Breaking News of a Professor and a Mistaken Identity

[Bobbie]

Danielle emerged from the cabin of Professor Moon’s ship after waking up with a girl, presumably kidnapped, named Eponine in the same room as her - she promptly sent the poor girl scurrying out, but this was hardly a concern at the moment. She had lost count of the days that she had been travelling with this crew - what started out as a hunt for some irrelevant amulet had escalated into something that she could have never imagined. The time to leave them would come, and it would sting her heart when it did… had she not recently discovered that the brilliant genius of a professor had somehow made her less sensitive to pain, and that sorrow of leaving her friends was replaced with rage.

The wound in her leg was bad enough to prevent her from walking around without a limp, and that was only when she managed to do so without holding onto anything for support. Currently, she stood at the open door, holding onto that as all her weight was on her unharmed leg, feeling absolutely no pain in the other one that was clearly injured.

“Where is he?” she snapped at anybody on deck, her voice loud and shaking with anger. The treasure huntress could only assume that this was all a result of his acupuncture and wild treatments that must have come after her first training session with them on the ship. She was perfectly fine before then. The man had previously admitted to only having experience with carrying out said treatment on dogs - which his superior professor-levelled mind somehow, inexplicably, could not tell apart from humans! Danielle’s brow tightened even further at the thought, her jaw clenched until she had to close her eye to try and calm down.

“Where… is the professor?” She asked again, through her teeth.

Now she let go of the door and tried to walk out onto the deck to search for him herself, having no patience to wait for an answer, but her leg was making it very difficult. It didn’t hurt at all, but it was stiff and the muscles wouldn’t cooperate with her commands, her leg failing to bend as she willed it to and support her weight.

Danielle only made it a few steps before she stumbled and nearly fell over, her bare foot dragging along the deck as it simply refused to be lifted. As soon as she reached it, she had to cling to the mast in the centre of the deck to keep herself up, her breathing laboured. It was both embarrassing and infuriating, that a task as simple as walking became such a challenge, and without any hints of pain, it was impossible for her to adjust her posture or movements to accommodate for what her body would normally try to tell her needed more attention.

As she felt another dizzy spell come on, she lowered her head a little bit and didn’t dare try to move any further. Looking down at herself, she could only frown - she was a mess. Her trousers had been ripped by the sharp obsidian shard that got lodged into her thigh, though any other cuts that must have been made to treat her wound must have been expertly sewn back up at the seam by Eponine. They were, however, stained from her own blood that had also spread to the hem of her t-shirt and sleeve of her beautiful jacket. Her hair was also unruly, coming out of its tie as loose golden strands fell over both shoulders, and lastly, she had no shoes on… certainly an impossible situation to remedy by herself as long as her leg was like this.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #1

After speaking with Sigrid and learning how she gained her unique abilities, Gabriel noticed from the top of her shoulder that something strange was happening below the deck. First of all, Eponine appeared, running up the stairs, almost as if she was chased by some dangerous monster, hiding behind a bunch of crates, while shaking uncontrollably. And there, right after her, Dannielle appeared calling his name over and over, while walking over the cold, slippery deck barefoot.

Completely missing all the clues that should have warned him about how angry she is, Gabriel almost immediately realized how scared she had to be after waking up hurt and alone, below the deck, so he turned to Sigrid with an apology.

“I have to go, just, remember, that no one is angry at you all right? You did nothing wrong.”

He patted that sobbing giantess´s head, before jumping down, from her shoulder.

“True Step.”

Kicking the air below his feet, the Professor transformed his fall into a blindingly fast jump, appearing right next to Danielle, ready to support her if she would lose her balance.

“Here you are. I am sorry, that I wasn´t with you when you woke up, it´s…I had to talk with Sigrid about what happened first you know? What happened, Eponine…”

He wanted to say that the black-haired girl looked terrified to death, but his sentence was interrupted by that girl´s brother, who suddenly marched towards them, furious as hell itself.

“You witch, what did you done to my sister!?”

He yelled, immediately drawing the attention of anyone on the deck. Especially Gabriel who wasn´t taking someone yelling at his puppy lightly.

“Watch your mouth, can´t you see she is still in shock? If you want to be useful go and fetch her shoes.”

She young man frowned, ready to yell at him too, but when he noticed the look in Gabriel´s eyes, he fell silent and quickly backed off.

[Bobbie]

As Gabriel promptly appeared by her side in response to her calling for him, Danielle glared daggers at him. She hardly even processed his words - she didn’t care about whatever he had to say unless it was some kind of cure that would reverse what he caused.

Also having no intention on waiting for him to finish his sentence, she opened her mouth to snap at him, but another voice filled the air before hers could. It was a foreign voice that she didn’t recognise, but it didn’t take her very long to put two and two together. He must be that girl’s brother… did the Professor kidnap him too? Her face first displayed confusion, then she frowned and went for her scimitar, having lost all patience the instant she realised what had been taken away from her. Did he just call me a witch!?

Unfortunately - or perhaps it was quite fortunate - her sword had been left in the cabin below deck as she had forgotten it behind in her fit of anger and eagerness to give Gabriel a piece of her mind. Again, being given no chance to speak, the Professor jumped to her defence. In all honesty, even Danielle had to admit that maybe the man had a bit of a point, she was unnecessarily aggressive with Eponine, who, she imagined, was the one who took care of her wound… she should have been more grateful, but there were more important matters to concern herself with right now than the girl’s feelings. Under any other circumstances, Danielle would have felt bad, being a rather sensitive person herself, but as she watched Gabriel the only thing that washed over her was anger.

“I don’t need you to protect me! I’m not your puppy!” with a growl, she moved away from the safety of the mast and toward Gabriel to push him away from her, but quickly had to return to holding the wooden structure. “You did this to me! You and those needles! I can’t feel any pain in my leg! It doesn’t hurt at all, and it should. Why doesn’t it hurt?”

Danielle was overwhelmed. Her leg wasn’t paralysed, she knew that, but she had enough sense in her head to realise that being unable to feel pain was a huge drawback and brought on more disadvantages than advantages. She was furious, but perhaps there was more to it than that, and a part of Gabriel’s assessment of the situation was not entirely wrong… she was also scared... and like any scared creature, she lashed out.

As George emerged onto the deck with a bottle of ale in hand, he raised his eyebrows. "You sure are popular with the ladies, sir." He quipped with a lighthearted chuckle.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Drunken George: #a5930e

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #2

The Professor was left speechless by the sudden outburst Danielle directed at him when she refused his help and then accused him of being the cause of her current distress.

“But…isn´t that a good thing?”

He asked, completely confused by the sudden turn of events before his brain finally realized the other part of her sentence.

“My…needles?”

Basically, anyone who was watching his face at the moment could see the realization that suddenly occurred to him.

“Wait, you think, that my acupuncture, well…”

He paused for a moment.

“There is a slight chance that I mistranslated the description of the technique because in the old tongue of Wu-Tang the words for alleviation and removal are quite similar, but…I am sure I can make it right. Just let me to fetch my needles and…oh look, there they are!”

His face switching from a worried expression into his more usual gentle smile, the Professor pointed to Namkhai, who carried Danielle´s shoes out of the lower deck instead of Eponine´s brother, who was doing his best to calm the scared girl down.

“Here you are…you know, you could be a bit nicer to that girl, she probably saved your life. If not for her it would be me or Gabriel taking care of your wound.”

He grinned, giving her boots to the Professor, who knelt down, ready to catch the young treasure huntress if she decided to kick him in the face and lost her balance in the process.

“All right, let me just put your shoes on. Then I´ll take you downstairs and everything will be all right.”

He said, using a tone usually reserved for soothing down wild and aggressive dogs.

“Woof?”

Almost as if she felt the danger her master found himself in, Beast suddenly appeared at Danielle´s side, poking the blonde woman with her wet nose, before licking her face happy, to see her again.

[Bobbie]

Danielle let out a frustrated sigh as the professor didn’t seem to understand something that seemed to simple to her - it was not a good thing, but even if it was, the choice to have it be this way was made for her.

“Oh, is there? Is there just a slight chance?” she asked, glaring at him as she wished she still had that skillet that she had previously used to whack Namkhai on the back of the head. The professor had that crazy technique that caused her to injure her leg in the first place, however, which seemed to make his body as tough as steel, so she wasn’t sure she could get away with that without fracturing something. Then again, it wouldn’t hurt at all, would it? She thought to herself, bitterly.

As she considered what she could use instead, she heard him mention his needles again and she quickly shook her head.

“No! No more needles, ever!” the blonde snapped at him, then the brilliant Titan opened his mouth and her attention was directed toward him. She was enraged by the recent turn of events and would most likely murder anyone with her gaze, whether they had any part in it or not, but Namkhai’s words elicited another irritated sigh.

“Look, I didn’t do anything to her, alright? It’s not like I took a literal bite out of her, I just snapped at her and asked her to leave my cabin. Anybody would have reacted the same way if they woke up to the mess that this skillful Professor made and found a stranger in their room.”

Perhaps her response was meant to ease her own conscience as well as now that she was beginning to calm down, she did feel bad, but everybody was making a huge fuss over nothing.

“You or Gabriel?” she scoffed, “I think I’d rather be left to die - the outcome could be the same for all I know, there's no telling! Who knows, maybe 'cure' and 'kill' are also quite similar in the old tongue of Wu-Tang.”

Although her words were harsh, her tone softened slightly, and she watched Gabriel. “No," Refusing his help once more, she shook her head. "I can put them on myself, thank you!” Immediately, she tried to move away but lost her balance very quickly, prompting her to grab onto Gabriel’s shoulder with one hand and Namkhai’s arm with the other to steady herself as she nearly fell over and her cheeks turned red. In less than a minute, she successfully proved herself wrong and it was terribly embarrassing.

She wasn’t used to this, asking for help was certainly not Danielle’s greatest strength. In her mind, it meant showing weakness that she always tried her very best to avoid from a very young age, playing the tough role on most occasion, especially for Rosalina.

Glancing at Namkhai, she hurriedly let go of his arm, and then of Gabriel’s shoulder, but before she could argue any further, the beautiful malamute named Beast started licking her face. Like magic, the fluffy creature had an instant effect on Danielle’s spirits as not only was her frown washed away, but it was even replaced with a smile as she now held onto the doggo to maintain her balance instead, her head tilted as her face took on the full force of the animal’s assault from its wet tongue.

“Beast! Where were you when I woke up?” she laughed, scratching her neck and moving to that good spot behind her ears. 

While she was distracted by the malamute, she did make a mental note to find Eponine and thank her…

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #3

The Professor was watching Danielle as she was throwing her tantrum, quite unsure of what he should do. He had his problems even with normal interpersonal interaction and this situation was far from normal.

“Well, that actually isn´t true, as in the Wu-Tang language the word for “kill” is…”

Gabriel paused realizing too late, that Danielle didn´t try to start an academic debate with him but was being sarcastic.

After that, he paused for a moment, when the young treasure huntress tried to prove to everyone, she didn´t need his help with putting her shoes on, only to lose her balance, needing to use both Namkhai and the Professor for support. He patiently waited for her to regain back her balance, ready to catch her in case she lost it again, but instead another member joined their group as Beast came to greet her favourite human, leaving Gabriel kneeling down with her boots.

“Ehm…”

Putting them down, he came back up on his feet, getting ready for another inevitable clash as he was getting ready to chase her back to bed, only to be interrupted by the arrival of another person. Eponine left her dark corner of the ship and walked towards Danielle, with her head down and tears running down her cheeks.

“Miss…Miss Danielle…”

She sobbed silently.

“I…I…am very sorry for falling asleep while watching you. I know finding a stranger on your bed could be very uncomfortable and please, don´t be angry at the Professor because of it, I…we all owe him our lives!”

She tried to act brave, rising her head and looking Danielle in her eyes but managed to keep eye contact for a second or so, before quickly lowering it again.

“Don´t worry about that!”

Overcame by the cuteness and defencelessness, Gabriel rushed to her side, hugging the dark-haired woman. To the sincere surprise of anyone on the deck she didn´t protest but snuggled in his arms instead.

“YOU! Get your hands away from my sister!”

Henry yelled in anger, rushing to them and literally tearing the two of them apart, he moved between Eponine and Gabriel.

“And you don´t apologize to her! It was her fault, not yours!”

[Bobbie]

The beginning of the Professor’s explanation was only met with an angry look from Danielle before she proceeded to ignore him and focus on Beast. That is, until her quality time with the gorgeous giant fluff-ball was interrupted by a stammering voice that immediately frustrated her.

Looking away from Beast to face Eponine, her one eye that glistened like a ruby gem was fixed on the dark-haired girl while her mouth seemed to be stuck in a perpetual frown now that Beast’s magic spell was put on hold.

What started off as an acceptable apology, however, soon became a feeble attempt to spare the Professor of her rage. Not only was that not going to happen and did he not deserve it, as Danielle had plenty to be angry at him for, but it was also rather pitiful the way Eponine continued to sob through her little speech. Involuntarily, Danielle’s eye narrowed and her frown grew deeper still.

Taking a deep breath, she clenched her jaw and rolled her eye as she was about to accept the girl’s apology and simply dismiss the second part entirely, but it seemed that Gabriel had a quick response ready. He immediately rushed to her side which, quite literally, made Danielle  bare her teeth.

“What are you doing?” she hissed at the Professor, who was practically cradling Eponine, the latest ‘puppy’, in his arms - and, to her surprise, the girl was snuggling into his embrace!

Shaking her head at how well-matched the pair was, she let out a groan of a sigh, as she resigned herself to extending an apology of her own. “Fine, whatever, I guess-”

That was when Henry’s voice bellowed across the deck, shouting in an accusatory tone at the Professor first and forcefully pulling the man away from his sister. This brought a smile to Danielle’s face. Then he shifted his focus onto her and that smile completely disappeared.

“Excuse me?” she now glared at Henry, an uncontrollable twitch in her eye. “My fault?” Leaning forward like an aggressive creature, jumping onto the defensive in the form of a vicious offensive. “I wake up with a stranger in my room on a ship she has no business being on, and it’s my fault!? All I did was ask her to get out!” Perhaps it wasn’t her smartest move, but Danielle saw red and wasn’t thinking clearly as she hobbled forward to swoop up one of her boots. With one hand now grabbing the Professor’s arm to keep herself from falling, a grip so tight that it seemed she was trying to make a fist with his arm in the way, the other hand released her footwear that was hurled toward Henry's face. “Who are you, again? I know why she's been kid-... snatched, but what about you? Feel free to swim to land anytime!”

Meanwhile, George, who witnessed everything, stayed out of it entirely. It looked like one very aggressive encounter he did not want to be a part of.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #4

With Eponine being so abruptly torn from his arms, Gabriel had to use his considerable willpower to remind himself that this was a time to be kind and not merciless. Henry was her brother after all, so it was only natural for him to go and protect his sister from a stranger who already proved to be very dangerous. Still…she was so helpless…he wanted to protect her too!

He was so frustrated, that he didn´t even notice that Robert and the last member of these so-called revolutionaries made their way onto the upper deck, taking a seat next to George, almost as if they were waiting on something.

“All right, I think that´s enough.”

The Professor suddenly raised his voice, using a much stricter voice than when he was previously talking to the young treasure huntress.

“Danielle is still tired from the shock and injuries and needs her rest. As for Eponine and the rest of them…”

Gabriel turned away from Henry toward Danielle

“They here on my invitation. They wanted to sentence them for something they didn´t commit to lifelong slavery on Tequila Wolf, so I offered them a safe passage out of the island.”

He intentionally didn´t mention that part, about him killing several CP agents and beating the captain of the local militia to get them out of the prison, as something was telling him that, that would upset the blonde woman even more, which would be less than desirable in her current state.

“I wasn´t snatched…”

Eponine whispered, gently puffing her cheeks, which made her even more adorable in the Professor´s eyes.

“Anyway, Danielle should really rest…”

After a heartbeat or two, Gabriel managed to tear his eyes away from the dark-haired girl and focus back on the treasure huntress.

“Will you let me help you downstairs or should I carry you?”

He asked kindly, hoping that if Danielle will pick the former she will at least allow him to put her shoes on.

[Bobbie]

The Professor raising his voice so suddenly seemed to instantly silence everyone, as even Danielle was quite surprised to hear him speak in such a strict manner. It was very different to the way he’d usually speak to her, though he wasn’t addressing her or anyone in particular, but merely aiming to deescalate the situation.

When he did turn to her, she raised her brow, her lips sealed while he spoke as if she had just been scolded. That calmness, however, was short-lived; his decision to omit that detail about killing several CP agents was a wise one, but perhaps not enough.

“You… so you basically broke four people-” she paused to glance past him at George and the two other men sitting with him, seeming to enjoy the show, then at Gabriel again, “No, five people out of prison? Five people who were already sentenced, whether fairly or not, but already sentenced and in the system…” With each passing word that came out of her mouth, the look of displeasure at what he’d done only grew. “In the system, meaning their names and faces are recognised and their absence will be noticed. With a sentence like that, do you really think that a simple boat trip off the island will make the government just forget about them?” Sarcasm dripped from her words by the bucket, taking the place of spite and rage indicated by the twitch in her eye and the corner of her mouth.

If that didn't make it clear how angry she was about this, her next gesture might have as she opened her mouth to say something else, but quickly shut it again, her jaw tightly clenched as she tried to smile and keep herself calm. Taking a deep breath, she then let it back out in the form of a muffled cry in the guise of a sigh.

How does he not get it yet that all of this is exactly what leads to people becoming wanted criminals with bounties on their heads?

“I am never going to trust you alone on an island again…” she uttered, completely exhausted with this man’s behaviour. A part of her simply wanted to collapse in tears, convinced that this was all going to catch up to her sooner or later and ruin her chances with Rosalina - if she was seen as a criminal, she stood no chance with Rosalina’s strict father.

Danielle then shot a glare in Eponine’s direction as she dared open her mouth, before the Professor offered his help in the form of support down the stairs or of carrying her, and her glare was redirected toward him instead.

“Don’t you dare even try to pick me up again. Twice was enough.” The blonde snapped with a fearless look in her eye, perhaps due to the adrenaline, or the knowledge that whatever reaction he gave to an attack from her, she wouldn’t feel a hint of pain. As her frown eased slightly, she considered putting that to the test, then looked toward the cabin. How she made it from that point to this one was a mystery to her as it suddenly seemed so far and her leg felt so very heavy. Meanwhile, her feet felt like blocks of ice.

Letting out a sigh of resignation, she glanced around for any kind of stick that could help her, then glanced at Gabriel once more when she found none. “Just… let me hold onto your arm or something… and not in that fancy couple way!” In an instant, Danielle’s frown returned.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #5

The Professor listened to Danielle´s angry rant with a completely still face, politely waiting for her to finish, before coming up with an answer.

“All right, let me be completely clear with you. If the whole world decided it´s the right thing to sentence a young, innocent woman to a lifetime of slavery, I would set the world on fire and watch it burn.”

He said it with a tone that didn´t leave a single room for doubts that he was completely serious about it.

“So yes, I pulled five innocent people out of prison, because that was the right thing to do. And no, I don´t think the government will forget about them, but as I said, I don´t care. They are under my protection now and I am more than willing to kill anyone who would dare to cross the line I set. It´s the same thing I would do for you.”

These few sentences left Eponine looking at Gabriel with such devotion it was almost scary and even the rest of her group, Henry included were left speechless, as what could probably come across as a simple boasting had an incredible weight when said by a man who already fought and killed for them.

“Besides, I am a citizen of Toroa. We are not part of the World Government so once we´ll finish our business here in the East, we can take them there with us. It has its flaws, but it´s a beautiful country. Eponine and the rest can start a new life there.”

Gabriel shrugged.

“Now, with this sorted out, would you…”

The spell was broken with another kind smile as Gabriel once again offered to Danielle that he can carry her downstairs, only to be turned down cold by the headstrong treasure huntress, who probably regrated her decision right afterward as she agreed to accept at least some help from him.

“All right let´s do it.”

He took her arm on the wounded side and put it across his shoulders.

“Just lean against me and lift that wounded leg up.”

The Professor instructed Danielle while helping her down, below the main deck, and back to her room.

When they finally arrived, he took her to her bed, before letting go of her arm.

“All right, here we are. Take some rest. If you want, I can send Beast down here to keep you company. Otherwise, if you would need anything just raise your voice either mean or Namkhai will help out, all right?”

Another gentle smile was followed by a few steps towards the door, before he stopped, turning back to Danielle.

“And I am really sorry for what happened to you because of my treatment. It never was my intention to hurt you in any way. I hope you know that.”

[Bobbie]

Gabriel’s explanation was perfectly clear, and it completely silenced Danielle. Although she tried her best to hide it, she was touched by how kind this man was, even if he was also a bit of a creep. As he stated that he would do the same for her, she didn’t doubt it for a second - she had already seen it with her own eyes and was aware that she had shown very little appreciation for it. Perhaps the best she could do was simply not hassle him any further about it, at least for now, and so she just nodded to him with a little sigh. Truth be told, those five people were insanely lucky that the Professor had been arrested… if it had been anybody else, likely even including her, they would still be in prison.

“Okay…” She uttered in response to his instruction and put her arm around his shoulders, leaning against him as she tried her best to lift her injured leg up. This was not a situation Danielle was happy about, preferring to depend on nobody but herself, but if there was ever anyone she knew she could rely on, it would be the Professor.

It took far longer than it should have to get to the cabin, as although it didn’t hurt at all, it was very difficult to move her leg normally and at times would fall lower enough to be dragged before she’d notice that she wasn’t keeping it up high enough.

Once she was finally comfortable on her bed again, she sighed with frustration though she was significantly calmer than she had been so far. It was a difficult challenge, but she was coming to terms with this being her new reality. “Thank you…” the rare words came from the treasure huntress as she looked down, adjusting her position and her pillow to be in a seated position against the headboard instead of lying down. While she had no desire to express this, her words held far more meaning than a simple thank you for his help with getting down here. She wanted to thank him for a lot more than just that, for everything that she didn’t thank him for when she should have… and she wanted to thank Beast as well.

“Yes, please,” she added, feeling a lump in her throat as she considered what things would be like in Toroa for the Professor, for Beast, for Namkhai and all the others… she would probably not be with them. Then her eye started to sting.

“I’d like for her to stay with me, if that’s okay. I won’t need anything else.”

Finally making eye contact with him, she returned his smile and watched him head toward the door, until he suddenly stopped again and turned to face her once more. Watching him with a more neutral expression, she was completely taken aback by what he said. As angry at him as she had been for causing that, she knew that… of course she knew that, the thought of him ever truly desiring to hurt her in any way never crossed her mind. He seemed to be incapable of it, whether by choice or not. Staring at him, her smile returned, more heartfelt than it was before as her eye glistened.

“I know…”

Following their exchange, Danielle would spend the rest of the day with Beast, remaining seated as she was for many hours and just petting the malamute, showering the giant dog who seemed to have stolen her heart to the same degree that Rosalina did with all the love that the woman could offer. While she was awake, she spent her time quietly talking to Beast or just admiring her coat and features, until she would finally slide down into a lying position and slip away into sleep, snuggling Beast.

The next morning was less of a shock as she woke up with the knowledge of what happened and what to expect. She also looked around for Beast, wondering if she had remained with her throughout the entire night or gone back to Gabriel while she slept. This time, Danielle approached the start of the day more calmly, taking the time to change into a clean set of clothes with some struggle and arrange her hair into a neater side ponytail. She managed to get one shoe on the foot on her unharmed leg, but the other remained off after several tries that ended with her throwing it across the room in frustration. Walking, however, was still impossible without some form of support, as she had to hold onto things to make her way around the room. When she was ready to emerge, she stood at the bottom of the staircase, looking up it as she faced the daunting task.

“How the heck did I manage to get up there yesterday?”

No longer fuelled by rage and adrenaline, her attempt did not last long as after making it up two steps, she immediately tumbled back down. Thankfully, she was able to reach the walls of the narrow passage way and managed to catch herself, all of her weight on her good leg, to keep herself from falling to the ground, but she was back at the very bottom step again. 

Standing there, it seemed she would rather glare at the wooden stairs than call for help.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #6

“Of course, I´ll send her to you.”

The Professor nodded, as he opened the door, only to be forced to quickly move sideways as Beast rushed forward, tail wagging from side to side.

“Or…maybe not.”

Gabriel laughed, while his malamute was running circles chasing her own tail in an attempt to improve Danielle´s mood.

“Woof! Woof!”

Beast barked at him, when she finally sat down, sweeping the floor with her fluffy tail.

“Sure, sure it´s a ladies’ night, I won´t be getting in your way. Have fun.”

Still laughing, the Professor left Danielle´s cabin, hiding how happy he was that his puppy wasn´t angry at him anymore for the mistake he made.

---

The next morning Danielle could find Beast still in her room, sleeping on the floor. Doing everything that was in her power to help the young treasure huntress in her attempt to dress up and get on the upper deck. And while she was rather getting in the way during the first part, she proved to be quite helpful during the ascend as getting impatient with Danielle´s speed, she gently grabbed her shirt with her teeth and carried the young woman on the upper deck.

And while this was a scene Gabriel would love to see, he missed it as at the moment he was on the other part of the ship moving through a complicated series of moves, that was part of his morning workout.

However, there was someone who saw it all as the staircase leading up was right in front of the help, which was at the moment maned by Namkhai. Seeing Danielle being carried like that surely put a wide smile on his face.

“Now, that´s something I will be remembering to the end of my days!”

He laughed in a hushed tone. Strange for someone who was known for his booming voice, but it kind of suited that dense atmosphere that was present on the upper deck at the moment as besides these two the only people present were Eponine, who was sitting on the deck, leaning against the main mast, while hugging her knees and her brother Henry, who was murdering her with his gaze from the taffrail.

[Bobbie]

Beast was an absolute delight and Danielle loved every moment of her company, whether she assisted or not. When she did prove more useful than anticipated regarding her ascent, the treasure huntress was taken by surprise as her shirt was suddenly pulled from behind and she felt her body slowly lift, her feet rising off the floor.

“What- Beast, no I-” she uttered, her feet - one bare and one not - just touching the steps as she was effortlessly carried up the staircase and she tried to keep up with the sudden increased speed in their pace. Danielle didn’t have much time for pleading as before she knew it, she was out on the main deck again and beyond embarrassed to have been carried like that. So much so that the very moment she was released, she quickly looked around to check who saw what just happened. Eponine was sitting right there, though she wasn’t concerned about her… Henry stood at the taffrail, glaring at his sister, though she wasn't quite sure what he was so angry at her for. Perhaps the way she leapt to the Professor's defence the previous night… In any case, his opinion did not matter to Danielle either. Then there was Namkhai, standing at the helm with a big stupid grin on his face, which she responded to with an angry glare at the Titan that would put Henry’s murderous gaze to shame.

Perhaps this could have been worse… at least the Professor wasn’t anywhere to be seen - she would just need to make sure that Namkhai didn’t spread the word about this to anyone. Either way, she couldn’t be angry and Beast and was in fact already petting the large animal.

“Thank you, Beast. Next time just let me hold on to you, alright? It would have been enough…” Very well aware that that was a lie, at least when it came to steps, she moved on quickly and gestured toward Eponine. Walking on level flooring would be easier than climbing stairs, unless the boat took an unexpected swerve and rocked uncontrollably, though that wasn’t likely. “I need to get there, will you walk with me?”

With Beast’s help, as Danielle needed to lean on her and take careful steps while avoiding putting a lot of weight on her injured leg, the treasure huntress approached Eponine.

“Thank you for your help.” She said, getting straight to the point. While she wasn’t ready to apologise, she understood that a thank you was in order. However, that didn’t mean that she was particularly interested in befriending the woman, which the frown on her face communicated quite clearly. Danielle glanced at Henry for a moment, cautious of the angry and protective brother, then she turned away from both of them to look at Namkhai once more. Although she was determined to get her message across to him that he was not, under any circumstances, to recount what he witnessed to anyone, she wasn't looking forward to more walking around... she knew exercising her leg may do it good, but she grew very tired incredibly quickly, as even the short distance from the cabin to the mast was a strain. Her injured leg felt like it was made of steel with how heavy it was, her muscles currently in no condition to move as freely as they did a few days ago. I'll exercise it later, she thought to herself with a sigh.

“Beast… if you get Namkhai over here to me, I’ll give you a special treat from my next meal.” She offered, and it wasn’t until her own mention of food that she realised how hungry she was. The amount of time that passed wasn’t entirely clear to her, but she couldn’t remember the last time she ate something proper, and her stomach felt terribly empty.

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Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #7

The doggo barked happily, quickly moving next to her, to give Danielle all the fluffy support she could possibly need.
As the two of them walked toward Eponine, the young woman curled herself into an even tighter ball, almost as if she was afraid of another yelling coming her way. So when the treasure huntress thanked her instead, she raised her head with the eyes of a stray puppy, that was head patted by a stranger, when all she expected was another kick.
"I…"
She whispered but quickly fell silent and curled herself one more time, noticing the angry glare of her brother.
"Woolf…"
Beast growled in his direction but was immediately distracted by Danielle's offer.
"Woof! Woof!"
The malamute barked happily and sprinted toward him.
Seeing her, Namkhai let go of the helm, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture, with an expression, that would frighten even brave men, let alone a little puppet like her.
"Beast, come here!"
He exclaimed as the poor dog did a 180° turn at full speed, running back with a tail between her legs, to hide herself behind Danielle, followed by Namkais laughter.
"Don't scare her please or she'll have nightmares."
Said Gabriel, disturbed by his morning routine by the sudden commotion. His annoyed expression immediately brightened, when he noticed Danielle.
"You are awake! What about your leg? Is it better? Wait, I'll ask Kiozan to fetch you breakfast…"
He paused, noticing Eponine behind her.
"Hmmm, did something happen?"
He asked, with a hint of confusion in his voice.
"Come on, get up, you only catch a cold down there."
However, as he reached toward her Eponine's face brightened as she turned red, quickly hiding herself behind a wall of knees and her long hair, leaving Gabriel even more confused than before, while Sigrid, on the other boat was trying her best to catch Danielle's attention, pointing at Gabriel, then Eponine, before making a hugging gesture, while giggling as a school girl.

[Bobbie]

Danielle watched Beast with a smile as the massive doggo ran so happily toward Namkhai, whether that was for the promised reward or not was really quite irrelevant. She was a beautiful creature and the bond that she had with these people reflected very clearly in the way she moved. However, when Beast turned around and returned to Danielle to hide, quite unsuccessfully considering her size, Danielle frowned with a bit of disappointment. Anyway, she knew she would end up giving her some of her food.

Before she could make way toward Namkhai herself, holding onto Beast once more, Gabriel’s voice could be heard and her attention shifted to him. With a gentle scoff toward Namkhai. “Yes, don’t scare her you big bab-” she didn’t finish her sentence as Gabriel’s seemingly grumpy mood immediately took a turn and he addressed her with enthusiasm.

“I think it is.” Danielle replied, though it was very difficult to tell if her leg was actually better or not without being able to rate her pain, and without the medical knowledge to assess the wound, visually. In truth, while her body did feel better on the whole, her leg felt heavier than it did yesterday, now that the wave of adrenaline-packed rage had passed. “I can’t move it very well and it won’t support much of my weight… but a good breakfast will probably help.” Grateful that Gabriel himself brought that up before her, she was very well aware that she needed fuel for her muscle to heal.

Then she turned to Eponine and raised her brow. With a shrug, she watched Eponine’s behaviour, “I don’t know what’s up with her or her brother.”

Shaking her head, she looked away to catch a glimpse of Sigrid out of the corner of her eye, then turned to face her properly and tried to understand what the giant was silently trying to say. Narrowing her eye, she then looked back at Gabriel, then Eponine… the Professor looked clueless and confused, as always, Eponine was recoiling and blushing uncontrollably… the Professor was kind and offered his assistance, probably a helping hand and even a warm embrace, and Eponine was scared, vulnerable, and probably seeking that comfort from a strong, handsome man… Then there was Henry, glaring at his sister - but why?

As Danielle connected the dots, her eye widened and her jaw dropped. “You didn’t!” She blurted out, limping forward and having to grab onto Gabriel to support herself. Gripping his shirt, she immediately put herself between him and Eponine, her other hand outstretched to hold onto the mast, her figure casting a shadow over the poor girl who was cowering on the cold floor. “You two! Did you…? No…” Letting go of the mast, she pointed at both of them, her attention alternating between the pair as her voice got louder, while her other hand was violently shaking Gabriel for a response, despite giving him no chance to offer one.

“No! Tell me you didn’t… that’s why her brother…” Finally letting go of him, she raised both hands in the air, “I don’t want to know… I don’t want to know! I just don’t want to know! You’re unbelievable!” She glared at Gabriel. “Just tell me, if Eponine didn’t sleep in my cabin last night, where exactly did she sleep? No, don’t answer… Ugh, where did she sleep!?”

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Danielle: #fffd17