[IC] Fortune Comes In Many Forms {Jannah x Sora1297}

[Jannah]

Nothing could disturb the sense of satisfaction Klara felt as she walked along the docks of Liverpool, not even the crashing of waves against the ship's hull. The Fortune. It was a majestic ship that left her in awe every time she managed to get a glance at it, but most of all was the one that was to carry her to a new life. Just weeks ago the entire thing had seemed like an impossibility yet there she was with a ticket in hand, one that she had obtained without much effort at all. Her bunk mate, an old man, had supposedly kept it for himself but instead had left just days earlier in a drunken rage. She had waited and once there was no sign of the man, she had packed up the ticket with the remainder of her things and began a journey to the English coastline where the ship in all her glory resided.

America. That was where the ship was headed. New York. She didn't know much about the place, but she knew even from people back home in Poland that it offered all sorts of opportunities to people like her. It was still unclear if that had been her real motivation for taking the ticket or whether it had been a sense of adventure that drove her to it, but none of that mattered. She was here now and about to experience what had been rumoured all over England to be a ship of beauty. In her possession was a Third Class ticket and judging by the price that was listed on it, even it seemed to be beyond anything she could have afforded on her wages. But it was rumoured that even steerage on this ship were to be kept in the best possible conditions. She really hoped those rumours were correct, rapidly recalling the rats she had managed to unintentionally befriend during her passage from the mainland. The whole thing seemed comical now of course, but it hadn't been once she discovered the bastards gnawing on her clothing.

"Just one." Klara spoke in heavily accented English as a poor old man approached her, asking if she had a second ticket. The entire incident baffled her as she knew anybody with eyes could likely see she was poor herself, but she quickly forgave herself for not blowing up at the man upon realizing he was blind. "Don't worry. By the grace of God your son will get on that ship." She added, smiling even though the man couldn't see it. The whole situation made her feel bad as the man had just wanted a ticket for his son, but her eighteen year old self was just as powerless to help the situation as he was. With that, she walked off and continued exploring the docks. Many people were already getting anxious to board the ship but Klara had decided to wait, wanting to take in the sights. It was only half the adventure for her. Exploring the docks of course was bound not to beat the run-in she had had with a gypsy caravan back in the countryside near her hometown, but it was something. She had jokingly asked them for a ride and surprisingly they had accepted, getting the girl to the outskirts of the next city.

However, getting on this ship, The fortune, was bound to be an adventure in itself. Klara had initially wanted to wait, but once she saw multiple carriages pull up, and fancy ones at that she knew this was really no ordinary ship but in fact a haven for the rich and famous. Their lives had always managed to fascinate the girl, perhaps out of curiosity more than anything since she knew she could never be like them. "I think I'll like it here." She uttered to herself as she placed herself behind a hay bale to examine the particular group of aristocracy that had just arrived. Just from overhearing their discussions she had learned the man was heir to some sort of industry in America. She suddenly knew what that meant: she'd be working for men of fortune and that had potential to provide her a decent life.

Once the first group was gone and on the ship plenty more started pulling up. One of the groups present seemed to contain a much younger man, seemingly close to Klara's own age. She began admiring him and found him to be quite handsome, but naturally she knew she never stood a chance even getting close to somebody of his status. Keep dreaming Klara, keep dreaming... She thought as she lowered herself back behind the hay bale. She knew her time to board the ship was quickly approaching, but now she intended to wait until some of these people were cleared about, especially the man she had just been admiring for so long. Last thing he needed to see were her cheeks which were now red from blush. Not even her flowing light brunette hair could conceal the embarrassment she now felt.

[Sora1297]

((I'm really sorry if it isn't as good as your post DX))

"Damien! Come on man, lets get a move on."

"Alright, alright.. Calm down Henry. Father told us that it would take around two months to get to America, so you've you to be patient." Damien said with a playful smile as he plodded along the crowded streets towards the large ship. The Fortune, it was called, and rightly so. The towering hunk of wood and metal was almost as large as the Parliament Building, which had nearly been destroyed years before on the 5th of November. Thanks to the excellent work of the craftsmen, the Fortune stood tall and proud amongst the other ships in the harbour. Damien and his older brother, Henry, marched slowly towards the ship, and towards their future.

America. Just thinking of the word have the young heir to the Richardson fortune goosebumps. So unsure of the future, he was, but he knew that something great lay in waiting for him. Of course, being worth a considerable amount of money, Damien was already gifted with great things. However, this was something that made him extremely grateful for his life. Rather then flaunt around his wealth like most others who were as rich as he was, Damien was very quiet and reserved about it. Sure, others knew he was rich, but that didn't mean he had to act all high-and-mighty. Money didn't gain you anything good in society: it just makes people want material stuff from you rather then be your friend or get close to you.

As the brothers finally reached the wooden planks that allowed them onto the boat, Damien saw an old man asking around desperately for a second ticket. Henry climbed aboard without a second glance, but Damien halted and stared at the man. It was obvious, looking at him, that the poor man was absolutely blind, but what pained him most was that he was too poor to afford his son a ticket. As the man was about to wander off, he lightly placed a hand on the man's shoulder and asked "Sir, where is your son? Can you take me to him?". The man turned around and nodded, before he called for the young lad. He was a bit older then Damien, but he had bright orange hair and freckles across his face. Damien smiled and said "Both of you, onboard. Take this." before he handed the son his ticket.

The look of excitement and relief on the face of both father and son was something that warmed his heart. The man fumbled around joyfully until he found the rich lad's hands and shook them vigorously, saying 'God bless you' over and over again. As the two made their way onboard the Fortune, Damien made his way to the ticket master. Upon seeing his face, the balding man looked at him with concern and demanded how he get onboard the ship. At times like this, it paid to be stinking rich. After writing a cheque for 40£, the man allowed him onboard again and let him re-unite with his brother. Finally, the time was approaching when the ship would soon depart for America. He leaned over the railing, watching as the crowds of people continued to climb aboard the ship. As Damien turned around to grab himself a drink at the bar, he bumped into a young woman around his age with light brunette hair. "Oh, pardon me, Miss. I didn't see you there."

[Jannah]

Klara had been just attempting to get a view off the deck when a man around the same age as her stumbled into her. What he was doing on the Third Class section of the deck she didn't know? Or maybe she was in the First Class section of the deck? Either way she didn't know and that paired with the man now staring at her immediately made her nervous. The man was definitely upper class and usually his lot didn't care much for poor immigrants like herself. With that, she very quickly attempted running off.

Believing she had finally lost the man, Klara finally found a spot to peer over the deck. She knew that within minutes they would be departing on their journey across the sea. The land of opportunity. Surely there wasn't anywhere else more desirable at the moment. And she knew she was just a step closer as the ship's horns blared, announcing it was finally about to set sail. Almost immediately those around her began waving out to who she perceived to be their loved ones. Being purely on her own for this journey, Klara knew she had nobody in particular to wave to, but still did anyway. Perhaps somebody would return the gesture.

Moments later, Klara recognized a familiar face. The blind man from earlier, but this time he was accompanied by who she could only assume was his son. So somebody got him a ticket, after all. I'm sorry I was no help. Klara glanced at the pair before once again taking off, not wanting to draw attention to herself just yet. There was much exploration of the ship to do, at least the parts she had access to as it was generally forbidden for Third Class passengers to venture into the rest of the ship. First Class passengers could go pretty much anywhere they pleased, however, even if they didn't necessarily want to.