Cooker's boots echoed on the stone path she walked on. It was a walk she had made many times in the past suns, a short one that she knew well. The path from the tavern to the docks. The night air was thick with humidity and the pesky bugs had come alive with the absence of the sun. The occasional buzz filled her ears and she would swat away any flying creature trying to get near. The noise from the bugs and her boots were drowned out as she got closer to the docks, the noise of singing was clear in the otherwise quiet night.

"Tell your ma and your pa of your waterborne love, and that I'll steal you away from farming those spuds," Theo rasped out the lyrics to a song that had been sung amongst pirates for generations.

Cooker saw her silhouette several dozen yards ahead of her, sitting on the edge of the dock; another figure looked to be laying on her lap. Cooker walked towards the pair.

"And we row- Ho! With lust in the winds, longing for those girls we'll see again. Been 35 cycles since you've been with me, but darling when I'm done I'll show you the sea."

Theo's singing voice was usually sweet, soft, calming but this was a song sung out of pain. The crack to her voice was clear and the weight behind the lyrics hit harder given the context. As Cooker got closer, she could make out that the figure whose head was in Theo's lap was Tuni. Her form was unmoving aside from the rise and fall of her chest, Theo's hands were running through her hair.

"One more night and the job will be done, docking for good by the rise of the sun," Theo sang and Cooker finally managed to arrive behind the sitting figures, "And we row-Ho! With lust in the winds, longing for those girls we'll see again."

"Been 35 cycles since you've been with me, and darling if you'd asked, I'd leave the sea," Cooker finished in a half-song. Theo's head tilted backward, her head hanging as she looked at the upside-down figure behind her.

"Cook," Theo acknowledged and then righted herself and grabbed a bottle that was next to her, "to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Cooker watched as Theo took a swig of the bottle of liquor and wiped her mouth with her wrist.

"You need to go to sleep, T," Cooker said and walked to Theo's side before squatting down, "it's been three suns since the last time your head touched a pillow. This is not good for you."

"You know what's not good for me? Half my crew being dead," Theo deadpanned and took another sip from the bottle before getting it wrenched away from her grip by Cooker.

"They aren't dead," Cooker said but she wasn't even sure if she believed it at that point.

"Eleven suns, Cooker," Theo looked over and met Cooker's worried stare, the bags under her eyes were large and still growing, her face was a bit sunken in, "eleven suns late."

"And tomorrow will be the twelfth, that won't change," Cooker replied, "you staying awake and shutting your body down won't make them arrive any faster. I need you to rest."

"I need to be here if they come," Theo looked away and back towards the water.

"You aren't just hurting yourself," Cooker hooked her finger under Theo's chin and pulled it her way, "Fortune won't go to the tavern to sleep unless you go too. You are setting a precedent that this is okay. Go to sleep, for her."

Cooker watched as Theo looked down at the sleeping girl on her lap. It had been many nights since Theo last officially slept and even then, the times she had managed to get some rest in were short and far apart. Cooker knew appealing to Theo's need to keep Tuni safe and healthy was manipulative but there would be no other way to get Theo to pay attention. She was drunk, sleep-deprived, and vulnerable. Not to mention, fearing the loss of half their crew meant she would be extra protective of the ones she did have.

Theo slowly pulled Tuni's head away from her lap and sat her up, waking up Tuni in the process. Theo stood up and bent down, scooping Tuni up in her arms. Tuni, who had been awake almost as long as Theo, let herself be woken up and jostled around without much fuss. She put her head on Theo's shoulder and closed her eyes again. Theo gave Cooker a nod and walked towards the tavern.

Cooker waited until Theo was out of sight before she sat on the docks where the captain had previously been. She looked at the bottle that was in her hands and turned it over, examining the glass. For the first time in what felt like her entire adult life, she didn't feel like she wanted a drink. She was so spent that not even a drink could make the hole in her soul feel better. Was that even possible? Having a problem that a strong drink couldn't fix?

She set the bottle down next to her and took a moment to break her eyes away from the horizon and put her head in her hands. It had been a stressful eleven suns. Sunrise to sunset being spent on the docks, on the deck of the ship, pacing around town just waiting. Every sun that passed, hope dwindled. Cooker had felt the range of human emotions at that time. She was distraught, panicked, in denial, delirious, grieving, hopeless, despondent, hopeful, nostalgic; a new sun, a new emotion. But now, there was nothing left, she felt like a shell. They were stuck in limbo, not knowing if the others were truly gone or not.

Xyra was never late. It was annoying but it was her thing. Cooker knew that the likelihood that they were still out there was slim. It almost made her regret not being killed on the beach, because then she wouldn't have to deal with the fact that Xyra was gone. The thought sent a chill down her spine, as it did every time she thought back to the dagger pressed to her throat. It was hard, some nights, to not wish she had died. It was a dark thought but one she couldn't help. The first few nights after it happened, she lied awake thinking about how quick and easy it would have been. The pain would pass and then there would be nothing, or she would be reincarnated, or she would go to the afterlife. She thought about how if she was gone, she wouldn't be there to hurt Theo with news of Avery.

But as the time since the rendezvous should have occurred got farther, and the secret of Avery became something that maybe would go to the grave with the sloop, Cooker began to think it would have been easier to die because then she didn't have to handle the repercussions of loss. But Cooker saw how even the idea of losing her had affected Theo and she realized just how selfish it was to want to have died on that beach. Theo needed her, she had a duty to her captain that she had as her advisor and current second. Even if that wasn't the most positive spin on sticking around for longer, it worked. Cooker picked up her head from her hands and looked back out into the dark horizon. Taking the spyglass that Theo had left behind, she looked to see if there were any ships coming.

Nothing. Like always, nothing.

Cooker put the spyglass away and traded it for the bottle, finally taking a sip from it. It was good shit, being on a roamer island meant they had access to the best smuggled booze. Which came in handy during difficult times, like when half their crew was missing. Cooker didn't stop at a sip but she didn't let herself get drunk. Theo was counting on her to be awake and alert. It was hard for her to stop once she got started but she managed to keep under wrap, to keep her impulses under temporary control.

Which turned out to be the right thing to do.

A few hours before the sun rose, Cooker decided to fuck around with the spyglass for lack of anything better to do. She was scanning it along the horizon, back and forth- dizzying herself in the process- before she saw the far away outline of a small ship. Cooker immediately hopped onto her feet, knocking over the bottle of liquor in the process. She looked back at the path leading to the tavern and considered waking Theo up; but what if the ship over the horizon was just a regular roamer ship coming back to the island? Getting Theo's hopes up and then crushing them was not how Cooker wanted her captain to wake up.

Cooker made the decision to go out to the ship, climb the crow's nest, and get a better look. They had multiple boats tied up to the dock which made it fairly easy for Cooker to be on her way. The sea was calmer than most of the nights they had been having and she made it to the ship in record speed, or at least it felt that way. Her heart was racing the whole way up the crow's nest, the spyglass threatening to slip out of her pocket at any moment. By the time she was looking back over the horizon, the ship had gotten closer. Not close enough to make out details, or if the sloop was theirs or not, but it was definitely a small ship. It could be them.

She tried to not get her hopes up as the minutes passed but it was the most sanguine she had felt in so long. Xyra being back would bring up a myriad of issues that she had been worried about but it didn't matter. Cooker would deal with any consequence she had to if it meant that they hadn't lost their crew. The last thing she had said to Xyra was something she regretted, she wanted to take it back. She wanted to say sorry. Any petty dispute or residual anger she had with Xyra over the way things were handled were gone at the thought of her being back.

Her hopes had been elevated past the point of no return and luckily, things were looking more and more promising. Soon, Cooker was able to make out key details and from what she could tell, the sloop was not a roamer's vessel. If she could have taken a dive from the nest into the water and swam over to meet the other ship halfway without getting hurt, she would have. But that wasn't an option so she practically flew down the mast to the main deck instead. Her suspicions were confirmed that the sloop was indeed theirs when it began to slow down, ready to come up next to the Scorned Woman to board it.

The minutes it took for the sloop to come in and hook themselves to the side of the Scorned Woman felt longer than the eleven suns they had waited at the dock. Even if the sloop was there, it wasn't guaranteed to contain Xyra amongst the crew. Perhaps that was why it was taking so long, they didn't have a captain. Cooker waited at the edge of the deck, where the grappling lines from the other ship connected to theirs and amongst the smaller deck she made out four figures. All of them familiar, one of them being the one she was looking for. The sloop wasn't even fully connected to the Scorned Woman when Cooker climbed onto the ledge and jumped, landing on the other deck and rolling on her shoulder to take the impact of the fall. Cooker rolled and stood up on her feet in one fluid motion before she ran towards the two tall women by the helm, rushing straight into the one with long black hair.

Cooker's arms wrapped around the stiff, shocked body in front of her before she felt the arms at Xyra's sides break free from the embrace and wrap themselves tightly around Cooker. Her face was squished against Xyra's chest and Cooker closed her eyes and took a long, deep breath. It smelled of Xyra, slightly sweet from the lotion she always wore. Cooker didn't move from the embrace, didn't dare break off the moment they were having together. Xyra didn't move either, both of them statuesque in their tight hold of each other. For just a moment, Cooker let her shoulders relax and think of only the good things that Xyra's arrival meant. Cooker had so much to say to Xyra, sorry amongst one of them, but she was aware of the others on deck.

Xyra made the first move, pulling her arms to Cooker's shoulders and pushing her away. She was held at half an arm's length as Xyra looked over her and smiled, relief on her face, "You look good, Cook."

"Oi, I'm right here," Navi said from the side, "not too nice to complimenting someone else while your girlfriend just stands next to you."

"Girlfriend?" Cooker raised an eyebrow and looked over to Navi with a wide smile, "Xyra finally managed to hook you back in, congrats."

"I would say it was more of me doing the fishing and hooking," Navi chuckled as she stepped forward and gave Cooker a hug.

Their embrace was firm, meaningful, but way shorter than the previous one. Cooker pulled away and looked around the deck to find two of the other crew members who were finishing up the last of the sailing duties. Cooker waved to them with a large grin and they greeted her back. Cooker then turned to Xyra and felt the initial happiness fade a bit, a more serious conversation needed to be had.

"Is everyone alright?" Cooker asked, there were only four people on the ship that she could see.

"Aye," Xyra nodded, also feeling the shift to a more serious tone. Her arms crossed in front of her chest, "everyone is accounted for. They're all sleeping. We've been working hard to get here, I told everyone to take a few hours to rest once I knew we were almost at the island."

They stared at each other, Xyra looking like she needed to ask something but not getting the courage to do so. Cooker knew her question, she could sense the anxiety and fear of the wrong answer coming from Xyra.

"She's okay," Cooker said with a nod and also crossed her arms, "Theo's asleep right now. She was up for three nights before this."

Xyra let out an audible sigh and squatted down, temporarily breaking the cool exterior she always put on and put her head in her hands. After a second to breathe and gather herself, Xyra stood back up.

"Good... Good," Xyra nodded and looked around the deck, formulating a plan, "alright, I'll start waking everyone up."

"I wouldn't do that just yet," Cooker said, "the tavern owner will be asleep so she can't give us extra rooms until morning. Plus, a bunch of rowdy pirates reuniting in the middle of the town before the sun is up will not have the locals very happy. Let them rest, I'll take you to go see Theo, and then we can return when the sun is up to escort everyone to shore."

Xyra raised an eyebrow toward Cooker, looking impressed with the way she took charge, "Very well. Let's go to shore."

"That is my cue to get some rest, I'm fucking exhausted," Navi said and then walked to Xyra, planting a kiss to her temple and then whistled for the other sailors to follow her, "c'mon, we've got a few hours of shut-eye before we are allowed to go to shore."

The other girls flocked to Navi as they went towards the inside of the ship. Cooker watched them go until there was no one left on deck but her and Xyra. She looked over to the sloop's captain who was already looking at her. They were silent, both standing on the windy deck with their arms crossed. Neither of them knew what to do after so long apart, having left off on a bad note didn't make this part easy.

Xyra didn't seem mad at her, no more disdainful than her usual uptight demeanor gave off but there was a tension between them. Cooker hated fighting with Xyra because the other girl was just so damned good at it. She was always composed, ready with the right words to retort, and unbelievably good at making the other person uncomfortable. Which is what Cooker was feeling, downright uncomfortable. She shifted from foot to foot and broke eye contact, another minute of excruciating silence. Looking back up, it didn't seem as if Xyra's eyes had ever left Cooker.

Cooker laughed and Xyra cocked an eyebrow, "What?"

"Nothing, you're just so... you," Cooker shook her head and laughed again, "before we get Theo, we should talk."

"Aye, we should," Xyra nodded and tilted her head over to the Scorned Woman before walking over, and swinging over the edge onto the other ship.

Cooker noticed that her leg was better, no sign of there having been anything wrong. She followed behind Xyra and onto the Scorned Woman. Xyra didn't wait for instructions on where to go, she just walked across the deck and into Theo's quarters. Cooker made it inside and shut the door by the time Xyra had reached Theo's desk. The first mate bent down and fished around Theo's drawer before pulling out a bottle of liquor and coming back around to sit in front of the desk. Cooker walked behind Theo's desk and took the captain's seat. Xyra had relaxed into the chair and began to drink from the bottle, her posture loosened and more vulnerable. Cooker was passed the bottle, which she took a sip from. It was quiet again, as they passed the bottle back and forth, stealing Theo's mead. It was less uncomfortable and had become just plain awkward, drinking to avoid confronting the giant in the room. She allowed herself more to drink than she had earlier, letting the relief of the crew back together settle over her and wash away the grief she was beginning to feel.

"I apologize," Xyra spoke up.

Cooker's head snapped up to look at the person across from her. Her eyes narrowed. Was she hearing things?

"Excuse me?"

"I apologize," Xyra repeated and the words were definitely coming from her mouth, "I should have not said the things I did to you when you came to say goodbye."

Cooker had never expected an apology for how they departed. What was even more surprising was the look of genuineness on Xyra's face. Like the apology was something she had been thinking about for a while, much like Cooker had been.

"I'm sorry too," Cooker paused for a second, "for everything. The way we left things, what I kept from you, the way I told you. I'm sorry for everything."

"I am still angry but not as angry as before," Xyra said, "I do not think I can quite forgive you just yet but I appreciate the apology."

"What caused the change in attitude?"

"I realized I overreacted about how dangerous she could be. She is genuine... and unique," Xyra replied, referencing the redhead without having to speak her name, "dare I say, she has become my friend."

"Aye, she has that effect on people," Cooker nodded and looked down at her hands, the wide eyes and innocent face of Avery had disarmed her as well, made her want to help.

"It has helped bring me some clarity, brought some understanding towards your side of things," Xyra admitted, "I see why you did what you did but that still does not make it right."

"I know," Cooker nodded and didn't look back up, still staring at her twiddling thumbs. Too embarrassed at rehashing the topic to look up.

She heard the bottle slosh around, Xyra taking a drink. There was a rhythmic tapping of her finger against the glass, the ring on her finger connecting to it with every tap. Clink, clink, clink. Cooker looked up to see Xyra staring off at nothing in particular.

"Yet, I am torn. I know that it is wrong but I still struggle to not consider it, " Xyra confessed but Cooker wasn't quite sure what she meant, "I have stayed awake for so many nights just wondering what would happen if we never said anything."

"We need to," Cooker found herself saying, a stark difference from her previous opinions on the subject. After all that time she had spent with Theo, seeing the blind trust Theo had in them, seeing the way she cared so unconditionally about them, there was no way they could keep it a secret. It seemed to surprise Xyra just as much as.

"Of course we need to," Xyra frowned and took another swig from the bottle, "we cannot keep it from her any longer than we need to."

"Then let's tell her now," Cooker offered without hesitation, it was something she had been thinking about. There would be no use in prolonging the keeping of the secret, an unfortunate uncovering of their quartermaster's identity would fly over better the sooner they did it.

"I have already explained to you why we need to wait," Xyra said and passed Cooker the bottle.

"What? That we need Theo at full capacity and you think she can't handle heartbreak?" Cooker said and ignored the liquor, there was enough in her that she felt borderline drunk, "didn't we also have a conversation with her before we left where she asked us to stop making decisions for her based on how we think she would react? Quite a first mate, ignoring her direct requests."

Cooker didn't mean to bring in the jab but a life full of pirating meant that to get her point across, the low blow tactics were all too common. But there was a place for them and this was not one, she recognized that. Xyra, quite used to it, didn't comment on it. She just did her signature eyebrow raise and Cooker pulled her lips into a tight line, a nonverbal apology; Xyra accepted with a nod.

"It is not just about Theo," Xyra answered and rubbed her forehead, a sigh escaping her lips, "Red is connected to the man that is definitely behind the war we are in right now. The conflict of interest will have people calling for her removal."

"She's going to have to stand trial for lying regardless, we all will," Cooker pointed out, "why wait? The longer we wait the worse it gets."

Xyra gave that statement a dry laugh, "You have always been oblivious to the implications of your actions."

Cooker frowned but she had gotten her insult in, Xyra had a right to hers.

"Say we come clean. In the best-case scenario, Theo is upset but she decides to not hate us. She still has a duty to tell the crew, which she does. Red will stand trial for her deception and even in the best case where no one tries to kill her because of her last name, she is still removed from her position as quartermaster. No matter how much they trust her, they would have the common sense to remove the daughter of Umbar Vaith from a top position on this ship during a war against pirates."

"Red being removed from her position will most likely happen regardless," Cooker pointed out," so why not do it now and give her the chance to start making her way back up to top sooner and not later."

"Because you and I would be next," Xyra said, "even if Theo decides to back up our character and doesn't remove us herself, the crew will. They will call for our trials and call for us to be terminated from our positions for letting a Vaith slip through our ranks and keeping it a secret. That means that Theo will not only be dealing with being lied to by those she trusts most but she would be down three of her most important officers, in the middle of a war. We are fucked and just have to continue to live with the impending threat of getting fucked later on as punishment for our actions."

Cooker hated when Xyra was right about anything but as was the case with most things, she was right about this too. Cooker finally accepted the bottle that was on the desk and took a swig. Another round of countless cycles of stressing and having to see Theo's face, knowing full well she was being lied to. Cooker dug her own grave and now, it was her responsibility to face the consequences. She didn't say anything in response, she just nodded and the conversation was over. Cooker let herself get pushed past the point of tipsy and she drank until she was intoxicated, Xyra drinking just as much but probably not feeling the effects. Tall ass giant.

Cooker observed Xyra's demeanor, she was usually wound up but never distraught; her energy then, however, seemed a bit frazzled. A bit frayed at the edges, a bit less composed than she usually was. She had bags under her eyes, it looked like she had lost weight, and her clothes were dull and boring. All of it was a bit off-kilter.

"You look like shit," Cooker pointed out.

Xyra laughed and looked over at Cooker, "Cheers, mate."

Xyra took the last sip from the bottle, emptying out Theo's expensive rum.

"What's going on with you?"

"Beyond the fact that I was made captain of a ship, sent away from my best mates, given a secret that is almost impossible to keep, and I am fucking late to our rendevous?" Xyra shrugged, "I could not tell you what is wrong."

Cooker rolled her eyes, "And you became a jester in your long time away. Congratulations on the job."

That caused Xyra to laugh from her belly and Cooker couldn't help but smile.

"Contrary to what I wanted to happen, I actually missed you, Cook," Xyra admitted and it was Cooker's turn to raise her eyebrows. Before she could make fun of Xyra for admitting to something so embarrassing, Xyra cut her off, "I am glad you are not dead."

"Aye, me too...y'know, I almost died," Cooker felt herself saying without giving her brain consent to release that information. It was the first time she was saying it out loud, having avoided any sort of conversation about it before.

Xyra tilted her head and stared intently at her friend, "We are pirates. We have almost died many times."

"No, Xy, this was different. I was supposed to die, I was a second away from it, " Cooker shook her head and whispered the next part, "I am still not quite sure that I didn't die and this is all just the afterlife."

Xyra sat up from her laid-back position on the chair. Hands covering her mouth, elbows on her knees. Her brows were furrowed and she looked ready to jump into action, protecting Cooker from a nonexistent threat.

"What-" Xyra adjusted in the chair, probably just as worried about Cooker's mental state as Theo had been, "what happened?"

"Prison escape gone wrong," Cooker shrugged, "made it miles away, we were right in front of the boat to head back to the ship when the soldiers caught up to us. I fell-"

Cooker had to take a moment to breathe, trying not to let any emotions get the best of her but it was hard and she felt her throat choke up.

"I hurt my foot and fell and they were able to catch up to me. He was starting to drag his dagger across my throat to cut it open when Oceane came out of fucking nowhere," Cooker licked her lips and met Xyra's gaze, trying to play it cool, "her luck came in handy."

"Gods," Xyra shook her head, "how did Theo take it?"

Cooker laughed, "I'm the one that almost died and she's still getting more of your attention."

"Cook, no--"

"I'm kidding," Cooker held her hand up, telling Xyra to calm down, "she was better than expected but I think that's just 'cause we haven't really spoken about it. The night it happened she was in near hysteria but she took it well after that."

"Good," Xyra nodded and Cooker could tell that her mind was racing with all of the questions she had been holding off on. There were three cycles of information to cover and Xyra was the type to want to know every detail. She didn't ask anything else though, instead, she cleared her throat.

"I had to engage in some torture along the journey," Xyra started, Cooker could tell she was picking her words carefully, slowly, "I have begun to feel things."

"Things?"

"Remorse. Uh-," Xyra, for almost the first time since they had seen each other, broke eye contact, "guilt, maybe. Disgust definitely."

Cooker never thought she would see the sun where Xyra mentioned any of those things in relation to torture. It was her sport, and one she was damned good at. Cooker had more questions than answers but it seemed like something Xyra didn't want to fully delve into. No one could understand the things they had been asked to do and the things they had become experts in except for each other, which meant that Xyra needed to speak about it with her eventually. At some point, Cooker would push her on it, but the time wasn't right. Xyra didn't seem prepared.

Cooker thought of all of the questions she had for Xyra and all of the things she also had to tell her about their time apart. She wanted to know what had taken them so long, what they found, any dangers they ran into; but those things would be talked about with Theo, and then again with the officers, and then again with the crew. There would be plenty of time for the minutia at another point. This was a rare time they would have alone, away from Theo, to talk about personal things. There was one thing that she had wanted to share with Xyra that Theo already knew about.

"The rebellion is starting, it's here. They visited us" Cooker said and Xyra's eyes widened a bit, "they've asked Theo to head their navy."

"What?" Xyra blanched.

"That's not what's important-"

"What could be more important that you gloss over that fucking fact?" Xyra interrupted.

"My brother is one of the leaders of the rebellion," Cooker said and Xyra's mouth opened in shock, "Brandon."

"What the fuck," Xyra whispered to herself and looked around the room, "gods, I leave for three cycles and your brother is leading the revolution. Does he know?"

"No," Cooker shook her head, "he suspects it's me and it's not likely that those suspicions will be shaken but he doesn't exactly know."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I'm not sure what to feel," Cooker replied, pausing to think about it, "there are too many things to sort through, I've just sort of... pushed it away."

"Well," Xyra puffed her chest full of air and then exhaled, still looking like she was taking in the news, "i-if you need to talk about it, I am here."

"I know, Xy," Cooker nodded and smiled a bit, "Red knows how to corrupt people. She's got you too."

Xyra chuckled lightly, "What does that mean?"

"She just corralled everyone up and put them on the feelings ship and got you too. What do I need to do to get people back over on the pirate side of things? No feelings, just drinking," Cooker chuckled and Xyra couldn't help but roll her eyes at being called emotional.

Xyra was about to say something in response when a shout came from the deck.

"Xyrabellis!"

Cooker stood up and Xyra was right there with her, both of them running towards the door; it was Theo. Xyra threw the door open and ran out onto the deck, Cooker not far behind. She could see the look of relief on her captain's face as she climbed over the side of the ship from the boat she had rowed over with. Theo tripped a bit in her rush to get over to them but recovered and sprinted towards her first mate. Xyra was already running towards her and when they met halfway, Theo collided into Xyra. It caused them both to stumble back and fall onto the floor, their hug not breaking. Xyra was flat on her back with Theo latched onto her, the captain showing no signs of moving. Xyra's hand came up to rest on the back of Theo's head, holding her to Xyra's chest.

Cooker gave them their space but from a dozen feet away she could still hear the muffled cries coming from Theo. Cooker herself felt tears welling up, the feeling of relief, not only for herself but for Theo, washing over her once again. Xyra didn't say anything, she just let Theo cry it out. Playing the comforting role, like she had since they were children. Eventually, Theo pulled away and climbed off of Xyra, sitting back on her haunches as Xyra was allowed to sit up.

"You scared the fucking life out of me, Xyrabellis," Theo said and her face screwed up in concern, "what happened?"

"Every time we would run away from one storm, another was on the horizon," Xyra explained, "it was better to be safe than brave a storm in that ship."

"How is everyone?"

"Good. Alive. They're all sleeping," Xyra answered with a smile, just staring at Theo and taking in the presence of the captain.

"Right," Theo let out a relieved sigh and sat back on the deck, "we should get back to the island. Get a big breakfast feast in the works, make sure we have rooms by the time everyone is awake."

"You don't want to go see your girl?" Xyra asked.

Theo paused and looked over at the sloop then back to them. She rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged. She looked nervous, shy almost, "No, uh, I think I'll just let her sleep?"

Cooker laughed a bit which caused Theo to look over with a frown, "Sorry. It's just nice to not see you cocky for once."

"I'm not speaking to you for the rest of the sun," Theo said and stood up before helping Xyra to her feet.

"Woah, what I said wasn't even that bad!"

"You didn't tell me Xy was here," Theo said and walked towards the edge of the ship before getting down into the boat.

"She just got here," Cooker followed, "I wanted to make sure it was them before waking you up. Asshole."

"Quit the fighting, the sun has not even risen," Xyra said and just like that, they were back to normal.

--------

Theo had made sure everything was in order by the time the first boats that were tendering the other half of her crew arrived. She stood on the docks, watching as the boats began to get closer and closer. She could make out familiar faces and a large grin was on her face as the anticipation to see everyone grew. The first boat to arrive had Morgana on it and Theo made sure to give her a tight squeeze and a reassurance that Tuni was alright and would be awake and out on the docks soon. Theo greeted each of the pirates as they came to shore and took her time asking everyone how their trip was, how they were, and to welcome them back. She was in the middle of a conversation with someone when she caught a flash of red out of the corner of her eye.

She kept the conversation going but spared a glance off to the side, where one of the last boats was now docking and being helped out by Morgana. Theo turned back to who she had been talking to with a smile and attempted to respond to what the other girl was saying, but only a few seconds into her sentence, a yell pulled her attention away.

"Mor!"

Theo looked past the girl in front of her towards the path leading down to the docks. Tuni was in full sprint down the stone, no shoes on and her nightgown still on. Theo looked over to see what Morgana would do. At the noise, Morgana dropped what she was doing and began to run to meet her partner. Tuni crashed into Morgana and was swept up in her arms, legs coming up to tightly wrap around her partner. They spun around together, laughter filling the air. Theo would have stayed back and enjoyed watching the reunion except Morgana had abruptly left her position helping others out of the boat.

When Morgana dropped her responsibility, she literally dropped it. Morgana was in the middle of helping up the redhead that had caught Theo's eye when Tuni came running onto the scene. As Ava had straddled the dock and the boat, trying to climb up to solid land, Morgana had let go of her hand to run. Which caused Ava to unceremoniously flap her arms in an attempt to catch her balance just to tumble back into the ocean. Theo tried not to laugh but the face Ava made as she went down was too funny to keep it in. To make up for laughing, Theo jogged over to the edge of the dock, exiting her conversation with more than an adequate excuse. Theo kneeled on the wood under her and peered over the side of the dock to see Ava floating in the water. Her hair had gotten wet and the curls were now heavy, long, and falling into her eyes.

Theo reached her hand out and Ava looked up at the captain, meeting her eyes for the first time in over three cycles. A large smile took over the grumpy expression and she lifted her own arm, clasping her hand within Theo's. With the proper leverage, Theo was able to pull Ava up out of the water. Dripping wet, Ava pushed the hair out of her eyes with a laugh.

"Thank you," Ava said, not breaking eye contact with Theo. The smile that was on her face slowly faded the more seconds that passed with them staring at each other.

There was a tension in the air, a good one. Both of them wanted to fall into each other's arms but both of them were also hesitant to display their affection in front of everyone. Without meaning to Theo felt herself take a step closer to Ava, being drawn in by her presence. A stubborn piece of hair had fallen back onto Ava's face and Theo took advantage of their proximity, brushing the strand of hair out of the way. In that moment between them, no one else was around and Theo was about to just say 'fuck it' and lean in for a kiss but someone was calling Ava's name.

Upon hearing it, Ava turned her head towards the town and saw Oceane standing with Pearl at the end of the dock, waving her over. Ava turned back to Theo with an apologetic smile and Theo tilted her head in the direction of the girls.

"Go," Theo found herself chuckling, "your fans await."

Ava leaned over and placed a kiss on Theo's cheek before running off in the direction of her friends. Theo looked over at the poor crew members that were left on the boat, Morgana abandoned them and Ava falling had pushed the boat too far out for them to climb onto the dock themselves. Theo was spurred into action, pulling the boat in and helping each of the people out; greeting, joking, and laughing with those she helped. Once the last of the boats came in, the dock was mostly cleared; leaving just a few people around.

Ava had most likely been whisked away to meet the new people and catch up with the old. All of her officers, including Xyra, had dissipated from the area, most likely to take advantage of the breakfast Theo had arranged for them. The only person left waiting was Navi, who was standing at the end of the docks, before the path to the tavern began. Theo made her way over to the person who had been waiting for her and as she arrived, Navi draped an arm around her shoulders.

"Thanks for waiting for me," Theo patted the arm around her.

"Ah, it's not all selfless," Navi laughed, "wanted to ask, are we having a party tonight?"

Theo laughed, "Aye, we will put a pause on all business or pirate talk until the morning. I will work on speaking to those I need to and informing them that the island will be alive with rowdy pirates tonight."

"It's good to have you back, Captain," Navi said as they walked towards where breakfast was taking place, "Xyra wouldn't let us party."

Theo looked up at her to see her pouting and laughed at the face, "I'm sorry you didn't get to have any fun."

"Oh, I never said that," Navi smirked, "I had lots of fun. Almost every night. A lot of fun."

Theo made a face and pulled away from her, "Gross, Nav!"

"Cap, sex is natural," Navi said and pulled Theo in again, not letting her wiggle away, "it is what happens when two people love each other very much."

Navi took on a gentle tone, like she was a parent, and Theo rolled her eyes.

"In this case, two people who love each other and won't admit it," Theo said in reference to Xyra and Navi's long-standing habit of shirking around their feelings. It was obvious who Navi was talking about when she said she was sleeping with someone almost every night, Theo was just doing her due diligence and shaming her for never making a move.

"No, in this case, it's two people in a very loving relationship," Navi said.

Theo wriggled free, stopping their walk and pushing Navi's chest, "You and Xy?"

"Who else?" Navi laughed and rubbed the spot where Theo had impacted her chest.

"I don't fucking know, Navi, you are not predictable. For all I know, you found an army general in Elox."

"Well, thanks to your advice, it is not an army general from Elox," Navi began to walk again, "it's Xyrabellis."

Theo followed behind Navi with a large grin on her face. She would have to make sure to rub it in Xyra's face that she was the one that convinced Navi to step up and admit her feelings. It was a long while ago but credit should still be hers. Navi and Theo followed the trail of pirates and the noise back to the tavern where a large feast was set up. The rest of the sun was merry, full of joy and reunion. Theo went from group to group, trying to get enough time with each of them to feel fulfilled with their interaction.

Which took a long time.

It wasn't until the sun had set and the party was in full swing that she had finished socializing and doing her rounds. She had yet to connect with a few people, Morgana and Tuni were nowhere to be found for the whole sun. Cooker had also made herself scarce, but they had just spent several cycles together; she didn't owe her anything. Xyra was also gone, sleeping away the time she had off. Theo missed her and had barely an hour with her before they had split up but she needed her rest and Theo would just have to make up for lost time at some other point. But it was the person she wanted to see most that was the most elusive. Ava, like Theo, had work to get done during their sun of rest. As quartermaster, she had to make her own social rounds. It seemed as if every time Theo was in one place, Ava had just moved on from there.

It wasn't until Theo had stepped away from the rowdy tavern full of drunk pirates that she encountered the redhead. Theo's energy had been depleted from hours full of smiles and extrovertedness, even a few drinks in her couldn't loosen the tension in her shoulders caused by a long sun. Theo pulled out some havcera and lit it on one of the torches burning outside of the tavern, puffing on it until the whole cigarette was nicely burning. On an exhale, she leaned up against the outside of the tavern and closed her eyes.

She heard the door open but didn't pay it any mind, keeping her eyes closed and seeing the dancing shadow of the flame above her play out a scene on the inside of her eyelids. The cigarette was pulled from her lips and that was enough to get her to open her eyes. Standing in front of her was a freckled face, lips wrapped around the stolen cigarette, green eyes challenging her to take it back; which she did. Theo reached forward and pulled it from Ava'ss mouth, taking a drag before holding it by her side flicking the ash off.

"Thieving is not allowed on roamer islands," Theo exhaled the smoke, "I could turn you in for that."

"What would they do to me?" Ava asked.

Theo laughed, "Honestly? Not sure. How they administer justice is not something I'm privy to."

Theo took a drag and then handed it to Ava, who accepted it. It was silent between them but their staring didn't stop. Soaking in each other's presence after so long apart. Theo had so much to tell her that it caused a mix-up in her head, unsure of what to say or where to start. Theo pushed herself off the wall.

"Come," Theo said and began to walk backward toward the docks, "I want to show you something."

Ava followed, eventually catching up and walking next to Theo, "One sun, I will be the one mysteriously taking you someplace without an explanation, and in that moment, you will finally understand what I go through."

Theo laughed, "Surprises are fun, if anything, you should be thankful that I keep you on your toes. Is that not why you joined the pirate life?"

"Being kept on my toes is my least favorite part of pirate life," Ava chuckled, "I could do with a lot less of it."

"And what's your favorite?" Theo asked as they arrived at a boat. She extended a hand towards Ava and helped her inside before hopping in.

"The treasure," Ava shrugged, but the smile on her face gave away that she was lying.

"Now would be your chance to woo me and tell me that the real treasure, all along, was me," Theo grabbed the oars and began to row.

"Why would I lie?" Ava teased and Theo laughed at the nonchalant attitude she was trying to portray. The act broke and a softer smile took over Ava's face, "Seeing your face again is like finding treasure."

"That was the corniest, and poorest attempt at flirting I have ever seen," Theo shook her head, bowing it in semi-embarrassment as Ava kicked her shin, "It's good to see your face too, Red."

Their banter naturally died down but their gazes were locked in on each other. Neither felt the need to talk; both of them too spent from the suns' events to keep up with a conversation. It wasn't uncommon for them and the silence was comforting. A good tension, one that made it feel like lightning was crackling through the air. Ava eventually broke eye contact and looked up at the clear sky. Theo took the opportunity to really take her in, take inventory of what had changed since she last saw her.

There was a new piercing, a small stud above the first hole on her left ear. It looked good and Theo thought back to all of the nice earrings she had bought Ava and how they would fit perfectly in with the new addition. Her hair was slightly longer but still not reaching her shoulders, her eyebrows were more kept, her sleeveless shirt showed the new definition in her arms; still as breathtaking to Theo as she was when they departed. Theo took advantage of the opportunity to just stare.

Theo, partly aided by the calm waters, managed to get them to the ship. Ava needed no help in getting up onto the deck and Theo followed right behind her. She grabbed Ava's hand and led her to the inside of the ship, passing the library and stopping in front of a previously unused room. Ava smiled knowingly and placed her hand over the handle.

"Go ahead," Theo motioned forward, "you're the first one to see it completed besides Evana and me."

Ava pushed the door open to reveal a room she had proposed to the women once before, a long time ago. A spot for quiet and relaxation for all, but mostly for the lower deck crew. It was finished at the perfect time, having picked up a few new women in the past cycles. Evana had done a wonderful job not only making a functional space but also decorating; Theo didn't know she had it in her. There were tapestries lining the walls and comfortable pillows in every corner of the room. Some low chairs, cots, and small tables were scattered around the area.

Theo watched as Ava spun around, taking in the room; a laugh escaped her lips and she walked towards the middle of the room. Theo followed her until she came to a stop and turned towards Theo, closing the space between them.

"I thought this had been tossed to the side by now, more important things to focus on and all that," Ava reached down and picked up a pillow by her feet, feeling the soft cover it had on it, her smile was bright in a dark room.

"The crew needs something nice during hard times," Theo shrugged and pulled the pillow away from Ava's hands, tossing it and closing the gap the pillow had made, "plus, you won't believe how much time we had on our hands."

"Sounds like we had quite different journeys," Ava said in a whisper, not needing to speak any louder to be heard. Her eyes flickered down to Theo's lips but quickly came back to her eyes, "you'll have to tell me about it."

"I'm sure you'll hear all about it eventually," Theo whispered back and wrapped one arm around Ava's waist, closing the distance for good. Theo would have leaned in for a kiss but Ava's face wasn't registering excitement or anticipation. What Theo had read as good tension between them leading up to a point where they would both break, and most likely kiss, had been read wrong. Ava didn't look uncomfortable but she looked almost sad. Theo cocked her head to the side, "that's not a good look."

Theo let go of Ava gently and took a step back, giving the quartermaster her space. Ava looked down at the pillows and kicked one lightly before clearing her throat and meeting Theo's eyes again, her lips turned down into a frown, "We should talk."

"Shit, that's not good either," Theo tried to joke but she couldn't pull it off and it fell flat. Theo took yet another step back and rubbed the back of her head, "um, aye, go ahead. Let's talk."

"I have been thinking a lot about this but-" Ava shifted her gaze around, not quite being able to fully catch Theo's gaze, "I have feelings for you but it's my first time doing this- I just mean that with all that's going on..."

Ava trailed off and Theo tried to keep any sort of negative reaction off her face, not trying to accidentally make Ava hold back in order to not piss Theo off. Ava looked to be struggling to find the right words to say and her brows were knit together in concentration.

"Say what you need to, Red," Theo encouraged, "I won't get angry."

Ava closed her eyes, "I think we need to put a hold on things."

"I don't think I'm familiar with what that is supposed to mean," Theo admitted, she had an idea of what Ava was getting at but she was done assuming things; whatever Ava was suggesting needed to come out of her mouth.

"I've fallen for you, and hard," Ava said as if it wouldn't also drive a dagger through Theo's heart, "and that is really scary. What is going on in the world around us is scary. There are so many opportunities between now and the end of this thing where I can lose you, or you can lose me. Isn't it better to just put a hold on this until everything calms down?"

"You have been like the calm in the storm for me," Theo shrugged, and this time it was her that was avoiding eye contact, looking down at the pillow-filled floor, "so, no, I don't think it's better to put this on hold but I'm not in the business of making someone who doesn't want to stay with me do so."

"Theo, it's not that. I do want to. I'm just trying to protect us," Ava tried catching Theo's gaze but Theo looked away.

"Things ending between us won't make my feelings for you disappear, Ava," Theo used her dropped name that time, "but I will respect your wishes; I've never wanted to do anything else."

"This isn't something that is easy for me. I thought about it for a long time," Ava stepped closer to Theo and instead of stepping back and keeping her distance, she stayed put, "I really care about you; that hasn't changed."

"You don't need to justify anything," Theo offered a smile but it probably looked as forced as it felt, "I just want to ask one question."

"Now you're the one with questions," Ava tried to make a joke to lighten the mood but Theo didn't react, "sorry, that was not funny."

"It was," Theo found herself hyping up the girl that was currently crushing her heart, there was no need to yet she still wanted to, "Is there someone else?"

Ava frowned, "Is that what you think?"

"It's not what I think, it's just something I need to hear you deny so my mind doesn't go insane thinking about you with someone else," Theo let it slip, she didn't like to let her possessive thoughts out; they often went against what she believed in. Partners were not possessions, but they had made a promise to each other and Theo couldn't help feeling jealous.

"No, did you?" Ava asked.

"I don't lie," Theo said and met her eyes, "I told you I would wait for you, and I did. And I'm not trying to say that to guilt you, I just want you to know that I am serious about you and that what I feel for you isn't just going to go away."

"When this is over," Ava said and took another step towards Theo and Theo let her, "and if we are both here; we can revisit this. I promise."

"And if I find someone else? Or I don't want to revisit it?" Theo asked but she didn't know why, maybe because she knew the question might hurt. It was wrong, Theo knew she had no intention of looking elsewhere for anyone, she would wait as long as she needed to for Ava. But she was also curious what the answer was. Was Ava just sparing Theo's feelings and putting off actual heartbreak for a different time? The exchange seemed almost formal, like Ava was holding something back. The reason behind this conversation obfuscated. But Theo didn't have the heart or the energy to push it.

"I-" Ava was caught off guard by the question, "I suppose that is alright. I have no right to you or your affection. If that is what you want to do, then I cannot stop you."

Theo wasn't sure what the answer she wanted to hear was. But deep down she would have felt better about everything if Ava showed a little more fight, if she showed that she cared about the thought of Theo with someone else. The thought of anyone else putting their hands on Ava made her angry inside and she had thought that maybe Ava had felt that same fire inside; apparently, she was wrong.

"Right," Theo nodded, "I was a dick for that question, I -uh, don't plan on jumping into anything else."

Ava nodded, "I mean, that isn't my plan either."

Ava crossed her arms, defensive like she took Theo's comment as an insinuation that Ava would go do something of the sort.

"What does this mean for us, then?" Theo asked and put her hands in her pockets, "Are we allowed to see each other? Be friends outside of our duties? Are we forbidden from speaking to each other? What is it you want, exactly?"

"I don't see why anything else has to change," Ava's face turned distressed at the mention of not speaking to each other, "I just don't think leaning into the whole... feelings things we have going on is the best course of action right now."

"Got it," Theo nodded and took a step away, "mates, then. Pals. Friends. Crewmates... understood."

Theo knew she was being short but she didn't know what else to do. It was three cycles of waiting for a moment alone with the girl she was in love with just to be met with disaster. Theo wanted to go drink her sorrows away but they had to meet with Xyra and Cooker in the morning. It was better to just remove herself from the situation and attempt to get some rest. Theo kept backing up towards the open door.

"I'm going to head out now," Theo put a smile on her face, "We do have an early morning so it's probably best I just go."

"Wait-" Ava said and Theo paused in her retreat, waiting for her to say something. Ava's mouth was open but no words were coming out.

"What?" Theo prompted.

"Can we spend one last night together?" Ava asked and then immediately shut her eyes, shaking her head, "gods, it feels even worse out loud than I thought it would. I'm so sorry."

Theo took a few steps forward with a raise to her brows, "Repeat the question."

"Theo, ignore what I said it doesn't mat-"

"Repeat the question, Red," Theo said as she kept stepping towards her.

"Can I have one last night with you?" Ava asked in a whisper.

"So, you don't want my affection but you want my body?" Theo asked, eliminating the previous space between them and stepping right in front of Ava.

Ava met Theo's eyes and blinked slowly before shaking her head, "You know that isn't it, Theo."

"You don't want me then?" Theo challenged, purposely making things difficult. She took a step forward which forced Ava to take one back.

"I do," Ava let out an almost desperate breath, "I meant that I don't just want your body."

"But it is something you want, right now," Theo pushed, taking another step, getting them closer to the wall.

"Aye," Ava nodded and her eyes were not leaving Theo's as she was pushed back into the wall.

"Say it," Theo smirked a bit and put one arm against the wall as she leaned in close to Ava's lips, "say you want me."

"Theo-"

Theo bent down and pressed a kiss under her ear, and then another a little lower. Peppering kisses down her neck, some with more pressure than others. Ava's hand came up to tangle her fingers in Theo's hair at the base of her neck.

"Say it," Theo insisted and she could tell that the command raised goosebumps on the other girl's skin.

"I want you," Ava said with a groan.

"Too bad," Theo whispered into Ava's ear and pulled away just enough to see the shock register on her face. Theo chuckled and leaned back in, "kidding. Let's make tonight count then."