Aberrant: Wild Card - Prologue: Ante Up

[z005]

A distraction. Wonderful. Her lips twitched and she leaned over to stage-whisper to Lizzie. "Careful there, most of us use a glove. More hygienic with that one. Oh, and keep an eye on any watches, rings, personal space, or dignity you might have on your person. They're known to mysteriously vanish in his presence."

She was grinning at Abner and winked at Jerome; the teasing good mood was a little forced but much better than brooding over a woman that disappeared on her fifteen years ago.

[Abner Ubchek]

Originally Posted By: Jadzia Gryczon

Jadzia put on the headset and watched the recording of Matt's uncanny performance. Her head moved, trying to change her angle of perspective to figure out where that spotlight had come from, though she knew it didn't work like that. What the fuck is happening?

Distracted, she barely heard Matt's rendition of White Rabbit over his playing of 'Hero'. She had been about to play the recording again when Abner showed up, victim roommate in tow.

"Abner!" Jadzia exclaimed, and there was no trace of her own usual playful smile. "I think I'm suffering a fatal exception error - something's not right." From her seat on the ground, Jadzia looked up at the tiny Abner with wide grey eyes.

"Have you noticed... anything... odd?" Even in her anxiety, Jadzia couldn't stop the side of her mouth curving up into an amused grin, and she gave Jerome a nod in greeting. "Not counting anything you've said or done, Lil' Abner."

Abner smiled, shook Lizzie's hand, and moved a bit to allow Jerome to do the same. "Hey. Alexa, I heard that, and I resent how closely it resembles reality. Besides, y'all love it."

Abner turned to Jadzia. "Other than our mind-reading homeless Beau Brummel at the head of the line, there, not really. Or do you mean our guy with the guitar up there, who's actually not doing too bad for a college entertainer? 'Cause I have to admit, if he's looking to pitch some tents with the local coeds, he's got a sweet gig set up. Most of these guys don't sound half as good until you're half in the bag."

Jerome, meanwhile was smiling and being cutely formal in his greetings to both Alexa and Elizabeth, probably in an attempt to distinguish himself from his criminally tactless roommate. Jerome did perk up as he overheard Abner mention Deuce. "Yes, I have a question. Who is that peculiar bit of local color at the front of the line? Is he an eccentric professor at the university, or something?"

Abner chuckled. "I was thinking escaped lab experiment. Or one of those eternal students you hear about. But yeah, what is his deal?"

[Helen Booth]

Lizzie's lips twitched in amusement at Alexa's comments, and murmured back to the other girl, mirroring her stage whisper.

"Thanks - always best to be forewarned."

She shook Jerome's hand with a smile that indicated she was one of the few women around who still preferred men who acted charming. Growing up surrounded by men who like to dress up in Renaissance outfits will do that to a girl, and while Lizzie was the only one in her family to have actually grown out of the "dress up and pretend" phase, old habits still died hard. Her smile faded a little though when the two men mentioned the oddball, and she stuck her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"I dunno - he creeps me the hell out, that's all I can tell you."

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty scanned the audience as he finished his song; they were mostly from the college, younger people. Hiding a slight grin, he bent over his guitar again. He'd been practicing this, and he was either going to amuse people or piss them off. Still, he'd be leaving on a note, regardless of what it was.

[Helen Booth]

Lizzie laughed along with several others at the transition in the first song. It did a little to help her relax, but not as much as she would've liked. The world still felt off-kilter, and even one of her favorite songs - she was a huge Chris Issak fan, and listening to him usually pulled her out of any funk - didn't do much to erase her unease.

Despite her unease, the song still sent a slight shiver through her. Most people couldn't manage enough intensity when singing the song, but Matt seemed to radiate intensity. But as he made his way off the stage and towards them, she forced herself to push her rock star fantasies to the back of her mind, and deal with the situation at hand.

"I would too, if you don't mind. Maybe we could find someplace a little more private, Jad?"

[Nadya Lunălescu]

Jadzia gave Jerome a distracted grin. "I got no clue who that guy is, Gyro, and I'm not sure I want to know - things don't make sense around him." Her grey eyes widened when Abner mentioned mind-reading. After time-bending, what is mind-reading?

Jadzia softly sang along with Matt's rendition of Brit-brit, evincing a decent amateur skill, then listened raptly to 'Wicked Game'. Anything to take her mind off what was happening, if only for a little while. She just needed a little time to assimilate it.

When Matt mentioned seeing the recording, seconded by Lizzie, Jad nodded, packing up her laptop. "No probs. I'm still trying to figure out what happened. Privacy, Lizzie? Sure, I got keys to one of the computer labs - perks y'know? Should be clear right about now."

The short video-game aficnado briskly led the others through the student center and to one of the smaller computer labs, which was empty as she predicted. She pulled out her laptop again and plugged it into the power-point projector so everyone could see the recording.

"Here goes."

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty wasn't sure why privacy was needed when he'd just performed in front of an audience, but he didn't argue. He just nodded, looking distracted, and followed quietly, his hands jammed in his pockets. His fingers kept tracing the curve of the coin, skimming his nail over the smooth outer edge. That was something else to ask Deuce about, if he ever caught up with the man.

In the computer lab, he watched Jadzia set up the camera and projector, silently admiring the skill with which she manipulated equipment that would have left him confused.

When she started to play it, he watched carefully, trying to see how these effects had been done. He knew that they had happened, but his mind just didn't want to accept that. It wanted logic, explains and reasons for what it had just seen. He was afraid that he had none to offer it.

[Helen Booth]

It was privacy Lizzie had asked for, but in truth what she had been looking for was quiet, and you usually didn't get the latter unless you had the former. Her irritation at the situation began to climb as they made their way to the A/V room, and she watched quietly as Jadzia set up the gear, waiting patiently for the video to begin. Her analytical mind was furious as the situation, angry that she hadn't been able to figure out what was going on, and that her mind had gone somehow to the paranormal or the mystical before anything else. She had been raised as a child to believe in such things, and had been dismissing them since she was old enough to understand the concept of rational science and experimentation.

Now she watched and waited, keen eyes studying every detail of the video to try and figure out what the hell had just happened. He seemed as confused as them - had been the one to ask to see the video, in fact - which was the only reason for now that she hadn't flat-out accused him of being some kind of showman fraud. The fact that a lot of the crowd hadn't reacted in nearly the same way as the ones here in this room had - for whatever reason - also made her feel unsettled and uncomfortable. The whole situation messed with her mind in a way Lizzie was entirely unhappy with.

[Forge]

The performance was just as they remembered, if not better the second time. Once the 'hero' song started, Matt gave off an aura that demanded rapt attention, and everyone found themselves lost in the repeat performance and forgot to look for the source of any effects, not that they would be able to discern from the fixed recording angle.

As the triangle appeared on the screen, denoting the end of the recording, Jadzia's hand twitched. Her fingers wanting to hit play again as she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. The recording had ended, with most of them not even remembering the last songs.

There was a moment of stunned silence before time seemed to start again and everyone realized where they were.

Click to reveal.. (Performance sux)

It was an 11 success performance for Hero.

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty fumbled around him for a moment before grabbing a seat and sinking into it. He had his guitar case over his shoulders and nearly crushed it into the chair; with a grimace of impatience, he pulled it off and set it on the floor. His sharp gesture was the closest any of them had come to seeing him lose his cool.

What he'd just seen was like a shot from a movie; it wasn't real. No, it had been real, just that more real-than-real that seemed indicative of Hollywood. But he'd just done it in real life.

How? That was the main question eating at him. How could he have put on a performance that big, that incredible when he knew that his talent wasn't that good. Hell, he wasn't sure who in the world was that good.

"I don't want to see that on Youtube," he said suddenly. The words surprised even him, but it proved that some part of him was still functioning, still thinking. He looked up at the young techie. "Jadzia, I'm serious. I do not want that all over the 'net." The next words on his tongue were 'Destroy it' but they died without leaving his mouth. Matty didn't want anyone else seeing that, because of what it could mean, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her to get rid of it either. He wanted to, but it was him, and his music. This would be the only proof to collaborate the wild stories that were sure to come from it, and yet, a vain part of him loved that it existed, that he'd done so well.

Sighing, he put his head in his hands and stared at the floor, at a loss to what he should be thinking and feeling.

[Nadya Lunălescu]

"That is unreal, really unreal," Jadzia whispered, her eyes wide in amazement. Then they narrowed, her mouth growing tight. "Damn it! I meant so look to see if I could find out how the hell that was possible."

Originally Posted By: Matt

"I don't want to see that on Youtube,"

Jad slowly peeled her eyes from her laptop to face Matt, folding her fingers in her lap so she wouldn't press 'play' again. Until he mentioned it, she hadn't even considered posting it to Youtube or any other file sharing site - the whole performance was too precious, too incredible to share digital space with the vast amount of crap that others posted. The performance would have been lessened, its singular mastery destroyed by having it viewed by anyone, everyone, who wouldn't appreciate its pure majesty.

But now, the idea of posting it was a fever in her astonished brain - this thing would go viral in seconds. With shakey hands, Jadzia reached into her computer bag and pulled out a small capacity flash-drive. It took her two tries to plug it into the USB port, and the near second it took to transfer the video file over felt like a burning eternity.

"Here... here Matt," Jadzia said, her husky, accented voice still filled with amazament. She placed the flash-drive on the desk next to Matt's elbow. "I... think you should hold on to that... I dunno if I'd be able to stop myself."

Jadzia placed a supporting hand on Matt's shoulder, and there was some of her usual spunk back in her voice. "I have mad Guitar Hero skillz, but they seem pretty sad in comparison to the real thing... Think you can teach me to play a guitar with strings, someday, Matt?"

[z005]

Alexa sat back after the performance ended, obviously as stunned as the rest of them. She frowned, though, and pulled out the strange Tarot card and stared at with enough force to seem like she was glaring at it. She also fished out the plastic silver coin.

"What the hell is going on?" The question was asked quietly, but in the mostly quiet room it carried pretty far. Her lips pursed, "Why don't we go to the ship? I mean, if these are really admission tokens, maybe there's some sort of clue there? The man at the red rope, the one that.....the guy, he gave them to us. Maybe there's an answer on the boat?"

She was reaching for straws and she sounded like it, but dammit, this was weird and sometimes you just had to jump down the rabbit hole to start making sense of anything.

[Helen Booth]

Lizzie reached into her pocket and pulled hers out, having almost completely forgotten about it after everything else that had happened. She turned it between her fingers a few times. Finally, she nodded, glancing up from the coin and at the others around here.

"That sounds.. like a really good idea. Or maybe a really bad one, I don't know. But I want to know what the hell is going on.. that's for sure. Who else is going?"

[Abner Ubchek]

Abner, knowing a good opportunity when he saw one, said, "Yeah, I'm not sure what's going on, but Mr. Fashion Explosion seems to be stalking us, and I for one would like to know why. I'd also like to be seen in the presence of all you pretty ladies, so that everyone thinks I'm The Mack. And this looks like an excellent way to kill two birds with one stone."

"Uh, of course, if the Music Man and Jerome want to come along, they should, too."

[Nadya Lunălescu]

"I'm in!" Jadzia proclaimed, shooting Abner a small smirk. "Even if you're coming Abner." More seriously, she gave Lizzy a firm nod. "If someone is hacking reality, I want to know how, so we don't all get spammed into oblivion."

Jadzia pulled out her coin and set it next to her laptop. She looked down on it, the silvery paint beginning to flake from the plastic, her lips turned down in a wondering frown.

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty watched Jadzia copy the video to a jump drive; when she set it next to him, he curled his fingers around the slim plastic stick and quickly pocketed. He felt it slide against the coin and he grimaced. The last thing he wanted to think about was that other mystery. Jadzia’s hand on his shoulder made him jump; he looked up at her just in time to catch her question. “Sure,” he said automatically, mostly out of reflex. He’d always been willing to teach others how to play the guitar and the old-fashioned part of him delighted in stealing someone from Guitar Hero, his bane. He hated that kids spent hours on that instead of learning to really play a guitar. “Not a problem, Jad.”

Alexa’s suggestion brought his eyes to her. He watched as the others agreed and produced their own coins. Frowning, he pulled his out, but he could already tell it wasn’t like the others. “I’d like to come,” he said, “but I don’t have an admission coin. Deuce gave me this, not ones like yours.” He tipped the coin so that the others could see it.

“And it’s Matt, Abner,” Matty added, glancing at the wise-cracker. His voice was calm and almost without any inflection; he didn’t seem to mind the nickname, just correcting the record. He glanced at the ladies. “I know Jad, obviously. I think that you’re Lizzie, but I’m not sure I know your name, ma’am. It is Alexa, right?" Hadn't he already recalled their names earlier? Or did that even happen? "And you’re Jerome.” He nodded at Abner’s tagalong friend

[Abner Ubchek]

Jerome stepped up and shook Matt's hand. "Matt, it's a pleasure to meet you. I work with one of the campus choirs around here, and I was wondering if we could get you to play at one of our shows."

Abner smiled. "Do it, Matt. It's a great way to meet hotties and you already know God will forgive you. That setup's like a sore dick: You just can't beat it!"

Jerome glared at Abner. "Dude, you're going to star on the most watched show of 'Hell's Cribs', you know that, right?"

Abner smiled. "Be nice to me now, and I'll leave a spot open for you on my staff. But seriously, something's up with the Sartorial Scarecrow, and if we all feel like playing The Scooby Gang, I'm all for it."

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty ignored Abner; reacting to him just vindicated his crass behavior. Instead, he smiled at Jerome and said, "Sure, if I have the time. I don't know a lot of church songs, mind you."

He glanced at the others. "So to the boat and hope I can get on board?"

[Nadya Lunălescu]

Jadzia nodded firmly, then gave Matt a fierce grin. "Boat. We'll get you on board, Matt. Either buy a ticket there, or we're pull a diversion or something and you can play stowaway."

[Abner Ubchek]

Jerome and Abner proceeded to look at each other, confused.

Abner shrugged. "Well, what else were we going to do today?"

[Forge]

Jerome didn't like the thought of skipping his afternoon class, especially this early in the year, but the events befalling the group had ensnared his interest beyond that of his overriding sense of responsibility.

~~~

Their path chosen, the motley crew headed off campus and towards the waterfront, passing the Union train station and over the Chihuly Bridge towards the Museum of Glass.

The crowds were just starting to thicken, so navigating the tide of people coagulating around the various staples of outdoor events was not difficult. However, ignoring the smells of elephant ears, scones, funnel cakes, Krusty Pups, Earthquake Burgers was. The sounds of people vying for your interest in their latest, greatest wares proved to be a unwelcomed distraction from their task as well.

Tenacity and some unloaded money on food proved to themselves that they were able to defeat the nigh-carnival atmosphere as they walked the half mile stretch of temptation to the docks and the awaiting Tall Ships.

[Nadya Lunălescu]

Jadzia really hadn't meant to buy anything, until the smell of Beavertails - elephant ears! Bah! I say, and bah! again - assaulted her nose.

Licking the cinnamon from her fingers from her second Beavertail between sips of an overpriced Pepsi, she assuaged her guilt by the thought that at least they were walking from campus to the waterfront. Damn it! I'm trying to watch my weight. Well, two Beavertails plus a Pepsi versus the walk, the calories should equal out, right?"

[z005]

She'd nearly bought two of everything, smiling proudly to herself as each time she remembered that they'd made and her little brother was off at MIT being a genius. Or something. She figured there was also a fair amount of drinking and girls and partying, but as long as he graduated she wouldn't think too much on it. So it was only one beaver tail, one cotton candy, one soda, and one hotdog. Alexa was one of those women and happily chowed down enough calories to satisfy a body builder for the day. She grinned urepentently at the looks she got and walked with the others towards the boat, food keeping her relatively quiet.

[z-Matt McShae]

Matt was quiet. He didn't buy anything - his food allowance didn't cover extras unless it was new flavor of ramen - and ignored the food his companions ate. If he got hungry, there were some cheap granola bars stashed in his guitar case, which was slung across his back. Not that he thought he'd get hungry anytime soon - he lost his appetite when he got stressed and this was definitely one of those stressed times. It was normal for him to lose five or ten pounds during finals - though he put it right back on and sometimes a little right after - and he wondered how much he'd lose this time, if this situation went on long enough.

With his head lowered, the flatcap hid his eyes from the others as they walked. He needed some time to pull himself together before really facing the others; he didn't want them to see the confusion in his eyes, or the fear that they were collectively losing their minds. Mass delusions were not unheard of, and he was terrified that he was suffering from one.

[Forge]

Greasy or not, satiated or not, happy or not, the group made their way to the dock access where a woman clad as some sort of meter-maid/pirate hybrid stood guard at a turnstile. She was of average proportions, trying and failing to hide the fact that she was closer to 40 than 30, but still pretty and very obviously enjoying her job.

She threatened passers-by with a replica saber, drawing out 'Arr' into multiple syllables as she attempted to recruit would-be passengers for the mock-battles.

The Lynx could be seen over her shoulder and down the dock, a make-shift gang-plank connecting it tenuously to the modern slip. There were other Tall Ships at the festival as well; the Hawaiian Chieftan and the Lady Washington were out on the water, seemingly returning after a cruise in Commencement Bay.

She looked at the approaching group and gave them a wary 'pirate-eye', "Ya scurvy landlubbers, what can I do fer ye?"

[Nadya Lunălescu]

"Er, um... Arr! Belay that lark, ye saucy wench," Jadzia said with a laugh, slapping the replica saber away. Talking like a Pirate and a Polish accent made her nearly incomprehensible, but Jadzia was game. There was enough strangeness going on, what was a bit more?

"We Brethen be seekin' a berth on yonder handsome vessel, savvy? This here piece o' eight be for me passage." Jadzia presented her plastic coin to the Lookout at the turnstile, then reach back and pulled Matt forward, linking her arm in his and grinned up at the Lookout with sparkling grey eyes.

"Me Hearty can trade a right sung shanty for a berth, shiver me timbers and call I poxy shark-bait if it ain't be so. Arr!" Her head tilted in playful arrogance, her grey eyes narrowing with mirthful menace. "Or arrr ye be a bilge-sucking swab lookin' fer more swag?"

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty was startled as Jadzia grabbed his arm and hauled him forward. He usually avoided physical contact like this, so the sudden grab and hold turned the tips of his ears red with surprise and discomfort.

When Jadzia finished her strange rambling, Matty gently unhooked her arm from his, disguising his true intentions by unslinging his guitar from his back. He wasn't sure he could sing his way onboard, but he acted like it was a given that he could.

[Forge]

"I not be understanding a word o' that there bilge dredge...Have ye coin fer passage or do ye walk the plank? Thar be no charity or quarter given here at the Tall Ships Festival!" she barked.

She added a non-threatening wave of her saber, clearly showing the lack of any and all skill she may possess in sword-play.

[Helen Booth]

Lizzie stepped forward, holding out the coin she'd been given without bothering to respond to the woman's pathetic attempt at pirate-speech. She'd heard first-year Ren Faire performers do better, and was anxious to get past the festivities. They didn't much match her mood, distracted as she was by the whole scenario, and she was one of the few who hadn't bothered with food or drink, as tempting as the smells had been.

[Forge]

She waved Lizzie through with the saber, giving a nod to Jadzia as well, giving her the go-ahead to proceed.

She looked poignantly at Matt, "Well, where be ye coin? Or were ye hopin' to get by on yer fine beauty?" she grinned.

[z-Matt McShae]

Despite the blush the colored his cheeks, Matt smiled back at her. She was somewhat pretty, now that he was really looking at her, and his eyes were appreciative of that beauty as he took her free hand and kissed the back of it. "I know nothing of my own beauty, m'lady," he jested, aware that he had to step outside of his comfort zone or find a coin somewhere.

He knelt on one knee and balanced his guitar on the other leg, smiling at her. "I hope that this small gift will be worthy of y-thee." With a flourish and a deep hope that he could remember the tabbing for a song he hadn't tried in over a year, he started to play.

[Forge]

"This saucy wench be charmed indeed." She said, the accent disappearing. "The rest of you got coins I take it?"

At the quick nods of the remaining students, she motioned them through the turnstile. As Matt brought up the rear, arranging his guitar on his back, she stopped him with a soft touch on his forearm. "Sexy serenade or not, I have to ask you to leave the guitar. You'll get it back, don't fret..."

She looked like she was gonna say more, but stopped and started giggling, a not unpleasant one at that. "Sorry, totally unintentional, haha."

Gathering herself, the Buccaneer demeanor returned and she squinted at Matt as he handed her the guitar and made his way through the turnstile. "Avast me beauty, off wit ye!"

She flipped him a plastic admission coin from her pocket, giving him a wink as he turned away before returning to the passing crowds with a resounding, "ARRRRRR!!"

The walk down the dock was longer than they expected, but they realized that getting to water deep enough to berth a vessel that was just a tad larger than the normal yacht, required a bit of a hoof.

The Lynx was an impressive ship. Smaller than you might think a 'Tall Ship' vehicle might be, but the age and beauty of the rigging, sails, and wood was a sight to behold. One of the crew was assisting people up the gangplank onto the ship while 4 others dashed about doing whatever it is that crew does on a top-sail schooner before shoving off.

"I apologize for the Captain not greeting you formally, but he's been a bit under the weather lately and will be up shortly." the crewman said once all were on board. "Feel free to sit or stand wherever you want, as long as it's not on any rope, the full lecture will be given once we're on the water."

Click to reveal.. (Lynx Images)

[Helen Booth]

Lizzie wandered around on the ship, absorbing the details of the magnificent vessel. She may have been less absorbed by the wonders of past ages than the rest of the members of her immediate family, but she was raised by them and as a result had a solid appreciation for the beauty of the crafts that went into making such an intricately detailed ship. Finally, she found a spot leaning against the railing on the starboard side of the ship, looking out onto the water.

[z005]

Alexa settled in on the boat, still finishing off her snacks. She roamed around the deck with the others and then picked at spot next the Liz. The wind picked up for a moment, carrying the scents and cool spray of the water with it and ruffling hair of the passengers.

She glanced around at the others, "So what now?"

[z-Matt McShae]

At the message about ropes, Matty looked down and guiltily shuffled his feet off the fibrous cord. Trying to pretend he hadn't just done that, he wandered the ship, thinking.

It had been weird, to sing his way on board. It had also made him uncomfortable, like he'd broken a rule or something. He'd used his talents to gain an advantage - was that so wrong? And if not, why was he concerning himself over it.

He ran his thumb over the strange coin again. Perhaps he should have tried to use it, but it hadn't been the right coin. He thought back to the strange concert today, and his fingers closed around the flash drive. He could drop it overboard right now, done and gone...

But he didn't. Some part of him had loved being the rock star, even if he didn't know how he'd done that. It had awakened desires he hadn't had since high school, when becoming a rock star had seemed as simple as getting out there and playing.

Alexa's question jarred him back to awareness. "Let's find Deuce," he suggested, glancing around the deck. "He seemed to want you guys aboard - let's see if he's lurking somewhere around here, waiting to pop out and Yoda at us for a bit."

[Forge]

A quick 360 degree spin told them quite quickly that he wasn't on deck, though there were now a fair amount of people and it looked as though the five man crew were making ready to shove off.

As they scuttled about, a man in a black sailor's wool coat and matching skullcap emerged from below, unhooking the chain briefly to let himself by. He nodded and smiled at the passengers, making one-line chit chat as he made his way down the side of the ship to the bow where the wheel was.

It didn't take a doctor to tell the man was feeling under the weather, his skin was distinctly pale, though his demeanor was attempting to imply otherwise.

"Mr. Gunnerson!" he bellowed, "Are we ready?!"

"Aye-aye, Captain." the First Mate responded as he loosed the gangplank and hauled in their half.

"Then do your duties and prepare for battle!"

"Aye-aye" came back the crew as they moved quickly with deliberate motion through the narrow aisles, asking everyone to kindly have a seat until they were out on the water.

The Captain, in an action that belied the appearance and mystique of the craft, fired up the engine that would take them out into Commencement Bay and began lazily steering the Top Sail Schooner as he entertained an overly curious guest about the ship. Answering questions as to their recent travels, where they berth, crew requirements, maintenance, the history of the ship, the engine, the sails and on and on. The Captain seemed to take it in stride, apparently all too familiar with this line of questioning.

Half way down the 'finger' of the Bay after passing under the bridge and past most of downtown Tacoma, the Captain cut off the man and yelled out, "Mr. Riley, it be a fair quiet ride so far, see if you can rectify that situation and send word to our enemies!"

"Aye-aye!"

One of the crew quickly made his way to one of the cannon's and flipping open the port as he opened a locked box, apparently containing the explosives. The rest of the crew, at the Captain's orders, began to loose the sails, making sure to warn everyone of the swinging boom as it came around. Everyone 'ooh'd and ahh'd as the full glory of the Tall Ship came to fruition, the majesty of the ship hard to ignore.

"Port cannon ready!"

"As you will, Mr. Riley."

Taking mock-aim at the Annie Wright School, [[Private girls school founded in 1884, couldn't find a water-side view of it.]] the Gunner took his lit punk and fired off the blank, sending a resounding wall of thunder through everyone's chest and across the Bay, the answering echo from shore almost as loud as the blast itself.

"Very good, Mr. Riley."

The Captain turned the engine off and only then, engaging sounds of being on a sailing vessel could be heard; the creaking of the wood, the ripple of the occasional sail, and the lapping of the water against the boat. The crew finished with the immediate tasks at hand and while two managed the rigging, the rest began to hand out the meal that accompanied the trip, plastic to-go containers containing a fillet of salmon, a small caesar salad, and some wild rice. Bottles of water quickly followed and the ride truly became peaceful as people quieted down and ate.

[Nadya Lunălescu]

Jadzia found a seat mostly out of the way, near the mast. She clung to it tight, realizing far too late, that the motion of boat did not agree with her more sedentary proclivities. There was a distinct difference in way the screen shook to emphasize the motion of a boat in a video gsme and the way an actual boat behaved that she didn't really appreciate.

She nibbled on the salad and rice, but didn't even look at the salmon, all the while taking large gulps of water. Still, as the engine turned off, her breathing deep and rapid, she began to calm down. She found the sounds of the ship rather soothing - they conveyed an immediate authenticity that no video game could fully simulate.

At least, not yet, she thought, the fresh breeze blowing across her cheeks and in her vividly streaked hair.

[Helen Booth]

The quiet of the ship and the serenity of the water made some of the weirdness slip away, until Lizzie was almost able to forget why they'd come aboard the ship. She didn't, of course - her inquiring mind wasn't likely to let that one go too easily. But for now she settled down like the other passengers, and ate her meal quietly as the wind ruffled through her hair.

[z-Matt McShae]

Matty watched all the goings-on with polite interest, but behind his gray eyes, he wrestled with the possibilities of the day. He wanted to make something realistic of all of it, but some part of him was sure that there was no satisfactory answer.

There was some reason that they had been singled out, he was sure. He wanted to talk to them about it, but was keenly aware of the press of strangers around them. He ate quickly, not really aware of the food or its taste. Finally, things appeared to have quieted and, with look that asked the others to follow him, he casually stood up, stowed (look at him being so nautical!) his trash and wandered to the rail.

[Helen Booth]

Lizzie caught Matt's glance, and his retreat to a quieter area of the ship. She disposed of her own dishes accordingly, and then followed him over to the rail, leaning against it with the ease of someone comfortable with the feel of a boat, and glanced up at him. As she spoke, her inflection somehow managed to be sarcastic, amused, and annoyed all at the same time, though obviously the annoyance was directed more at the situation than at him.

"So.. here we are. You know.. on a boat. With tourists. For no sane reason."