IC: Chapter 1 - NEW YORK, Starts 12th Jan 1925

[coffee demon]

Andrei was busier than most in the days leading up to the Devonian's departure. He had numerous financial affairs to get in order. Timour's return seemed to bounce him back into a better mood, but he still had a nervous air about him.

Once they were on the ship, Andrei avoided most of the social events, and spent almost every evening locked in his private quarters. When asked, he would say that he was reading, and avoid further questions. Some of his fellows may have noticed that his quarters were lit until very late at night. Andrei would still be awake before everyone else, drinking coffee and orange juice, but the dark shadows under his eyes revealed much about his lack of sleep.

He and Elizabeth were seen bickering on at least one occasion. It was unclear whether they were still together or not, although they would occasionally dine together.

Andrei was insistent that his fellow travelers remain secretive about their destination. If he saw someone speaking for too long with a stranger, he would quiz his friend, to ensure that no information was slipped. "We must be extremely careful!" he would exclaim. "Perhaps we can avoid any more of this madness, but we mustn't make a single mistake." His constant warnings may be starting to irritate some of his companions.

...

On the night of the eclipse, Andrei wanders the deck. He notices Elizabeth wearing a stunning dress, and is about to walk up to her, when Timour beats him to it. Before either of them notice, he turns away, and moves to a higher balcony where he can watch the sky and keep an eye on Elizabeth at the same time.

[Timour Rukov]

"Thank you," Elizabeth replies with a grin. "I actually bought this dress with the eclipse in mind." She waves an arm casually at the shimmery black material as if it explains itself.

"Well, you look stunning, Elizabeth. A pity Andrei isn't here to see you. Where is he anyway? Not lurking about I hope." He takes a moment to survey the deck as he says it, then turns back to her and grins.

"It is so good to see you up and about after," her eyes momentarily stray to the other passengers present, and she smoothly changes the end of her sentence, "your extended illness. A Timour who isn't out charming the ladies isn't a Timour at all." The shadow of a memory briefly darkens her eyes, but her extensive social training allows her to keep the smile from faltering.

"Ah, go on! I'm not obsessed over the dames, now am I? Alright, I am! I suppose you have my number, there." He laughs loudly and shares a knowing look with some of the other men standing with them. Timour raises his glass. "To the eclipse! I'd fancy a party and an excuse to have a drink! It's been days since I've felt this relaxed, I must say." What you don't know about that night.....better to leave it that way I suppose. I'm rather happy to be up and about also...but the memory of that night will not soon be forgotten....

[imme]

"Well, you look stunning, Elizabeth. A pity Andrei isn't here to see you. Where is he anyway? Not lurking about I hope."

Elizabeth shrugs, saying without words that it's the last thing she cares about right now.

Timour raises his glass. "To the eclipse! I'd fancy a party and an excuse to have a drink! It's been days since I've felt this relaxed, I must say."

I'll drink to that. "To the eclipse." Elizabeth raises her glass and takes a larger sip than is really necessary.

She expands the conversation to include the others gathered around. "It's quite lucky that the sea calmed down to let us see this, is it not? Apparently solar eclipses are rare phenomena, and you have to be in just the right spot to see them, or so I've been told."

[Decrepit]

Caroline sidles up to Maksim, who apparently hasn't noticed her arrival. She cleared her throat. "Lovely evening, no?"

Before he can get much further, her nervousness takes over and she starts in. "Look, I have something to say. I think we got off on the wrong foot the other day. Oh, dear, that does seem a lifetime ago, doesn't it? Anyway, I wanted to say that, well, I think it's important now that we get along, as we--I mean, all of us, not just you and me--really have only each other to rely on." Not sure what to do next, she thrusts out her hand as if for a handshake.

[Maksim Rukov]

"Will you marry me?" Maksim asks with a wry smile, turning around and leaning haphazardly against the railing. He clutches in one hand a diamond ring (or so it appears) and two gold rings.

[Timour Rukov]

She expands the conversation to include the others gathered around. "It's quite lucky that the sea calmed down to let us see this, is it not? Apparently solar eclipses are rare phenomena, and you have to be in just the right spot to see them, or so I've been told."

"Not only rare, but also quite mystical. They've been known to stop battles in history!" Timour boasts, winking at Elizabeth and grinning.

Timour wondered about the shrug Elizabeth had made regarding Andrei. He'd ignored it, but it wasn't hard to ignore the fact that Elizabeth and Andrei were at odds as of late. I wonder why?

[Raiko]

Everything goes quiet on the Devonian's boat deck, and gazes turn to the sky as the sun begins to slip behind the moon.

[Decrepit]

"Will you marry me?" Maksim asks with a wry smile, turning around and leaning haphazardly against the railing. He clutches in one hand a diamond ring (or so it appears) and two gold rings.

"Why, Mr. Rukov ... I mean, darling Mr. Rukov, this is so sudden, and yet ... so welcome! Yes, yes, of course!" She claps her hands excitedly. "Oh, I must run and tell Beth immediately! I always assumed she would marry first, but it looks as though I was wrong."

She dashes off, then returns quickly to grab the rings, gives Maks a peck on the cheek, and runs off again.

[Maksim Rukov]

Maksim exhales slowly and runs his fingers through his hair. He had thought the suddenness obvious but now he remembered all of the movies where engagements were even more sudden. Why, Clark Gable and Carole Lombart had an exceptionally quick engagement in the movie 'No Man of Her Own'. He had visited, flirtatiously, she had told him to give her a chance, and suddenly there were wedding bells!

He turned back and leaned on the railing. "But it's me..." he murmured, staring at the wake of the ship with screwed-up eyes. "Yeah," he straightened, and looked back up at the sky, a brief moments look at the eclipse before giving his eyes a moment to recover - as a pilot he knew the risks of the sun. "It's me and that's her... She's playing me with a deck of rigged cards and a straight face." He smiled, shaking his head, impressed. "What a gal! What a real live wire."

He follows in Caroline's wake now, wondering just how far she was planning on taking it. He was sure she'd probably playfully punch him in the arm - well, no, not that but something metaphorically similar - and ask him what he really meant. A sham marriage was an excellent thing to have with a bodyguard in foreign climates. It gave the man access to the room, gave the lady a dignified way to turn down men without the risk that the men might become hostile and aggressive... Some men could be real barbaric... It wasn't the first time he'd played the husband or the fiance. Sometimes even for strange women who needed a hand out of a rough situation. Of course, with a handsome face like his, he got his fair share of fights regardless.

[Decrepit]

Eventually, Caroline turns to find Maks following her.

"Oh, darling, there you are! I was just off to see Beth but then decided to see whether I could track down the captain instead. We are in international waters, after all, and you know what that means ..." she singsongs. To a puzzled look, she replies, "Silly. He can marry us out here! I don't see any reason to wait."

[Maksim Rukov]

"I never thought you'd respond so cheerily," says Maksim, grinning, but his eyes are shrewd. "As you said, you were always so unsure of me... I am a broke fool of a man, after all. I travel near constantly to find methods of paying my way, am prone to dark moods and have always seemed to do little but arouse your suspicions..." He closes the gap between the two with graceful style and clasps her hands between his. His head is cocked to one side as he searches her gaze for hints as to her true feelings.

"I love you truly, freely, sweetly and passionately, and have done soon after I first met you... But I never felt your feelings were the same... Forgive me my suspicious nature, but I can't help but wonder, did you truly mean that you wanted to be my wife or was something else motivating you? A simple desire to be married, perhaps? Or ... something else?" Here he smiles, expecting the closeness of their stance to rattle her, to get her to give up the poker face he believes she has.

[imme]

Elizabeth is distracted from Timour's last remark as the moon begins to eat the sun. Chills run up and down her spine and she instinctively reaches out and grabs Timour's arm.

[Decrepit]

"I love you truly, freely, sweetly and passionately, and have done soon after I first met you... But I never felt your feelings were the same... Forgive me my suspicious nature, but I can't help but wonder, did you truly mean that you wanted to be my wife or was something else motivating you? A simple desire to be married, perhaps? Or ... something else?"

"Why, my dear, you're not getting cold feet, are you?" Caroline asks, taking his hands in hers, then pulling him close. She sighs, then releases him. "Well, perhaps you are being the sensible one. We've really only just met, after all, and you hardly know anything about me, or I you." Her smile returns. She walks her fingers up his arm. "Indeed, how would we know that we were . . . compatible?"

She sighs again. "Ah, well. Perhaps it has all been too much--the waves, the eclipse, the champagne, the danger, your confession of love . . . Oh, my dear, you mustn't look so. Here, take these." She puts the rings back in his hand and closes it up. "For now, at least."

She walks off, then calls softly over her shoulder, "Please . . . don't follow me. I-- I couldn't bear it." She quickens her pace.

[Maksim Rukov]

"I'm keeping my eye on you," he calls after her, playfully, ambiguously. He felt almost disappointed and somewhat lonely at how everything was now back to normal. Normally, in this sort of situation, he would find some woman and flirt horrendously with her but that didn't feel appropriate. Instead he attempted to sneak after Caroline, hoping to hear a little giggle once she felt she was safely hidden away. If it was a game she wanted...

[Timour Rukov]

Timour grins as Elizabeth puts her hand on his forearm, and instinctively puts his arm around her waist. He moves slightly behind her, breathing in the intoxicating scent of her hair. He looks up at the moon, and leans in to whisper in her ear.

"Beautiful sight....imagine a warrior fighting a battle, only to look up at the sky and see this sight in front of him. It's no wonder they dropped their swords." He flashes a mysterious smile, and meets her gaze with darkened eyes. "After all, a beauty has a way of calming a man's heart."

[Raiko]

As the sun slips completely behind the moon, the SS Devonian is plunged into darkness, day magically becomes night. The moon is a black hole of nothingness in the sky, a gods eye, bathed in a halo of orange radiation.

A murmur ripples though the passengers assembled on the boat deck, champagne glasses clink together, the atmosphere is electric.

[imme]

Elizabeth tilts her head to one side, a question hiding behind her eyes. She breaks her gaze with Timour and looks up at the spectacle in the sky. Beautiful? Perhaps, but the gaping darkness where the sun once was unnerves her, and Elizabeth leans back into Timour, hugging his arm more tightly around her waist.

[Decrepit]

Caroline waits in hiding a moment until Maksim, following her, catches up.

"Ah, so you think this is some sort of game--is that it?" she asks, a bit indignantly.

"Well, maybe it is, a little," she says finally but not harshly. "But I suspect you have been toying with my affections more than just a little yourself. 'Loving me at first glance' and all that." She smiles.

"Anyway, I had every intention of smoothing things out between us when I came on deck to find you. And then, of course, you proposed. I just couldn't help myself: knowing you weren't, couldn't be serious, I wanted to play along, see whether I could turn the tables."

She looks down a little, then back at him. "Did I have you going at all? I do admit to having a bit more fun with it than I had expected. Was I too much of a 'ham' back there when I told you not to follow me? I'd seen that in a movie." She giggles. "OK, maybe more than one movie."

She looks at him appraisingly. "And you followed, just like in the movies.

"Perhaps ..." She clears her throat. "Perhaps marriage would be a bit premature, but I wouldn't mind a moonlight stroll. That moon ... that moon is splendid."

[coffee demon]

From his position on the higher deck, it looked like Timour and Elizabeth were engaged in an innocently flirtatious conversation. He was getting used to the Russians' antics by now, and wasn't nearly as protective as he used to be in these situations. But, as the moon passed in front of the sun, he sensed something more.

Andrei curses as the ship slips into shadow, and Elizabeth and Timour fade from view. Was Elizabeth leaning in towards the handsome Russian? They had been staring at each other for a long time - that was undeniable. And, in the moment before darkness, did he see Ellie reaching out, grabbing for Timour's arm?

Andrei curses again and leans against the railing, barely breathing, heart in his throat.

He waits for the light to return. The couple's position was memorized in his mind.

If they've moved... I'll know, I'll know if something has happened.

[Maksim Rukov]

Maksim chuckles. "Good doctor, I had no intention of playing with your heart and every intention of playing with your head." He taps her temple for good measure. "One of the most entertaining games I have is riling you up and then having an entirely innocent alternative meaning hidden behind my words. I assumed you would stamp your foot and get quite cross... I was worried when you leapt at my words, I assumed you... I didn't want to hurt you but let's face it ... a doctor and a commoner? Well, minor nobility practically, but what's that in Russia? Worth a penny? Worth a dime? Anyhow, what I meant by the proposal was still quite sincere."

"There are many benefits to having a bodyguard who can access your room. To being able to turn down other men by saying you're married rather than telling them honestly that you wouldn't be seen dead in their arms. And, well, if we ever go to Africa after the expedition... An unescorted woman can find a lot of trouble in places that shouldn't be any trouble. I was taunting you, but I am worried for your safety." He adds cheekily, "You are our doctor, after all."

"And yes, you did have me wondering." He chuckles again. "To be honest, if it hadn't been a trick, I would have simply married you and tried my best rather than break your heart. The only hearts I've toyed with are those of a trickster's... Well, that's not quite true. Sometimes flirting does earn one a discount at the local bakery." He runs a hand through his hair, feeling sheepish now for his admittance.

"If you want to walk, let's walk before I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid and ruining our chance to see the eclipse," he says and holds out his elbow. "If you'll still have me, that is. Oh, and..." He gazes at her with a newfound appreciation. "Never change. Being a trickster is just so much more fun."