Chapter 9: Delirium

Theora stood by her bedside, deciding if her pillows were appropriate in the corner she had placed them. Not that it was a huge issue in the first place; however it was nice to have that extra excuse to linger in her room. She didn't want to see the two pirates or their friend this morning. It was bad enough hearing the three; Theora's ears burned at the mere thought. The imagination of the 12 year old, fortunately, was bleak, so the noises were just that. She picked up the comb on her bed table; the bristles massaged her scalp with each stroke. Would Vanessa make breakfast this morning, or would she have to make simple toast and cheese? Not that it was a big deal if she didn't, but why she didn't… Theora hadn't meant to gag on her own saliva; however, she may have achieved her own solution for exiting her room: to throw up.

En route to the bathroom to expel the toxic churnings of her stomach and her thoughts, a delicious wafting of fried eggs spilled out from the kitchen, filling Theora's nostrils with delectable desire. Thoughts of puking up negative connotations from the night before promptly ceded as Theora rounded the corner to peer into the room; peaking in on the teen she hoped to see.

There she was, hovering dutifully over the stove, her face taking on a light tinge of red from the heat that brushed against it. The initial smell of eggs, Theora discovered, was also accompanied by bacon, sausages, and tomatoes in separate pans alongside. Vanessa took a step away from the stove to allow herself a moment of fresh air, which unfortunately was also rather humid. They really needed to invest in a fan for this room, specifically for when she was cooking in the Nasr region.

"Good morning." Theora announced her presence, stepping in view in the doorframe. Vanessa's head swiveled around, catching sight of the preteen as the girl made her way over to the counter.

"G-Good morning, Theora. I hope you slept well?" An unusual hint of nerves crept into Vanessa's voice. The older teen clearly was dwelling over something she found unsettling. Vanessa knew that whatever glamorized perspective Theora had of her being a good role model must be completely shot by now.

"Uh… Mildly, I guess. The Thalia needs some thicker walls though. Perhaps I'll use the chalice to invest in some soundproofing." Theora frowned, contemplating the idea. Well, she wouldn't have to hear anything again if she did that… there were no negatives, except she probably wouldn't have enough to upgrade the helm, a shame really. Vanessa's face became increasingly downcast as the silence lingered on. A crackling of oil from behind her startled her, jumping back into immediate attention to rescue the eggs before they burned.

"Theora, I'm so sorry, I don't even remember what happened, but I can guess, and – oh, that can't be good." Theora was looking out an open porthole while Vanessa was speaking, but the sudden worry in her friend's voice brought Theora's gaze back to her. Something didn't seem right. Her rosy colored cheeks had drained of all color; a pale sheen of perspiration forming as a hand went instinctively to her stomach.

"Vanessa…? Are you all right?" Theora pushed off from the chair, taking a tentative step forward. Vanessa shakily held out her hand to keep Theora away.

"W-Watch the food for me, I'll be back…" and without a moment longer to spare, Vanessa left in a sprint towards the bathroom. Theora's eyes gazed absently at the door of departure, concern for her friend wishing to take priority, but the last minute request ultimately winning over as she knew that both Skye and Vanessa would give her grief over the spoiled foods otherwise.

Sighing, she planted herself in front of the stove. Well, it looked like they were nearly done anyway, so this shouldn't be too difficult…

"How could you ruin breakfast, Theora? You were only looking over them for a minute, god." Skye complained, still scooping up an egg with a utensil regardless. Vanessa was still strangely absent from the scene, so the unkempt-looking blonde had free reign to once again bitch about Theora's existence. It seemed that the drunkenness and events of last night had completely corroded over whatever pleasant mood Skye had been in towards her. Well, it was nice while it lasted.

"You haven't even tried it." Theora pointed out, her tone guarded. She didn't want Skye to know that she was being bothered by what was said – showing weakness to Skye on a regular day was one thing, but when the blonde was hung-over and a bit shrewd in appearance, it was quite another. Skye would not have the satisfaction of looking like shit and still besting her; not today.

"It looks like shit, therefore it is shit." Skye declared, grabbing two pieces of toast that had already been made prior to Theora's caretaking and settling down by the dining table. "That's all there is to it."

"Why, when Vanessa returns she'll tell you just how wrong you –"

"So a virgin, huh? I honestly can't say I expected that, it's been awhile since I've been with someone naïve to having sex before." His voice carried down the hallway, silencing Theora midsentence.

"Shh! Not so loud, gee…" came the paranoid response. "Yes, I was one, until you happened to come along and spike the apple juice last night…"

"Oh, so you remember now? Well babe, I was only giving you what your inner desire wanted. You just weren't strong enough to wrestle over your insecurities, so I helped you along."

"I had no intention of sleeping with you!" Vanessa's voice elevated, speaking sharply.

"Well, your blonde friend did, and she has no problem with it… and neither did you, last night." He gave her a playful wink, to which she responded with an indignant scowl. There was something about her attitude that he found adorable. He hadn't had this much fun with banter since he slept with Sally a few years ago.

"Took advantage of me, you did…" Vanessa grumbled; her tone adopting a mellow grace. Gilder raised a brow, a sly smile forming on his face.

"You and Skye had every intention of taking advantage of me last night, as I'm sure you can remember." Gilder pointed out, stopping in his stride to look at the shorter girl beside him. Her eyes sparkled with an intensity that looked to be a mixture of anger and uncertainty. An interesting character she was. "I was just ensuring that the feeling was mutual. I got what I wanted, as did you two Red Rogues. We're all pirates; gotta share the booty sometimes, right?"

Vanessa covered her face with her hands, groaning at the intentional pun that spewed out of his mouth. She honestly didn't know how to respond to it, for he did speak the truth – their goal was to take advantage of him, and it was her fault for not noticing that he had slipped something into their drinks. It was probably during the birthday celebration for Theora. Everyone else had been too distracted and singing along to catch him in the act – and now she would just have to come to accept what had happened as fact.

"I…"

"And just for the record, and so we're clear… It wasn't me or Skye that suggested the threesome." Gilder, always the charming man, also knew how to be powerfully honest. Vanessa gasped, mouth hung open in surprise. That couldn't be true… It just couldn't! "So if you were wondering how we ended up in your bed… It was all your idea, my princess." He winked. Everything that Vanessa felt she had grown to understand about herself… shattered, in that moment. Whatever she had pieced together as her being had just been proven a fallacy; a mere illusion. She had never before felt so ashamed.

"Gilder, I'd appreciate it if you just… left, now." She sounded so small; almost saddened by the news he casually delivered. Gilder's eyes sparkled with understanding, and something else.

"Your wish is my command, my dear. Though if it is any comfort to you, with everyone else I have slept with over the years… they have never seen me in the morning." He paused, to see if she got what he meant. She just provided a blank stare. "It wasn't… meaningless, in other words. I hope to see you two around sometime again soon." He gave a short bow, straightened his red jacket and his shades before he headed for the door.

"Gilder?" Vanessa called out uncertainly. He paused by the doorway.

"Hmm?"

"It's… just Vanessa. The nicknames… I don't really like them."

"Oh, very well then. Good day to you, Vanessa. Send my regards to Skye and Emilia." With a nod and another smile, he headed out onto the deck. There was a few moments of silence until it finally dawned on Vanessa that they had been speaking openly… right in the hallway adjacent to the kitchen. Skye and Theora must have heard everything. Ah, shit. She'd never be able to live this down.

Her stomach painfully seized up again, and with a rush she went back to the bathroom. At least she could delay seeing her crewmates… if only for the moment.

The flight to Maramba proved mostly uneventful for the trio – Vanessa had never reappeared after they had overheard her conversation with Gilder; she must have felt too ashamed to have to face them. An odd silence had fallen over Skye and Theora in the kitchen during that time. They ate together, sat at the round dining table – Skye turned out to enjoy breakfast after her initial complaining, though she didn't apologize for her rudeness. She did, however, volunteer to clean up so that Theora could pilot them out as soon as possible.

They encountered nothing. No monsters, no ships; just the southerly wind that gracefully led them to their destination. It would be a short stop, as Skye and Vanessa had already restocked their supplies while Theora had been on her palace adventure. Theora didn't really see the point to even stopping in Maramba. What could there possibly be to steal in a town off the beaten track? Besides, that's where the circulation of rumors concerning the Blue Rogues was originating from. There wasn't any beneficial cause to going there, unless…

Theora's eyes darted over the seemingly endless desert. Did Vanessa want to steal from the very mythical temple that the Blue Rogues had supposedly disappeared to? Stealing from another faction of pirates would be a daring venture, especially since the Blue Rogues were on the opposite side of the spectrum from them – the Blue Rogues were the kind to help people in need, not kick them while they're down. Theora sighed. She wouldn't mind experiencing gratitude from the populace for once. Traveling with the Red Rogues, though… that was never going to happen; not under Skye's watch. Oh well, one could always dream.

The usual routine proceeded as soon as she docked the ship; she watched as Skye casually jumped over the side onto the platform, waving for Vanessa to join her. Theora didn't know why, but she felt a chill as she saw Vanessa cautiously approach the edge, the one that she would normally gracefully hop over. The armor donned teen seemed a bit off – even from the bridge, Theora could see how pale her friend's face was. Vanessa wiped some sweat from her brow, opting instead to slide the plank down onto the platform. Theora frowned. That was the first time she had ever seen Vanessa so careful about her departure; there had to be something wrong. What was this feeling? Theora couldn't shake it, even as she watched Skye and Vanessa head up the steps and into town.

"Get a grip, Theora… Everything's fine." She sighed. For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to believe those words.

"They made off with Bellena, they did!" One bulky man shouted, tone full of displeasure. "She's the only reason I came here for, and those bloody Blue Rogues made off with her!"

"Now, good sir, she had made it clear that her position here was a temporary one; we all knew it was only a matter of time before she left. A pity it came so soon, though." The bartender set down a glass he had been polishing, eyes darting from his customer to the door as the handle emitted its signature creak. Two girls came in, one looking a little worse for wear as she leaned on her friend for support, breathing heavily.

"Some water for my friend, please." The blonde spoke quickly, leading her companion to a grouping of pillows resting against the wall. Slowly she bent her knees, directing the other to take up residence on the floor.

"What happened? She doesn't look too well." The bartender came over with the requested glass of water, handing it to the blonde. He also got down on his knees to examine his new 'customer' of sorts.

"We were going to go shopping after a quick stop here, and she collapsed." The blonde's cerulean eyes flashed in the bartender's direction. "She's been muttering gibberish ever since."

"Tus murtal, mi amie…" As if on cue, the dark haired teen croaked a response. The bartender raised a brow.

"Complete delirium… How long has she been like this?" The bartender inquired as the blonde gently held the glass to her friend's mouth.

"Come on, Vanessa… don't want you getting heat stroke or anything, now." She tilted her friend's head back a bit before pouring some water in. Vanessa swallowed it, though she was otherwise unresponsive. Her eyes stared blankly at the bartender – no, it looked like she was seeing through him, the way she was looking. It was slightly eerie, he had to admit. "She hasn't been feeling well at all this morning. She was all right until we got past the gate from the main street, though."

"Has she ever been like this before?" The bartender further pressed.

"I've never seen her ill before. She usually likes rubbing her good health in my face." Skye shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant though her expression showed deepening concern. Vanessa was still whispering incomprehensible nothings. Neither of the two sat beside her noticed the growing wariness in her eyes.

"Well, I think it would be best if you got her to a doctor… As a bartender, I can't really do anything to help except serve drinks. I do have some in the back that works as a sedative, if it gets worse. Do you want some of that? Also, I'll fetch a messenger to tell Milon to bring a dhabu over – doesn't look like she's going to be moving from that spot."

"That would be great, thanks." Skye's voice expressed appreciation that was rarely ever seen from the tricky blonde. Stress from Vanessa's rapidly degrading well being had caused her to completely forget what kind of reputation she hoped to exude at all times. There was a time and place for everything. As the bartender left to retrieve the sedative, Skye helped Vanessa with the rest of the water, the latter still obediently swallowing and allowing the liquid to trickle down her throat. "What were you thinking, coming along if you felt like this?" Skye put down the empty glass, her cool hand wiping some stray hairs off of her friend's forehead. "We promised each other to lay low if we're under the weather… did you forget, already?"

"I've got it. Milon will be over in a couple minutes." The bartender reappeared in view, his large frame almost daunting from their crouched perspective. He handed over a case of the fluid.

"How much?" Skye asked. She was already reaching for her pouch.

"Free of charge. I can't expect a price from someone that's in need of it. Just be careful with how much is consumed, though. This stuff is enough to put someone in a coma if mishandled."

"Why do you have something like that at a bar?" Skye blinked. The bartender let out a chuckle.

"Would it surprise you to hear that not all a bartender handles is alcoholic beverages? We're licensed to brew medical concoctions as well – as long as we don't experiment on our customers, of course."

"O… of course…" His reasoning sounded completely bizarre, and at the same time legitimate. There was more to the role of owning a tavern than Skye realized. She still didn't really care, though.

Skye was shoved off to the side, completely unprepared for when a blur of red and the sound of scraping metal zoomed past her. The bartender let out a gasp, too slow to grab their clearly disoriented patient. Vanessa bolted through the door, the calls of her name falling on deaf ears.

"What the hell?" Skye pushed herself up, grabbing the case of the unnamed medical beverage with one hand. The bartender looked perturbed, lacking the ability to understand what just happened. A sickly girl like that shouldn't have been able to move, let alone dash out the door.

"If she doesn't know where she is, there may be trouble…" The bartender mumbled out quickly. "I don't think she's completely with it at the moment." Skye threw him a dark glare.

"Ya think?" Brilliant deduction, dumbass. "I'm going after her. Thanks for the help." And before the bartender could give a reply, Skye was out the door.

"That was rude." The bulky, partially drunk man from before commented. "Shoulda been more grateful to you for giving a rat's ass, and to me for allowing them to interrupt an important discussion here! Bellena, man, Bellena!" The bartender sighed. From one extremity to the other… oh well, at least his days never were that dull.

"Moons, where'd she go?" Skye panted, vigorously whipping her head around every which way for a chance to sight her friend. Vanessa had gone off the deep end; Skye could only hope she didn't get into any trouble. A red haired fellow was approaching her, a purple dhabu in tow.

"Are you looking for something?" He asked politely, stopping a few feet away. He was heading over to the tavern by the bartender's request.

"Someone, actually. Slightly taller than me, dark curly hair, wearing red –"

"Oh, the gal with the fashionable boots? Yeah, she was heading for the docks." Well, that was quick. Why was she going there, though?

"Thanks." Skye started to head off, but she paused for a moment and turned back to the civilian. "Hey, are you Milon?" He seemed surprised that she knew his name. As flattered as he was that another foreigner knew him, he hadn't introduced himself yet.

"Yes?" He didn't know what to expect.

"Barkeep doesn't need you now." And she left him to stand there, feeling so very slightly confused about what was going on. The purple dhabu snorted behind him and started nibbling the ends of his hair.

Skye was out of breath as she returned to the vessel, praying by some sort of random luck that Vanessa had opted to flee back to the Thalia rather than mistakenly boarding another ship. Vanessa hadn't been acting like herself, and to say that Skye was worried was an understatement. She could only hope that her friend had not completely lost it – they had met individuals with a few screws loose before, and she much preferred if Vanessa didn't join their ranks.

"Vanessa?" She called, walking slowly, listening intently. She wasn't surprised that she didn't receive a response, though she was still hoping. "Yo Theora, you around?"

"We're up here." came the distant reply. From the bridge, Skye gathered. She climbed up the ladder and pushed open the door.

"Vanessa, I've been looking all over for –" Skye started, though she stopped short at what she saw. "…you?"

"Skye, what happened? She just rushed back here and um… has been like this since." It was apparent by the confusion on Theora's face that she had no clue what was going on. Not that anyone could blame her; it wasn't an expectation to have one of your friends storm in, fiercely grab you, drag you to a bench, and then proceed to relentlessly hug you through muted sobs. Theora was still in this position, wrapped in Vanessa's arms as the older teen buried her face in Theora's hair.

"I… don't know. She collapsed, and uh…" Skye scratched her chin, then realizing that she still held the bottle full of the sedative in her other hand. "I know a way to regain her senses, but you're going to have to get her to drink some of this." Skye went over to one of the storage units built into the floor and pulled it open, digging through its contents until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the shot glass and closed the lid, carefully pouring just a few drops into the glass.

"What will that do?" Theora asked. She wasn't even going to bother asking where Skye had got it from; one could only reasonably assume that it had been stolen.

"It'll knock her out for a bit, but she'll recover."

"… su levum en comfren, Theora." A gentle whisper sounded through her pigtails. Theora widened her eyes. "… so glad you're safe." Skye wordlessly handed Theora the shot glass, staring expectantly at the twerp to do something with it.

"Hey, Vanessa…" Theora gently pulled away so that she could see the other girl's face. She hesitantly held up the glass. "I brought you something to drink." A look of pleasure spread across Vanessa's face then, very much enjoying being in Theora's presence. It bothered Skye a bit that she felt she was being completely ignored; that Vanessa, in her hallucinatory state, would choose to acknowledge Theora over her – but she knew she was just being silly. She should feel grateful that the kid had managed to keep Vanessa here, rather than wandering outside; even if Theora hadn't really done anything about it.

Vanessa drank the contents of the glass and a flash of alarm graced her eyes as she pushed Theora away, betrayal evident in her gaze. She could already feel her eyelids drooping and her movements becoming sluggish. She backed herself into a corner; her eyes alit with unspoken fury, entirely focused on Theora. As her back began to slide down the wall, her attention was broken for just a moment, as if she had finally just realized that someone else was in the room. A defiant look that transcended into softness spread across her face as she looked at her.

"Skye…" It came out slurred, but the recognition was there. She promptly passed out right after. Skye walked over to her fallen friend, her expression unreadable.

"Theora, I'm going to need your help to get her to her room." So it was down to business already. Theora didn't mind that they weren't going to speak about what just happened – she was still shaken by the event, and didn't know what she could say anyway. Together they lifted Vanessa up and headed to her room. They plopped her down on her bed, propping the pillow under her head. Skye left soon after to mull over her thoughts elsewhere. Theora sat down at the edge of the bed and grasped one of Vanessa's hands with her own.

"What did you mean back there…?" Theora uttered, observing the peaceful look of her silent comrade. "What am I safe from?"

END CHAPTER 9