AN: over 5k chapter disclaimer and plot continuity information at the end of the chapter, there have been changes you will notice in this chapter
Tuni had thrown the door to Theo's captain's quarters wide open, a scowl on her face, "You did not have clearance to leave the infirmary."
Theo looked up from her desk, thankfully the training session with Xyra had long been over and Tuni was none the wiser. Theo had been working on the agenda for the officer's meeting with Xyra when Tuni barged in, "I don't have to have permission to do anything on my own ship, Fortune."
Tuni stomped her small foot down, "You are going to come with me and we are going to dress your wound."
"Finish up the agenda, will you?" Theo told Xyra after standing up, "Then go get Cooker from the thravern, we're due to start the meeting soon."
Theo got her wound redressed and Tuni fitted her with a sling to put her arm in. The meeting was due to start soon but she was starving so she headed down to Rose to see if she had prepared anything that morning. She usually didn't on suns they were docked but sometimes there was a morsel or two lying around the kitchen. Theo found the kitchen void of anything, food, and people. She would have to make a quick run somewhere at the port to find food. She was walking back down the long hallways when she noticed the library door ajar and small light coming from inside. She pushed the door open and peeked inside to find Ava curled up in her usual chair.
"Last morning in Niveal and you spent it reading? You are a bit predictable," Theo teased and walked inside.
Ava looked up, alarmed at the intrusion so early in the morning. She hadn't expected anyone to come by the library, "I bought a bunch of books and I wanted to finish the one I was on before I dive into my new ones."
"Have any other plans for the day?" Theo asked.
"Just reading."
"Want to accompany me to get something to eat?"
"Aye," Ava said without hesitation and blew out her candle, "I'm famished."
They walked into port and Theo managed to find them a little cart tucked away in a corner. Theo ordered a couple of things but had trouble finishing the transaction, her limited amount of limbs made it hard to grab all the food. Ava stepped in to help, grabbing the goods from the vendor and handing some of it to Theo.
Theo bit into her breakfast, Ava just watched her as they walked back to the ship, "Are you alright?"
"Aye," Theo smiled and kept chewing, "Tuni says there is no infection and the arrow hit in the best place it could. I'm expected to make a full recovery."
"Cooker said you own a business now," Ava said.
"A thravern," they said in unison and then laughed. They walked back to the ship, they almost finished the food on the short trek back.
"Since you're not up to much this aftermorning, We are having an officer's meeting in a little bit. We talk about ship business, possible routes, and upcoming jobs. Want to join us?" Theo asked.
"Me?" Ava asked and pointed to herself, "I'm not an officer."
"We don't have officers on the ship. It's just what I call the girls that vote on ship matters so I can avoid calling them inner circle meetings. That is what everyone else likes to call it and I refuse to give in," Theo chuckled, "Meetings are open to everyone. No one comes to them but they are open. You always give good input. We'd love to have you there."
It was the truth. Ava was good at giving valuable insight by providing opinions that weren't conventional to them. She forced them to think of a different perspective. She also questioned everything, partly because of her curious nature and partly because of naivety. The questioning made them have to justify their actions so, in a way, Ava provided accountability. The crew had been through so much hurt and trauma in their lives that sometimes it was hard to objectively analyze their enemy and Ava helped combat that. It was subtle, something Theo had noticed after only a few instances of Ava doing so. Theo was always shocked at how well Ava had melded into the crew.
"I would love to be there," Ava replied with a large grin on her face, her expression giving away her enthusiasm at the prospect of being let in on another meeting.
"Come on then, we've got pirates awaiting," Theo said and walked them to her quarters.
No pirates were awaiting but Theo's room was piled from floor to ceiling with objects. There was a small path to get to the bed and a clearing around the desk but besides that, her quarters were littered with every item imaginable.
"Excuse the mess," Theo said and stepped over a few things to get to her desk, "Everyone gets things delivered to my quarters and then they take too long to come to claim it. After a cycle whatever is unclaimed is mine so I guess that is a perk."
"How am I going to find any of my stuff?" Ava asked after laughing at the scene in front of her.
"That's half the fun of Niveal shopping," Theo chuckled and sat down at her desk to review the agenda. As Theo was reading through it Ava sat in front of the desk.
"What is that?" Ava asked.
"The agenda for the meeting. Helps keep me on track," Theo said and Ava raised an eyebrow. Theo wasn't sure what was so odd about that but Ava seemed to be surprised. Theo guessed it was surprising to see a well-organized pirate.
"Can I see it?"
"It's not in Common. You wouldn't be able to understand it," Theo dismissed.
"Fair enough. How long is the meeting?"
Theo shrugged, "Who knows. Could be quick or could be all aftermorning. We won't know until we start discussing things."
Theo went back to the agenda and Ava bided her time until the rest of the group got there by trying to pick out the things she had bought. It wasn't easy and Ava had only managed to find the bag of dyed fabrics she bought. She sat back down with a sigh and Theo laughed at her. Soon enough, the women were walking in and taking their seats. Theo was right, no one but the required people had come. The makeup of the room looked no different than it did on the night they had all gathered to smoke together.
Theo was sitting behind her desk, Xyra standing by her right side as usual. Cooker, Morgana, Tuni, Oceane, Pearl, Iona, and Navi were littered around the crowded room. Some of the girls sat on the floor, others on Theo's bed and others found seats atop piles of clothes and books. It looked chaotic but Theo would have expected nothing less.
"Right. I will keep this as quick as possible so you can go out and enjoy your last hours in Niveal. We don't know if or when we'll be back," Theo started and looked at her agenda, "First things first, we managed to secure a job but since Cooker here is the one that's putting her ass on the line to vouch for it I will let her share."
Cooker stood up from her chair, the only person beside Ava that had an actual seat, "Thank you, Cap. We've got a job; to deliver a shipment to Gossem. We've got three cycles to complete the job. Upon delivery, we get 15,000 gold. If our crew stays the same between now and then we each get over 350 gold."
"15,000 gold to deliver something to Gossem? What in the living fuck could it be? Last delivery job we did was twice the distance for a third of the money," Navi pointed out.
"It's a shipment of ugali," Cooker said and the air seemed like it had left the room.
Theo studied the reactions of her crew. Navi didn't seem bothered by it but Tuni and Iona did. Ava looked lost, like most times when they discussed things she had no concept of, and the rest of the crew looked mildly put off.
"Is this up for discussion?" Tuni asked.
"Yes," Theo responded, "All decisions we make are up for discussion but I am presenting this job to you with my approval. I think it's our best bet and would give us all a little extra money in case jobs are slim later on."
"If it's up for discussion then I am putting it out there that we shouldn't take this job. What precedent would we set? What's next? A cargo of slaves?" Iona said.
"Woah, that is so far from the same thing. Ugali is something people choose to do. We can't be blamed for the actions of others. We are just getting it from one point to another," Cooker countered.
"Aye, let's listen to what the drug dealer has told herself to justify her own choices," Iona snapped.
Cooker stood up and Iona was right there with her. Theo held out her arm and bid them to sit back down and they paid attention, scowls still on both of their faces.
"We do set a bad precedent by taking this job but we are not to blame for the actions of others," Cooker said.
"We are supposed to be protecting people. This isn't protecting them. We are delivering a supply of a highly addictive drug to Efriti's shores. Saying we don't have a responsibility to the people who will be consuming it is wrong," Tuni provided calmly.
"I'll provide my own opinion and then we can discuss some more if we feel we aren't ready to put it up for a vote," Theo said.
There was no response, just several pairs of expecting eyes staring at her.
"There are no other jobs right now and there will be even less in the upcoming cycles. The reclassification is coming up and underground activity will decrease. That's not a guess, it has been proven. Ports are closing to us and merchants are traveling with smaller cargoes so raids will yield less than ever. We have a big job right now and we don't know when we'll get another. Gossem is the best-case scenario for the delivery because we have to go there anyway to restock before we head to Corinspe. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, I think that every death that comes from this shipment is on us. Every life ruined is on us. But I also know we need this job, our crew needs it."
"I know where I lie. I'm ready to move into a vote," Navi said and crossed her arms.
"Any objection to voting?" Theo asked and looked around the room to confirm then began to recite, "Seeing no objections we'll move into a vote. Xyra will be recording the votes so they can be kept with our logs so any crew member that chooses to can request to see how the vote went. Knowing your votes are not anonymous, Cooker, are you in favor of or against taking the job?"
"Given I do not think we can get a better job during times like these and this job gives us an in with this client, I vote in favor of taking the job," Cooker replied.
"Please keep explanations out of it. Those never bode well. If you have a problem with the way someone voted you can have a discussion about it after the meeting," Theo reminded and called on the next girl.
Theo called on Xyra next then called on the women in order of how they were sitting, making her way from her left to her right. One by one they all made their votes known and their votes were recorded. As Theo got to Morgana, the last one, the votes were four against and three in favor. Tuni, Iona, Pearl, and Oceane voted in opposition. Navi, Xyra, and Cooker voted in favor. It was up to Morgana. If she voted in opposition the job would fall through, if she voted in favor then the tiebreaker would go to Theo. Theo only voted in the event of a tie and her word was final. She had already made her position known so Morgana was the deciding factor between 15,000 gold and a heavy conscience or no money and a light spirit.
"Morgana," Theo prompted, "how do you vote?"
Morgana was silent for a few beats. Looking around the room then locking eyes on her partner sitting next to her. Theo watched nervously as they seemed to have a conversation without speaking. Oceane voted no when Theo had expected a yes. If Morgana voted no it would shut down the plan and leave them with no job moving on from Niveal. Her voting no was likely as Tuni voted no and they often shared the same views on things. Theo had already resigned herself to failure. Morgana licked her lips and tapped her foot on the ground but still had no answer.
"Mor. Your vote," Theo urged.
Morgana took a deep breath in, "I vote in favor of taking the job."
Tuni practically recoiled at hearing Morgana's vote and stared straight ahead, arms crossed. The room was absolutely silent. Moments passed and no one said anything. The only sound that was heard was Xyra scribbling the vote down in her notes. Morgana looked over at her partner and put her hand over Tuni's thigh. Tuni made no move to acknowledge Morgana or her affection.
Theo cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention away from a personal, and awkward, moment, "That leaves me. I know those that opposed the job are upset, understandably so. I'm upsetting myself by having to say yes on this one. We won't make it a habit though, I can promise you that. So in case, it isn't clear for the matter of the record, I am voting yes on this item which means we will be transporting the ugali. The shipment is to come on the third hour of the night and we'll set sail right after, assuming we have charted a course."
There was silence and Theo picked up the agenda to read the next point but Tuni spoke up.
"Can I just say I am very disappointed in the decisions made here today. Theo's decision I can understand, she's the captain and has to bring things to us that would benefit the crew but the rest of you are not off the hook. It's up to us to stand our ground. It was our decision and some of you failed to make the correct one." Tuni said and stood up, "Will that be the only thing we are voting on tonight?"
"Aye," Theo said, "but I have important news to share and we will be plotting our route."
"Well, if there is nothing left to vote on I will be taking a leave from this meeting," Tuni stated.
"Something might come to a vote," Xyra said.
"Then I forfeit my say in anything else that might come up. Clearly, my vote doesn't matter," Tuni said then walked out, hopping over the things in her way. Everyone went quiet again. No one knew what to say. Tuni rarely got upset and no one had ever heard her throw blame around like that. It was understandable though, given Tuni's thoughts on the drug.
Theo half expected Morgana to get up and follow Tuni but she didn't. Theo reasoned it was better to give Tuni space. Looking over at Morgana, Theo couldn't imagine the guilt she was feeling, Tuni had a nasty history with ugali and that vote was a betrayal. Theo did not expect it. She also didn't expect Oceane to vote against it. The vote she and Xyra had hypothesized had Morgana voting no and Oceane voting yes. Served Theo right for attempting to predict an unpredictable crew. With Morgana voting yes, she saved the plan but she would have a lot of making up to do with Tuni, that was for sure.
"So, you said you had news?" Morgana asked, attempting to distract from the situation that had just happened. She was uncomfortable with the attention on them, she rarely fought with Tuni, and having it be in front of the rest of the crew was embarrassing to her.
"Right," Theo said, "As some of you may have already heard, Wolf from Wolf's Corner has tragically passed away and he will be very missed."
The group broke out into a much-needed round of laughter and Theo herself cracked a smile before she continued, "Unfortunately, he did not know how to behave himself and he broke some rules. It was egregious enough to render him in breach of contract and we had to take his business away from him. It's the first time we've had to do that so I'm glad we know now our contract holds up in the eyes of the law. I will be leaving the control of the place under the girls there. As the owner of the establishment, the deed will be kept in my name. I will earn a profit from it and that money will go towards our fleet and other expansions."
"The deed is in your name," Oceane repeated with a confused tone.
"As in, the place is yours?" Morgana asked, "Like you're keeping it?"
"That is generally what 'The deed is in my name and I will be earning a profit from it' tends to mean," Theo said sarcastically.
"Trust me, it took me a while too," Xyra laughed from her place beside Theo.
"Thanks to me and my convincing ways," Cooker said and raised an eyebrow cockily, "We now have a steady stream of income."
"Thanks to you we are now dealing with land-dwellers," Navi countered.
"We all came from land so I don't get your issue," Cooker rolled her eyes.
"Settle down. All of this to say the reasons I kept it was so we can seriously start talking about what needs funding for our goals to become a reality," Theo said and looked over at Ava. She was new and hadn't even been vetted yet, Theo should have thought through inviting her to the meeting. She didn't want to give too much of their plans away if Ava was not who she claimed to be, "We'll focus on building a fleet first and then move to secure other plans we have discussed in the past."
"I just don't see you owning a brothel," Oceane said and sat back in her chair, "I also don't like the idea of taking money from one to fund our crew."
"That is why it will not be a brothel. It is a tavern with a stage in it so people can perform," Theo explained.
"Perform what?" Iona asked.
Theo shrugged, "I dunno, whatever they want I guess. Up to the girls. Could be interesting."
"A bunch of random girls and pirates running a business, what could go wrong," Morgana chuckled to herself.
"They are not random girls and I think they will do very well," Theo scolded.
"Aye, they were on fire this morning. I think they are going to be very successful. They seemed excited," Cooker defended.
"Didn't mean no harm with it, just saying it's bound to be interesting," Morgana apologized.
"Anybody else has a comment or question on this topic?" Theo asked, trying to move on.
"Yes," Xyra said with a smirk on her face, "Can you please remind us what you have always said about owning your own business?"
"No, I cannot do that as I do not recall," Theo shot a glare at Xyra.
"Luckily I do," Morgana said, "I believe her exact words were, 'I will never do that shit so stop pushing.'"
"Thank you, Morgana, for that. What would this ship do without your incredible memory?" Theo quipped, "So to recap, I made a decision that was best for the crew and you morons can't seem to accept people can change their minds. Is that all? Can we move on now?"
"Just admit sometimes you are wrong and we can move on," Cooker said, having hopped onto the bothering Theo wagon.
"That would be lying and that isn't something I like to do," Theo laughed and picked up the agenda. Shit. She had no idea how to introduce the next subject. She would have to break the news that Viv had been in town earlier and had sought Theo out and Theo hadn't said anything. No one would care except Xyra. It was Niveal after all and she wasn't expected to report on ship concerns until their meeting. However, to Xyra it wasn't business when it came to Viv it was personal and Theo keeping it from her was not going to go over well.
"Our first night here I was approached by an old friend of ours, Viv. She came looking for answers about a job she's on," Theo explained and felt Xyra freeze up next to her.
"What's she got to do with us?" Morgana downright sneered.
"She's been hired by some person that is of no relevance to us but the information he is after is. Besides Espbar, there have been three pirate disappearances in the last few cycles. No big storms, no known rivalries, no ongoing dangerous jobs that would explain this. They simply didn't arrive at their next port of call," Theo leaned forward in her chair, "I've not got a good feeling about this one."
"Where do we come into this?" Navi asked.
"I need everyone to keep their ears to the ground. Anything you hear that is relevant to this needs to be reported. We need to see if we can pin this on anyone yet and we also need to be aware of any other disappearances that might happen," Theo commanded.
"You really think someone is behind this? It's not just something unnatural?" Pearl asked.
"Like sea monsters?" Ava chuckled, speaking up for the first time during the whole meeting, unable to keep the comment to herself.
Everyone turned to look at her. Blank stares and blinking eyes.
"Of course she doesn't believe in creatures of the sea," Xyra muttered.
"Aye, Pearl," Theo ignored both of the other comments, "I believe it's not of the gods or the sea. Hopefully, we'll be able to figure it out and have the problem solved by the time we get to Corinspe."
"When are we due in Corinspe?" Iona asked.
"The pirate council is set to meet in four cycles and ten days," Xyra answered.
"Which leads me to my last point," Theo said, "Navi and I will be plotting our course. We are due in Gossem in three cycles and due in Corinspe in four and a half. It's going to be a tight squeeze to get to Gossem in that amount of time but once we make it we'll have plenty of time to spare before we are due in Corinspe. That means we are going to be raiding the northern shipping route for about a cycle before heading out of Northern Efriti. I need each one of you training."
"Will we all be on the vanguard, then?" Pearl asked, not used to being on the front lines.
"I'm not sure yet but I need everyone to be prepared to be on it," Theo said, "I'm going to be training with Xyra in the mornings and I encourage you all to come for some specialized training. We'll be doing aftermoning training as a collective crew for these next three cycles every other sun. Mor, I'm going to need you to prepare a training regiment to make sure everyone that can train can defend themselves and the ship. How do you feel about leading the training?"
"My side ain't all the way there yet but I can yell out commands like it's nobody's business," Morgana smiled.
"Good to hear," Theo said, "Xyra and I can sample the motions for you until you are feeling better. With that all figured out, we can move into a forum. Anyone have any business to bring forward?"
"I do," Morgana said, "Can we get a new bloody quartermaster? I'm sick of dealing with these women, Theo. All they do is ask for things and I am not cut out for that type of stuff. I am useless at this job. People come to me and ask me to solve their problems and most of the time I make it worse. It took me a whole cycle to understand that I cannot suggest fistfights as a cure for everything."
"It was a very long cycle," Theo groaned, "I hear you, Mor. I promise I'll put feelers out to see who is interested. We'll get someone to fill it before we start to recruit, okay? Can you hang with it just a little longer?"
"Aye," Morgana conceded, "I'll keep doing it for now but if you don't find anyone soon one of these fuckers should do it."
"You were given the job because we all do way too much around here to take an extra job," Xyra scoffed.
"Pearl tells people to swab the deck!" Morgana defended her argument, "How is that hard work?"
"I'll gladly switch with you if you think you could do my job," Pearl stepped into the conversation after being name-dropped.
"Mor, we'll find someone," Theo promised, "Pearl, don't listen to her. Your job is as important as anyone else's. Anything else?"
"I've restocked my supply so come by my room to see what I got," Cooker said to the room at large, "As Iona so caringly mentioned earlier, I am your one-stop-shop for your drug needs."
"Not the time or the place, Cook," Theo reprimanded, "Anything relevant to the ship or the crew?"
"I need an extra hand these next few suns. We are detailing and repairing some spots on the ship and it'll go much faster with help," Pearl requested.
"Perfect, Ava will join you starting in the morning. Ava, you're officially off carpentry and you're under Pearl now. Pearl, test Ava out and see how she fits on the team," Theo said and prompted the crew for comments or concerns once again. After being met with silence she continued, "Alright, we are going to be plotting our route to Gossem. Whoever is not interested is dismissed."
Only Pearl got up to leave, everyone else crowding around the desk where Theo was. Ava found no spot for herself in the room anymore and decided to take her to leave shortly after Pearl had. Ava would have been no use at course-plotting, not like she was any help at the meeting but the meeting was fun to observe, the route planning not so much.
Ava had been shocked during the meeting at Tuni's outburst and was worried that no one had made move to check on her. She didn't know what was bothering Tuni but her behavior was not what Ava has gotten used to. Ava decided to go look for the healer and offer her some company. She started on the deck and looked over the edge of the ship and into the port, trying to see if she spotted a small woman in a flowy yellow dress. No luck. She then tried the most obvious place, Tuni's infirmary. Tuni was not in there but she was in her room, the door to it slightly ajar. Ava heard frustrated grunts coming from inside and she pushed the door open to investigate.
What she saw she was not ready for. There were several throwing daggers stuck to the back wall of the room and Tuni mid-throw. At the sound of the door creaking, Tuni let out a frustrated, high-pitched yell and threw one of the daggers straight at Ava's head. It flew past her cheek and stuck itself into the wooden doorway.
"How dare you come in here?!" Tuni roared, her small body full of rage but her eyes were filled with tears.
Ava almost shit herself. She knew Tuni was probably not aiming at her head and had intended to hit the door frame but that didn't stop the terror she faced when she was staring at a dagger coming straight at her. Ava knew Tuni's weapon of choice was a throwing dagger, having seen her use one to defend Morgana during their last raid. What Ava didn't know was how beastly she was with them, Tuni was scary good at it. Admiration though was not at the forefront of her mind. Fear was. Ava didn't know Tuni didn't want to be bothered. She was never in on the secret social rules behind anything on the ship.
"Oh Ava," Tuni's posture immediately changed when she saw Ava, "I'm so sorry, child. I'm so sorry."
Tuni let out a sob and covered her face, quickly turning away to hide herself.
"No, Tuni. It's okay! Please don't cry. It's fine. Getting daggers thrown at me makes me feel like a real pirate," Ava tried to joke but Tuni's shoulder just shook with her silent sobs. Ava took a few steps forward, "I just came to check on you. You are always there for me so I wanted to offer the same."
"You're very sweet, Ava but I am fine," Tuni said, throat wavering. She still had her back to Ava.
Ava took another step forward and then gently placed a hand on Tuni's back and rubbed it, "That's good. I'm glad you're fine."
Ava knew Tuni was far from okay if the dagger throwing and the crying was any indication, but she thought to let Tuni open up on her own time was best. It seemed to work on Tuni too and she began to stop her sobs. She slowly turned around and finally removed her hands from her face. Ava said nothing, just flashed a sideways smile at the smaller girl.
Tuni smiled back but it quickly spiraled down into a frown and then into another sob, this time she fell forward into Ava's chest, wrapped her arms around Ava, and began to cry. Ava didn't know what to do, she was never the best at comforting people. She wrapped her arms around Tuni and said nothing, finding it better to just let Tuni take the lead.
"I'm sorry," Tuni said, her voice muffled by having it buried in Ava's chest, "I was just so angry. I never intended to hurt you. The dagger was not meant for you."
"Tuni, I am not upset," Ava repeated and rubbed Tuni's back, "You want to talk about it?"
"I'm just so mad at her," Tuni let out a small sniffle, sobs having died down already, "she knows better. She knows what her decision will do. Their blood will be on our hands."
"Morgana?" Ava asked and Tuni nodded her head, "You have a personal connection with whatever we are shipping..."
Ava stated rather than asked. It made sense, Tuni being close to whatever it was accounted for the anger and the sudden exit from the room. Ava hadn't figured out exactly what the whole argument was about though. She got that ugali was a drug but no one seemed to have a problem with drugs the other night. Tuni hadn't taken any though and Ava wondered if it was correlated.
"I mentioned to you before I used to work in a brothel. It's where I learned medicine..." Tuni said, arms still tightly wrapped around Ava and head on her chest. Tuni looked comfortable and Ava did not mind the tight hold she was in.
"You've mentioned it before," Ava confirmed
"I saw ugali tear people's realities apart there. Friends of mine that were healthy and okay were dead within cycles. It consumes you. The addiction takes everything," Tuni's voice began to sound watery as the tears threatened to start coming back, "It's such a dangerous substance and we are willingly transporting it."
"And Morgana voted in favor..." Ava mentioned, meaning to keep it in her head. She kicked herself for her stupidity when another round of tears arose from Tuni.
Ava did the same as before and hugged her back and stayed quiet. Tuni eventually pulled away and wiped her tears.
"I know it's something so stupid to cry over but it was just hard to watch people I believed in abandon a cause because of money. But I am dealing with pirates so what did I expect," Tuni said, a bite to her tone.
"I don't think it's stupid," Ava said, "I think you're hurt."
Tuni rubbed her neck, "Thank you, Red. I didn't mean to drag you into this."
"Nonsense, I came in here looking to see if you were alright. You didn't drag me into anything. Want to sneak off to the kitchens for some tea? It might make you feel a bit better," Ava asked, it was something her and Tuni always did when they would spend time together. Ava had been bringing Tuni mugs of tea to her room when Morgana was recovering since Tuni refused to leave her side.
Tuni perked up a bit at the promise of a warm beverage and she slipped her hand into Ava's, "What are we waiting for?"
PLOT Disclaimer: hello!!! i want to write a disclaimer for those of you following the book for more than a few months: if you recall Navi had a side hustle as the ship's resident drug provider. That role was edited and Cooker is the go-to drug dealer, this doesn't affect the story at all, and things were moved around to make any previous interaction between Navi and drugs make sense. If you have been reading only recently then this change won't matter because I published the changes months ago. This is a personal choice that I made because I want my representation to be non-harmful. Since the characters were created prior to assigning them physical traits (traits are based on where they are from in Baethos and that part of world-building hadn't been established) and I wanted to avoid assigning one of the black women on the main line up as a drug dealer. It is small mistakes like that that reinforce racist societal notions. I just wanted to disclaim it since Cooker is mentioned as the drug dealer in this chapter.