<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ad/56/c6/ad56c6d67916bcef0d686db5643892e3.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>Name:</strong> Aurora "Rory" Vega<br/><strong>Location | Time:</strong> Travel time --&gt; Deck of the Linea | Travel time<br/><strong>Tagging:</strong> Maya (mentioned), Leah | Open<br/><strong>Wearing:</strong> Black blazer with sleeves rolled up, white v-neck tee, black ripped jeans, black Timberland boots (half laced), black cap</span><hr/><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;">Truth be told, if anyone had asked Rory her opinion on the matter, the flight and all the hours of travel, waiting, getting to point A, B, and C thereafter... that was the easy part. Going through with the whole thing in the first place, now that had been the difficult part. Ask her to jump from a plane, scale a cliff, or face unknown terrain and hidden combatants, and she'd be on it. Ask her to take a simple chance, one that could affect her heart above all, and suddenly courage was much harder to come by.<br/><br/>What had come over her to inspire her to apply to something that seemed a one in a million chance? Again, if she were to be honest, it had been entirely the doing of her very best friend in the whole world. The guy that had stood by her side and helped her to fight one uphill battle after another through the years. They'd gone through school together and when the time came had gone off to Annapolis together. They'd been forcibly parted when the time for active duty came, at least to begin with, but then fate had seen them right back into each other's lives. Had seen to it that when she'd needed a serious wake up call that the person who knew her best in the world had been right there to deliver it. Now he was a happily committed man in a polyamourous relationship with a great guy and a lovely woman, both of whom she considered friends as well, and somehow his new lifelong goal had become seeing to her own romantic potential. <br/><br/>Rory smiled, a lopsided and altogether goofy expression, as she recalled her bestie's overly enthusiastic pep talk when he'd informed her that he'd essentially signed her up for a dating game minus the television cameras. Disbelief had been the chief emotion amongst her feelings on the matter along with amusement, denial, and even outright dismissal given her actual chances of being chosen. But then she'd gotten a reply and in that instant it had all seemed to set in. <br/><br/>She knew that this didn't have to be anything major. It didn't <em>have</em> to change anything in her life. She could come and enjoy her time, essentially taking a vacation while meeting some new people and then return home and go right back to her life as if it had never been interrupted. It would be easy enough. However, Rory had boarded the first plane with a sense that she didn't want this to be nothing. Used to embracing the turns of her life fully, Captain Aurora Vega, was not the sort to do things by half measures and long shot or not, she wouldn't half-ass this either. She would give herself a genuine shot at the sort of life she wanted for herself. One where she had the sort of happiness her best friend had showed her was possible. <br/><br/>The flight from Vegas had been a little cramped. Economy wasn't exactly designed for those who were more long of leg no matter what the airlines tried to claim. However, she'd spent most of the flight playing cards (and lost most of her peanuts in the process) and drawing with the little girl seated next to her, helping to distract her from her fear of flying as much as she'd helped take Rory's mind off the feeling of being stuffed in like a sardine. That flight had ended with a wave and smiles so it was all good, though she had relished the walk to her next gate just as much as she'd appreciated the view once she'd clued into her unknowing travel companions. It really wasn't that difficult to discern either. A bunch of ridiculously good looking women, all seated relatively close... the math was easy for Rory. Of course, that wasn't what led her to strike up a conversation with a few of the women. No, that was pure Rory, plain and simple. <br/><br/>At ease, Rory had simply made it a point to introduce herself to those who seemed open to such things. She didn't make a nuisance of herself, her bearing and demeanor were far too relaxed for that, too comfortable to extend to being overly perky or intrusive at this juncture. Instead she deliberately kept it chill and easy, knowing she could come off intense and somewhat intimidating without the added effort. Still, even in doing so she found herself somewhat surprised when the usual small-talk extended into true conversation with a few of the women. Leah, in particular, a stunning woman with a brain to match, managed to lure Rory in. If anyone had ever suggested the tough as nails Captain would go to absolute goo over cat pictures, they'd have likely been met with laughter. However it was the truth. As one of those long nursed unfulfilled childhood wishes, Rory had a notable weakness for adorable pets in general but most especially those of the feline variety. There was more to the conversation than that of course, which led Rory to feel at least a small sense of camaraderie with the woman. And Maya too seemed like she might prove to be just the right partner in crime on their excursion to keep things interesting. At the very least she didn't seem the sort to let things go stale which was a bonus as far as she was concerned. Others were harder to read and Rory did not bother to push during their travel time, leaving them to their devices, books, or thoughts for now. There would be plenty of time get to know the others later.  <br/><br/>The rest of the trip, though lengthy enough, passed in a relative blur. Some part of that time Rory half dozed beside Leah, while the rest she spent doodling and trying to figure out how in the world she'd lost so many peanuts to a ten year old. Finally they made it to the yacht itself and Rory felt a weird sort of surrealism settle over her. Being on the water wasn't new to her but the yacht was far more upscale than any vessel she'd ever been on, yet somehow it still brought back a flood of impressions that were just shy of outright memories. Staying quiet for the moment, she hitched her backpack up higher on her shoulder and glanced about as things were pointed out. The mention of room accommodations and the fact that most of them would have to bunk up brought a single brow up to arch high in a  look that didn't quite remain innocent.<br/><br/>"Hmm?" It was Leah's voice that brought Rory's head around in the end, her hand rising to her cap where she idly pulled it off and replaced it as if it required adjustment. "With you? Sure thing, mami. Lead the way." She gave an idle salute to the others and followed after the other woman to their chosen suite. Once there she made quick work of unpacking her things as Leah went to shower then ditched her blazer and ducked out. Sure, she could have changed or lingered in the suite but at the moment she didn't feel it necessary. She was plenty comfortable in her clothes and anxious to meet her host and get to know more of what all their lovely little cruise vacation was really going to entail. Call it habit, or just being OCD, but she liked to know as much as possible up front before she really got going. She'd been careful to manage her expectations with regard to this whole adventure, but she was truly ready to dive in... once she knew fully what she was diving into.<br/><br/>Heading to the bar she ordered a strawberry margarita before finding a chair on which to perch, her long legs stretched out comfortably before her. Almost out of habit she positioned herself so that no one could sneak up on her without coming from the water itself but other than that her expression remained open and friendly.</span>