[center] [h2]Christopher Heidebuk[/h2]
 
Surprise, surprise… he was late. He had told himself that he needed a change, he had told himself that with this ticket he could manage it, to live a new experience, maybe meet some interesting people and maybe…just MAYBE find the joy that he lost. He told himself that, he convinced himself and yet here he is. The watch at his wrist was displaying 4:47, almost as if to mock and confirm the fact that he was going to be late. “[b]Ugh…bollocks…[/b]” Chris muttered to himself as he turned his attention to the running scenery outside of the cab window. This town seemed pretty nice, or at least the bits he saw, he couldn’t get much sight-seeing considering he had arrived just last night at the motel and slept in so late. He probably should consider himself lucky that there is a chance he may still make it before the ship leaves without him. How did he manage to get himself in this anyway? He was absolutely sure he had set his alarm to wake him up early so he would have plenty of time for everything, yet fate or just dumb luck would dictate otherwise. His alarm did not rang, he would barely have time to get up, take a shower and get dressed, he would have trouble finding a cab, heck, maybe he will discover that he forgot his wallet and couldn’t pay the cab driver at the end.

A slight shudder ran down Chris’ spine at the thought, he would have knocked on wood if there were any available so he resigned to knocking on the window. “[b]Mmm…you wanted something, mister?[/b]” the knock seemed to have caught the cab driver’s attention, probably assuming Chris did it just for that purpose. “[b]Umm…no. Sorry..[/b]” he said, slightly embarrassed and resumed to quietly watching the scenery outside. It wasn’t exactly a sunny day, some grey-ish clouds have slowly gathered above, announcing a chance for rainfall. The town itself was no metropolis, more closer to a suburbia than an actual city, then again maybe only this part of town close to the docks was like this. Chris didn’t like the rain; no, that would be incorrect, he liked rainy days because it meant one more reason to stay indoors, but he disliked them when he had no choice but to go outside and get wet, not to mention that drawing and painting a rainy scenery was something he was never good at. A deep sigh escaped him. Lately, anything he drew and painted didn’t strike him as being particularly ‘good’. 

The cab stopped, just as it arrived at the docks. “[b]That’ll be 12.50, mister[/b]” the driver said with a friendly smile when he turned to face Chris, who was searching his pockets. His heart skipped a beat in panic as he found them empty only to feel relief when he checked the pockets of his gray jacket, fining his wallet and giving the driver the requested amount plus a little extra. The driver thanked him and then drover off after Chris paid him and recovered his luggage from the trunk. He was now at the docks and started to franticly look for the ship. Thankfully it didn’t take long, the imposing vessel stood out almost like something that didn’t actually belong in a place like this. ‘[i]Crescenzo [/i]‘, Chris read in his mind, the complex lettering adding to the ‘out-of-this-place’ wibe that he got from the ship. He checked his watch, 4:58, he barely made it… but he did make it. 

Chris took a few moments to examine the vessel, as if he still had the time for that. A colossal contraption, several stories high, with every mark which would probably categorize it as a marvel of engineering. He took a deep breath and began walking up the boarding plank, having an eerie feeling in the back of his head. The first thing he saw once aboard, was a table where he found a key with a number engraved on it. 202, the number corresponded with the one he had in the piece of paper that came with the ticket. Chris pocketed the key, assuming that it probably belonged to his room aboard this massive ship. Unsure of where to go next, he recalled that along with the paper and ticket, he also received a map. Assuming that it was a general map of the ship’s layout, he followed its directions and eventually managed to get to room 202, where, to no surprise, the key fit perfectly.

The room was quite to his liking. Spacious, yet not overwhelmingly so ; luxurious, yet not extravagant. As far as first impressions would go, Chris considered this a pretty good start, perhaps fate had some positive things in store for him afterall. His luggage consisted of a large brown suitcase, containing everything one would need for a trip, including clean clothes and bathroom products. The second part of his luggage consisted of a backpack where Chris stored his personal items which involved a variety of pencils, ink-liners, brushes, oil paint, a few sketchbooks of varying sizes, some story books for light reading and even a few whose contents were more…out of the ordinary. He didn’t bother to unpack just yet, taking the liberty of taking a deep breath of relief that he made it on the Crescenzo before it left. 
What now, though? Chris checked the map once again. He recalled that each guest was asked to come to the living room as soon as they got aboard, better head there then. It didn’t took long for him to reach the finely furnished living room, yet upon entering he stopped abruptly at the doorway when he noticed that there were several people already there. He sighed, briefly. Of course there were going to be more people here, did at any point imagine he was alone in this trip? No. Well then why the surprise? Probably the sheer number of them, he was most probably the last one to arrive so he couldn’t say anything regarding that though. Chris adjusted his glasses, feeling they were about to slide off his nose, then proceeded to mutter a brief “[b]Oh, Hello[/b]” directed at everyone while trying to force a smile and find an empty seat. He noticed the open bar though it wouldn’t have much use for him, instead he approached one of the men, a tall and almost bulky one with a slightly unmaintained beard though still neater looking than his own. “[b]Umm…pardon me, but… are we allowed to smoke in here?[/b]” Chris asked as he reached inside the left pocket of his jacket for his pack of Blackstone, hoping that the answer was positive.
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