Titanic Grand

by hippoclymae

The place: Southampton. The date is April 10, 1912. Sakura is the surrogate daughter of a rich aristocrat. And Syaoran is a wealthy bachelor traveling alone. Titanic may be big, but is it big enough for them not to meet? Read! :)

3. The Banquet of Honor

Tuesday August 28, 2001
Titanic Grand
By Hippoclymae_66

I'm sorry this is out so late. Since FF.net was down, I couldn't load my story.

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Chapter 3 - The Banquet of Honor

Sakura was still in a somewhat dreamy state as she was lead towards the dining room by the handsome young gentleman. It seemed almost too good to be true. Maybe it was. A frown beset her face, and she suddenly turned from the boy's grasp.

" I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here."
" What?"
" It was considerate of you to escort me, but I think I'll be returning back to my cabin."
" But...Miss...wait!"

Sakura having gotten cold feet at the last second, hurried back to her compartment, with Syaoran staring at her retreating form.

' I can't do this. This isn't me. I'm only a servant. What if he found out? Oh!' Sakura thought to herself.

Suddenly, she ran into someone on the deck. Apologizing profusely, Sakura found herself looking up at a smiling Ms. Kinomoto, who was also being escorted by a man, as Sakura had been.

" Sakura, dear, what seems to be the problem?" Ms. Kinomoto pulled her surrogate daughter aside.
" Ms. Kinomoto, I can't do this, it isn't right. My position is below yours, and I don't deserve to be on this..."
" Sakura!" Ms. Kinomoto laughed," Come, come. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. You're just nervous about showing your face in public. Don't worry, I think your beautiful. Now, let's get someone to escort you..."
" Someone has already offered to."
" And you refused him?"
" No, I just think he made a mistake..."
" Sakura, my naive little duckling, no one makes a mistake when they escort someone. If you're as ugly or as unworthy as you think you are, then you wouldn't have gotten a single offer. Now, who is he?"
" He's probably already gone."
" Now, Sakura, don't duck the subject, who?"
" I, Madam."

Sakura turned around so suddenly, that she nearly toppled to the floor. The boy was standing behind her, smiling politely. Ms. Kinomoto nodded her head at him, then turned to Sakura.

" You see? You still have an escort after all, and to think he's such a well-mannered young gentleman, to come back to his lady's assistance." Sakura blushed, and Ms. Kinomoto beamed approvingly at the boy. " Now, let's get back to the dining hall before we're late, and this dapper young man loses his appeal."

The last part was whispered, and lucky for Sakura, or she would never live it down. Sometimes it was amazing how much Ms. Kinomoto did take note of. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was the man who'd been escorting Ms. Kinomoto. He'd stepped to the side so the two could talk privately, but now he joined them again, smiling winningly at Sakura.

" If you don't have an escort, I see no harm in seeing two lovely ladies to the hall."
" No, that's all right," Sakura smiled nervously back," I'll be fine."
" All right." He winked at her, and she only swallowed.

Suddenly, she felt someone take her arm. The boy slipped hers through his, and together they followed Ms. Kinomoto back to the dining hall. Ms. Kinomoto took a moment to steal a glance back at Sakura. She was blushing, and that boy was obviously enjoying basking in the young girl's glorious face. The woman had been tempted to tell Sakura to apologize for running out so suddenly on such a charming lad, but from the look on his face he'd forgiven her already - and would probably forgive her for the most heinous of crimes if it meant seeing her happy. She giggled sadly. This reminded her all too much of Mr. Winterspeggin, and how he used to dote on her. She sighed, receiving a questioning glance from her escort. She shook her head. He nodded and they walked silently towards the dining hall.

******

The lighting was dim, but comfortably so, making the walls seem almost grey instead of white. The carpet was a dark grey blue with red and yellow patterns intertwining through out, and the square tables were clustered in a huge group. Some seated 6, with two chairs on each side and 1 on either end, while others seated 8 with two chairs on every side. Each table was draped with a white table cloth, and had comfortable chairs of green leather and carved oak with slightly reclined backs. A thin silver lamp with maroon shade lit each table, glistening off the beautiful white china and spotless crystalline wineglasses while white linen napkins sat folded neatly on the plates. Someone waved from her seat near the center of the dining hall.

" Sakura!"

The girl Syaoran ushered smiled back, indicating she'd seen her friend, and walked quickly towards the seats that had been saved. Eriol grinned from next to his escort; his face was the picture of contentment. Pulling out her seat for her, Syaoran found she seemed inexperienced at being waited on. It took a few glances and silent signals between her and her friend, before she understood, and sat down awkwardly. That was his cue to be seated as well. As he sat down next to Eriol, angel at right, Eriol stood up.

" Syaoran may I introduce to you Tomoyo. Tomoyo this is Syaoran."

Syaoran stood up again to shake her extended hand, and Tomoyo smiled.

" Bon soir, Monsieur Syaoran, its a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Sakura was surprised. She never knew Tomoyo had such a lovely accent. Sure, Sakura was aware of Tomoyo's background, but Tomoyo had never really seemd very French until now. Maybe this trip was good for them both.
Tomoyo had Sakura stand up," And, this belle, is Sakura. Sakura, this is Syaoran."

Syaoran reached to shake her hand, but lowered his head instead. Sakura blushed, as he kissed her gloved hand softly. He looked up again and she found herself caught up in his lion gold eyes again. She murmurred awkwardly.

" It's a pleasure to meet you, Syaoran."
" A pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Sakura."

She tried to sit back down without stumbling, but she couldn't stop blushing. Tomoyo grinned. Rouge was definitely a color that made Sakura look tres jolie. Looks like her friend's first encounter with love was turning out quite well. Suddenly, everyone's attention was on the podium set up in the middle of the room. A rather stout old gentleman cleared his throat, before proceeding.

" Thank you all for coming. I would first like to give my sincere gratitude to you for attending the Celebratory Dinner. In honor of the Titanic's maiden voyage, I propose a toast. To its success and further prosperity!"

Glasses were filled all around, and several 100s of crystalline cups were raised so that white and red wine glittered in the lights.

" To the Titanic." The passengers chorused, then they drank a sip.

" Now, without further ado, here is the esteemed owner of the great R.M.S Titanic, Mr. J. Bruce Ismay!"

Applause filled the huge ballroom, as over 700 first-class passengers clapped to the man who walked up on the stage. There was a brief pause as he waited for them to finish, then he made a short speech.

" It pleases me to see all of you here. And you should be pleased as well. Tonight, April 10th 1912, is a night to be remembered. We know it, as the day the Titanic first set sail on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic. The ship of dreams, as the people know it. And a dream it is. There are many diversions on this voyage, so feel free to partake of them. I can see your eyes are glittering in anticipation of the meal, so I say no more, but again, I appreciate the support you pay the White Star Line by attending this voyage. Thank you!"

With another round of applause, Bruce Ismay returned to his seat of honor near the podium, as linen napkins were laid on laps, and menus were opened. Sakura's eyes widened behind her menu as she looked at all the delicious things she could eat. Tomoyo and Eriol were discussing dinner, and Sakura listened quietly. Suddenly, waiters appeared out of nowhere toting carts with many dishes on them.

" Sakura, Tomoyo, may we join you?"
" Oh, Ms. Kinomoto! Of course!"

Ms. Kinomoto seated herself between Tomoyo and Sakura, and the gentleman did the same between Syaoran and Eriol.

" Sakura, before we start I'd like to introduce my friend, his name is Peter Harkins. Peter, this is Sakura, and next to me here is Tomoyo."
" A pleasure to meet you both." Peter's eyes glittered in humor, and he smiled a grin like that of a wolf.
" And you, sir. This is Syaoran, and Eriol."

Syaoran and Eriol both rose silently, as Peter shook one hand, then the other. They were seated again, and partaking of the appetizer, Canapes a l'Amiral. A waiter came around, and filled up empty glasses with the complimenting wine, White Bordeaux. Sakura bit into the little Hor d'Oeuvre. It had a very rich flavor, creamy and slightly crunchy, with a definite taste of shrimp. She took two more, before another plate was placed on their table, this time with oysters. Sakura grimaced a little, oysters had never really been her favorite. Avoiding the shellfish altogether, she sipped patiently at her Bordeaux, letting it sit in her mouth awhile so she could memorize its flavor. More waiters came around with another wine, Chablis, for those who wish something to compliment the oysters.
The second course, was soup, Consomme Olga, and Cream of Barley. Sakura watched as the huge steaming bowls were placed on the table. She looked at the menu. Consomme Olga. Strange, she'd never heard of such a thing.
Syaoran watched Sakura out of the corner of his eye. She hadn't eaten much since the Hor d'Oeuvres. Then again, neither had he, or anyone else at the table as a matter of fact. Only Peter seemed to be eating the most, as for the rest: they were simply pretending to be indulging their taste buds. Sakura was the only one not hiding her distaste. Luckily, the next dish was out.
Salmon. She'd never tasted salmon before. Normally she abhorred fish, but this looked rather interesting.

Around the time the fourth course was served, the 6 of them finally began to feel comfortable enough to start a conversation. Peter spent much of the time making witty remarks, ones that only Ms. Kinomoto found amusing. Sakura smiled politely at her surrogate mother's escort, but there was something in the way of his eyes that made her feel like a lamb in a wolf's den. Tomoyo noticed her nervousness, and calmly excused them from the table.

" If you'll pardon us, monsieurs, madam - Sakura and I must attend to the powder room."
" Oh, go, jolly well ahead." Peter grinned humorously.

Tomoyo hurried Sakura away from the dining room, and when they were out of earshot besides the Grand Staircase, Tomoyo turned to Sakura.

" Mon amie, you look a little pale. You've barely eaten enough to sustain a bird, what is the matter?"
" I don't know. It's just...that man, is very...strange."
" Oui. I must agree with you. He's not someone I'd want to be caught alone with."
" I'd say something, but Ms. Kinomoto is rather enraptured with him..."
" We should be cautious, Sakura...he's a sly one."