It took every ounce of willpower inside of Theo not to fall asleep in the room with Viv. She managed to get up and get dressed. Viv was right there with her, getting dressed as fast as she could. Theo's leg shook a little as she balanced herself to try and put her other foot in her boot. It had been an exciting few hours and Theo did not know how she was going to begin to explain this to anyone.

"Shall we?" Viv asked as she finished getting dressed.

"Excuse me?" Theo laughed, "You're going out the window."

"Like fuck I am," Viv said, "I'm walking out that door."

Theo narrowed her eyes at Viv. They both knew Theo was fucked if Viv walked out of the room with Theo. Xyra would lose her shit. Theo also knew how stubborn Viv was. If she said she was going out the door, she was going out the door. Theo sighed dejectedly and walked out. If Viv decided to brave the belly of the beast then she could, Theo would not step in to help if things went south. Ripping Viv's heart out of her chest had been Xyra's goal for a while and Viv knew that. If that was the way the night went it would have been Viv's fault.

The building had cleared out significantly and Theo could only spot two people sitting in the section they had reserved. Looking around the room, she saw none of her crew. Viv was right behind her. Theo tried to avoid walking directly to the section, trying to shake Viv before arriving.

It was no use. Tuni had managed to spot them in the room and Theo gave up trying to hide and swerve. She walked over to their section and was grateful to see only Tuni and Cooker sitting there, Xyra nowhere in sight.

"Where are the rest?" Theo asked.

"At the inn crashing for the night, they got tired of waiting around," Tuni said and stood up, "I'm going back to the ship to spend the night with Mor. I'll see you in a few nights, Cap."

"Fortune," Viv acknowledged her.

"Vivexa," Tuni replied with a polite nod and walked away with another word.

Cooker, whose head had shot up when she heard the familiar voice, was a little warmer than Tuni was, "Viv. A pleasure to see you."

"I'm sure it is," she joked, "Nice to see you too, Cook. I'm liking the new tattoos."

Cooker smiled and touched her neck where she had begun the next expansion of her tattoos. Theo looked around the room and once again saw none of their crew.

"Why haven't you left to the inn? Waiting on someone?" Theo asked.

"Aye, you and Red," Cooker explained.

"Red? She's still here?" Theo looked around but couldn't find the girl.

Cooker pointed over to a room and Theo's eyebrows shot up. Ava was in a room with someone? Who allowed that to happen? Ava had the right to do anything she wanted but Theo also had the right to be worried, she reasoned. She was the captain and one of her soon to be crew members, who had no idea how Niveal or brothels worked, was in a room with someone alone.

"Who's Red and what's it about her that makes you so worried?" Viv asked

"None of your business, Viv," Theo snapped.

Viv made a mocking sound at Theo, "Looks like The Captain's got a little crush."

"I do not. She is new on my ship and I'm just worried about her safety," Theo defended, ignoring the second comment about her relationship with the new recruit, "you can either be helpful or leave."

Viv held her hands up, "Then I'll be leaving. Being helpful isn't within my abilities."

"How long has she been in there?" Theo asked once Viv was gone.

"So we are just going to ignore the fact that Viv was just here and you spent the last two hours with her?" Cooker asked, not letting the Captain gloss over that fact.

"Aye, there is a lot to discuss but I figured it could wait until the appropriate time," Theo said.

"Three cycles from now?" Cooker tried, letting yet another petty jab slip out.

"When we sit down as a crew to discuss ship business," Theo spat back. She glared at Cooker and Cooker just stared at her back, "How long has she been in there?"

"Few hours. She must be having fun in there," Cooker said and Theo felt uneasy about that.

"Or she had 100 gold and she was led to a room to be jumped," Theo said as she quickly made her way to the room Ava was in. There was a weight at the pit of her stomach, worry causing a lump in her throat. She was aware that the likelihood that Ava was hurt was slim but it still affected her. Maybe there was a truth to what some people had been saying, it was a possibility that she cared about the new pirate.

Theo stopped in front of the door and let out a sigh. The last thing she needed was to get attached to someone new. In the pirate world, nothing was certain and a new person she got close to meant another opportunity for heartbreak and loss. She had kept her distance from new crew members the past two lengths. Having lost so many friends her first two lengths as captain, she figured she would be hurt less if she distanced herself from people. She was a good captain, friendly and open to all that requested her presence but she made less of a point to grow close to and befriend her whole crew. Theo considered maybe she needed to distance herself from Ava but then she remembered how she felt the nights Ava stopped coming by. It was lonely and she had grown used to the friendship of the redhead.

If there was a time to cut Ava off, it was now. Go to the inn, fall asleep, and leave Cooker here to wait for Ava. It would be subtle but it would be Theo's way of showing Ava that she wouldn't be there at all times. Theo considered it. Considered stepping away and protecting both Ava and herself from whatever inkling of attraction she was feeling.

Theo knocked anyway. She had made her choice, "Ava, it's Theo. I just wanted to let you know that we were wondering if you were okay."

She heard shuffling in the room and Ava opened the door. Her clothes were all on and she seemed relaxed and normal until Theo saw her face. Her nose was red and the areas around her eyes were puffy. She had been crying.

"Are you okay?!" Theo asked. Before waiting for an answer, her instincts kicked in and she pushed past Ava and into the room.

Theo had been expecting to see a woman on the bed, for some reason. Theo sometimes had trouble remembering that not everyone around her was a nox. She had been simply worried before, thinking only that Ava might have been robbed but now Theo was furious. Ava crying and a man on the bed painted a clear picture in her head of what happened. She rushed to the side of the bed and dragged the man out of it. He fell to the ground and Theo pressed her knee against his chest, pinning him to the side of the bed.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" Theo said and raised her fist threateningly before realizing who the boy was, "Zeal?"

"I didn't touch her, I swear!" Zeal brought his arms up to cover his face, "I mean, I did but only because she asked!"

Theo felt hands grabbing at her clothes and tugging her back, "Theo, get off of him!"

It was Ava. Theo looked at a scared Zeal and backed away then she looked at Ava. Ava had been crying, it was unmistakable but if it wasn't because of Zeal then what was it? She felt embarrassed at the outburst. She was going to beat the life out of whoever had hurt Ava without even getting the full story.

"Are you okay?" Theo asked again.

"If you had let me finish the first time I would have told you I was fine," Ava snapped, a little moody over the intrusion. If Theo had gotten to just go off to a room with someone why couldn't Ava?

"You've been crying though," Theo pointed out stupidly, trying to make her case.

"Aye," Ava nodded and crossed her arms, "and Zeal has done nothing but help me."

Theo looked over at the boy that was still on the floor. She extended her hand to him and helped him up, "Mate, I'm sorry. I saw a man on the bed and assumed the worst."

"I would have too," Zeal admitted as he was helped up, "Nice to see you, Captain."

Theo tipped her hat in his direction and smiled, "I see you've met the latest addition to my crew."

"Indeed, I've had quite a nice time chatting with her tonight," Zeal said and flashed a smile at his new redheaded friend.

"Just chatting?" Theo teased but deep down she wanted to know the answer. Had Ava and Zeal slept together?

"Client-Whore privilege, Theo. You know that" Zeal laughed and Theo forced a chuckle out, uncomfortable with the word Zeal used to describe himself.

"Sorry for interrupting. I was just checking and telling Ava we were due to leave soon," Theo said.

"We were just wrapping up. I'm ready," Ava said, a cool tone.

"Perfect," Theo told Ava then turned back to Zeal, "Is everything good here? Rules are being followed?"

"There's a new lady of the house but she's good to us," Zeal explained and Theo nodded.

"There's a new girl. Black hair," Theo mentioned, "What's her name?"

"Ames."

"Ames," Theo repeated and reached into her coin purse, "Give her this and tell her it's for the window."

Theo placed about ten gold coins on the table, next to the others that Ava had left earlier.

"I'll make sure she gets it," Zeal promised, not questioning the captain on the window comment.

Theo thanked him and walked out of the room but Ava didn't follow. Instead, she took the coin purse off of where it was secured on her waist and reached back inside. She took a handful of coins and put it in her pocket to keep for herself, her pants immediately sagging from the weight. She walked over to Zeal and handed him the rest of the coins and whispered something to him. It was then that Ava joined Theo outside.

Theo wanted to ask questions the way Ava always did but she figured it wasn't the time or the place. After having barged in on Ava and violated whatever privacy she had, Theo had a feeling that Ava wouldn't be in the talking mood. Cooker joined the two women as they walked outside and quietly made their way to the inn the other crew had gone to rest in. Cooker split ways with them before arriving, claiming that she had other business to attend to and wouldn't be joining them at the inn.

Ava and Theo walked in silence together until reaching the inn. Theo inquired with the innkeeper about any keys or rooms having been left in her name and Theo was handed one key in return.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry to bother but we are going to need an extra room," Theo said.

"No room tonight. Your crew was only able to get a limited amount of rooms. That's all they've left you," the woman said, unhelpful.

Theo turned to Ava who shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Ava said.

"It's settled then. Thank you for your help ma'am," Theo led Ava up the stairs and into their modest little room.

There was not much there. The room served its purpose, a place to sleep. A small chair in the corner of the room and a bed just big enough for two.

"I'll take the floor," Theo said and grabbed a pillow from the bed.

"There's no need. We can both sleep on the bed," Ava offered and walked to one side of it and got in.

"It's alright," Theo said, not wanting to make Ava uncomfortable, "The stiff floor is great for my back."

Ava didn't push the issue or laugh at Theo's joke. Theo tossed the pillow on the ground and made herself as comfortable as she could after she stripped down to just a shirt and pants. She laid down on the rough ground and stared up at the ceiling. She could hear Ava breathing and the lack of a pattern to it told Theo she was still awake.

"I'm sorry I acted the way I did before," Theo said, "I should have let yourself explain what was going on and not jumped to conclusions."

"I'm not helpless. I know I don't have the most up to date knowledge on the way things work but I can fend for myself. I can make my own choices," Ava said, getting a little wound up.

"Aye," Theo said, "I am sorry."

Ava stayed quiet for a few beats before answering, "It's alright... Thank you for being concerned for my safety."

"Why were you crying?" Theo asked.

Ava considered opening up to Theo. Telling her about her recent discovery. If there was anyone that could answer the questions she had it was Theo. Still, it was all so new to her she would have rather kept her cards close to her chest, opting to brush it off rather than delve into that topic with Theo.

"Nothing that hasn't already been resolved," Ava said.

"That's good, I guess," Theo answered from the floor and twisted her rings, "Did you sleep with him?"

The room went quiet. Neither of them was breathing. Theo kicked herself for having to ask it and the longer Ava went without answering the more she regretted it. Ava, on the other hand, did not expect Theo to ask. Why was she interested? Ava hoped maybe Theo was interested. That maybe the warmth Ava felt in her belly when she saw the Captain was reciprocated. Ava knew it was wrong but she hoped Theo would have been a little jealous.

"No," she answered truthfully, "Did you sleep with her?"

"No," Theo answered, "Not with Ames..."

Ava had caught onto the subtext of Theo's words, to Theo's dismay, and pressed on, "Meaning you did sleep with someone."

"I did," Theo confessed, there was no point lying about it, "An old acquaintance, Viv."

"Oh."

"Aye."

Ava did not know why she was hurt by that. Well, she did but she shouldn't have been hurt. Theo was a big deal and Ava was not, at least not around those parts. Theo had her own life, interests, and relationships before she met Ava. On top of that, Theo hadn't shown any interest in Ava so Ava could not feel slighted or played. Ava wanted to ask about the woman. Who was Viv? How long had Theo known her? She decided it was best to leave the subject, lest Theo start to wonder why Ava was taking an interest.

"Have you had fun on Niveal?" Theo asked, hoping that the last portion of the evening had not ruined a good time.

"Aye," Ava replied, "It is better than any stories you hear about it."

"Will you be joining us tomorrow?" Theo asked.

"I'm not that easy to get rid of," Ava smiled to herself, "tonight was a mere introduction to how crazy I can get when I party."

Theo laughed from her spot on the floor, "Oh?"

"You hadn't heard? They even published a book about it, 'The Amazing Ava and Her More Than Adequate Adventures'." Ava laughed.

"That must be a new one. I haven't heard of it. If I see it around, I'll be sure to purchase it," Theo chuckled.

"No need. I'm sure you'll get everything you need to know just by being around me," Ava said.

They were both grinning like idiots and staring at the ceiling. Theo kept fidgeting, unable to get comfortable, she cursed herself for giving up the bed so easily. It was quiet and Theo thought Ava was asleep. The captain tried several different positions but couldn't find any that worked. After a bit of extra shuffling, a head peeked over the side of the bed.

"Cap," Ava said quietly, eyes looking like they were going to succumb to sleep any second, "there is space for both of us up here."

Theo stared up at her roommate for a few seconds before getting up. There was no use fighting it, it was more logical. Plus, Ava had been the one to offer.

"Thank you," Theo whispered.

"Don't mention it," Ava whispered back, "Sweet dreams, Captain."

-------

Ava awoke the next morning with a strong arm wrapped around her waist. She was on her side and there was a warm body pressed up against her back. Ava felt soft puffs of breath hit the back of her neck and she was scared that if she moved the cozy feeling would go away. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room.

Right, they were in an inn in Niveal. They were crashing to recover before their next night of partying. Ava remembered inviting Theo onto the bed last night but she did not remember getting this close to her. She would never admit it out loud but she was enjoying it quite a bit. There was a large grin that was on her face that she couldn't shake. Theo's even breaths almost drew her back into sleep but she resisted the urge. With no windows in the room, Ava could not even begin to tell what time it was but if Theo was still asleep. She needed it.

Ava closed her eyes again and let herself relish her situation. When Theo woke up, it would probably be a bit awkward and Ava wanted to cherish the safe and warm feeling before it went away. Theo's grip around her waist tightened and she was pulled closer back against the Captain as she shifted in her sleep. Ava felt butterflies burst in her stomach at the touch. Ava felt more of a reaction from being held innocently by Theo than she had in any experience with a boy. Where one had brought her only discomfort the other had the opposite effect.

After what seemed like a half-hour, Theo began to stir. Instead of pushing Ava away, Theo instinctively pulled the figure closer in her sleep. She made a sleepy noise and pushed her head forward to bury it where Ava's shoulder met her neck. Ava would be lying if she had said that it hadn't made her melt, her hand went to the arm around her waist. After a few moments, Theo's head jolted back and she slowly unwrapped her arm from around Ava's side.

"Sorry," Theo muttered, still groggy from sleep.

Ava, disappointed at the lack of contact but content she could move around, flipped to face Theo, "That's alright. Sleep well?"

"Mm," Theo replied, eyes closing again.

Ava laughed at the sleepy woman in front of her and Theo grunted at being laughed at. She looked her age when she was asleep. No ornate jewels or fancy clothes. She was just a girl, not a pirate captain and Ava couldn't help but stare. Theo was still for so long that Ava thought she had fallen back asleep.

"You just going to stare at me all morning?" Theo grumbled with her eyes still closed. Ava blushed and stammered out an apology to which Theo laughed. She opened one eye and smiled at Ava, "I'm joking. How did you sleep?"

Theo's voice was gruff and still ladled with sleep. The deepness to it made Ava's stomach turn, not in a bad way.

"I don't remember anything between going to sleep and waking up," Ava commented.

"Same here," Theo said, "That's what an aftermorning and night of nonstop substances gets you."

"It's probably not good for you," Ava pointed out.

Theo rubbed her eyes and then stretched out before saying, "It absolutely is not good for you."

"We'd better get our unhealthy sun started then," Ava sat up in bed and got out. There wasn't much she needed to do to get ready except pull on her boots. She did that with relative ease and waited by the door as Theo slowly got ready for the coming aftermorning. Once Theo was ready, they went downstairs to find a significant portion of their party waiting. Even Cooker, who had not slept at the inn, was there. Oceane was the only one missing and Theo was tasked with going to get her.

Once the whole group was together and they had filled their stomachs with the breakfast from the inn, they made their way back into the streets. The sun showed that they were approaching the third hour of the aftermorning and Ava wondered how many hours they had slept. Theo, like the sun before, took the lead. The events of the sun went much like the one before. Bar after bar, hotspot after hotspot.

Ava made good on her promise to be even more adventurous the second time around. She tried every drink and every substance offered to her by her group. She danced every time there was music and was blacked out by the time night time came around. Ava couldn't quite pick apart the sun and its events. Everything blended to form a mosaic of memories. Bits and pieces from the whole sun came together to give her a good idea of what happened but nothing concrete.

Ava had a blast, though. She didn't think she had ever had that much fun for so long with nothing to come crashing in to ruin it. All of the parties in her honor, in her father's honor, for their family name, for different holidays and festivals, none of them came even close to the night she had. Only once, halfway through the night did she worry she might have gotten carried away. Ava had been careful the entire time since she had left home to not draw attention to herself. She kept her hair covered, her name a secret, and tried to blend in as much as possible. What if someone had seen her?

However, as quickly as the thought had come into her head she dismissed it. First of all, she was dead. To everyone's knowledge, she had been pushed off a cliff. Second, her hair was short and covered her face. Ava looked more like a poor farmer's boy than the daughter of a nobleman. Third, that far outside of Elox she doubted anyone even knew any of the Vaith's children's names, much less how they looked. Apart from being the youngest, Ava was a notorious rebel within her house and was often left out of family portraits and events. After a while of failing to attend those things, Vaith's constituency began to forget who she was. She was regularly called a hermit by the people of Aubermausse and they jokingly referred to her as "the recluse."

When those sobering thoughts came to mind Ava made sure to drink them away. It wasn't healthy but that was the point of that night. Besides the small blip in the night caused by her mind, Ava had lived the night to the fullest. For a while, she and Oceane had to be kept separate, or else they would hatch plans to run away or steal things from strangers. As the night came to an end, the one thing Ava clearly remembered was the journey back to the ship. As they left Grogon's, where the bender had ended, Ava and Cooker kept tripping and stumbling over each other. They were too caught up in their laughter to pay any attention to where they were going.

Every time they went to say something, a wheeze of laughter would come out instead. They stopped to breathe and laugh and breathe again four times in the short two minutes since they had left Grogon's. One of their missteps proved to be their downfall. Cooker stumbled off the road, into the ditch and dragged Ava along with her.

"Alright," Theo said after the group had all finished laughing at them struggling to get out of the ditch, "Xy and Navi, it's your time to shine."

Xyra groaned and walked over to the ditch, "I resent my height, my strength, and redheads."

Xyra went to help Ava out of the ditch and promptly bent down, picked her up, and threw her over her shoulders. Ava let out a squeal but did not protest after that. She decided she was better off being carried, it was more fun and she did not have to walk. She went limp over Xyra, arms swinging wildly as Xyra walked downhill. The rest of her body moved side to side in a ridiculous manner and it was making Xyra lose balance a little.

Cooker began laughing at Ava from her spot over Navi's shoulders and it sparked laughter throughout the whole group. They had just sat in Grogon's for an hour inhaling the mix of intoxicating smoke that was always in the room and seeing Ava fling about as Xyra was inconvenienced with deadweight was funny to their drug-addled brains.

"Ava, please!" Theo managed to say in between laughing, "Please act normal. I am going to fucking piss myself."

Ava laughed, finally coming to life after giving an entertaining show. She looked up as best she could and made herself comfortable in Xyra's grasp.

"Xyra, this is very sweet of you," Ava said, "I think you might not hate me after all"

"I wouldn't jump to such dramatic conclusions, Red. Hate is too mild a word for what I feel for you," Xyra chuckled and Ava smacked her back in protest.

Ava could tell there was a teasing tone in Xyra's voice. Ava was right, the black-haired giant had less and less disdain for Ava every time they interacted.

"I learn so much from you," Ava mused, "like how to effortlessly act like there is not a log perpetually stuck in your ass."

Xyra stopped in her tracks and Ava worried she had taken it too far. The whole crew was silent too, eerily so. Then, Xyra laughed. Relief filled Ava as she felt Xyra's laughter shake her. The crew started to laugh too, having been given the okay from Xyra. The chatter amongst them resumed and Ava began to calm down from her hectic night. They reached the ship and Ava was being taken up the stairs of the main deck and not down.

"Where am I going?" Ava asked, "We've missed my home."

Xyra walked into a hallway full of empty cabins and opened the door on one, "Setting you up in your own room for the night. Trust me this is better for the morning after than the lower decks."

Xyra laid Ava down on the bed and backed away.

"Goodnight, I'll see you tomorrow," Ava pointed at Xyra, "For shopping!"

"For shopping," Xyra pointed back at Ava with about a quarter of the enthusiasm.

Ava laughed and clapped her hands congratulating herself on getting Xyra to play along. Xyra made her exit and shut the door. As Ava finally calmed down and settled down in the bed, she tuned in to her body; her body was not happy. Her stomach felt queasy and she knew tomorrow morning would be one of despair. However, the night had left her spent and despite the protests from her stomach she fell fast asleep.