Theo woke up at the crack of dawn, the fourth hour of the morning to be exact, to make sure they were all set to dock. In Niveal, all new arrivals had to have their captain wait in the office of the port manager until they were called in, interviewed, and then given the green light to disembark. That meant that Theo had to wake up and get dragged through the excessive process. Two hours it took to get interviewed and approved. The makeshift Nivealean government had a rigorous interrogation process that served to sniff out those that were government spies or instigators coming in with a militia.
Theo was well known, especially around Niveal, but that didn't mean the process was any easier. All it took for some pirates to turn into spies or armed terrorists was the right sum of money. Theo was not that kind of captain though and it was proven through the course of the interrogation. Once they finally got back to the ship, Theo went back to sleep and woke up at a reasonable time. The sun was high up in the air and the noise from the port provided a faint buzz in the otherwise quiet room. She got up and began getting ready for their first day in Niveal, excitement was brewing in Theo's stomach.
She threw on a coat over her loose shirt, put on some pants, and once out on the deck she found one of the crewmates that worked under Pearl's boatswain command. Theo ordered for a bath to be drawn in her quarters and the woman hastily made her way inside the deck to get started on it. Theo went into the infirmary just to find that part of the room.
"Oi, oi my lovelies," She walked into Tuni's room without knocking, "I have come to get some opinions on what I should wear."
Morgana was sitting up in bed by herself, no pillows needed for support. Tuni sitting at the vanity Evana had built her. She turned around in a huff, "Theo, why do you not knock?"
"This is my ship. I don't know if you've heard but I was recently named Captain of the Scorned Woman. How exciting. Tuni, I need your help," Theo pouted out her lip.
"Aye, child, I'll go help you. But, you do know I think you are amazing and handsome without any of the clothes and the jewels," Tuni walked over and placed a warm hand on Theo's cheek.
"I know."
"Am I handsome too?" Morgana asked from her corner, feigning jealousy.
"The handsomest," Tuni walked over to her partner and planted a soft kiss on Morgana's forehead, then cheek, then lips. Once Morgana was satisfied with her attention, Tuni walked out with Theo on a mission to help pick out the best outfit to kick off their Nivealan bender.
It was a bit of an unspoken agreement between all of the crew when they would come to the island, let Theo let loose. It was the only time where she could truly, without any repercussions, have fun. On Corinspe, the pirate island, Theo was an important member of that community. While all her crew let loose, she was usually expected to be on her best behavior. Her status as captain and the reputation the crew had garnered over the lengths meant that as their representative, she had to be sober and stoic. On Niveal though, there were no expectations.
When they made their way inside the captain's quarters two women were filling up a metal tub that had been moved into the room. The water was warm and Theo couldn't wait to get in. Once the women left, she checked that the temperature was okay, undressed, and got into the bath. Tuni paid a naked Theo no mind as she searched the wardrobe for some options. Theo sank into the metal tub, plunging her head into the warm water and staying there for a bit. Once she emerged, Tuni had picked out a few items of clothing.
"What color are you thinking of for your coat? Something black?" Tuni asked, looking over at Theo.
"Too predictable, don't you reckon?" Theo asked, hands moving back and forth in the water, playing with it. "Have I got anything that's a dark red?"
'Aye," Tuni pulled out a deep red coat with gold buttons lining it. It was simple, elegant, intimidating and Theo flashed a thumbs up. Tuni began to piece the rest of the outfit together and Theo enjoyed her bath.
"Come out with us tonight, Fortune," Theo watched the healer scurry about the room. Tuni always had a great time in Niveal, like the rest of them.
"Morgana needs me, Theo. I can't just leave her," Tuni stated, stopping to address Theo directly.
"She asked me to try and get you to go with us. You know some girls don't get off at all, they'll be more than happy to tend to Mor. She's been good and getting better every day. Please come with us. Even Ava's coming with us tonight. Come on," Theo pleaded, "You love Ava! You also love me, do it for us."
"I will go, but I will have to have something in return," Tuni smirked.
"Anything."
"I want to wear one of your coats."
Theo's mouth gaped, "No! Oi, not fair. Plus they would get dirty, you're too short and they would drag."
"I would be cautious as to continue with jokes about my height because two can play that game," Tuni threatened and Theo backed off, she couldn't take a hit to her ego about height. Not on a day where she needed to be her cockiest.
"Fair enough. Pick something but you have to return it," Theo warned and got out of the bath. Tuni looked away quickly and Theo laughed at the aversion.
She walked to her bed where there was a towel laid out and she dried herself off then began to get dressed with what Tuni had laid out. Theo heard Tuni shuffling through the coats in the wardrobe and she walked over for approval once she found it. Theo approved the fancy yellow coat full of embellishments Tuni was holding. It was a coat that had been too small for Theo for quite some time. They said their goodbyes and Theo had Tuni promise they would meet each other outside shortly, ensuring that Tuni would not bail on a night of fun.
Theo brushed out her hair and patted some perfume on herself. She slipped on her favorite rings and made sure the many accessories in her ears matched the color of her coat. Finally, she got dressed, comfortable boots, pants that looked nice but also stretched a bit so she could feast, a loose shirt with no undershirt underneath, and her elegant red coat. She placed her hat on her head and walked out, making a beeline to the storage room.
"Miss Yurwa, my favorite Islander, I am here to collect," Theo alerted and Miss Yurwa pulled out a key from her pocket and led Theo over to a room hidden away behind boxes. She unlocked it and Theo walked in.
"How much are you taking? I need it for your books," Miss Yurwa asked.
"600 gold pieces," Theo said as she took six small, heavy bags and pulled them out of the room.
Miss Yurwa fixed her with a disapproving stare.
"Not for just today. I'm spreading it out over the days we are here!" Theo reasoned.
Miss Yurwa did not waver.
"Plus, 100 of it isn't for me. It's for someone else," Theo tried again.
"If you keep giving your money away then you won't have any left for retirement," Miss Yurwa warned.
Theo laughed, "It is amusing you think I'm making it into retirement."
Miss Yurwa clicked her tongue and swatted Theo's arm, she hated it when Theo joked like that. She shooed the captain away as she updated her books that balanced Theo's small fortune. Theo made sure the bags were secure in her arms before scurrying back to her room, making sure nothing fell. She hid four of the bags in her desk and held two in her hands as she finally walked back out to the deck to find most of her group out there and waiting.
After a glance, she realized the only people they were missing were Xyra and Navi. Typical. When they fell back into their Xyra-Navi routine they were always late to everything. Oceane, Pearl, Iona, Cooker, and Tuni were standing around in a group. Theo also saw Ava amongst the small gathering of women with a new outfit on her. She was wearing loose flowing black pants and some sandals that strapped around her ankles. Her shirt was black, tight to her body, and sleeveless. It was an odd cut for a shirt but it looked nice on her. They greeted each other and Theo commented on the new outfit.
"Oceane lent it to me," Ava smiled and looked down at it, "She was very excited to style me."
Theo chuckled and nodded, "Her enthusiasm paid off, Red. You look nice."
Ava blushed a bit but looked away, hiding it. Xyra and Navi finally emerged onto the deck, Xyra's hair once again out of it's slicked back usual style. Theo clapped and then found a box to stand on, pulling it towards the group.
"Listen up!" Theo called and pulled Ava onto the box, the redhead stumbling onto it, "It is Ava's first time at Niveal."
Theo paused and the seven women around her erupted into cheers.
"You know the drill then. When we have a Niveal newcomer, we all pool our money together for a first timer's fund," Theo explained loudly to the women but the words were meant for Ava's clarification, "So women, surrender your coins!"
Theo laid down one of the bags of coins she had brought with her and opened it, inviting the other women to drop money inside. One by one the women opened their purses without complaint and began to drop in gold coins. Each woman contributed 30 gold coins on top of the 100 Theo put in. Ava was dumbfounded, her mouth dropped lower for every coin that was dropped in.
"So here, Ava this is your Niveal fun fund. The only rule is you must use at least two-thirds of it on Niveal," Theo further explained, picking up the heavy bag and handing it to Ava.
"I can't accept this. It's too much," She said, uneasy with the large sum of money she had come into.
Her protests were met with several boos from the group of women. When she tried to speak up again, another round of boos erupted and she couldn't help but laugh. She was being forced into taking the money. Ava held her hand up this time, quieting them to make sure she could speak.
"I'm going to put some of this in my room for safekeeping, it's too heavy," she said and everyone broke out into cheers. They were jesters, all of them. Ava ran up to her room and began to count out the coins. There was so much money she was still in shock, she had no idea what to do with this much. She had borrowed ten gold from Skins earlier in the day with a promise to pay her back with the first ten gold she made aboard the ship. That promise was kept and she set aside her previous ten gold she had borrowed and an additional 3 gold as a thank you to Skins.
She had 310 total gold coins and she wanted to spend at least 100 on different items at the shops so she rationed only a small portion of her money for her first-ever two-day bender, 60 coins. She did not know what to expect but she was excited. Buzzing. Every inch of her body was tingling and the coin purse felt heavy at her side. She rejoined the other pirates and suddenly they were off, approaching the bustling port. Theo took the lead and they naturally took a certain formation. Ava and Tuni were behind Theo, behind them Iona, Pearl, and Oceane. Then Navi and Xyra with Cooker taking the lead. Ava was impressed by how they had taken on a 1-2-3-2-1 formation without even communicating it. It served a purpose, Ava figured but she didn't know what. She would have to ask later.
As they disembarked, Ava took in her surroundings. Niveal was unlike anything she had ever seen before. The bright aftermorning sun shone into the port and glinted off of any shiny surface it encountered. There were a lot of people crowding the streets of the port. There were buildings in the distance but for several hundred feet in front of them, in every direction, were vendors. Theo rushed them past the flurry of vendors, with their colorful tents and large fruits. Ava wanted to stop by at each one but she knew exploring Niveal would have to be done on her own time. They made it past the crowd of the port and into the city streets. Most buildings there rose four stories tall and were a dark blue, the color of the most abundant building mineral found on the island. Awnings of different colors sprung out from the buildings providing shade on that sunny aftermorning.
After not too long of walking, Theo stopped them and turned around to the group, "Shall we start with the Grogon's Lounge?"
"Aye, Aye, Captain!" Oceane cupped her hands over her mouth and whooped.
With clear instructions, Theo turned around and began leading the way to their destination. Ava looked over at Tuni and nudged her with her arm.
"I'm happy you came out with us. It's my first time! I'm glad to have you here." Ava told her friend.
Tuni smiled, "That makes me so happy to hear, darling. I mostly came because you were coming. Theo used you as a bargaining chip."
"Ah, my plan to become a useful asset to this crew has worked. I am now a bargaining chip. Do you think that'll get me voted in?" Ava messed around.
Tuni laughed, "Aye, you'll be guaranteed to get the votes."
They walked in silence for another few minutes until Theo opened the door for everyone, "Here we are! I accept tips for the tour. Thank you, ladies and gentlepeople."