The Ship of Dreams: A Titanic Lander AU

Poker

10th April 1912

11.55am

"Welcome aboard, sir, may I see your ticket please?"

Zander, short of breath, pulled out his boarding ticket and showed it to the crew member. If anybody asked, he did not run - Wickham's didn't run, and Wickham's were never late. Well, in theory, anyway...

"Thank you sir." He said, quickly glancing at the ticket. "To get to your room, proceed through these doors, head down one level, then straight down the left hand corridor continuing just past the second staircase. If you require further assistance such as valuables storage or facility reservation enquiries, you can visit the Enquiry and Pursers office, also located one floor down on C deck, right by the main staircase." The crew member said perfectly, as though this had all been memorised and repeated hundreds of times before which, considering Zander was the last of a probable few hundred first class passengers to board, was probably the case.

Zander nodded, took his ticket back, and folded it neatly in to his coat pocket as he headed through the set of double doors (one of which was already closed and locked in to place for departure).

What greeted him next, he was very unprepared for. Yes, he had seen many a luxurious interior before now, including photographs of the Olympic which appeared quite similar to what he was looking at currently, but this was definitely in a league of its own and much more magnificent in person.

The entrance he had just passed through opened out to a large, spacious landing. The floor he now stood on was no longer wooden decking, but was fitted with fine, cream coloured marble, and patterned with black geometric shapes - all in perfect symmetry. Just ahead of him was a wooden, ornate, modern curved staircase that could cause even The Ritz to be green-eyed with envy. This staircase was adorned with fine wood and metal work, with a detailed sculpture of a cherub holding a torch sat at the end of the center handrail. Wooden pillars extended away from either side of the stairs, perfectly in line with the corridors behind. It was certainly a far cry from the pub he had just been in, mere moments earlier.

After allowing himself a few moments to marvel at the beauty before him, he walked towards the stairs that led downwards as the crew member advised, and as other passengers were doing, too.

As he got closer, the dull hum of the many voices below got gradually louder, his footsteps on the marble mixing in with the cacophony. Then, as he descended the stairs to C deck, he spotted the unmistakable girl, ridiculously adorned head of his fiancé. It wasn't long before she spotted him, too.

"Oh Zander, my handsome!" She called out with a small wave, loud enough for almost everyone in the area to hear. Some even turned their heads to look at him, and he almost wished the sea would come and drag him down to it's icy depths rather than be here, stared at and ogled by total strangers - his fiancé included. "We thought the ship was going to set sail without you thanks to your... frolicking." She said with a plastic smile, as she linked arms with him and guided him away from the enquiry office, and the slowly growing crowd surrounding it.

"Unfortunately not." He responded, with not even an ounce of amusement. She laughed anyway.

"Your mother has already confirmed our lunch, dinner, and deck chair reservations for the entire journey," she began, as they walked awkwardly down a corridor lined with stateroom doors. "Not to mention a visit to the barber shop for you!" She added, as she frustratingly ruffled his hair which was, admittedly, getting a little messy as it started to curl at the ends. He was beginning to like it that way though, as opposed to the short, slick look he usually sported. He was thinking of ways to get out of his appointment at the barbers, when Stacy continued.