Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

Pants

Theo made her way up the stairs and walked out onto the deck. She crossed the open deck until she came to the other side of the Galleon where the deck raised once again and provided an extra story of storage and shelter. Surely enough, the only other door on the whole deck was straight across from the captain's quarters and it apparently housed Tuni. Theo knocked on the door, waiting for a beat, then opened the door and walked in. Ava followed her inside and saw a young, short woman with tan skin and brown hair tied up in a bun sitting on the far right of the room. 

"Good Morning Cap," the girl flashed a warm smile then stood up and made her way over.

"Good Morning Tuni," Theo responded.

Tuni placed her hands on Theo's cheeks, brought her face forward and kissed her forehead.

"You have not been getting sleep, child." Theo simply smiled at her and pulled Tuni's hands off of her face slowly.

"Enough about me, I've brought you company."

Tuni nodded quickly and turned to Ava, "You must be the fresh face, Ava. Morgana told me about you. I'm Fortune. It is so nice to meet you. You look rested, child. What a pleasant thing! Sometimes the sea brings some wretchedly sleepless nights for those inexperienced to her wiliness. "

Ava nodded, "I slept well last night, yes, thank you. It is nice to meet you too, Fortune."

"Oh! So polite. So sweet. Tell me, child. What do you need?" the short woman looked up at Ava with wild, inquisitive eyes. Ava was at a loss for words and looked over to Theo for help.

"She needs to wash up. She's been on the road and needs a bath," Theo helped.

"Right. Right. No baths right now, we are conserving water for the long journey. But! I can bring you a pail of warm water and a nice clean washrag. I'll even find ya some fragrant soap from Rose's secret stash. Right. Off I go," without another word, Fortune was dashing out of the room.

Ava watched her go, perplexed by the character she had just witnessed. Theo was fondly smiling and then she fixed her gaze at Ava, "Fortune is fun. The most genuine person you'll ever meet, probably the most caring too but I think she is also one of the most eccentric people you'll come across. Come, I'll fetch you the clothes before she comes back."

Theo exited the room and Ava followed, "How old is she? She called us both children but she looks younger than my sister."

Theo laughed, "21 lengths, that one. I think she thinks she's lived a thousand lengths. Wouldn't be surprised if she had, in a different life."

They made it across the deck quickly and as Theo went inside, Ava glanced around the ship. She was beginning to see people emerging onto the deck and could begin to hear the clattering of plates from the mess below. The sun was higher now and its subtle morning beam cast a warm glow on everything she could see. Before long, Theo had emerged with the black garments in hand.

"Looks like people are getting ready for a treasure hunt," Ava commented.

"Aye, busy sun ahead of them. Everyone is huntin' except for Rose, Tuni, Misses Yurwa down in the storage rooms, and you. They don't leave the ship much unless there is an easy ramp to land."

"You're taking the rowboats?" Ava questioned.

"Aye. All of them."

"Can I come?"

"'Fraid not, missus. Passengers aren't allowed on pirate type missions."

"What if you leave me all alone here and I steal your gold? Or go through your office for secrets to sell to the enemy," Ava tried to rationalize, "Taking me is for your own safety."