Grog's Pub

Ava took one look at the scene in front of her and thought she was about to faint. She reached out to the nearest person and held onto their arm for a moment. That person was Cooker who supported her with one arm and patted her back with the other. Ava couldn't look away though. Even when Theo had turned and left their position, Ava stayed, eyes glued to the spectacle in front of her. It wasn't that she was immune to the atrocity in front of her it was that she had been shocked by it. Never in her 16 lengths of life had she witnessed something so vile, so garish, so... depraved.

It would have taken time and planning to execute something so over-the-top. One ship with the message across its sails would have been enough. One person dying as a statement would have been enough. One body-less head would have been enough. None of them were necessary, of course, but the message could have gotten across without the butchery Ava was seeing in front of her.

The person behind this display either harbored a blind rage for pirates or was a sadist who found pleasure in gory displays of power. Ava was guessing it was the latter and pirates were just their chosen scapegoats for the pleasure to ensue. She had read enough about the regime in power and the way politics worked in this world to know that power grabs were best done while pursuing an enemy. This had government prints all over it, at least that what was Ava thought, she could have been wrong.

She was startled out of her shocked state by Cooker trying to speak with her. She blinked away the stun and looked over, catching Cooker mid-sentence.

"-once we dock, that is."

"What?" Ava asked stupidly.

"You should probably go get ready so we can go. Once we dock," Cooker repeated and began to lead them off the forecastle.

"Go where?" Ava asked.

"Grog's Pub," Cooker said, "Thought Xyra had gone over this with you."

Xyra had gone over the plan with her. Many times. Her head just couldn't keep up at that moment. Grog's Pub was the go-to spot for captains and high ranking members of a crew. It was customary that the Captain of a ship go to the pub upon arrival. It was a center of information for the island and once a pirate arrived there, their presence was known and news of their arrival spread quickly.

"She has," Ava confirmed, "sorry."

"That's alright. Word to the wise, shake what you saw off. You're going to need every shred of sanity in order to deal with the suns to come, I have a feeling it's not going to be fun," Cooker advised as they walked across the decks and into the cabin area.

"Right. Very easy to forget I saw hundreds of decapitated heads on ships," Ava scoffed a bit and pulled away from Cooker's hand that was at the small of her back, guiding her.

None of the chaos outside was Cooker's fault but a spark of irritation lit up inside of Ava. She felt bad but something about the way Cooker was being with her made her feel belittled, babied. She was a high ranking officer on the ship and she was to be treated as one. With a scowl on her face, she pulled farther away from Cooker and walked quickly to her cabin, Cooker staying far behind.

Getting ready was a haze. She found herself working hard to try and push away any thoughts about what had been out there. But it was near impossible to keep the panic from pushing itself to the forefront of their mind. What did that mean for them? One wrong move and that was looking to be their fate. Did she just stare her future in the face? She had until night time, when initiation was due to begin, to decide if she was going to bolt and save herself from having her head roll off her shoulders.

She pulled on new clothes but her thoughts were clouded, muddled. They had already had two attempts at their life and made it out alive, how many more could they handle? She reminded herself that the crew she was with was capable. The initial fear began to ebb and the more she thought about it, the less the situation seemed doomed. As she began to accessorize her get up, figuring she would have to show up to the pub looking a little fancy and intimidating, her mind was still reeling with theories and worries.

She reached for the door and took a deep breath. Cooker was right. She couldn't keep thinking about it. Her hand was on the doorknob but she kept it there until she felt ready. Clearing her mind about the dead pirates was harder than she thought but she used her special trick, worrying about something else. She focused on the imminent docking at port and stepping onto the pirate island for the first time. She would likely be introduced and thrust into social circles she knew nothing about. Not to mention, her name dropping and pirate oath ceremony was that night.

She walked out on the deck and there was nothing interesting to note or look for until they docked. They had already made it past the pirate ships, through the passageway made by the reef, and into the bay of the island by the time she had emerged onto the deck again. The grey skies and the light fog that blanketed over the seas and the shore made it difficult to make out the port city from the deck. It wasn't until the ship was secured and they were allowed to safely get off the ship that Ava began to see a bit of what Corinspe was like. Ava expected a shoddy, rundown town; much like she had expected Niveal to be when she first arrived but it was nothing of the sort.

As they walked to Grog's Pub, Ava caught glimpses of the city around her. At all times she had a limited view because of the fog, so she was experiencing the city in small portions, stitching it together in her head. The most notable thing to Ava was the different types of building. No one building was the same, each one had a unique style.

Some buildings incorporated multiple architectural styles from other continents, others had multiple types of materials used during their construction. The size, upkeep, and building type varied wildly. There didn't seem to be a set pattern to anything and there were houses next to brothels and blacksmiths next to tapestry vendors. Where most cities had carefully laid out districts or rows for certain groups of establishments, Corinspe did not. Ava wondered how directions were given.

They continued on the gravel path that curved through the city, boots crunching under them until they found themselves at Grog's Pub. Theo opened the door for everyone, letting them all file into the building before she entered. Ava was a few feet into the busy bar. She thought it would have been empty given it was very early but that wasn't the case, there was nowhere to sit. Ava heard the door close, a heavy thud to it. The room went silent and everyone looked over to the entrance. There was a momentary pause and then the room erupted into a cacophony of yells and whoops and cheers.

Ava whipped her head back to Theo to try and gauge what was happening but Theo just had a stupid grin on her face. Theo took off her hat and put it to her chest then took a bow before she placed the hat back on her head. She laughed and slapped the nearest person to them on the back and greeted another with a head nod. The cheering was for them. To be specific, it was for Theo. Just like she did when she was on board, Theo commanded the attention in a room. Theo stepped around her officers and walked towards a large 12 person table at the center of the room.

Xyra and Cooker followed closely behind Theo, stoic expressions on and voices off. Ava took the hint and followed their lead, walking behind Theo as well. The table Theo had walked to was full but upon seeing her approach a large bald, black-bearded man slammed his fist on the table in front of the person next to him and they bolted from sight. Theo chuckled and placed a hand on the man's shoulder before taking a seat and looking around the table.

"I would say it's a pleasure to see you all but that would be a lie, ugly fuckers," Theo got out with a smile and the table broke out into snickers and laughs.

The large man, full beard and no hair, put a large hand on Theo's shoulder and raised his mug, "A toast to the lady captain."

They all raised their classes and Theo tipped her cap at the gesture.

A slender man, with short and shaggy brown hair and a smirk that seemed to shine in the drearily lit room, spoke up, "We were worried you were a goner. Sun after sun you didn't show up and people started to assume the worst."

"As if I would be stupid enough to let myself get caught by some pirate hunters," Theo chuckled but it was a partial lie, they had gotten caught up in that scene, multiple times.

"Shame," another man spoke up. Fuzz of blonde hair peeked out of his scalp from where it had been shaved down before. He had sharp blue eyes and was dressed in fine linens from Southern Elox, "I put 100 gold on a wager that you wouldn't show up."

Ava had heard banter before and she had heard pirate banter before too. Pirate banter tended to be a bit more on the deprecating side of things, a light jab here or there. Bluntness and to-the-point sentences were a part of it too but something about the way the man said it didn't seem like a joke. His tone was flat, his expression cold, and his stare locked in on Theo. The table quieted down and there arose a tension between the man and Theo. Everyone at the table was looking between the two. Theo slowly turned her head, a smile still on her lips.

"Surprised you had that much to spare. Word around the docks is that your crew is unhappy with the shares they are getting," Theo commented and turned to the rest of the table and shrugged, "I thought maybe raids were a little light and you just couldn't pay your crew their rate but now I'm starting to suspect a gambling addiction might have something to do with it."

Theo put one hand to her heart, her face falling into an expression of worry and care. She reached out across the table towards the man and put her other hand over his, "Captain Fletching, it is not too late to turn your life around and be the man you promised your crew you would be."

The bearded man who had been trying to keep his smile down burst out into a laugh and the others at the table followed. Theo had a sly smile on her face as she stared the man down. The man who had made the comment snatched his hand out from under Theo's and brought his drink up to his lips, disgust etched into his brow. Whatever the relationship was between him and Theo wasn't a good one. Ava hadn't heard of the name Fletching before so she couldn't pinpoint what his business was with the Scorned Woman and its crew.

"Are you going to introduce us to the new one?" the slender brunette haired man asked, a smile hanging at his lips from Theo's jab.

"New one has a name," Theo said and looked back at Ava and nodded.

Ava wasn't expecting to be addressed. She assumed Theo would do all the talking, that is what Xyra had said would happen. She cleared her throat and stepped forward a bit so the whole table could have a view of her. Most of the pirates around her went by their dubs, she couldn't just introduce herself as Ava. She wanted to stand out but also fit in.

The moment was an opportunity to take charge of her own story and rewrite it. She didn't want to be known by a false name any longer. Sure, she had grown attached to it but she wanted to present a different persona to big dogs like these.

"I'm Red," Ava said, unconsciously making her voice lower, "I'm the new quartermaster."

"I've not seen you around," the Brunette boy said with a slight squint to his gaze, "you a pirate?"

"She will be tonight," Theo interjected then gave a look towards Ava dismissing her from the conversation before she turned around to face the table, "we've got some stuff to discuss, boys. Been a while since we-"

Ava was grabbed by the arm and pulled away from the conversation. Xyra, who was the one holding her, led them to a table in the far corner of the room. There were three people sitting in each of the chairs there and no empty seats. There were some other tables scattered about that were beginning to empty out but Xyra and Cooker planted themselves in front of that specific one. Xyra let go of Ava's arm and almost in tandem with Cooker, they crossed their arms.

It only took a few moments before the table was cleared and the chairs were empty. Ava sat down but she wasn't going to just let it slide, there was always a reason for everything with them, "Why this one?"

"Best view of the room," Cooker said and propped her feet onto the table then pointed over at the table Theo was at, "Gotta keep the captain safe."

"I thought we were safe here," Ava said.

"In some sense of the word, sure. But we are around pirates and you are never truly safe around pirates," Xyra said and turned her head to watch Theo's vicinity.

Ava took a seat at the table and followed their lead. Theo was animatedly speaking to the table at large. Her voice carried around the room but Ava couldn't make out the words she was saying. Suddenly, Theo jumped up out of her chair and slammed a hand to the table and the whole table erupted into laughter. Even the man that had been rude caught onto the infectious energy, he hid a smile behind his mug. Theo sat back down and used her hands to keep speaking, gesturing around the table, or grabbing onto the shoulders of those next to her.

The table was captivated by her presence and so was Ava. They were all her audience and Theo was the main act. Ava could guarantee that almost everyone in that pub would pay a hundred gold if it meant they could be in the presence of Captain Theo for a few hours. She was a sight to behold, strong and fierce but a heart filled with compassion for all but her enemies. Ava could see why The Lady Captain had garnered such a reputation both on land and at sea.

Ava was pulled out of her back row seat to the Theo show when Cooker stood up from the seat next to her. She nodded at Xyra and then at Ava, Xyra nodded back.

"Ceremony is tonight. Don't be late," the first mate said, eyes going back to Theo.

"At our spot, an hour before sunset. You act as if I've never done this before," Cooker rolled her eyes and pulled on the coat she had been holding in her arms, "I invented the process, remember?"

Xyra didn't answer and Ava waved Cooker off. Cooker pulled on her coat then walked out of the pub. Ava looked back over at Xyra, a slight tilt to her head.

"Where is she going?"

"Best guess?" Xyra asked and pulled a small cigarette out of her pocket, "To go fuck someone."

Ava tried not to seem shocked but the bluntness of it caused her to raise her eyebrows. She schooled her expression into a neutral one and made a noise of acknowledgement. Ava wanted to ask why Cooker was allowed to go but she figured it didn't matter, Xyra didn't seem bothered by it. Xyra lit the cigarette and after a few moments the smell of it made it into the air. It was unfamiliar to Ava.

"What's that?"

"Sard," Xyra said but did not offer any to Ava which was uncommon as Xyra was known for always letting people mooch off of her drugs; it was ironic given how uptight she usually was about everything but sharing was expertly in her wheelhouse. Ava hypothesized that it was because she grew up taking care of Cooker and Theo and they seemed like the needy type as kids.

"That is not allowed on the ship," Ava pointed out, having learned about the rule and its origins from Cooker.

"I didn't get it on the ship," Xyra said, ever the rule follower.

"Where did you get it then?"

"Here."

"We just got here," Ava said, looking around the room to see if anyone looked suspiciously like a sard dealer.

"I have my ways," Xyra shrugged and took another drag, "You ready for tonight, Red?"

"I was guaranteed a long time ago that there were no human sacrifices needed to become a pirate, I've been ready since then," Ava said only half jokingly, it was sort of true.

Xyra chuckled a bit but didn't reply. Her cigarette burned lower and lower until it was gone, the whole while staring at Theo to make sure everything was okay. After a while of silence, Ava pulled her stare away from Xyra smoking and joined in observing everyone at Theo's table. She was going to have to be in a room with them for the pirate meeting so she needed to get a good read on them beforehand. Ava took her time asking questions about most of them; just their names a bit of their history as pirates. They fell into silence as the introductions ended.

Ava watched the others interact with Theo, they all seemed genuinely enthused to see her, all of them making the room loud with their laughs and screams. The man that was not feeling Theo's presence, Fletching, continued to look disdained by Theo. After about an hour, he got up and left after throwing a few coins on the table to cover his tab.

The others barely registered him leaving. On the way out he didn't go straight for the door, he took the long way around the pub. Passing by most of the tables on his way out, eventually passing by them. He stopped at their table, hands behind his back and he looked between Ava and Xyra. The corner of his mouth turned up into a smile but his eyes only read as irritated, on edge.

Fletching leaned in a bit, just so he could speak without being heard by other tables, "Put a muzzle on her before the meeting tomorrow, Xyra, or we are going to have a fucking issue."

Xyra exhaled loudly from her nose at the obstruction the man was causing and she moved her head to the side, getting Theo back into view.

"Captains don't take orders from first mates, Captain Fletching. Or have you been so used to receiving them from yours that you have forgotten that on other crews the Captain is the highest authority?" Xyra quipped, her tone uninterested.

Fletching was not happy with Xyra's retort. As if getting embarrassed in front of everyone by Theo wasn't enough. She almost felt bad for the man but somehow sympathy for just anyone wasn't how she rolled anymore. She had to cover her face with her mouth to keep him from seeing the smile on Ava's face from Xyra's comment. He slammed a hand down onto the table, demanding for Xyra to turn to him and Ava was on her feet before she knew what she was doing.

Ava reached out and placed her hand on Fletching's chest, pushing him back only slightly, just enough to get his hand off the table. Xyra stayed seated and looked over at Ava with a curious raise of a brow.

"I'd appreciate it if you left us alone, Captain. You're blocking our view," Ava said, fake sweetness in her tone and a smile that anyone would be able to see through.

Fletching said nothing, he just flared his upper lip and his tongue darted out to run along his front teeth. He was angry, his posture curled like an angry cat. Ava was shorter than he was, not by much but it was a difference. He was also strong, way stronger than Ava. If he wanted to, he could grab her and throw her out of the window. Instead, he huffed loudly and slinked out of the pub. Ava watched until the door closed behind him and then she sat down. Her hands were shaking slightly, she only noticed it as she set them down on the table.

"What?" Ava asked, Xyra had finally torn her eyes away from Theo long enough to look over at Ava and laugh. Ava wanted to know what was so funny.

"You've got guts, Red," Xyra chuckled again and shook her head then looked back at Theo, "putting your hands on a captain on your first sun here? Takes balls."

Xyra shook her head but laughed again anyway. Ava didn't look back at Theo, instead, she looked around the room to see if anyone was watching them. No one was, they were too preoccupied with their own things. She was glad no one was watching Fletching get embarrassed by not one or two people but three within an hour. Ava had a feeling that Fletching was not above strangling a woman.

"Who is he?" Ava asked. Nothing in her books about Theo had mentioned him. Or at least, not where she was at with them.

"An old crew mate of ours," Xyra said, "Quartermaster under the great Captain Ithka. More commonly known as Captain Barge"

"Captain Barge," Ava tilted her head, trying to recall what she remembered of him, "Wasn't that your captain before Theo became one?"

"You would be correct," Xyra said and pulled another cigarette out of her pocket, "Captain Barge died and Captain Ballsack over there took over the ship, which was rightfully Theo's."

"Then you got it back," Ava recalled the story.

"Aye," Xyra nodded, "We took what was rightfully ours and he is a giant pissant. He's never gotten over it."

"I mean," Ava shrugged as a joke, "you stole his ship."

"It was ours," Xyra snapped her head over to Ava, who had clearly hit a soft spot.

"Right," Ava said and held her hands up, "It was a joke. I know the story. It was Theo's ship and he staged a mutiny."

"Aye and then we took that shit. He's been angry and bitter ever since. He would do anything to see Theo buried. Honestly, I'm not convinced he isn't the one behind the whole mess at Gossem," Xyra threw out a conspiracy. The dislike for Fletching was clear on her face and Ava couldn't blame her, he seemed like an ass.

"You don't think Gossem was linked to the pirate killings?" Ava asked, it was the first she had heard of Xyra's hypothesis.

"I have no idea. I'm not ruling anything out," Xyra shrugged and took back her regular position, eyes trained ahead on Theo.

Ava looked back over to the large table but things had calmed down and the people at the table had gotten used to Theo being there. With nothing to captivate her attention, Ava found herself getting sleepier and sleepier. The telltale signs of exhaustion were there and the pinpricks behind her eyelids made it easier to close her eyes than keep them open. She hadn't slept the night before and it was catching up to her. Her mind went blank and she began to drift, her body relaxed and her breaths evened out before she realized she was falling asleep. She jerked up in the chair and took rapid breaths, looking around.

"You alright?" Xyra asked, not even paying attention to what had happened.

"Aye, just tired."

Xyra chuckled and crossed her arms, eyes fluttering between the door, the back of the room and Theo, "Maybe if you weren't sleeping with the Captain every night you wouldn't be that tired."

Ava's jaw went slack and her mouth opened slightly. Ava took a few slow blinks to process what Xyra had said to make sure if she heard it correctly. She didn't know how to respond, Ava just gawked. She tried to speak, to say anything but nothing came out. Ava sharply inhaled and pursed her lips together, straightening up in the chair.

"I am not sleeping with the Captain," Ava awkwardly cleared her throat and Xyra fixed her with a look. Ava quickly looked away and towards Theo, "Last night we just stayed up late waiting to dock, so I'm sleepy."

"And the night before that? And the one before that?" Xyra pressed and leaned her arms onto the table, "And the night before that?"

Ava spared a glance over to the first mate. She was smirking, as if this was information she had been sitting on for a while and just couldn't wait to have this conversation. Xyra wasn't guessing either. Ava remembered Xyra once saying she didn't speak unless she was sure of what she was saying. Xyra was basking in Ava's misery at being confronted with this. She was being teased. Ava licked her lips and sassily cocked an eyebrow at Xyra then looked away. Ava didn't answer.

"Red," Xyra hummed and Ava ignored her.

Her thoughts were racing. They had been keeping it a secret and Ava didn't know what it meant that it was now known by at least one other person that they were sleeping together. Theo hadn't told anyone so neither had she. Xyra didn't seem to mind, if anything she was being a clown about it. So, it wasn't going to sink their crew but maybe Theo would care. Ava wasn't sure but she had learned better than to jump to conclusions. She would just inform Theo of the matter next time it was convenient and go from there, no panicking until then.

"Red," Xyra called again in a sing-song tone, "Ava Ableworth."

Ava turned her head, an expression of mock annoyance on her face, "Xyrabellis."

"Word of warning, never call me that again," Xyra said, somewhat seriously but then she chuckled, "if you do, I will have no choice but to kill you."

"Noted," Ava said and also laughed, knowing it was a joke but also, it was not a joke.

"I have been trying to get your attention to let you know you can go," Xyra motioned towards the door, "get some sleep, prepare for the ceremony, think of if you want to go by a dub or by your first name, mentally prepare to become a pirate for the rest of your life, the usual."

Ava wanted to protest or ask if Xyra was sure but she knew the answer to that question. Ava didn't know how to get back to the ship by herself but she would figure it out. She was tired and also kind of hungry but more tired than hungry so she would be heading straight back to the ship to sleep. She gave a weak salute towards Xyra then walked out and tried finding her way back.