(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

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[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.

[dream_departed]

Now that the ship is picking up speed, Aya feels even more queasy. She groans. The noise the woman is making is giving her a small headache.

The waiter notices her turning green. He takes a small vile out of his back pocket and hands it to her. "You haven't got your legs yet. Here. Drink this it will do wonders."

Aya takes the vile and drinks it. It burns as it goes down.

"Wh-what's in it?" she coughs.

"Better you don't know." He winks.

Aya is about to respond when the ships lights go out. There is a loud crunching noise. The ship spins violently. Aya drops to the floor.

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta rubs Aya's back as she groans. It's probably very ineffectual, but he really can't think of anything else to do.

When the ship spins, he tries his best not to land on Aya and ends up sliding to the side when he lands. He tries to crawl back quickly, digging his claws into the wood floor to steady himself. Being separated from each other now would be bad"Was that to get away from the storm, too?" He shouts to the waiter. It's hard to be heard over all the other panicked noises of the passengers. "Because I think I'd like to go back to the way things were, if it was

[dream_departed]

((Icon love!))

Aya half crawls half slides toward Ginta. "I think I saw where the escape pods were stored back by the engine room. We're going there. Now."

The timorous, oddly calm voice of Mr. Bell cuts through the screeches of the other passengers, even though he never raises his voice. "I'm afraid that won't be possible, young lady."

[x_ginta_x]

((I'd forgotten I had it until now, when it couldn't be more perfect. XD))

When she gets close enough, Ginta reaches for Aya's hand in an attempt to pull her close. If he succeeds there will be barnacle-like clinging.

Ginta's voice is shaky and half-accusing when he addresses Mr. Bell.

"Why. Don't you think this is the kind of situation that would call for escape vessels?!"

"Because, there are enough crew members moving back and forth between the engine room and the supply rooms in an effort to fix the problem that it is best for all not to impede their progress."

Mr. Bell takes a slow breath before resuming his explanation. He still never looses his calm. In fact, he seems even more calm than before. "There are also not enough pods to carry each passenger. If we do start the evacuation, I'm sorry to say... you will not be among the first to board. Our ship has a priority to the upper class to maintain."

"What?" Ginta is feeling the intense urge to grab the man's shirt in order to interrogate him, but that would require both

[dream_departed]

Aya-chan thinks she sees the first sign of something cracking in Bell's calm, but there is a great deal of panicking going on around her which is far from immune to, so she cannot be sure.

Mr. Bell opens his mouth. The way he takes a breath suggests he is readying himself for a long explanation.

The breath comes out again as a sigh. "Arrogance. Arrogance of the engineers, which we alone will not have to pay for."

The little man reaches down grab Aya-chan's shoulder and pull Ginta and Aya to their feet (as the are clinging to each other like a certain marine crustacean). Aya-chan is surprised by Bell's strength.

[x_ginta_x]

Ginta is also rather surprised by it, half wondering if that's normal for a human of his size. He doesn't dwell on that long, however, as he's entirely too preoccupied by what the man said.

"Arrogance? How on earth could your arrogance play into any of this."

"We--" Mr. Bell started,"--were so confident that the ship could stand up to any risk that a good half of the escape pods were left on land in order to create more deck room."

Ginta looks as if it is taking most of his will power not to haul off and slug the engineer. As it is, his knuckles are starting to turn white from how hard he is clenching his fist.

"So you basically gambled with our lives."

[dream_departed]

"We were mistaken." The three soft-spoken words seem to take a great deal out of the man.

He brushes his hand over his jacket, even though it was already immaculate and smooth. He lifts his chin in a manner that is both defiant and dignified. "You must excuse me. I am needed elsewhere."

Mr. Bell makes to leave.

[x_ginta_x]

By the time Mr. Bell starts to leave, Ginta is shaking. Rage, fear... he's not sure which is causing it, probably a combination.

"Come on," he squeezes Aya's hand. "Forget him. Let's try for the escape pods anyway. We might get lucky." And, more than anything else, it's something to do to distract them from panicking, even if it doesn't work.

He tries leading her along through the crowd by the hand. It's far from an easy task. On the one hand, the people rushing past them make it feel like they are salmon going upstream. On the other hand, the people who have gotten the same idea as them seem to be building up and it looks like their progress may slow considerably soon.

[dream_departed]

Aya-chan clutches Ginta's hand tightly, but when a man in a top hat pushes her forward in his rush to get to the escape pods, her hand slips from his.

"Ginta!"

It is not long before she can't see him anymore. With all the bodies moving forward, she must move forward or get trampled.

"Ginta!!!"

[x_ginta_x]

"AYA!"

Forget politeness, courtesy, and general concern. People are going to get pushed now so that he can catch up with her

[sweetunrest]

Aya's shouts become higher and higher pitched as she starts to panic. Ginta may periodically be able to see Aya's head above the crowd as she jumps up in an effort to see and be seen.

When the ship tilts, Aya slips. No one slows down. Aya lets out a loud high pitched scream. As she is crushed under the collective weight of the stampeding passengers, everything, thankfully, goes black.

((Still me, just too lazy to log out of my other rp account since it is Aya-chan anyway... ^^;))