Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

Request for an Invite

For once, Theo allowed someone else to row the boat. The Scorned Woman was behind her, showing up as just a speck on the horizon. They had once again anchored miles from shore out of precaution and were taking two rowboats to shore. They were going to beach and hide the boats a few miles away from the city they were aiming to get passage out of in order to get to Dricaster. The route there had been relatively quick, the winds being on their side, which allowed them to get to Nefriti's coast from the rendezvous in record time. They had taken a more dangerous route to get there in the spirit of trying to cut as much time as they could to make it to the ball in time. All of their plans would be for naught if they missed the ball, they would have no way of reaching Viv.

The route they took was faster than their usual way up the coast but it wasn't often they risked going that way. However, in the face of a lot of the Eloxian warships navigating the waters close to the east coast of Efriti, they had to take the risk and go further into the ocean. This new route was usually avoided because of the sharp underwater formations that could gut a ship open from the bottom. Between Navi and Theo though, they had managed to avoid anything more than superficial damage that could be repaired once they arrived at Corinspe. In addition to underwater formations, the underwater monsters that lurked the seas around that area were an additional threat. Even though Theo was having her own small, not so big, spiral about Riva being angry with her, the lack of any threats from the sea showed her that whatever was going on, Riva was still around.

The way that they were timing things meant that they would arrive either the night before or the sun of the ball, which was cutting it close, but it was better than missing it. They would need to book passage to Dricaster for all of the crew embarking on the mission and they would need their transport to not stop the entire way there if they wanted to make it on time. It would be expensive to convince anyone to provide them that service but hopefully the money they brought with them would more than suffice. If not, they were fucked and had no way of getting to Dricaster.

Theo hadn't been looking forward to the mission at all, she had been dreading it since Xyra proposed it. There were too many unknowns for her liking, the timing, the logistics, the actual mission, the extraction; none of it was set in stone and that made Theo on edge. They would also be on land for a while and nothing made her more anxious than having nothing but miles of soil on all sides of her. But while she was dreading the mission, she also couldn't wait until it was upon them. She wanted a break from the nothingness, from the constant concentration it took to try and be chill, to be calm, cool, and collected. She needed something to direct her energy towards.

It wasn't like Theo was feeling particularly sad or anything but things felt lackluster, empty, dreary the past cycle. Everyone was always working, there was no break from sailing, her companions were never around, and the joy and spirit of the ship was being strained under the stress of everything going on. Not only had the comfort of a relationship with Ava been ripped out from under her, all of her friends might as well have been an ocean away with how little they interacted. Besides that, the sun-to-sun business was fine, efficient, they were making good time but even if the winds were on their side on their trip to Corinspe they would still be unbelievably late. Theo usually didn't mind being late, but every sun she was late to the meeting was a sun that the opposition had an opportunity to control the narrative, to propose a plan for what to do next. Even with the low mood, the stress of threats from the seas, and the worry about their tardiness, her biggest problem was none of those. The thing that was on her mind the most was Riva, who was not gone but could be considered absent at the moment.

Instead of spiraling with thoughts of inadequacy and doubt, of tension and pressure, of heartache and distress; instead of running to Xyra for help and reassurance or to Cooker for advice, she dealt with things internally and without catastrophizing. It sounded more impressive than it was, what might have seemed to others as Theo regulating her emotions during a stressful time was more along the lines of Theo pushing most negative thoughts away. All of the emotional learning she had done with Ava, all of the times Ava pulled teeth to get her to open up had vanished. Theo bottled everything up and had just decided to be relaxed, laid back. She was a chill captain, she was a cool captain; no problems or thoughts of anything except what the next sun brought.

The tentative plan for Dricaster had been made earlier on in their voyage and there was not much else aside from the sun to sun tasks that she stressed about. Theo stuck to her routine as a captain, completing her duties and making sure her crew was running efficiently. She helped Morgana train the crew and made sure to do some training by herself or with the vanguard. She spoke to and hung out with the people who came to her, even if those instances were rare with everyone so busy. For the most part, Theo let worries go during their journey; the emotions bubbling just under the surface. It wasn't until she had spoken to Tuni only a few nights before that she had realized just how much she was still dealing with; having put all of her issues on hold.

The suns following her conversation with Tuni were difficult because Theo could no longer operate in the state of nonchalance she had been in. Her mind was constantly cycling through all of the things she had been blissfully removed from for a cycle. It was taking all of her energy to put on a smile and an enthusiastic persona for those around her, for the crew. Now that they were rowing away from the crew with most of their officers, Theo had more of an excuse to not have to be as warm or keen to interact as other times. Her officers knew her well, knew her moods, and could tell when to back off. So that morning when she had been awoken as they anchored and had no need to interact with anyone but those going on the mission, Theo's face and demeanor were stale and everyone knew to fall in line.

Iona and Morgana had offered to row the boat Theo was on and Theo didn't complain. She simply crossed her arms and sat back in the boat, letting them do all the work. Tuni rode along with them in their boat while Oceane, Fjord, Ava, Xyra, and Cooker rode along on the other boat. It was just the eight of them going on the mission and Fjord getting dropped off in town, Pearl and Navi stayed behind to watch after the ships. It was a long trip to shore and Theo spent most of it in silence. It was mainly Morgana's voice dominating the conversation; with occasional input from Iona and Tuni. Theo was staring off towards where the shore was bound to come into sight for the whole trip, and in her mental solitude, she thought of Riva.

Theo's eyes eventually slipped closed as she prayed to Riva. Her prayer often entailed Theo just monologuing about her life and goals and asking for guidance. It had always felt enough, it had always felt like it was well-received. But lately, she couldn't tell. She didn't know if there was anyone even hearing her. Nothing had changed in the past length leading up to this in terms of her worship. If anything, she had spent the last several cycles growing her relationship with Riva. Theo had devoted more time to praying, to meditating, to introspect; so it came as a surprise to her that none of her calls had been answered. Instead of speaking to Theo, instead of coming to her physically in dreams, instead of sending her signs in the waking world, Theo was just sent more flashing dreams with no answers. If it was a test, she was willing to prove herself.

She felt a hand on her thigh, pulling her out from her meditative state. Opening her eyes, she saw Tuni's warm smile and the shore quickly approaching. It had been a while that she had been praying, having tuned out the rest of the world. Theo quickly straightened up and got ready to leap out of the boat and bring it to shore. With the help of the women on the boat, minus Tuni who was too short to help anyway, they were able to easily pull it up onto the shore and bury it under stray branches. Xyra's boat which held the remaining officers that were coming on the mission was still a few hundred feet out but Theo began to walk in the direction of their destination town anyway. That group would be carrying all of their stuff and Theo needed to go at a faster pace than what they would be able to achieve.

"Do we follow?" Iona called out.

Theo spared a glance over her shoulder and shouted back, "Mor, with me. The others can wait for Xy or come with me, I don't care."

Morgana took the instructions without hesitation and jogged over to where Theo was walking. She quickly caught up and Theo kept a quick pace, trying to traverse the miles left til the town was upon them as fast as possible. They couldn't afford even a single minute of waiting around or being off task. It was still a four sun journey to Dricaster with only four suns left until the ball. As Theo walked, she began to think once again about their tardiness. They were due in Corinspe within the next few suns but that was a deadline they would never meet. They still had around a cycle left, with good winds and calm waters, until they would be docking in Corinspe. That was given that nothing in Dricaster went wrong. In other words, they were about to be really fucking late.

Already knowing they would be late because of all of the waiting they had done for Xyra, Theo sent a letter to Corinspe from the rendezvous point. She had explained the situation to Uncilo about having to wait for Xyra, she mentioned that they had found a few clues that could help, and they would be on their way as soon as possible. She requested for the meeting to be postponed until her return, which she expected to be within a cycle of the previously stated meeting. She didn't think her request would be denied, it wasn't often that pirates were on time to meetings called. There were times where the required annual meeting would be postponed for two cycles so everyone could get there. It was the worry of what her enemies could do with that time that made her anxious.

Theo's pace slowed slightly once she saw the outer signs of the city. Her face was beaded with sweat as it slowly dripped down onto her shirt. Morgana audibly praised her god, Derwi, when Theo slowed down, looking over she could see Morgana's usually pale face was bright red with effort. She slowed down enough for Morgana to be able to catch her breath before they reached the center of town, where they expected to find transportation to Dricaster. According to the plan, Morgana was the point person for this section of the mission, securing passage.

Morgana was the best haggler and had a way with people, with her highly charismatic personality. Theo, Cooker, and Xyra had to take to the shadows for most of this mission, their faces too known to risk being recognized. It usually wasn't a problem but with the circumstances they were in, they were trying to be careful; a bounty hunter or disgruntled local could always ruin things for them. So as they approached the busier part of town, Theo slipped into an alleyway and let Morgana go do her thing.

It must have been quite a bit of haggling because it was a while before Morgana came back out and gave Theo the go-ahead. The group that was left behind had long since caught up to them and the group tried to call as little attention as they could on their way to the carts that Morgana had organized for them. There were three of them, looking more like wagons than carts, with a tarp tented over the back of the vehicle. Morgana explained to Theo that two of the carts were for them and the other was for those transporting them. With no time to spare, they had to ride overnight and the people taking them were taking their own cart so their drivers could rest in shifts.

Theo didn't like the attention a caravan would bring but they had no choice. Theo hoped that with the constituency ball coming up, the roads to Dricaster would be filled with similar groupings of vehicles. Plus, the covers were a large benefit to shield them from prying eyes. As they walked, Morgana handed back over the sack of coins she was given to pay and it felt extremely light.

"Oi," Theo frowned and held up the pouch, "this is less than half of what I gave you."

Morgana shrugged, "Talking them down to 200 was the best I could do, Captain."

"200 fucking gold?!" Theo stopped in her tracks then lowered her voice when she realized she was being loud, "200 gold? I should've gone myself."

Theo shook her head and climbed onto a cart once the first one came into reach of her. She shouldn't have been that hard on Morgana but 200 gold was already over their budget and an outrageous price for the service. Sure, they were asking for a lot of time on the road but 150 would have sufficed. Usually, she wasn't that cheap but the gold they had on hand was limited and Viv was greedy.

She walked to the cart she intended to sit in and passed by Oceane saying goodbye to her brother. She patted both of them on the beach before hopping into her cart and giving them privacy. Before sitting down, Theo peeked her head back out and whistled to catch Xyra's attention. Xyra looked over at Theo, who wordlessly nodded her head inside the cart, telling Xyra that they were riding together. Xyra wrapped up her conversation with a pat on Iona's shoulder and a quick goodbye before she obeyed commands and climbed into the cart with Theo. After Xyra, Cooker climbed in, already speaking about something no one was even paying attention to anyway. Theo had to hold in the roll of her eyes, she was not in a good mood that morning.

As the others filed into their own carts, Ava hopped into Theo's by process of elimination; the other four having taken all the room in the other cart. It probably wasn't smart to have the four highest-ranking officers in one vehicle but Theo had no energy to correct them and by the time she thought of it, the carts were already on the move. None of them spoke to each other as the wheels began to turn over slightly uneven roads. They were jostled from side to side, listening to clanking of all of their belongings against each other. Cooker, who had entered the cart chatting, had caught onto the vibe that Xyra and Theo were giving out; a very tense and unwelcoming one. Ava, like Cooker, had probably figured it was also best to shut up. After a while, Xyra pulled out a book and Cooker did the same. Leaving Ava and Theo with nothing to do.

After another while of silence and boredom with Theo doing nothing but crossing her arms and sulking in the corner, she finally curled up on her side.

"If anyone wants to doze off, make sure there is someone awake and keeping watch before you do so," Theo spoke for the first time, shocking everyone by breaking the barrier of silence. She removed her coat and draped it over herself, creating a cocoon to sleep in. Sleep didn't come, or at least it came and went very easily. There was not a period longer than five minutes that she actually managed to fall asleep, the bumps in the road and the conversation that eventually was struck up by Cooker and Ava prevented her from doing so.

By mid aftermorning, after being sleepless under her coat for hours, Theo had forgotten what she was angry and in a mood about. Theo thought maybe it was that her mind was angry at her for resurfacing all of the stress after a sabbatical. Or maybe she was being moody on purpose as payback to Xyra and Cook for being all absent and weird on their trip so far. But after hours of being moody under a hot coat, Theo was ready to emerge into society again with less of an attitude.

So she did. The coat was pulled away from her and she sat up to find Xyra asleep, with Cooker and Ava still speaking. Theo didn't join the conversation but she actively listened; laughing or snorting if it was called for. That night, they didn't stop for dinner, just shared jerky between them, and any breaks they needed to take for the bathroom were strategically figured out while on the moving cart. Theo's body ached in a way it hadn't for quite some time. The road was not pleasant and she had regretted any feelings of excitement for this mission, she would take the sea over this torture in an instant.

A few hours after sunset, they took their first break. They had stopped at a small town to switch out the horses, their hired transporters having to get creative with how they managed to keep their caravan moving nonstop. With the ease in which the horses were switched, Theo figured this wasn't the first trip of the sort the people had made. After a very quick stretch and a trip to the brush, everyone piled back into their respective vehicles, no one having switched carts yet.

Theo let the others sleep while she took first watch, her intermittent sleeping before had given her enough energy to take the first shift. It was hours spent meditating and praying, trying to maybe find a spark or a clue as to what was happening. Eventually, she gave up. Instead, staring at the tarp in front of her and watching the wind form patterns in it. Sometimes, her eyes would drift over to Ava and she would observe her. Her face, when awake, was always so poised; having been probably trained to keep it that way all of her life. But when she slept, her mouth often hung open as small snores came from it. Theo couldn't help but smile every time she looked over. She didn't stare for long, feeling creepy if it had been more than a few minutes.

On one of the times she looked away from staring, Xyra was awake and staring at Theo.

Theo immediately cleared her throat and crossed her arms, "What?"

"Nothing," Xyra shrugged and sat up, pulling the coat she was using as a blanket back around her shoulders. It was the first thing they had said to each other in nearly a cycle, "I'll take the next shift."

Theo nodded but instead of laying down, she locked Xyra into a staring competition, "Why won't you speak to me?"

"We are speaking now."

"Why didn't speak to me when we docked the ships together any of the three times this past cycle," Theo pressed on, "and before you say you did speak to me, I mean besides work. Besides about our duties. We exchanged inventory lists and papers and a few updates but nothing else. No questions about how I was, no entertaining questions about how you were. Why?" Theo frowned as she asked, unable to hide the genuine sadness behind her voice. Theo had been glad the fog of nonchalance had been lifted when it had or she might not have been having the conversation.

"It was a cycle, Theo," Xyra sighed and practically rolled her eyes as she looked away, "we had just gone three without even seeing each other, I thought we were trying to be as efficient on time as we could. Where do needless conversations fit into that?"

"Needless?" Theo scoffed, trying not to show how hurt she was with that simple comment, "what the fuck are you on, Xyra? What's got you acting this way?"

"I am trying to avoid a fucking break down, Captain, so forgive me if I can not put all my attention into you right now," Xyra snapped and the sharpness in her voice made the other two stir, "let's not talk about this here."

"No, we are talking about it," Theo insisted and shifted a bit forward, pointing her finger in Xyra's direction, "whatever you are going through doesn't give you an excuse to hurt your fucking friends, Xyrabellis."

"How am I hurting anyone?!" Xyra began to get increasingly more defensive, losing a bit of her usual calm composure.

The raised voices made Cooker jolt up from her side and take in the situation.

"You are my first mate and my second. You abandoned ship and then didn't even bother to be a friend to me after you did it," Theo crossed her arms, putting as much effort as she could into making her statement a guilt trip.

"I told you I just needed to take a step back when I made the decision to captain the sloop," Xyra argued, "you acted supportive just to jump down my throat about it now?"

"Take a step back from your duties, not from me, not from your best fucking friend. It was only a cycle but how long would you have ignored me if I didn't call you on it," Theo shook her head in disbelief that she even had to sit there and justify why she was sad, "You just cut me off, just like you did with Navi."

"Oi," Cooker spoke up and shifted to try and put herself in the middle of the two, "let's not go there right now, alright? Theo get some rest and then you can talk about it in the morning."

Cooker was trying to deescalate, when Xyra got angry it was never likely to end well. But Theo didn't think Xyra had anything to be angry about so she wasn't going to give in. She pushed Cooker aside.

"You can't blame the fact that you pushed people who love you away because you were trying to stave off a breakdown. It's not an excuse to hurt people," Theo pushed, "we deserve at least a conversation about why you are doing it."

Xyra didn't answer and all of them were stuck in a tense moment. Cooker getting ready to step in again, Theo staring at Xyra, and Xyra looking away, not knowing what to say. It was silent for one minute, two minutes, three minutes, before Theo spoke again.

"I don't know what else is going on with you that you haven't already told me about, but there is something," Theo said and her voice cracked a bit, she felt the tears well up in her eyes for no reason. She felt pathetic, "and I won't push you to tell me what it is because honestly, I don't have the energy to get myself to force you to tell me but whatever it is, I hope you figure it out quick. If not for my sake, for the woman you left at sea."

Theo felt a tear roll down her cheek, a release of all of the pent-up sadness she had from not having had a connection with her best friend in over four cycles at that point, Xyra seemed closer to Ava than her. Which was fine, she wasn't jealous; she was over it. With a sniffle that she tried to hide, Theo curled up and turned her back to Xyra. A bit later, she felt a warm body against her back and long arms wrapping around her.

"I am sorry I made you feel this way, kid," Xyra whispered, "I have got your back... Sorry I left it uncovered for a bit there."

Theo had no energy to argue. Had no energy to push back and question what the sudden change was about. One stern talking to and the problem was solved? It was unlikely that was the case and it was more likely that Xyra was just doing what Theo had been doing and ignoring whatever problems she had. Theo was too tired, emotionally, of half a length of stressors, to reject the sudden comfort from Xyra. It might have been selfish but for the next while, until Xyra was back on her own ship, Theo would not argue with Xyra pushing her feelings away and living in a false sense of being okay if it meant that it got her to be Theo's second again.

With Xyra's arms around her, feeling somewhat connected to her friend for the first time in so long, she was able to fall asleep. But with sleep came the dreams and Theo quickly fell into restlessness.

Flashes of a large estate, fancy dresses, tables, and tables of food filled her dreams. Her mind was running with glimpses of images that she couldn't understand. Suddenly, for the first time in cycles, the flashes stopped and she was standing at the edge of a crowded ballroom floor. Laughter and joy filled her senses as she was stuck in the middle of swarms of dancing people. Theo froze, not knowing where the exit was. She looked around panicked, knowing that her face in the middle of a dancefloor like this, with this many people, would be bound to be recognized.

As she backed away from the floor, eyes still trained on the people dancing, she heard a voice enter her head.

"Stay for a dance. It is alright."

The soft tone was instantly recognizable to Theo. The mellifluous voice brought instant calm to her tensed muscles. It was the first time she had heard Riva's voice in quite some time and Theo listened. She stayed for a dance, stepping forward onto the dance floor to find a partner. As a shadowy figure approached her for a dance, she woke up.

Theo sat up, taking a moment to collect her thoughts and remember where she was at. The light was just beginning to shine into the cart and Theo was relieved to see she had slept through the night, not wanting to be awake on the cart any longer than she had to be. As Theo cracked her back with a noise that could be heard across the continent, she settled back into the small corner she had made for herself. As she relaxed against the jostling cart, her eyes scanned the area to take account of the rest of her travel companions.

Ava was awake, a book in her hands and her gaze set on Theo. Theo flashed her a smile and Ava flashed one back. They stared at each other in silence for a bit, not breaking eye contact. Theo and Ava had spent a good amount of time together in the past cycle and things had been amicable between them. There was inevitable flirting but that was hard to avoid because Theo was a natural flirt and Ava did nothing to stop it. But beyond that, it was all friendly. It didn't keep Theo from thinking about what else could have been happening if they had not put things on hold. She didn't stop thinking about Ava in her arms, Ava on her balcony with just a sheet wrapped around her as they shared a cigarette, Ava running her fingers through Theo's hair as they spoke about their feelings.

As she had done with her emotions since leaving the rendezvous, she pushed any thought of Ava with her out of her head. Theo cleared her throat and motioned to the book, wordlessly asking what it was.

"Oh-uh," Ava said softly and held up the book, "A Quest Forgotten."

Theo chuckled a bit, "Sounds interesting."

"It's not," Ava laughed a bit, keeping it low to not wake the others, "Cook suggested I should take a break between the theory books to reset my mind so I borrowed Xy's book."

"Xyra does have questionable taste in literature,"

"By the caution she gave me about it, I think even this was too awful for her," Ava chuckled and then looked over at the Xyra, her smile dropping a bit, "everything good between you two?"

"Only time will tell," Theo shrugged and sighed, "it's not the first time we've had a tiff... She's just not good with handling emotions and I'm no good with being ignored."

"Aye," Ava's mouth turned up at the corners, "I heard your fit last night."

"It wasn't a fit, I was rightfully upset," Theo frowned.

Ava held her hands up, "No judgment. Simply pointing out that you didn't react well to Xyra's absence."

"I am used to a certain level of being coddled by Xyra and I will demand that attention when it isn't given to me," Theo said with a serious tone then lightened up, smiling and shrugging, "did you sleep well last night?"

"Besides waking up to a fight and being on a bumpy road all night? I suppose it was alright," Ava stated then reached behind her to rub her neck, "fucked my neck though."

"Tell me about it," Theo reached back and pressed a finger into the small of her back, trying to relieve the tenseness that a night in a wooden cart did, "I'm getting fucking old."

"You won't live to be a second older if you keep speaking," Cooker grumbled from her spot in the cart.

"I won't be threatened in my own home," Theo joked and grabbed the nearest item to her, a discarded shoe, and threw it at Cooker.

Xyra, as if sensing a brewing fight, sat up and glared at Theo then said "Cooker, do not dare to retaliate."

"One day she's going to turn up dead and I will not be sorry for doing it," Cooker mumbled and settled back into her comfortable nest she had attempted to make throughout the night.

"Threats of physical violence as my morning wake up," Xyra stretched, "not even on land can we escape the ways of pirates."

"I'm not sharing my jerky with her later," Theo said, facing Cooker as she said it so her voice could carry, "she can starve."

"Take that up with each other when the time comes," Xyra yawned, and the look of exhaustion on her face from a bad night was clear on her face.

"Good Morning," Theo said, turning away from Cooker with a smile. She was a bit harsh the night before and she wanted to make up for it.

"Morning, Theo," Xyra offered a tight smile. Progress was being made.

Because of the threat of Cooker's rage, they all stayed relatively quiet until Cooker finally got up. It was less tense than the sun before. It wasn't a complete turnaround in Xyra the second she woke up, it took her a while to warm up but once she did things got better. Theo might have overreacted the night before and perhaps used Xyra's problems with others to further her point, which might have not been the most ethical thing. But she was a needy monster that Xyra and Cooker had both created; Theo could not be held accountable for being a giant baby when Xyra would get into her moods and ignore everyone.

The sun passed along faster than the last, having silence no longer be an issue in their cart. They stopped a couple of times that sun for less than an hour each time, having switched up the order of people as well. Xyra, however, stayed with Theo, making up for lost time. Neither of them really had anything new to say to each other, both of them being too preoccupied with work to have anything of interest to note; but the company and conversation about miscellaneous things was enough for Theo.

Theo's mood also lightened, having soaked up all of the human interaction she had been missing since their journey to Dricaster had started. She didn't realize how much she needed to be social until she no longer had it. The sun and night passed uneventfully, Theo had half expected a highway robbery but nothing exciting happened. Sleep came to her after she took the first shift and for the first time in a while there were no dreams, just a nightmare that jolted her awake in the morning. It was one of the nightmares that slipped her mind once she paused to think about it; the panic was there but the details were not.

Her body ached and by that time, she was hoping no robbery occurred. She wasn't sure she could even stand without hunching over at that point. Theo had had about enough of land by that third sun and she was ansty to get back to the ocean, her home. The interpersonal tension was absent from that sun, as it was the sun before, but the tension everyone was feeling of getting closer to Dricaster and farther from their ship was settling in. It was the pre-mission strain, an electric feeling.

As sunset approached, the driver of the lead cart informed Theo that they were to arrive in Dricaster within the hour. Theo was thankful for the help those they hired had provided and Theo felt guilty for yelling at Morgana for paying the 200 gold, it was well worth the price. They had even managed to get them to their destination the night before the ball, a whole sun had been cut off from the usual journey. Theo quickly went over the plan that they had all been drilled about for the past cycle.

To avoid contact with anybody that might recognize them, find them too shady, or have a run-in with a bounty hunter- which were sure to be crawling around an event like the constituency ball- they were going straight to the only inn they could go to. Their contacts inland were limited but Theo had a good working relationship with a trader family in Nefriti. Unlike most Nefritian traders, they didn't deal with ugali and thus Theo did not mind doing business with them. One of their hubs was in Dricaster, an inn was run as a cover for their operations and to house any underground business contacts. Theo hoped that the inn was still both open and open to them, given the circumstances.

It was Tuni's job to go in and find out if everything seemed okay, if the inn was safe to enter. She was the one people would not bat an eyelash at. She was small, nimble, no visible tattoos, and she looked pretty harmless. If the inn had been taken over by the authorities, she would be the one that received the least scrutiny about going in. The rest of them would wait outside. Tuni, who had transferred to Theo's cart along with the rest of the crew to go over the mission, confirmed she was ready. All there was to do was wait until their arrival.

Theo refrained from going over anything else they had planned in favor of just calling the shots as they came, they truly could not plan for anything at that moment. Everything was up in the air. The first step was to get a place to stay where they would be safe, the second was to figure out what came next. The jitters everyone had as they started to see the outskirts of the city were felt around the cart. Not only were they on a risky mission, a hundred miles away from their ship, in the middle of the biggest party Neftiti would see in the length; they were in a city larger than they were used to. Rarely anything overwhelmed Theo, but big cities did. Even giant ports along the coasts of Efriiti were nothing compared to the capitals of continents.

But Theo had navigated them before and she would do so again, with confidence. As the time drew near for them to ditch the carts and go their own way, Theo steeled herself. She pushed uncertainty and fear out of her mind in favor of thinking valiantly and positively; hopefully, the effects would pay off. The horses slowly pulled to a stop and they each filed out of the cart and spread in different directions, all taking different routes and different amounts of time to meet up around the inn while Tuni went inside.

Once they were inside the inn, there would be minimal movement until the ball the next night. If they needed to go out, it would be in pairs, heavily disguised, and for only a brief period of time. Even lounging in the tavern area of the inn was prohibited by Theo because while she could guarantee the silence of the inn's owner, she could not say the same for its patrons. Theo walked along the route she had pictured for herself in her head, which gave Tuni plenty of time to secure rooms. As she walked, she took in the scenery. The city had transformed into a festival. Lights that were not there all length-round had been hung up from building to building, there were bright floral arrangements and healthy bushes lining public areas, and the people that were walking around were dressed in a myriad of fancy garbs. Even though the area of the city they were in was considered poorer than most other areas, the people walking the streets seemed affluent, high in station.

It disgusted her. Those with no money were all pushed to this side of town just for their spaces to be once again overtaken by the same part of society that cornered them there in the first place. Theo was glad her hat covered her face because the daggers she was staring at the rich people walking past her would have gotten the guard called on her. Theo slipped into an alleyway, getting away from the bustle of the main road, and began to dart through the city's maze of back streets until she arrived at her destination.

She adjusted her hat on her head and fixed the drab, non-attention calling coat closer around her as she prepared to walk in. There were not many people who looked over when she opened the door to the inn and those that did look over just went back to their own devices. Theo's eyes scanned the room and saw who she was looking for, Tuni standing by the stairs. She made her way over to the staircase and passed straight past Tuni, walking up the first few steps before Tuni followed behind.

"A right at the top of the stairs," Tuni whispered as she followed closely behind, "last door on the left."

Theo didn't answer as she led them to where Tuni had instructed, walking past the rows of rooms until arriving at the one instructed. The bustle from the other side of the room could be heard from a dozen feet away and Theo would have to tell everyone to quiet down when they were bunched in a room together, the last thing they needed was to have someone come knocking and see what was clearly a group of pirates from the Scorned Woman.

Theo walked in and everyone looked over to her before turning back to their conversation. There were two beds in this room, both of them being occupied by people in various stages of sitting. Regularly, splayed out, in an odd angle, half off the bed. The chairs in the room were also being used so Theo hung around the edge of the room, observing everyone. Once Tuni closed the door behind her, she walked to the middle of everyone with keys in her hands.

"We were given four rooms for the eight of us, so we have to double up-"

"I call dibs on rooming with Fortune," Morgana interrupted.

"Aye," Tuni couldn't help but chuckle, nothing Morgana did ever really phased her or anyone else anymore, "Mor and I will take a room together. Which leaves the rest of you. How is this being split up?"

"Iona and I will take a room together, Cooker and Xy, Theo and Red," Oceane stood up from her mangled position on the bed to snatch a key in her hand, "simple."

Iona shrugged and nodded along, "Fine with me."

Oceane took the remaining two keys and handed one to Theo and one to Xyra. Everyone gave each other odd looks but no one spoke up to say anything. Oceane had a gleam in her eye, one that told Theo that it was all part of her plan. Oceane had been vocal during their journey that it was her mission to see Red and Theo together again. Ava's cheeks were slightly pink, she had caught wind of Oceane's intentions too. But, Ava kept quiet and didn't reject the arrangement that was made for her and so Theo didn't either. She had no business with Xyra or Cooker anymore, both of them having given her plenty of attention to make up for any lost time so Theo had no need to strategically place herself with either of them.

Theo flipped the key around in her hand, inspecting its craftwork, before handing it to Ava. She looked up at Theo and Theo offered her a smile and the key; finalizing the sleeping arrangement, "You should hold onto this. I can't be trusted with keys."

Ava gave her own smile in return and pocketed the key, "I will protect it with my life."

Theo shook her head with a large smile spreading across her lips as she looked back to the room at large, "Alright, everyone needs to keep the noise down. Remember, there is no leaving the area our rooms are in until it's time to shop for clothes tomorrow, I will come by your rooms and release you in pairs, only one pair out at a time so your shopping needs to be quick. If you need anything at all, Tuni is your person for that. She will be by everyone's rooms after sunset to bring everyone up food from the tavern. Everyone understand?"

"The way you deliver your speeches is too harsh sometimes," Cooker complained but her tone didn't indicate seriousness, "we are being locked in our rooms with nothing to do and there is no consolation in your voice."

"I forgot that you are incapable of being alone with yourself or your thoughts and one night without a party feels like a death sentence," Theo looked over with a slight smirk, "my condolences."

"You would be a horrible parent," Cooker huffed.

"Good thing I have no plans on being one," Theo dismissed the conversation with Cooker and looked back at everyone else, "if that is all, everyone go find your rooms and get rest before clustering together, Captain's orders."

Everyone broke and went to find their rooms, Theo going to find hers as well.

------

The window in Xyra's room faced the alleyway, nothing but the stone building across from them was visible. If Xyra got really close to it, she could peer down and see the mischief occurring in the shaded area in between the two structures. But Xyra preferred to give the alleyway delinquents their privacy and instead just stood in front of the window staring at the textured wall across from them. Cooker was fast asleep on her bed, not having gotten much rest on the carts. Xyra was exhausted too, her body ached and her mind was numb from the suns of endless travel cooped up in a small cart. She had time to catch a quick nap but she figured it would be useless, there was no way her brain would allow her to sleep.

Xyra had been having a rough cycle, ever since she had returned to the rendezvous. Seeing Theo again made it all more real, the secret weighed heavier on her chest. That triggered thoughts of the future when she would not only be hurting Theo but also Navi, who were both blindly trusting her. So Xyra had been doing what she did best, pulling away from people. For some reason, having control over how she hurt people, having a handle on the narrative, was better than letting play it out.

The thing Xyra never considered, no matter how many times throughout her life she employed the push and pull away strategy, was that people cared about her too much. Hurting them by distancing herself only made them chase after her harder, get more hurt. So, Xyra had to change course. She wasn't sure how she was going to patch things up with Navi but with Theo, she had already made the effort and it seemed to be paying off. But the tumultuous relationships she had with those closest to her was not the only thing keeping her awake. The next thing on their task list was what was really at the forefront of her mind.

She had to go see her family, more specifically, she had to convince her brother to somehow allow them access into the main venue of the ball. For someone like her brother, who was obsessed with reclassification and could risk nothing going wrong, it would be a large ask to have him sneak her and Theo in. The risk of getting caught with two well-known and wanted pirates would not only get him in jail but it would likely lead to her family's last name and status as a lesser house being taken from them come reclassification. It was rare that someone with a lesser last name was invited to the big noble estate for the party but her brother had gotten in with their greater house a while back and all greater houses had a few ball invitations to give out. Asking her brother to get her in wouldn't be hard, getting him to let Theo come too would be.

The thought of not only having to ask for that but also the thought of getting caught and ruining things for her family was making her nervous. Not because she gave a fuck about her family's status, but because she didn't want to see them dead or in jail, with the kids in the family getting sent to an orphanage. Her chest became tighter with every minute that passed and she was actively fighting against freezing up. Staring out of the window, willing her mind to go blank, was the only way she was not curled up and unable to breathe.

Everyone else was over in the room next to theirs, Xyra could hear them laughing and chatting. Going over there and socializing, however, was the last thing Xyra wanted to do. So, when Cooker said she was going to hang back for a nap, Xyra used that excuse as well. Theo let them retire to their room with the promise to wake them up when it was time for the both of them to go visit Xyra's family; they were just waiting on Tuni to finish ordering and delivering food to those staying. It would be Cooker and Xyra, like it usually was, with Theo staying back. Her family was not too fond of the pirate captain, blaming her for taking Xyra away from them, even though that was far from the case. Well, it was less her whole family and just her brother.

The window she was intently staring out of started to become decorated with rain. She was no longer forced to look at a drab wall and she soon became entranced with the dance the drops had with each other, all the way to the bottom of the window. She didn't know how long she had been standing still, looking out, but she remembered hearing those in the other room cheer at the arrival of food. It was only a matter of time until Theo would come knocking but Xyra was still not prepared when it happened. The knock at the door came and Cooker made no sign of moving out of what had turned into a deep slumber.

Xyra sighed, already annoyed with the prospect of having to wake a sleeping beast. She turned away from the window and to the door, opening it to find Theo on the other side. The captain offered her a sad smile, an understanding look on her face. She knew how much going to see family weighed on Xyra, and with the added stakes it was even less fun of a trip. Xyra flashed a dejected smile back and then let Theo walk in.

"You are going to have to wake her," Xyra nodded her head in Cooker's direction, "I am the one that is going to have to put up with her for the next few hours, I cannot have her be cross with me."

Theo looked over to Cooker with a frown, just as hesitant to wake her up as Xyra was. Theo looked back to Xyra instead, "Or, I can just go with you?"

Xyra knit her eyebrows together, "Why would you do that?"

"When I'm around, you get cut more slack," Theo shrugged with a small smile, meaning what she had said but clearly uncomfortable at the prospect of having to go through with it, "plus, I'm the one that is going in with you. Might as well go with you to make the request."

"If you are sure..." Xyra said, much rather having Theo come than Cooker. Cooker was much loved by Xyra's family and at times, Xyra felt second to her in her own territory; mostly because of her brother. It would be good to have Theo there.

"I'm sure. Can't promise I won't try and beat your brother's ass but I can promise to attempt and control myself," Theo joked and Xyra rolled her eyes.

"There will likely be children around and they are old enough to understand threats of violence and curse words," Xyra reminded Theo, "please keep both of those things to a minimum."

Xyra and Theo walked out together and closed the door to leave Cooker sleeping. Theo was heading towards the stairs but Xyra grabbed onto the collar of her shirt and yanked her back.

"You are not wearing the proper clothes," Xyra pointed out and pushed Theo towards her room, "go change."

"Xyra, I'm fine. It's just drizzling out," Theo didn't attempt to go back towards the stairs but she didn't go towards her room either, "what I'm wearing is fine. My hat's all I need."

"Coat. Now," Xyra pointed in the direction of Theo's room.

Theo stomped one of her feet as she turned on her heels with a huff, marching towards her room to obey orders. Theo eventually came back with a coat and they walked out into the rain. The streets where they were staying were made of dirt and the rain mixed with it turned into a thick mud, squelching under their feet. It was several minutes of walking before they were on a stone street, their caked shoes leaving prints on the gray under them just to be washed away by the rain.

Xyra led the way, aware of where her family was staying because her brother had informed her the last time she visited. He had assumed that Xyra would be more willing to finally take him up on his offer of attending the constituency ball because he had managed to book one of the most expensive hotels in the city, but he had assumed wrong. Lucky for her, listening to his bragging about his success at wooing the owner to allow him to override another family's booking paid off. They were staying at The Garden Oasis and Xyra knew exactly where it was; one of her first jobs for Uncilo was there.

They both kept their heads down, Theo's face covered by her hat and Xyra's coat hood raised up. It was raining which meant that getting stopped or any trouble arising because they looked suspicious was at a minimum. It wasn't a long walk by any means, the luxury of the city and the poverty it benefitted from manifested itself as side-by-side neighborhoods. A visual juxtaposition of Baethan life. Once they arrived at the hotel, Xyra had to push Theo along, the captain had gotten caught up in the sheer grandiosity of the place.

The Garden Oasis was not one central building as much as it was an open air complex. Many villas and multi-storied buildings were littered across the grounds with a lush garden filling up the spaces in between the structures. The gardens were not limited to just patrons of the establishment but to the people living and visiting the area which made it easy for them to slip in. Xyra wanted to avoid having anyone trace her steps back there or put her family at risk so she avoided going into the main building and asking for directions to the Xandres room. Instead, she used her deduction skills to narrow down the possibilities.

She remembered her brother mentioning that they were staying in a villa, which narrowed it down to five buildings. From her mission when she was younger, she remembered the first two villas held the two targets she was after. It was almost half a classification before then but Xyra rarely forgot anything so she trusted her memory when it told her those two villas had only two rooms. Her family would need at least four rooms. That left three villas but one of them was the one in the private area of the gardens, reserved for only nobles and greater houses. Her family would be in one of the two villas placed in the dead center of the compex.

Which one it was, she couldn't tell. Xyra led them to the center of the gardens, which was a mission in itself. The intricate layout made it more like a maze than a leisurely stroll through lush scenery. They both stopped a few dozen feet away from the villas Xyra pointed out to be the potential ones her family was in. They had no choice but to hang back and observe. Luckily with a villa full of rambunctious kids, their presence was noticed quickly. Through the open windows of one of the villas, she caught a glimpse of children running around and the noise of their laughter filled the area. Xyra tapped Theo on the shoulder and let her know they were moving in, their target had been located.

Xyra looked around to make sure no one was watching as they walked in front of the villa and knocked. It was a few moments before the door opened, but there was no one standing in front of Xyra. Looking down, she saw a young girl with straight black hair like her own, and large brown eyes looking up at Xyra. Xyra couldn't help but grin, cheek to cheek, as she bent down.

"Hasn't mama told you not to open the door when she is not around?" Xyra asked and a glint of mischief flashed across the little girl's face.

"Maisie, who is at the door?" a voice coming from inside sounded exasperated, "I have told you countless times to not do-"

The voice cut off as the door opened and Xyra saw her sister standing in front of her. There was a moment between them of disbelief on her sister's part. There were a handful of things she was holding that were promptly dropped to the ground.

"Belle," her sister said and threw her arms around Xyra. Xyra hugged back, taking a moment to feel the genuine content her sister was displaying at seeing her.

"Agnes," Xyra said as she pulled away, "we should step inside."

"Yes. Yes, of course," Agnes made space to let both Theo and Xyra through and as Xyra stepped in, she could hear Theo and Agnes exchanging pleasantries.

"Bee," a voice said from behind her and her niece that had opened the door, Maisie, was looking up at her.

Xyra turned around and squatted down again and opened her arms, Maisie ran into them and Xyra laughed as she picked the little girl up. She had grown so much even since the last time Xyra had visited, which wasn't long ago. At five lengths old, she was the oldest of the bunch.

"Well hello, Maisie," Xyra spoke as she walked further into the villa, "have you been behaving for your mama like you promised you would last time I was here?"

Maisie didn't say anything, she just buried her face in Xyra's neck as she giggled. Xyra hadn't smiled so hard in a while.

"She hasn't'!" Agnes called out from behind her and then walked into the other rooms, "kids! Aunt Belle is here! Come say hi!"

Xyra tutted her tongue and rubbed Maisie's back, "I am not too happy with hearing you have been bad."

"Sorry, Bee," Maisie sighed, keeping her face buried, "do I still get coins?"

Xyra had promised her that good behavior would earn her gold colds. Xyra was about to have to break her little heart and say she didn't follow instructions so there would be no coins but she was cut off by small bundles of energy attacking her. A cacophony of her name being called triggered Maisie to flop around in her arms in hopes of being set down to join the others in their attacks. Xyra set down her niece and began to pick her twin nephews, three lengths old and loud as hell. They squealed as she picked them up and jostled them around, Maisie and her other niece Florence were stuck to her legs.

For a few minutes, she played with them, ignoring everything else that needed to be done. Xyra, much to most everyone's surprise, loved children. And her nieces and nephews were no exception. But even with the endurance, stamina, and strength that Xyra possessed, she was worn out in no time. She crashed back against the couch that was in the main room and let herself be crawled over.

Theo walked over and attempted to help, saving her friend from death by children. That proved to be a mistake and the kids were all too happy to jump on Theo, who they rarely saw. Any opportunity to traumatize a near stranger and they would take it. Xyra made no such move to help Theo, finding it entertaining to make Theo do something she loathed, be with children. As the kids were distracted, Agnes came over to sit on the couch next to Xyra and another woman walked over to their area as well. It was her sister-in-law, Farrah. Xyra stood up to greet her and was met with a large hug.

"Belle, it is so good to see you again," Farrah said into the hug, "are you doing alright? Staying safe?"

"As safe as I can be, aye," Xyra smiled at her as she pulled away and sat back down on the couch, finally helping Theo out by taking Florence out of the mix and bouncing her in her lap.

"I don't mean to sound rude but why are you here? It's just very unexpected," Farrah said and from anyone else, she would have taken it badly but Farrah never meant any harm. In fact, she was the one that convinced her brother to speak to her again after he found out what she did for a profession.

"To speak with Quinlin, is he around?" Xyra asked, craning her head to see if she spotted him hiding from her in a corner.

"He should have been hours ago," Farrah sighed and then shook her head, trying to dispel any feelings about him working late, "he's right out in the main building at the bar with our Lord. He was invited and just couldn't say no, not even to spend it with his family. Even though he's been out every night we've been here."

Agnes reached out and rubbed her back with a knowing frown, Farrah's failed attempts to convince Quinlin to put his family first made her sad and Agnes was well equipped to handle it; knowing just how it felt.

"I am sorry my brother is the way he is," Xyra offered her consolation, "If it is all the same to you, we will just stay and wait for him."

"Please, Belle, stay for as long as you like," Farrah smiled and stood up, "I should put on some tea and ring for some snacks to be brought over."

With the speed only an experienced host could have, Farrah was off. Xyra turned her attention to her sister, who Maisie had crawled back to after being tired out. Theo was still stumbling around the room trying to fend off two feral boys but no one paid her any mind.

"Your husband?" Xyra asked as she leaned back on the couch, not masking the disdain in her voice that dripped through the question.

"Out," Agnes said and Xyra could see the mist in her eyes from welling up tears, "not sure where. He's just... out."

The frown on Agnes' face was one of focus, trying to keep in the tears. Xyra placed Florence on the ground and then pulled Maisie off her mom's lap.

"Mais, take your sister and go see if your Auntie Rah needs any help, alright?" Xyra watched as the girls took their mission to heart and sped off to go find their aunt. Xyra scooted a bit off the couch so she was able to properly face Agnes, holding their hands together, "you say the word and he's gone, Ag."

"Belle," Agnes scoffed and pulled her hands away, "don't be crass."

"Agnes, I am not messing about," Xyra reached up and gently turned her sister to face her, "I can make it seem like it was an accident, a disgruntled woman he solicits. You will be happier, you don't need to worry about money, you can do whatever you please. I have more than enough to support you."

Agnes placed her hands on Xyra's cheeks and shook her head, "Sister, stop. That is not what I want. The children need a father, he may have room to grow as a husband but he is good to my kids."

Xyra nodded and grabbed Agnes' wrists and pulled them off her face but held them firmly, "Promise me if he ever wrongs you in a way that is unforgivable, you will send for me."

"I promise," Agnes said and they shared a long stare before their attention was pulled by a loud crash.

Xyra whipped her head over to see Theo on the ground, with a toppled over chair and the twins on top of her. Xyra decided she would finally do more to help, she stood up and took back over with the twins, taking them outside to the small private garden that was in the middle of the villa. It was an hour of playing with them outside, the girls having joined eventually as well, before they were tuckered out enough to be put to bed. Xyra offered to take care of putting the kids to bed and their mothers looked more than relieved at the promise of someone else helping them for once.

There were times that Xyra wanted to have children of her own, her own little family. When the boys would laugh at her antics, when Florence would ask questions that were more babble than anything, when Maisie put her head on Xyra's shoulder. But there were other times when she was thankful that children of her own were not something that seemed to be in her future, putting the kids to bed was one of those times. It was near impossible to get one in bed without the other crawling out. Her back hurt and sweat was dripping down her spine by the time they were all in bed and asleep. Xyra came back to the main room to Farrah asleep on the couch, curled up with a blanket. Theo and Agnes were hanging out in the middle garden area Xyra had been entertaining the children in earlier, both of them sharing a cigarette of a substance Xyra couldn't quite make out from the smell alone.

Xyra hung back for a minute, not immediately making her way out to the private garden with them, she wanted to observe. They were close together, less than a foot of distance between them as the smoke curled around them. Theo's back was to Xyra but her body language said it all. She was leaning up against a pillar, head tilted to the side like she did when she was paying attention to someone. A laugh was shared between them and Xyra watched as Agnes placed her hand over Theo's forearm while she laughed, before pulling it away. Xyra could see Agnes' face and the expression of desire was clear on her face, slightly upturned lips into a smirk, suggestive eyes, and a hand that lingered on Theo's when they exchanged the cigarette.

Xyra was about to physically insert herself in the situation, get right in between the two of them and ruin whatever the fuck was going on there but Farrah called her attention. She shuffled around on her spot on the couch and Xyra turned around to face her.

Farrah was now sitting up, rubbing her eyes and trying to keep them open. With a yawn she asked, "Is he home yet?"

"Neither of them are," Xyra said in reference to both her brother and brother-in-law, "want me to help you up to your room?"

"No, I should stay here and wait for him," Farrah gave Xyra an appreciative smile but it was sad, lengths of disappointment behind it.

"Has waiting done anything for you?" Xyra found herself asking, breaking her rule of trying not to intrude in those whose lives she wasn't heavily involved with. But Farrah was sweet, she deserved better, she deserved to be talked to by someone who wouldn't tell her that her life's duty was to her husband.

"Excuse me?" Farrah's eyebrows scrunched together, "I don't know what you mean, Belle."

"Does staying up and waiting for him make him come home earlier?" Xyra crossed her arms, finding herself entering into territory that was more up Theo or Cooker's alley, "Does putting your body through hours in uncomfortable places not meant for sleep, skipping out on precious rest time, and waiting on him hand and foot get him to be the husband you want him to be?"

Farrah seemed taken aback with how direct she was. It was not often Xyra brought her actual personality to the table with her family, intense and blunt. Farrah didn't seem to have ever gotten talked to so seriously about Quinlin before, never had someone blame him for not coming home, not her.

"Belle, are you suggesting I just stop caring for my husband? For your brother?" Farrah asked, fully awake then.

"You both made a commitment to each other when you had your union ceremony. It goes both ways. He promised to be there for you and your family and you promised to support him. It seems like only one person here is holding up their end of the agreement," Xyra pointed out.

"And what do you suggest I do, Belle? Leave him?" Farrah shook her head, "we can't just all have a perfect life out at the sea, free to do what we please. Some of us have to abide by rules, by conventions."

"I am not suggesting you leave him. I am suggesting to stop trying so hard for nothing in return," Xyra walked closer to Farrah, "I am probably the only one that will ever tell you this and you may think I am insane for suggesting this concept but your life does not have to revolve around being a perfect wife who shuts up and takes it. You are allowed to be angry with him and let him know that. You are allowed to demand an equal emotional partnership."

"And if he doesn't like that? If he thinks it's not worth the hassle and he leaves?" Farrah shook her head and looked down at her hands, "Or worse, I end up like Agnes. Knowing he's going to come home smelling like another person."

Xyra's heart hurt at that one, she spared a glance over to her sister who was still outside. She wanted to take her away from Nefriti, out into the world. Find her a nice place to live with the kids, somewhere where she could learn how to be happy instead of constantly worried and sad.

Xyra turned back to Farrah, "I know my brother loves you, he would not leave you. And if not for love, think of the social consequences of that. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that."

"Comforting," Farrah said sarcastically.

Xyra sighed, pulling back the harshness and changing course. She softened her tone, to appear empathetic and sat next to Farrah on the couch, "I do not claim to know the struggles you go through as a mother or a wife. I know it is not something I could accomplish as well as you have but if there is a time you want to give up your job, I can help with that."

"Belle..." Farrah looked up at Xyra and then away, shaking her head with a sigh. She didn't push back against the concept or scold Xyra for bringing it up.

"I know places on every continent in Baethos that I could take you, and Agnes, and the kids to," Xyra put her hand on Farrah's thigh, calling her attention back to Xyra, "I could provide gold for you, visit often, help you get settled, find you employment. My name goes a long way in some circles, Farrah."

Farrah hesitated. She didn't say no. She didn't stand up and walk away. She didn't look disturbed. Xyra had made a breakthrough, or at least she believed she had. She didn't push the topic any further, she had said what she needed to and meddled enough. Xyra stood up from the couch and offered Farrah her hand, "I will stay here and wait for him. I can let him know that it was me who sent you off to bed, I will tell him I insisted."

Farrah took Xyra's hand and stood up. She placed a hand on Xyra's cheek and shook her head, "The way Quinlin speaks about your mother... You have her heart."

Farrah slipped her hand away and walked to her room, out of sight. Xyra touched her cheek where the touch lingered and she closed her eyes to let out a deep breath. Xyra's heart was not what she was known for. Her mother was empathetic and kind yet steadfast in her opinions. She had a heart of pure gold. Farrah didn't know Xyra that way Xyra knew herself, Farrah couldn't see the lack of a heart Xyra really had, Farrah didn't understand the things that Xyra had done in her life. Xyra was nothing like her mother, but she relished the compliment. Knowing how demonstrably false it was didn't stop her from taking it to heart, didn't stop it from hitting her right in the gut. Even if it wasn't true, she would let herself have that.

With the room going quiet once again, Xyra was able to hear Theo speaking. Turning around to face them, she saw Agnes' hand on Theo's arm, pointing to one of the tattoos on Theo's rolled up sleeve. She remembered her objective and rushed to the open glass door, peeking her head out, "Ag, one of your children is calling for you. I think Flor."

"Let me go attend to that," Agnes smiled and pulled her hand away from Theo, letting it drag across the captain's arm before walking past Xyra and inside.

"Her kid wasn't calling her," Theo said as she turned around, Xyra able to clearly see the smirk on her face, "I can tell when you're bluffing."

Xyra took two large steps forward, enough to get within range of Theo, before reaching out and pinching her. Theo jumped back a little and rubbed her arm.

"Ow!" Theo frowned and kicked towards Xyra who easily dodged it, "the fuck is your deal?"

"Stop flirting with my sister," Xyra snapped.

"I'm not flirting with your sister," Theo's smirk returned and she took two steps back to get away from Xyra in case there was another attack, "we were just having lovely conversation."

"Your body language and the laughs coming from here indicate something different."

"I'm just naturally a nice person, some take that as flirting and do it back. I can't control other people," Theo shrugged.

"She is married," Xyra reminded.

"Hasn't stopped me before," Theo laughed and tumbled back as Xyra lunged after her. Theo's shirt was gripped and Xyra dragged her close.

"Hands and eyes off my sister," Xyra threatened, their faces closer together. Theo's cocky demeanor was fueled by riling Xyra up and she needed to stop giving in. Xyra let her go and rolled her eyes, "I cannot take you anywhere, you feral little animal."

"Are we talking like a weasel or more like an unhinged rat?" Theo asked as Xyra made her way back inside. Theo followed, "I could get behind both but I would prefer to know what you are comparing me to."

Xyra was about to respond when the door opened and her brother was standing on the other side of it. His shirt was untucked from his pants and his hair was messy, he looked unkempt and like he had spent a night at the bar; which he had. His face lit up for a second and then a confused look came across his face. That was quickly replaced with a frown as his eyes trailed from Xyra to Theo. He stepped inside and closed the door.

"Belle," Quinlin said with a tight nod and then looked at Theo, "you."

"A little bit of civility wouldn't hurt, y'know," Theo retorted.

"Theo, could you let Agnes know that our brother has arrived home and then make yourself scarce after that?" Xyra looked over at Theo who rolled her eyes but did as Xyra asked, removing herself from the conversation before fists started to fly between a pirate captain and a highly underqualified civilian.

"What are you thinking, bringing her around here," Quinlin yanked off his coat in a huff and threw it over the couch.

"I am here to ask a favor of you and she is a part of that favor. She is here in case you have any questions for her," Xyra explained.

"I will not have any."

"Then I apologize for bringing her," Xyra bowed her head and then looked at her brother again, "May we speak?"

Quinlin looked tense, angry, and somewhat drunk. Maybe Xyra should have thought twice before allowing Theo to come, her sisters loved the captain but her brother would not hesitate to have her arrested or killed given the chance. The only reason it never happened was because he knew he would never see Xyra again. And while Quinlin was disapproving of her lifestyle, career choices, and who she chose for company, he was still trying to get her back one sun. Quinlin believed there was a chance in which Xyra would agree to come back home, to his home. That home that hadn't been hers since she was seven.

In fact, there was never a time where Xyra had considered coming back. She never considered leaving Theo and Cooker, leaving the sea, leaving piracy. The sun she left home, she didn't look back, accidentally stumbling across a hungry girl in an alleyway had paid off and she had made her own family during a time where she felt she didn't have one.

Xyra had left home not expecting it to be different than any other time she did. Her mother had just passed, it had been less than half of a cycle since it had happened and Xyra had wanted to do nothing else but go find her. For some reason, she didn't believe Quinlin when he had told her that their mother had died in the hospital. Xyra had wanted to go see her, wanted to go let her know that they weren't letting Xyra come visit her. She was young, her brain couldn't wrap around the idea that her mother wasn't physically sick. There was nothing wrong with her that would have caused her to die so suddenly, in between hospital trips. So, Xyra set out to go visit her.

Except, she was seven, she had no sense of direction. She had made it only ten minutes away from her house before she was utterly lost. The panic had been rising in her with every minute that passed, the streets looking more and more unfamiliar to her. Xyra had been told to never speak to strangers so she was too scared to ask anyone for help. Unable to find her way to the hospital or back home, Xyra slipped into an alleyway, curling in on herself in despair. Until a short, messy-haired girl that looked like she had spent cycles on the streets came to comfort her from the shadows of that same alleyway. The rest was history, she never went back home and her family presumed her dead.

It wasn't until Xyra was about eleven, four lengths after leaving, that she came back. The reactions were mixed, her sisters were elated. She had never even met Farrah before, having come into the family after Xyra left, yet was welcome with open arms. They gushed over her and what had originally been a quick stop on her way back from a mission turned into half a cycle there. Her brother, however, was furious with her. While her sisters understood she was just a scared child and didn't feel as if her home was her own, her brother blamed her for the grief she had caused in her absence.

It was lengths before he was able to have a normal conversation with her without bringing it up or getting angry. It made her sad to see him react the way he did to her, she knew her parents would have been disapproving. Her father was rigid, disciplined, strict; but he was never angry. He never used his words or actions to provoke negative emotions, he was restrained and calm. Seeing her brother react to conflict and stress the way he did also distrubed her because it was like holding up a mirror, she wasn't able to handle her negative emotions either. If it wasn't shutting down, it was getting angry. They were much too similar.

Quinlin had moved to a small table and was pouring out a drink for himself. Grabbing it, he turned and walked towards the middle garden; completely ignoring Xyra's question. Xyra shook her head and clenched her fists trying to be civil about everything, after calming herself she followed him out.

"Quinlin, I need to talk to you," Xyra insisted and once they were outside, Quinlin doubled back and closed the door behind them.

"What is it you want?" Quinlin asked, bringing the drink up to his mouth. He had come home drunk; but she didn't mention that.

"First, I need to know if they came to you offering a deal," Xyra said, alluding to The Center's men. She was trying to avoid a situation like the one with Oceane. It wasn't something she was worried about but it was something she needed to address.

Her brother furrowed his brows in concern, "Who? Am I in danger?"

"You are not in danger," Xyra said, it was a lie. She had no way to tell if he was, or where danger would appear, "do not worry about it."

Xyra didn't think her brother had been approached by anyone, it didn't register on his face. Her brother had no way to control panic. Had there been a plan, it would have registered on his face. It wasn't as if she expected someone to have approached him, no one really knew her birth name, nor where she came from. She was private for a reason, no one really knew who she was aside from vague details that were often wrong. Cooker and Theo were the only ones that knew alot about her and that was only because they had lived through it with her. Navi was privy to some things, but she would never breathe a word to anyone.

The Center might have been good, and the rat might have known enough about the crew to have jeopardized some of their families but Xyra had been careful all of her life. There was no way that the Center would have been able to trace her back to her family. The details Xyra let people in on were usually lies, meant to sow a false identity. And it had worked, her origins were a mystery and it had saved her family so far. Between her secrecy and the lack of reaction from Quinlin, Xyra was positive they were in the clear.

"So, why are you here, Belle?" Quinlin had put his glass down on a metal, decorative table and crossed his arms.

"I need you to take me to the ball," Xyra said and Quinlin's shoulders lost their tension for a second before tightening again at Xyra's next statement, "Theo and I need to get in, it is for a mission of ours."

"Are you insane?" Quinlin scoffed and physically waved her off before grabbing his drink again.

"I will not cause a fuss, we will be in and out. Barely a half hour is what I need," Xyra promised.

"Absolutely not, Xyrabellis," Quinlin shook his head in disbelief, "you are asking me to bring in a pirate who has a ten thousand gold bounty on her head into a place crawling with every important politician on the continent. It is political suicide."

Xyra flinched at the word being used so casually by her brother. It wasn't a word that Xyra was fond of, the feeling it dredged up was never pleasant, "I would not be asking if I did not really need it. Please, brother."

Once again, she was met with a shaking head, "I won't risk it. I have worked so hard. To be discovered as the one who snuck you in would be treason. I would be stripped of our last name. Our legacy."

Xyra frowned at those words. It was not her last name, it was not her legacy. She bit back a comment about their legacy being marred by the blood of their parents. She bit back the comment about how the legacy of a last name meant nothing. She bit back the comment comparing him to their father, someone who would eventually run themselves into the ground in search of securing a legacy. That word was meaningless to her but she knew it was not to her brother.

"There will be no risk, no one will know we are there. We just need to find someone and then leave," Xyra tried to convince him, "If we get caught, you say that you were forced to bring us in because we threatened your family."

"Belle, they would know I am your brother," Quinlin shot back.

"How? Because we look like we might be related?" Xyra rolled her eyes, people were not smart they would believe anything. He would just need the confidence to lie.

"Your name, for one?" Quinlin scoffed.

"I go by the name my mother gave me, not the one father registered me in The Vault with," Xyra had been careful and Quinlin not thinking she had taken proper precaution to protect them hurt her, "if they search in The Vault to see if I am your family, they will find that I am not there. Xyrabellis does not exist to them. Only two people in all of Baethos know the full name that is on those records and they would quite literally die before they gave up my name. So trust me brother, if I am caught you will be safe."

Quinlin looked miffed, like he hadn't heard anything of what she said, "You think you are better than me because you go by the name mother gave you and I don't. You're not better than me. I do what I do for my family, something you don't care to think about."

"I was not suggesting that. You are projecting your insecurities onto our conversation," Xyra deflected his attempted insult and she could see just how much the conversation affected him.

"The name our father gave us means just as much as the ones she gave us," he argued.

They didn't. One name was given to her because of her mother's culture, Xyra's heritage, her right to what Elox claimed to be illegal. The other was to appease the Center and be looked on more favorably by the same people that forbade her mother from being able to express her background. Xyrabellis was the name of one of the strongest leaders of the Uriol-Kanya thousands of lengths before their time. Before Baethos, before the Great War, before the forgotten era, her mother's people had claim to these lands. Over time, their stories and their culture were outlawed, forbidden, forced to go underground. Names attached to those kinds of stories were all that was left of the Uriol-Kanya and she had no doubt in her mind that the names her father gave them were nowhere near as meaningful as her mother's. But, Xyra didn't say that. She wasn't there to argue.

"Aye, Quinlin, father worked hard for us and tried to give us a better life. Honor him with your name, or do not. As I already said, it was not a jab towards you," Xyra tried to defuse the situation, which was very difficult because she had too much to say to keep quiet.

Quinlin didn't bother to answer. Xyra was tired, she hadn't rested like everyone else had after the long cart journey and she just wanted to go back to her room and sleep. But Quinlin was going to make getting an answer on her request difficult. Xyra let him pout in silence but after several minutes it became unbearable. If he wanted to throw a fit, she would be right there along with him. Her aversion to pettiness lasted very little. She sighed and removed a pouch from inside her coat.

"I do not care for being told I do not contribute to this family. And if its so hard for you to do me a fucking favor when I am telling you I need it," Xyra tossed the pouch onto the metal table with a clank, "here is compensation for your services."

"Belle..." her brother looked at the bag but didn't reject it or say anything else.

"Are you going to allow me to enter with you or not? When you were trying to convince me to come, you told me yourself, all you have to do is say your name and they let you in. No counting who is in your party, no taking down names, nothing."

"Fine. I will do it but I want you to understand what you are asking me to risk right now. Everything dad worked for, everything I've worked for," Quinlin said, snatched the money off from the table and looked inside and Xyra couldn't believe him.

"Maybe it would be a good thing if something happened to your precious last name. The sun you decide to stop working and actually pay attention to your family will be the sun our mother rests easy in her grave," Xyra spat, unable to hold everything in.

"They live a good life!" Quinlin looked furious as he glanced up from weighing the coins in his hand.

"You clearly didn't learn any lessons from father," Xyra jabbed, "all our childhood you spoke of how abandoned you felt by him and now you do the same to your wife and children. Be better than he was, Quin."

"I understand him now, I forgive him for how he was when we were growing up," Quinlin spoke but it didn't seem genuine.

"You praise him because he got our family a last name. You praise him because the people in your circles emphasize that what he did was the greatest achievement one could have. But you forget all of the bad things that came with it. You forget mother being beside herself for a scrap of attention. You forget us waiting up at night. You forget walking into father freezing up in the kitchen at night because of all of the pressure. You forget that it fucking killed him."

"He let it," Quinlin said and what he truly felt about their father came to the surface. He believed he was better than him, that he could handle it, that he could tough it out.

Xyra felt hatred at that moment, hatred for how lost her brother truly was. Hated that he believed it was her father's fault that things happened the way they did. She had a lot of respect for her father, she didn't blame him for what he did. He was pushed to that point. All Xyra wanted was for her brother to stop ignoring what happened to their father and realize he was barrelling down the same path. Her father had been chasing after a last name his whole life, and five lengths after he got it, he ended things. The weight of the world was on his shoulders and the happiness that a last name promised never came.

"Both of them were sick," Xyra said sadly, "stop blaming him for leaving us."

"Why shouldn't I? He made that choice."

"Choice is an illusion," Xyra put it simply, not expecting him to understand the truth behind those words, "I should go. Thank you for agreeing to take me."

Xyra was going to turn away but her brother took one step forward. She stopped.

"I have one question."

"What?"

"You and your crew have been the subject of a few tales I've heard..." Quinlin trailed off, " Are they true?"

"There are a lot of times that the truth is distorted and by the time it reaches your ears, the story has taken on a life of its own," Xyra deflected the question.

"They said that Captain Theo's first mate was known for ripping people's innards out and feeding it to them," Quinlin spoke, he sounded almost scared, "Isn't that you, the first mate?"

"Aye, that is me," Xyra kept her face neutral even though it hurt to see the look on his face, "shit, I mean, you do something once and they give you a reputation for it."

Xyra attempted a joke but the horror on Quin's face meant he didn't see it as one.

"What?" he asked, disgusted

"It was a joke..." Xyra tried to smile but it didn't work, it just seemed sad, "But if you are asking if I do bad things, I do. I kill people, there is blood on my hands, you know this."

"But torture? That's what they said you do," Quinlin asked.

Xyra shook her head and patted him on the back, "I'll meet you outside the gardens tomorrow at sunset. Thanks again, brother."