Unlikely Lovers (Skeith & Angel_Lina)

[Skeith Takahata II]

The Victorianna was a a massive Mediterranean Cruise Ship, one that would become known for its luxurious suites, its exotic foods, and of course the large amount of foreign dignitaries who often chose to ride her. The vessel had only recently set out on it's three week cruise into the Greek Isles, and was carrying some of the most notable names in modern politics aboard her. Not to say that the vessel was not open to middle class passengers, but it was certainly an expensive trip and required pre-purchasing a ticket several months in advance. Especially considering this was its maiden voyage. The vessel and cruise was meant as a birthday gift and celebration for the young princess Victoria Delacroix. Not that she was the least bit impressed by the ship or the flamboyant display. It was only for her in name only. It was really an attempt by her father to garner more foreign allies, both politically and financially. His daughter's birthday was only an excuse. Still, she knew her duty and she played her role well. She smiled and mingled with the wealthy guests aboard the ship, graciously accepted their offerings of well wishes on her birthday, and even danced with some of the young men who had been invited to the cruise. Undoubtedly potential suitors sought out by her father.

At the first opportunity she ducked out of the celebration, disappearing below deck where she used a second class washroom to change from her gown into more casual attire. A simple white sundress and a wide hat, along with a pair of sunglasses to cover her bright blue eyes. Her raven colored hair was let down from its elaborate braids resulting in very bouncy waves. She walked about the outside of the lower decks, leaning out over one of the railings examining the ocean. She was relived that she had yet to be recognized by anyone down here. In fact, how many people down here would have known there was a princess Victoria Delacroix in the first place. Much less on board the ship right now. She breathed out a quiet sigh as she allowed herself to truly frown for the first time since she boarded. Perhaps she should allow herself to experience the cruise as a vacation rather than an obligation, but seeing as the only friends she had on this ship were truly only her friends because of her station, she didn't see how she was going to enjoy herself.

 

[Angel Fire]

Once the young Maria Bella found out about this cruise several months back, just knew that she had to be on it. Though it set her back on a very hefty loan, she was adamant about being on it. Living in a middle class community, she really didn't care about princesses or royalty of any type. All she cared about was having fun and living life to the fullest no matter what the consequences were. She was not the type of girl to stand out in a crowd but people would take an occasional glance at her wavy brown hair and olive color skin. She looked like she could have been an athlete but the truth was that she did do a lot of hiking and loved to be in the outdoors.

As soon as she got out of the airport and onto the ship, she was very giddy about being on the ship. To her it was like a dream come true as she found her way onto the lower decks. Wearing a yellow sundress with a pair of white sandals, she skipped the sunglasses to reveal her dark brown eyes to let it witness a beauty that was just a few feet in front of her. Known for taking many chances and risks, Maria let out her usual "Why not?" attitude and casually walked over to the stunning woman. "Nice view out here, isn't it?" She asked while looking at the beaches of the island port that they were just about to depart. "I always dreamed of being out here. It is so beautiful here." She admitted as she hoped that this woman wasn't going to be one of the snobs that she probably would see upstairs.

 

[Skeith Takahata II]

Victoria had gotten so used to the silence that she almost hadn't acknowledged the woman at first. When she did finally realize that she was being addressed she almost panicked. Had she been found already? She couldn't possibly stomach entertaining more billionaire heirs and princes. She needed this break. She turned to face the woman, glancing out of the corner of her eye at first, not wanting to reveal herself just yet. When she saw the woman, she gasped softly at her beauty. She'd seen an interacted with several beautiful women up top but there was something special about seeing the natural beauty of someone without all the extra make up, jewelry, and gowns. Oh no... At this point she'd been simply staring slack jawed for a few seconds.

She offered a faint but friendly smile as she nodded to her. "Y-yes, I agree. It is quite lovely." She could do nothing to hid the rich accent with which she spoke, implying that she was a local. She could hear the boat's telltale horn that it was about to shove off. "I've always been rather fond of the islands myself." She returned her gaze to the ocean and the shoreline as the ship began to slowly move out to sea.

 

[Angel Fire]

Feeling the ship being slowly moved out towards sea, Maria could not help but to admire the rich local accent that this stunning woman next to her was speaking with. It felt so exotic and free. She couldn't help but to speak more, especially after seeing the woman have her jaw wide open after a few seconds before seeing that wonderful smile. "Oh? Are you from there? I have always wanted to visit them." She blurted out in her enthusiasm before realizing one big thing. "Oh my god! I am so sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Maria from the States. What's your name, beautiful?" She added the last part in knowing that this was definitely not lady like but to her, the hell with the consequences. if a slap on the face was what she was going to get, than it would not surprise her in the least bit.

 

[Skeith Takahata II]

Victoria had relaxed some with the other woman next to her. This must have been how normal people interacted. Her only real exposure had been with officials to whom she had to be fake, or with servants which was painfully awkward to try to forge friendships with. She was about to answer the woman's question when she suddenly blurted out a greeting. She stood up straight quickly at her compliment. She blinked several times as she stared at the woman. "B-beautiful..." She repeated following a brief pause. Beautiful? Oh! She was flirting! This was flirting! She blushed a bit at the compliment before balling a fist and clearing her throat into it. "N-no apology necessary. I am Victoria D..." She paused before finishing her last name. "Devereaux." She said softly, quickly forcing in an alternative last name. She was terrified of what would become of this conversation of Maria knew who she really was. Besides, she was from the States, they didn't have any respect for royalty there. It might have even turned ugly rather than awkward. "And yes. I am from the islands." She turned to face Maria all together. "I've never been to the United States before. Though I can't say I haven't been tempted. It must be so exciting over there."

 

[Angel Fire]

As Maria saw Victoria's fist clenching up into the ball, she prepared for the worst as she was about to raise her arms up. She would have defended herself if she had to but after hearing Victoria's cough and that fist next to her throat, she let out a long einded sigh of relief. Even if she did hear Victoria's real last name, it would not have mattered to her anyways. To her, Victoria was just a person, no matter how prestigious she may be. Seeing Victoria's terrified look and then thr relaxation once again, Maria went back to her usual gabby self.

"Oh they can be, especially out in California. I mean the trees and the beaches... They are so cool and so serene. I could get lost for days in them and nevet want to come out. I am curious though, do you love the outdoors? To me, it is so peaceful and so calm and..." She let out a small pause while taking a small dry swallow in her throat. "Gods... I am doing it again... Talking and talking. Stop me if I do that again, deal?" She asked while rea hing out with her hand as if to shake it, hoping that Victoria would return it.

 

[Skeith Takahata II]

Victoria's smile spread some when Maria began to talk about life in the States a bit. She was completely enamored by how genuine she seemed. It was such a stark contrast to the 'friends' that she had back home. She opened her mouth to answer her question about the outdoors before the woman continued. She blinked a few times, a little taken a back by her ability to simply talk without hesitation to a stranger. Perhaps it was simply the shut in life that she led that made Victoria so shy. She cocked her head in confusion a little before chuckling softly. "I don't mind. I find your talkative nature and energy quite charming." She replied softly. When Maria extended her hand she stared at it for a few seconds before extending her own. Her hand was soft and free of callouses or scars, clearly having never done any real work before. She shook Maria's hand gently.

She could hear the cheering of other passengers as the ship finally left the harbor beginning its three week journey. "So, Maria..." She asked softly, "Are you here with anybody or did you come alone?" She asked softly. Victoria desperately hoped that she didn't come off as too awkward. She was really enjoying interacting with a normal girl and didn't want to blow her chances at her first real friend.

 

[Angel Fire]

Upon hearing the cheers and screams of delight from the other passengers as the ship sailed out of port, Maria heard the very soft question from Victoria. Looking into her eyes for just a brief second, she turned her face away as if to feel a little down.

"Yeah, I came here alone. I wanted a friend of mine to come along but she couldn't get the time off from work and... She couldn't afford this trip anyways. So here I am... On the cruise of a lifetime and..." She was in the middle of her explanation when the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Here was someone that looked to be alone as well. Maybe they could keep each other company? Never one to hold back her thoughts, she just let the question flow out without thinking of the possible bad things to come.

"Wait a minute. Are you alone too? If you aren't than that's cool but if you are, would you like to keep a lonely girl company through this cruise of a lifetime?" She asked with hopes rising inside of her as she thought to herself, 'please be alone too.'

 

[Skeith Takahata II]

Victoria felt extremely guilty when the woman looked away, seeming to grow sad. She had never meant to bring her down. When the question was returned she looked down at her shoes, biting her lip as she thought about it. She didn't want to admit that she was here with her father. Even still, with how many people she did know on this ship and in her life as a whole, she really did feel alone. Realizing how long she had been silently thinking about it.

There was something romantic in the way Maria asked for her company. Perhaps it was a desperation to be honest with herself for a change instead of entertaining male suitors to humor her father. "Y-yes. I am very much alone." She looked up again, smiling sadly. "I would love to keep you company." She took off her sunglasses before turning to look at Maria again. "D-do you like dancing?" She was fairly knowledgeable in the lay out of the ship and knew that there was plenty to do on the lower levels.

 

[Angel Fire]

At first, Maria's hopes were starting to fade away while she was looking over at Victoria. It was as if she might be pushed away or maybe Victoria did bring someone else along. She could not help but to anxiously wait for her response... But when it came, she could not help but to jump in joy.

"Sweet! Thank you so much! I promise that fun times will be had by all!" She enthusiastically responded while doing all she could to not run up and hug Victoria. The next question took Maria by surprise as it was her turn to feel a little bit down. That time only took less than a second as she perked up yet again. "I don't know. I haven't tried to dance in my life... But no time than the present to see what kinds of moves I may be hiding. Shall we dance the night away?" She giggled at that question. Sure it was a very huge flirting response but she always lived by the moment. She hoped that this moment would be the right one for a change.

 

[Skeith Takahata II]

When Maria seemed down about dancing at first, Victoria was concerned. She wouldn't know how to do much else and would only embarrass herself. Though when she perked up again, her smile returned. Her response once again caught off guard. She had no real experience flirting so she was concerned the only way to show interest was to simply blurt it out, which would be awkward and embarrassing. "Delightful! I'm so excited!" She replied, letting her usually calm demeanor disappear for a brief moment. She blushed softly, as though she was embarrassed by her cracked facade before clearing her throat again. "If I'm to be honest, the only things I really do with my free time are read, dance, write sheet music, and horseback riding. I'm not much good at other things. I would love to teach you to dance. Not knowing how isn't a problem. I can lead." Being truly good at dancing meant knowing your partner's moves just as well as your own. So leading wouldn't be an issue, even if she hadn't actually led before.

She stepped closer slowly before linking arms with the girl and starting to lead the way towards where she knew the ballroom to be. She gathered from how Maria had responded that she probably expected a club, hopefully the alternative wouldn't disappoint her. Though she realized that the idea of ballroom dancing was a more romantic one, she hadn't considered that she may have inadvertently outed herself in the process. She entered the large ball room, hearing the enchanting classical music playing. It brought a smile to her face to hear it. The ballroom itself was quite luxurious, though perhaps not as much as the one up on top where she was expected to entertain party guests. Down here, she could even dance with a woman without it damaging her reputation, or rather, her father's reputation. She came to stop beside one of the tables, watching the couples dancing out on the floor. She took off her hat, setting it on the table with her sunglasses before turning to face her new friend. "I-is this okay?" She asked softly.

 

[Angel Fire]

Maria was starting to think to herself that Victoria was one of those snobby types herself. The way that she stayed calm through almost every situation seemed to make her think that Victoria was no fun at all. That perception changed dramatically for Maria as for the first time, she did see Victoria show some enthusiasm. Though it was only for a short bit, that small showing seemed to halp Maria loosen her perceptions a little bit. Listening some more, most of the things that Victoria liked to do were sort of boring to her but when Victoria mentioned horseback riding; that was when Maria perked up again. She saved that thought for another time as she listened to her again.

Feeling their arms linked together, Maria started to feel a strange sense of comfort. She wasn't sure exactly what this comfort was but it felt so wonderful. Sure, she was expecting some kind of club. Maybe she could let herself out more and make this a party but when she noticed the ballroom that they entered, it seemed to be a place where she may have to hold herself back a bit. Hearing Victoria's question, she looked back at her eyes and nodded. "Sure, this is fine. I hope that it has a bar and a place to sit down after you wear me out with your moves." She softly let out a chuckle at the end as she let Victoria lead the way to the start of even more fun to come.

 

[Skeith Takahata II]

Victoria couldn't help but worry that she would bore Maria. She knew she had to seem that way. Her life had been so sheltered that she could call on very few adventurous hobbies. She would have to entertain the possibility of some of Maria's interests later. Not that she had the faintest idea what they might entail. She stood quietly, a little worried that the ballroom would be a buzzkill for Maria, it seemed that it had been for a little while. She would definitely have to take her to one of the clubs on the ship as well. "I guess I should've guessed that ballroom dancing wouldn't appeal much to someone from the states..." She said quietly, running her hand through her hair. "I know of a club on the ship that has a bar we can visit afterwards if you like. I've never been to a club before, it should be a fun new experience."

She reached for her hand as the band began to prepare for the next song, leading her out onto the dance floor. She blushed a little as she looked around before sighing and shaking her head. Nobody down here would recognize her. Being seen dancing with a woman wouldn't get her in trouble. She took Maria's hands, guiding them to where she was supposed to place them. Before placing her own appropriately. There was a nervous anxiety and excitement in Victoria. Weirdly feeling like dancing with Maria was her first real time to be honest about herself. When the music began she slowly began to sway and move with the other woman, guiding her slowly. Fortunately it was a simple song, and an equally simple dance, making teaching her relatively easy.