Work Text:
The cruise was a whirlwind, and felt more like seven weeks than seven nights. The first afternoon, Catherine and Mrs. Allen had run into a young man who had introduced himself as Henry Tilney, and she had had the pleasure of running into him again. The second afternoon, Mrs. Allen had discovered that one of her old school friends was taking the same cruise as they were with her daughters, one of whom, Isabella, was a similar age to Catherine, and the two of them had quickly become friends.
Isabella was very helpful, explaining to Catherine all of the things she needed to know, and which shows to see and which ones weren’t worth going to.
“Tonight is pirate night,” Isabella announced on the third morning, “so I hope that you’ve brought a costume!”
“A costume? What kind of costume?” Catherine asked.
“A pirate costume, of course!” Isabella laughed. “They sell them at the shop. Let’s head over after breakfast.”
Catherine agreed, and they quickly finished their coffee and pastries.
“Now then,” Isabella said as they walked from the elevator to the shop, “what kind of pirate do you want to be?”
“I really don’t know,” Catherine admitted.
“Here, I think this dress will be good,” Isabella offered. “I brought along one that looks a lot like that other dress, you’ll see. It’ll be perfect!”