Heaven Hath No Rage - Book Two

Alleyway Endings

It hadn't even been five minutes since Theo had made it back down to the city that she was badgered with questions. There was so much preparation going into leaving, and most of the smaller arrangements for their journey were still being decided; there were lots of concerns to be addressed. It was late but that didn't mean anyone was getting any rest. She wanted them all to take it easy but the excitement of getting back on the sea was in the air. Xyra wasn't around the rest of the night for Theo to delegate the more intricate questions to, so Cooker picked up the slack for her. She didn't even need to be told anything. Theo was giving her more and more responsibility as the suns went on and she wasn't cracking. Not that Theo wanted her to. She was just expecting Cooker to turn to substances to cope but it wasn't happening. They had spoken about serious matters with each other but the sudden change in behavior hadn't come up yet.

Amongst the nighttime bustle were the issues pertaining to fitting the new lightbringer to their needs. It was a massive vessel and if Theo didn't understand how ships worked, she would have believed the ability for it to float was an act of the gods. Thankfully, and in anticipation of a disaster in the fight with The Center, the Scorned Woman had been stripped of anything personal that the crew had built or put in. The library, the new relaxation room, all personal belongings, and furniture had all been saved and fitted into the new ship. Instead of a stuffy, noble lightbringer, they had brought new life to the ship. The mark of the crew of the Scorned Woman had been made.

All questions had been directed her way about designs to the new ship, Cooker had reminded everyone that Theo was particular about the aesthetic of things and while she wasn't wrong, it made Theo seem superficial. But, she couldn't care about it that much because it felt good to have control over something she was going to be living in. Yet, while she gave the commands and called the shots she had yet to step aboard the ship. It wasn't anything that people had noticed. Perhaps it was because she slipped in a few comments about the great work that people had been doing to the ship to guide people into assuming she had been by the new addition to check on their progress.

She couldn't face the ship. Even the thought of it brought back a rush of memories. None of them were good. But the official move for all crew to be allowed back on the ship instead of staying at a tavern was the following night and Theo would be expected to sleep in it the first night it was operational. As she went to bed that night, and throughout the next morning the thought of the ship was a cloud overhead. On the exterior though, she was collected and greeted every question and update with a smile.

As the sun was setting, the final touches were put on the ship. That night, some of the crew would be sleeping on the ship and in the morning they would officially, and quite ceremoniously, accept the ship into their fleet. That night they were to celebrate the finishing of the project, a party around the taverns of Corinspe to appreciate each other's hard work. Theo had promised her crew that she would catch up with them eventually, she wanted to give the ship her first pass through. Under the guise of wanting to have a few hours alone with her new ship, her new pride and joy, she convinced most everyone to head on out without her. The reality was she wasn't sure how she would react to walking through the lightbringer and wanted to be alone in case it put her in a sour mood.

Evana had handed her the master key set for all the rooms and doors on the ship early in the afternoon and finally, after running through every excuse in her mental playbook she made her way to the docks. It was a feat of the gods, of Navi, and of some very talented sailors that the crew was able to bring the ship through the reef and into the bay and an even bigger feat to try and dock it safely. Yet, it had been managed. Amongst the crowd of ships, the lightbringer was unmistakable. It was massive, dwarfing even the largest galleons inside and outside the bay. Subtly was not a word associated with the ship, with its polished wood and gold accents. Some parts of the ship had been painted over with a black to accent it, making it more rugged and less pristine. A temporary marking before they could paint it all black.