(Untitled)

[dream_departed]

Aya-chan runs her hand across the green silk. She could afford to eat nothing but rice last week, but it was well worth it, her dress is perfect. She practically bounces in place as she waits in line. Passengers chat and make last minute arrangements. Families hug their loved ones. Reporters relay messages about the first flight of the steam ship

Comments

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta grins at Aya's bouncing in place. He leans over and half-whispers in her ear, "Excited?"

Meanwhile, it seems that the crew has made all the preparations necessary, because ushers in dark blue uniforms with gold piping start to herd the line along up the boarding ramp.

[dream_departed]

"Of course." She smiles brightly as she slides her arm around his neck. "I'm with you."

She holds him closer, both in affection and apprehension. The hovering gangplank feels strange under her feet.

The doorway leads to the hull of the ship looks like the gaping mouth of a strange and hungry animal. She can hear tinkling music and laughter inside, putting her at ease.

[x_ginta_x]

As she holds him closer, he takes this opportunity to lean against Aya and nuzzle her cheek. Some of the people around them (an interesting looking bunch that seem half-Victorian, half-futuristic) look mildly disapproving of the public display of affection. He couldn't care less.

It is surprising how quickly the line moves and, before they know it, they are inside the maw of the hull. The interior of the craft is outfitted in a deep mahogany and everything is accented in bronze. There are working gears in plain view everywhere, some functional and some for show. There are little round, hanging lanterns with clouded glass that makes it hard to tell whether they are lit by flame or electricity on the inside. The lanterns are rigged on a kind of pulley system that has them slowly bobbing up and down.

"Woooow," Ginta breathes. This is really something else.

[dream_departed]

More than the glistening bronze Aya-chan notices the glitter of jewels on almost all the women nearby. Most of them were wearing elegant gowns. Her dress looks simple by comparison.

Ginta's sigh draws her attention to him. His expression of awe warms her. She smiles radiantly, forgetting to feel insecure. She reaches out to caress his cheek. "It's like magic."

There is a full orchestra greeting beneath a banner welcoming the passengers to the first voyage of the luxury steam ship. As the door closes, indoor fireworks spark and the orchestra begins to play a jaunty tune of welcome. There are surprised gasps from some of the passengers and bored applause from others who pretend not to be impressed.

Aya-chan turns when she feels hand on her shoulder. She looks up -- and up -- into the smiling face of a tall man with a white beard.

"Welcome aboard. I'm Captain Smith. I trust everything is to your liking."

"Y-yes, sir," Aya-chan stammers.

"Is this your first trip aboard a steam ship?"

[dream_departed]

Aya presses closer to Ginta, trying to hide her laughter by burying her face against his neck. She has been with him so long, but these little moments when she finds she loves him more still surprise her.

At his sound of distress she reaches into her bag and pull out her PINpoint. The display where the coordinates generally show has gone cloudy. Aya makes a very quiet little gasp.

She doesn't notice when some of the ships officers step on to the observation deck to reassure the passengers. She does notice when a young man carrying a tray of candied octopus puts a reassuring hand on her arm.

"It's alright, Miss. Before they opened the ship to passengers, I traveled on it with the crew while we still working the bugs out. We've been on much worse storms than this." The young waiter who looks a little younger than Aya-chan lets go of Aya-chan's arm and smiles at Ginta reassuringly. "You and your lady are going to be fine."

[x_ginta_x]

"Well, that's... comforting." Ginta doesn't seem comforted. He seems nervous. He would probably not seem nearly so nervous if he hadn't caught what Aya was gasping at. Having your escape plan taken away-- it's a good way to make someone antsy. He's trying to hide it but he's not doing a very good job.

Meanwhile, the objects on the tables around the observation deck, flowers, glasses of water, opera glasses for looking out the window and whatnot, start to slide slightly starboard.

"Um..." he says to the waiter, "is that normal too?"

[dream_departed]

The waiter smiles brighter. "It is when the ship really gets moving. They use it as a passenger ship, but this baby can move.

"We must be trying to get out the way of the worst of the storm."

Behind them, a large woman in a feathered hat is making a fuss about how she will complain to the captain about this, as if he can be blamed for the weather.

The blond waiter looks disgusted. "They just don't get how incredible this ship is. They get to be a part of history here."

Aya is struck by how much everyone who works on this ship is proud of it.

[x_ginta_x]

"...Oh!" Now that he knows it isn't a malfunction and they're making a concerted effort to get out of the way of the storm, Ginta actually does relax visibly. "That's good to know. Just how fast is it able to go?"

"Eighty-six miles per hour! Can you believe it? We're probably getting close to that now." The waiter looks practically giddy at the prospect.

Now everything is sliding slightly portside. The lady in the feathered hat throws up her arms and announces that she is going to the bridge to confront the captain rather than wait. Two large men are trying to calm her, coming just short of restraining her. There are few passengers nearby who don't wish that they would, considering the racket she is making.

[x_ginta_x]

Oh gods, he knows that scream. He feels his stomach sink to his feet.

"AYAAAA!!!"

This time the shoving is resumed in earnest and he tries to worm through the crowd as quickly as possible. It still is not fast enough. He feels like he is in one of those terrible dreams where, no matter how hard you run, you are still going in slow motion.

"No. No no no no no no no, this isn't happening," he mutters to himself. It isn't until he hears people yelping around him that he realizes he's resorted to clawing to get where he wants.

He spies a uniformed figure some twenty feet away and it barely registers that it is the waiter they met earlier. Ginta is too busy trying to sniff Aya-chan out to make much note of it. That is, until he notices that the waiter is struggling with something. No, someone. Someone dressed all in green; her hair falling over face, obscuring it.

((If you don't want Aya to be picked up by the waiter, just let me know and I'll rewrite.))

[dream_departed]

The waiter presses the girl as close to the wall as he can. He can't carry her and keep pace with the crowd at the same time, and he can't leave her.

((Are you kidding? I love it.))

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta tries to get over to the wall as quickly as possible. It takes longer than he estimated it would since the momentum of the crowd causes him to overshoot and he has to back track, hugging the wall the entire time.

Finally, after what seems like forever, he joins up with the two.

"Aya? Aya, please, answer me..." He moves to take Aya off the waiter's hands, trying to be as delicate as possible since it looks like she's already starting to turn black and blue.

"I can't thank you enough for saving her." He's too busy checking Aya over to make eye contact. Still, the thank you is heartfelt, if a little distracted.

((Sweet!))

[sweetunrest]

She is breathing, but not able to answer.

"Nothing else I could do." His lips form a thin line. "This shouldn't have happened."

[x_ginta_x]

When she presses the green button a loud whirring noise is heard, followed by a series of clicks. Ginta, not knowing what's coming, covers his head and prepares for the end.

It is then the device falls apart into a dozen pieces (not counting the odd nut or bolt that rolls away).

"Oh good," the waiter breathes in a sigh of relief. "The self destruct button is where I remember."

"You little--!" The officer lunges at the waiter since he is the closest person who can be held responsible. Ginta tries nailing him in the back with an elbow.

[dream_departed]

Ginta's elbow hits something hard and metal. There is a crunching noise followed by a loud siren which sounds throughout the ship as the machine responsible for suppressing the ship's safety system is crushed by Ginta's elbow. The PINpoints may be functional again as well.

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta, not knowing what's going on, jumps at sound of the siren.

"What now?"

Since he's no longer being pinned from above, the officer decides that now is a good time to squirm away and flee.

"We've got to go after him, he-" the waiter starts to pursue, but Ginta puts a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not like he can get far with people jamming the way to the escape pods, right? We'll probably have an easier time stopping him if we can round up more people to grab him."

The waiter pauses reluctantly and Ginta removes his hand from his shoulder so he can shield his ears from the wailing or the sirens around.

"What do the sirens mean; does that mean things are getting worse?"

The waiter shakes his head. "This is what's supposed to have been going on all along, ever since the comet got close. We've been sabotaged."

[dream_departed]

"He was going the wrong way to get to one of the pods. He must have another way out." Aya's voice sounds pained.

Aya feels like a fish stranded on land. She starts to pull herself to her feet.