It was the power of Riva working through Theo that managed to get the Scorned Woman on its way because Theo could not recall making a single decision as to their route or navigation since taking the wheel. Her head was so muddled with the events from the sun that she had no recollection of steering the ship into open water and safe from the chase of any Baethan navy ships. Eventually, when the Scorned Woman was a good distance away from where they had been, Theo left Navi's second in charge of the navigating. Steering the ship was just one of the many jobs she would have to do that night.
Theo was torn between going to Oceane and going to Cooker. But Cooker was most likely given some drugs to cope with the pain and was probably hazy and unalert. Oceane was sober and had just lost her village in a fire, Theo figured Cooker would understand needing to speak to the archer first. She made her way to the cabin that Iona had informed Theo they were left in, all the while dreading the conversation she was about to have. Times like these, where she was expected to be a good captain even when dealing with her own shock, was when she wanted to just leave it all behind. Leave the pressure and the danger and just take to the sea without a crew.
But those thoughts always made her feel guilty. Oceane was a crucial member of their team and someone that had brought many smiles to Theo's face. Never had Oceane ever needed anything before, always being the support and never the supported. The one time Oceane might have needed something, Theo didn't want to help. Theo stood in front of the cabin door and straightened her posture, taking a deep breath before knocking lightly. Any thoughts of her own escape from jail and what had happened with Cooker were temporarily dispelled in favor of focusing on the girl that needed her at that moment.
Oceane opened the door slightly to see Theo outside. She stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her as she attempted to give Theo a warm smile. It fell flat, the sadness behind Oceane's eyes that was rarely seen was obvious. Theo gave her a smile back but the sadness she felt for the other girl was clear on her face as well.
"Much to talk about," Theo said in a whisper as she offered her arm, "shall we?"
Oceane linked their arms together and Theo led them back to her quarters. She settled in behind her desk, sitting down for the first time since boarding the ship. Before either of them began to speak, she opened her drawer and set out a bottle of rum and a bag of havcera. Theo wanted nothing more than to partake but she wasn't allowing herself anything that would addle her mind during the trip, in case that was when disaster struck. Oceane had no such qualms and she reached out for the rum, uncorking it with impressive speed and taking one, two, three gulps.
Oceane grimaced at the taste and held a hand over her mouth, a scowl on her face. Theo's belly churned, feeling Oceane's pain at stomaching the strong liquor. She didn't stop there though, Oceane return for another three gulps. And then another. Theo stood up, reaching across the desk and pulling the rum from her hands.
"I think that's enough, O," Theo said as she put the bottle away.
"I can handle my liquor," Oceane said and then burped, holding her hand over her stomach. The burp was followed by a hiccup, "I think that was enough."
Theo chuckled a bit at that but there wasn't much room for humor. Theo didn't know where to start. She had no idea why Oceane was at the beach and not on the ship already, protocol was to have everyone on the ship waiting for Theo to get back. She had no idea why her brother was with them, she had no idea why a village was razed. She had no idea where Oceane's father or sister were, the ones she always spoke about. Oceane didn't seem to be wanting to initiate conversation though, the alcohol settling into her blood and making her eyes go slightly glossy as she stared at the desk.
"O," Theo started, a gentle tone, "do you want to fill me in on what's going on?"
"My father," Oceane hiccuped, "my father was a rat."
Theo leaned forward in her chair and narrowed her eyes, "What?"
"He told the army that we were in town," Oceane didn't meet Theo's eyes, "they sent out soldiers to every government building in Drokian because of him."
Theo covered her mouth and fell back on her chair, staring at Oceane, trying to piece together what happened from the little bit of information that was given. There was nothing that she could really say, someone's family being the root of a problem for them wasn't new. They had many runaways they aided and it often led to consequences, but Theo didn't expect Oceane's family to be a source of those problems.
Theo must have looked confused because Oceane spoke up again unprompted, "Not sure if I ever told anyone except Iona and Pearl but my family didn't know I was a pirate..."
"I knew," Theo said, she hadn't heard it directly from Oceane but it was something she was aware of.
"Last time I went, they confronted me about it," Oceane was still looking everywhere but Theo, "they had pieced it together. My father, obviously, wasn't thrilled about it but I thought it was just something he'd get over."
"He just decided to snitch?" Theo prompted, "Went to the nearest soldier?"
"No," Oceane shook her head and the next part came out choked, barely above a whisper, "they found him, Theo. The army, they came to my house and they told him they knew who I was and if he turned the Scorned Woman in they would spare me."
Theo's veins felt cold as her blood turned to ice. She had a hard time swallowing past the lump in her throat. There would be no way to know information of that sort would be available to the army unless the pirate who was ratting on leads were also compromising her crew's identity. Oceane's eyes were beginning to tear up.
"I didn't know, Theo, neither did Fjord," Oceane defended herself, "he sent us out to fish as he went to go to do it. I had no clue until hours later."
"Oceane I didn't think you had anything to do with it, even for a second," Theo shook her head, "what happened after you found out?"
"It was the aftermorning, right as I was to leave to meet up with the crew for the mission. As I left, he told me. I ran to go warn you but there were soldiers all over my village. I never made it out, I was stopped and taken back home," Oceane paused for a second and looked up at Theo for the first time since they had entered the room, "I was interrogated by General Hoffstater. I think he might be one of the ones leading this pirate war. He seemed to know a lot about us, about pirates, about the missions we have been going on. He's good."
Theo's mouth was covered with her hand yet again and she closed her eyes taking in the information. If he had taken an interest in the pirates, in Theo's crew, they were more fucked than they thought. Hoffstater had given her problems in the past. He was but a colonel back then, and he wasn't after Theo so much as he was after Uncilo's mercenary enterprise. He was a nasty man; smart, calculated, and willing to sacrifice whoever in the name of success. Last she had heard he had been promoted to general and was second only to the two Vaith generals, Lord Vaith's sons. Him being on their tail, and after pirates in general, was bad news. The man knew the pirate ways better than most and he was obsessed with his targets. It was good news that Drokiaan was their last port and they could disappear from the Efirtian coast for a while; Hoffstater coming after them was not ideal.
"What did he ask you about?" Theo asked, Oceane didn't look beat up so either Hoffstater hadn't had much interest in what Oceane had to say or she had spilled everything.
"He was just trying to figure out what the mission was. I didn't tell them but they caught you anyway," Oceane licked her lips and looked back down at her hands, "I didn't tell them anything. After I was questioned, they locked me in a room until they found you. After that, I was held with my family in my house for hours, under the watch of soldiers."
"How did you escape?"
"They disobeyed orders and stopped keeping watch over us," Oceane explained, "my father built a tunnel system to help us escape if the time ever came. The soldiers left and I took Fjord and left. I didn't know if you had escaped or left or were waiting for me; I just ran."
"And what of your father? And your sister?" Theo asked, knowing the answer would not be good.
Oceane bit her lip and shut her eyes tightly, fighting back tears.
"He-" Oceane's voice cracked and she cleared her throat as she opened her eyes, watery and grief-stricken, "he couldn't leave the house he built for my mom behind. He stayed back. I don't know if he was in the house when they burned it down or if they took him. He could be dead right now, I have no way of knowing."
"Oceane-"
"Or, he could have realized the mistake he made and ran after us. Just to get to an empty beach because I left him there," Oceane said and the tears were falling freely now, the what-ifs starting to dawn on her.
Theo got out of her chair and walked over to Oceane, squatting down between her knees and catching her eyeline, "If you put blame on yourself for actions The Center has done, things will never stop feeling grim. What happened to your sister?"
"She left home a while ago. Went inland to the border. That's where I have to make sure Fjord gets," Oceane explained and Theo's chest felt a bit lighter. At least Oceane had not lost two family members in one night. It would have been better if she lost none but in life under The Center's thumb, family members dying was all too common.
"Oceane, I'm so sorry," Theo said, unable to say anything else to make it better, "we'll find a way to get your brother there. And we'll find a way to find out what happened with your father, I promise."
"Theo," Oceane whispered a bit, "how do I live with myself now? Knowing I left him behind, knowing I could have done more to save him."
Theo swallowed and felt tears about to come to her own eyes, unsure of how to handle the outpouring of emotions from a usually happy Oceane. The distraughtness of her voice, the genuineness of the question, the scared look in her eye thinking the feeling would never fade; it killed Theo to watch. Theo had no answer for her. Everyone was different and every situation was unique.
"I don't know," Theo said, honestly, "but whatever the answer is, I'm here to help you find it."
Oceane didn't say anything else, she just sniffled and wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands. A small, pathetic, staggered intake of breath was followed by another sniffle and then a shrug, "I'm sorry, Cap. I'm sorry this happened because of me."
"It's not your fault. It's not a good thing that this happened but at least now we know they potentially have access to people's families and we can take the appropriate measures," Theo tried to reassure the crying girl, "I don't want to keep rehashing things so, I'll let you go now but before you do, is there anything else that's important that you didn't tell me?"
Oceane shook her head and stood up, Theo standing up from her squat too.
"If I think of anything, I'll come to tell you," Oceane said.
"Alright," Theo nodded, "Go visit Tuni before turning in for the night. Just a check-up, for my peace of mind. I'm going there now so I can come with you."
Tuni always had better advice than Theo and could probably provide better comfort. Oceane acknowledged the command and began to walk out with Theo right behind her. Theo pulled her into a tight hug before they could walk across the deck. Oceane rested her head on Theo's shoulder and let out a sigh as she hugged back. What she couldn't get across with words, she could with actions. She was sorry for what Oceane would now have to go through. Pulling away, she whispered that Oceane could take off as much time as she needed before they finally walked into Tuni's room.
At first glance, Cooker wasn't in the infirmary.
"Fortune," Theo called out, not seeing Tuni in the room either, "where are you?"
Tuni came out from her bedroom, "Good, good. You're here. I need to check you both."
"I didn't get hurt, I'm fine," Theo said and looked around the room again, even peeking into Tuni's bedroom, "where is Cook?"
Tuni shook her head with a sigh and rubbed her forehead, as if she had a headache, "That girl is too much sometimes."
"What happened?"
"She was fussy while I was tending to her wounds. The only times she spoke to me were when she would insult me for stopping her from leaving," Tuni looked over at Theo with a frown, "eventually, I just let her go. After I check on you, you should go find her."
"I'm going now," Theo said and looked over at Oceane, "take care of her, please?"
"Captain," Tuni said as she stepped forward and grabbed Theo's arm to preemptively keep her from leaving, "I need to check you out before you go."
Theo pulled her arm away, "I'm going now, Fortune."
"Stop being stubborn, for once," Tuni said, her patience obviously being worn thin by the top two on the ship.
"I am not being stubborn," Theo shook her head, "she almost died tonight, I'm not sure if she offered up that bit of information. I've left her alone long enough."
"Theo, I wouldn't have let her go if I knew-" Tuni said but Theo was out of the door and heading towards the cabins before Tuni could finish her sentence.
Had she known that Cooker wasn't under the supervision of someone, she wouldn't have seen Oceane first. Theo had been worried about Cooker before but now, there was really something to be concerned about. Something had been going on with Cooker as of late but Theo couldn't quite figure out what it was. A near-death experience couldn't have been any easier on whatever she was going through. Near-death was not new to them but this... this was closer than they had ever gotten before. Theo arrived at the cabin door with a 'C' carved into it and tried opening the door, just to find it locked.
Theo jiggled the handle, "Cook, it's me. Open up."
There was no answer but Theo knew there was someone in there. There was candlelight that was barely visible from the crack under the door and a smell that could be none other than ravci.
"Cooker," Theo knocked on the door this time, "I know you're awake."
There was no answer. Theo let a minute pass before slammed her fist against the door, louder this time.
"Cook! I can smell you smoking in there!" Theo said as she kept banging on the door.
Nothing. Theo began to panic a bit, not even a snarky remark from Cooker telling her to go away was bad news. Maybe the smoke was a lingering smell and Cooker wasn't awake or asleep, she was dead. Tuni missed a bad injury or Cooker mixed something she shouldn't have. Theo's chest began to get heavier and her breathing was becoming more labored as the anxiety crept in. She began to bang her shoulder against the door, trying to break it down.
"Cooker, please, just fucking say something!"
"Theo, stop!"
Theo heard the voice and immediately, she began to calm down. But her heart rate hadn't gotten the news and she could feel the pulse in her ears. She rested her forehead against the door, shutting her eyes and sending a thank you to Riva that Cooker was okay.
"Open," was all Theo managed to say.
There was no answer, Theo wanted to kick the door down and remove it from its hinges. Cooker had lost the privilege of one by disobeying direct orders. But that was entirely out of line and Evana would likely have her head for having to do such a needless repair when ship supplies were low. There were a set of keys in storage that would help her. Theo stepped away from Cooker's door and made her way further into the ship, snatching the ring of keys from its place and returning back to the door. She found the right key and jimmied it in, turning the lock, but when she tried opening the door, it was jammed closed.
Theo let out a frustrated yell and kicked the door, "You're being a fucking jerk!"
Theo felt like a little kid when Cooker would lock her out of the room when they would have a fight. Theo would have to go get Uncilo to make him open the door.
"I barricaded the fucking door, Theo! Take a hint!" Cooker yelled back.
Theo gave one last slam against the door with her shoulder, it didn't budge. She turned against the door, back to it and she slid down onto the floor. Frustrated tears sprang up and she pressed the heels of her hand into her eyes, trying to stem the flow of water. All of the pressure from that sun fell upon her at once, the people she killed, the chaos she had caused, almost witnessing the death of her best mate. Theo reached down and clutched Pika's necklace, trying to find some semblance of grounding so she wouldn't be blubbering like a baby in the hallway.
Theo leaned her head against the door and felt a stray tear fall, "Cooker, come sleep in my room tonight... I won't say anything, I won't ask you to talk. I'll let you drink. Please just..."
Theo looked down at her hands, lacking the energy to even finish the sentence. She closed her eyes but all she could picture was the way Cooker was looking at her before she closed her eyes and offered her neck up to the soldier. Theo felt as helpless now as she did then.
"I almost lost you, Cook," Theo said, not trying to hide the tightness in her voice that indicated she was crying. Tears in full spring as they rolled down her face, quick breaths trying to get air into her chest, "I watched. I just stood there and watched as he was about to kill you. I-"
Theo closed her eyes again, images of Cooker with a dagger to her throat flashed across her mind.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you," Theo said, it was a whisper. Something that Cooker probably couldn't even hear. A few minutes passed, Theo said nothing else. But she didn't move.
She wasn't going to move. Cooker must have figured as much because after a while there was some shuffling behind the door and suddenly the door was being pulled out from behind her. Theo fell back but by the time she stood up and looked around, Cooker had gotten into bed. Her back was turned and the candle that had been lit was recently put out.
Theo took the hint and got into bed next to Cooker, turning her back to Cookeer too. She was staring ahead, unable to fall asleep when Cooker turned over and pulled Theo's back against her chest.
"Thank you for caring about me, you little rat," Cooker whispered and pressed a kiss to the back of Theo's head.
Theo didn't say anything else, she just put her arms over where Cooker's were wrapped around her and let some more tears silently flow from her eyes, thankful that Cooker was here with her and not dead on the beach.
--------
Theo knocked on the wooden door, a small dried flower was nailed on the outside of it. Oceane's cabin. The door creaked open and a head full of hair peaked out. Oceane caught eyes with Theo, squealed, and then proceeded to shut the door in Theo's face. Theo chuckled at her antics but there was a furrow to her brow, confused as to what her deal was.
"Oi, I'm here for the clothes I was promised," Theo called out.
Oceane had been promising that the outfit she was making for Theo would be ready by the time they arrived at the rendevous point. Theo had promised that she would wear it down when they docked and would don the outfit throughout their first night there, which they planned on spending getting shit-faced. The uncharted Roamer island was coming up in a few hours and it was time for Theo to start getting ready. A bath had been drawn for her and all she needed was what she planned on wearing.
"Just wear something else!" Oceane said from behind the door.
Theo tried to open the door but it was locked, she rolled her eyes and knocked again, "O, you've been working on this for a long time. Let me see it. I'm sure I'll love it."
Theo would have rather done what was asked of her and worn something else, something she had picked out and bought herself, but Oceane was in need of a pick-me-up after all that had happened and as captain, Theo had to do stuff she didn't want at times. Oceane had taken the time since leaving Drokian, the near ten suns they were a sea, to rest and step away from her duties. Theo saw her spending time with her brother a lot and the times when she wasn't, she was holed up in her room sewing; which was an oddity to see Oceane in her cabin and not in the lower decks. Theo, as was most of the crew, was worried about her. The usual peppy attitude was replaced with a more subdued one and the toothy smile was now a sadder one. Over the suns, it had gotten better. Every time she came down for breakfast, her eyes would show fewer signs of crying. Her brother also adjusted well and wasn't making waves within the women, they seemed to take to him and his goofy stories.
There was a lot of shuffling around behind the door and Oceane peeked out again, still only opening the door enough to stick her head out, "It's not good, Theo. You can't make fun of me."
Theo took the opportunity that the door was open to push against it. Oceane was forced to step away from it as Theo's strength was not a match for her and it was useless to try and push back. Theo looked around the room to see the clutter and tried to keep in her laugh. There were dozens of yards of fabric, spools of thread, and more sewing kits than needed. It was worse than the room she shared with others on Uncilo's ship while growing up. Theo failed at her task and ended up laughing at the physical manifestation of the word 'obsessed' in front of her.
"You said you wouldn't make fun," Oceane frowned.
"I thought that only applied to the clothes, not the state of your living quarters," Theo teased and stepped over a discarded shirt. Oceane fixed her with a disappointed look and Theo held her hand up, "no more laughing, promise."
Oceane cracked a smile and laughed, one of the first times Theo had heard her laugh since before Drokian. Theo laughed again, breaking the promise a second time, which earned her a slap on the arm from Oceane.
"Liar," the new sewing prodigy said.
"I was just laughing because yours is infectious," Theo defended herself.
"I'm telling Red that you were flirting with me," Oceane said as she turned around and starting shuffling things around on her bed, looking for a specific item, "are you ready to party?"
"Are you?"
Oceane turned around with a mischievous smile on her face, one that had been absent for a while, "Blackout buddies?"
Theo nodded, returning the knowing smile, "Blackout buddies."
Theo reached out her pinky, meeting with Oceane's outstretched one, and linked them. They had been partying buddies since Oceane had arrived on her crew. Always pushing each other to do wilder, more outlandish things. What was a night of fun for them was usually a night of worry for whoever was assigned to watch Theo. Theo was a bit worried about Oceane partying with what was going on with her but at least she would be there to keep an eye out. Oceane pulled away and went back to her task. Eventually, she pulled out what looked to be a coat and a shirt. Both black, the coat with red embroidered patterns along the collar and edges where it opened up. At first glance, a quick one, it didn't look too bad.
Theo reached out for the coat and grabbed it, inspecting it. The first glance had been very forgiving. The embroidered pattern was nice, elegant, but the loose threads and botched patterns in some areas didn't give off the illusion of being done by someone who knew what they were doing. Theo held it up and saw a messy hemline and a myriad of other issues. The sewing of all of the pieces together did not look like it would hold. Theo had to pull every ounce of willpower she had in order to stand strong and not laugh. But she couldn't help but crack a smile.
"I knew it," Oceane said and tried to snatch the coat back but Theo kept it out of reach, "Theo, give it back. It's awful."
"You're right," Theo let out the laugh she had been holding, "it is kind of awful.-"
Oceane punched her in the stomach, which didn't hurt much, and Theo put her hand on Oceane's forehead with her free hand and pushed her away.
"-but it is a one-of-a-kind piece. A custom-made, original, tailored specifically for me," Theo continued, "which is something that The Captain cannot pass up."
Oceane stopped struggling to claw for the coat and shirt and looked at Theo with wide, sad eyes.
"You're going to wear it?" Oceane asked, voice cracking a bit.
"Aye," Theo said, "it would be my pleasure."
Oceane rushed forward and gave Theo a hug. Theo wrapped her arms around the girl.
"Now, I've got to go get ready," Theo said, "come by my room before it's time to leave and we'll get a few drinks in before heading to the taverns."
"Blackout buddies," Oceane said as she pulled away, "always have to arrive drunk."
"A rule we are not breaking tonight, my dear Oceane," Theo backed out of the room, "is your brother coming?"
"No idea, I can't stop him from coming but I would rather not have him see how I get when drunk," Oceane laughed a bit, following Theo so she could close the door.
"Oh, he knows not of the legendary Oceane when she hits the drink," Theo teased.
"And I would like to keep it that way. Leave me to change" Oceane grabbed the door and shut it.
Theo walked back to the bath that was waiting for her in her quarters as she inspected the poorly made coat.
----
The uncharted Roamer island had no name. Names spread and were a bad idea if the point was to keep anonymous and hidden. It was not the only uncharted island owned by Roamers, there were dozens littered across Baethos. Known only by the names of those that owned them. The Green Niumes were the roamer clan that owned and operated the island they had. It had been many lengths that Theo had been in business with the Green Niumes and as part of their business arrangement, the Scorned Woman was given access to any islands the clan owned. The islands themselves were not so different. The populations living on them were small, made up of the family members of those who worked for roamers. The towns were not much, a few taverns with rooms to rent and some basic shops but it was all they needed.
They had arrived at the island a few suns ahead of the scheduled time to meet, so when they pulled into the waters around the island and saw no sign of the sloop, Theo tried not to worry too much. If Xyra wasn't early, she would be on time. It was just a matter of waiting. She was thankful for the drinking that night, an excuse to keep her mind off the absence of half her crew. Theo stood on deck and oversaw the dropping of the anchor, a few hundred yards from the island. She and Cooker boarded a boat and made their way to the small dock on the island. Theo had to do some administrative things and sort out their stay with the person in charge of the island before the festivities could begin.
Theo did her due diligence and asked those in charge about any updates concerning the Center but there wasn't much to pick up on. Roamers were being hit just as hard as pirates and no one really knew anything. Once their stay was registered and any duties she had were completed, they headed back to the ship where she poured herself a drink. The first one since she had left Corinspe. Theo waited to drink it though, she changed out of the temporary outfit she wore out to meet the head of the island and into what Oceane had gifted her.
Slipping on the coat revealed to Theo that the sleeves were quite uneven and her confidence that the coat would not break apart in the middle of their time out was not high. Still, it was kind of funny and definitely more worth it than she had originally thought it would be. With little time before her room was filled with pirates getting drunk off her rum, she took the drink she had poured into her hand. Toasting to herself for making it that far, Theo swallowed the drink in one gulp and slammed the glass on the table. The warmth spreading through her body faster than imagined.
----------------------
The sleeves had fallen off two hours into the night and Theo liked the look. Along with the sleeves, the shirt had also fallen apart a few hours after that. Which meant that Theo had a black piece of fabric across her chest and a sleeveless coat on as her outfit. It was a risky fashion choice but one that she didn't hate. At that point in the night, she was so drunk that it was hard to even think about a point in time where she had been sober. Was that even possible? Would the alcohol ever leave her system again?
She hoped the answer was no. She was having so much fun, there was nothing bad to think about. Not the danger, not the women they had lost along the way, not the rebellion, not Uncilo, not Cooker- who she had yet to speak to about the incident-, not her missing crew. Just ale, tavern music, and dancing. Theo brought the tankard full of ale to her lips and she began to chug it, feeling the more than warm liquid seep down her throat. It was hot, humid, and smelled of sweat inside the tavern but that was exactly how she liked it.
Theo threw her tankard somewhere behind her and stepped on a table. She turned around looking for someone to dance with and luckily, her favorite designer was right behind her, hopping onto the table too. Theo pulled Oceane close and they began to dance to the lively shanty that was being played on the tavern's stage. They were laughing and singing and yelling and being overall obnoxious when Cooker pulled them down. Cooker was not drinking that night and had been assigned to chase after the blackout buddies. Theo should have been less annoying but Cooker deserved to have to cater to Theo after Theo respected her wishes and avoided speaking about almost dying the whole trip from Drokian.
So, instead, she made things more difficult. Drunk Theo was a petty Theo. Theo loudly demanded more ale and Cooker dragged her along to the bar to get her some. While there, she was leaning her head against the wood that provided a bit of a cooling sensation when she felt someone saddle up behind her and lean in. At first, she thought it was Oceane or Tuni coming up and hugging her from behind but a large, hairy arms wrapped around her waist and calloused hands touched her bare stomach, Theo realized it wasn't one of her own crew.
She turned around, grabbed the man's collar, and pushed him back. Theo drove him into the support beam a few feet away from the bar and his head slammed against the wood. She held him in place and pulled back one arm, decking him across the jaw.
"You think you can just grab women like that? You fucking creep!" Theo punched him again and when she went in for a third one, her arm was caught behind her and she was being pulled off the man.
"Theo, calm down," Cooker said, "you know where we are."
It wasn't some random city, it was a roamer island. This man was connected to them in some way and beating him senseless would get them kicked off. Two punches were enough. Theo lowered her arm, letting Cooker know she was good. The hold on her was released and Theo looked back at the man who had grabbed her. He was standing still against the beam he had been pressed to, no one had come to his aid.
"Don't touch other people like that, bastard," Theo tacked on for good measure and Cooker sighed before dragging her away.
"I didn't say stop fighting and insult him," Cooker said as they walked towards the stairs of the tavern.
"Woah! Let me go back to dancing," Theo said and tried to stop herself from being pulled upstairs. Theo knew that once she went upstairs, she would be trapped in one of the rooms they had rented, and partying would be over. She couldn't abandon her blackout buddy.
"You've had an eventful night, you've had more to drink than I think is good for you, and we have an early morning," Cooker said and corralled Theo to the stairs and began to force her up.
With three attempted escapes that failed, Theo was finally forced into a room. She figured that once she was up there, there was no use in fighting. She was kind of tired and it was best to just go to sleep. She wanted to get up to the crow's nest of the ship early in the morning to keep an eye out for ships on the horizon. Theo acted more reluctant than she was to get in bed.
"Stay with me tonight," Theo said as Cooker began to leave the room.
"I've gotta make sure everyone downstairs is okay."
"I haven't pushed you to speak about anything. You have been avoiding me since we left Drokian and I've left you alone. You rather do drugs than speak about what almost could have happened and that is okay. I've learned that with you, it's sometimes the better route to let you take the worst route," Theo said, almost convincing herself that she was sober with how eloquent she sounded, "but I am asking that you stay here tonight. Tuni is downstairs, everyone will be fine."
"Theo-"
"I am worried," Theo said and looked down at her hands, she picked at her cuticles, "I have been trying not to think about it but I just keep wondering about what would happen if they don't come back and I don't want to be alone with those thoughts."
Theo looked up to meet Cooker's gaze. Cooker took one step forward, then another. She walked to the bed and got into it with Theo. They stayed on their separate sides but it was enough to calm Theo's mind. With the aid of the ale, she eventually fell asleep; all the while hoping that Cooker's presence would calm the presence of bad dreams.
--------
As she sat on the dock, it felt as if she had been waiting for lengths. The sun rose and fell in the sky, again and again, and again. Cycles passed with no change on the horizon. She felt herself growing increasingly more anxious, more uneasy, less hopeful. No one was coming. Xyra was gone. Everyone was gone. It wasn't until her eyes opened and she looked over to see Cooker sleeping next to her that she realized it was a nightmare; one that she had often over the past cycle. Theo slowly sat up in bed, putting her legs over the side and putting her head in her hands. Her head was pounding, her mouth was dry, her eyes were not adjusting to the light as fast as she needed and her stomach was both starving and never wanting to take down food again.
There wasn't much she remembered from the night before, her tender knuckles and the sleeveless coat were not providing any clues as to what could have occurred. Cooker looked to be peacefully sleeping so Theo thought it best to slip out before she had a chance to accidentally wake her. Theo walked out of the room she had rented and with the odd outfit from the night before, found one of their boats and rowed herself back to the ship. It was empty and she thanked Riva for the silence she had been awarded that morning. With a new set of clothes that were comfortable and cool, she set up to the top of the crow's nest to await the arrival of her other crew.
She had hoped that upon waking up, Xyra would have arrived at some point in the night, but that hadn't happened. It was still a few suns before they were officially due on the island, so there was nothing to worry about. But still, the feeling of dread in her gut didn't go away. Was the nightmare she kept having one sent by Riva or one that her conscience kept manifesting? Would it come true? Would thinking and dreaming about it fuck with the universe enough to make it happen?
Theo couldn't answer those questions. Only time would tell.