Merry Ment

It was a good while before Theo relaxed enough to sit back and engage in conversation with the driver, Elden. The very beginning signs of the next morning were visible by the time she was convinced that nothing would catch up to them; hours and hours had passed since they left the city and Theo was not looking forward to the next few suns of travel. She was itching to have her feet planted back on the planks of wood she called her home and back with those she left behind. Theo had been an awful companion up until that point, biting at her fingers and nails as she thought about her night. The number of things she could have potentially said to Jona was consuming her thoughts.

Once she had run through the scenario dozens of times and was content with her analysis of the situation, as content as she could be, she was a better driving partner. Theo started with simple questions about Elden, where was he from? Who was his family? How'd he get into the business of carting people?

Elden was born and raised in the town they had docked at and had been there for generations. At some point, after the 38th classification, his family had relocated from Aeliz. They spoke about Aeliz for a while, it being common knowledge that Theo was from that area. Elden spoke about a trip he had taken there lengths prior in order to reconnect with some old family. It brought a bit of joy to Theo's heart to hear him speak of a place she held so close to her heart. Aeliz was, and Theo was not just saying this because it was where she was from, the most beautiful display of what nature could offer. He spoke of hiking through the mountains and swimming in lagoons that littered the island, fondly recounting his experience. His goal was to retire there, perhaps as soon as the end of the classification.

His family business was carting people all around East Nefriti, Dricaster being a route they took often. He had brought his three sons, his two nephews, and another townsboy with him on this journey, his brother staying behind to tend to business. Theo didn't mind the small talk, in fact, she had pushed much of it forward. And while she did enjoy hearing about Elden's children and his life's work, there were more pressing issues she wanted to ask him about. After she felt like she had given enough time to get to know him and let him ask questions about her life as a pirate, Theo brought up the symbol Xyra had shown her.

"So, which of the ones you brought along is the rebel?" Theo asked, after a bit of silence in between conversations.

He chuckled and shrugged, "I suppose we all are rebels if that is what you want to call us."

"Couldn't think of a better family bonding experience," she teased, which caused Elden to laugh.

"We all do what we can to help, but my eldest two are the ones who concern themselves with the organization's politics," Elden provided, "my oldest son is the one who carries the patch, says if we were to get caught with it he would take the fall. You know how the youngsters are with their honor and sacrifice; can't get those ideas out of his head."

"Can't say I don't know where he is coming from," she related with a smile, "mind me asking what your organization is and how you got involved?"

"Rebellion isn't new 'round the coast but it's not just passive rebellion anymore. No more just rebelling in our homes in the things we do in secret," Elden hesitated for a second, probably off instinct. It wasn't often people could openly talk about these things. He adjusted the reins in his hands and cracked his back before relaxing again, "We've been hearing about a larger group, one with influence trying to get something started. I suppose getting involved wasn't a choice, we had to. The school I send my children to is a few miles out of town is also the school for two other neighboring towns. One of my eldest's old schoolmates informed my son about a group that had formed in their area. From there, my son had the idea to start our own chapter in our town. We help each other out."

"And this organization that was formed, how far does it extend," Theo asked.

"Just our town and the two that border us, it's been growing over the past length but we are cannot risk expanding past the community we know and trust," Elden explained.

"Smart idea," Theo nodded, "what do you do?"

"Build support networks for when the time comes to revolt is what my son says. I'm not much of a politics guy," Elden chuckled, "I'm afraid I can't help you much with the details of our group. I mostly just take orders from my sons."

Theo laughed a bit at that. Even if he wasn't fully aware of the significance of what he was doing by building support across communities, Theo recognized it as a crucial step towards the actualization of a fight against The Center. Theo would have a few suns on the journey to delve deeper, she would pull Cooker and the sons into a cart with her so they could have an in-depth discussion of what was occurring at the local levels. The conversation she had with the 'influential' group Elden was referring to was a different game altogether. It was a larger caliber of a group, with different resources and goals and ideas and values. She got information about them, not enough, but still some; now she needed to get information as to what was happening below them.

"You said you had gotten wind of a larger organization," Theo mentioned, "what do you know about them?"

"Not much, the promise that we can grow our group enough to be able to join them in support of a war is the plan," Elden said but he didn't seem sure, with another nervous chuckle he added, "again, all of that is my son's business. I just repeat what I hear from him."

"Alright, well, thank you for the conversation, I will stop badgering you for answers now," Theo chuckled and yawned, blinking her eyes tightly to try and remove some of the sleep from them.

"The town we are stopping at next to switch the horses and get a fresh round of drivers up here is coming up soon," Elden said, looking quite tired himself, "make sure you stay awake and on top of the cart until then."

Theo laughed at that even though it wasn't funny that there was a possibility that she would fall asleep and flop over the side of the cart. Her eyelids pricked her with exhaustion and threatened to close at any moment. Making due on what he had said, Elden pulled the cart over into a little town to get a fresh set of horses and to switch the drivers around. How his business model with the horses and the borrowing worked, Theo couldn't pretend to know. She hopped off the perch and into the back of the cart, Xyra, Cooker, and Iona were all curled up in their own corners. Theo climbed in as quietly as she could and made herself as comfortable as the dress would allow her to get. There had been no time to change out of her attire and while the others had switched into more leisurely clothes inside the jostling cart, Theo was too tired to look for her own extra set of clothes to change into. She reached behind her and loosened the strings holding her bodice together, and slumped back against the edge of the cart using a discarded piece of clothes as a pillow. It was time to sleep and hopefully wake up the next time there was food around. She went to sleep starving and dreamed of a warm meal.

-----

Theo had easily fallen asleep, the bumping around of the cart was no matter for her sleep deprivation and after a whole sun awake, she was swept away into dreams. This time, nothing but run-of-the-mill visions ran through her mind. A pointless task on the ship, a party in a tavern, a training fight. No symbols or images from Riva, no nightmares, just peaceful sleep. It would have been the perfect night had she not been woken up in the worst fashion. As she was coming to, aware of the whispering of voices outside of the cart, someone grabbed her ankle.

With a swiftness that could only be achieved from lengths of training to fight back if attacked in her sleep, Theo sat up and kicked her free leg out to smash her attacker in the chest. Her ankle came free from the grip it was trapped in and she scrambled back, reaching under her skirt for a dagger. As she grabbed her weapon and prepared herself to lunge at whoever was waiting for her outside of the cart, she got a proper look around. In front of the cart, clutching her chest and attempting to breathe, was Cooker.

"Fuck, T," Cooker wheezed and then doubled over with a breathless grunt, "you got me good."

Theo let out a loud sigh and fell back on her ass, pressing the heel of her hand into her chest; feeling her heart beat rapidly, "You sack of shit! Why would you wake me up like that? In what context would that ever have been a good idea?"

"Thought it would be funny," Cooker squeaked out, rubbing her chest, "I wish I would have thought harder about that one."

"To be honest Cook," Theo said while rubbing her eyes and blinking the sleep out of them, "you should apply that advice to quite literally every decision you make."

"Too hurt to insult you back," Cooker huffed and walked away still rubbing her chest.

Theo rolled her eyes but after a beat, once Cooker had walked away, she laughed. It was pretty funny for her. Theo hopped out of the cart after recovering from the sudden wake up, her body was aching and the sun was lowering in the sky. She had slept in a shit position but somehow still managed to pass out until it was almost sunset. The first thing she thought about was the same thing she went to bed thinking about, food. The last thing she had eaten was the mysterious fishy abomination she ate at the party. The second thing she thought about was the dress she was still in. Every other thing was erased from her mind and Theo was suddenly on a mission to rid herself of her restrictions. Theo grabbed the shirt she had slept on as a pillow and pants that she found on the cart, neither of the items were hers.

She didn't care.

Theo snuck behind a shack that was near the edge of the road where they had stopped the carts. With a lot of effort on her part, the dress was taken off and replaced with loose, cool, freer fabrics. Theo let out an audible sigh of relief once the dress was off. The pants were short on her, coming up several inches over her ankles; meaning only that these were Tuni's pants. The shirt was too big, probably Morgana's. She picked up the dress that had been discarded on the floor. She had considered just leaving it there but that would just serve to clue authorities that they had been in this town; it was also just too expensive to have left it on the side of the road.

Instead, as she walked the dozen feet back to her cart, she handed the dress off to a group of little ones that had been running around in the street and dirt. Instead of just running away and not questioning the gift, the little kids began to follow and interrogate her.

"Who are you?" one of them asked as she walked back to the cart.

"Yeah! Why do you have so many carts?" another one chimed in.

One came around and stood in front of her with the dress, stopping her from walking, "Why did you have this dress?"

"Learn how to receive a gift and not ask questions," Theo said and put her palm gently on the boy's head that was in front of her and pushed him to the side. But instead of having an opening, the others hopped in front of her, "oi, kids, get out of my way."

"Are you rich?" one of the boys asked as he walked alongside her, extremely dirty from playing around in the dirt.

"Yeah, the dress looks expensive," a little girl said as she walked next to the boy holding the dress, reaching out and touching it.

"Help!" Theo yelled out, not knowing how else to shake them. She looked over at her party just to see them look over at her and then ignore her plea, "I have daggers and I am not afraid to use them, please get away and let me get to my carts."

She heard a laugh from behind her, not a child's one though. It was a grown person, Theo turned around not able to keep a frown off her face. It was Ava, still laughing as she took a bite of the chicken leg she was holding in her hand.

"Did you just threaten a bunch of children with violence?"

"Will you help me? Or are you just going to sit around and judge me?" Theo shot back, crossing her arms as the children kept chattering to themselves all around her.

"I really want to just sit around and watch this, but-" Ava pulled some coins out of her pocket, "as my captain, I am bound by the codes of the ship to help. Hey, children, I've got silver for you if you leave my friend alone."

The group all looked at each other and within seconds were flocking Ava, asking for their share of silver. Ava gave them two each and then they were out, running back into town; probably to go spend their money.

"You owe me two gold," Ava said as she walked past Theo, who followed closely behind.

"Give me that chicken leg and I'll give you five," Theo bargained.

"I would love to scam you, but-," Ava took another bite of her chicken, "Xyra is out getting you food for you, so, you would be wasting your money."

"You are an honorable woman, Red," Theo laughed and her stomach growled at the promise of food.

They walked the short trek back to the carts together and Theo made her way around to the others to check in on them, making sure their nights and mornings went alright. Theo had her arm draped around Tuni, listening to Morgana recall in great detail the story of Tuni wiping out the two noble guards the night before. Theo teased Tuni about her good job, knowing Tuni hates to be the center of attention. Even Oceane joined in, gushing to Iona about how cool it was; as if they hadn't seen Tuni drop countless people before.

She felt the presence without seeing it, Xyra had come back. Theo turned around and Xyra slightly held out the two things in her hands, a pile of papers in one and a plate of food in the other. She tilted her head towards the cart they had been riding in then peeled away from the group. Theo placed a playful kiss on the side of Tuni's head and then disentangled herself from around the healer. She waved goodbye to the others and followed Xyra into the cart.

Sitting down in a place she deemed the most comfortable, Theo grabbed the plate of food that Xyra had brought with her. Theo wasted no time in grabbing one of the chicken legs she saw.

After taking a bite, she asked, food still in her mouth, "How'd you get them to give you the plate?"

"How do we get people to do anything, Captain Theo?" Xyra fixed her with a bored look, not entertaining small talk.

"How much did you pay for it, then?" Theo chuckled a bit, taking another bite.

"A gold."

"That's about a hundred times the price of what it was worth."

"You pick the oddest times to be preoccupied with money. Am I mistaken or did I see children running around with the dress you paid thousands for?" Xyra raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't pay thousands for it," Theo chewed as she defended herself.

"Hundreds, then," Xyra corrected.

"Thanks for the food," Theo cut off the conversation, unsure of when it became about pointing out her tendency to spend her gold on unnecessary luxuries, "Where did Cook go?"

"Have not seen her since we arrived," Xyra hummed, looking out towards the opening of the cart to see if she could be found, "she is in a piss poor mood."

"Really? She seemed fine to me when she woke me up," Theo shrugged and took another bite of her food, moving onto the vegetables on her plate.

"You must have caught her at a good moment. She has been just the rudest little fucking rodent since you have been away," Xyra complained, letting some of the frustration she felt with Cooker seep into her voice, "has she been giving you issues?"

"She always gives me issues," Tho chuckled.

"I mean, as your second," Xyra said, "has been having an attitude with you lately?"

"Not really, no. But we are usually working separately, more jobs to fill on my ship than the sloop," Theo answered and then burped.

Xyra crossed her arms and sighed, "At least turn your head and say excuse me."

"She's been giving you an attitude?" Theo ignored Xyra's suggestion and took another bite of the chicken she had put down.

"Not always, but there are suns where she is just in a foul mood. I'm pretty sure it's because that's just her natural state when sober,"

"Stop talking shit about me behind my back," Cooker said as she came into view.

"I will say it to your face," Xyra replied, "the lack of drug consumption on your part has made you angry."

Cooker hopped into the cart and sidled in right next to Xyra, giving them no space between each other and curled up, to annoy her. "Are we going to talk about what when down last night? 'Cause no one but you two are in the know."

"We need to wait till we are moving," Theo said and then nodded towards the outside of the cart, "plus, Red's not here."

"She's always fucking late," Cooker groaned.

"Have patience for once in your life," Xyra said and Cooker narrowed her eyes.

"You know what Xyra was doing on the way to get you food?" Cooker asked and Xyra's hand shot to Cooker's mouth, blocking her from speaking.

"You little shit," Xyra said and then retracted her hand as Cooker bit it, "fucker."

Theo laughed, "What were you doing, Xy?"

"Smoking sard," Cooker provided on her behalf.

"How?" Theo couldn't even be upset, she was just shocked, "how do you keep getting it everywhere you go? We've had no time."

"We have had plenty of time, it's Nefriti. I did not even have to pay for it" Xyra shrugged and then pulled a sard cigarette from her pocket, "now that I have been exposed, I do not see why I cannot treat myself to another. I will find Red on the way back."

Theo couldn't have stopped her even if she tried, so she instead focused on finishing her food.

---

With a whistle and a shout of her name, Xyra summoned Ava to the cart. Ava followed Xyra back to the cart and sat inside. Cooker and Theo were already inside. She figured now that Theo was awake, it was time to be briefed on what had happened the night before. The carts eventually began to move, their drivers having taken care of everything they needed, and a conversation had struck up between Theo and Xyra about food. It went on for a while, Ava should have stopped them so they could get the conversation about very urgent and pressing issues started but she didn't have the heart to do it. A lightness not usually seen in Xyra, especially Xyra as of late, was present. Just for the conversation, she was loose. Almost younger in her expression, even getting caught off guard and heartily laughing at times. It was hard to cut that short.

It was Cooker that ended up rudely interjecting, getting them on the right track, but even she had let it go on for a while just to be able to listen to Xyra be carefree for once in her life. Cooker had no part in the conversation, which was surprising since the nonsense conversation was right up her alley. Instead, she was sulking with her arms crossed over her chest like she had been doing all sun. Until, of course, she came out of her imaginary cave and snapped at her two friends to get things moving along.

Xyra did exactly that, she dived into the evidence she held in her lap. The night before, through a slightly lifted tarp, Theo had relayed information about what Vivexa had told her to Xyra. Xyra had then passed that on to both Cooker and Ava, what Xyra hadn't yet shared with the group was what she had found in the physical evidence Vivexa had handed over.

Hearing what Xyra had said the night before had made Ava almost physically sick, she was thankful there was nothing solid in her stomach or she would have emptied it all off the side of the cart. Her father, as they already had assumed, was one of the main actors in the plot against the underworld. What she hadn't realized was that the pirate attack that gave her the opportunity to run away was orchestrated by him and that her false death had inadvertently caused the persecution of a network of 'criminals' she currently worked for. She couldn't help but blame herself; a selfish act that had put everyone at risk.

That fact was not lost on any of them, Cooker and Xyra had realized what she had, it showed on their faces and how they looked at her. It wasn't with anger, per se, but it wasn't with pity either; Ava couldn't quite tell what they were feeling. What was also not lost on any of them, Ava guessed, was the fact that shit had just gotten so much worse now that her action of running had clear repercussions. Telling Theo had just gotten worse. Telling the crew had just gotten worse. But, no one said anything, keeping whatever they thought of the situation to themselves.

Xyra had only slept for a few hours, enough to get recharged before waking back up and tackling the papers. She had been up for hours before dawn, Ava having woken up and looked over to see Xyra lifting the papers to catch whatever moonlight could illuminate the words. She hadn't slept since then and Ava didn't understand how Xyra was still awake and functioning. Xyra handed out some papers, as she began to explain what she saw. Ava took hold of hers and looked down to see a few different manifests, all with the same ship on it. A floral name, but different to the ones that Theo and Cooker had pinpointed in their travels.

"The records show up all over Aeliz, Efriti, and Dove Island," Xyra said, " the same seven ships, registered to a merchant company by the name of The Nursery."

"Fitting," Theo commented with a scoff.

"All of the ships have names related to flowers," Xyra provided, "the two you found on the manifests line up with two of the three that were sent to Efriti. But that only gives us information as to how the information got out, not who gave it out."

Xyra handed a piece of paper to Theo, both Cooker and Ava shuffled out of their places to get closer and peer over the paper. It was a contract. Xyra reached over and pointed to the bottom.

"That is the signature of Thomas Jones," Xyra said and then placed another piece of paper onto Theo's little pile, "who is registered in The Vault as being born in The Twins to the farmer tycoon Frederick Needle."

Cooker and Theo snapped up their heads and looked at each other before looking at Xyra, Theo laughed and hit the paper, "We fucking got it!"

Ava was utterly lost, but she didn't want to interrupt the moment with a question. Whatever the evidence was presenting was good, a moment of celebration between them was warranted with all the hard work they had put in. Xyra was smiling wide, showing more happiness over success than Ava had ever seen before. Even Cooker who had been an asshole all sun was celebrating. When the cheers and high fives from around them settled, Ava took her chance.

"Who are Thomas Jones and Frederick Needle?"

"Jones is the last names given to bastards," Cooker put bluntly.

Ava rolled her eyes, "I know what being a Jones means. What is the relevance?"

She used to think that the term Jones was just a derogatory last name that bastards of noble and greater houses were called. A cruel joke to let them know that although they were nobility, they would always be recognized as not belonging, as being cast out of the family. It was used in the circle's Ava grew up with as an insult towards children that were rumored to be born not of their father but out of an affair of their mothers. It was also used by her siblings quite often, mostly in relation to her. Avery Jones is what they would call her. It used to make her angry but now, it made her happy to think of all of the times she was considered as someone who didn't belong to the family. Because Ava didn't belong with them, she never did.

She had believed, however, that the term was just coined by some mean kid a long time before they lived. The book she had read about The Vault, however, told her something different. Any man who had a child outside of their marriage, a bastard child, could register them in The Vaults under the name Jones. The point was so that the child would enjoy the benefits of being registered and having a last name, which legally meant they could do more. It was also rumored to give the child a leg up in the reclassification, but that was not a confirmed fact. The hangup was that the child could only be registered in The Vaults if the child was connected to their father. That dissuaded many people from doing so, because it meant they had to claim their child. The legacy of the last name Jones also dissuaded any child that was registered as such from using it. Because although legally, a Jones had the same access to what others with last names did, socially they were outcasts and often denied what they were looking for. Thus, the rule was seldom used. What Ava didn't see was the significance, was Fletching a Jones?

"Seal's father is Frederick Needle," Cooker elaborated.

Seal was Fletching's second, Ava tilted her head, "Oh. And Thomas Jones is Seal?"

"We never knew his real name but aye, Seal is Frederick Jones' bastard son. Who knew he would be registered ," Theo laughed, "Thank you, Riva."

"One last thing, in case people accuse us of the evidence being vague," Xyra was thinking ahead, like always, "these are the details of the registered ships."

Xyra handed a few papers to Cooker and Theo, skipping Ava who wouldn't know how to interpret the information anyway.

"These are his ships," Cooker commented, "there are one or two that I don't recognize but most of these are definitely his own ships."

"When you insist on bringing in your whole fleet into the bay every time you arrive in Corinspe, people are going to recognize the description of your damned ships," Theo muttered as she looked through her papers, "we got him."

"We got him..." Xyra said and then frowned, the happiness at the discovery having faded, "what now?"

"Get to Corinspe and hope everything hasn't got to absolute shit," Cooker provided.

"Hope Fletching hasn't infected everyone's minds with bullshit to make his ascent to the top easier," Theo quipped.

"What we really need is to hope that Fletching has not contacted The Center yet to get them to go through with their staged fight," Xyra interjected, being serious, "because what is going to show up to our shores is not a shitty fleet of washed-up soldiers, it will be their whole navy."

"Aye..." Theo commented and pushed her hair back out of her face, "at least people seemed willing to bring the fight to The Center before we left, don't see why they wouldn't agree now, even more so now that we roughly know the size of their navy and it's not big. I wish the fight was on our terms, but if we prepare I think we've got a chance."

"Why are we so sure they are going to back out of their deal with Fletching?" Ava asked.

"Fletching helped them wipe out half of us already, why wouldn't they take this opportunity that we are weak to strike us down for good," Cooker said.

"He is a damned fool for believing anything they fed him," Xyra shook her head with a sigh, "are we telling anybody about this once we get there?"

"We'll bring in Owl and Blue, maybe a few others but we have to keep this shit close to our chests," Theo informed, "the last thing we need is someone squealing to Fletching that we are going to put him on trial at the meeting and he runs."

"If you try and accuse him at the meeting, he is going to try and pull some shit," Xyra warned, "he will not just sit there and take it while you present evidence against him. All he has to do is call you a rat again and your credibility goes up in flames."

"That won't be an issue," Cooker said and they all turned to look at her, "he's guilty and we have evidence, he's fucked. He's going to call for a trial by combat instead."

Theo rolled her eyes, "Backwards ass rule made for cowards."

"He is one," Xyra shrugged, "what do we expect?"

"If he calls for combat, I'll be ready for it," Theo said, almost puffing out her chest as she did.

"We'll need to train, then," Xyra nodded.

"So, have we not considered maybe someone else taking on the challenge of accepting combat?" Ava spoke and they all snapped their heads over to look at her.

"The accuser must be the one to accept the challenge," Theo informed her.

"Right. So someone else can accuse Fletching and you stay safe," Ava offered and they stared as if she had said the worst thing imaginable, "nevermind then."

The three of them were always so in tune with each other, their conversations were short and quick but essays were being written within the unspoken words that flowed between all of them. Ava had learned to keep up, somewhat, but it still wasn't enough to be able to enter the hive mind they all seemed to get into once something like strategy came up. They had trained and learned and lived together their whole life and it showed.

From the way Cooker and Xyra had reacted the last time to a promise of a fight with Fletching, she had assumed that they would kick up a fuss about Theo wanting to rise up to the challenge. But Xyra and Cooker just accepted it. Perhaps because Theo had an ego, a point to prove, and time to prepare. All of that had been communicated within a second and Ava could do nothing but catch up later.

They never answered her, instead they moved onto the next part of their conversation; methodological as always. Following an invisible agenda. Xyra collected the papers, making sure to take good care of the evidence. After putting it in her bag and covering it with her coat, she looked at Theo with narrowed eyes.

Theo laughed, "I don't like that look."

"Who were you dancing with last night?" Xyra asked.

"You had time to dance last night?" Cooker interjected with a scoff, "last time I fucked off on a mission to have a break I was chewed out for it."

Theo turned to Cooker, "Leaving a stakeout to go fuck someone which ended up costing us the mission is grounds to be chewed out."

"Who was he?" Xyra interrupted.

"Jona," Theo replied.

"As in, the third son of Lord Amyrett, Jona?" Cooker clarified.

Ava recognized the name and the person. Jona was a funny one, he was always causing a ruckus amongst the younger kids by encouraging their mischief when he spent some summers at the Vaith estate. He was pleasant to speak with, more so than any of his other family members who were all stuck up and drab; the worst combination.

"Aye," Theo confirmed, "I was searching for Viv on the main floor of the dance and got roped into a dance by him. Apparently, he is a fan."

"And he let you go?"

"He let me go with two guards trailing me and the promise of a mass of soldiers coming to search the city for us once we left the ball," Theo corrected, "people noticed us and he had to play it off like he actually wanted to catch us."

"What is he like?"

"He is charming. Knowledgeable about things outside of the noble bubble. Connected," Theo listed, "which means he is going to be a problem for us soon."

"How so?"

"He is going to be sitting in a seat on The Council in the coming lengths," Theo hypothesized.

"Jona is third in line," Cooker reminded.

"What do we know about third and fourth sons?" Theo asked, it was a running joke for many people.

"Party boys. Unconcerned with politics. Big Spenders. Last I heard, Jona was the same way," Xyra listed.

"And last a lot of people heard, we were mindless killing machines that burn towns and steal women," Theo pointed out, "people's identities rarely align with what others say about them. "

"Alright, quit it with the philosophy, get to your points," Cooker snapped her fingers.

"He was talking an awful lot about his father's politics and sticking his nose in it. Concerned about the legacy of his family. He also hinted at him sitting at his father's seat then ended our conversation with a request for our services in the future," Theo explained.

"So, you think he's going to try and muscle his way into his father's title? Somehow. Being third in line" Cooker asked.

"If by muscle his way in you mean assassinate everyone that comes between him and the metaphorical throne, aye, I got that feeling," Theo crossed her arms, "he is going to kill his father and brothers."

"I think that is a bit ridiculous, Theo," Xyra shook her head.

"You also thought my suggestion that the rat was Fletching was ridiculous and look at what we know now," Theo defended.

"I never thought it was ridiculous," Xyra sighed a bit, always having her words twisted, "I thought that it was too easy a conclusion and that you shouldn't let yourself hone in on one suspect."

"Call it ridiculous that is what I think," Theo shrugged.

"I believe it," Cooker said, "you've got me convinced."

"You have nothing snarky or rude to say?" Theo offered her the opportunity to say something,

"No, but I have something else to ask," Cooker wriggled her eyebrows, "How was sex with Viv?"

"I did not have sex with Viv," Theo rolled her eyes.

"No one is going to believe that, mate," Cooker chuckled.

"Everyone but you believes me," Theo argued. Xyra snorted a bit and Theo looked at them both with confusion then looked over to Ava, "No one believes me?

"She did not ask for gold," Xyra pointed out.

"So, you are insinuating I slept with her for the information," Theo stated.

Xyra shrugged, "Not insinuating anything. It is none of my business."

"Whatever," Theo huffed and then looked over at her, "what did she say to you, Red?"

Ava swallowed past a lump in her throat. She couldn't tell everyone what Viv had actually told her, not with Theo and others around.

"Just messing with me," Ava shrugged as the actual words floated around in her mind.

It would be fun to fuck a Vaith. Never done that before.

Vivexa knew who she was. She had no idea how. She had never met the woman in her life. But Ava wasn't going to chase her down and ask, she had just let her walk away. Ava would have been panicked but she had truly no idea what it meant. Did Viv know that no one else on the crew was aware? Did Viv just assume that everyone was keeping her secret for her? Theo didn't seem to catch wind of what Viv said, which was good. Ava only hoped that she was able to come clean before someone like Vivexa could swoop in and tell Theo.

"Sorry. She is a dick," Theo offered up a smile.

"That much is clear," Ava smiled back.

"Anything else to report?" Theo turned back to everyone.

"No, but I spoke with some of the driver boys earlier, they've got a cell that spans three towns. Apparently, cells are rising up all over Efriti; the word is spreading and something is going to happen soon."

"We'll focus on that when we finish our current objective," Theo reminded them, unwilling to entertain a conversation about revolution.

Ava didn't understand how Theo couldn't see that she was made to lead in it and fight for others and refusing went against her whole nature but Ava wasn't going to meddle in things she had little knowledge about. She believed that Theo would come around. Cooker wasn't in a better mood but she was in a talking mood. She and Theo began to speak about something political that Cooker brought up and Ava tuned out, not ready for the following few suns they still had on the cart.

----

When Theo stepped back onto the ship, it was to a gaggle of new people. Navi was standing on the deck with her arms crossed, waiting for them to board. Behind her, a line of people.

"What's this?" Theo asked, approaching Navi.

"I suppose when we took the sloop into the dock and left with a thousand gold worth of supplies, people caught wind of it," Navi shrugged, "these are all new recruits."

"You spent a thousand on supplies?" Theo raised an eyebrow then shook her head.

She peeked over and scanned down the line, there were at least a dozen people lined up.

"Welcome everyone, I am Captain Theo," Theo announced herself with a wave and a smile and turned back to Navi.

"There's some group on land doing resistance stuff, the surrounding towns are a part of it. Apparently, the girls were sick of being allowed to do anything and wanted to raise their own money for the cause. When they figured out we were in town, word spread, and we were met with an influx of interest," Navi explained.

"Looks like we've got some rebels on board then," Theo laughed, shaking her head at the fact that their numbers were growing while she did nothing. She caught eyes with one of the girls behind Navi, not nerves on her face, just excitement, "Thanks for keeping the ship running while I was gone. Show them to my quarters, I've got to run a few questions by them."

"Aye, Captain," Navi turned back to the group and explained to them where she was taking them. Theo looked back at Xyra and Ava to enlist their help but Ava was already following the group. Theo shared an impressed look with Xyra; Ava was one of the best quartermasters they had ever had.

Xyra began to follow the crowd and Theo took a deep breath, getting ready to get back to work. Captaining awaited, as did the sea they were due to traverse. Theo called out some final instructions to the sailing crew, giving the command to begin raising the anchor, and then slipped into her quarters.

---

One cycle was their goal. To make it back to Corinspe in one cycle. Pushing the masts almost to their breaking point, they took advantage of the strong winds and journeyed their way to Corinspe through open water. There was no room for mistake or error on the part of sailing and it was consuming Theo's suns. If they did something wrong and lost the wind, they would be stranded too far out to have any hope of getting help. There was even a small countdown in her office, a large piece of paper marking the sun left until their goal of a cycle had passed.

They were three suns out from Corinspe and three suns were left on her calendar. The sooner they got to Corinspe's shores, the better. Less time for Fletching to be able to fuck things up. She had been so persistent that the goal seemed to be within reach. They were almost at the island and Theo would be one step closer to victory over Fletching and eventually The Center. She couldn't fucking wait until the soil of pirates were under her feet; the sea had not been forgiving in their time since Dricaster. They had weathered countless storms, dealt with a bout of her crew falling ill with a mild cold, and the sloop's kitchen almost caught the ship on fire. All in all, it had been a hell of a time.

Dricaster had been such a momentous occasion, such a big event that they had worked towards for so long and after it, everything just felt boring. A calm in the storm. An odd limbo where she knew what was coming was bad yet she wanted it to come faster. Things were better than the first leg of the trip, up to Dricaster. At least now, Xyra wasn't ignoring her and Cooker seemed to be less cagey. Riva was still making herself scarce but she wasn't blaming herself anymore. If Theo had done something wrong, Riva would let her know. She just had to have faith that Riva had her back when it mattered, like the night on the dancefloor.

One thing that got worse, however, was being around Ava. It became harder with each passing sun and what she had suppressed the first half of their voyage came back with a vengeance. Ava seemed to be asking to hang out with Theo more, outside of just training and working, and Theo was more than happy to agree. With the lack of touching, and the hidden stares, and the bottled-up feelings, Theo felt like they were back to the beginning of their friendship.

Theo thought of her as she fell asleep and thought of the next time they would see each other the moment she woke up. She was utterly lost as to how to stop it. There hadn't been a time where there was someone that she liked so much that she couldn't have. Even with Viv, she had usually gotten what she wanted. She was The Captain Theo, for fucks sake. Theo might have been less interested, might have thought of her less, might have denied hanging out with her once or twice if Ava had given any sort of indication that she wasn't also head over heels for Theo. They were stuck in a place Theo didn't know how to get out of but she hoped Ava would come around soon or that the war would be over. Anything if it meant she got to be with her again.

They were three rises of the sun away from Corinspe, the end to the war was in her sights. The feelings of not being enough or guiding her crew in the wrong direction that were always lingering in the back of her mind were replaced with determination to come out on top. There was a refusal deep in her gut to let The Center win, to let Fletching win. There was also a deep desire to get back to how things were half a length before, to only have to worry about captaining a crew and the issues that came with that.

Suns of piracy where there was nothing to worry about except fleeing the scene of a successful heist or mission were all she longed for. Officer meetings where they would all stay after for a drink and a laugh is what she missed. Stopping at her favorite ports, shopping, and catching up with old friends had been absent from her life for too long. But, deep down, Theo knew those times were getting farther, rather than closer. She was aware of the looming rebellion, threatening to visit her figurative doorstep once again. But the weight of that realization was something she was putting off. She would continue to live in blissful hope that her old life would return to her soon.

They were three suns out from Corinspe and Theo awoke that morning with a start. She hadn't had a bad dream but something felt off. The boat felt stationary, or as stationary as one could get on the ocean. Everything outside was quiet; too quiet. Theo ripped the sheets off of her body and stumbled forward as she climbed out of bed. Catching herself on one of her tables. She paused for a moment to right herself before sprinting outside, throwing the doors to her quarter open.

The deck was not on fire, or littered with flying arrows, or filled with fighting pirates. So, anything immediately catastrophic was ruled out. Scanning around as she stepped out, she confirmed that they were indeed stationary. Unmoving as small waves hit their ship. Theo narrowed her eyes and continued further out onto the deck; her arms coming up to cross over her chest. There were plenty of people around, each carrying out some task they were assigned. But no one was sailing or doing anything that would get them to Corinspe on time.

Theo frowned and stopped one of the sailors that were passing by, grabbing her arm lightly and pulling her in close.

"Fina, what the fuck's happening?"

Fina's eyes widened like a child in trouble, "Preparing to celebrate...I was told by Xyra to get things ready to go to the island. Have plans changed, Captain?"

"Island?" Theo furrowed her brows and looked around. To one side of the ship — far off — a large storm was brewing. On the other side of the ship, the sun shone down on a small island. The sloop was also anchored, only a few yards away. Theo nodded a bit, realization dawning on her as to what was going on. Theo flashed a smile towards Fina, "right, carry on with what you were doing. You've been doing good work lately, love, keep it up."

"Thank you, Cap. Merry Ment, by the way!" Fina slapped Theo on the back and Theo thanked her with a nod before sending her off once again.

Theo waited until there were no eyes on her to stomp her foot, then she let out a frustrated grunt before she marched towards the helm, looking around for where to target her ire. Navi stood at the wheel, arms crossed and looking over at the storm miles away from them. Theo rushed up the stairs, bounding up two at a time. She alarmed Navi to her presence, who turned to face her with a smile.

"Cap, Merry Ment," Navi chuckled, "you're getting old."

"Where are they?" Theo ignored the good wishes.

"Who?"

"Xy and Cook."

Navi shrugged, "Somewhere inside the ship, I suppose. But they are both on The Scorned Woman."

"Did you know about this?" Theo frowned.

"About what? The party?" Navi chuckled, "Found out last night. Apparently, when Cook told me this was approved; I was being lied to."

"We've got three fucking suns, Navi! I would have not approved this," Theo huffed and turned on her heel, going to find who was responsible for not keeping them on course.

"Not my fault!" Navi called out, "take the stick out of your ass, Theo, you're beginning to act like Xyra!"

Theo raised her hand, flipping Navi off as she slid down the stair railings. She walked to the entrance of the ship's lower decks and cupped her hands to her mouth before yelling, "Xyra and Cooker, I want you both up here now!"

She stood for about a minute, in seething silence, waiting for them to come. They didn't.

"Xyrabellis and Carrie fucking Cooker! Get up here or I'm throwing you both in the brig!" Theo yelled, trying to make her voice as threatening and menacing as possible.

Not even ten seconds later, she heard Cooker complaining. Theo caught a glimpse of them as Xyra pushed Cooker down the hallway while Cooker flailed to grip onto anything she could to stop from going forward. Theo tapped her foot impatiently, looking down at them as they began to climb the stairs, "Care to explain?"

"It was your idea, Cook, go ahead," Xyra pushed Cooker up the stairs.

"The blame is not going to get placed on just me! Xyra made the call to stop sailing!" Cooker cried out in defense as she was being physically moved up the steps by Xyra.

"Because we would die in that storm," Xyra offered her explanation, "the party and the island, that's all on you."

"She helped me plan it, Theo! She's trying to sink me but it won't work, she's coming down with me," Cooker yelled as she was practically carried and set in front of Theo.

Theo's eyes narrowed in their direction. She lifted up a finger and pressed it into Cooker's chest. Making Cooker take a few steps back and stumble into Xyra, "What part do either of you not understand about us having a fucking schedule? We were supposed to be there in three suns!"

"We will never arrive if we go through that storm," Xyra pointed out.

"We have Riva," Theo reminded them.

"Riva cannot protect us from blatantly bad strategic calls," Xyra pushed, "As the person in charge when you retire to your quarters for sleep, I made the decision that would save all of our lives. The fact that it is your commencement anniversary is purely a coincidence. A coincidence Cooker capitalized on."

"The way she says it makes it seem like a lie, T, but it's not," Cooker hopped into the conversation, "If you think about it, this whole thing probably just means that Riva wanted you to have a nice celebration for your 18th ment."

Theo rolled her eyes at the poor attempt at convincing her to get on board, "I told you I didn't want a party this time around. There is too much going on."

"You did not mention that to me," Xyra said.

"Me neither," Cooker shrugged.

"Well, I meant to get around to telling you both," Theo sighed and rubbed her temples, trying to think of other ways to get out of a fucking celebration in her honor. There had never been a commencement that she didn't celebrate with a party or something of the sort. It would be illogical to make them go around the storm, it would take longer than waiting it out. It would also be illogical to go through it, given that Theo did actually trust Xyra's assessment. She shook her head, "Do we have to do this?"

Theo looked at them both with wide eyes, hoping that looking flustered and upset would get them to pull back on the orders for a party. It was a long shot but she was still surprised when it failed.

"You are going to tell a group of people that have been working nonstop for three cycles that we are canceling the party they have been preparing for hours?" Cooker said, the smile she was trying to suppress at knowing she had won was still visible. There was a reason that Cooker had gotten things moving along so quickly, so she could pull exactly what she just had.

"You will both pay for the transgressions you've committed on this sun, I don't know when but your time will come," Theo said, only half-joking. Payback would be sweet, she just didn't know what to do yet.

"I'm taking that as approval to continue with the party," Cooker's smile broke out fully, "which means I have a lot of work to do. Merry Ment, you little rodent."

Cooker walked away but not before Theo attempted to kick her in the shin, she couldn't help it.

"You love when things are about you," Xyra crossed her arms with a chuckle, "I don't know why you are getting so upset about this party."

"Because we had a schedule," Theo recalled with a huff, her eyebrows knitted together.

"The storm will pass and tomorrow we will resume our voyage. You deserve the sun of your commencement off," Xyra said and looked around, "and our crew deserves a party before what is waiting for us in Corinspe."

"I know," Theo acknowledged, her crew had been working their asses off for her schedule to work, "just give me a few hours to adjust my mindset into a party one and I will be fine...I suppose."

Xyra laughed at the last comment and Theo couldn't help but smile. Of course, she was still upset over the fact that plans changed without her but now there was going to be a party with her as the guest of honor; obviously, there was a bit of excitement bubbling in her chest. The outfit she would wear to dinner was already running through her mind.

"I knew you could not resist a celebration. Which is why I approved it," Xyra said.

"Don't you have something else to do?' Theo rolled her eyes.

"Be ready to leave in about an hour, that when the first boats with passengers are going to be heading to the beach," Xyra said and she stepped towards Theo and pulled her into a hug, a rarity, "Happy Commencement Anniversary."

Theo hugged her back and then shoved Xyra away, just for good measure before turning to walk to the kitchen for a bite to eat. If she was going to celebrate her 18th commencement and swim all sun, she would need energy.

------

Instead of jumping straight into activities of a more leisurely nature, she had helped a group of the crew go into the woods and catch a wild pig for Rose to roast for dinner. A group of other crew members, led by Oceane, went fishing for their lunch. And another group had gone foraging. Obviously, a large group of others did nothing. They had no trouble starting their sun by laying in the sand and bathing in the water.

She wasn't upset about it. There were only limited roles to fill and she was happy that people got to relax. It didn't stop her from teasing everyone who didn't help. The rest of her morning was spent swimming and playing a few games on the shore before lunch was called. It was a delightful spread, nothing too heavy as to impede the activities for the rest of the sun. Theo had just finished lunch when she was offered a cigarette by Navi. Without questioning what it was, Theo put it to her lips, took a drag, and then stood up. She began to walk away and Navi jumped to her feet and followed in protest.

"Oi, that's mine," Navi laughed, "give it back."

Theo ignored her until her feet were touching the water and she began to wade in, "If you want it back, you can come follow me into the water for it."

"Fuck you," Navi rolled her eyes, she insisted to never go swimming at least two hours after a meal. Even touching the water terrified her. Theo used it to her advantage and kept wading further out. Navi made a rude gesture, "that is your ment present!"

"It better not be," Theo laughed, "I expect something much better."

She walked until the water was chest high and then laid back, floating and taking a few drags of the cigarette. The relaxation raft had been taken out of retirement and floated a few dozen yards away from shore, anchored into the sand below. Theo decided to make her way over, to where she could finish her drugs in peace. Theo kicked her legs a bit, using a one-handed backstroke to help her get to her destination. It was a bit of a hassle to swim there and get up without the cigarette going out but she managed to do it. She had smoked through most of it by the time she had laid back on the raft. Once she finished, she closed her eyes and basked in the sun, listening to the call of the birds above her. She could hear the strumming of strings and a song being sung on the shore and she hummed along to herself. Her mind was blissfully blank. Serenity. Peace. Theo let out a sigh and smiled, content in her position. Maybe later she would even thank Cooker and Xyra later for making this happen.

Theo was baking in the sun and after countless minutes under it, she had to get some water on her. She sat up and jumped slightly at the sight in front of her. A curly head full of red hair was resting on the edge of the raft. Two arms were propped under Ava's chin kept half of her body on the float with the rest dangling in the water. She laughed when she scared Theo and then pulled one hand out from under her chin and did a small wave.

Theo shook her head, smiling down at the girl, "I didn't hear you coming."

"I wasn't trying to make it a secret," Ava shrugged, "but you should work on your reaction time. I could have been a sea monster or a siren or something."

Without warning, Theo rolled off the raft and into the water. She let the cool sensation sink in before she kicked her feet back up and broke the surface. Ava had made her way onto the raft, leaning back on her hands as she tilted her head back at the sky. Theo brought her arms up to rest on the raft, her legs floating under her. She pushed her hair out of her face before looking up at Ava, watching her with a smile.

"Have you been having a good time?" Theo asked, she had been seeing Ava enjoy herself so far but Theo just wanted to hear her talk. Any answer would do.

"I feel like you already asked me this," Ava chuckled, "but aye, I am having a splendid time."

Ava turned to look at Theo and they locked eyes, holding still for a full minute before breaking eye contact. Ava's cheeks were red by the time she looked away, and it wasn't just from the sun. Theo bit the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning like mad. Theo didn't start another conversation, instead, she pushed herself off the raft and swam backward. Once she was a few yards away from the raft, she floated in place for a bit before taking a deep breath and diving underwater. Theo kicked her legs, swimming through the water until she arrived under the raft. She pushed up on it, feeling the raft tilt to one side. Even under the water, she could still hear the shriek that came from above before a splashing sound hit the water. Theo swam out from under the raft, broke the surface, and began laughing in between the breaths she was trying to catch. Ava came up next to Theo, curls in her eyes and her mouth open wide.

"You ass!" Ava yelled but a laugh was mixed in with it.

"You were too easy of a target," Theo laughed again and swam up to the raft, climbing back on and then helping Ava back up.

"I would push you back in but it's your sun of celebration, so I will refrain," Ava offered the gift.

"I am very thankful for that," Theo commented and leaned back on her elbows.

Ava also laid back on the raft, arm coming over her eyes to block out the sun. Theo couldn't keep her eyes off of her. Even though Ava was checked out of the conversation, Theo couldn't pull her attention away. Everything about Ava drove Theo insane, she truly didn't know how to handle the surge of emotions that filled her every time they were together.

"Two lengths from right now, you will be a whole classification old," Ava commented from her laid-back position, eyes still covered.

"Not necessarily," Theo replied.

Ava laughed, "What does that mean?"

"Means that right now, I could still be 17 or I could have been 18 for at least a few cycles," Theo elaborated.

Ava sat up, "I'm officially lost."

"I only know I'm officially 18 once Founder's Eve has passed," Theo explained but Ava still looked confused. Theo chuckled, "I couldn't remember when my commencement anniversary was. I don't remember if I just never knew it or if I had just forgotten it but by the time I was asked for it, I couldn't recall the date."

Theo had long pushed out the feelings of sadness that came with that statement. It used to make her feel out of control, just one more thing that was ripped from her. But time had passed and she no longer felt that sadness, it didn't matter if her ment was on the correct sun or not; she was loved and her commencement anniversary always managed to show her just how much.

"The only thing I remembered was that it occurred after the classifier's festival and before Founder's Eve. So," Theo shrugged, "Cooker and Xyra suggested that I just pick any sun in between and that would be the sun we celebrate on."

"Cooker wasn't in the picture for a while though, right?" Ava clarified.

"Aye, for two lengths," Theo nodded, "Xyra and I didn't celebrate it. We were lucky if we even knew which sun we were on. Once we were with Uncilo, we began to celebrate."

"So, how do you know how old you even are? If you didn't celebrate for a while, how had you even know how long it had been?" Ava was ever so curious.

"Wasn't hard to backtrack," Theo chuckled at Ava's concern, "the sun I ran away is very well documented. I knew I was five when I left, knew around when my birthday was, and knew the date I left so Uncilo was able to figure it out for me."

"And the others?"

"Xyra was seven and Cooker was nine when they left home, they both remembered," Theo elaborated.

"Well, Merry alleged Ment, then," Ava cracked a smile and Theo smiled back.

"Thank you," Theo looked over at the shore, "I can smell the pig roasting from here. My mouth is watering."

"I've never had Dovish pork," Ava inhaled deeply then sighed at the smell, "I've heard it is amazing."

"Divine," Theo mused, "you should consider getting a bit drunk off mead beforehand. It will make the experience seem almost dream-like. And then we party, so it's better to start your drinking early so the mead doesn't run out on you."

"I've been hearing a lot about past parties. What am I to expect from your night of celebration? " Ava asked, "I heard we are supposed to dress fancy for dinner."

"Fancy or nude," Theo chuckled, "it's my rule. Always has been."

"Not very considerate of those that don't wear fancy clothes but don't want to be naked," Ava mused.

"Their oath is to follow me no matter what and to do what I ask," Theo joked, "and also, there is a chest in storage with every type of clothing for every size. There is a wide variety, the non-fancy folk need not purchase anything. I provide all."

"I forget how big your ego can get," Ava laughed and reached down to scoop up some water and splash it towards Theo, "fancy dinner. What else?"

"Lots of drinking, lots of drugs, lots of dancing," Theo laughed, "we are only allowed to do things that start with d."

"Will you be participating in all of that?"

"I will be enthusiastically participating in dinner, I might drink a bit, I'm undecided on drugs, and I will be passionately dancing," Theo shimmied her shoulders as an illustration of what would be happening later, "will you be participating in all my ment activities?"

Ava laughed, "Aye, I believe I will dabble in a bit of everything."

"Well, seeing you dance will be very entertaining," Theo chuckled, "you've been getting better, I hear."

"I have in fact picked up quite a few skills since last you've witnessed my dancing," Ava puffed her chest out, "I'll have you know that those lower deck parties have taught me a lot."

"Oh, aye?" Theo wiggled her eyebrows, "does your ballroom background translate into the ability to move your hips."

"Shake ass, as Cooker calls it," Ava nodded with a soft laugh, "Actually, you would be surprised at how useful all of those dancing lessons came in handy. Guess some things they made me learn were useful after all."

"Well, if your skills are that impressive, make sure to save me a few dances," Theo requested.

"Anything for the guest of honor," Ava nodded along, "I'll show up naked too, fancy garb seems like too much work."

"What a nice present," Theo played along and winked.

Ava laughed and nudged Theo's leg with her own, "I've been selfish, I wanted some time with you on your very busy sun. I was actually supposed to come over here to tell you that some sort of ball game is supposed to start in less than a half-hour."

"Hemetti?" Theo asked, perking up at the promise of sports.

"No, the name was in Common."

"Jars?"

"That's the one," Ava snapped her fingers.

Theo stood up on the raft, wobbling a bit as she did, "I must be off before someone else decides they are going to be captain of a team."

"See you later," Ava waved.

"See you both later," Theo said, looking straight down at Ava's chest.

Theo heard a loud laugh and a rude name being thrown at her as she dove into the water, going as far as she could in one breath. She emerged and without looking back, swam towards the shore. Once she was close enough, she stood up and half-jogged her way onto the beach.

"I am Captain of one team!" Theo called dibs as she ran towards a grouping of people with a ball.

----

Rose had outdone herself. Perhaps it was pure talent and skill or perhaps it was the fact that they had been living off stale sea crackers and whatever nonperishable food items were left in storage but Theo was in heaven. The pork was tender, juicy, spicy. And the sides hit the spot. Theo was so full and had eaten so much that she had abandoned her buttoned-up coat.

Before dinner, she had made her way back to her quarters to get changed into the fanciest suit she could find. There was a wide variety of things she would wear but she ended up choosing her constellation suit. With the dress gone, she felt as if the suit was lonely and needed to be shown off. It had been the right choice because the compliments she received from wearing it were enough to keep her ego fueled for quite some time. Throughout the many courses, however, Theo had begun to shed things off her body. First were the boots, then the moonstones around her collar that were making it tight, then her coat.

As she got up from the last course of dinner with a grunt and a burp, Theo walked over to a group of people she hadn't had much interaction with. She plopped down onto the sand next to them and was offered a drink, which she took. After a drink and a chat, one filled with many jokes and much laughter, she moved on.

That was how her night went. For a few hours, she spent the time connecting with her crew, soaking in the congrats, taking the time to have quality conversations with many of them. Then, the music started. Some of the new crew they had picked up after Dricaster were talented musicians and had been playing for the lower decks throughout their time on board. Their talent was much appreciated by the crew and Cooker had asked them to be the musical entertainers that night. Lively music filled the air and Theo rushed to dance; as did much of her other crew. It was hot, the air was humid, and her shirt stuck to her back. After several songs, she stepped off of the dancing crowd for some fresh air.

Theo stood a few feet away, finding a spot where she could catch the breeze. She peeled off her shirt and caught her breath, watching the music keep its hold on the others still dancing. Coming up next to her with a glass bottle filled with whiskey was Ava. Her shoulder was nudged and Ava offered the bottle, Theo took it without a question.

"No one came to my party naked," Theo sighed then took a swig from the bottle, "not even you."

"No, but to keep as close to my word as possible, I asked Oceane for an outfit that showed skin cause all I had was winter clothes and she did not disappoint," Ava laughed looking down at what was originally supposed to be a longer, flowy dress that looked like someone had taken liberty with a pair of scissors to make it as scanty as possible. It was different for Ava, Theo had definitely not been expecting that, "I don't hate it. I think I look nice."

"I was trying to be respectful and not say anything but," Theo whistled and then took another sip from the bottle.

"You've been a giant flirt this sun," Ava snatched the bottle back.

"You're right. Sorry," Theo looked over at Ava and locked eyes with her, trying to give her an apologetic smile, "I misread your responses. I shouldn't have crossed that line."

"Theo, that's alright," Ava reached out and squeezed her forearm before chuckling a bit, "I was just poking fun at you for it. I wasn't upset."

"Right," Theo nodded but didn't break their stare. Time seemed to slow around them, the music fading into the distance.

Ava handed the whiskey bottle back over to Theo, without breaking their eye contact, "How about those dances I promised you earlier?"

"Aye," Theo took the bottle in one hand and Ava's in another as she pulled them back into the crowd.

Ava, however, was the one that ended up leading them through the crowd to find a spot. Once she found a place to move around without hitting anyone, she turned around and grabbed the bottle out of Theo's hand. Theo relinquished it with a laugh and then pulled Ava in, slipping an arm behind her back and taking the bottle again once she was done. Theo took a sip and then held the bottle out, waiting for someone to snatch it from her. It didn't take long, only a few seconds, and then both of her hands were free.

Theo felt an arm snake up her shoulder and Ava placed herself flush against Theo, Ava's legs on either side of one of Theo's. Theo let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as the music took hold of them and Ava began to move her hips. Theo felt the whiskey fill her veins, the warmth of the liquor spreading through her body rapidly. Her heart began to beat faster but to her, it seemed slower, she could feel her pulse behind her ears. Theo had never danced with Ava in this way before but fuck was it like some potent drug.

Their bodies moved together, neither of them leading the dance; they were just so in sync they moved together. Eventually, Ava turned around, her back to Theo's chest. Theo hands rested on her hips, moving when she did. Ava leaned her head back on Theo's shoulder, her arm coming up to reach behind her and grab the back of Theo's neck, holding them impossibly close. Theo's own head rested close to Ava's neck, the temptation to bend down and plant a kiss at the connection between her neck and shoulder was eating her up.

Then, she was pulled from her splendid stupor of dancing by someone tugging at her shoulder. Theo's hands released Ava's hip as she turned around to face who was bothering her. It was Navi.

"Mind if someone else has a turn? You've been dancing with her for an hour and people are waiting their turn," Navi asked, raising her voice to travel over the music.

Theo scrunched her eyebrows and looked over to Ava who was looking at the both of them with a slightly tipsy smile, the whiskey having made its way back to them eventually so they could continue to partake. Theo wanted to shove Navi away and continue with her dancing but Theo didn't own the right to be Ava's dance partner.

"Sure," Theo took a step back from Ava, "wasn't aware that she had so many people interested."

Theo said the last part under her breath, a petty comment that Theo didn't know she had in her. It wasn't meant to be heard but Navi laughed, hearing it anyway.

"If you would have been attending our lower deck parties, you would know that your girl here is quite the dancer," Navi complimented the redhead and reached out to take her hand. Ava laughed and pulled herself close to Navi.

"Not my girl," Theo whispered to herself and peeled away from the crowd, leaving to grab a bite from whatever was leftover. The dancing had taken its toll on her body and she was starved. Theo walked around the small camp they had made throughout their time there and managed to grab an extra portion of food.

She sat down on the sand and ate her food with little decorum. Morgana had dropped onto the sand next to her and quickly after, Xyra followed. Xyra was holding some havcera and she handed it to Theo wordlessly. Theo took it and then handed it to Morgana once she was done. Xyra had not shed a single piece of clothing, her long-sleeved coat full of sand sticking to it. Morgana, on the other hand, had mostly stripped herself of clothing as had Theo. Her sweaty face told Theo that she had also just come from dancing.

As they silently shared the havcera, Theo looked back to the crowd dancing. She saw Tuni twirling and moving by herself. If Theo had to guess, she was probably a little drunk. She also caught sight of Ava and Navi, dancing together. Ava was right when she said the lengths worth of dance lessons paid off. Normally, people had trouble dropping the stiffness from fancy styles of dance and learning a more loose and spontaneous type of movement; Ava seemed to have no such issue. It had taken her a long time to adjust to and learn certain things that were different from her old and new life but dancing was clearly not one of them.

Navi and Ava weren't even that close together. Their movement was a lot more reserved than what Ava and Theo's had been just a while before. Even with Navi and Ava doing nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that other pairs were not also doing, Theo's gut flared with jealousy. It had happened enough times that she knew how to recognize the feeling, something she had been unable to do in the past. Jealousy had been absent from her life before Ava, damn her.

It must have shown on her and Xyra's faces, because Morgana burst into laughter, "If looks could kill, there would be a double-murder here tonight."

Theo's head snapped over, "The fuck are you getting at."

"That we are just three women, in love," Morgana chuckled and stood up, wiping sand off of her, "but only one of us has managed to secure a relationship, I'll be off to my other half now."

Morgana laughed at herself and her aptitude at teasing as she walked away.

"Only one of us has to be suffering, y'know," Theo leaned back on her elbows and looked over at Xyra, "you have the ability to change your situation."

"I am not talking about this, Theo," Xyra cut her off before she could continue.

"Anyone with sight can see that she's hurting, Xy," Theo frowned a bit as she watched Xyra sit up straight and school her face to get rid of any emotions on it.

"If I am not mistaken, you used to despise the idea of us together," Xyra hummed.

"Aye, in the past I have not been the most supportive but we have had many conversations in which I have given you my support. My past is irrelevant here," Theo argued.

"My name is being called," Xyra lied as she stood up, walking away and leaving Theo alone on the sand.

Theo sighed and shook her head, talking to Xyra about anything personal was like climbing a steep mountain, dangerous and more than likely to go wrong. Theo stood up and jogged back to the dancing, seeing Morgana distracted by someone talking to her and Tuni still alone, Theo found her new dance partner. For several songs, they danced together. Both of them put little effort into coordination and just had some intoxicated fun. She knew it was time for another rest when she and Tuni tripped over their own feet and fell. After almost being trampled to death, they managed to crawl out of the crowd. Tuni went straight back in but Theo crawled away and laid back in the sand once again.

Ava was still dancing, this time with a new partner. Theo couldn't help but watch. Ava looked to be having an amazing time, her head was thrown back in laughter every few minutes. Everyone was dancing with everyone, Theo didn't understand why she was jealous. If she wanted to, she could go right over and ask for another dance and it would be granted to her. But Theo wasn't going to chase. The feeling ebbed a bit, the longer she watched. The effect of seeing Ava with someone else had waned a bit until Cooker stepped in for a dance. Theo audibly groaned and fell back. She lifted up her hand, snapping her fingers and whistling.

"Someone, get me a drink or a cigarette!'

In her outstretched hand, a lit cigarette was given to her, Theo took a drag. In the back of her mind, a nagging sensation appeared. Whispering to her that she was being irresponsible. She was the captain of a ship and she was lying there, high and drunk, in plain sight, with her ships unprotected, and jealous over a girl. But the more she smoked, the more that nagging went away. She closed her eyes and let herself relax, the coarse sand cool against her skin. She allowed the music to fill her mind and her imagination created a beautiful display behind her eyelids. After a while, she felt someone sit at her feet. Theo sat up to see a smiling Ava, cheeks red and hair wild and messy.

"Would you like another dance?" Ava asked, "I think they're planning on finishing soon and I wanted to get another dance with the honoree."

"Are you sure you've got time for another dance with me?" Theo asked but it was more pointed than she had intended, "I'm sure there are one or two people left that you haven't grinded against tonight."

"Is that jealousy I sense?" Ava chuckled and looked back at the crowd, "I guess there are a few people I haven't shaken my ass for tonight. I should go see if they are interested in my services."

Ava began to stand up and Theo stopped her, shooting out a hand to grab Ava's wrist.

"Stay. Please."

"I would be angry at your possessive comments but I find it kind of...hot," Ava smirked a bit and sat back down. Theo rolled her eyes but she couldn't help but smile, Ava was kind of drunk which means she didn't have a filter. Normally, she had been very good about not overtly flirting with Theo but with lowered inhibition, Theo was getting a good view of what really went on in Ava's mind.

"Well, if I haven't ruined my chances yet," Theo let go of Ava's wrist, "may I still have a dance?"

Ava hopped to her feet and rushed to tug up on Theo's forearm, trying to get her up faster but Theo took her time standing up. As soon as she did though, the song ended and another one didn't start up again. Ava laughed and turned to Theo with a shrug.

"Looks like we missed our chance."

"I'm getting my dance," Theo pulled Ava in, wrapping her arms around the girl's waist.

"There is no music," Ava said but she was already wrapping her arms around Theo's shoulders.

"We can use our imagination," Theo said as she began to lead them in a slow dance, uncaring of what others would see.

Ava indulged her, following Theo's lead as they moved through the sand. Out of nowhere, Ava turned her face away slightly and let out a soft laugh.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I just remembered your angry face from earlier," Ava laughed again, "I rarely see you mad, it is entertaining."

"You've seen me kill people, quite often," Theo reminded her with a small laugh.

"That was Captain Theo," Ava said, "I rarely see you angry."

"In that case, I don't get angry. You've never seen me angry," Theo defended herself.

"I have," Ava insisted, "Just now... With those children last cycle."

"I was not angry at the children," Theo rolled her eyes.

"You threatened them with a dagger, and I believe you would have done it had I not been there," Ava reminded.

"Children are living nightmares," she frowned.

"I think you are being a bit harsh," Ava laughed

"They scare me," Theo laughed too, "I don't understand them."

"Do you think it's because you never got a childhood?" Ava asked and Theo froze, her eyes widened, "Fuck... I'm drunk. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that."

"You're right... You shouldn't have," Theo leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Thank you for the dance."

Theo didn't know where she was going but she began to walk away from Ava, in the opposite direction of the party. Ava called out after her but didn't follow, she was thankful for that. She just felt her legs carry her and she didn't fight it. She felt drawn to the ocean, drawn to take a moment alone on such a special occasion to speak with Riva, drawn to seek her out to heal the small wound Ava had opened up. She walked until the beach bent around and she could be out of sight. It had been a while, since Corinspe, that she had taken time to pray to Riva through a ritual. Once she arrived at a place she thought was good, she pulled off what clothes remained on her and walked into the water. The waves were not as calm as earlier in the sun but Theo pushed past the waves to get a good soak in. After that, she slowly exited the water, stalking the shoreline for shells. Like she had done so many times before, she laid out the shells into Riva's sigil. Before calling out to Riva, however, she felt a wave of emotions rush forward inside of her.

She couldn't tell it was coming but it did. Theo curled over and just started to cry. She didn't even try to stop it, it felt good, the sobs wracked her chest and she felt comforted, as if Riva was there. The stress of being 18, or close to it, and having to captain a growing crew in the midst of a war and a rebellion, and the pressure building from the looming fight she was going into with Fletching just came pouring out. She had trained every fucking sun until her body ached, and when she wasn't training she was helping with the sailing to just get there already. Her support system had come back, in a way, Xyra would let Cooker and Ava handle the sloop on some suns and stay on the Scorned Woman as Theo's second. And if she wasn't there, Cooker or Ava was. But even then, she felt something of a wall between her and them. It was itching at the back of her head but she could never understand why she thought that or where it had come from.

All of that had been on her mind but she hadn't cried over it. She didn't think she had to. But Ava's comment hit her heart and a profound sadness began to bleed from the wound. Ava didn't know how true her comment rang. A childhood ripped away, her parents taken from her, a job never meant for a kid, a dangerous life. In the place of sadness, angry tears sprang to her eyes. Her lips furled up as she thought of the soldiers who killed her parents, the look on Vaith's face as he ordered the execution. Something else was there, for the first time, true resentment and anger at Uncilo began to fill her. Not just for herself but for Cooker and Xyra. It was a feeling that scared her, one she had never had before. Uncilo had helped her throughout her whole life, why did she feel that way?

Theo's hands dug into the sand and she grounded herself. Forcing herself to breathe and calm herself, the tears came to a stop and she felt hollow. But a good kind of hollow, if that was even possible. Weightlessness, a feeling of peace. She closed her eyes and tilted her head back for a second, taking in a deep breath. The moon provided some light against the darkness of her eyelids and the smell of salt and the ocean breeze was a comfort to her senses. After she was calm enough to give Riva the proper attention, she set her hands on either side of the sigil. And in Aelizan, called upon Riva in a formal way she rarely did.

"Riva, I call upon you for a conversation so that I may continue to work towards the tenets you have set for me," Theo recited in Aelizan and sat back on her haunches. She didn't know what to say but after a bit, she laughed to herself, "I feel as if every time I end up on a beach praying to you, I think that I did something wrong because I don't feel you."

Theo paused for a second and bit her lip, thinking carefully of what she wanted to say, continuing in the tongue her mother and father taught her.

"I think that is on purpose... I think I've gotten older and you think I can handle this on my own..." Theo put her hands together, "I don't mean that I think you are doing a bad job... I just mean I understand now, I think. I may be wrong but--"

Theo stopped and shook her head, "Anyways... Thank you, Riva. For everything, you've helped me with. I know you are watching but, just in case, I can catch you up on everything that has happened since we last spoke."

Theo sat back on the sand, recounting her so-called adventures throughout Efriti since leaving Corinspe. Theo was there for a while, at some point, tears began to flow again but she worked through them. She finished telling her tales and finished the ritual with a sharp broken shell to her palm, blood on the sigil, and a request for more safe passage. Theo got dressed again and headed back towards the party. When she arrived, however, things had been packed up and there was only one boat left onshore, with Xyra standing next to it.

"No search party made for me?" Theo asked as she walked up to the boat, "on the night we are celebrating my birth? I find that kind of rude. I could have been caught in the riptide and taken out to sea to drown and no one would have known."

Xyra waited until Theo had climbed into the boat to begin pushing it out to sea and hopping in herself, "Red told me that you had walked off. I assumed you went to do your thing with Riva."

"I don't enjoy being predictable," Theo huffed and took a pair of oars to begin rowing.

"She told me what she said," Xyra said but there was a hidden smile on her face, "she said to tell you she is sorry."

"You seem entertained that my feelings were hurt."

"You are somewhat correct," Xyra couldn't keep in the small laugh, "I am sorry for my inability to empathize with you right now. It is just funny to hear something so true."

"Nothing funny about confronting the fact that we had no business doing what we did as children," Theo wasn't amused, she kept rowing with a deep-set frown.

Xyra's smile faded a bit and she nodded, "Aye, I know. I am sorry for laughing."

They were quiet for a bit, rowing in tandem silence. After a while, Theo glanced over to a pensive-looking Xyra.

"Have you ever grappled with it? Have you ever mourned what was stolen from us?" Theo asked, almost in a whisper.

"I try not to," Xyra offered a sad smile, "some things are better left not thought of."

"Cook and I, we understand," Theo didn't wish to make the conversation serious, but it seemed to be going that way, "I know things have had a delayed processing time for you but if you ever need to talk about it, we are here."

"I do not need to speak about it," Xyra snapped, "it is in the past. Our childhood was less than conventional but that is what has allowed us to be good at our jobs now. There is no use dwelling on it."

"Just because it is useful now, doesn't mean we need to excuse the things done to us," Theo spoke and it was the first time she was saying something of the sort. It felt rebellious, she was breaking out of the patterns of thinking she had held her whole life, "he knew better..."

Theo didn't need to say the name, they both knew who she was talking about. Xyra looked away, still rowing. Theo saw Xyra shake her head, biting her lip like she was stopping herself from saying something. Theo knew Xyra had always had somewhat of an issue with Uncilo, deep-seeded resentment that was hidden well. When Theo and Cooker had nothing but praises for him when they were younger, Xyra always bit her tongue for what she truly wanted to say. It seemed like now it was no different. Theo waited for Xyra to speak, but nothing ever came. They arrived at the ship and Theo climbed onto the deck.

Xyra climbed up after her, "I am going to get your present. I will meet you in your room."

"It better be expensive," Theo joked and walked into her room.

It was hazy and packed. All of her officers had gathered in her quarters and were having a very rowdy afterparty. Theo rolled her eyes and began to walk in.

"My ment wish is that you all leave me the fuck alone," Theo teased as she walked over to her desk. She was promptly handed a drink and a pipe by Cooker and Theo bit her tongue about Cooker not being supposed to partake in all of these activities. Theo sat down and looked around the room.

Ava and Oceane were missing, as was Xyra. She sat down and took the opportunity of not having to be the center of conversation to sit back and be an observer. Theo lazily puffed on a pipe that had been handed to her, listening to people debate immortality, if they would do it, and why.

Theo had her own opinions on the subject but she kept them to herself in favor of judging others. Eventually, the rest of her officers joined her. First Xyra then Ava and Oceane came in together. Ava had looked around the room for a seat and Theo happened to have one empty next to her, where Cooker had abandoned it in favor of the bed. Ava seemed hesitant to walk over, looking between the chair and Theo. Theo caught her eye and nodded a bit, acceptance of her previously relayed apology. Ava came over and sat in the chair.

Without saying anything, Theo pulled her chair over and offered her the pipe. Ava took it from her, their hands lingering over each other for a second. Theo cleared her throat and looked to the side, pulling her hand away and rubbing the back of her neck.

"Sounds like a miserable life," Morgana made her opinion about living forever known, "if you can't be killed, what's the point of battle. It would just get boring after a while."

"You can get killed," Theo butted in for the first time.

"Immortality means you can't die," Morgana argued.

"You can't die in the sense of death from aging. You can still be killed if you are immortal," Theo informed her.

"Bullshit," Morgana scoffed.

"No," Navi laughed, "she's definitely right. Immortality means you can't die but you can be killed."

"Getting killed and dying is the same thing!" Morgana threw her hands up.

"Immortality is not real. It's all hypothetical," Xyra offered her opinion.

"Xyra's ruined the fun, once again," Cooker teased and it was Navi who reached out and socked Cooker in the chest, punishment for being rude.

"Fine. Immortality means you live forever. That means never being able to die. That means you cannot get killed. Morgana is right," Xyra crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes at Cooker.

The statement caused another passionate debate but Theo had already offered her opinion and no debate would change that. She looked over to Ava with a smile.

"What about you?" Theo asked in a whisper.

"If no one else can be immortal with me? No," Ava chuckled and passed the pipe back, "and you?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Theo teased and turned back to the conversation, not indulging Ava.

Ava slapped Theo on the arm lightly when she realized she wasn't getting what she wanted. She then turned around and joined in on the conversation, saying her piece. Theo listened, her eyelids heavy and her body more relaxed than it had been in a while. Then, Cooker managed to ruin it all.

"In celebration of Theo, let us all go around the room and say our favorite thing about the captain," Cooker was laughing as she said it, knowing the cruelty she was submitting Theo to. Theo had an ego, but not big enough to enjoy something like a circle of corny praise, "I'll start, my favorite thing about Theo is that she always has the best liquor stored in her desk."

Everyone who had glasses lifted them up in a cheer.

"My favorite thing about Theo is her ability to flirt with anyone," Xyra added loudly, clearly having had a few glasses since entering the cabin, "including my sister."

The room erupted into gasps, laughter, and boos.

"There is a code of honor with these things," Morgana threw a discarded sandal at Theo.

Theo was pissed at being exposed, it was wholly unnecessary, but she laughed anyway as she blocked the shoe. It was funny because the havcera in her pipe made it funny.

"Was it Agnes?" Cooker asked.

"It was definitely Agnes," Navi nodded.

Theo laughed again, which caused Cooker to laugh, which caused Navi to laugh too. At that moment, Theo knew for a fact that any pirate that Xyra brought home had gotten the same treatment from Agnes, and all of a sudden, she couldn't stop laughing. It was the fact that the room was a cloud of smoke and she had been intoxicated all night that made it uncontrollable. Eventually, they calmed down but they had done irreparable damage to Xyra's mood for the evening. Served her right for trying to put her on the spot. It seemed like Xyra wasn't the only one upset, Ava had a frown on her face too.

"Xyra, don't be angry that your sister is hot," Cooker laughed.

Another shoe went flying and it connected with Cooker's head, letting out a loud thump as it did. Cooker turned around to glare at Morgana, the obvious culprit.

"I've got a nice one!" Oceane sat up from where she was laying back in Theo's bed. She hiccuped a bit, "My favorite thing about Theo is how much she cares about us."

"That's boring," Navi chuckled, "my favorite thing is how fun you are at parties."

"Alright," Theo held her hands up, "my bottles are all empty, the pipes have all been smoked, and the conversation has ceased to be bearable. Everyone out."

No one paid attention to her, she hadn't expected them to. But, at the very least the conversation ceased and the topic moved away from her once again. After that, though, people began to filter out. It was only Tuni, Cooker, Xyra, and Ava left awake in the room. Cooker had fallen asleep on the bed so Tuni and Ava offered to get her to bed. They left and suddenly, it was only Xyra and Theo.

"Cook was supposed to stay awake long enough to help me give this to you but I will just do it alone," Xyra walked over to a box on Theo's dresser that she hadn't noticed before.

It was a large, black box but the ease in which Xyra carried it indicated that whatever was inside was light. She set it down in front of Theo.

"What is it?" Theo asked.

"Theo," Xyra laughed, "open it."

Theo reached down and pulled the lid out of the box. Inside was a hat. Not just any hat but one of the most well-made hats she had ever seen. Theo carefully picked it up and spun it around in her hands. It was a captain's hat, stark black with a blood-red trim along the top of it. Pinned to the hat was a single bright red feather. Theo had no words. It was the finest craftsmanship she had ever seen and the feather was unreal.

"Is this a phoenix feather?" Theo asked, scared to even touch it.

The phoenix was a bird of prey, it was a rare species that lived deep in the forests of Northern Elox and it was not often they were sighted. Because of their bright red plumage, they had been named after the legendary tales of the phoenix, a fairy tale bird that could rise from the ashes.

"Aye," Xyra said, "put it on."

A large smile broke out on her face as she placed it on her head. It fit like a charm, Theo opened her desk drawer for a looking glass and held it up to her head when she found it. It looked sick. It was shaped differently than her other hats, bordered on looking like a Baethan navy hat. But she almost liked that better than her old style, a bigger fuck you to them.

"Where did you even get something like this?"

"I got the feather while we were in Elox," Xyra said, "a roamer was doing business with our contact, Danif, and I happened to overhear he was selling a single phoenix feather. Cooker got you the hat."

Theo took off the hat and carefully placed it back in the box before lunging at Xyra for a hug, being too quick for her to avoid it.

"Thank you," Theo mumbled and Xyra patted her back.

"Merry Ment, kid," Xyra said and pulled away just as the door opened.

Theo looked over to see Ava.

"I can come back," Ava waved herself off but Xyra was already walking towards the door.

"Stay, I am going to sleep," Xyra said and walked out after putting a hand on Ava's shoulder.

Ava walked inside, shutting the door behind her. Theo got up from her seat with a stretch, "Did you forget something?"

"Aye," Ava said and walked over to stand in front of Theo and handed her a small package, "forgot to give you your present."

"You didn't know it was my commencement, when did you have time to get me a present?" Theo laughed and looked down at the small, wrapped-up parcel in her hands.

Ava shrugged, "I've had it for a while, just didn't have an occasion to give it to you."

Theo began to pull at the strings, unwrapping her present. Inside was a small whittling knife, the wood a deep brown. Theo put the wrappings down and examined the knife in her hands.

"This is from Aeliz," Theo commented, she had recognized the wood, "you've been holding onto this for that long?"

"That and another bag load worth of presents I never got around to giving you," Ava admitted, "but this was the most expensive of the things I had bought and I know you like expensive things."

Theo stared at the knife for a bit and then looked up to stare at Ava.

"It's beautiful, Ava, I love it," Theo looked back down at her gift, turning it in her hands.

Theo could feel Ava's eyes on her. Her voice came a minute later, "Can I ask you something?"

"I'm still not sure why you even ask anymore," Theo laughed a bit and looked up from the knife, making eye contact with Ava.

"Did you sleep with Viv?" Ava asked.

One of Theo's eyebrows rose, "Why does it matter?"

"I just want to know."

"But why do you want to know?" Theo pressed, placing the knife down.

"It matters to me," Ava crossed her arms, "I care about you and take an interest in your life."

"I really don't think who I do and do not have sex with is your concern, whether you care about me or not," Theo said, pointedly.

"Gods, Theo," Ava frowned, "just answer me, please."

"Why? Are you jealous?" Theo stepped closer to Ava.

"You can do whatever you want with whoever you want," Ava said and didn't move away as Theo appraoched, "I just wanted an answer."

"That wasn't my question," Theo titled Ava's head towards her, "Are you jealous, Red?"

"What are you going to get out of me answering that?"

"I'm taking that as a yes."

"I'm going," Ava huffed and turned on her heel but Theo was right behind her. Before she could reach the door, Theo grabbed her hand, spinning her around. She took two steps forward, pushing Ava two steps back until she was pressed against the door.

"Why'd you leave?" Theo asked.

"You didn't let me," Ava said, her chest rising and falling with quick breaths, not making a move to break free from being caged in by Theo, "I'm right here."

"You know what I mean. Why'd you walk away from us?" Theo didn't think she would have had the guts to ask had she not had a bit of liquid courage flowing through her, "It doesn't add up."

"Theo, we've been over this," Ava looked away.

"I thought about you so often when we were apart that I bought you something in almost every place I went. I have a whole drawer full of shit I bought for you. It helped me cope with the fact that I was missing you so fucking much," Theo hooked a finger under Ava's chin and brought it to face her, "Do you know how much dedication that takes? I think you do because apparently, you did the same thing. So, forgive me for questioning why you are refusing to let us be together when you clearly have feelings for me in a way that is more than just friendly."

"I told you why. I don't want to lose you," Ava continued to say the same things.

"Why are we torturing ourselves? Why are we playing this game when we could just be happy?" Theo asked, searching Ava's face for any sort of answers as to what she was thinking, what her logic was, "we are three suns from Corinspe... Just say fuck it. We don't know what's coming, let's just enjoy each other while we can."

"Theo..." Ava let out a breath and their heads both tilted forward a bit.

They were inches from each other's lips. So close together, with energy almost crackling between them; it felt like their lips were being pulled together. Theo closed her eyes but the kiss never came. It felt like an eternity, both of their lips hovering just out of reach of each other. One minute passed, two minutes, three. Neither of them moved an inch, Ava was staying. She had the ability to leave or curse Theo out or tell her to get lost but she didn't.

"I am not one to beg but I will," Theo whispered, opening her eyes to find Ava already staring back, "I can see it in your eyes, Ava. I know you love me."

That statement took the breath out of the other girl, Theo could feel her inhale sharply and search Theo's face, looking for something Theo couldn't pinpoint. Theo wanted her to admit it, wanted to hear those words. She knew that Ava had been afraid to, for whatever reason, but Theo wasn't.

"Exal," Theo said and dropped her fingers from under Ava's chin, moving her hands to her hips, "I love you."

Ava frowned and shoved Theo backward, causing her to take a few steps back. Ava looked almost angry at her, "I told you not yet, Theo!"

"I don't need you to say it back but I needed you to hear it from me," Theo stayed in her place, not pushing Ava more than she already had, "I needed to say it. If you die and I didn't get to tell you I would have never forgiven myself."

"And if you're the one that leaves me? Those words are going to torture me for the rest of my life," Ava crossed her arms, the thought of what she said looked to affect her greatly.

"Then get back at me!" Theo begged, "Tell me how you feel about me and if you leave me, it is I who will endure the torture. I welcome it if it means I got to hear you say it at least once."

"Dammit, Theo!" Ava yelled and took three steps forward, landing in front of Theo, "I fucking love you. You are all I think about, even when I don't want to. Even when I do everything in my power to get you out of my head."

Theo just stared at Ava. She wasn't expecting it. She had been asking, that whole conversation, to hear the words but when they came she wasn't ready.

"Say it again," Theo asked, a familiar request.

"I love you."

Theo laughed in disbelief, a large grin across her face. She leaned in close, "May I?"

Ava didn't answer, she just closed the gap between them. Their lips met and Theo felt like she was melting. Her arms once again wrapped around Ava's waist as she felt arms wrap around her shoulders. Theo, off instinct, picked Ava up and Ava's legs found their home wrapped around Theo. Theo pulled away from a breath but Ava quite literally yanked her back in for another kiss. Theo felt fingers tangle in her hair as a tongue swiped over her bottom lip during the kiss. A noise released from the back of Theo's throat, shocking Ava back into reality. Ava pulled away, catching her breath and staring at Theo. She shook her head with a laugh and covered her mouth with one hand.

"Sorry," Ava mumbled, "I-uh, got carried away there."

"That's alright," Theo said on an exhale, setting Ava down, "so did I."

Theo didn't know what had come over her, a blind desire for Ava and a need to hear her say those words had driven her mad and the last five minutes of her life had been a blur. The guilt began to set in, had she pushed Ava to that point? Had she been too insistent?

"I apologize for the way I was acting just now," Theo admitted and Ava just smiled, placing a hand on her cheek.

"I reject your apology. There is no need for one," Ava leaned in and gave Theo a kiss on the cheek, "I should head to bed."

"Aye," Theo nodded, then offered, "you know, mine is always open."

"I would take you up on that but that would be dangerous," Ava pulled her hand away, "my opinion on us hasn't changed. I want to wait."

"Then I just gotta make sure we both stay alive until this is all over," Theo shrugged with a small smile, "goodnight, Red."

"Goodnight, Captain," Ava walked out, closing the door behind her.

Theo walked over to her bed and fell back on it, letting out a sigh. Even if Ava wasn't next to her that night, she would be eventually. Theo would make sure of it. An enormous smile was on her face as she rolled over and stuffed her face into a pillow. She let out a scream, frustration and pure glee both present. It was going to be difficult to think of anything but Ava admitting she loved Theo. It could potentially prove to be a large distraction, but Theo didn't care. Ava loved her.