Treasure hunting!

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #1

The Professor was walking through the town and local people were quickly moving from his way. A tall, dark figure with a stern face was moving with the grace of an apex predator in the middle of a herd of sheep. This, together with the cold, frightening aura, that was emanating from this person was but a side effect of that man´s bad mood.

Gabriel was grumpy. While M.A.R.I. was growing under the watchful eyes of his subordinates, the Professor himself was still hunting the ones responsible for Python´s death and was making only small progress on this front. And on top of that, Beast ran away. The large fluffball full of mischief used the opportunity to disappear when her owner was preoccupied with an overzealous marine officer who mistook him for some wanted criminal. Before he could clear the misunderstanding, the giant malamute ran away, possibly lured by the smell of food.

This would be worrisome even if she would be a normal dog. But Beast was a large, very large one. As tall as an average man, while standing an all four, bulky and with an ability to chew through anything from stone to tempered steel she could easily frighten someone to death but just running in their general direction, despite her generally cheerful and friendly nature.

Fortunately finding her wasn´t that hard. All he had to do was follow the clues she was letting behind. Broken pavement tiles, lightning column bitten in half, fish stall broken into pieces, whose owner was cursing some fluffy menace, that stole his goods, it all led him street by street to her location. If he wouldn´t be that angry, Gabriel would be probably glad that the locals were such fearful people, disappearing in the shadows just on sight of him, otherwise, he would lose fortune just to compensate for the damage she caused.

[Bobbie]

Danielle had made it to Shell Island with one purpose in mind – and that was to locate treasure. Leaving without it, especially after making the journey, would be unacceptable to her, and she was ready to toil away and do the work in order to find said treasure. She had heard about some secret vault hidden somewhere on the island and a very valuable amulet buried somewhere within it by some traveller who had ventured to this island before, many years ago. The amulet was called The Amulet of Fa’Ruk, but what that really meant was unknown to Danielle. She hoped that retrieving it could shed some light on that, before she’d sell it for a hefty price, in desperate need of immeasurable wealth to fall into her lap, somehow, within six months of departure from her home town and her sweet Rosalina.

However, rushing into an expedition would do no good, and so the first thing that she needed to do was carry out research. That meant lots of books, historical archives, and some other fancy archaeological records that she herself couldn’t pronounce. Having recently loaned a book from a local merchant that covered all the relevant topics, Danielle was walking through the streets, trying to make sense of where she was going. The plan was to cross-reference old maps printed on the books first few pages with the modern streets, in hopes of making her search easier, but it didn’t take very long for the treasure-hunter to get frustrated and need a break, disoriented by all the mismatching channels drawn on the map which were simply not present in the streets before her. Roads led to nowhere, and others were non-existent. With a heavy sigh, she sat down on the nearest bench that she found and took a moment to take in the scenery, one with very little depth due to the eye-patch that concealed one useless eye. The disappointment that she felt would have been enough to send her home if she hadn’t paid good money for the book that she held with her.

With a heavy sigh she flipped a few pages ahead to look away from the deceitful maps, almost gibberish to her and that made no sense, and began to read about all sorts of treasure that have been found on this island and surrounding islands, and others which are rumoured to be here, not yet found. The Amulet she was seeking should be somewhere in that list, and so she kept reading, hoping to find any information about it and its location.

The pirate’s reading only went on undisturbed for a few minutes before she heard some people screaming, and then a couple strolling down in a very hurried pace across the street. Danielle admired them as she thought of her own companion, absent at the moment and locked away in her tower, until the couple's frequent glances over their shoulders and back to where they came from suggested a certain uneasiness that made Danielle frown. She looked in the direction that they turned to, wondering what it was that caused those civilians to be so quick on their feet and to look like criminals fleeing a scene.

“What-“ she began to ask herself, but was soon cut short when a huge and incredibly fluffy dog became visible to her. “Oh…” she stared at it for a moment, unable to gauge its distance accurately, and couldn’t help smiling. “A dog. They’re running from a dog.” It didn’t look like anything to be afraid of – at that distance, it didn’t look like anything more than an ordinary large dog. Danielle kept her eye on it, silently beckoning it come closer and provide a sweet distraction to counteract the depressing state of her current treasure hunt; but she also watched the dog just in case it was aggressive and she too would need to act quickly.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #2

The matter of perspective soon resolved itself, when the oversized fluffball of happiness ran closer. Beast was happy, she managed to trick her master, fill her belly with tasty fishes, and had yet much to explore in this town full of funny scared people, so she would probably didn´t stop at Danielle if not for one thing. She had a book. Her owner, Gabriel had also lots of books and was good at her, while these people who were bad at her didn´t have books, meaning, people with books were friends!

“WOOF!”

The female malamute barked happily wagging her tail from side to side as she ran circles around the treasure hunter.

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

She continued, trying to provoke her into some action.

Her joyful display however didn´t last long, as Gabriel was just a minute behind her. Noticing his presence, she suddenly stopped, and the happy barking changed into low whining as she lowered her head in anticipation of punishment.

“Here you are.”

The Professor said strictly, taking a look at the other person. Tall, slender, and somehow boyish in appearance, but his eyes couldn´t be fooled that easily.

“I am sorry miss, I hope she didn´t scare you.”

Like if by working off some magic, the scary, predatory aura, that was accompanying him the whole time disappeared, making a place for a warm smile and kind eyes. Gabriel couldn´t help himself, but something in that frustrated and desperate look of that girl reminded him a lost puppy, one that needed saving.

Beast, already knowing her master way too well to miss an opportunity to escape her punishment whined once again and slowly crawled to Danielle, belly almost dragging over the ground, tail slowly wagging, and all of her cuteness focused into the most desperate puppy eyes imaginable. She knew, that if that female won´t be mad at her, nether will Gabriel.

[Bobbie]

As the massive malamute grew closer, it kept getting bigger and bigger, and so Danielle’s eye kept getting wider and wider as she stared in shock, her jaw dropping open without her even realising it. Putting her book down on the bench, she rose to her feet to greet the giant fluffball as her mouth opened into a reflexive grin.

“Whoa, you are big!” she exclaimed in a tone quite unexpectedly deep for a woman, as her gaze followed the dog that was now circling her. “Where’s your owner, hm?” she couldn’t help but reach over to get a feel of the immense fluffiness. “Where’s your owner?” she repeated the question as if talking to a child and a brief chuckle that was hardly feminine at all escaped her. She reckoned she would give whoever this beautiful creature belongs to five minutes to show up – if they failed to do so by then, Danielle had made up her mind … she would try everything possible to take the malamute with her and claim it as hers.

Then Gabriel spoke and all of the girl’s dreams shattered in an instant. As the malamute shifted so drastically, Danielle frowned, worried that such an intense reaction to her owner could imply something more sinister about his treatment of his pets.

She looked at the tall man and then back at the fluffball, and then back at Gabriel again. He certainly looked strict enough… “No. She didn’t.” she replied, quite plainly, suppressing the surprise of actually being addressed as a female. This may be the very first person who would address her appropriately and not mistake Danielle for a man. The man’s demeanour, however, seemed to shift as suddenly as the animal’s did, as he was suddenly very approachable with a warm and welcoming smile on his face. She couldn't really say much about that, as she herself would often find that her idle expression was not a very pleasant one, a frown or pensive stare often on her face.

Before she could continue her analysis of her first impression of this man, Beast’s whining attracted her attention once more and she turned her head to look down at her. Further down than she had expected, in fact, as it seemed Beast was trying to sweep the ground with her belly. Her heart instantly melted for this adorable not-so-little thing, and it didn’t take more than a second for Danielle to crouch down on one knee and shower Beast with love.

“She’s big, but very cute.” She smiled, gently scratching behind Beast’s ears, her hands nestled in her long fur. "She doesn't scare me. Do you? You're not something to be scared of, are you? No, you're not, because you are too fluffy to be terrifying." she addressed Beast again, before looking up at Gabriel from her lowered position. “What a lovely dog. How long have you had her? It would be a crime for a beasty like this one to be on a leash, but… you don’t want anyone to steal her and take her home with them, do you?” she asked, a slight twinkle in her eye as she wished she had the chance to. Meanwhile, her hands travelled to the canine’s neck below the terrifyingly large jaw.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #3

Beast, happy that she judged that female right rolled to her back, exposing her belly, for a belly rub, while happily barking at Danielle, wagging her tail left and right in uncontrollable happiness.

Gabriel smiled. Just a moment ago he was angry at that ball of mischief, but now, he couldn´t muster enough will to really punish her for it, not when she was so happy about finding a new friend.

“That´s a relief.”

The archaeologist smiled, when Danielle said she wasn´t scared.

“She is a good girl, but because she is a bit bigger than usual, people tend to be afraid of her. Right Beast?”

The dog in mention perked her ears upon the sound of her name but otherwise didn´t react to not chase her new belly rub servant away.

“Five months.”

Gabriel answered her next question truthfully.

“Which means most of her life actually. Most people don´t believe me, but she is still young, given how she grows and behaves, I estimate her to be around six months old.”

He said with the authority of someone who had experiences with dozens of dogs of different ages and breeds.

“Steal her?”

This time the Professor chuckled in honest amusement.

“She isn´t just big, but also stronger than your average bull and can chew even through steel locks. So, I would love to see someone try to do that.”

He said with a tone of father, who was proud of his daughter, leaving behind the small detail, that he would personally kill anyone, who would dare just to look at his fluffball in a wrong way.

As he was talking, Gabriel also noticed the book Danielle left behind and his smile became even wider.

“You read Sandile´s book? Well, that would make him smile. The last time I saw him he was gloomy because…to quote: “Young people these days don´t care about history, so archaeology will soon become a past time of old and grumpy grandfathers.”

[Bobbie]

Danielle continued to pet the large dog, her hands running through the softest fur she has ever felt in her life as she gave Beast a glorious belly-rub filled with a stranger’s love. “Hmm… Beast is a nice name. Six months old, she’s still got a long way to go a lot bigger to grow…” she replied, quite surprised as she had also never seen a dog as big as this one.

As the man chuckled, Danielle glanced up at him. She was silent for a few seconds, still down on one knee as her hand stopped moving and was brought to rest on Beast’s belly. It was slightly disappointing to hear that stealing this beauty wouldn’t be remotely possible, but if she really had the perfect opening for it, perhaps she might try. However, that would only be an option if her owner did not return, as she would not want to put any creature through such a traumatic separation or take them away from a loving carer. “That is unfortunate.” She mumbled beneath her breath.

She looked down at Beast once more and gave her one final rub of her fluffy belly, before she stood up and began to dust her knee, her black leather trousers gathering a bit of dust.

“Sandile’s?” she asked in a bit of confusion. The treasure hunter’s gaze followed Gabe’s as she looked back toward the bench to see the book that she had left there. Ah, that must be the name of the author – in truth, she didn’t care much for the author, she merely purchased the book for its information about the amulet that she was after, and any other treasures that may also be close by. “Yes, Sandile’s book. Is he a friend of yours then?” She stretched over in a single wide stride to fetch the book off the bench and retrieve it. “Mmm… ” she hummed and nodded to herself in intrigue as she flipped through the pages, silently considering his words. This man knows the author…

In response to his words, she smiled and chuckled without raising her head, “History doesn’t seem to be of much interest among young people these days, does it?” she went with the flow, trying her best not to reveal that she wasn't very fascinated by the history, all she wanted was the valuable gold.

“What about you? You don’t look very old or grumpy, and I wouldn’t guess you are a grandfather, yet you know enough to recognise a good book on such treasures.” She offered the book to him to have a look at it in case he needed his memory jogged, the pages conveniently open on the page that featured the Amulet of Fa’Ruk – by coincidence. She gauged his reaction to the pages’ contents. “This place seems to be very rich in history, I am hoping to go on a bit of an expedition myself. I could use somebody who knows his stuff, I’m a bit of a novice.” She explained, quite glad that it seemed no lying was necessary.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #4

The Professor tilted his head slightly to the side, surprised that the young woman didn´t even know the name of an author who wrote her book. But quickly forget it as their debate continued.

“Yes, friend and colleague. We are both working for the same university.”

He said truthfully, while Beast, dissatisfied with the fact, that her new human friend stopped rubbing her belly rolled back on her feet and rushed to Danielle to lick her face knowing that that usually prompted humans to start playing with her again.

Gabriel slightly frowned.

“Beasts don´t.”

The oversized fluffball looked at him almost as if she was thinking if it would be worthy to ignore his order, before woofing to voice her dissatisfaction and sitting down next to her new friend.”

“Guess I still didn´t introduce myself, right?”

He asked, when Danielle pointed out, that he wasn´t really fitting the description either.

“My name is Gabriel Moon; I am a professor of history and philosophy at Toroa university.”

He reached toward her with his hand in learned gesture, before hiding his hand back in the pocket of his pants. It didn´t stay there long however as Daniele offered him her book, which he took with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. He already read it in the past, more than once actually, but was nowhere near to knowing it word by word.

“The amulet of Fa´Ruk?”

He asked curiously, going through the text while listening to what Danielle was saying.

“I see, Dimitry was speculating that it should be located somewhere on this island, but never found the time to actually try to find it. So, you would like to locate it? That´s awesome.”

The Professor´s eyes glowed with excitement, an emotion he so rarely displayed these days as his duties as the leader of M.A.R.I. were dragging him away from the archaeology he truly loved way too much lately.

“For which museum are you trying to find it?”

He asked, completely ignoring the more probable possibility that she could be just a mere treasure hunter who wanted to fill her own pockets.

[Bobbie]

Nodding, Danielle watched the man closely to try and discern whether he would be a useful ally or not, and things were already leaning in favour of that thought. At the very least, he had the knowledge that she did not – of real archaeology. Hearing that he works at a university on peaked her interest further, a cultured man with a very capable head on his shoulders. This should-

Her thoughts were interrupted by a subtle frown from the man she was speaking to, and Gabriel’s command for the dog not to do something. Due to the eye-patch over the eye on the side at which Beast now sat, she didn’t notice the large animal approach her, about to do something that might have been disturbing to some, but not to Danielle. In fact, had Beast’s owner not stopped her, the clever girl’s plan would have worked perfectly. She turned her head to look at Beast just in time see the fluffy creature park her rear beside her. Then Gabriel spoke again and the blonde’s head turned once more.

“Oh, Mister- well, Professor Moon… I see, history and philosophy are an interesting combination.” She hadn’t a care in the world for history, but philosophy was something that she could appreciate. As the man extended a hand to her, she couldn’t help but notice how rigid he seemed in his movements, as she made a mental note to herself, this man is so awkward…

“Danny.” She introduced herself, taking his hand to shake it for the brief moment that it was offered.

His hands soon filled once more with the book, she eyed his reactions, almost studying them. The curiosity in his eyes was clear as they glided over the words just as she planned for them too, the book opened so strategically on the page she wanted to catch his eye. Perhaps she was more of a genius than she was ever given credit for.

With his next words, his eyes displayed more than a subtle curiosity, but they almost came to life, an undeniable twinkle in them as the information on those pages drew him in perfectly. This brought a smile to Danielle’s face. “Yes, it is said to have a very unique ruby gemstone within its golden frame with the ability to bend light in mysterious ways. Supposedly the magical inscriptions engraved on its outer case.” She explained, knowing enough about the treasure to identify it blind. “I do wish to locate it.”

His next question caught her off guard and she paused for a moment, staring at him as it felt like she had just hit a brick wall. Is this guy off his rocker? Which museum? Which museum… As she tried to think of any museum that would be a suitable fit to answer his question, equally believable and acceptable to a man of his status, from the university of Toroa, her mind simply refused to come up with anything useful. It didn’t take long for her to silently admit to herself that she didn’t even know of any museums in the area or on neighbouring islands… but he didn’t need to know that.

She resisted an eye-twitch.

“I was sent to collect it on behalf of Miss Rosalina, the daughter of Sir Robinson…” she paused as her mind weaved through truths and lies, trying to stick to what was true without revealing too much. Honest lies were the most believable ones.

“She has asked me to retrieve it as a gift to please her father. No doubt he will place it in his collection – uh, a public collection!” She paused, silently urging her mind to think of what museum that might be, as this man before her from Toroa University was clearly expecting a specific one. As if a lightbulb had just gone on above her head, Danielle smiled, “He has close ties to Toroa Museum, after all.” She added. Whether that were true or not, she hadn’t the faintest clue, but with the wealth the family owned, it could very well be plausible. Perhaps she should enquire upon her return with all her riches. 

Swallowing nervously, she watched Gabriel. Did he buy any of that? Best to move on quickly. There'd better be a Toroa museum in actual existence...

“So, as I said, I could use your expertise if you are interested in accompanying me.” She glanced down at Beast, who seemed to be his soft spot as much as her own. With a smile, she placed a hand on the patient creature’s head to give her the affection that her owner previously stopped her from demanding. 

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #5

There was a subtle, yet still noticeable shift in Gabriel´s behavior, when Danielle called him a Professor Moon. It was so long, since someone used his academic title correctly, that he almost forget how did it sound. And to be truthful with himself, it brought back some nice memories of times, when the world was still normal and he wasn´t leading a semi-legal organization of martial artists in a quest for vengeance. She definitely got some bonus points from him.

“Danny, like Danielle?”

He confirmed with her, as using short forms of other people´s names was always feeling awkward for him, before nodding.

“Yes. I wouldn´t count on that magical inscriptions as the wooden casing probably didn´t survive the past ten centuries, but otherwise yes. It´s a priceless historical artifact.”

He paused for a moment, his eyes reflecting the suspicion he got as Danielle couldn´t answer a seemingly easy question right away. And it grew even stronger when she mentioned someone´s collection, only to quickly correct herself, mentioning Toroa museum.

“Hmmm...”

The Professor muttered.

“Strange, I don´t recall anyone of that name being involved with our museum…”

He frowned. While his ability to understand human interaction and read in their emotions was limited, he wasn´t stupid. She wasn´t a historian or archaeologist. She was a treasure hunter, exactly that type of person because of which he invited Eric and his Wolves into the M.A.R.I. For a brief moment, Gabriel was playing with the thought that he should probably dispose of her, to make sure that this priceless historical artifact won´t end up on the black market or in the private collection of some wasteful lord. But then he stopped himself. Could someone who was so nice to Beast really be such a bad person? Wasn´t he simply influenced by Myra´s paranoia and disregard for human life? Yes, that was probably it. His face became gentle again as his mind reminded him how lost and helpless she looked just a second ago.

“but there is so many people involved with it, that it´s impossible to keep track.”

He finished.

“So, how can I help you?”

[Bobbie]

Danielle nodded, “Yes, like Danielle.” She confirmed, before letting out a sigh as her own name has grown to sound almost foreign to her.

As the expert on history explained the unlikelihood of the inscriptions surviving the past ten centuries, she nodded, but then shrugged lightly. Either way, it was a valuable item. After explaining her situation, partly made of lies but partly not, the blonde could see the scepticism in his eyes. It was disheartening as she assumed that this could only mean that he wouldn’t be joining her and assisting her, but it seemed nearly impossible to retrieve the amulet by herself. As she watched him with little frustration and more of a pleading stare, she hoped that she could sway him somehow.

Then, to her surprise, he continued to say that her story was possible, however improbable. This brought a skewed smile to her face, her lip-ring glinting in the light as her lips parted.

She wasn’t sure if he actually believed her or if he decided to simply let it go, but she was very pleased to hear him extend such an offer to assist her. In her delight, although she watched Gabriel, her hand gave all of its attention to Beast, as she continued to scratch behind her fluffy ears.

“Well…” she paused and gestured to the book that was still in his possession. “I haven’t been able to follow those maps very well.” She finally raised her hand off Beast’s head to reach over and gently turn a page, “May I?” she asked, politely, before flipped through a few more pages to get to the old maps that she was trying to make sense of when she first saw the huge malamute. “This map is supposed to be of these streets, but there have been so many changes over the years and it doesn’t make any sense to me – I can’t even tell if I’m looking at it upside down.” She said, as she released the thin leaves of paper and her frustration returned once more, revealed by an angry shrug and a frown on her face.

“I suspect there is some underground passage somewhere, but I don’t know how to access it… I need a guide.” She lowered her voice and her head as she looked at Beast once more, who once again served as a sweet distraction from her failures.

However, she couldn't help but wonder - What incentive does this guy have to help me?
 

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #6

„Beautiful name.“

Noted the Professor with a gentle smile. He noticed that the treasure hunter became very tense and somehow nervous during the time he was thinking about the current situation and so he went for a compliment to put her more at ease. Someone in the past, he couldn´t now remember if it was Michael or Jan told him that all women liked compliments, no matter how tough they were and this one was the easiest one to pull out.

Fortunately, before the situation could become awkward, the treasure huntress focused his attention back on the book and maps she had with her, explaining to him the whole situation together with the reason she got stuck, looking like a desperate puppy, that lost herself.

“Hmmmm…”

Gabriel looked at the map then listed through the book, before smiling. This was actually pretty simple, although he could understand why someone with only superficial knowledge of history didn´t figure it out.

“No, you are holding it right, the problem is that you are comparing it with the wrong place.”

He said looking around to get a better idea about their surroundings.

“See, during the past ten centuries the city was expanded, destroyed, and rebuilt several times either on the order of local rulers or because of wars and pirate attacks, and during that, it actually moved to the west. So, the entrance you are looking for should be…over there.”

He pointed on a small hill, or rather mound, that was a few hundred meters away from the city borders.

“Looks like it was covered by dirt during these years, so we will have to do some digging.”

As if he said a magical word, Beast suddenly bolted, running several circles around them, while woofing happily.

“Yes Beast, this time, you can dig as much as you like.”

This was one of the happiest days of her life.

[Bobbie]

Beautiful name? That’s a first.

Danielle stared at Gabriel for a moment, quite unsure of how to respond to his compliment. However, the man’s source for such expert social advice was certainly a clever one as this technique reached its goal quite perfectly if that was to fluster the woman, her cheeks colouring ever so slightly – which prompted her to move on with their conversation and direct attention elsewhere.

As the experienced historian before her looked over the map and handled it so elegantly, she watched his features. Again, there was that little glint of excitement within him as the man smiled, and she smiled in return. She did avert her gaze once he explained, in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. She knew she probably came across as a fool, but there was no time to be self-conscious now. She listened to his explanation and nodded attentively.

He’s actually going to help me.

Following his finger, she looked in the direction that he pointed. Of course, to the untrained eye, it looked like little more than a mound of earth, dirt, if you will – grassy debris. Narrowing her eye, she could see that it was small, but was that because of the distance between them and their destination or was it actually a small space that they would be crawling through? She hoped it wasn't the latter. "How far do you think it is?"

The girl stared at it for a few seconds, silently trying to figure that out, until she took a deep breath. “Never mind, it won’t matter.” She muttered in slight frustration, but upon turning back to the professor, all of that frustration disappeared. She had a guide! What did it matter how far it was?

Placing a hand on each of her narrow hips, she nodded. “Then we’ll dig!” she replied, determined to go through with this expedition and discover the gold.

Before she could say another word, Beast was like lightning, running around them in circles, and Danielle’s features softened into a gentle laugh. “Or she will dig, I suppose. What do you give her for treats?” she returned her attention to Gabe, as it was very obvious that no pack of little dog treats could ever be enough for this gorgeous creature. “I would like to thank both her and you when this is over.” She explained and gestured for him to walk with her toward the entrance that he had so kindly pointed out.

Her offer was genuine – especially with regard to giving treats to the fluffiness that seemed to be living the best moments of her life – but perhaps a part of her considered this as additional motivation.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #7

The Professor looked in the direction of the mound, thinking for himself, before saying…

“One kilometer and two hundred meters, give or take.”

He answered Danielle´s question, before realizing, that she already told him, that the answer didn´t matter.

“Yes, I think she can manage.”

Gabriel made a smile of proud parent, watching Beast as she was running around, barking enthusiastically, before she suddenly started digging with her front paws, tearing paving stones out of her places, throwing them all around. The smile swiftly changed into frown.

“Beast, enough!”

Up until now, a kind voice cracked like a whip, stopping the fluffy ball in her activity, when she was already in a hole that was as deep as she was tall, with large pieces of stone cubes scattered all around the place, some of them even hitting nearby buildings or stalls.

“Wooof?”

The oversized malamute made an innocent smile while wagging her tail from side to side. However it was already too late to apologize, as the people who previously ran into their homes in panic started walking out filled with just anger.

“Hmmm, I think we should probably disappear.”

Muttered Gabriel, when he noticed pitchforks and other instruments of people´s justice in their hands.

He didn´t have to say it twice. Seeing all those angry faces, Beast whined silently and started running away, toward the distanced mound. Without thinking, Professor Moon grabbed Danielle´s hand and followed his ill-behaved dog out of the town.

Fortunately, the townsfolk didn´t follow them too far, and when they already arrived at their destination, there was no one pursuing them.

“Well, I think it´s pretty clear, that she deserves no treat.”

The Professor looked down on Beast, who was once again trying to buy herself forgiveness with her puppy eyes and low pitched whining directed at Danielle who she assessed to be the weaker link of the two.

[Bobbie]

Danielle could easily see the pride in the man’s smile and she could understand it. Pets were to be treasured. While they should not be treated like children and she was generally against a pet being a substitute for a child, she definitely agreed that they had equal value as a human life – if not more.

When Beast started to dig right then and there, however, the mood seemed to change entirely. Danielle frowned and even she had to move aside a little bit as some of the debris that the large dog was raking up threatened to strike her too. She certainly digs very fast… she thought to herself, quite impressed by how deep the hole already was in such a short amount of time, and she had to admit that it was somewhat amusing to watch Beast behave so naughtily. It was like a punishment – if Danielle couldn’t have this gorgeous pet as her own, then nobody else deserved to have her be on her best behaviour.

Seeing the enraged reaction from the people, however, quickly brought Danielle out of her stupor of adoration for the fluffy creature, and she too found herself frowning. “Yes, we probably should-“ she started to state in a matter-of-fact tone, but before she could say anything further, the man’s hand squeezed her own and she felt her arm being tugged. Next, her whole body was forced into motion if she didn’t want to be literally dragged.

She wasn’t very keen on the fact that he grabbed her hand so readily and she felt a little awkward, yet her cheeks reddened just a little bit nonetheless. The compliments, good manners, brushing aside her obvious lies, and now hand-holding? The blonde couldn’t tell if he was a gentleman or just following scripted social cues.

Either way, it was probably for the best that Gabriel hadn’t just taken off without her, as she would come across as rather clumsy without the guiding pull. Running can become quite a challenge when obstacles that are far can seem near and vice versa. Thanks to him, she made it with only one stagger.

“I am not a good runner.” She announced, in case that wasn’t obvious, and she immediately withdrew her hand once there was no longer any need for hers and his to remain connected. She certainly had the stamina for running, but unfortunately not the eye for hurdles. “Hmm…” she turned to look at Beast.

Crafty bugger. This was the second time Beast turned to Danielle when she was in trouble with her owner, but all Danielle could do was let out a sigh and give in to the fact that she was hopeless against the mighty floof. It simply couldn’t be helped.

“We’ll see if she deserves that treat after we find my amulet.” She reached out to pet the malamute, but froze before making contact. “I mean the amulet. Mine, yours, of the people.” Letting her palm drop to the head of the large canine, she decided to try a similar technique – smile and pull on heart strings – minus the whining. Looking at Gabriel, she simply smiled innocently and continued to pet his dog.

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Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #8

As they stopped at the mound, Gabriel let go of Danielle´s hand, looking at her with an unspoken question in his eyes. Why was she so red in her cheeks, was that run too much on her, or…? His question however was immediately answered by the girl herself, who confirmed that running really wasn´t her forte, letting the Professor focus on his misbehaving pet.

“Stop that…”

He wanted to say emotional blackmailing, but it was already too late, as Danielle seemingly felt for the same trick twice that day, quickly forgiving to that mischievous furball, while accidentally revealing her true intentions with the amulet.

The angry frown suddenly changed its target, directing itself on Danielle who froze mid-movement. However, his anger was only short-lived, completely extinguished by her innocent smile. She looked so much like one of his puppies at the moment, that he would probably pat her head if it wasn´t very inappropriate behavior.

“Hmmm, of course.”

Gabriel said with a gentle smile. Still aware of what she said, but unable to be angry at her.

“Anyway, we should probably start digging. The entrance should be right…”

He didn´t even manage to finish the sentence as Beast jumped three meters high with excitement and started to throw the dirt and small stones away with her front paws with astonishing speed. It took her however only a few seconds, before she stopped, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

“Woof?!”

She asked, hitting something hard with her front paws, before raising them for a stronger strike.

“Wait! WAIT!”

The Professor yelled, stopping her from smashing whatever was there. Disappointed, Beast barked in protest and backed away from the hole, that was a meter and something deep. Gabriel jumped down into it, clearing all the dirt with his hands and a small brush he pulled out from one of his pockets. He worked fast with incredible precision born out of decades of practice, revealing that the hard thing was an actually large stone desk or rather a door covered with reliefs, that was built into the side of the mound.

“Now…this is interesting…”

He muttered, moving his hand across the cold stone before it arrived at a hole that looked like a keyhole.

“Being a treasure hunter, I suspect you know how to pick locks?”

He asked Danielle.