Jewels

AN: obligatory this is a 5k word chapter warning.

Theo knocked on the door of the cabin Ava was sleeping in, trying to wake the sleeping redhead inside. Theo and Xyra had managed to wake up, get ready, and deal with a bit of ship business and yet Ava was still not up. They had decided they had let her sleep long enough and if they wanted to get everything on their list they needed to get a move on. There was no sign of movement on the other side of the door and Theo knocked again.

"Ava," Theo called out, "It's Theo! Are you still coming down to shop with us?"

She held her ear near the door to hear if Ava had begun to stir but again she was met with only silence. Xyra had probably given her the wrong room. Theo turned the handle and opened the door slowly to check. Inside the room was a sleeping figure, red curly hair peeking out from under the sheets. In the dark, Theo couldn't see if Ava was even breathing.

Theo popped her head in the room and called out again, "Ava, it's Theo."

Finally, Theo saw movement. Ava shifted in the bed from one side to the other. Theo felt bad, Ava was probably still recovering from the night before. Being an experienced patron of Niveal's bars, Theo was known to easily bounce back from a wild night out but Ava had yet to learn that trait. Theo considered letting her sleep it off but Theo knew she would never hear the end of it from Morgana if Ava didn't get Morgana's stuff.

"Oi," Theo said a bit louder, "Red, are you coming to the shops with us?"

Ava suddenly popped her head up from under the covers. Her eyes were still shut and her face was scrunched, "Hm?"

Theo had to keep herself from laughing at the sight. It was quite adorable, "Are you coming to the shops with us? It's almost the second hour of the aftermorning and we should get going."

"Mhm," Ava said, "I'm going. I'm going."

Theo nodded and waited in the doorway to see if Ava would move. She didn't.

"Ava?" Theo asked.

"It may seem that I am falling back asleep but I'm not," Ava weakly managed to put a full sentence, "I cannot open my eyes. They are sealed shut."

Theo let a small laugh escape, unable to stop it that time, "I'll leave you to unseal your eyes and get ready. I think I have just the thing to get your sun started. Meet Xyra and me out on the deck when you're ready."

Theo shut Ava's door and Ava slumped back into bed. The bed was far superior to her hammock in the lower decks. She did not understand why those that could have a cabin sometimes opted to not have one. She opened her eyes and did her best to take a long deep breath without throwing up. After a few minutes, she was able to sit up and through lots of patience and groans, she managed to get ready for the day. She sat back down on the bed for a breather before stepping out of the room. Her stomach felt like it was going to empty its contents any second, her mouth was dry, her head was foggy and she did not understand how Theo was up and functioning.

It was probably close to a half-hour before Ava was walking onto the main deck, squinting at the relentless sunlight. Theo was standing on the deck, back to Ava. The Captain's hat placed soundly on her head, she wore a red silk shirt with black pants. It was toned down compared to what Theo had worn the previous two nights. She was speaking to Xyra who was looking down at a list, presumably everything they intended to buy. Xyra looked up from her paper and said something to Theo.

Theo whipped around then smiled at the girl, "Good aftermorning. I've brought the cure to all your problems."

Ava wanted to smile back but she was physically incapable of it. Her head was starting to pound and every noise she heard made her want to cry. In one of Theo's hands was a mug and in the other was a pastry.

Ava took them and stared down at the gifts, "Thank you. What is this?"

"Hojiba tea and a hojiba pastry," Theo smiled and held her hands behind her back, "Gives you energy, helps calm upset stomachs, and is the cure for practically all aftermorning illness symptoms."

Ava brought it up to her nose and sniffed the tea and then the pastry. They barely smelled of anything, she caught a dull whiff of a fruity aroma and that was it. She took a tentative nibble from the pastry but she stopped herself there. It would have tasted amazing if she had any appetite at all, which she did not. She took a sip of the tea, unsure of what to expect from the smell of it. It was delightful. Not too sweet but not too bitter. The aroma that spread through her senses was delightful. She took a large sip, trying to quench the dryness in her mouth.

"How did you sleep?" Xyra asked, also looking just as refreshed and alive as Theo.

"Could have used about three more suns of it," Ava commented in between sips of her tea.

"I remember my first time in Niveal," Theo said fondly.

"Barely," Xyra snorted.

"True. The very beginning and not a thing more," Theo agreed.

Ava cracked a smile for the first time that morning. The tea was starting to work and her stomach felt like it was settling down from the knots it had been in, "I just need to get Mor's list and we can go."

"Picked it up from Morgana's earlier. Money too," Theo held up the list and the bag of money before handing it to Ava, "I have been given very specific instructions to make sure everything is delivered to my quarters and not Morgana's."

"You can have things delivered to your ship?" Ava asked and braved a bite of her pastry. It was sweeter than the tea had been but just as delicious.

Theo chuckled, "What else would we do? Carry our purchases around? With our hands?"

Xyra laughed and shook her head, "Prepare for this pompous ass all day. Let's go."

"I have a small fortune in my pocket that I am about to be spending. I will act like a pompous ass if I so please," Theo said and began walking away.

"People are starving and you're going to buy more coats that you plan on throwing away after one or two uses," Xyra admonished, "That money can go to them."

Theo stopped halfway down the plank to disembark and turned to Xyra, "Oi, any other time you can make me feel bad about it. Not here," Theo waved her arms around, "Sanctuary."

Xyra sighed and conceded to Theo. Keeping her mouth shut about the gross misuse of funds. When Ava had said she saw Theo's age while she was asleep, she also saw Theo's age when it came to shopping. Ava couldn't judge, she also had a small fortune at her side that she fully intended to spend. In all fairness, she had given almost a hundred gold to Zeal. That had to earn her some credit.

Theo began to lead the way once again. This time, the trek was longer. They walked in the sun for a lot longer than they had before. The small hike proved worth it as Ava got to see everything she had been too drunk or high to see on the other nights. The city, for having no government or official overseer, was organized and clean. The buildings were all limited to two or three stories tall. She recognized many of the wooden structures they passed from her previous outings and she began to get a good feel for the layout of the island.

They were on the south side of Niveal, which she learned housed the main city. There was a city center that contained a fresh market and five streets extending out from the city center. The street nicknamed Stumbler's Row led straight down to the port of South Niveal. It was where they had spent their past two nights partying and drinking. Niveal, the main city that is, had each street designated to house a certain type of business. Bars, taverns, and brothels on one street, Stumbler's Row. The shopping street which contained everything one could imagine for sale. From stolen goods and black market items to luxury fabrics and exotic foods. Next to that was a services street where one could find legal counsel or mercenaries; the options were endless. Ava had yet to find out what was on the other two streets.

They passed the top of the street which rested on the top of a hill, passing the brothel they had been inside two nights before. As they left behind the last landmark Ava recognized, they entered into the city square. There were countless tents scattered throughout the square. There were fruits, vegetables, meats, animals, and handmade artisan goods being sold at the tents.

Ava thought they were bound to stop but they walked straight past every tent. Ava wanted to protest but her calls to Xyra were unheard over the ruckus of the market. This was shopping! Why weren't they stopping? Ava thought it best to keep moving after her calls had been ignored. She felt like if there was any day Theo would reveal her true self and be scary it would be on shopping day; Ava had not heard great things. It was best to not get lost and aggravate anyone.

She swerved around large groups and dodged people walking mindlessly about the streets. Once they got past the market area in the square it began to clear up. There were much fewer people on the street they had turned on and Ava began to see the lines of traffic being defined. The street was lined on either side with consecutive buildings all stuck together, there were not many alleys between buildings. Signs were dangling on chains from each storefront, advertising the kinds of goods they specialized in.

Theo had slowed down her pace once they passed the crowds in the square and to one that was comfortable and laid back. Xyra flanked her right and Ava walked behind them. She pulled out the list Morgana gave her and began to scan it. Jewelry, clothes, weapons, spices, and a myriad of other things Ava could not understand. Ava hadn't made her own list so she looked to Morgana's for inspiration. Suddenly, her face was pressed up against something warm and her body thudded into Theo's.

Theo turned around and raised a brow at the girl, chuckling a bit, "All good?"

"Aye, I was distracted," Ava admitted and held up the list, "sorry."

"No need for apologies," she nodded her head over to a shop on their right, "We're heading in there first."

Ava looked up at the sign. Precious Petal's Perfumery. She looked down at her list and scanned it to see if there was anything Morgana needed from there. She didn't see perfume on there but there was also a large chunk of words she did not know. She tapped Theo on the shoulder after they walked in and showed her the list.

"Do they sell any of these here?" Ava asked and pointed to the group of words that were unfamiliar to her.

Without looking at the paper Theo shrugged her shoulders, "I would consult Xyra on that."

Ava squinted her eyes at Theo as the captain walked away and towards a counter with a sales associate behind it. Theo hadn't even bothered to look before brushing Ava off. Rude. Ava walked over to Xyra and asked her the same question. That proved to be the right move as Xyra helped let her know which thing on her list could be found at that shop. Ava didn't understand, if she was going to have to ask Xyra anyway why didn't Morgana have Xyra do her shopping?

Ava read over the word over and over, hoping not to embarrass herself when she repeated the name to the worker. She walked over to the woman behind the counter, coming up to stand next to Theo.

"Hello," Ava said, slight nerves could be detected in her voice, "can I have two bottles of Yabvirin?"

The lady fixed her with a blank stare.

"Yebvrain," Theo stepped in to help, the accent and pronunciation much better than Ava's had been.

Of course, that moment was when Theo thought it was time to aid Ava, not before. The woman understood what Theo had said and left. She brought back two large glass bottles and Ava leaned in to smell them. They were strong, not her favorite but this wasn't hers so it wasn't up to her.

"How much?" Ava asked and pulled her purse out.

"Delivery too?"

Ava nodded.

"One gold for the bottles, three silver for delivery," the woman said and began to wrap up the bottles.

"She's with me," Theo said, "no delivery fee."

"Of course, Captain," the salesperson said with a smile.

Ava felt special. Exclusive. Badass. She got special treatment because Theo had commanded it. Ava got to reap the benefits of Theo's station. A bit of a shit deal for Theo, she had to do all the work, but Ava was more than happy to partake. Ava paid the one gold, finding it expensive for two perfumes but she had a feeling nothing was going to be cheap in Niveal.

"Were those for you?" Theo asked as the woman was turned around.

"For Mor," Ava held up the list.

"Are you getting anything?"

"Probably not. I'm not a fan of perfume," Ava admitted. The day she ran away was the day she vowed to never allow herself to be doused in perfumes ever again. They were so strong and always gave her headaches. She couldn't justify spending money on a liquid that smelled good.

"Suit yourself," Theo shrugged, "this is one of the best perfume shops in all of Baethos."

The woman came back and handed Ava a paper. She took it and read it over. It was just a receipt of what she had bought and how much it cost. Ava would keep these and give them to Morgana later to prove she didn't skim any money off the top. Theo placed a rather large order and put 9 gold on the counter. Ava did not understand how Theo justified spending that much.

Before leaving the shop, Xyra also had to place her order. Once the three of them were satisfied with their time there they moved onto the next shop. Another perfumery. This time Ava didn't need to ask anyone, Xyra let Ava know that nothing on her list was going to be in the new shop. Ava ogled the pretty glasses the perfumes came in as Theo bought an unknown amount of perfume. Next, Xyra pushed them to go shop for jewelry and accessories. Ava was excited about this one.

As a noble, Ava never wanted for much but Aubermasse and the places she frequently traveled did not have a wide selection of jewels. When jewels were gifted to the Vaith family, they rarely ever made their way into her possession. It was a minuscule thing to complain about and it wasn't that she was complaining, per se. She was just excited to have the opportunity to buy and own whatever she wanted.

The shop they walked into was massive. She had expected it to be a small intimate store like the last two had been. It had two stories and an open layout with jewels displayed everywhere. The first floor housed different cases of accessories and collectible pieces. Necklaces, hairpins, brooches, glass pieces with jewels affixed to them. There were different arrays of shapes, sizes, and colors. If she were to ever plan a heist, this would be her target. She could see into the second floor, it was more of a balcony that lined the sides of the room and there were wooden mannequins that were adorned with different elaborate jewelry pieces.

Ava heard a laugh and she snapped out of her daze. It was Theo who was stood in front of her with a stupid grin on her face.

"Your mouth was wide open," Theo said and laughed again, "Wait until you see what's next. Shall we?"

Theo held out her arm for Ava, who took it. Theo walked them to the back of the store and opened a door. They went down the wide hallway until they came upon a wall and a bell that was in front of it, sitting on a small oddly placed table. Theo rang the bell and a small hole in the wall in front of them opened up and Ava was startled, she even gasped a little. The hole shut just as quickly and a piece of the wall moved. It created a small opening and Theo let go of Ava's arm and walked inside. Ava looked back at Xyra, a bewildered expression on her face. This was not normal, as she expected just to follow with no explanation?

"No time for questions," Xyra whispered and nudged Ava forward.

Ava ducked down to fit through the small entrance. It was dark for the first few steps she took but then the small entrance gave way to a larger, dimly lit hallway. She felt Xyra come up behind her, she felt cramped and in need of some space. Theo walked forward, leading the way down the hallway until they came to a stop at a door. She knocked and another small hole opened and closed. The door was opened for them after a few seconds and Ava followed Theo in. The door opened into a well-lit room, a large table was in the middle with comfortable, velvet chairs around it. There were wooden cabinets from wall to ceiling all around the room. Each of them took a seat and Ava then noticed the small man with white shaggy hair standing on one side of the table.

"Captain Theo. It has been a while," the man said with a curt nod.

"Cu," Theo said and crossed an ankle over her knee, "I've done a few stints in the east and the south. Ports around here aren't very friendly I'm afraid so I've had to keep my distance. You have things for me?"

"Ah yes, we'll start with the rings," Cu held a finger up and then quickly turned and opened a cabinet. He pulled out a tray with an assortment of different rings on them, "I've had these set aside for you for quite some time, I thought you might like these."

Cu placed the tray on the table and slid it towards Theo. Theo uncrossed her legs and leaned forward to inspect the items of the tray. Ava's mouth ever so slightly opened at the sight of them. There were large rings, small rings, rings that looked to stop at the middle of the finger, rings with one large jewel, rings with multiple small ones embedded throughout. Theo and Xyra did not react in the same way though, serious faces looking intently at the selection. After a few moments of deliberation, Theo assumed her previous laid back position.

"Cu, to be completely frank, you assuming that I might like these is the biggest insult I could receive," Theo said and Ava's head snapped in Theo's direction. Ava had never heard Theo be that rude.

Ava looked at the selection in front of them again, trying to see what was so wrong about the rings?

Cu muttered his apologies and put the tray back in the cabinet, fishing for another one. He pulled out another and brought it over. Theo once again leaned forward and nodded her head approvingly. Ava saw no significant difference in the two trays. The new ones seemed to hold bigger jewels but besides that, Ava was at a loss.

"Cu," Theo laughed a little and grabbed a large ring with a blue jewel in the middle, "shit why didn't you bring this out in the first place?"

Theo slid the ring over her index finger and looked at her hand. She took it off then tried another. Xyra made no move to try any of the rings on and stayed silent, Ava followed her lead. Theo went through each of the rings, trying them on silently. Her expression never revealed if she was impressed or not. Her presence in the small room seemed large and intimidating. If Ava did not know Theo, she would have been scared shitless of her.

Theo slumped back in her chair, "Okay."

"Okay?" Cu asked.

"I'll take it," Theo said.

"Which one?" Cu said and looked at the tray to figure out which Theo was talking about.

"All of them," Theo said and Xyra reacted for the first time since they had arrived in the room.

"Theo, no," she harshly whispered to her friend.

Theo waved her hand dismissively towards Xyra, "I'll see the earring and necklaces now."

"I will need to go to the back room to retrieve those items," Cu said and bowed slightly before excusing himself.

AVa was at a loss, was that not the back room? There were more backrooms? Cu walked to a wall and knocked on it. The same process of a hole opening, closing, then an entrance popping open was repeated and Cu slipped out of the room. If there were jewels in the main store, and jewels back here, she could only imagine the value of the things kept in the back.

"You're not buying all of those, Theo," Xyra pushed again.

"Xyra, last time. Back off," Theo looked over at her first mate.

Xyra rolled her eyes and kept her mouth shut. Ava wanted to take the time when Cu was out of the room to ask questions but she wasn't sure if she could. Xyra had said specifically no questions and Ava wasn't sure if meant at that moment or the whole time. Either way, Theo and Xyra seemed to be having a tiff between them and Ava did not want to step into that.

After minutes of silence, Cu returned from the same place he left from. He was carrying a large, wide wooden box. Setting it down on the table, he opened the lid to reveal a small black tray filled with necklaces, the top of the box was fitted with a mirror. Not all of the necklaces in the box had jewels and the ones that did were simple and small, unlike the monstrous rocks on the rings.

Theo looked through the necklaces. Carefully picking up the ones she found interesting. She did not complain about these, Cu must have stepped it up. The necklaces that were in the case were beautiful, understated, and all that Ava wanted. There was a silver chain with a small red ruby in the middle, she hoped she had a chance to see if she was allowed to buy it. She still wasn't sure if she was allowed to ask to purchase anything from Cu or would she not be afforded that luxury. Ava hadn't even pulled out Morgana's list to see if she wanted anything.

Instead of choosing all of them, like with the rings, Theo picked out two. A simple gold chain and a silver chain with a black pearl attached, the claw of a metal dragon clutching it. Theo leaned back and motioned for Cu to show her the rest. He removed the top layer of the box and exposed the second, all earrings and ear adornments.

Theo showed a little more excitement for these than she had for the necklaces, a grin on her face. She looked through them and held them up to her ear, checking how it looked in the mirror. Ava watched Theo switch between two colors, undecided. Theo picked various ones and set them aside. She leaned forward in her chair and peered over at Ava.

"You've got Mor's list?" Theo asked and Ava quickly fished it out and held it out, "Morgana couldn't be here today. She's sent a list. Can you see if there is anything you can help us with?"

Cu took the paper and raised the glasses hanging from his shirt to be able to see. He nodded and handed the list back, "Certainly."

Cu made his way to the secret entrance Theo and the group had entered from and made his exit. Theo pushed the trays laid out on the table closer to Xyra and Ava.

"Anything catch your eye?" Theo asked. Xyra shook her head, "Ava?"

"Me?" Ava looked over at the Captain.

"Aye," Theo chuckled, "you okay? You've been very quiet."

"I figured it best to not ask any questions," Ava explained, not trying to throw Xyra under the bus.

"You must have a hundred of them," Theo teased.

"A thousand," Ava cracked a smile, "I'm allowed to buy from this stash?"

"When you shop with me you're allowed to do anything you want. Did something look good to you?" Theo asked.

Ava nodded and pointed to the necklace she had liked earlier.

Xyra snorted a little, "The rich girl goes for the cheapest of all and you still can't manage to show restraint."

Theo elbowed Xyra in the closest spot she could reach, which was Xyra's arm and Xyra yelped a little. She rubbed her arm and scooted her chair out of Theo's reach. Ava ignored the comment, now used to being called that by the crew. If that was the worst thing about the ship then she considered herself lucky. Theo took out the necklace Ava wanted and set it aside with her things.

"This'll be around 13 gold if you buy it by yourself. I'm going to buy it with my stuff which means I can get it for you for around 7," Theo said and Ava thanked her.

There was nothing else she was interested in at the moment, jewel wise. She would probably encounter many other fascinating items in Niveal and on the rest of her journey and she wasn't sure when she would come into another large sum of money. Ava had a feeling that the recent large 500 gold coin share the pirates got from the Delraid treasure was not the norm. It was wiser for her to save her money, unsure if they would ever reap such a reward again. Theo did not share that concern.

Cu came back with the items Morgana had listed in a small wooden box. She opened it and showed the girls and they all nodded their approval. It wasn't like any of them knew what the list said or what Morgana had asked for, Ava not understanding it, and the other two simply not double-checking. She hoped it was right.

"That would be 27 gold for Morgana's items," Cu said and Ava fished out the proper amount of money and handed it over, "and 130 gold for all of your items, Captain Theo."

Theo laughed a little and then shook her head, "No deal, Curator. That is a fucking ridiculous asking price and you know it."

"Theo, you've got nine rings, three necklaces, and six different types of earrings. I'm practically giving this to you under acquisition price. The math comes out to giving this to you for around 8 gold apiece," Cu reasoned and Ava saw Xyra take a deep patient breath in.

"Curator, the reason I do business with you, the owner, is because you don't have to jump through hoops or get any permission to give me your best prices. I will pay 100 for all of it," Theo countered.

"120," Cu countered.

"115, Mor's shit included or I walk," Theo threatened.

Cu reached out a hand to Theo, agreeing on 115 gold for the various luxury items in front of her. Theo shook Cu's hand and stood up and they walked off together, through the secret entrance to the backroom. Ava would have loved to be in the loop for literally anything that had happened for the past 30 minutes. More often than not, things with Theo had been do first, ask questions after.

"Where is she going?" Ava asked, allowing herself one question.

"To the backroom to weigh out the gold. Businesses here usually confirm the validity of the coin by weighing it for purchases over 50 gold," Xyra explained, seeming to not mind the question.

"How much is all of that worth?" Ava tried her luck with another question.

Xyra groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, "200 gold. She does this every fucking time. I'm protesting next time. I refuse to come with her."

Ava had to hold in a laugh. Theo seemed a bit rude and very entitled but knowing that she wasn't ever like that made it funny to Ava, not annoying. She saw why they called Theo a nightmare but didn't think it was all that bad.

"She isn't too bad," Ava confessed and Xyra fixed her with an unimpressed glare.

"If it's shopping day she'll haggle for the meat stick man to sell it to her for one copper instead of two. It's not like 20 gold would have made a difference to her, realistically. She's got fucking 400 gold on her belt. She just does it because she can," Xyra tried to get Ava on her side.

She shrugged her shoulders, "If that is how she is one day out of every 2 or 3 hundred than I think she's allowed to be a diva now and then."

Xyra sighed at the defense of the captain, "Listen, I get what you're saying. Theo does a lot and gives a lot and she deserves to act like this every once in a while but it's exhausting having to sit here and get second-hand embarrassment for a full sun. Next time, I'm skipping out."

Ava let her laugh out this time. Xyra was just a little dramatic but Ava was sure that after countless years of dealing with it, she would have acted the same. Xyra flipped her the bird and Ava stuck out her tongue. Xyra rolled her eyes with a small smile and turned her attention away from Ava. Every time they had time alone, Ava felt Xyra getting more comfortable with her. Ava's strategy of being persistent and talkative had proven effective against the ever-stoic first mate.

Theo returned with Cu and despite being haggled out of about 90 gold worth of jewels, he seemed to be happy and chipper speaking with Theo. They spoke animatedly about something Ava could not catch the context of and then they sat down. Cu handed Ava and Theo a paper, a handwritten receipt of purchase as well as a paper that was a confirmation of delivery. Ava did not expect this type of professionalism from Niveal, the lawless island. She folded the papers and put them in her pocket along with her other one. Theo said her goodbyes and they all stood up, Theo leading the way out.