Aboard The Merida (1/?)interrobamAugust 21 2012, 00:51:57 UTC
(A/N: Here's what I have so far. I have no idea when I'll be able to find the time to finish this up, as you will see its' only just begun, but I hoped you might like to have at least a taste now. Also, don't worry about the Adam/Belle, Belle/Esmeralda will be endgame.)
Aboard The Merida
There would come a point, eventually, when Belle was quite thankful for the coalminers strike of 1884. At the time, however, she was anything but pleased by it. She had booked passage to China on The Blue Star months ago, on the very day the news about her novel came through. She had her clothes packed, her mandarin phrasebook memorized, and her reading materials for the journey so carefully chosen when, only a week before she was set to depart, the coal shortage began to take its toll. Drastic cuts were made not only in The Blue Star's fleet, but in all major companies flying out of Europe, and Belle couldn't find so much as a cargo ship to take her to her destination. She telegraphed her publisher, who was not at all pleased that she was thinking of canceling the trip.
Miss. Belle D. Enjoliveur, Nancy, France
Go to China. If official ship unavailable take unofficial route. Have an adventure.
-Darling and Pan Publishing, N. Everland, England
Have an adventure. Well, that was a fine thing for them to say, safe and sound in their own homes. Belle might have been a lady of means, but she was by no measure sheltered. She knew the local skyports hosted a number of unlicensed ships, many of them with access to illicit reserves of coal, many more of them barely airworthy. She meant to refuse, to force them to reschedule, but every time she sat down to compose a biting reply she glanced over to her manuscript and imagined people all over China, all over Japan, reading it. The thought made her heart sing. It was easy for her to talk herself out of walking all the way to the telegraph office to give her publishers a piece of her mind. In any case, she had always longed for adventure when she was a child. Her thirst for travel and thrill had motivated her through the long nights at her typewriter, the hundreds of rejection letters from hundreds of publishers. As Belle gave up on her third attempt to draft a telegraph of refusal, choosing instead to get up and make herself some good strong tea, she remembered visiting her publisher for the first time. Mr. Pan had greeted her at the door, smiling, a gap between his teeth, his french mangled.
“So this is Miss. Enjoliveur. You write pretty good, you know, for a woman.” As Belle stood there, shocked, Ms. Darling had come up from behind him, her face stern.
“Oh hush Peter.” She had clasped her hands, a spark in her eyes. “Don't you mind him. This is something special Miss. Enjoliveur,” her voice had been a hurried whisper “, your novel that is. We're very excited to bring it to the world.”
“Very excited!” Mr. Pan had exclaimed, draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her against his side. “Come Ms- Oh, I can call you Belle can't I?”
“Ah... well-” She had stuttered out, set off kilter by all of this familiarity.
“Come Belle,” Mr. Pan boomed, giving her a rough pat to the back“, lets make your dreams come true.”
The scream of her teapot shook Belle out of her memory, and she felt a rush of guilt for not simply toughening up and looking for other means of transport. She owed Miss. Darling and Mr. Pan to at least look for a ship. They had been the ones to accept her novel, to send it out to their foreign associates, to negotiate the deal of her manuscript's translation. As the writer poured honey into her cup, she resolved to go to the docks the next day and find a ship.
Aboard The Merida (2/?)interrobamAugust 21 2012, 00:54:23 UTC
The initial search went poorly. Her father insisted on joining her, despite her attempts to reassure him that she was a grown woman and could certainly manage to walk around a skyport on her own. As he put on his overcoat and turned off his current half finished invention, Maurice shook his head in a way that suggested he would simply not have that kind of talk.
“Belle, I must ensure your safety. You never know when an innocent 'cargo vessel' could end up being a pirateship in disguise!” Belle bit down a comment wondering at the reason he was so certain he would know, pulling her own cloak fast to her shoulders.
“Yes Papa.”
Most of the ships that fell under Maurice's scrutiny failed his tests. Holes in sails, dirty portholes, creaky decks, chipped paint, captains who didn't speak french, and “threatening looking” anchors of all things caused a dozen ships to fall off their list. Belle was exhausted, both mentally and physically, by the time she and her father came to the last boat in the dock, The Rose. A healthy sized vessel with cheerful white and gold paint, stark white sails, a uniformed crew, and undeniably french detailing, Maurice was forced to bite his tongue as Belle called up to a squat deckhand.
“Pardon me sir, I'm seeking passage to China later this week. Is there any chance of speaking to your Captain about paying him for the use of his ship?”
“Well sure!” The man smiled down at her “But I'd recommend you talk to the First Mate, Gaston, instead. He's a real legend of the seas, and he'd go crazy over a girl like you. You know, he is on the market for a lady of marriageable-” Belle cleared her throat loudly, cutting the excitable deckhand off.
“That's very kind sir, but I would really prefer to see the-”
“Captain Adam.” Belle turned to find a furred alien, about seven feet in height and wearing a fine blue coat, behind her. He bowed, his horns tilting down like a bull in charge, his motions as graceful as his french. “At your service milady.” He straightened back up, glaring at the deckhand. “LeFou, your job is not to find Mr. Gaston dates, especially not from the pool of our prospective employers. Go check the rigging, would you.” As the portly man muttered something about bossy noblemen, Belle allowed Captain Adam to take her hand, blushing just a bit. “I must apologize for that, Miss...?”
“Enjoliveur. Belle Enjoliveur, Captain. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine, surely. I hear you are seeking passage to China? Where exactly do you plan to go?”
“To the east, specifically Shanghai.”
“A fine city. I was planning a trip to Japan in three days, it would be no problem to take a detour to your destination.”
“Oh, that is wonderful news.” Belle's voice was deep with relief “Now, about your price. I realize with the coal shortage and this being last minute it might be more than usual, but I would be more than willing to work in the kitchens or as a deckhand if it could reduce my fee.”
“No.” Maurice's voice rose from behind Adam, defiant. “Not on this ship.”
“Papa.” Belle sighed, putting her hand to her head and rubbing at her temples. “Surely you cannot find fault with this vessel.”
“I don't trust this crew. You know what can happen to a woman alone on a long voyage. I don't think you should take passage with men, nonetheless this,” he gestured vaguely at Captain Adam “, beast.” The Captain's fur bristled slightly, and Belle's face turned red with embarrassment and horror.
“Papa!” She exclaimed, cringing. “I can't believe you! I'm so sorry Captain.”
Aboard The Merida (3/?)interrobamAugust 21 2012, 00:55:56 UTC
“Mrs. Potts, our cook, will look after her.” The alien's voice was sterner than before. “I promise Miss. Enjoliveur will not come to harm.”
“No, I refuse to let my daughter set one foot on this ship.” Maurice grabbed Belle's arm, hurrying away. The writer tried to wrench her arm from her father's grip, turning to speak to Captain Adam as she was dragged away.
“I'm so very sorry for my father's behavior. I wish you luck on your voyage.” The alien shrugged his massive shoulders, shooting her a bittersweet, toothy smile.
“I myself am sorry to lose your company. Good luck with your own travels.”
When they arrived at her apartment Belle shook loose of her father and told him exactly where he could put his old fashioned prejudices before slamming the door in his face. She knew he meant well, that he only wanted her to be safe on her first trip out of Europe, but she could not abide by his being suspicious of Captain Adam based on something as silly as what planet his family was from. She needed a stiff drink, a challenging game of chess, and a little bit of sympathy. She knew exactly where to go to get all three. As her father knocked on her door, apologizing fervently and pleading with her to open up, she searched through her desk drawer for a small card, printed in looping pink script, that granted her passage into Lady Darling's Gentlewoman's Club.
The society, a partner of “Lord Darling's Club for Tramps”, was founded by Lady Darling in 1863 for the use of women from all levels of society. For its poorer members it provided food, shelter, and access to all of its facilities free of cost. Its richer clientele paid a yearly fee to support its charity work and for the use of its extensive and beautiful grounds, spacious library, and gym. Belle's father had been paying for her membership, drawing the money from the wealth he had accumulated from his hundreds of patents, but she hoped that her novel would be successful enough to allow her to give her own money soon. As soon as her father left she put on a slightly lighter cloak, slipped the card into her pocket, and set off for the club.
Her friends were, as she had hoped, very sympathetic.
“Poor dear.” Charlotte clucked, patting her hand. “One generation removed, but you'd think they were cavemen. Big Daddy near fainted when I told him I wanted to call on that Felidae Baron!” The woman laughed, her smile widening “Oh, what a fine man he was. Very aristocratic.”
“Fathers.” Jane scoffed in turn “I swear the second we tell them we want to set foot on an airship they forget we aren't girls anymore.”
“Exactly! Because of this I have one less day to find a vessel, and absolutely no leads. I swear he won't be happy until I find a crew devoid of men.” Belle sighed, shifting one of her knights. For a while the three were quiet, Charlotte stirring the honey into her tea, Jane contemplating her next move. Suddenly, the blonde slapped her hand to the table.
“Come to think of it Belle, I know just the ship! Jane, you remember that darling little merchant ship you told me about, the one I took to Maldonia last fall?”
“Mmm, yes, but isn't the Captain's husband part of the crew?
“He wasn't aboard when I took the trip, and she told me he wouldn't be back for a good long while.”
“Really? I wonder who she found to replace-”
“Charlotte, Jane, don't keep me in the dark!” Belle leaned eagerly across the table. “What is the name of the ship? Does the Captain speak French well?”
Aboard The Merida
There would come a point, eventually, when Belle was quite thankful for the coalminers strike of 1884. At the time, however, she was anything but pleased by it. She had booked passage to China on The Blue Star months ago, on the very day the news about her novel came through. She had her clothes packed, her mandarin phrasebook memorized, and her reading materials for the journey so carefully chosen when, only a week before she was set to depart, the coal shortage began to take its toll. Drastic cuts were made not only in The Blue Star's fleet, but in all major companies flying out of Europe, and Belle couldn't find so much as a cargo ship to take her to her destination. She telegraphed her publisher, who was not at all pleased that she was thinking of canceling the trip.
Miss. Belle D. Enjoliveur, Nancy, France
Go to China. If official ship unavailable take unofficial route. Have an adventure.
-Darling and Pan Publishing, N. Everland, England
Have an adventure. Well, that was a fine thing for them to say, safe and sound in their own homes. Belle might have been a lady of means, but she was by no measure sheltered. She knew the local skyports hosted a number of unlicensed ships, many of them with access to illicit reserves of coal, many more of them barely airworthy. She meant to refuse, to force them to reschedule, but every time she sat down to compose a biting reply she glanced over to her manuscript and imagined people all over China, all over Japan, reading it. The thought made her heart sing. It was easy for her to talk herself out of walking all the way to the telegraph office to give her publishers a piece of her mind. In any case, she had always longed for adventure when she was a child. Her thirst for travel and thrill had motivated her through the long nights at her typewriter, the hundreds of rejection letters from hundreds of publishers. As Belle gave up on her third attempt to draft a telegraph of refusal, choosing instead to get up and make herself some good strong tea, she remembered visiting her publisher for the first time. Mr. Pan had greeted her at the door, smiling, a gap between his teeth, his french mangled.
“So this is Miss. Enjoliveur. You write pretty good, you know, for a woman.” As Belle stood there, shocked, Ms. Darling had come up from behind him, her face stern.
“Oh hush Peter.” She had clasped her hands, a spark in her eyes. “Don't you mind him. This is something special Miss. Enjoliveur,” her voice had been a hurried whisper “, your novel that is. We're very excited to bring it to the world.”
“Very excited!” Mr. Pan had exclaimed, draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her against his side. “Come Ms- Oh, I can call you Belle can't I?”
“Ah... well-” She had stuttered out, set off kilter by all of this familiarity.
“Come Belle,” Mr. Pan boomed, giving her a rough pat to the back“, lets make your dreams come true.”
The scream of her teapot shook Belle out of her memory, and she felt a rush of guilt for not simply toughening up and looking for other means of transport. She owed Miss. Darling and Mr. Pan to at least look for a ship. They had been the ones to accept her novel, to send it out to their foreign associates, to negotiate the deal of her manuscript's translation. As the writer poured honey into her cup, she resolved to go to the docks the next day and find a ship.
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“Belle, I must ensure your safety. You never know when an innocent 'cargo vessel' could end up being a pirateship in disguise!” Belle bit down a comment wondering at the reason he was so certain he would know, pulling her own cloak fast to her shoulders.
“Yes Papa.”
Most of the ships that fell under Maurice's scrutiny failed his tests. Holes in sails, dirty portholes, creaky decks, chipped paint, captains who didn't speak french, and “threatening looking” anchors of all things caused a dozen ships to fall off their list. Belle was exhausted, both mentally and physically, by the time she and her father came to the last boat in the dock, The Rose. A healthy sized vessel with cheerful white and gold paint, stark white sails, a uniformed crew, and undeniably french detailing, Maurice was forced to bite his tongue as Belle called up to a squat deckhand.
“Pardon me sir, I'm seeking passage to China later this week. Is there any chance of speaking to your Captain about paying him for the use of his ship?”
“Well sure!” The man smiled down at her “But I'd recommend you talk to the First Mate, Gaston, instead. He's a real legend of the seas, and he'd go crazy over a girl like you. You know, he is on the market for a lady of marriageable-” Belle cleared her throat loudly, cutting the excitable deckhand off.
“That's very kind sir, but I would really prefer to see the-”
“Captain Adam.” Belle turned to find a furred alien, about seven feet in height and wearing a fine blue coat, behind her. He bowed, his horns tilting down like a bull in charge, his motions as graceful as his french. “At your service milady.” He straightened back up, glaring at the deckhand. “LeFou, your job is not to find Mr. Gaston dates, especially not from the pool of our prospective employers. Go check the rigging, would you.” As the portly man muttered something about bossy noblemen, Belle allowed Captain Adam to take her hand, blushing just a bit. “I must apologize for that, Miss...?”
“Enjoliveur. Belle Enjoliveur, Captain. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine, surely. I hear you are seeking passage to China? Where exactly do you plan to go?”
“To the east, specifically Shanghai.”
“A fine city. I was planning a trip to Japan in three days, it would be no problem to take a detour to your destination.”
“Oh, that is wonderful news.” Belle's voice was deep with relief “Now, about your price. I realize with the coal shortage and this being last minute it might be more than usual, but I would be more than willing to work in the kitchens or as a deckhand if it could reduce my fee.”
“No.” Maurice's voice rose from behind Adam, defiant. “Not on this ship.”
“Papa.” Belle sighed, putting her hand to her head and rubbing at her temples. “Surely you cannot find fault with this vessel.”
“I don't trust this crew. You know what can happen to a woman alone on a long voyage. I don't think you should take passage with men, nonetheless this,” he gestured vaguely at Captain Adam “, beast.” The Captain's fur bristled slightly, and Belle's face turned red with embarrassment and horror.
“Papa!” She exclaimed, cringing. “I can't believe you! I'm so sorry Captain.”
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“No, I refuse to let my daughter set one foot on this ship.” Maurice grabbed Belle's arm, hurrying away. The writer tried to wrench her arm from her father's grip, turning to speak to Captain Adam as she was dragged away.
“I'm so very sorry for my father's behavior. I wish you luck on your voyage.” The alien shrugged his massive shoulders, shooting her a bittersweet, toothy smile.
“I myself am sorry to lose your company. Good luck with your own travels.”
When they arrived at her apartment Belle shook loose of her father and told him exactly where he could put his old fashioned prejudices before slamming the door in his face. She knew he meant well, that he only wanted her to be safe on her first trip out of Europe, but she could not abide by his being suspicious of Captain Adam based on something as silly as what planet his family was from. She needed a stiff drink, a challenging game of chess, and a little bit of sympathy. She knew exactly where to go to get all three. As her father knocked on her door, apologizing fervently and pleading with her to open up, she searched through her desk drawer for a small card, printed in looping pink script, that granted her passage into Lady Darling's Gentlewoman's Club.
The society, a partner of “Lord Darling's Club for Tramps”, was founded by Lady Darling in 1863 for the use of women from all levels of society. For its poorer members it provided food, shelter, and access to all of its facilities free of cost. Its richer clientele paid a yearly fee to support its charity work and for the use of its extensive and beautiful grounds, spacious library, and gym. Belle's father had been paying for her membership, drawing the money from the wealth he had accumulated from his hundreds of patents, but she hoped that her novel would be successful enough to allow her to give her own money soon. As soon as her father left she put on a slightly lighter cloak, slipped the card into her pocket, and set off for the club.
Her friends were, as she had hoped, very sympathetic.
“Poor dear.” Charlotte clucked, patting her hand. “One generation removed, but you'd think they were cavemen. Big Daddy near fainted when I told him I wanted to call on that Felidae Baron!” The woman laughed, her smile widening “Oh, what a fine man he was. Very aristocratic.”
“Fathers.” Jane scoffed in turn “I swear the second we tell them we want to set foot on an airship they forget we aren't girls anymore.”
“Exactly! Because of this I have one less day to find a vessel, and absolutely no leads. I swear he won't be happy until I find a crew devoid of men.” Belle sighed, shifting one of her knights. For a while the three were quiet, Charlotte stirring the honey into her tea, Jane contemplating her next move. Suddenly, the blonde slapped her hand to the table.
“Come to think of it Belle, I know just the ship! Jane, you remember that darling little merchant ship you told me about, the one I took to Maldonia last fall?”
“Mmm, yes, but isn't the Captain's husband part of the crew?
“He wasn't aboard when I took the trip, and she told me he wouldn't be back for a good long while.”
“Really? I wonder who she found to replace-”
“Charlotte, Jane, don't keep me in the dark!” Belle leaned eagerly across the table. “What is the name of the ship? Does the Captain speak French well?”
“The Merida, and she speaks it perfectly well.”
“Captain Amelia's a real peach!” Lottie added.
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