Welcome to Gaia! ::

From the raised platform at the front of the room, Captain Ziggi Terrell eyed the exquisite banquet hall with pride. Huge, round tables clothed in white dotted the room, their elegant gold centerpieces shimmering with reflections of the chandelier. The platform on which she stood was designed to be like a stage, to provide entertainment for guests as they dined.

She strolled down the steps and walked down the center of the room on a long, blue carpet. Stopping at the door, she eyed the grandfather clock next to it. Five minutes. She felt her stomach complain of its emptiness. Guests would be arriving soon, though, and she took great comfort in that fact.


Libby was busy on the other side of the room. Neither she nor the captain was saying much; they were both too nervous. It was tradition for them to hold a formal banquet at the beginning of each cruise, but with that tradition came a lot of superstitions. Plus cruising with a new group was always hard on Libby. She knew she would always become attached to some patron of hers that opened up to her, and without fail, she would always have to relinquish them when the cruise was over. She hated having to let go of those short friendships.

As she took care of a few last minute smudges on the bar, which she hoped Ziggi had not seen, she thought of the last person she had spoken with at length over a few pints. She hoped his life was working out for him and that he was able to work out his divorce.


As Layla fastened on her second earring, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her long, rich waves of hair had been pulled up into a beautiful formal up-do that had taken her hours to achieve. Her jewelry was simple and made of pearls, with the exception of the small, silver crucifix around her neck. She adjusted it before looking over her dress.

It was gorgeous; pink satin and fabric roses on the bottom, and lace and beaded embroidery on the top. Her shoes boasted rinestones, which she hated, but she hated shopping for shoes even more, and she knew few people would be paying attention to the shoes she wore. She slipped her hands into the pair of arm-length, white, satin gloves she had bought for the occassion and put the white wrap that matched them around her shoulders, fastening it with a brooch. She double-checked her make-up, made sure she had in her purse everything necessary for a touch-up, as well as a pen and a pocket-sized notebook, and left her room to make her way to the banquet. She felt strange not having a date, as she walked past an elderly couple. They smiled at her and she saw their lips moving. She smiled back, but said nothing. She was sure they had told her she looked very nice, but she wasn't sure how to say thank you.

When she reached the Banquet hall, the captain was there to greet her with a hand-shake and a warm smile. So far the captain was the only person on the ship she'd had a chance to converse with. She was also the only person on the ship who knew how to sign, as far as she knew. She hoped she would meet someone else who at least knew the alphabet. Otherwise this could turn out to be a boring trip indeed.

Captain Terrell offered Layla a seat at the table closest to the stage, right next to the captain's chair. Layla thanked her graciously and took her seat, watching the door to see who else came through it.


Cinder didn't really want to go to a formal banquet with a lot of people, but she knew she had to if she was going to eat. She looked at the clock, realizing it was about damn time she put her book down and got out of bed, and frowned. She walked to her closet, naked, and threw the door open disgruntledly. She hated dressing up. Luckily, a long time ago, she had conjured up out of cloth and thread her own little tuxedo to remedy that fact. She put it on, along with a pair of chucks and her favorite tongue-ring, and looked in the mirror. No, that would never do. She threw those clothes on the floor and continued to browse the closet. Finally, she had it. She put on the long, asian-style jacket with a pair of long black pants, spiked her hair, and tied a long, colorful scarf around her waist like a sash or a belt. After making sure all her piercings were clean and lint-free, she hurried out the door.

She waited impatiently in line as guests filed into the hall. Apparently the captain had found it neccessary to greet each person individually. When she finally got inside, she looked around. There was only one table left with no one at it. She hurried to seize the table before someone else did. She didn't mind sitting at a table of strangers, but she wanted to be the first one there. Somehow it made her feel more dominant.

Sunday walked, bewildered, into the fabulous dining hall. He had been amazed that the captain wanted to shake his hand personally, amazed that she was a woman, and was now amazed at the lush gilded decorations. He was dressed carefully in his only suit; a rather stylish though inexpensive tweed number. But now he felt it was totally inadequate.
He found one young woman relatively casually dressed, like him; black pants and a jacket. Her hair and peircings intimidated him a bit but not half as much as the other, fancier guests. He made his way to her table, careful not to bump anyone.
"Hello, is this seat taken?"


Kerry waited for the opportunity to slip by the captain while her back was turned. She didn't mind the friendly gestures or the free food, she just didn't particularly want to be part of it.
In the bright lights, the black dress with little roses that she had always loved looked childish and old-fashioned. She always looked like a child, of course-- puberty had not changed much for her-- but she suddenly felt out of place in the grand hall. Wanting least of all to share a table with strangers, she noticed the bar where the bartender was cleaning a glass. She slipped over and sat on a stool.

"Oh, go ahead." Kerry said in her soft voice to the Russian man. She considered starting a conversation, but knew it wouldn't go anywhere. She wasn't here to make friends, just for the experience. Her stomach rumbled as she looked over the crowd of characters.

Ziggi nodded to the blind man, not even realizing the folly of the action until too late. She began to apologize, but caught herself before actually doing it when she realized that he wasn't even aware of her nodding in the first place. She excused herself from her current conversation, letting guests flow into the room more freely and quickly, so that she could lead Kiyoshi to the table she would be sitting at.

"Right this way, Mr. Nitazumi," she said, gently resting a hand on his shoulder to guide him. She explained to him as they walked that she was seating him near the front of the room with Layla and herself. "Ms. Denali is a Deaf/Mute. I'm sorry that she probably won't be much company for you, but I will be sitting with you shortly, at which point I can act as a translator or interpreter."

After helping him to his chair, she also signed to Layla an explanation of the situation, then returned to her place near the door to greet the last few guests. After all of this, she shut the double doors and made her way to the stage. The crowd died down quickly.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Cruise Ship Odyssey," She began, occassionally glancing over at the interpreter next to her. The purpose of this banquet is not just for all of you to fill your stomachs, but also for you to get to know one another. So everyone look around the tables you're sitting at, shake hands with one another, and find out eachother's names. Ask eachother a few questions. Talk about the menu. Waiters will be around shortly to take your orders, and don't forget Libby, our wonderful bartender, will be glad to take your order. Remember all expenses were paid for with your ticket on the ship, so drink as much as you like; just don't make a nuisance of yourself. With that being said, everyone enjoy your meal."

After the short speech, which she felt she ran through, Ziggi stepped down and the chatter resotored itself. She took her seat at the table with Layla and Kiyoshi.


Libby was taking drink orders in minutes. She handled them swiftly and professionally--it was apparent she'd been in the bartending business for a long time. She glanced up at the man in the Marine uniform, who was followed soon by a pretty green-eyed girl with short brown hair. Just as she was about to say to the Marine, "What'll it be, Sir?" she heard the vodka order from the man with the Russian accent. After fulfilling his order, and seeing that he was attempting to engage the girl in conversation, she finally asked the Marine what he would be having to drink. She continued to (quietly) take drink orders throughout the course of the speech being given.


Layla didn't really know what to do after the captain seated Kiyoshi next to her. His name seemed difficult for the captain to sign. She looked him over. He was intriguing. She wished she knew some way of communicating with him. She had only ever met one blind person before, and they had been roommates for a short time. She sighed. She had spent so much time to look pretty, just so she could sit across from someone who couldn't see her.


Cinder looked up when she heard an un-american accent. Granted, her accent was un-american as well, but this one wasn't European like hers, either.

The man standing next to the chair across from her was quite attractive, and upon his asking, she beckoned for him to sit. Before she had a chance to think of anything to say, the captain began adressing the room. This was good, because she doubted she would have ever thought of anything worthwhile to say.

Libby scrunched up her nose as she poured the shot, flipping the bottle up in the air to show of a well-practiced trick. "Missus?" she chuckled back to him in her NorthEastern accent as she pushed his drink to him. "I won't be having anybody calling me missus. The names Libby."

Her hands never made a mistake, and they seemed to move with superhuman speed and smoothnes, almost as if the rest of her body were isolated from them. Finally, she stopped for a moment, looking around the bar, which was all full of bottles, some empty, some full. She started cleaning up--she would have to before she could fulfill any more orders. This was something she did a little more slowly, but just as smoothly. It required a little more thought and a little less muscle memory.

"Falcon, eh?" she called from the cabinet under the bar. "Where you get that from?"

Ralth grinned. He raised the glass and downed the liquid, reveling as it burned down his throat.

"I was a marksman in the corps. Unless someone's broken it since I was discharged, I have the highest score on the sharpshooting range. My commanding officer told me I had the eyes of a falcon, and it stuck."

He glanced around, noting faces he thought might be interesting to meet later on.

"So, Libby. Seems to be an interesting cruise we're departing on here. What's a nice looking woman such as yourself doing in a place like this?"