You did your due diligence and your research and ultimately decided on what Aiko would term the 'home team' in baseball terms. The
Asakusa Maru had been launched a few months earlier, had her working up and final fittings and was preparing for her grand maiden voyage to the other side of the world. She was the pride of the Tsukoma Overseas Shipping Company passenger fleet, an Akitsukuni liner to compare with the Europans in terms of comfort, luxury, and ease of travel.
Besides that, an old shipmate was her skipper on this first voyage--surprising that such a young man would be given such responsibility, but you supposed it was their way of proving they were innovative go-getters in their field. Otonari Masahide had been a Naval lieutenant the last time you had met him, closing in on 30. He must have resigned his Navy commission to try his luck in the civilian merchant marine. Good for him!
So it was that you wrote to the steamship company and purchased first-class tickets for yourself and Aiko. You noticed they offered a special rate which would reserve a stateroom with adjoining servant's quarters. Perfect! All that was left was to pack and to wait out the remaining time before the ship was to set sail, late in May. Aiko and the rest of the rowing team had been granted dispensations from the university to excuse them from studies, since the month long summer holiday would not encompass the full time of travel to and from Europa. How fortunate.
You received a letter in reply to your attempt at Caspian, in Gallian (which you mentioned you spoke better in your letter), lieutenant Ekaterina Konstantinovna wrote you a gushing letter thanking you for writing and inquiring about the possibility of having her diary returned to her. She was a rather excitable woman, judging by her writing, and she mentioned her latest romantic troubles after joking that you had had a front seat to her tribulations in your reading (you hadn't mentioned reading it, but apparently she just assumed that you had). She invited you to visit if you ever made it to Tauristopol in southern Caspia.
You finally returned that diary in the mail, wrote a letter thanking her for her kind correspondence, and gave her your forwarding address in Otrusia, since you would be traveling and began making preparations for your trip. You sent letters to all your regular correspondence with the hotel you'd be at next month, wrapped up as many projects as you could at the Navy base, and you began packing luggage.
You wished you could say you were travelling light, but you really weren't. You had to have enough variety of clothes to make a showing at a number of social events without repeating too often, plus a case full of notes and phrasebooks so you could brush up on your Otrusian. Aiko had a trunk full of school books and notes and her own clothes, and between the two of you you filled another suitcase full of books and other distractions for the long journey.
Petty Officer Sakai was a miracle worker in the best way. They organized the pickup of your luggage on the day of embarkation, and quietly telegrammed ahead at your behest in order to set up your hotel reservations. Aiko would, technically, be staying with the rest of her team (a group of very muscular young women) in the village specifically built for the competitors by the Otrusian government, but you expected that your accommodations would be more than grand enough to allow her to stay with you when she wished, especially before and after the competitions. Or perhaps you could sneak into the village?
Contemplating the possibility space ahead was almost impossibly vast to your sensibilities. You'd been living on somebody else's schedule for so long that the idea of nearly three months where you'd be left mostly to your own devices was quite nearly intimidating. It did not escape you that listlessness had proven to be the most dangerous thing for you, so when you arrived you'd have to endeavour to always have something to do to suppress the temptation to stay in with a bottle of wine. As least Aiko would be around to distract you.
---
The day of embarkation, a warm one, late in May, arrived at last. Your trunks and other baggage were seen off to the pier by Sakai. Like you, they were dressed in civilian clothing for the foreseeable future. Unlike you, you couldn't detect a hint of anxiety about the prospect from the calm and unflappable petty officer. It was a short cab ride to the pier where you presented your tickets and were ushered into the queue. The ship loomed overhead, as massive as a battleship it seemed. She had four massive funnels and had to be over 200 meters from stem to stern.
It was neat and orderly, as things usually were here in Akitsukuni, though the vast majority of the 1st Class passengers looked to be foreigners of one type or another and the languages of different nations filled the air. Albian, in both New Allegheny and Albian accents, Otrusian, Gallic, Dyske, Heserian, and even Caspian. That last one was right behind you, and you turned to see a couple with a pair of young children chattering in the language. You had absolutely no ability to follow the conversation, recognizing vaguely only snippets of words, but it was still surreal.
The man was a tall, fellow (at least by your estimation), with gold-rimmed spectacles and a neatly trimmed and waxed mustache along the top of his lip. His wife (you assumed) was only a little shorter than him with light, straw-colored hair and was, with the help of a rather put-upon looking servant, doing her best to corral the children (a boy, maybe seven and a girl, maybe ten) who were gawping at everything as if they had never seen a ship before. As you watched them, the boy, who was dressed in a sailor suit with short pants, locked eyes with you and stared. The mother tugged gently at him and murmured an admonishment at him, no doubt reprimanding him being rude. Then she smiled at you and said in halting, badly accented Akitsukini.
"Sorry. He, um. Young. Not mannered."
"
It's perfectly alright," you said. That was the popular language at the Caspian court, you remembered. Her face brightened a little when she realized she could actually have a conversation with you. Her Gallian, thankfully, was much better than her Akitsukuni.
"
Of course, of course. He won't listen when we tell him not to stare--he has never been to Akitsukuni before and of course everything is so new to him. Ha ha."
"
We are very proud of our country, so we don't mind that he looks around," you replied, winking cheekily down at the boy.
"
He's so big already," Aiko added, speaking slowly and carefully. "
What a darling. And your daughter, too." The little girl beamed at the praise. Apparently she spoke the language too.
(The two of you had been practicing consistently since you got back, her for school and you just to get a better grasp on the language. On Thursdays you banned Akitsukuni from the apartment to force yourselves to learn.)
"
Thank you, you are too kind. I'm Yuliana Gilyov," she said. "
And this is little Artur and Alexandra. This is my husband--" She nodded towards the man, who smiled at the pair of you.
"
Vasiliy Gilyov," he said and gave a good approximation of a polite Akitsukuni bow.
"
A pleasure to meet all of you," no sense in not making friends for the trip. "
I'm Haruna Arisukawa and this is Aiko Kishimoto. We're headed to Otrusia for the Atlas Games."
"
The pleasure is all ours," Vasiliy said, his eyes traveling back to you with curiosity. "
I apologize if I am rude, but… surely not the Haruna Arisukawa? The naval lieutenant princess?"
"
Ah, you've found me out," you admitted. How embarrassing. "
I'm on leave for the next few months, though."
"
Of course! Are you competing?" Yuliana asked.
"
Oh, no, Miss Kishimoto is--I'm accompanying her."
"
You two must be very good friends," Yuliana said cheerily.
Oh yay. It
begins.
"
I think they may be even closer, dearest," Vasiliy said. You were prepared for the worst, but he just seemed amused by his wife's faux pas. "
Remember the nice old lady who served us tea?"
"
Oh!" Yuliana blushed. "
I'm terribly sorry!"
"
Honestly, I was rather expecting something like this to happen eventually. Just maybe not while I was still in Akitsukuni." you said wryly as the queue moved forward. They were checking tickets again at the gangway and it was taking forever.
"
But really, you two must be very good friends as well." Aiko quipped. You did your best to keep your face neutral. Both of them took a moment to realize what Aiko had said and then burst into laughter.
"
Fair is fair," Yuliana said with a sigh. The gangway was fast approaching. Time to get your tickets out.
"
I'll see you aboard, then!"
---
You had never actually travelled on a liner like this before, and while you roughly had an idea what first class entailed, you were still pleasantly surprised. It quite honestly looked like a very upscale modern room that could have been at home in a manor, with a large and incredibly comfortable looking bed, its own washroom with running water (hot AND cold), a bath, a little sitting room and discreet side door for the attached servant's quarters. There was even a pair of electrical outlets in the room, which Aiko immediately studied carefully and declared to be quite safe.
The general first class amenities were also all very impressive. A dining room that rivaled the finest hotels, sitting rooms, reading rooms, a grand staircase… And of course, a first class gymnasium with modern exercise machinery, which included a rowing machine. Aiko, you figured, would want to keep fit on the journey and while it was no substitute for real rowing, it was better than nothing.
As you settled into your luxurious surroundings, there was a knock on the door. You opened it, to be greeted by a man in the dark blue officer's uniform of the Tsukoma Overseas Shipping Company. He smiled, bowed slightly.
"Forgive the intrusion, I am Fourth Officer Yonamine. The captain has sent me to ask if you would like to join him on the bridge as we depart."
"Oh, I'd be honored. Aiko, would you like to come?" You looked back over your shoulder at Aiko, who was sprawled out on the bed, arms stretched out as wide as she could get them. She couldn't quite touch both edges of the mattress, which seemed
impossible, and she seemed utterly content in this moment.
"No, I think I'll stay here for now. Thank him for the thought, though." she said.
"Suit yourself." You retrieved your hat (it had flowers) and moved to follow Fourth Officer Yonamine. He guided you through the finely appointed corridors, up staircases, and then into a door marked 'Crew only' in a dizzying array of languages (Albian, Akitsukuni, Gallian, and Otrusian). Down a short corridor, you found yourself in what must have been the highway of the ship. It was a vast open corridor that stretched from stem to stern in the upper decks, allowing crew members to quickly traverse the large vessel without having to bother passengers. He lead you further forward, up another hatchway and out onto the open boat deck, where you clambered up a stairway and found yourself at bridge, just forward of the wheelhouse.
Standing just outside was your old shipmate, Otonari Masahide. He, like Yonemine, was wearing the blue uniform of the shipping company, though he had more gold stripes on his cuffs. He reached up to touch the brim of his cap and grinned at your appearance.
"Lieutenant Arisukawa, glad you good join us," he said. "Isn't she lovely?"
"Still smells of fresh paint," you said. "Lovely lines!"
"And she's all mine," he said with a laugh. He was as you remembered, perhaps a little rounder in the middle but still with his spectacles and easy smile. "Nearly 24,000 tons. Four direct-action steam turbines. She'll do 24 knots when you let her have her legs." He patted the railing of the open deck affectionately, then looked at you. "I'm not used to seeing you out of uniform. I like the dress, though."
"She's fast, sure," You said, not without a touch of jealousy. You couldn't see yourself in command of anything this large for years. "But what sort of guns does she carry, hm?"
"Nothing more dangerous than revolvers, rockets, and flare," Otonari said. "I think I prefer it that way. The quality of my posts tended to be tied rather closely to how armed the ship was, in my experience."
"You have a point there," you murmured, leaning against the railing next to him. "The politics are the worst part of the job."
"That's why I got out! They gave me a first officer's posting here as soon as I signed up. And captain inside a year. They know how to treat an experienced seaman." He laughed, then glanced aside as another uniformed sailor arrived.
"Sir, all passengers have boarded."
"Alright. Prepare to cast off in ten minutes. We have a schedule to keep, after all." Behind you, a massive steam whistle let out a blast, probably to signal to anyone still lollygagging on shore that they needed to get aboard or miss their ship. Before you knew it, the ship was being guided out into the bay by her tugs and the massive engines were rumbling away as you started to make headway out into the open ocean. You stood to one side as Otonari went about the business of command before he finally returned his attention to you.
"Well. There we are, a good start for a first voyage, I'd say. I hope you get to take this voyage as a chance to relax, genuinely. I think you probably need it. Not that I want to be rude, but I know how ragged they probably run you."
You probably did. But would you?
---
Aiko's going to be busy a lot, and there's only so long Haruna can stand studying Otrusian. While she'll take advantage of all the of first class luxuries, where is she going to concentrate her downtime? This'll affect who you meet and what you have chances to do.
All options will shift towards Life rather than Work, because she's not at work!
[ ] Your quarters are plenty luxurious, you have a bath bigger than the one in your apartment, and you can go just down the hall for world-class meals. What else do you need? (Shift toward Princess).
[ ] You can't let yourself grow soft on this trip: the desk job has been bad enough. You should accompany Aiko to the gym and get in better shape (Shift towards Warrior).
[ ] There's a lounge and smoking room which will likely be frequented by all the rich important passengers. Might be a good place to meet some people and converse. (Shift towards Respectable)
[ ] You hear around the ship the first few days that there's some sort of controversial Gallian celebrity aboard. People keep calling her a thief! But she's got a card circle you could easily be a part of… (Shift towards Radical)
[ ] You'll sample it all as the mood strikes you, or just laze about. You're on vacation! (-2 Stress, shift towards Life twice)
