Theo woke up hours later, at the first light of dawn. She laid in bed with her eyes open and went over the events of the night before. She would have to check in with Miss Yurwa in the treasury to see what the pot was for everyone and collect her own piece. She would probably have to meet with her boatswain and carpenter to budget for repairs when they arrived at their first city. All she wanted to do was to roll back over and fall asleep but she had captain duties to attend to. The last thing she wanted to do was spend her morning sailing and concerning herself with maintenance matters.

Duty called.

She stood up from her bed and made her way over to her wardrobe, opening it and looking around. She threw on whatever looked the most comfortable and made her way out of her room with no shoes on and a classic white shirt with tight black pants. As soon as she was two steps out of her room she could see three people make a beeline towards her and she took a deep breath, preparing herself.

When they all arrived they began to talk at once and Theo held her hand up and they stopped, "Walk with me. I need food."

When Theo turned and began walking towards the mess hall they all followed her, keeping up with her quickened pace. One of the girls, Eve, began speaking first, "We've got no issues with carpentry. We took them by surprise with the fire, they couldn't stay on their ship long enough to cause any permanent damage to ours. We won't have to budget anything from our find towards repairs."

Theo nodded as she walked and shot Evana a smile, "That's great news. Allocate whatever you think we would have spent if Espbar had come at us with more force and ask around to see what the girls want to see next. When we get to land you can purchase the materials for a project."

Evana nodded and her smile was beaming. She was the carpenter and building was her passion but most of what she had to do was repairs and maintenance of the ship rather than build. Every once in a while, when they got lucky like Theo let her embark on building a new room for the girls. She had already built new tables that were longer for the mess and a small library on the lower decks. The galleon was an Aelizian warship and was fitted for a crew of about 250. With a crew currently less than a sixth of that, there was a lot of open space for renovations and improvements. She quickly broke rank with the others following Theo and made her way down to her workspace to begin drawing out options for the girls.

Theo looked at the woman to her right, a thin, tall, dark woman who was dubbed Navi, short for Navigator. She was one of the smartest and most capable people Theo knew, and one of the few that could read and follow maps so accurately. Navi was Theo's sailing master and her life had been much less stressful since Navi agreed to join her crew. Xyra liked to pretend she was good with navigating the open oceans but she was no better than the rest of them. Navi cleared her throat, "We are ready to set sail as soon as you are. Most of the crew who is sailing the morning shift are awake and ready too."

"Thank you, Navi. Keep walking with me. I have concerns about the journey you need to brief me on before we leave but first, Pearl what's the update?" Theo turned her face to Pearl as they began getting closer to the smell of frying eggs.

"The whole deck is cleaned but I do have some cleanliness concerns in some of the rooms and the general lower decks need to be clean and organized. We don't want a repeat of the last ship," Pearl reminded and Theo shuddered. Their last ship's lower decks had become near impossible to walk through from the pile-up of things they had stored under there.

"Aye, do you have enough help for that?" Theo asked and Pearl shook her head no, "Right. Gather a crew of up to 8 and let them know that whoever helps you is off sailing duty for two suns. This sun and tomorrow's."

Pearl saluted her captain, "Aye, I will do that. Thank you, Captain."

Theo and Navi arrived in the mess room and Theo went to grab a plate for herself. Sitting down, she ran Navi through questions of the safest route and got answers for most of her questions. Once she had finished her breakfast and was properly satisfied with the answers to her concerns she got up and walked back to the helm, speaking with Navi the whole time.

"Oi, have you seen Mor this morning?" Theo questioned as she began climbing the ladder.

"No. Was she supposed to be on the morning sail?" Navi answered as she climbed up after Theo.

Theo nodded and looked around the ship from her spot on the helm, "Aye, we need 20 pirates to set sail this morning. I let the others rest but Mor knew she had to be here. Something was up with her last night, I'll go check on her in a bit."

"I can go get her. Maybe she's just late, y'know she hates this part of the job," Navi offered and Theo shook her head.

"No, she needs the rest. She most likely stayed up helping Tuni with the wounded anyway so she can skip out on sailing, 19 will have to do," Theo knew Morgana hated sailing but she also knew Morgana never faulted on orders. The night before must have really affected her and Theo was going to visit her later. She should have last night but she doubted she would have been any comfort to Morgana.

"20 was small enough, Cap. You're killing me here," Navi joked and unfurled her maps.

Theo laughed and brought her in and kissed her temple, "I've watched you sail this baby with six of us. We'll be fine, we've got the greatest sail master right here.

Navi laughed and pushed Theo away, "Go be a captain."

Theo gave her the middle finger and walked over to her wheel. She placed her hands on it and winced slightly, forgetting the blisters and wounds from the sun before. They had begun to heal overnight, tender skin turning callous, but she hadn't had them dressed or cleaned by Tuni. When she visited Morgana she would ask Tuni for help, she promised to herself.

Soon, all the women were in their positions and the sailing began. Navi shouting orders and the crew working in unison and before long Theo could feel the wind consistently beating against her face and could hear the waves crashing against the boat. She hoped it would be smooth sailing from here to their destination in The Twins. It was a 10 sun journey and that was more than she was comfortable with. They had been at sea for way longer before but she had a smaller crew than usual and she couldn't afford rough seas or another raid. No matter how worried she was, the excitement had still been bubbling in her stomach. Suns at sea were Theo's favorites. Being captain meant a little less when she was at sea. There was no paperwork or port bureaucracies to deal with, no planning the next adventure or worrying about her crew on land. She had sailed all her life and was an expert at handling a ship but she wasn't needed as much on those days.

Once she deemed it necessary, she would allow Navi to take over navigation and guide the rest of the crew and Theo wouldn't be bothered unless it was an emergency. On sailing suns, she would deal with what she called her pirate business in the morning. Sailing, taking meetings, settling crew conflict and whatever else was needed of her. But the aftermorning was her vacation. Like most of her crew on sailing suns, she worked for half a sun and had the other half off. They usually switched halfway through the aftermorning. She did this to increase morale. When she was just a crew member on a ship she hated the incessantly long hours where she seemed to be doing nothing productive. When she became captain, she allowed her crew to have breaks and in return, they tended to stay much longer.

Theo had the aftemornings off and when she would fuck off and do whatever she wanted, Xyra would take over for her. This morning, first on her pirate business to-do list was to check in with the injured and touch base with Morgana. After an hour of standing on the helm, she decided it was time to get on with the rest of her business. She motioned Navi over to the wheel and informed her on where she would be if needed. Theo climbed down from the helm to the deck and walked into the infirmary.

"Good morning, Tuni," Theo smiled as she walked in and saw Tuni in her regular spot.

"Oh good morning, love. You aren't wearing a hat? What a welcome surprise," Tuni smiled and stood up from her chair.

"Will you quit making a big deal out of it every time," Theo reached up and pushed her hair back, "Just came by to check on the girls here. Everything went okay overnight?"

"Aye. Quite a few cuts and bruises. Nothing too bad for the most part. We've got three girls that I've kept overnight and have instructed them to rest. Gretta got hit by an arrow in the arm, Brim got slashed in the stomach, and Hop got into a nasty fistfight. They've all been sedated to help with the pain. M' afraid you'll have to come back when they've woken to speak to them." Tuni informed her.

"Thanks for taking good care of the crew. You're truly an angel. Hey, do you know where Morgana is? I wanted to have a chat with her," Theo asked looking around the room.

"In my room. She's in a foul mood, I haven't even let her help me this morning because she was being snippy last night. When men complain about women I don't understand, not usually. I love women and there are hardly any flaws but dear God some of you on here don't communicate. Can you please go talk to her?" Tuni asked and took a key off from around her neck and handed it to Theo.

"You locked her in there?!" Theo laughed and Tuni nodded with a furrowed brow.

"She is acting like a child, she will be treated like one," Tuni huffed and turned away and made her way down to where the patients were laying.

Theo shook her head, smiling slightly. Morgana must have been indignantly sulking in the room. Theo approached and unlocked the door. When she made it into the room she saw Morgana beginning to rise up from her spot on the bed, "Cap, I'm sorry I didn't go this morning. I stayed up late-"

Theo held up a hand, silencing Morgana and walked over to the dresser in front of the bed and sat on top, "Don't apologize. You needed rest. You fought hard last night." Morgana nodded thanks and Theo continued, "Xyra tells me one of those men last night was an old mate."

Morgana nodded and rubbed her neck, "Aye, spent the first four lengths of my life on the sea with him and some others. We were small kids back then but we went from boat to boat seeking odd jobs and I trusted him with my life. Good kid. Always wiser than the rest of us."

"I'm sorry, Mor," Theo knew Morgana wasn't one for comfort in the form of words or anything physical so she just sat in silence with her. Letting Morgana take the lead in the conversation if there was anything left to say.

Morgana just nodded and stayed silent for a little while, "It was me, though. Like, how do I live with that?"

"It was you?" Theo tilted her head and studied Morgana's face. The grief on it made Theo's heart hurt and her stomach sink. Morgana killed people, it's what she did and she did it well. Rarely was there a time where Morgana would feel guilt, much less grief. But, She had killed her friend. Theo did not know what to say, "Oh."

"Aye," Morgana wiped her face with her hands and took a shaky breath. The threat of tears made it difficult to blink, "It was an accident, I didn't see his face until after. Even then, it's them or me, I know that."

"Doesn't make it any easier," Theo said softly and sat on the bed next to Morgana, "I'm truly sorry for your loss, Mor. I wish I could help."

Morgana shook her head and smiled sadly, "There's nothing to do. Just pay for my sins when it's time, I suppose."

"Aye," Theo patted Morgana's leg, "I'm giving you a few suns off. Take as long or as little as you need. I need you to recover, emotionally. I can't have my best pirate penting things up, alright?"

Morgana nodded and Theo stood up. She knew this was the perfect time to end the conversation.

If she told Morgana to get better, Morgan would definitely not listen. She was stubborn about needing help or time or space. Theo phrased it like something that Morgana needed to do for her, that way she would be sure Morgana recovered and took time to herself. Theo couldn't imagine what that was like. Xyra was her closest friend and ally since the moment she boarded her first boat. Even if they had only been together for a fraction of that time, killing her would be devastating.

Theo suspected it would be a few suns until Morgana was going to show her face amongst the ship. She walked out and closed the door behind her. Walking over to Tuni, she handed back the key, "Don't lock her in there again."

Tuni stuck out her tongue at Theo and began to take the key but she gasped and grabbed Theo's wrists, "How long have you had your hands like this?! This must be hurting you so much, Theo. Sit down, I'm going to dress them."

Theo sat down and extended her wrists, her demeanor was one of a scolded teenager. Tuni scoured her cabinet and came back with supplies and began cleaning up her hands. Theo winced in pain as Tuni poured alcohol to sterilize the area.

"What have I told you about this? Am I going to have to track you down and make you strip every time there is a fight? This is the fourth time you've not told me when you're hurt," Tuni looked genuinely distressed about this and Theo felt guilty.

"I'm sorry. I swear I was going to get it done before I left. I was just so busy last night and then I fell right asleep after everything was clean. I'll come by the next time I'm hurt," Theo promised and watched as Tuni wrapped her hands up. Once she was finished she relinquished the death grip she had around Theo's wrists and let her go. Theo leaped from her chair, offered a quick thank you and left to go back outside.

She walked past the deck and saw Xyra waiting for her outside her quarters with a scowl. She rolled her eyes in anticipation for whatever Xyra had to say about why she was frowning.

As she approached her quarters she yelled up to the helm, "Navi! I'll be in my room if you need! Be up there soon!"

Xyra saw Theo coming towards her and slipped inside the office, waiting. She had been looking for her all morning, in the kitchens, on the lower decks, her room, the helm and anywhere else she thought Theo frequented. Once Theo walked in Xyra took a step towards her, "I've been looking for you."

"Clearly not hard enough. Navi knew where I was," Theo pushed past Xyra and went to sit in her desk, "Could do without the fucking scowl every morning, y'know. We did just find treasure and defeat quite a big target. We are the ship who took down Espbar, legends I tell you."

"While you were asleep last night, I went through the letters we got at the port at Barian. The ones you refused to let me go through because god knows why?" Xyra commented and before she could continue, Theo interrupted.

"We had more important things to do. Those letters have waited for ages they could wait a while longer. We had business to attend to. Anyway, carry on. I'm sensing something important was in these letters?"

Xyra nodded and held one up in the air, "This one. Remember Nolend's Pub? The one with the brothel downstairs."

Theo nodded.

"Well, we got a letter from one of the girls in the brothel. It's been weeks since this letter though. We've been bouncing around so much, no one could find us long enough to deliver it," Xyra put the letter down in front of Theo, even though she knew Theo wouldn't read it.

"The joy of pirate mail," Theo commented, trying to be funny.

"This is fucking serious, Theo. Apparently, Nolend has been back to his old antics. We've already set a course for The Twins, if we change our restocking city to a sun earlier in Jarth we can attend to this matter. It's not far off from Tassey and it's big enough to give the girls enough to do there in terms of shopping and restocking the ship."

Theo sat in the chair contemplating for a few minutes then she nodded slowly, "Aye. That's a good idea. Will you inform Ava of the change? I'm going to inform Navi," She was caught by a glare from Xyra and Theo held her hands up, "I'll talk to Ava, you tell Navi."

"Very well. I'll see you in the aftermorning then," Xyra turned around and walked out and Theo flipped her off as she walked.

Xyra had been having an attitude with Theo for a few suns now, more attitude than what she usually made Theo deal with. Brooding was Xyra's trademark but it rarely was this bad and Theo never really had to deal with that side of her. Theo also did not understand Xyra's dislike towards Ava but Xyra also had a track record with illogically despising certain people. Theo stood up from her chair and made her way to Ava's room.

Greeting some of the girls on the way up to the cabins made the trip longer than anticipated but Theo's mornings were always brighter after interacting with them. They always had a funny story or new accomplishment to tell and when Theo had the time, she was all ears. Every time she was finished with one person's story, another would be waiting for her a few feet away with theirs. She listened as many of them recounted their heroic fights from the night before and she enthusiastically responded with some of her own tales. Finally, she made it to Ava's room and knocked.

Ava opened the door and Theo gasped a little at how she looked. Her face was pale and sickly and she did not look well, "Woah, love. Are you alright there?"

"Um, yeah. I'm fine. Just, uh, a little nauseous," Ava said, weakly.

"I was just passing by to tell you that we've changed course. We are no longer going to Tassey. We are arriving in Jarth instead. We have some business there. I hope that's alright with you. If you were making plans for Tassey then we can arrange to pay for your transport there once we dock," Theo explained and Ava looked like she had a hard time processing it.

After a minute, Ava spoke up, "Yeah, no that's fine. Wasn't even aware we were going to Tassey. Honestly, I did this whole pirate ship thing wrong. Asked no questions and just let myself be taken out to the middle of nowhere," she tried to joke but she felt sicker with every word.

"Ava? You okay? Looking a little green there," Theo furrowed her eyebrows, concerned for her passenger. She had seen this plenty and she needed to get Ava down to Tuni quickly. Ava took a few steps backward holding her stomach and nodded. She sat back on the bed and waved Theo off.

"I'm okay. Just, uh, probably what I ate last night," Ava rationed.

"Afraid not, lass. Let me get you to Tunis. You've got a case of seasickness. She's got a good warm drink that'll settle your stomach and bucket to puke in, c'mon," Theo walked into the room and helped Ava up, "You comfortable with me picking you up?"

Ava shook her head and smiled as best she could, "No thank you, I can walk there."

Theo nodded and led the way out, closing the door behind them. It only took about ten steps down the hall before Ava paused and held her hand over her mouth. The ship had rocked to one side heavily and even Theo felt her stomach flip at that one.

"Oh Jehiall," She muttered to herself trying to keep it together. She didn't want to ask for help but it felt like every step threatened to end in her throwing up everywhere. She had been woken up to the boat rocking side to side as it sailed and she had immediately begun to feel queasy. Every second she was awake it kept getting worse and worse and now that she had stood and tried talking, her stomach was warning her it was about to explode. Theo looked at Ava and Ava nodded at her, giving her the go-ahead to pick her up. Theo just stared at Ava and Ava sighed, "Theo?"

"Oh! Oh! Right, yes. I apologize," Theo kicked herself for her stupidity and she walked to Ava and scooped her up. Ava was taller than Theo but weighed a lot less. She carefully made it all the way down the stairs and to the infirmary. Ava was clammy and Theo could see how pale she was up close, all the color was drained from her lips and cheeks. She felt sorry for her and knew it would be a rough couple of suns before Ava adjusted to the rocking of the sea. Even then, some people never adjust and have to leave the ship. Theo hoped that was not the case, Ava was a nice addition around the ship so far.

With her hands full she couldn't open the door so she kicked it lightly with her foot, "Little help here, please!" Theo called from outside the door and Tuni opened moments later.

"Ava, you poor thing. Get her to that first bed right there," Tuni pointed and then picked up an empty bucket and brought it over. She brought over a blanket and a pillow for her and made sure Ava had a comfortable place before Theo set her down.

"You've been feeling sick for how long, love?" Tuni asked.

"Since this morning. When I woke up," Ava answered and she reached for the bucket, holding it close to her.

"Any pain in the stomach? Cramping? Sweating or fever?" Ava shook her head and Tuni nodded, "Right, sounds like seasickness. You're going to throw up a lot just let it happen. It's going to be miserable and you won't feel alive for a few suns at the least. I'll bring you light foods and soups but you'll still have a hard time keeping stuff down. We'll keep you here for a bit alright? Just until you're able to keep things down again."

"Fuck, Tuni," Theo said, somewhat amused yet somewhat pained by Ava's expression of misery and horror, "Just scare her half to death, won't you."

Ava took that moment to lean forward and empty her stomach into the bucket. Tuni walked over and rubbed her back soothingly. Theo felt bad leaving, but it was time for her to head back to the helm and wrap up her morning. She said her goodbyes and left on a promise to return that aftermorning. Crossing the deck, she yelled an encouraging message to those working and then climbed the ladder.

"Anything worth noting, Navi?" Theo asked, picking up the spyglass and looking out into the horizon.

"No, clear skies and somewhat smooth seas. Wind's on our side too. Might even make up a whole two suns and get there early," Navi informed.

"Perfect. Got anything special planned for the journey? We've got the luxury of the aftermorning all to ourselves for so long," Theo took a deep breath of the ocean air and spread her arms out dramatically, "Freedom."

"You're an idiot," Navi laughed, "And, I'm trying to find a nice lass to keep warm at night. You know these long trips kill me and without anyone to pull at the bars I'm going to have to go local."

"Fuck. Please no, Navi," Theo groaned, "I swear I never have any problems on my ship until you decide to fraternize with the crew. We call men depraved but you are absolutely insatiable." Theo scoffed, "go local."

"Careful using all these big words. People might start to think you're smart and we can't have that lie going around," Navi taunted and Theo hit her side with the spyglass playfully, "Any plans for you?"

"Nope. Open ocean means open schedule, I go where the party takes me," Theo wiggled her eyebrows, "Speaking of. Got anything fun I can buy off of you? Cooker is dry and I don't know if you heard but I recently came into quite a bit of money."

"Aye. Pass by my room later, I might have something for you," Navi chuckled then stepped away from the wheel, "She's all yours, Cap."

Theo took control of the wheel and this time, her hands didn't sting when she placed them on the wood. She steadied the wheel and kept her eyes focused out on the horizon, getting lost in her head. She must've stood there for a while because Xyra was suddenly in front of her. She blinked back into reality and let Xyra take the wheel. She briefed her a bit on Morgana before climbing back down the ladder and headed back to Tuni's.

"You'll be glad to know I am back and am at your service," Theo said, walking in.

Tuni looked up at Theo and smiled, "How did I get so lucky. Three times in one morning? The captain is spoiling me."

"You know I love to visit my favorite lady. Say, if something ever happens to you and your lady friend there, you know where I live. I'm always around to be the next in line," Theo flirted and gave her a wink.

"I know you are joking but Morgana doesn't share our sense of humor. If you keep that up you'll find yourself in a duel over a woman you don't love," Tuni warned, a playful tone in her voice.

"Oh, but I do love you," Theo persisted and Tuni laughed.

"Go get me some lunch then and can you bring Ava here some soup. I'm going to try and get her to take a few sips," Tuni asked and Ava groaned at the thought of food. Her stomach lurched again and she visited the bucket, yet again. Theo winced watching her, she hated throwing up.

"Aye. I'll be right back," Theo said and went to fulfill her task. She had a bit of a hard time trying to balance her food, Tuni's and a bowl of hot stew for Ava but she made it back in one piece. Once again, she kicked the door to alert Tuni of her presence and set the food down on an empty table. Tuni thanked her and walked the bowl over to Ava.

"Here," Tuni placed it on the table next to her, "Small spoonfuls are the key. Try your best to keep it down okay?"

Ava nodded and Theo felt awful for her. Her cheeks were pale and her eyes had dark circles around them now. Theo thought the sea was cruel for that, making people go through misery before being able to enjoy the freedom she offered. A worthy price to pay, though. Theo sat down in a chair with her food and began to eat, "You think they'll be outta here soon?"

"Hop won't. She's probably got as many suns left in here as Ava. Once Gretta and Brim wake up, I'll be sending them on their way," Tuni answered and she took her plate.

"I'll make sure to bring 'em by something special from my storage room," Theo said and Tuni shook her head smiling.

"They're pirates, you don't need to reward them for doing a pirate job. I'm sure the gold they're going to get is payment enough, love. Keep giving all your things away and you won't have much left," Tuni observed.

Theo laughed and rolled her eyes then began to eat. It was good, a little too hot to be eating when it was aftermorning and boiling outside but she was starving and indoors, so it would have to do. She looked over at Ava on the bed only a few feet away and watched as she took tiny sips of her stew. Theo had only been around Ava for a couple of suns but she was silent and that seemed to be uncharacteristic. Theo scooted her chair closer to the bed, "How are you feeling?"

"You use fancy words but can't seem to deduce how stupid that question was?" Ava grunted out, head rested back against the wall. She closed her eyes and held her hand over her stomach.

"This one has got quite the mouth. Guessing that's the reason you ran away then? Misplaced words got you into some trouble?" Theo questioned.

"Not quite," Ava opened her eyes and looked at Theo, "Sorry for the rudeness. Not doing quite well, as you can see."

Theo shrugged it off, "Ah, no problem. I like you. I think you're quite funny, even when you look like death."

"I'll give you that one," Ava put the bowl on the table next to her and laid back, "Tuni. I don't think I can eat anymore."

"You ate plenty, try and rest now. Helps the time go by faster," Tuni advised and Ava was weak and fatigued and too tired to ignore the advice.

She had never felt this way before. The room was spinning and she felt like unscrewing her head from her body and throwing it off the ship. The last time she had gotten sick enough to throw up was lengths ago and she was quickly reminded of how unpleasant that was. Her stomach lurched and her head spun as she laid down but she ignored the protests of her body and tried to fall asleep. She heard Tuni and Theo talking quietly as she attempted to rest and eventually the sounds of them talking drifted away and she began to dream.

She was at the edge of a cliff looking out as waves crashed into the ocean. She saw her chambermaid there crying and sobbing at the ledge right next to her. Ava tried to get her to calm down, to tell her everything was going to be okay but the sobs just continued. Then, she heard his voice. Her father was not far off, calling her name. Fear began to rise in her stomach, she couldn't be found. She didn't want to be found. She saw his flag begin to peek over the bend and heard the galloping of hooves. She heard him get closer and closer and she retreated closer and closer to the edge until she couldn't back away any further. Her chambermaid turned to her and her expression turned into something wicked.

"Goodbye, hope you can fly little dove," she pushed Ava off the cliff.

She felt the falling and all of a sudden woke up with her heart racing. She looked around and took a deep breath after seeing where she was. Her chest felt like it was going to explode and she sat up, taking deep calming breaths. Tuni was by someone's bed redressing their wounds and chatting with them. Her room door was open and she could see Morgana in there with Theo and Cooker. There was no light coming in from the window on the far side of the room and she assumed she had slept through the aftermorning. Her nausea was at a low but she would have been foolish to assume the worst had passed.

Tuni passed by with a bucket of old bandages and looked her up and down, "Ava, you're looking better. How are we feeling?"

"Better, actually," Ava smiled at her.

"I'm glad I didn't get the snappy end of the Ava stick that time," Tuni teased and Ava shrugged.

"Can't go around making the doctor mad."

Tuni clicked her tongue and winked at her, then made her way over to her room and peeked inside, "All you miscreants out of my room. All of my patients are awake and you're making a ruckus. Go spend your night drinking elsewhere."

Tuni shooed them out of her room then the infirmary, much to Ava's amusement. They scrambled out like chickens and Tuni returned to her, "Are you up for a short walk around the deck? Some fresh air will do you good."

Ava didn't want to move or get up but she figured that the longer she was awake the worse she'd feel, so it was now or never and she really needed the air. She nodded and slowly slipped out of bed. Tuni helped her, grabbing her arm and walking outside with her. By the fifth step, she had regained the use of her legs and got used to her body weight on them after a long time in the bed. She pulled away from Tuni politely and began to walk on her own. When they emerged outside, the cool night wind was blowing on her face and she felt instantly refreshed.

She walked alongside Tuni in silence before looking over at her, "You and Morgana? How long have you two been together?"

Tuni's smile widened and she clasped her hands in front of her, "Two lengths now? I've known her for four but could not stand her for a while in the beginning."

Ava laughed, "It's always those you least expect, my sister fell in love with the man she hated most growing up."

"Aye, I hated it here too. The ocean, at first. Took me a long time to adjust but once I did, I fell in love," Tuni remembered as they walked towards the edge of the deck.

"How long have you been here? Or well, out at sea?"

"Four lengths. My first ship was one of Theo's. I was part of her first crew. I suppose I was at the right place at the right time and she picked me to head the infirmary"

"That sounds like quite the story," Ava said, in hopes that Tuni would elaborate. She was interested in how everyone got here, Theo included. Tuni seemed young but Theo seemed younger. Younger than most everyone around here and it was a wonder how she already had her own ship and command now let alone four lengths prior.

"Oh, it is. Theo was the first mate on this one ship, yeah? One of the only girls on there, I think. It was just her and Xyra and Cooker. She was really good at what she did and the captain made her first mate. He died of something or other, probably dysentery if we're being realistic here. But, anyway, the ship was set to be left in her name. Problem was, Theo was only a 13 lengths old girl. There had been plenty of pirate captains in the past that had been 13, it wasn't the age that was a problem for them, it was that she wasn't a man. So when the captain died, they threw her off the boat at the next port and didn't let her back on," Tuni explained and Ava frowned at that.

Tuni continued, "My mother was a whore at a brothel under this pub and I was raised there as a medic to help the girls after a hard night. I was up above in the bar, having my dinner and waiting for someone to need my help when Theo walked in. Even then she was fierce and commanded a room. Anyway, she asked for a crew and I volunteered to do the thing I did best. I just wanted out, told no one I left either. Morgana was there too. Theo's plan was to steal the ship back and make the men pay. The rest is history."

"That ship. Was it this one?" Ava asked.

Tuni shook her head, "No, that one is long gone. We've traded and bought plenty of new ones over the lengths. This one though, she's my favorite so far. Theo got her about 300 suns ago and we're all doing our part to make it home."

"It is a beautiful ship," Ava observed and suddenly her head betrayed her and immediately she felt dizzy. She hopped up a bit over the edge of the deck and emptied her stew from earlier into the ocean below.

Tuni ran a hand over her back soothingly until Ava was done, "Let's get you back inside."