Incertitude [Liseran/Jack]

"Ohhh, quite interesting!" she said. "It's a shame I haven't met them yet. But perhaps later, hm?"

Pipi went on to smear some jam over some bread. She took a generous bite before downing it with some tea.

"It's so kind of you to escort people during their travels," she said. "I wish more people had done that for me. I remember this one time I got lost in the middle of Janwynne. Can you imagine there are TWO Hoffersteads? And the one I went to was the one on the opposite side of town! It was quite funny!"

She smiled sheepishly.

"But I'm rambling," she said. "Not much interesting happens to me otherwise. I'm hoping to meet more interesting people like yourself on the boat. Perhaps we'll see them a little more over the course of the day, hm? Though I'm more excited for the evening. After all, there are 'stories' about this ship."

"Stories?" Jack inquired, quirking an eyebrow. "There some sort of event being planned?"

Pipi shook her head.

"Nope!" she said enthusiastically. "Well, I mean I guess there's that fancy little dinner later. Really, I think it's kinda funny that they're going to force all of us to eat at the same table as if we all knew each other. Don't you think it's funny to eat meals with strangers? Oh, I guess we're technically strangers, but that's different! You saved my hat so I know I can trust you! Then again I also said I'd like to meet more strangers, so I guess it's not funny, but pleasant! Erm! Anyways!"

Pipi cleared her throat.

"There's rumors that this boat is actually..."

Pipi leaned closer to Jack's ear, cupping her mouth with her hand.

"Haunted."

"Haunted?" Jack parroted, surprise obvious in his voice. "What do you mean by haunted?"

Wait he thought to himself Why do I feel like I've been in this situation before?

"There isn't some kinda big sky garden on this boat is there?" Jack asked with an expression of distaste.

"Sky...garden?" Pipi said with a tilted head. "That seems contradictory doesn't it? A garden which grows from the ground being in the sky?"

She chuckled.

"But I digress," she said. "It's not a garden thing. There's rumors that this ship is actually the first ship that ever sailed this great river. Do you know the story of the Queen Beryl?"

"Queen Beryl?" Jack questioned. "No. And I thoughts boats like this were only built recently."

"You're technically wrong and correct," Pipi said. "See, there were steam boats for a long time, but the problem was that they were poorly made. One of the first was the Queen Beryl, a grand boat that was supposed to be a luxury ride for the nobility. However, whether out of hubris of the engineers or the excessive weight of wealth that the nobles loaded onto it, it's said that the Queen Beryl ultimately sank. Hundreds of civilians died, nobles and the worker commoners alike."

Pipi smiled, almost amused by the story.

"Some say that the nobles fended for themselves and the poor people like their servants and the crew of the ship were left to drown while they were saved," she said. "And that the angered souls of the abandoned resurrect the ship from the watery graves to sail and lure in people to join them."

She giggled.

"Quite amusing, right?" she said. "Imagine if this boat is all an act, and we're all actually being lured to join the river's depths. It'd be a shame for my hat to get wet after you saved it from the water. Or..."

Pipi's face darkened, almost ominously.

"Maybe it's a sign that I was going to be dragged to the river already?"

"N-now hold on, that's all just gossip innit? There hasn't been any talk of sinking ships as of recent so it's all just hoo-ha," Jack exclaimed as if trying to convince himself more than his company. After a certain recent incident, he couldn't brush off ghost stories like nothing.

Pipi let out a small giggle.

"Hihi, maybe you're right," she said. "But that would be fun, wouldn't it? Being dragged to the salty depths of the deep!"

"Heeeh, so more of you weird urban storytellers are on this boat?"

The voice was that of a woman at another table.

Pipi and Jack would notice that she had just sat at the other table on the veranda and was enjoying a tall glass of what appeared to be alcohol. The woman herself looked like she was a little older than them. Quite tall with long dark hair, she wore a vibrant red dress that looked more appropriate for evening wear. She also wore a summer hat, though it fashionably tilted on the side.

Pipi straightened up in her seat.

"Hm? Pardon?"

"Oh, it's just that you were talking about that Queen Beryl myth," the woman said. "I've heard nothing but that all morning on the lounge. So much so, I had to retire here and help myself to a drink."

"Ah..." Pipi said covering her mouth. "I'm sorry. I hope we weren't disturbing you."

The woman lifted her head. The two would get a closer look at her features. She was a rather pretty woman with a tall nose and pouty pink lips. Her eyes, sharp and bright green. There was a playfulness about her.

"Oh, of course not," she said. "After all, you two were here first. Vivianne Dumont, by the way. A pleasure meeting you two. I guess I wasn't the only one who wanted to stay away from prying eyes today, huh? Maybe you two would like to join me in a little drinking?"

She raised her glass, tipping it slightly towards them.

Jack jolted a bit suddenly hearing a new voice and was relieved when it came from a physical person.

"Ah, no thanks. I don't quite like drinking," Jack stated. "You two probably want to enjoy the view. I'll leave you be."

Jack made a motion to get up.