Cooker was leading the way through the dense brush, Theo right behind her. The trees above them covered almost all light; it wasn't like there was much to begin, they had set out at the break of dawn. They were out in the jungle looking to bring back a nice lunch, the night before they had eaten only sandwiches Xyra had carried over from town. They were walking in almost complete silence, both of them careful where they stepped; they didn't want to make a noise to scare off a potential meal.
They heard the animal before they saw it, a jaedi. They were like Dovish pigs but smaller, less aggressive, more hairy. One could feed at least six people though, they were looking at lunch and dinner. Like they had been doing all their life, Cooker and Theo worked in near silence to formulate their plan of attack. With only a few hand motions, they had decided their next move. Theo split off one way and Cooker the other and before they knew it, they were carrying home an adult jaedi back to their camp.
Now that they had no reason to be quiet, there was nothing stopping a conversation from happening but they had both been quiet. Theo knew what she wanted to say but she was afraid of it going in a way she did not plan. But Theo was a grown-ass adult and if Ava had taught her anything it was the importance of communicating, of speaking candidly.
"Oi, Cook," Theo started, looking at the ground to avoid tripping on a tree root, "are we good?"
Cooker spared a glance from her intent stare on their path, "what's that supposed to mean?"
"I just mean like, we just got over the Vaith thing we never really.... Spoke about it openly," Theo said, a bit hesitantly.
"Right," Cooker recalled and shrugged, "yeah we're good. I get it now, the whole you had to lie for the better good. Just loop me in next time and we're fine."
Theo let out a relieved sigh and nodded, "Sure thing."
That had gone way better than expected and Theo mentally checked it off her list of things she needed to do before leaving. It was a short and silent trek back to the house but it wasn't a tense silence, just a sleepy one. They had barely had time to get adjusted to being awake before leaving to hunt and it was wearing on them both, they needed some food. Luckily, as they cleared the thick jungle they saw Xyra cooking away by the fire. Theo and Cooker showed off their impressive hunt and then began to prep it for lunch as Xyra finished up their breakfast.
They ate and enjoyed light conversation, a welcome change from the night before. The air had been cleared, officially, and Theo felt not a trace of tension between them. After breakfast, Cooker and Theo decided to get up and do some training together. They sparred lightly, messing around more so than actually doing any serious work. Xyra spent most of the morning and aftermorning in the hammock, reading. When Cooker and Theo would orchestrate an elaborate fighting combination Xyra would indulge them and be their audience but beyond that she minded her own business. It was comical, almost like a mother letting her children out of the house to play.
Shortly after lunch, while they were all still gathered around the fire, Cooker went into the house to retrieve one of her bags. Cooker sat back down and from it, she pulled a handheld device. Theo's mouth dropped open and so did Xyra's, which told Theo that however Cooker got the contraption was a solo mission.
"That's the handcannon," Xyra pointed out the obvious.
"Won it in a bet," Cooker raised both of her eyebrows, a cocky look crossing her face, "I have 20 bullets too."
"Can we use it?" Theo snatched it from Cooker's hands and inspected it herself. She had seen it briefly during the pirate meeting but this was different. She flipped it over and examined it closely, aiming to figure out how it worked.
"I would refrain," Xyra frowned and crossed her arms, "that is dangerous and we don't know how it works."
"I know how it works," Cooker said.
"See? Cooker knows," Theo said and stood up, she held out her arm and pointed the handcannon towards the horizon.
"We can use five bullets," Cooker stood up and began to jog towards the jungle, "c'mon we'll go find stuff for target practice."
"Leave the handcannon here while you do that," Xyra scolded and held out her hand. Theo turned in the weapon like she was asked to and bolted off in Cooker's direction. Theo spared a glance back to Xyra and watched her closely observe the handcannon and its parts. She could feign that she cared about safety all she wanted, Xyra thought it was as cool as everyone else did too.
They lined up a few pieces of bark and leftover glass bottles they had been storing to act as target practice, as they had done for arrows countless times before. Once they were all set up, Cooker went first, of course, because it was her prize and she made sure to brag about it at every step. Theo, the fool that she was, stood close to Cooker and when the handcannon went off, it nearly made her lose hearing in the ear closest to the gun.
When Cooker pulled the trigger and the shot went off, dozens of birds flew out of the jungle; fleeing whatever horrid thing was threatening their peace. Cooker didn't hit anything but Theo hadn't expected her to, it was a new weapon and they didn't know how to use it. On Theo's turn, there were no more birds left to scare but the noise was just as loud. Theo also missed. They each made fun of each other but on their second shots, they both hit a target. Xyra was offered the last shot and she declined, probably to not give them the satisfaction of being right about how fun it was to play around with a deadly weapon. Cooker took her last shot and barely hit her target. When the fun of the handcannon wore off, they had a mandatory theoretical discussion on the dangers of a lethal device like that being produced in large quantities. And then right after, they spoke about how cool it was.
The sun had set far too quickly for her liking. She wanted each sun to last longer. The more sunsets she witnessed, the closer she was to leaving half of her crew behind. Not behind, per se, but in Theo's mind it was the same thing. They enjoyed the jaedi with some rice that Cooker had brought with her, a change from simple jaedi skewers they had had for lunch. When dinner ended, their fire was running low and Theo was tasked with getting more firewood. Cooker tagged along, mostly just to annoy Theo and less so to help.
"She looks more relaxed," Theo commented on their short walk back to the campfire.
Cooker followed Theo's eyesight which landed on Xyra. Cooker nodded a bit, "Aye, but I think that has more to do with someone else than with us."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Our little talk yesterday was only a small factor in her good mood, I have a sneaking suspicion that Navi is the one behind the demeanor," Cooker explained.
"Navi? They're back together?" Theo asked.
With the ups and downs between Navi and Xyra, one would assume Theo would be opposed to them being together but it was quite the opposite. Theo saw the care both of them had for each other and she was hoping now that they were a bit older, more mature, more willing to speak about things, that it would mean a healthier relationship. It would always be Navi for Xyra and Theo just wanted Xy to have what she wanted.
"No clue," Cooker shrugged, "I couldn't get it out of her. But I do know that the whole time you were gone Navi did not leave Xy's side unless she was forced to by Tuni."
"I'll get it out of her," Theo challenged herself.
Cooker shook her head, "Fat chance."
They walked back to the fire and Theo tended to it, making sure it was big enough to provide all of them with adequate warmth. Cooker took the lull in activities to trek back to the house and when she came back, it was with a pipe and a small satchel. Without even asking if the others wanted any, she began to stuff the pipe and then handed it over to Xyra when it was ready. Xyra wordlessly took it, grabbed a piece of twine that Cooker had brought over, and lit the pipe before passing it on to begin the rotation.
"So..." Theo started, she coughed a bit due to some smoke still in her lungs as she passed the pipe to Cooker, "what did you all do while I was gone?"
Cooker snorted next to Theo and Theo scowled, elbowing Cooker's side. Theo's attempt at being subtle had miserably failed but Cooker wasn't helping matters by laughing at her. Xyra looked over from where she had been staring at the dancing fire and she raised an eyebrow at both of them.
Cooker reached out a foot and kicked Xyra's thigh lightly, "aye, what did you do Xyra?"
"Are you taking the piss?" Xyra leaned back on her elbows, "I was stuck in a bed the whole time."
"Aye, but Uncilo came to visit you. That was something," Theo prompted, attempting to get more out of Xyra, like who she was with the whole time she was stuck in bed.
"We already spoke about that," Xyra said and reached over to take the pipe from Cooker, "he wants to see you, by the way."
Theo groaned a bit, "Figures. He must have a four-page list of things to lecture me about."
"I'm sure you'll be fine," Xyra said, unhelpfully.
"Aye, I'm sure I will be..." Theo said, not looking directly at Xyra in an effort to appear more casual, " So, was there anyone else that came to visit you?"
Cooker laughed out loud this time, not a little snicker any longer, and Theo put force behind the punch that connected with Cooker's arm.
"Ow!" Cooker yelled and rubbed her arm.
Theo glared at her advisor and squinted her eyes in an attempt to tell Cooker to shape up or they would lose valuable information. Cooker turned to Xyra, an indignant look on her face.
"I told Theo that Navi didn't leave your side the whole time you were in the infirmary and she is trying to ask about it because she wants to know if you are together," Cooker said.
Theo gasped and pushed Cooker over but Cooker didn't even fight it, she laughed and let herself fall back onto the sand. Xyra just laughed at the both of them, clearly not sober, and handed the pipe to Theo.
Theo took it and took a small hit, "You and Navi, is that a thing now?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Theo raised an eyebrow.
"We didn't talk about it."
Theo groaned, "Riva help me, she was by your side for all that time and you didn't talk about it?"
"I was preoccupied with other things, like a broken leg."
"Just fucking talk to her, alright? Say you will," Theo pushed because if no one did then Xyra would let everything go unspoken forever.
"I'll be on a ship with her for three cycles. I'm sure it will come up eventually," Xyra brushed it off.
"Xyrabellis, you will speak to her when we get back," Theo said and stared intently at her first mate. Cooker got the hint and sat up to do the same.
"Aye, you will do that," Cooker added.
"So be it," Xyra sighed, a bit of drama added to it, "enough about me. Cooker? What did you do? You were barely around to visit me."
"Oi, absolutely false!" Cooker threw her hands up then reached for the pipe, snatching it into her grasp, "I visited you plenty, you were just too high to notice I was even there."
"What else did you do then? When you were not tending to your best friend and the person who has nursed you to health since we were kids," Xyra asked and it was Theo's turn to laugh at Cooker.
"First off, you haven't nursed me to health since Tuni came around so you have no right to throw that back at me," Cooker pointed her finger at Xyra, "second of all, I was having a grand time if you must know."
"Great time doing what?" Theo chuckled.
"Drugs, sex, gambling, nothing out of the ordinary," Cooker listed off then passed the pipe to Theo, "oh! Shit, actually you wanna hear something insane that I saw?"
Cooker didn't even await a response before she launched into the retelling of her allegedly insane story. The hits from the pipe began to hit Theo all at once, instead of a gradual incline, and she admittedly zoned out. Cooker was down to an audience of one, that was if Xyra was even still paying attention. Theo stared out at the ocean, looking at the reflection of the moon on the water. She heard a laugh from Xyra which told her at least one person was giving Cooker the attentiveness she needed, if Cooker wasn't the center of attention for a long period of time she got moody. That was Theo's working theory, one that Cooker denied to be true.
After a few minutes, she was nudged with a hard and pointy object. Looking over, she saw Xyra wielding her crutch and poking at Theo's leg. Theo swatted it away and frowned.
"Stop that," Theo said and rubbed where the stick had connected, "What?"
"It's your turn to tell us what you did," Xyra said.
"You mean besides marathon fucking Red?" Cooker laughed.
"Oi, fuck you," Theo said and found herself shoving Cooker for the hundredth time that sun.
"You know, you do seem much calmer about things," Xyra acknowledged, "post-sex clarity really does wonders for you."
There was a cheeky grin on her face and Theo knew she was getting pleasure from poking at Theo the way it had been done to her about Navi in the past.
"I will have you both know, my clarity comes from my connection with Riva," Theo puffed out her chest, mock indignance.
"Riva isn't the only one you connect with," Cooker said and Xyra burst out into laughter.
"You walked into that one," Xyra said on an exhale and clapped her hands together as she went for another laugh.
"Whatever," Theo mumbled and turned away but her face had grown warm and she knew was blushing.
"Joking aside, you had a good time?" Xyra asked, checking in to make sure that the time away really was useful.
"Aye," Theo said and rubbed the back of her neck before looking at the fire. It took her a while to speak up again because things usually went unspoken between them but she was learning to put thoughts into words. These were her life partners, for lack of a better term, and she wanted to share the good in her life as well as the bad. Ava made her happy and she wanted to talk about it with her best friends, "I feel myself falling for her. Every sun the feeling just grows, it's not something I've ever felt before, even with Viv."
Xyra looked at Theo with a fond smile, a smile of approval. A much better reception to Theo admitting she had feelings for Ava the first time. Cooker's reaction, on the other hand, looked to be one of concern. She was frowning and she shifted from where she was sitting, almost antsy.
"I wasn't made aware that you both were more than just sleeping together," Cooker said and cleared her throat, "Are you sure that is a good idea?'
Theo tilted her head, this response from Cooker wasn't expected, "What do you mean?"
"Getting close to someone when we are going to be gone for a while. In the middle of a war on our kind," Cooker said and both Theo and Xyra looked at her funny.
"Since when is she the pessimist?" Theo pointed over at Cooker while looking at Xyra.
"I'm not a pessimist. It's just..." Cooker sighed and pushed back the hair that had fallen into her face, "the last time you were with someone it didn't end well and I don't want to experience that Theo again. Hurt Theo"
"She can't live her life in fear of losing someone," Xyra said and relit the pipe that had gone out. She was always a sage one when any sort of drug was in her, "and if you're worried about her background, I've already covered that with Theo. When I get to Elox, I'm going to check records to make sure she is who she says she is and that no one is going to come looking for her."
"You're looking her up in records? That'll take cycles. Is that worth it?" Cooker asked, Theo may have just been high but she could swear that there was panic in her voice.
"I already sent a letter the other sun requesting the information I am looking for," Xyra shrugged, "should be ready by the time I get to Elox."
"See? Xy's on top of it like always," Theo smiled, trying to get Cooker to be on her side. To be happy for her and Ava, "there is nothing to worry about."
"Right," Cooker smiled, a weak smile but a smile nonetheless, "nothing to worry about."
They all fell into silence and Theo took the opportunity to lay down on the sand, not feeling like talking about much else. The others followed her lead and they stared up at the stars for some time. It was something they had always done since they were children, out on the deck of the ship; just silence and tiny speckles of light in the sky. Theo's eyes were drooping closed when Xyra sat up with a sudden gasp.
"Theo, you can fucking read!" Xyra exclaimed and Cooker shot up right after her, remembering what they had put off speaking about it. Theo paused for a second, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She slowly pushed herself back into a sitting position.
"I have always been able to read," Theo said, purposely obfuscating the point of Xyra's sudden outburst.
"You know what she means, you little rodent," Cooker narrowed her eyes, and Theo couldn't help but laugh. Cooker always used to call her that when they were children and Theo was being annoying.
"You can read Common," Xyra accused.
"Aye, I'm getting there," Theo admitted with a slight shrug, trying to play it cool but secretly she was sweating. She didn't know why but it wasn't something she wanted to talk about, it was probably because she felt bad for doing something major without her two closest crewmates and friends.
Both of them stared at her blankly and Theo was coming to the realization that she would have to be the one carrying the conversation. If the situation were reversed, she wouldn't even know where to start with the questions.
"Ava has been teaching me," Theo said, "which is why we have been spending a lot of time together
"I just haven't been paying attention to all the time you have been spending together, apparently," Cooker mumbled.
"I just assumed it was all sex," Xyra jested.
"It wasn't all sex, no," Theo rolled her eyes.
"And you just agreed to her teaching you? You just told her you couldn't read and out of the goodness of her heart she offered to show you how to read Common?" Cooker asked, with a cocked eyebrow. She was being uncharacteristically Xyra-like.
"She figured it out," Theo said, still slightly impressed by her abilities to have deduced it, "then offered to teach me in return for lessons in weapons and fighting. She wanted me to train her to prepare for the vanguard."
"Is that why she's been running laps for cycles now?" Xyra laughed a little bit.
"Aye, I made her do those," Theo laughed at the thought of how it must have looked to other people, Ava randomly running laps.
It went quiet, all of them just waiting to hear from Cooker again. In their back and forth dynamic, a quiet Cooker was a noticeable Cooker. They both stared at Cooker as her eyes were fixed on the fire, a scowl on her face. Xyra reached out with her crutch and poked Cooker who swatted it away with a huff and didn't look over. Xyra did it again but this time Cooker grabbed it and gripped it in place.
"How much Common do you know?" Cooker asked.
Theo shrugged, "I can read and write simple words, short ones. I'm getting better at longer ones but it takes time."
"You'll be away from Ava for a while," Cooker said.
"I know."
"She won't be able to teach you."
"I know."
"Which means you won't be able to learn."
"Cook, your point?" Theo fixed her with an unamused look.
"Let me teach you while we are on our journey," Cooker proposed.
"Alright," Theo nodded.
"Alright?" Xyra's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped slightly.
"Alright?" Cooker asked with a huge smile coming across her face.
"Aye," Theo confirmed.
"The pirate hunters won't kill them," Xyra mumbled up to the sky, "they are going to kill each other."
Theo laughed, "It'll be fine. Cooker and I have both grown in our childhood anger issues. We'll do just fine."
"If I die, don't believe any story about raids or hits. If my heart no longer beats, Theo would have been the one to do it," Cooker joked and Theo tackled her pinning her arms to the ground.
"I will withdraw my decision to let you teach me," Theo threatened.
"Fine," Cooker laughed, "get off of me, rodent."
Theo jabbed her knees into Cooker's ribs for good measure and then peeled off of her, "Speaking of the journey, we should probably discuss that."
"Discuss what exactly?" Xyra asked.
"I've been thinking about how to go about tracking down leads, y'know just strategizing before we actually get going and I realized we haven't talked about tracking down arguably our most important source of information," Theo explained.
"Vivexa," Xyra said, somewhat venomous.
"Aye," Theo nodded, "if anyone has found anything out, it's her. She rarely leaves a job without completion."
"Makes sense," Cooker nodded, "but should we divert our courses to go looking for her? What if she isn't willing to share or if she found nothing."
"No," Theo shook her head, "we will stick to our course but we'll put feelers out and ask around about her location. If she is not near either of our routes, we'll figure out how to get to her when we rendezvous."
"Aye, aye Captain," Cooker said, "anything else?"
"Aye, Mor will be testing Ava and training her to see if she is vanguard material," Theo said, "Xy, I need you to make sure that Mor's judgement is sound. You know she gets excited at the prospect of more people on her vanguard and I don't want that excitement to cloud her decision."
Xyra simply nodded as a response. Theo took a good look at both of the girls next to her and her heart felt heavy. Like there was too much love in it and it was making her chest tight and hard to breathe. They all knew what their small group meant to each other. They had been taught since they were children that they were all each other had, Uncilo had drilled it into them. He had been right. They were most likely leaving the next morning and Theo didn't know if she would have a chance to remind them how much they meant to her before taking off on their separate ways.
"I need you both. Not just for our duties. I mean in life. I cannot do it without you two, I cannot imagine a world without both of you in it-"
"Theo, where is this coming from?" Xyra asked.
"Just," Theo held up her hands to get out what she wanted to say without interruptions, "I can't have us thinking about death the way we usually do. That it is inevitable and we can take whatever risks we want. I need you both alive."
"The same goes for you, Theo," Cooker said, "we've got big plans and big things to do and it can't be done without you."
"I know," Theo nodded and said something she never thought she would hear coming from her own mouth, "I'll be cautious."
"Now that we got the sappiness out of the way," Cooker exhaled, clearly not comfortable with their very brief but somewhat emotionally charged moment, "more drugs?"
---------------------------
After waking up well into the aftermorning, Ava laid in her bed for a bit, putting off the only thing she had to do that sun: going to the temple. She was dreading it for some reason and couldn't quite pinpoint why. Maybe it was the lengths of being told that those who worship the gods were cult leaders, only using the believers to advantage themselves. Maybe it was the fact that she had believed there was no one but them for so long, if gods were real she would have so many questions. Correction, she would have too many questions. She still had questions about the world they lived in, adding a different dimension to that by bringing it gods was almost too much.
The previous night, Ava had opted to go back to the ship to sleep, not wanting to deal with the noise of an inn or tavern; she had gotten used to the sounds of only nature during her short stay out of the city. Ava also craved a bit of familiarity. With all the nights away, the fact that she would have to leave the ship that she knew so well, and the new thoughts popping into her head, she wanted peace and quiet in a place she knew well.
Ava wanted to slip into the temple without having to see anyone beforehand, which was hard because her crew always seemed to be in every corner. If she ran into someone she knew on the street she would never make it to her destination, she would just be whisked away to join them in whatever they were doing. To avoid that, she needed to get a move on before they all started to recover from the night before and wake up.
Ava finally slipped out of bed, got dressed in something warm and comfortable, and left the ship. Morgana had given her instructions on how to get there the night before but Ava barely remembered what was said. Was it three or four streets away from their ship? Did she have to turn anywhere? Nothing was clear but she walked in the general direction of the temple anyway. Eventually, she figured it out. The temple was not anything too fancy. It was made out of dull stone and looked to be small, only one story.
The temple was in an odd place, in between a fishmonger market and a jewelry shop. As she walked into the temple, the odd smell from the fish market did not go away, it's smell permeated weakly throughout the air. It wasn't unbearable but it wasn't pleasant either. As she crossed the threshold, she took in the scene in front of her. The doorway led way to an open area, scattered with a few wooden pews. There were also various alters around the room, none of them had anything on them. It looked more like a place where each person could find one to decorate and praise if they so wished. There was a beautiful mosaic on the wall opposite to the door that featured the moon and the sun, the baethan continents, and silhouettes she assumed to be a representation of gods. There were only two people there, one sitting in a pew, staring at the mosaic and the other in front of an empty altar.
Ava stood in the entrance for an embarrassingly long time, trying to figure out what she should do. She had figured that when she went to the temple a feeling would just wash over her and she would know what to do. Or maybe that it would be more obvious how to worship or connect with a deity. She looked around, nothing but the mosaic lined the walls of the temple. She took a tentative step inside, her footstep echoed across the stone floor but neither of the patrons of the temple looked over. She took another step in then stopped. There was nothing there, no connection or calling.
Ava was about to turn around and leave when the only other door in the temple opened. An older man emerged with plain black robes on and caught sight of Ava immediately. He gave her a warm smile and walked over to her.
"I've never seen you around," the man said and put a hand over his heart, "or maybe I have and I do not recognize you. You must forgive me, I am getting old and things slip from my mind easily."
"I have never been here, no," Ava flashed him a smile in return, "your memory serves you well."
"Welcome to the temple, then. I am the keeper of this place, if you need anything I am either out here or in my room just behind that door. You are welcome to disturb me if need be," the man bowed his head a bit and turned to walk away.
Ava took a step forward and then another and soon she was walking in tandem with him, "I do have a few questions if you have the time."
The man stopped and turned to face her once again, crossing his hands in front of him, "What can I help you with?"
Ava rattled her head for questions but none came up. There were so many, she didn't where to start or which to ask. In an instant, she was both overwhelmed and embarrassed. She was standing speechless like a fool in front of someone she had just stopped. The man did not seem disgruntled or impatient, instead, a knowing look came over his face.
"Let's start with names, hm?" he said, "I am Olk. You would be?"
"Red."
"Red," Olk repeated and then kept walking, Ava followed, "tell me, Red, are you a pirate or do you reside here?"
"I am a pirate," she answered, "my ceremony was right before the Captain's meeting."
"Hm, one of Theo's girls?" he deduced.
"You know Theo?"
"Everyone knows Theo," Olk chuckled a bit and arrived at his door. He opened it and motioned inside.
Ava knew she was being invited in but she didn't just want to step into a random place. She could have been being lured into a dungeon. Peeking inside didn't show any evidence of dungeons, however. There was a small cot in the corner of the room and a table with two chairs. Ava felt safe enough to walk in so she did. Olk offered her a chair and she sat, he did too. The walls in his room were as bare as the ones in the temple and it looked void of possessions. She was looking around when his question called her attention.
"Where do you come from, Red?"
"From money and power," Ava replied. She knew he was asking about what rank she came from and where her family was settled but she didn't want to lie. Her answer was the truth, vague, but the truth.
"Sheltered?"
"That is an understatement."
"You've learned many new things about our reality then? With your new life as a pirate, I mean," Olk asked, his voice was calm, not sweet yet still comforting.
"Aye," Ava said, "I learned from experience but mostly through reading."
"Do you enjoy reading?"
"Very much."
"Good, good," Olk stood up and walked over to a covered crate, the only thing in the room that resembled something that could have been his possessions, "I can tell you have a lot of questions. Take this and read it. It might answer some or help you phrase the ones you have."
He reached into the crate and pulled out a thin book, not more than 100 pages. He handed it to Ava and Ava took it.
"You are welcome to read it here or in the temple. You can also take it with you. If you want to come back to discuss things, I am here at any time." Olk smiled, the same warm smile she was greeted with and he began to exit out of the room. He left before Ava could even collect her thoughts.
Ava barely hesitated before she dove into the book. It was a short and easy reading. It talked a little bit about the gods, the customs and culture around them, and the way followers showed reverence. It was handwritten, the lettering was beautiful and there were some sketches within the book. Ava was unsure if Olk had written it or not. After she was done with the book, Olk came back and they spoke for hours on end. There were dozens of gods, each with a different focus or domain and each with different tenets to follow. Following the tenets would curry favor with a particular god and an individual could only hope that the god had been watching and wanted to show their appreciation. Or at least, that is how Ava understood it; she was sure she was oversimplifying things.
Religion, being banned on all continents, was not as widespread as it was in the time before the Great War, or at least that is what was assumed. Old religious texts that were hidden and spared from The Center's attempt to destroy all evidence of the time before the Great War showed that religion was central to most aspects of life. Now, it was not widespread but it was not uncommon to find followers of religion and spirituality. A resurgence emerged about halfway through modern Baethan history and had spread through underground means.
Olk provided extra insight, aside from the book. Some people found their gods later in life, others worshipped them since they were children. Some families all subscribed to the same tenets and others let their children choose for themselves. Some never took to religion at all. Ava also learned that outside of the family, religion was rarely talked about. It was a highly personal thing and talking about it outside of the home was not only dangerous but severely frowned upon.
Ava asked about the one god she knew, aside from Janei. Olk told her about Riva and how she was popular amongst sailors, those that lived on the coast, and pirates. While popular though, only few actually followed her tenets and gained favor with her. She was one of the more elusive gods, less inclined to show herself to her followers as most times her tenets were twisted and used by others as excuses to do harmful things, especially by pirates. Ava thought about Theo and how she had said she felt Riva's presence and had gotten signs from her. Would Theo have been considered one of those true followers?
Riva was just an introduction, her real questions were about Janei. Theo had told her a little bit but in front of her was someone who seemed to know what they were talking about. It was a long conversation, many questions were asked. Olk never quite offered up his own information, he just answered Ava's questions. Ava didn't ask why but she had a feeling it was because he was not in the business of preaching to others, he wanted simply to be of help with questions. He answered every single one she had about Janei and everything else with a tranquil and soft voice.
Janei was, as Theo had said, Riva's wife. Theo had also told Ava about her tenets and what her focus was but she was so preoccupied with other thoughts that she had forgotten what Theo had explained. Olk helped, like most of that sun, and explained that she was the goddess of rebirth, of enlightenment, and of change. She was represented by the moon and her sigil was the shifting phases of the moon. Her first tenet was to find good amongst the bad. To not dwell on the bad, but push the good to overtake the it. Ava had a hard time wrapping her head around that tenet, she didn't understand how she could reconcile that tenet with her own actions. She was a pirate on Theo's ship where they killed shitty people, not attempt to find the good in them.
They moved onto her second tenet, to help others change and grow while always working on themselves too. Grow and help grow. Ava had an easy time understanding that one, she hoped that she was already fulfilling that tenet. The last one was also something simple for Ava to comprehend, seek knowledge. Olk explained that the second and third went hand in hand because one must seek knowledge in order to grow and change.
It was getting late, the sun had been set for hours when Ava decided it was time to go find her friends. She had exhausted the questions she could think of. Olk walked her to the door of the temple and Ava felt like giving him a hug, she refrained but the urge was there. Her brain had gone from crowded to satisfied.
"I will see you tomorrow," Ava smiled, "have to get around to worshipping, I guess, since I never did that."
Olk laughed a bit, even his laughter was subdued and calm, "A temple works for some people, for others it doesn't. Connecting with your god should not be forced. If there is no desire to come back here to worship, you do not need to. A temple is just a building, the commitment to your god comes from you. That is what is important."
Ava nodded, Olk made sense.
"Then I will make no promises to return," Ava smiled, "if I do not see you before I leave, goodbye and thank you."
"Be safe on your journey," Olk wished and waved her off.
Ava waved back and walked away. She had told Olk about her time on the Scorned Woman and her upcoming trip. When she asked about him though, he gave no answer. She wished she could do something to thank him, a gift or something, but from being around him for that short while she could tell that doing nothing would be better received than a gift.
There were specific areas of bars and taverns that the crew liked to frequent. Clusters of these little meeting and drinking spots were littered around Corinspe but there was a specific part that was known to be the social ground for Theo's crew. All she had to do was walk to the square containing all of the taverns and she instantly found the group she was looking for. Morgana was stumbling out of the bar, the barkeep pushing her out. Tuni followed closely behind profusely apologizing to the barkeep and then a group of other women filed out after them. Ava laughed to herself and wondered what the hell Morgana had done as she walked towards them for another night of partying. They all greeted her and absorbed her into their group and made their way to the next tavern.
Before walking into the next building though, something told her to look up. Ava turned her head towards the sky and looked to the moon, a wave of warmth and relief flooded over her and she felt the same she did the night of her name-dropping. She felt truly at peace.