---

---

Calliope’s shoulders relaxed a little bit. She didn’t realize she was actually that nervous until the man laughed, meaning that she was doing pretty well interacting with strangers so far. How relieving! What was more reassuring was that another guy said that he could cook. It was quite fortunate that she didn’t have to show her mediocre cooking skills so soon in the trip. It would have been devastating if she scared them off with an attempt of spaghetti and meatballs. She was far more better off baking or just cutting up vegetables.

The man then introduced himself as Leo and stated that his sister was Penelope. Although learning more names was great, she still referred to Leo as ‘Bread’ in her head by the way he held the ‘sacred’ ingredient in front of them. Then another guy came in the kitchen and threatened to eat the ship before their newly discovered cook put away the bread. She covered her mouth and turned her head to the side, repressing a laugh.

“Does anyone know where the freezer is? And if so, does it have minced beef in it? I think I can make some spaghetti bolognese.” Calliope looked around. The kitchen wasn’t that big so it shouldn’t be hard to find. However, there were a couple metalloid drawers that could have easily passed as a freezer. She opened each of them until she found what they were looking for, rummaging through it to find… ”Las carne de res!” She grinned and held up the beef triumphantly towards the man she now calls ‘Chef’ in her head. "Need anything else?"

---

:: Bedroom ::
Interacting with: Nobody

---

Mandie sighed to herself and squeezed her hands together. She knew she would have to learn to deal with him, given the upcoming days to be spent with him, but she was still disappointed that her bedroom couldn't act as an escape from the more overwheming participants. After a quick adjustment of her skirt and a spray of conditioner (wow, was the humidity getting to her today), she quietly opened and closed the door behind her. Even from the other end of the hall, she could hear the laughter and light conversation of the kitchen. She meandered along the passageway, examining the other labels on doors for names. None of them were ones she recognized, luckily, except for Calliope, whom she met earlier before the pepper spray fiasco.
She poked her head into the kitchen shyly and watched the others for a few moments. Leo's face was familiar, although he had never introduced himself. He seemed rather passionate about bread and food in general. She didn't see his sister, though; she must have remained in the sitting room when he made his mad dash for the kitchen. Honestly, the rocking of the boat had sparked a bit of nausea, so food didn't seem quite as appealing now, even the spaghetti bolognese one guest recommended. Careful to not disturb anyone, she slunk through the doorway to a corner by a counter, where she fiddled with a teaspoon idly.

---

:: Sitting Room ::
Interacting with: @sakurasan & @DisguisedDemon

---

A woman with dark, long hair spoke up, obviously being interested in her conversation with Allia. "Sorry to interrupt, but do you guys have room for one more? I thought I would try to relax out here, but the boat is making me a bit sea sick and I really could use something to drink. Preferably something with a little alcohol." Alycia had to chuckle at this, given that she actually wanted to ask for a beer but didn't wanna make those words be her first ones. She smiled at the beautiful, slightly tan looking woman. Sea sick? Damn that would be a problem for the poor girl if it didn't go away. They were gonna spend quiet some days on the boat.

"My name's Penelope, by the way. Sorry again for interrupting." Alycia offered Penelope her hand. "Alycia. Nice to meet you Penelope. As for myself, I do not mind to share a drink with you or some food if you crave a meal." Her green eyes met with dark brown ones for a slight moment. "What book are you reading?", she started a new direction of conversation. Hopefully Allia wouldn't mind Penelope coming along and them all three sharing a talk.

As far as Alycia was concerned, there were some hot damn women on this trip and she was eager to see if the rest of the "crew" - aka her boat-mates and trip-partners - were as good looking as these two. And she could tell from the slight interaction she had with the two women, that they would make nice people to be around - at least if she wouldn't mess with Allia. That girl had something about her, something... headstrong and stubborn... maybe even a slight hint of danger. Or was she just seeing things? However, Alycia liked it.

---

Location: Kitchen
Interacting with: @wade wilson@fubsy@Aletheias

---

Leo was ready to look for the meat, but Calliope beat him to it. "Do you speak Spanish?" He asks a bit excitedly when she grabs the meat. He really hates not knowing everyone's name and especially when they're all in the room with him. He's a bit distracted by the newcomer and notices another girl slide in to the room. "Too excited to eat before coming aboard? It's such an exciting ship." He jokes. Honestly it's not bad and he actually rather likes it. They're obviously moving because there is a slight sway as the boat goes over waves. He hates that so much, it makes him nervous at the smallest movements of the boat.

"Do you have the noodles already?" Leo asks and glances over the guys shoulder to see if he has them. "I don't know what else you're gonna need, but if you want any help then let me know. Or you can just give us all a cooking lesson."

---

Location: Sitting Room
Interacting with: @KahleenCuthald&@sakurasan

---

Penelope grabs Alycia's hand and shakes it quickly. "That is a really pretty name. She tells her and looks down at the book, shaking it a little. "It's those hunger games books, I've never read them actually, but I've watched the movies. I thought it was appropriate to read them and Leo couldn't stop yelling at me for not reading them while we watched the movie." She laughs and shrugs a little. It's a good book, but she still thinks her brother is funny for practically opening the book for her when he knew she hadn't read them. "Hopefully I'll have more luck when we aren't on a moving ship. Ever read them?"

She wonders where they'll find anything to drink. Probably in another part of the ship. There better be some strong alcohol wherever it is. "You guys ready to go? I'm thinking they may be cooking food in the kitchen. She can just make out the sounds of people moving around and what sounds like cabinets opening and closing.

---

Location: Kitchen
Interacting with: @DisguisedDemon (Leo) and [@Alethias]

---

Mandie noticed Leo's glance and slinked farther away from Nate to join Leo and Calliope. "Sorry to leave you, Calliope," Mandie began. "And it's nice to meet you, sir. I'm Mandie, by the way. Would you guys like any help? I actually smuggled some baking supplies in my duffel, but those could be for now or later, whichever you two would prefer. It seems like everyone else is looking for alcohol, anyway, and I've never been its fan." She glanced over her shoulder at some of the others and pursed her lips judgmentally.

As Mandie spoke, she was not idle. She knelt down to the counter's level and opened each cabinet, examining the contents. Pretty porcelain plates and crystalline glasses lined one. Another held packaged snacks, like dried fruit and chips, in an airtight container. A third hid away canned goods, including tomato sauce, which she withdrew from the cabinet and tossed in Calliope's general direction. It was a comfort, having things to do and a given task in mind. "Chilling out" and finding things to talk about had never been her strong suit, and having a job - creating the ship's first dinner - was relieving.

---

Location: Outside
Interacting with: No one in particular

---

Nate's weariness was betrayed in the bags around his eyes, and he knew the best thing to do to wind down would be to play a little guitar. Frankly, nothing calmed him down more. Something of a diffusion, if nothing else. Making sure the thing was tuned one last time, he began playing songs from memory, bits and pieces of one before randomly switching to another, humming/singing along as he watched a milky sunset fall effortlessly beneath the rippling swells. It was a beautiful place, he had to admit.

Looking back inside the kitchen, he saw that a lot of people--including the Princess--were mingling with one another, cooking and talking and laughing. He smiled and leaned back into the chair, strumming out the opening chords to some other tune before finally settling on Norwegian Wood. It was the song that he knew best, after all. He sang with his slight New Jerseyan twang, but kept on pitch if only to pay homage to the tune that brought him into the world of guitar. If only he had a partner... 'twas a beautiful duet. Ah well...

Nate glanced back and looked Calliope up and down quickly. She seemed so sweet that it was hardly against him to not TRY and talk to her. Chewing his lip, he decided against it and kept playing, unaware that a small dog--his dog--had wormed her way out of her hiding place and had made a beeline for the kitchen. The little thing was hardly bigger than a cat, but with a gusto that Nate admired she bounded into the room and yipped.

---

---

Calliope shook her head at Leo’s question. Although her mother was Dominican, she had lived in Canada since she was six and had eventually forgotten how to speak Spanish so the language wasn’t practiced by her children at home. Instead, the woman decided to learn Arabic and ASL. ”Not fluently at least. But I did take it all four years of high school.” Along with Latin, two years of Japanese at Yale, and Mandarin during her whole middle school career. She was further exposed to languages when she chose to major in Linguistics.

She noticed Mandie’s presence once she came in and waved at her apology. ”It’s okay. But if you don’t mind, maybe we can use those baking supplies for dessert or a little snack for tomo-- ooh!” Calliope gasped as she caught the can of tomato sauce. It was a simple toss towards her, but she wasn’t known for having fast reflexes. She mentally high fived herself for not dropping it. As she held on to the can and the minced beef, her ears twitched at the sound of a faint, but familiar tune played on a guitar outside the kitchen door. ”Beatles…?” she mumbled to herself, eyebrows slightly knitted together and eyes squinting at the floor as if it had the song name written on it. Calliope only knew a handful of the Beatles’ songs and it bothered her how the title was just at the tip of her tongue. Deciding she didn't that want to get a headache trying to figure it out, she shook her head and looked back up at her peers. "Right. Spaghetti!" She'll just have to ask the musician later about the piece.

---

---

Alex couldn’t hold back a rather loud laugh as Leo inquired about the “noodles”. Shaking his head slightly, he held up the pack of spaghetti. “Yeah, I’ve got the noodle-spaghetti.” He grinned to the man. Maybe this boat ride wouldn’t be so bad, after all? Taking some time to wipe his brow, he looked over to Calliope. “Ah, great. We’ve got some minced beef and some more tinned tomato sauce. Right, we need some pans now, and I’ll try and get this place in order a little bit.” Alex said. He was about to go full-on chef mode, when he heard a small ‘yipp’ from the corner of the room. Spinning around to look at the source of the noise, he saw the smallest, most adorable dog. “Guys… we’ve got company,” he gestured to the dog with his shoulder, his hands currently being full, “whose dog is that? Any of you decided to bring a dog on a boat today?” The humour in his voice was slightly laced with bitterness, because who in the actual fuck brings a poor dog onto a boat? Shaking his head, he stood as still as humanly possible, what with the swaying of the boat, and looked around the room.

“Oh… and we still need pans.” He grinned as his attention span continued to be the size of a goldfish’s memory, and gently placed the ingredients down. “Nobody touch those, okay? Just touch the pans and put them there.” Gently, he walked over to the small dog, and picked it up in his arms, cradling it like a mother would to a toddler. He tickled its’ belly a little with a smile. “Anyone?” He suddenly said, looking around again. God, he was being forgetful today. Though, then again, he’d never been in this cramped of a room with a bunch of complete strangers before.

---

---

The kitchen seemed to get more and more crowded. Not that JC minded. He enjoyed the company, even if they were perfect strangers. There was no harm in a little more extra hands.

"Name's JC, by the way," he introduced over the noise of voices and shifting kitchenware. "Dashingly charming Master Cook." Well, Master Microwaver really. The most cooking he'd done was make a salad, and even that came out weird tasting. Still, girls dug a guy who could cook, and JC was more than happy to fill that slot. He glanced over his shoulder as he heard a yip, blinking in surprise as he saw a guy pick up a dog. "I'm really hoping that thing isn't going into the spaghetti." JC walked over, lightly scratching the pup behind the ears. It was cute little hound, though it still baffled him how it was on the ship. Wasn't there a policy against that or something? Or maybe it was part of the ship? JC shrugged away. So far it hadn't bit or peed, so it couldn't be that bad.

"Pans, right?" He turned away, rummaging through the cabinets. He finally emerged with several pans balanced haphazardly on top of a large pot and placed them on the stove top. JC picked up a pan, pretending to swing it like a bat, before tossing and twirling it through the air. "What next, Cap'n?" he asked, grimacing as the pan fell to the floor with a clang. He quickly picked it back up and dusted it off, sheepishly glancing up expectedly.

---

Location: Kitchen
Interacting with: @CanisMajoris2, @Fubsy, [@Alethias], @DisguisedDemon

---

Mandie winced as she noticed more and more people entering the room, and as the density of the room increased, she backed away into a counter, which she pushed herself on top of to avoid the overwhelming crowds. She watched as noodles were passed around and opened a drawer with her toes boredly, from which she plucked (with her fingers) a few wooden spoons to cook with. One she tossed to JC, the second she chucked to Leo (it hit the puppy, unfortunately), and the last she slid along the counter to Calliope.

As Mandie worked, she caught herself murmuring along with the guitar playing outside. "She told me she worked in the morning and started to laugh," she whispered, tapping a vague, off-tempo rhythm with her fingernails. Only once she realized who the source of the guitar playing was did she stop and fold her hands, lips slightly curled in disgust. So easy it was for him to irritate her now. Then again, the boisterous personalities of those around her weren't too pleasant to her, either. She propped her heels on cabinet handles and continued to watch idly.

---

---

Calliope winced at the sound of the pan colliding with the kitchen floor. The man seemed funny but was clumsy, which she somehow found to be kind of cute. ”Real smooth, JC. I’m Calliope,” she said as she took the wooden spoon Mandie slid towards her. "Thanks! You're really good at doing this stuff." The girl was finding things and distributing items with ease. It was quite impressive even though it involved such simple actions. Calliope could only dream to be able to toss and aim like Mandie with such agility.

She then looked back at their ‘chef friend’. [color=d3ffce]”I’m sorry, what’s your name?” She decided that she’s been in the same room as the guy long enough to be able to know what to call him. He was cradling a dog she never noticed slip in. If it yipped, then she surely hadn't heard it. Calliope raised a brow in confusion, shaking her head side to side. She had no idea pets were allowed in the program. ”And nope, not mine... I’m more of a cat person.” If it had fur, she preferred it with a purr! She’s always wanted a cat or a turtle, a parakeet even, but her father was allergic to felines and their mother didn’t want anything they could hold lest she be heartbroken when it eventually died. Thus, she had to settle with her younger brothers as pets.

---

Interacting with~ @DisguisedDemon@KahleenCuthald

---

Allia looked at the girl who had just came into their conversation. She looked her up and down a bit slower than usual. She looked like some sort of model. “It’s fine.” she says when the woman apologized. “Nice to meet you. My name’s Allia.” she says to the woman who introduced herself to Alycia. This was after they had begun their conversation involving books. The hunger games? “Never heard of it..” she said quietly. The book seemed fairly interesting but she couldn’t recall it in her memory. Hunger games? So it’s about a game involving hungry people?? That sounds logical.

Allia nodded when the woman had asked if they were ready to go. “Yeah.” she says, starting to walk towards the lunch room and making sure not to get too far ahead of Penelope and Alycia.

---

:: Sitting Room - en route to the kitchen::
Interacting with: @sakurasan & @DisguisedDemon

---

Alycia slowly walked after the beautiful Allia. She definitely liked this girl, something about her was just right. Then she picked up their conversation about the book series Hunger Games.

"I've read them all", she explained. "I've seen the movies too. I really like Jennifer Lawrence in the role of Katniss. The books are really good if you ask me." Alycia turned to Allia with her next question. "Do you like to read too, Allia?" As they walked slowly, the thirst Alycia had felt earlier only grew. She really wanted to drink something, preferably lemonade.

Another questions shot in her mind. "How many are on this adventure?" Only now did she notice that she had never cared to question how many they would be in this group. Strange, she thought, that she only now showed interest in their number of people.

If she remembered correctly their first destination would be Turkey. She was already excited to see what she could do there to help out and how the expierence would be. She hoped they'd get some free time to enjoy the country while being there. The boat ride was already a huge plus, Alycia loved being on the water. Although the deep sea and huge creatures beneath her made her feel a little uneven, she still enjoyed the wide view and great sunsets, the rocking of the boat and watching the waves move. The Australian woman held great respect for the sea and everything it held in it.

---

Location: Kitchen
Interacting with: @Wade Wilson | @MushyKetchup | @Fubsy | @Aletheias

---

Leo jumped when a pan hit the floor, busy watching Alex with the little dog. It really wasn't that big and he was still trying to figure out how it would have gotten on there in the first place. He looked over quickly at the loud noise and tried not to laugh too much when he realized JC had dropped one of the pans. "Careful, we don't need anyone getting hurt before we even get to our first destination." He set the spoon that Mandi tossed him down when the pans, smiling thankfully at her before heading for the dog. What could he say? He loved animals and this thing had sneaked on to the boat.

"Hi there, little guy," he mumbled, petting the dog carefully. "It's not mine, but I'll gladly keep it." He grins at Alex and is practically itching to take the dog away from him, but that is far from polite. Plus, Alex had been the one to grab him first and was looking for who the dog actually belonged to. "It's gotta be someone not in this room. Maybe it lives on the ship and belongs to like the captain."

---

Location: Sitting Room-Kitchen
Interacting with: @sakurasan@KahleenCuthald

---

Penelope watched the girl look her up and down and her eyebrows furrowed a bit. Was she checking her out or was that the way she greeted everyone? She was worried this was a girl who judged if she wanted to talk to you based on your looks, but she doubted that. No one has been like that since high school and she just gets paranoid about it. "It's nice to meet you, Allia." She follows towards the kitchen and nods excitedly when Alycia carries on about the Hunger Games. "She was so good in that role. I'm glad they chose her, but I don't know much about the books yet. Still trying to read, I have them if you would ever want to read them, Allia," she offers as they enter the kitchen.

It's so full of people that she almost backs back out, it seems like more have gotten in there since Leo had disappeared to look for food. "I think we may have just about everyone on this trip in the kitchen. I still want that drink, but I'm not sure how badly I need it." She doesn't want to have to weave her way through everyone and she doesn't even know where they would find anything to drink. It could be anywhere in the kitchen. She looks through some cabinets and drawers close to the door and sighs in relief when there actually is a beer. "I've found beer if any of you want some."

---

---

JC caught the spoon, this time managing to keep a hold on it. "Hey," he said as he pointed his spoon at them, "'Careful' is my middle name." His grin turned to a wince as his elbow smacked into a nearby tomato, sending it splattering towards the floor. A nervous laugh slipped out of his mouth, more so from the fact that the kitchen full of cuties was watching. "So, do you think dogs can eat fruits? Vegetables? Whatever tomatoes are?"

He turned and fetched another tomato from the fridge to compensate for his little accident. "Anyways, what do we do to make spaghetti?" He closed the fridge and turned back to the counter, jabbing a finger at the spice rack. Cinnamon, chives, cilantro, and those were just the C's. Some of them had to be used for cooking pasta, right? Shrugging, JC plucked several bottles and placed them beside the newly replaced tomato.