Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

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"That certainly beats staring at the horizon for hours on end," Ava commented, "Since I have no early wake-up time, can I join you in whatever you were doing?"

"As always, Red, I am yours for the night," Theo smiled.

While Ava had spent many suns doing jobs she was bad at, nights with Theo made it worth it. Well, that and the training sessions the crew was receiving. She was nervous about Theo pulling her from training on some technicality. Ava was worried that because she wasn't an official pirate, that she wouldn't get to train. That wasn't the case and Ava was allowed to participate in the two-hour aftermorning training sessions.

From the sixth to the eighth hour of the aftermorning, every other day, all crew members except those sailing stopped what they were doing and gathered on the deck. Morgana yelled out drills for them to follow and it didn't take long for Ava to grasp the vocabulary that was used. Every session Ava was paired with a different person, all slightly better than her but not anywhere near experts with a blade. She assumed they rotated the girls so no one was stuck with Ava but she didn't mind. Every new person meant a new height and style to practice against.

She knew her technique was not good and on most of the exercises, her arm would give out before she could finish the repetition. However, she didn't give up or get frustrated; she just tried her hardest to imitate what Morgana was teaching. The training was a well-needed break in Ava's routine and it gave her a moment to breathe in between failures at work.

Theo was constantly making rounds to check on the pirates. She would correct a crew member here or there but would rarely stick around one place for too long. Around Ava, however, Theo hovered. Ava wasn't sure if it was unconscious or if Ava was just so bad she needed very special attention. Either way, Ava improved whenever Theo would help. Ava learned how to block, thrust, sidestep, and hold a proper fighting stance. To anyone else it wouldn't seem like much but coupled with the small bouts of training she already had, she felt capable of defending herself. She hoped that she wouldn't have to test her fighting ability anytime soon but if push came to shove she believed in herself.

However, two-hour training sessions proved to be far too short. Ava was itching for more. Theo had done so well with Ava during training she wondered if she could ask Theo to train her for the vanguard. That request would take more guts than she had so she dropped that idea for the moment. Before arriving in Clabonne, their first stop, Ava tried to steal Oceane or Iona away for a quick sparring session or a defense class but they were always far too busy. Even if they weren't busy, Ava assumed the answer would be no. They trained hard enough in the morning with Theo and Xyra.

Calm nights with Theo rounded out her sea time routine. After a long day at work and some physical activity through training, the peace she got with Theo was welcome. Theo, like Ava, ended her days exhausted. Theo was training for several hours in the morning, then going about her duties, then training again; all with a hurt shoulder. The training every morning wasn't helping matters much. She was pushing herself hard to try and get to a place where she could confidently fight with her uninjured arm.

All of the extra exertion mixed with the injury meant Theo was very lazy and very lethargic, not very fun to be around. The others, Xyra and the lot of them, avoided her room like the plague. Theo mostly dozed off in between slow and easy conversations with Ava. When Theo would nap, Ava would read. It was a pressure-free understanding, they didn't particularly need to be speaking. The company they provided to each other was enough. At first, Ava felt uncomfortable about sticking around. She felt as if Theo was only letting Ava come by at night just because the Captain felt bad. On the third night of them lounging around together Ava brought it up and Theo offered her reassurances that yes, Theo very much wanted Ava's presence. The issue was not brought up again.