"Geez, do you think you're going to be okay, sugar? You look like your eyes are going to pop out of your head. What's the matter, never seen the ocean before?"
Juri, who had seen the ocean plenty of times but had indeed been staring out at the Gulf of Mexico, started with a little cry.The beer clasped tightly in her hands almost went flying out of her hands.
It would have flown right over the railing of the most massive ship she had ever seen.Losing the beer would have been pretty much okay by her. Juri wasn't a fan of beer.
Frankly, she thought this cheap brand was insipid and would need some sort of an acquired taste to be enjoyable. She had only taken one upon arrival because it was what the rest of the orientation's attendees were doing and she didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb.
Doing so would be a lousy start to her attempt to carve out a new niche for herself in this new world. The beer had remained largely undrunk, instead clasped tightly in her hot hands, resting there like a talisman against the return of her oddball nature.
Except it hadn't done the trick. Juri had sat at the very back of the orientation room, doing her best to pay close attention despite the novelty of having an introductory meeting on the bow of a massive ship.
She had made no eye contact and had practically leaped out of her seat and veered to the ship's edge when the time for mingling came. This effervescent woman who had interrupted her private musings and caught her off guard was the first person to speak to her since the man who had welcomed her aboard.
For a minute, the encounter left her so surprised she didn't think she was going to be able to reply.
"Oh, God, I'm sorry, that was super rude of me," the newcomer said apologetically.
She was taller than Juri, by the looks of it by at least four inches, with long blonde waves falling halfway down her back.
When she ran her fingers through said hair, Juri saw that her nails were long and bright pink. She looked down at her nails and regretted not having bothered to slap some polish on them.
Juri would have to see to that before they set sail. She didn't want to look like she didn't care about things like keeping up with her appearance. That wouldn't help her to fit in with this new crowd.
"No," Juri finally said, hoping she hadn't allowed enough of a pause to make things awkward, "I don't think you're being rude. You just caught me a little off guard, that's all."
"Did I?" The woman laughed a little raucously, "I'm not surprised. I tend to have that effect on people. Maybe it will help if I introduce myself. My name is Selene, Selene Beecher."
"Oh, nice to meet you," Juri answered.
Letting one hand fall from her beer and offering it to Selene to shake. Selene's eyes dropped to the hand for a minute and then rose back to Juri's face. Juri saw the humor in her expression and instantly regretted the gesture.
Why she would do something so formal, she had no idea, but she was painfully aware that it wasn't the appropriate gesture for her current situation. Selene took it and gave her a hearty shake, but Juri didn't have to be a genius to know that it was only to be kind.
Juri felt the urge to launch herself overboard and put herself out of her misery but resisted. With her luck, she would mess it up and wind up making even more of a fool out of herself.
"What's your name, sugar?" Selene asked, squeezing Juri's hand kindly before letting it go.
That was the part that did it; that squeeze of the hand. It was a small gesture, but it was all it took for Juri to know that she liked Selene, liked her very much.
Even the extreme awkwardness of the last hour and a half began to recede in importance. She brought the beer up to her lips without thinking, took a sip, and decided it maybe wasn't as bad as she'd thought, after all.
Juri turned her face up to the sun and smiled a little at the feeling of the breeze brushing lazily across her face. She took a deep breath and felt a rush of excitement move through her at the strong scent of salt in the air.
At that moment, her terrible dreams felt very far away, and the chance of really starting over felt like a good one. She looked back at Selene and smiled, this time with genuine warmth.
"My name is Juri," she said, waiting to see if there would be any comment about her name.
That kind of thing happened from time to time, but Selene didn't bat an eyelash. Instead, her smile got even bigger, and she let out another one of what Juri was already beginning to think of as her signature laughs.
"No way! Do you know what that means?" She asked, linking her arm through Juri's and beginning to walk the two of them towards the open bar.
"No, I don't think I do," Juri said, smiling but a little confused.
"That means you and I are going to be roommates. Welcome to the Solstice of the Seas. You're going to love it, I promise."