Hell Hath No Fury - Book One

Red and Black, Chest to Back

Theo stumbled to bed that night with a lot on her mind. She had been holed up in the storage room for a reason. Ava couldn't just let her stare at their new wealth in disdain. She had to come in and talk to Theo about emotions and problems, which was not on Theo's agenda for the night. She was a little rude to Ava, which she felt bad about but drunk Theo was not the blueprint for patience. And while drunk, non-patient Theo was very upset about the intrusion, sober Theo was thankful for it.

After sleeping on the things clouding her mind, she woke up with a clearer picture of everything. There was truth in what Ava had said the night before. It mimicked what Xyra had told her a while back. She had a support system and no one was going to blame her for a wrong choice, they were bound to happen. Still, it was hard to convince her mind of that. It was difficult to push past the fear and the uncertainty but doing so was the first step in being a good captain. Navigating through the unknown was her job and she was going to attempt to stop the fear of failure from getting in the way.

Waking up was difficult and there was a persistent throb in her temples and the back of her head as she got up and got ready for the day. They were already on the move, Theo could tell by the way the ship was rocking. It would be a long trip to Corinspe and most likely a boring one. There would be nowhere to stop between their location and the pirate island so raiding would have to take place in order to restock on food and supplies. Besides the occasional raid, which would more than likely be peaceful, there would be nothing but an uninterrupted ocean for the next cycle. Theo loved the sea but mentally preparing for sun after sun of endless blue was harder than it seemed.

Theo finished getting ready and pulled on her final piece of clothing, a furry warm coat that would keep the chill at bay. She walked out and squinted at the bright light. Theo gave a wave to Navi at the helm and then made her way into the ship. While the night before was a bit hazy, Ava's words were not. She had caused a small rift between her and her sisters by being rude the night before and her first order of business was to apologize. She walked to Xyra's cabin first and knocked loudly on her door.

There was some shuffling on the other side and Xyra opened the door, "Theo?"

"Xy," Theo nodded, "Can I come in?"

Xyra tilted her head and scrunched her eyebrows but let the captain in any way, "What is it?"

Theo took a look around the room and saw a lump on the bed. Navi was upstairs so that had to be someone else. Theo's eyes went wide and she walked over to the figure and pulled the covers back enough to see their face and if they were clothed. It was Cooker and she did have her clothes on. Cooker's eyes opened and stared up at Theo in sleepy confusion.

"Oh, sorry," Theo whispered, "thought Xy was sleeping around with the crew."

"Can you imagine Xyra trying to pick up a girl from the crew?" Cooker laughed a little as she sat up and stretched. Cooker's hands went behind her back and she cleared her throat and dropped it to match Xyra's, "I think it would be best if you quietly followed me to my chambers so we might engage in some intercourse. Keep up."

Theo had to bite down hard on her lip to keep from laughing but the cheeky smile that spread across her face could not be hidden. She schooled herself into trying to regain a neutral expression, she came here to apologize for being abrasive the night before, not to make fun of her friend.

"I wouldn't have woken up if I knew I would be berated so early in the morning," Xyra said and then climbed back into bed, "I have no objections to kicking you both out."

"Honestly, I'm surprised Cooker was even allowed to sleep over," Theo feigned shocked, "What would Navi say about that?"

"Wouldn't know, I'm not speaking with her at the moment," Xyra muttered and pulled the blanket over herself again, turning her back towards them.