Oooh, it looks like the cruise is getting ready to sail!

For all of you who have not yet boarded the Titan IC, this is your fair warning that I will be closing the portals and boarding the ship myself on Friday the 13th, as that is the day the ship will set sail. Now, this by no means prohibits new travelers from joining; however, for the sake of our story, we will just assume you chose to board through alternate means and have been very sleepy indeed.

Once again, this is the last call for passengers hailing from Ditto Town; all portals to the ship will be closing tomorrow, and the ship will set sail on Friday the 13th.

All aboard!

Glumly, Waters shook his large sports bag, noticing that the bottles didn't even rattle, they were so tightly packed together. Did he dare take one now? What if he ran out before the end of the cruise? What a dreadful thought! Currently, there was not a ripple to be seen, but the mere thought was enough to make him feel ill. How long would the calm last? If he had had time, he could have researched some other seasickness remedies; as it was, the boss had hardly given him enough time to make the ship before she left dock.

Puffing noisily, he was held up behind a wagon loaded with luggage. Why didn't they hurry up and clear the way? All he wanted was a chance to get to his cabin, have some ice water and a dose of aspirin to relieve the headache that was growing more insistent by the minute. The management would hear about this--this lack of proper procedure! His free hand went up to straighten his tie, only to remember that he had dispensed with his suit in favour of a subdued, tropical-themed shirt. Don't be too conspicuous, the boss had said.

At last the way was somewhat less clogged, and Waters pushed past with an indignant glare. Just as he thought he was free and clear, his bag caught on a protruding corner of a trunk, and it was wrenched out of his hand, spewing bottles everywhere.

"My pills--my precious pills!" he cried out in agony, watching several of them roll across the deck.

"No problem, sir, no problem at all!" replied a cheerful voice, as a pair of hands busily snatched up the wandering bottles and stuffed them back into his bulging luggage. He looked up to see a girl, dressed in the uniform of a stewardess, smiling at him.

"Ah--hrumph!" he said, slightly mollified. He could not help staring at her hair, a brilliant coppery orange. Fake, no doubt, was his inward comment. "I--ah--wish to see my cabin--ah--at once." Once again his hand crept up to his neck before he realized it, and then he nervously adjusted his sunglasses.

"All right, sir, let me just check--yes, here we have it--Mr Walters, cabin 1193."

"Waters!" he barked truculently. "Mr Ithamar Cadwallader Waters!"

"Oh, yes, I see, sir," she continued to smile pleasantly. "So sorry--I broke my glasses just this morning, and can't see a thing."

As the crew of the ship made ready to make way, a faint rumble was heard in the distance, which soon became more rhythmic, and then could be distinctly understood for what it was: a helicopter approaching from inland. Passengers gazed as the aircraft flew over the deck of the ship and then slowly alighted on top of it. The sound of the motor grew slower and quieter as the passenger door opened and a man dressed in a white suit and sunglasses stepped out, while holding a tropical drink. He wore a thin gold chain which circled under his beach blonde locks and over his broad shoulders before draping across the top of his muscular chest. He flashed an ivory grin as he walked on deck.

“Ah, the sea. La senorita del mar. My first love.”

Soon a crew member was attending him as other crew members began unpacking the helicopter. “We are so pleased to have you on board, Mr Gladstone. We weren’t sure you were going to make it.”

“Tut, tut, Javier. My daddy was one of the principle financiers of this vessel. Where else would I be for a maiden voyage? And what better place to voyage with a maiden?”

“Do you have one in particular in mind?”

“33-23-33? I just have to find her and let her fall in love with me.”

“I think the ship to Fantasy Island already set sail. Just a reminder that this is a “G” rated cruise, sir.”

“G ratings and romance are not mutually exclusive, my pastey friend. Haven’t you ever seen The Love Boat?”

“Yes. Have you?”

The dashing young scion stopped in his tracks with a displeased look of uncomfort as he cleared his throat and took a sip. “My, is it hot. I’ll have to change into something more fitting before dinner.”

“Your cabin is ready for you. Wait until you see it. It was built exactly to your specifications; Four rooms: a den, kitchen, bath, and bedroom. A spacious interior, plenty of closets, mahogany furniture, and not a room without a mirror in it.”

“Thank you, Javier. Just have my luggage taken to my quarters and my clothes hung up while I walk the deck to observe the sea life.”

“Sea life, sir?” The crewman followed his guest to the banister overlooking the pool deck.

“It looks to me there will be plenty of fascinating aquatic creatures on this trip.”

“So far, only sharks.” Javier muttered, turning away as the helicopter engine revved up for takeoff.

“What’s that?”

“Oh look we’re preparing for departure.”

Delia checked her watch, stepped out the door of the Mansion, and looked up and down the street. No one was in sight, and definitely no one was hurrying to catch the boat. Smiling, she walked back in to the Mansion, locked the door, and stepped through the portal.

She appeared on the gang plank on the Titan IC, turned and closed her portal.

"We ready, Captain?" she called cheerily. The Captain nodded wordlessly.

The boat horn sounded as she wound her way to her own cabin, and the ship began to move. The cruise was officially underway, and she, well, she was on her way to snag some food and then head out to the pools.

~~

If you are late in arriving, never fear! This story is open to any writers to join at any time. If you aren't quite sure where or how to jump in, you can always ask in the Cavern Tavern, and some of the current writers will help you introduce your characters and get up to speed.

D. Death

"Oh, not at all!" Maeve said, moving Kaelin's towel off one of the lounges. "Please, have a seat."

She sat back down herself, rearranging her things to be more conducive to talking and a little less reading centered. Before the Baxters could get too far settled themselves, Kaelin reappeared, hair products and comb in hand.

"Grace!" she squealed, hurrying over to her friend. "You're here!"

The Baxters' reply was interrupted by the roar of an incoming aircraft. They stood, staring, as a helicopter approached the ship.

This thing has a heliport? Dan wondered to himself. Of course it would, for medical emergencies and stuff.

They were too far away to see much more than someone in a white suit step out onto the deck. “Now that guy knows how to make an entrance,” Dan said.

The ship's horn sounded and the faint rumble of its engines could be felt through the deck. The cruise had begun!

Dan and Angie settled into the chairs near Maeve, just in time for Kaelin’s excited arrival. Grace had been in the pool just long enough to get all wet, but quickly climbed out and ran over to meet her friend.

“Thanks for the help,” Twig’s said. “I’m Twig’s. Nice to meet you.” A steward came up to Twig’s. “Welcome to the cruise. Here is your key card and a map of the ship with your cabin marked. I’ll take your luggage to your cabin. We are about set sail. I suggest you make your way to the upper deck to watch the departure.” “Thank you,” Twig’s said.

Twig’s got to the upper deck just in time to overhear a handsome young man describing his dream woman by her measurements. Twig’s was further disgusted by his assumption that any woman he chose would fall in love with him. She hoped he would spend most of his time in his deluxe cabin. She decided then and there to try her best to avoid him. She wasn’t his type anyway. Although most people would call her thin, she knew that she could stand to lose a few pounds. Twig’s found a spot on the railing and watched as the ship pulled away from the shore.

Pittersticks peered through a pair of binoculars as the cruise ship left the shore. He was, of course, up in a tree, so he was confident that Twig’s wouldn’t see him. She thought she had been so smart and eluded him, but he knew something was up when she gave him a job to do. A little detective work and he knew her plans to sail on this cruise. However, since Ms. Death was in charge of tickets, he had decided it would be best to sneak aboard the boat. He spotted Twig’s on the starboard side of the boat. Port side it was.

Pittersticks exchanged his binoculars for sunglasses and headed to where he had stashed his raft. He climbed aboard and headed toward the port side of the boat. Upon reaching the boat, he fired his grappling hook gun at one of the railings. The hook caught and held fast. He attached his suitcase to the end of the rope. He didn’t need any clothes but had packed several tools of his trade. He scurried up the rope. Quickly he pulled the suitcase up behind him and scampered off to find a place to hide.

"Nice to meet you, Twig's." A stewardess approached and started assisting Twig's, in time for a man to walk past them with his own luggage, glaring daggers at the two of them. Faye pursed her lips and glanced back at Twig's; if she had noticed the man, she was excellent at not reacting. Faye glanced back at the man, who somehow managed to look utterly uncomfortable in the most classic travel garb possible.

When his luggage spilled, Faye briefly considered letting him pick it up himself, but was spared the dilemma when a stewardess quickly stepped in. Rather than thank her, he barked out orders, thoroughly convincing Faye that this was Mr. Ithamar Cadwallader Waters a man she wanted to avoid for the rest of the trip. She shot the stewardess a sympathetic glance.

Of course, her thoughts were interrupted once again as a helicopter, of all things, flew over and landed on the ship! He was suddenly swarmed by crewmen and women, quickly unpacking his helicopter and apparently waiting on him hand and foot. His voice carried, and... ugh. It was at that moment that Faye decided she would spend no time avoiding either of these two men. Neither of them was going to have the power to ruin a perfectly good vacation. At the same time, Faye was on vacation, and there was a limit to what she would take even when she was on the clock.

So, Faye went back to the pools as was her original plan, and settled in one of the lounge chairs. She noticed the Baxters meeting up with a pair of girls, and debated saying hello, but decided to wait until they were done talking to their friends. She wasn't as well acquainted with many Dittopians as she would have liked - she knew their faces from time spent at her store, but not much beyond that.

The buffet presented a dizzying array of options. Mel wondered if she ought to go for the roast or the ribs. There was a delicious barbeque sauce on the ribs. But the roast was falling off the bone, promising it was cooked to a turn.

In the end, she got a little of everything and lay down by the window where she could watch the sparkling blue waves and the distant horizon.

Mel's tail slapped the floor as she chewed the ribs. Thus far, the cruise was shaping up to be the best vacation ever.

Both Dan and Angie had, over the years, perfected the fine art of keeping an eye on their child while still being able to do other things, such as carry on a conversation with their friends.

Grace was back in the pool now, trying to imitate the dolphins that fascinated her so much. Her parents chatted with Maeve, talking about what they'd all been doing since they'd last seen each other for Christmas and other news of Ditto Town.

At one point Angie waved to someone. "Look," she said, "it's Faye Brixton. She runs the general store in town."

Dan glanced and sure enough, there she was, on a lounge chair on the other side of a pool. He waved to her also. They only had a passing acquaintance with her from their shopping experiences, but by all accounts she seemed very nice. She'd often had a kind word for Grace and little Emma, and the girls liked her.

"Can't have too many familiar faces," he said as he turned his attention back to Maeve. "I wonder who else we're going to see on this cruise."

"Oh, I'm sure Delia should be around here, somewhere," Maeve replied, curling the end of one of Kaelin's braids around her finger, before parting another section off. "I haven't seen that many folks you six, though. We got here earlier than most. I'm hoping we get to meet some new people--and that that dreadful little tree rat isn't in attendance. I swear, the next time he gets on my nerves...."

"Ow!" Kaelin exclaimed. "You needn't jerk so. It's not like I'm Pittersticks. Are you done yet?"

"Almost, probably three more small braids, then I'll put it all up," Maeve replied, before turning her attention back to the Baxters. "Anyway, I think I heard someone mention something about a 'strange big dog' carrying it's luggage on board, so I'm hoping it's Mel. I must admit, I wouldn't mind another set of watchful eyes. Saltwater and I aren't exactly friends, and it does make me a bit nervous."

~~

Having gotten herself settled in her cabin and arranged everything Just So, Xandra Martinez set out to explore the sailing vessel. Unlike most, she was not interested in the pools (she had enough swimming in her non-vacation time, thank you!) but was rather interested in food. Thus, she set out in search of the buffet, and promptly found it.

"Oh my, however many lovely non-pescatarian options!" she exclaimed to herself, loading her plate up any and every item that was not from the sea, with perhaps the exclusion of some kale. Once it was heaped as high as she could possibly carry she looked around, only to find that not that many other people were in the dining area. She was about to settle down on her own, when she saw a rather pretty dog gazing out one of the windows.

"Do you mind if I join you?" she asked tentatively, walking over.

"I don't mind!" said Mel, scrambling to her feet to be polite. She wagged her tail harder, knowing that sometimes her size made others nervous. "I'm Mel! It's nice to meet you! Isn't the food here fabulous?"

The newcomer looked athletic, which meant she might be interested in a game of Fetch the Tennis Ball later, but one never knew about first impressions. Mel had avoided one of the gentlemen on the ship because he reminded her of a dog catcher she met once, but that wasn't fair at all to the man. He might have just been worried about something.

Mel sat down again, but kept talking. "It's my first time on a cruise, so I'm a little anxious. I've heard all about how fun they are, and I adore car rides, but this ship is so much bigger than a car! Have you ever been on a cruise?"

The pool party was suddenly interrupted by a snazzily dressed stranger in white. He spoke snappily with a large grin, like a used car salesman who also sold life insurance. “My, my, my. What a beautiful sight. And you folks don’t look bad either. Ha ha. Just a joke. Looks like you folks are in need of a little fun, but don’t worry crew, the party boat has just launched and your unofficial cruise director has arrived. My name is Richard P. Gladstone, but you can come call me Junior: millionaire-heir, water polo champion, and model for my own brand of cologne. Here, take a whiff off me. My latest. I call it: ‘Tomorrow’s Regret.’ Good, huh? It has spice and excitement, but there’s something about it that endures, -kind of like me. But enough about me. -I could talk all day.- Who are you fine folks? And who wouldn’t love to be my guest at the head table at dinner this evening? I hear they have a stellar buffet onboard. I personally asked for several non-seafood options. I have moral convictions against eating sea creatures, amphibians, and kittens. But the chef onboard is famous for his veal and leg of lamb. Fantastico! Plus, I have a bit of a sweet tooth. I just love to be around sweet things. So... ... ... What’s ya’lls names?”

"Nice to meet you, Mel," Xandria said. "Xandria, here. I've been smelling little wafts of food pretty much since I got here, and it really is good."

Xandria licked a bit of sauce off her finger before settling criss-cross beside Mel and carefully balancing her plate on one knee.

"I guess I've never been much of a vacation girl, so I've never tried a cruise before. I've spent a lot of time in and around water, though, so I guess I've really never felt the need. Still, it seems the whole world has packed up and come aboard, so I figured I might as well, too. Are you hoping to see anything specific, or are there any outings you're planning to go on? I've heard they have some fabulous ones, but I haven't really looked into it yet."

~~

Maeve took one look at Gladstone and decided she didn't like him. She didn't generally like people in white. They were trying too hard to make people think they had a good reputation, she had often found.

"You're done," she said softly, securing the last of Kaelin's hair.

"Yippee!" Kaelin jumped up and took a flying leap into the pool. She resurfaced a moment later, her cover up in hand.

"Oops, guess I was in too much of a hurry," she grinned, wadding it up and launching it at her sister.

Well... someone had to break the ice with Mr. Gladstone. He still struck her as self-absorbed, but at least he was a friendly sort of self-absorbed. She coughed off the puff of cologne and put on a polite smile. "It's nice to meet you, Junior," - hey, he had said to call him that, she wanted to test his sincerity - "I'm Faye Brixton. That was... quite the entrance you made."

Quickly realizing that this was virtually an invitation for another tirade about his trip and helicopter, she quickly added, "I think most of us around here are from Ditto Town. Have you ever been?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Faye noticed one of the two girls that had been talking with the Baxters - the younger - had jumped into the pool; she quickly shielded herself from the spray of water. She began to regret not bringing her own swimsuit so she could join her.