossed paths.

"That's the one," Ava confirmed.

"Maybe I should've vetted you harder," Theo commented, eyes suspiciously narrowed, "First reading books about me and then tracking down my old acquaintances. The perfect recipe for a spy."

"I did not track anyone," Ava swatted Theo's arm, the good one, "I hung out with her the other night because Zeal introduced us."

"You're lucky she didn't try and sleep with you," Theo laughed and Ava stayed quiet. Suspiciously quiet and Theo stopped in her tracks. She turned to look at Ava, "Did you sleep with Angeli?"

Ava just shrugged and kept walking, a smile playing on her lips, "Come on, where to next?"

"Navi. At the helm," Theo jogged a little to catch up and kept up with Ava's pace, "Are you going to answer my question?"

"When you decide to answer mine about Xyra," Ava teased.

Theo had no idea if she was being played or not. It was more likely than not that she was being toyed with. Ava would get her to spill about the stupid crush she used to have on Xyra growing up and then Ava would reveal they did not sleep together. Ava was not a nox and even if she was, she had never been with anyone before. Ava seemed a little too uptight to have her first time with a random stranger in Niveal.

Ava had pulled farther away and Theo had to once again pick up the pace to keep up, "Red! Slow down. I am the captain, match my pace!"

------

Ava had followed Theo around for a few hours before they ended up back inside her quarters. Theo was right, people did bother her there. There was a constant flow of crew members. Sometimes, sailors would just come in to talk to Theo on a break they had, and sometimes it was people with legitimate questions or concerns. Ava observed from Theo's bed, switching between her book and listening. Her and Theo had passed by the lower decks and it was the Captain that encouraged her to fetch her reading materials.

Theo never made any of her crew members feel dumb for their questions or unwelcome. Her attitude and disposition were always inviting and Ava could not see a trace of resentment amongst the crew. Theo's previous stunt had faded to the background and all that was visible was competent leadership. Xyra and Cooker walked in and Xyra shouted something in a foreign language. Ava's head snapped up to see a fruit flying through the air and Theo dropped the piece of wood in her hand to catch the object with a trajectory to hit Theo's head. Theo threw the fruit back and said something back.

Cooker laughed at whatever Xyra had said and Theo made an obscene gesture back at them. Xyra kept speaking in a different language, words flowing easily off her tongue. It wasn't Aelizan, perhaps Nefritian? How many languages did these girls know how to switch between? Ava was always told that lesser houses and no namers were uneducated, unknowing, and not as intelligent as the nobles. Her time at sea had proven that the opposite was true, nobles and greater houses were the ones in the dark.

Theo cleared her throat and pointed at Ava. Xyra whipped around and to Ava's surprise, greeted her with a smile, "My apologies. I didn't see you there, Red. Did you get the day off?"

"I got fired," Ava put plainly and Xyra let out a laugh.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. That's too bad, I'm sure you'll find something," Xyra consoled then turned back to Theo, "Mor's on her way over so you can train."

"I'll stick to Cooker, thanks," Theo shot back. Morgana was taller, stronger, and overall a more difficult opponent to train with.

"You'll train with both. You aren't pushing enough with Cooker. Mor needs one on one time too so it'll be good for you both," Xyra insisted.

"Have you considered I'm not pushing hard enough because I can't push anymore? I've got an injury for fucks sake," Theo complained but still got up and walked to one of her many trunks.

"Have you considered maybe your enemies give no fucks and will not hesitate to kill you if you are not able to defend yourself?" Xyra shot back.

Xyra dragged a seat behind Theo's desk and sat down. Ava had noticed that Xyra often did that even if Theo's chair was empty. Theo had said that Xyra avoided sitting in Theo's chair because she thought it to be bad luck and that she would be cursed with the captaincy if she did.

"Whatever," Theo grumbled and grabbed the sword she wanted. A simple falchion, heavier than the cutlass she had been using but easier to use against Morgana's weapons. She held it in her good arm, twisting it around to test it out.

At Xyra's instruction, Ava had moved out of Theo's bed and behind the desk. She watched intently as Cooker moved furniture around to make room for the fighting. Morgana walked in with her morningstar over her left shoulder.

"I am ready to kick some ass," she stated, "who is first on the menu."

"I am," Ava said and made as if she was going to stand up. It earned her a round of laughter from everyone, including Xyra.

"I will," Theo walked into the open space and stretched her neck from side to side, "Go easy on me, partner."

"I'm not familiar with how to do that," Morgana chuckled and readied herself, knees bending slightly.

"Stretch first," Xyra sighed loudly, "What are you? Animals?"

"Aye," Morgana and Theo replied in unison then began to do as they were told.

Ava leaned over in her chair and whispered to Xyra, "How do you get them to do what you want?"

"I outrank Morgana and I've studied the art of Theo. It's a delicate matter and it's taken 12 lengths to master. I still don't get it right sometimes," Xyra chuckled and looked over at Ava, "Why'd you get fired?"

"Rose didn't need help," Ava enlightened her.

"If I wasn't disgusted by your face I would kiss you," Xyra flashed Ava a teasing smile. Ava knew Xyra was teasing, they had taken up these faux insults as a form of banter. A nod to Xyra's early hatred for the redhead.

"And why's that?"

"You just reduced my debt from ten suns of doing Theo's job to seven. I bet her three suns that Rose would reject the help," Xyra boasted.

"I'm glad my tragedy is something to profit off of," Ava quipped and Xyra waved her off with a smile.

Theo, Morgana, and Cooker had stopped stretching and were messing around with each other. Xyra barked out orders and Morgana and Cooker went first. They practiced a few combos, alternating between defense and offense. Theo continued to warm herself up away from the action. She peeled off her shirt, once again revealing her upper arms and shoulders filled with tattoos. She had worked up a small sweat just from stretching and her skin had a slight sheen to it.

Xyra's voice was prominent again as she shouted another set of orders. This time, Cooker stepped out of the action area and Theo stepped in. She spun the sword forward in her hand, expertly maneuvering the flaunty move. Ava shut her book, things were going to get interesting. Ava had seen Theo with a sword plenty of times and she had seen her help others train but she had never watched Theo do so. Ava had a front-row seat to what would most likely prove to be a great source of entertainment.

Morgana wasted no time once they were both in position to charge forward and bring her morningstar down on Theo. Theo raced backward and raised her falchion to intercept it halfway. Theo's arm wavered slightly under the weight but with a small push up and a step to the left, she was able to swipe aside the first attack. Theo brought her sword down in a slash from its place in the air. Ava watched as Theo almost flawlessly brought down a series of her own swings and offensive moves, forcing Morgana to step back. Theo began to get pushback from the vanguard leader and Ava wasn't sure which way the fight would go.

She found herself leaning forward in her chair, engrossed in the action. They were quick, Theo more so than Morgana but what Morgana lacked in speed she made up in force. Ava could see the toll it took on Theo every time she had to block one of Morgana's swings. Ava wasn't sure what went wrong or where Morgana faltered but all of a sudden Theo's sword was at Morgana's throat, forcing the match to end. Theo's chest moved rapidly up and down and so did Morgana's. A smirk was playing on Theo's lip and she raised a challenging eyebrow.

"Thought this was supposed to be hard," Theo taunted and Morgana grunted, pushing the blade away.

"Reset. Go again. Morgana, careful with her fake-outs. It's what gets you every time," Xyra advised and Theo scoffed, throwing up her arms.

"You can't help her," Theo complained and rolled her eyes when Xyra fixed her with a warning glare.

Theo paid attention and reset, getting into her fighting position a few feet away from Morgana. Neither of them made the first move to attack, they just held tightly onto their weapons and moved left to right slowly. Ava was holding her breath in excitement but she seemed to be the only one to share the sentiment. Xyra was sitting quietly with her legs crossed and a hand covering her mouth and chin. She watched them, intently analyzing their every move. Cooker was picking at her nails, unfazed by the ongoing training.

They had reset so quickly they didn't have time for a breath. Ava saw as both of them used their time to strategize as a breather. Sweat was beading on both of their foreheads. Ava knew that it probably wasn't the best time for her mind to start wandering but something about Theo fighting made it difficult for Ava to think straight. Suddenly, Theo made the first move and they were off. Toe to toe in a dangerous dance. Morgana was a display of strength and stood tall and threatening but Ava's attention kept wavering and her focus landed solely on Theo. The way she moved gracefully, her smaller stature giving her more freedom. She wasn't as strong as Morgana but she was able to hold her own, muscles straining under the force of Morgana's blows. If someone had told Ava she was drooling she would have believed them. Ava shook it off, telling herself not to be weird about it. Theo was trying to train, not put on a show. But there was something about a lady captain with a sword that drove her mad.

Ava was pulled from her internal back and forth when Theo fell to the ground, flat on her back. Theo let out a sharp yell and she rolled over onto her side, hurt shoulder up in the air, "Fuck! Mor, we didn't say kicking was allowed."

"Attackers ain't just going to stop and set rules before you fight," Morgana said back, a bit hostile. Ava watched as Theo grimaced in pain and took a few deep breaths before standing back up. There were scowls etched on both of their faces

"Theo, go get your shoulder checked out," Xyra said but Theo and Morgana were locked in on each other.

Theo launched herself at Morgana, ignoring Xyra's instructions. Morgana blocked Theo's attack and once again they were fully engaged in a fight. Theo pushed harder than she had in any of the previous rounds and each time she struck, she would let out a loud yell or grunt. Morgana was not letting up, she matched Theo's energy. Ava had watched the whole scene and still could not understand how it had gotten so heated. They were both in a rage, controlled, but a rage nonetheless.

Their weapons clashed and locked against each other, each of them fighting to push the other away. Theo used two hands to keep her sword up above her head and Morgana used all her strength to bore down on it. Ava could see Theo's resolve waver, she couldn't hold her position for much longer. In a last-second attempt to take the win, she gave Morgana a bit of her own medicine. Theo kicked her leg out and it hit Morgana's bad side. It was a light kick but enough to cause Morgana to drop the morningstar in pain. She stumbled back and held her side.

"What the fuck Theo?!" Morgana yelled and Cooker made quick work to intervene. She got in between both of the women but it didn't stop Morgana from trying to get closer to Theo.

"Theo!" Xyra bellowed, "Go see Tuni and then send her back here to check on Morgana! That was so fucking uncalled for."

Ava saw Theo open her mouth to say something. Most likely some venomous words if Theo's face was any indication but she opted against that. She silently made her way out without looking back. Ava was frozen in place, unsure of whether to follow Theo or not. By the way, Xyra looked at Ava and shook her head, she figured it was a silent way to advise her against doing so. So Ava paid attention to Xyra, who knew the Captain better than her and stayed in the quarters.

Theo had eventually come back and she and Morgana sorted it out. It surprised Ava how little it took. A mumbled apology and a hug and it was all forgotten but Theo was nowhere to be seen for that. The only other time Ava saw her that night was briefly when Theo stopped by the lower decks before dinner to tell Ava she would be unavailable that night. Theo also informed Ava that Oceane was free for the next suns and would be training her. Oceane was on the vanguard and was also recently promoted to Master Gunner so there was no need for her services on their calm days at sea. She had, however, completed a two-length stint as rigger before being promoted so she had offered to train Ava in rigging and show her the ropes, literally.

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

Theo was behind her desk waiting for Xyra and Cooker. She had to tell Ava that was unavailable for the night which was harder than it should have been. Theo had skipped out on training and then locked herself in her quarters for the rest of the sun. Xyra and Cooker had a meeting with her to discuss updates they received in Clabonne but besides that, she wanted to see no one. Theo had kicked everyone out and refused to see anyone to avoid getting lectured at. She knew she fucked up, she just wanted to wallow in it. Theo let training get out of hand and while Morgana was the one that started it, Theo was a captain and she should have exhibited restraint. Kicking the leader of her vanguard on an injury that was sustained at Theo's command was not a good look. Morgana apologized to Theo and Theo apologized too but after that, she had contact with no one else.

Theo instead took her after morning and night to rest her shoulder and isolate. There had been far too many days at sea without a break and there came a time in every voyage that Theo needed to escape. Theo did nothing, she smoked some havcera and whittled away at her wood. It was coming together nicely, the shape looking more and more like a fish. She even thought about painting it's scales in different colors when she was done. She had skipped out on dinner, hoping that Rose would bring her a plate. She had been right, Rose did bring her dinner and a thank you for getting Ava out of the kitchen. Dinner had been done for a while and the girls were far overdue for their meeting.

They managed to find their way to Theo's quarters eventually and stumbled in laughing, faces redder than wine. Cooker went to speak but wheezed instead, bending over trying to catch her breath. This caused Xyra to also double over in silent laughter. Eventually, Xyra regained her ability to breathe and she made the attempt to give some explanation to Theo but couldn't muster enough resolve to push past the next fit of laughter. Theo looked at the small spectacle in front of her, unamused.

"How much have you both had to drink tonight?"

"Just a smidge," Cooker confessed and Xyra hit her arm.

"Oi, we were supposed to be subtle about it," Xyra uttered.

"There was nothing subtle about that," Theo snapped and stood up, expressing her disappointment for them through her face, "leave, now."

Xyra frowned and stepped forward, "Theo-"

Theo held up her hand to stop her first mate from speaking, "I am not mad. Go enjoy your night."

"We still have to speak about earlier..." Xyra pointed out, referring to Theo's tiff with Morgana.

"Aye," Theo nodded, knowing she wouldn't be able to get out of a lecture and a conversation, "We have plenty of time for that tomorrow. We'll leave our meeting for tomorrow night."

Without another word, Cooker and Xyra walked out and left Theo to her own devices. She could call Ava up but she was already probably doing something and Theo didn't want to bother. It was best if she just went to sleep. Her shoulder was killing her and admittedly she had not been taken as good care of it as she should have. A solid night to recharge would do wonders. So Theo abandoned her whittling project and went to bed. Falling into a fitful sleep, shoulder pain ruining any chance of peaceful rest.

When she awoke in the morning it was to Xyra nudging her awake. She jolted upright and looked around panicked for a few seconds before her brain caught up with what was happening. Xyra was looming over her, sunlight was coming in through all of the windows in her room. By the patterns of the shadows and the intensity of the sun through certain windows, Theo knew she had slept far too long.

"Fuck," Theo rushed out of bed, stumbling once she was up because her foot was wrapped up in her sheets, "I don't know how I slept so long, Xy. Sorry."

"That's fine. Figured I would let you sleep. Did all your morning duties but there are a few things you need to follow up on. Evana and Tuni both need to see you," Xyra went about her brief while Theo hopped around the room getting dressed for the day, "I'm sorry about last night, Theo."

"Don't sweat it. It's nice to see you have fun for a change," Theo teased her with a small smile, looking around the room for her belt and her missing shoe, "Thanks for covering for me this morning."

"It wasn't a favor," Xyra chuckled and handed Theo the shoe she was looking for, "I'm taking it from the seven vacation suns I owe you. We are down to six."

Theo held in a deep sigh. She had been robbed of three days because of a stupid bet. One she made herself, damn her confidence.

"Six and a half," Theo countered and Xyra laughed.

"Six and a half."

Theo, finally ready, put on her captain's hat, "Xy, I'll see you after dinner. My crew awaits me."

"We still haven't talked about Morgana," Xyra pointed out and followed Theo to the doorway.

Theo sighed and turned around, "What is there to say? I shouldn't have escalated things, I'm not a crew member anymore I'm a captain, I need to go high when they go low. I already apologized to her."

"Surprisingly, you've hit the nail on the head, Cap," Xyra relented.

"'Cause I'm smart," Theo tapped her head, "If that's all I'm off now."

Theo walked out and checked on Tuni first. Theo wasn't concerned about a lecture from Tuni. Tuni tried to stay out of Morgana's ship business to not embarrass the leader of the vanguard. Morgana could fight her own battles and Tuni knew that. Tuni simply wanted to give Theo a list of items she needed from their next stop in Undis. Theo ran the list down to Miss Yurwa after so she could siphon what was needed from the ship's fund to Tuni. After that, she went to check on Evana. Theo was impressed with the progress that carpentry had made in the few suns since she had last checked in. It seemed like the training room would be functional before they even arrived at Undis, one city ahead of schedule. Theo was grateful, her room was big but not big enough to train.

Theo went about the rest of her after morning and night as usual. No one mentioned her absence from training, dinner, or the small lower deck party they threw the sun before. After dinner, which she ended up attending, she had to break it to Ava that they wouldn't be able to spend time together that evening either. Ava's face had flashed from something unknown to Theo to nonchalance. She told Theo not to worry that Oceane had plans for them. Theo wanted to interpret Ava's unknown emotion as disappointment or disdain at the fact they wouldn't be able to spend time together but Theo would only be fooling herself.

This time, Xyra and Cooker joined her directly after dinner. They walked up together and Theo took the bed, opting to sit away from the desk. The other's crowded on her bed too, Xyra flanking her right and Cooker sitting in front of her.

"What did Dardos tell you?" Theo got straight to the point. Clabonne often acted as one of their only sources of information when they were in Efriti.

Other ports they visited around the continent were either closed to them or there was no one there willing to do business with them. Even being seen with a pirate could get someone arrested for conspiracy and cooperation with a criminal network. In Clabonne, they had a source that was reliable and knew how to get the information they needed. When Xyra and Theo were busy checking up on their establishments, it was Cooker's job to find out news from their sources.

"Nothing good," Cooker noted, solemnly and pulled out her notes, "Overview of it all? More pirates are gone. The Council put out a statement saying they are launching an investigation into the raid of their base. Nasty storms have been reported in the waters off of Nefriti and some in Safriti around Alenroux and those are just the things that concern us."

"I had hoped when you said nothing good that at least one thing would be good," Theo let out a deep breath and rubbed her neck. "Nothing is going to come from The Council's investigation. They are going to blame pirating and then formally condone it and then use those deaths to go on another fear campaign. So at least that covers that."

"I agree," Xyra chimed in, "What I'm worried about are those storms. Did you get any specifics?"

"Three storms recorded 30 miles off of Alenroux, straight where we are headed. Then there were two reported to have come from around Efriti's horn," Cooker said.

"How bad?" Theo asked, not wanting to know the answer.

"Three merchant ships were found off around Gossem. Two pirate ships and two merchant ships were found washed up around Alenroux. Those are just the ships we know of. Those numbers are probably more," Cooker explained.

"Which crews?" Theo asked.

"Barrel's and Hofstate."

"Barrel's a shit sailor. They've got all brute and no brains. Any gust of wind and they are sent scrambling. Hofstate I'm not too familiar with," Theo admitted, racking her brain to remember a time where she met a crew under that captain.

Xyra stood up and walked to Theo's desk, she pulled out a book and began to flip through it. The three of them kept a list of all of the pirate crews currently operating in Baethan waters. There were many of them and none of them had that good of memory to be able to pull any crew or captain out of their head. They usually just concerned themselves with the bigger names amongst the pirating world. Those that were their direct competition.

"Registered the ship at Corinspe a length ago. Small vessel, a crew of 20," Xyra read off of their log.

Theo stayed silent for a moment, going over the options. They had no choice but to keep on their current course. They were due to make it to Gossem on time for the shipment but just barely. They couldn't waste any time going around storms.

"There's no time to change course. We've weathered bad storms before. We'll start making the necessary adjustments and moves to make sure we are as prepared as possible if we hit a storm."

"Aye, Captain," Cooker said.

"You said more pirates were gone. I'm assuming the washed-up pirates wasn't it," Theo speculated.

"Aye," Cooker peeked at her notes again, "Two more have been officially reported as missing since we left Niveal."

Theo knew they could survive a storm but she wasn't so sure she could survive mystery forces. What had the gods cooked up this time? There were no leads, no witnesses, no evidence of washed-up boats. Whoever or whatever was behind this was a force to be reckoned with. It was looking more and more like a problem and Theo wished she was near Corinspe right now; they were sure to have more information on whatever was happening.

"And you got no information on any possible leads or explanations?" Theo asked and Cooker shook her head, no.

"We're blind," Xyra said as she walked back over to the bed, "All we have to do is trust we will be ready to handle whatever comes at us."

Cooker and Theo both silently stared at Xyra. Theo was about to make her go to Tuni so she could get checked out. Xyra was never one to leave things up to fate or chance. Xyra sensed the hesitation from her friends and rolled her eyes, "Listen, we know nothing and we will know anything until we at least get to Undis. No point in worrying."

Cooker turned to Theo, raised her eyebrows suggestively, and then made an obscene gesture. Theo snorted at the suggestion, Xyra was clearly getting it in with Navi. Xyra narrowed her eyes and snapped her fingers, "None of whatever you were doing. Get out of my business."

"Xyra getting fucked aside, any other news?" Theo asked and dodged to the side to avoid Xyra's punch to the arm. It didn't work.

"Safriti is on the brink of an all-out revolt. Dardos says there have been small uprisings everywhere but The Center sends their rebel squashers and the town is wiped off the map. They are getting bigger and bolder with their retaliations towards Safritians and I think it's going to blow," Cooker theorized.

Theo shook her head, "It hasn't in this many classifications, it won't now. Still, make sure we are ready and have the proper people up to date on the protocol in case we happen to dock at a city that's starting to whisper rebellion."

There were certain situations Theo had come to know and expect would happen from time to time. Coming across an uprising or a rebellion was one of them. It had already happened to them on numerous occasions, both while on a crew and as captain. Theo knew firsthand the destruction and devastation that came with The Center's retribution. They would deploy their elite squad of trained Eloxian soldiers, known as rebel squashers to common folk throughout Baethos. They could raze a city to the ground in an hour if they wanted to. Theo's role was not to fight but to rescue those fleeing the damages. She had taken in close to a thousand refugees in her entire time as captain.

"Preparing for raids, preparing for a storm, preparing for taking on rebel squashers," Cooker whistled, "A bit much, no?"

"Do you doubt the ability of your crew to perform?" Theo raised an eyebrow and Cooker shook her head, "Good, so we know what to do moving forward. Is there anything else of concern?"

Cooker dove into the rest of her information. Things that were not directly relevant but it was still nice to know. Being about 3 lengths away from a new classification meant things moved quickly and power dynamics were constantly shifting, in the underworld as well. Theo tried her best to pay attention but she found her mind wandering, wondering what Ava was doing at that moment. She hadn't spoken to her much all day, only a greeting during training and a few conversations at dinner. Her attention was called by Xyra and she rejoined the conversation, feigning interest.

They eventually left and Theo went about her nightly routine, minus one redhead. She got her shoulder checked out, the wound was almost fully healed and she could expect to stop her incessant bandage changes soon. Theo whittled a little, tidied up her room, she even went through her wardrobe and got rid of some clothing. She was bored but she refused to go find Ava for the company, she had already canceled for the night. Inviting her over now would look lame and like the captain of the ship had nothing else to do, which she didn't. A few hours had passed and Theo was about to rip her hair out from boredom. Ava would still be up and maybe Theo could get to spend at least a little bit of time with her.

Theo checked everywhere for the redhead. The kitchen, the library, the storage room, Tuni's room, the lower deck. Ava was nowhere to be found and Theo had no idea where she could have been. If it weren't for Theo's damn ego maybe Ava could have been found earlier. Theo would have to follow up with Ava the next morning and make sure she had a good night. For the moment though, there was nothing Theo could do but trudge back to her room and sit in boredom.