[party post] come sail away with me

[varymydays]

You've come through a door, and you are on a boat. Specifically, you're on a cruise ship in the middle of some giant body of water. You've come through the door behind you which is attached to nothing and may now be locked. It's relatively empty as giant as it appears to be. The only other passengers that are here appear to also have come through the door for the most part and it is not nearly enough to fill up this entire cruise ship.

Also, who knows who the hell is driving this thing since all of the employees appear to be either ghosts or holograms...

Is this your first time here or your hundredth time here? Do you want a drink or a dip in the pool? Is it day or night? Do you stumble on your room or some other situation either fun or painful within its many rooms, shops, and facilities? Do you run into someone you know or a complete stranger?

The possibilities are unlimited!

Comments

[gotbottle]

Look out below--someone's heaving over one of the railings.

Rachel's not sure if she's actually green. She feels green; it seems that if there were ever a state of being that was actually green, it would be the godawful way she feels right now. Seasickness is a bitch, doubly so when you weren't expecting it.

But then, you'd have to expect to be on a ship to foresee getting seasick, and an ocean voyage wasn't on her agenda for the day. She can't go back, the door won't let her back through. So instead it's a white-knuckled grip on the rail and a deep breath in, eyes squeezed shut, and a prayer she won't see more of her breakfast come up again just yet.

[eluding]

Ethan thought the first time he ended up on the cruise ship that it was clearly a sign that he'd fallen into one of those rabbit holes that people were talking about in Chicago, a rift thing. Except now he is far away from Chicago which was destroyed, he's somehow ended up on the very same creepy, ghost cruise ship, he really doesn't understand anymore where he is or why.

He winces sympathetically when he sees the woman gripping to the railing like that. The first time he was on this ship, he was not a big fan of the being on a ship in the middle of the sea feeling. "I'd ask if you were okay, but that seems like an incredibly stupid question to ask so instead I'll ask, can I get you anything?"

[gotbottle]

She grips the rail anew, using her hold on it to pull herself upright, clinging to it to keep from toppling.

"...I guess it's too late for a bucket? So how about an alibi, in case I actually spewed on someone down there?"

She sounds as miserable as she feels.

"I had no idea I even got seasick."

[eluding]

When Ethan sees she needs to cling to the rail to keep from toppling, he moves forward, reaching an arm-- er-- he stands near for now, arm poised around her in case she loses her grip.

"I don't want to touch you if you don't want to be touched, but I can help you get to a place where you're sitting if you want. I really don't want you to topple over the side," he says, and she does sound really, really miserable. Maybe there's a medical room here somewhere, not that he'd know where it is. "Not a fun thing to find out for the first time when you're forced on a ship with no apparent way off."

And no idea where pills might be to help with the sea sickness.

[gotbottle]

His offer not to touch her puts her at ease. It's nice for a man not to assume, for once, to actually put some thought into what she might or might not want or be comfortable with.

"It's fine. Thank you." She reaches out for his arm, closing her hand gently around his wrist. "Sitting down might be best. This is all just a bit much right now." Being sick, being on a cruise ship, being forced on.

[eluding]

Ethan nods as soon as she says it is fine, and he smiles gently, sympathetically when she reaches for his arm and her hand rests against his wrist. Last time he was here he didn't run into anyone at all beyond the holographic or ghost employees. It was much creepier then.

"I can't even imagine. It's a bit too much for me, and I'm not even suffering from sea sickness," he says, and then moves closer to her, wrapping an arm around her back to help keep her upright. "You can lean on me. As much as you need."

[gotbottle]

"Thank you. You're so kind." She leans into him a little, grateful as much for his help as she is to just not be alone with all the not-quite-people she's seen so far, the crew.

"What's your name? I'm Rachel."

[eluding]

"Couldn't abandon you to the railing. Didn't look like it was very good company," Ethan says with a tiny smirk, and he turns them in the other direction, away from the railing. He catches sight of some lounge chairs ahead, which can be adjusted as much as needed so she can sit up more or lie down or anywhere in between. He's headed that way.

"Ethan Hale. Where are you from originally, Rachel? Since I'm assuming you weren't born on this strange, ghost ship."

[gotbottle]

"It wasn't a great conversationalist, no," she says with a tiny smile. She lets herself be led away, steered toward the deck chairs.

"Los Angeles. I grew up and went to school in other parts of the state but I was just in Los Angeles before I was here. You?"

[eluding]

Ethan smiles sideways at her, stopping just in front of the deck chairs which he helps her to sit down in one, not really letting go of her until he can see she is steady in her seat. Then he pulls back slowly.

"Well, I moved around quite a bit when I was a kid which is where the British accent comes from, but I considered Chicago to be my home once my family moved there." Which was then destroyed and he isn't entirely sure where he ended up after that. He was with his brothers trying to figure that out when... sudden cruise ship.

[gotbottle]

"Chicago's a great city-- thank you." That's for helping her settle onto the chair. She closes her eyes a few long moments, steadying herself.

Waiting, quite honestly, to make sure she's not about to throw up again.

"My dad grew up there. I've never been. Never been on a cruise ship before either. You?"

[eluding]

Ethan nods with a tiny smile at the thank you. He is just glad that she is not gripping to the railing of the ship anymore, looking like she might fall over the side at any moment.

He glances down before he looks back up at her with a tiny smile.

"I have... been on this ship before honestly, but I didn't think I'd come back to it, and I didn't stay very long the first time that I was here," he says. "The first time I mostly stared at the door until it let me go back to where I came from."

[gotbottle]

"...Wait, wait." She tries to sit up, but winces and thinks better of it. Rachel takes a deep, steadying breath, holding up a hand.

"You came here before? And it let you go back?" This makes no sense. Well. Not that any of this makes sense but this isn't helping.

"What did you have to do to get back?"

[flack]

Flack has shed most of his riot gear back in his room and has wound up in the black leather jacket and jeans that he usually wore to work. This particular rabbit hole is doing his head in a bit, and he's not entirely sure what he's supposed to accomplish here, but he's hoping that wandering a bit will help him figure it out.

He catches the sight of someone being seasick over the edge and he winces, glad for not the first time that he's not prone to motion sickness. He slowly approached her side, hoping that there may be a way that he can help.

Unfortunately, he does not have Dramamine on him.

"Miss?" he says slowly. "Anything I can do?" Because obviously she's not alright, so he'll just skip that particular question.

[gotbottle]

She grips the rail to steady herself, gingerly looking up at the newcomer.

"...Let me know if anyone down there looks up here like they're gonna kill somebody? Especially if they look like they're covered in my lunch."

Her mouth curves a bit in what would likely be a troublemaking smile if she still had enough trouble in her.

[flack]

He smirks good naturedly at that, peering over the edge of the railing for a moment to see if he can spot any angry patrons. There's a mess below, but it doesn't seem like it landed on anyone.

"Looks like you're in the clear," he says, before glancing back to her. "I would try to avoid giving a repeat performance, though. Just in case."

[gotbottle]

"That's the general plan, yeah." She straightens up a little, moving slowly to help keep herself settled. "You work here? Or did you get kidnapped in like I did?"

[flack]

"Kidnapped." Which is a bit easier than saying that he probably fell through a rift, when she doesn't seem to know what those are. All the same, it's usually better to ease someone in to that kind of thing. "Still learning my way around."

[gotbottle]

"Sounds like a plan. I was gonna do the same but my stomach had other ideas. I've never been on a ship before!" She manages a wan but rueful smile. "Hell of a time to find out you get seasick."

She takes a deep breath and makes an inward prayer that her current state of not-hurling holds out for a while longer. "I'm Rachel, by the way."

[flack]

"Don," he says with a nod and a sympathetic smile. He'd say that at least now she knows, but he has a feeling that that might not make her feel any better. "Let's see if we can find a concierge or a pharmacy or something."

Given that it was unclear how long they would be here, it was probably best to settle her stomach sooner rather than later.

[gotbottle]

"That'd be nice, thanks." She straightens up, leaving one hand on the rail for balance for a few moments until she's sure she's got her legs under her all right. She still reaches for his sleeve anyway. Just in case.

"I'll do my best not to throw up on you."

[flack]

He shifts a bit so that she can take his arm, rather than just holding onto his shirt sleeve and nodding, before cracking a smartass smile at her. "I've got some body armor back in my room. We can swing by there first, if you think I'll need it."

[gotbottle]

She blinks up at him. "Body armor?" Then a more appraising glance, sure, he's clean cut, but nothing about him screams "soldier."

"...You're a cop." She shakes her head, gingerly so as not to prompt another round of dizziness. "I can't get away from you guys, no matter where I go."

[flack]

His eyebrows raise a bit at that, curious at that particular assessment of him. "Do you have a cop problem?" Not that he'll mind either way, because he has personal experience with some cops being dicks, but he's curious to know why his profession garnered that reaction from her.

[gotbottle]

"Do I-- no, no, I'm not, like, a criminal or anything. I'm probably equally as much a problem to you guys as you are to me."

She squeezes his arm a little, looking up at him. "I'm a crime reporter. Los Angeles Times."