Breaking News of a Professor and a Mistaken Identity

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #8

The Professor was watching Danielle utterly confused, with their head tilted to the side, which was a gesture he picked from one of his many dogs.
Beast was sitting right next to him, her expression being a perfect reflection of her master. Only after the treasure huntress asked where Eponine slept he realized what this is all about.
"In my bed of course."
He said as if it was the most obvious thing imaginable.
In a response to his words, Eponine growled, the sound of her desperation and embarrassment muffled by her knees, while her brother jumped on his feet, storming away.
"I am not going to listen to this!"
He yelled prompting Gabriel to sigh.
sigh.
"Look, I don't really understand why everyone acts so weird. Eponine never slept in a hammock before and was falling from it, so I offered her my bed instead."
He said.
"But that's not all!"
Sigrid exclaimed out of sudden.
"Tell her the rest, tell her, or can I? Please can I?"
She directed her large pleading eyes on Gabriel who was sighed seemingly tired from all this."
"If you want..."
And Sigrid probably had to, as she turned to Danielle almost immediately. Excited to share the rest of the story.
"Well, Eponine was scared to be there alone, which is completely understandable given what she went through, but that's not important. It's that her brother offered to stay with her, but she asked for Gabriel instead!"
Eponine howled again, probably regretting she didn't stay in prison.
"And he agreed!"
The giantess finished her gossip excited, finally letting Gabriel to talk.
"I mean, I don't understand why everyone is acting as if it was such a big deal. They were both tired and needed some rest and thanks to my inner training I can go without sleep for the night when necessary, so I was just sitting next to her bed and that was it."

[Bobbie]

Staring at him in disbelief, Danielle couldn’t believe what she just heard - Eponine spent the night with the Professor, in his bed. Her anger about the situation didn’t come from a place of jealousy, but rather concern. Breaking her out of prison alone was bad enough, but if he were to get involved with the woman in a romantic sense, that opened up so many complications, and a more serious investigation could be carried out as a result.

Then, however, it was mentioned that she slept in the offered bed instead of its original owner, not accompanying him, and the treasure huntress relaxed a little bit. Perhaps this was all just a misunderstanding… any shred of hope that Danielle had was crushed moments later as Sigrid continued to tell the story.

“She asked for Gabriel?” She was slightly surprised by this, as it was Eponine’s choice and not the Professor’s, but it didn’t make the situation any better. In fact, it only made everything worse. She turned around, pivoting on her good leg, and watched Eponine as the girl was making such terrible noises like a trapped creature, desperate to claw its way out of a situation. “Why?” Danielle couldn’t help asking as the realisation hit her that this was likely a terribly twisted form of infatuation. It had to be - Gabriel saved her from prison, and so he became the hero in her eyes and the young woman would grow fascinated by him and drawn to him, eager for more of his attention… the Professor, being the way he was, would be unable to turn down the pleas of what he would consider a lost and helpless puppy, and so…

Her gaze was fixed on the man once more as she feared the absolute worst. How much comfort did Eponine ask for? How much comfort did he give her? What sort of comfort was it? Was it all just emotional comfort and support, or did their night together culminate into something more intimate than that? These were not ordinary circumstances, how would it look in the eyes of the law?

She felt sick.

Again, an explanation was offered, and while it wasn’t one that brought much consolation, it did at least sort of rule out the worst case scenario, if it was true that he simply sat beside her and there was no more to it than that. Looking at Eponine again, it may have been possible that she fancied the Professor, but it was a relief to hear that even if that were the case, he did not act upon it. What she was mainly concerned about now was whether that would be the case the next night, or the night after that.

“Okay. Eponine will share a cabin with her brother from now on and nobody else. They can both take mine, and I will sleep in a hammock in another room.” Before anybody had a chance to argue, she shot a piercing glare at Gabriel, “If you really care about your puppies, you would know and understand that they need each other as much as they need you.” Her own words sent a chill down her spine, but she needed to speak in a language that he would understand. “Eponine needs to be with her brother, you never separate puppy siblings or it will spell disaster for the litter. Agreed?”

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #9

Despite Danielle´s best attempt to translate it for him, Gabriel was still utterly confused about what he did wrong this time given there was a huge difference between actual puppies and people that were just as cute and helpless as one. Still, he figured this wasn´t something worth arguing about especially since he didn´t have any problems with Danielle´s solution to the situation, well almost no problems.

“No, that won´t work.”

The Professor shook his head in disagreement.

“You need a quality rest for your leg to heal properly, so they´ll take my cabin. I am not really hung up on these “captain privileges” and I can sleep in a hammock all right. And…”

He put a greater emphasis on the following words to make sure everyone present will understand how serious he was.

“This is non-negotiable. I hope we understand each other.”

As he finished this sentence Eponine howled again, but the sound of her voice was cut short by Kiozan who just walked out of the lower deck of their boat, holding a large plate filled to the brim with food, main variations of steamed dumplings with various pickles.

“Breakfast time!”

The large Sumo Wrestler yelled from the top of his lungs. It was obvious, that Beast had to fight the urge to sprint there and get her fair share of whatever they will be eating, but in the end, her love for Danielle won the battle against her stomach and so the large malamute stayed at her side, helping her to walk towards the plate if the treasure huntress wanted. Even other members of the crew were going there, including their guests and so Sigrid grabbed a large barrel filled with crackers to join them.

Only two other people besides Gabriel were missing, Henry, who was probably still too angry to show his face at the upper deck, and his sister who was sobbing, leaning against the main mast.

“Hey, don´t cry.”

The Professor knelt down beside her, almost as if her tears were the final clue, he needed to put the two and two together about what was going on the whole time.

“It had to be hard to hear all this, am I right? Well, I have no right to tell you what to feel, but I would like to ask you one thing. Give it time. You went through a lot during the past few days so wait for a month or two and if you´ll feel the same we can talk about it. All right?”

Still sobbing, the dark-haired girl raised her eyes.

“P…promise?”

She asked, getting a warm smile in return.

“Promise, now let´s go, before these gluttons eat all dumplings.”

Offering her a hand for support, Gabriel helped Eponine up on her feet, heading towards the large plate as well.

[Bobbie]

Danielle watched Gabriel worriedly as he disagreed with her suggestion and she expected him to be very difficult about this. However, his alternative made sense as well - although she felt bad for him to have to sleep in a hammock and she considered arguing or offering him her bed, but as quickly as she opened her mouth with the thought in mind, she closed it again and decided to keep it to herself. He did make it very clear that this was non-negotiable, after all.

“Understood.” She replied with a nod, before glancing at the crying girl, then spinning around to direct her attention toward something far more important than the girl’s tears. Food!

Her mouth watered in response to just looking at the large plate with all those delicious dumplings on it, she could only imagine what Beast was going through. Turning to the large dog with a big smile, she ran a hand through her coat, “Good girl!” Danielle was genuinely impressed that Beast remained by her side, but there was no reason to keep the hungry doggo waiting any longer, now that their sleeping arrangements had been sorted.

“Okay, let’s go snatch up the tastiest ones while they’re still fresh and before everybody else gets to them first!” She whispered to Beast and began to make her way over to Kiozan and their breakfast with her fluffy assistant to keep her from falling over. Glancing back toward the Professor, she saw that he stayed behind for a moment to make sure Eponine was okay, then she finally got to the plate with Beast and the others who did the same.

“I am starving… these smell amazing, did you make them yourself?” she asked, looking up at the large sumo wrestler with whom she hadn't really had much chance to socialise and she took two dumplings. One instantly went to Beast’s snout, while Danielle herself chomped down on the other.

Now that she was up and about, all thanks to Beast, it was amazing what a difference it made to the treasure huntress’ mood and awareness. No longer wallowing in pity or hiding behind a wall of burning rage, she was ready to take on the day. Especially now that her belly was about to be filled, things didn’t seem so bad. Within seconds, the dumpling had vanished from the woman’s fingers, her cheek clearly stuffed as she chewed and reached out for a second. As delicious as they were, however, she could still feel that something was missing, and it didn’t take her long to realise what it was that she was craving - nougat cookies.

“Where are we heading?” Spending so much time in the cabin had caused Danielle to lose her bearings, having completely forgotten which way the ship was being steered; that is, if she had ever been told in the first place amidst all the chaos of their arrival. Now that she acquired the twelve cheques from Mr Marlowe, there was no other treasure for her to chase after for the time being… although she did have that box that she stole from the man’s room, which she hadn’t even tried to open yet.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #10

Despite being offered the opportunity to leave, Beast stayed with Danielle, walking beside her with her head held high, showing everyone, she was doing something important.

It put a smile on Gabriel´s face as he was helping Eponine back onto her feet, and back to the rest of their crew. She walked slowly, head held down, but once she got to taste Kiozan´s dumplings her face brightened even if only so little.

In the end, the whole breakfast was held in a friendly atmosphere, with the members of the M.A.R.I. talking and joking, only until the News Coo arrived with the newspaper. Paying for the delivery, Gabriel took the rolled daily press and frowned right after noticing the large photo on the front side.

“Well, looks like we made it into the news.”

He sighed as the whole half of the front page was dedicated to a large photograph of the destruction caused by Sigrid on Mirrorball island with an accompanying article, that was covering all that happened there, including Gabriel´s rampage at the local station. Turning to the next site he found another photo, this time himself holding Danielle in her dress with a very inaccurate description of the Shell Island incident, that was portraying them as the bad guys, who basically raided the residence of a local businessman and philanthropist. The whole article was then finished by the notion that the marines were working on proper identification of all culprits with the sole exception, Sigrid Grovsmed.

Frowning, Gabriel opened the newspaper in the middle, taking out a brand new wanted poster with Sigrid´s photo on it.

Sigrid “The Glazed Behemoth” Grovsmed

Dead or Alive

31 400 000 Beli

Watching over his shoulder Namkhai whistled.

“Well, that´s one h*ll of a bounty. It´s even bigger than the first one Mugiwara no Luffy got from his exploits in the East. Sigrid!”

He turned to the giantess with a wide grin on his face.

“Looks like you are the most wanted woman in the whole East!”

Peaking from the other side, Niko looked at the main article, then at Danielle, and then back to the article.

“D*mn…miss Sky, you should really think about wearing a dress more often. You are real beauty when you try.”

[Bobbie]

As the delicious breakfast was enjoyed by everyone, all in good cheer as any bad moods were lifted, even Danielle’s frown had eased. She remained by Beast’s side the entire time, ensuring that she got some breakfast too, but was cautious of what to feed her, aware that not all human food was healthy for dogs.

Then the daily press came in and the first frown made its way into their morning routine - surprisingly, it did not come from the treasure huntress. Hers quickly followed, however, as she watched Gabriel.

“What?” Danielle asked, worry instantly washing over her as she wondered if she would be included in that ‘we’ uttered by the Professor. She couldn’t see the pictures that he was looking at, but his furrowed brow was enough for her to realise it certainly wasn’t good, so she moved closer to try and see, just as Namkhai seemed to have the same idea and whistled. Her eye wide, she turned to look at Sigrid, as just like that, her good mood was shattered. It was exactly as she feared, the chaos caused by the giantess landed a hefty bounty on her head, and that meant that any of them could be sucked into the same fate.

"Let me see..." Try as she may, she couldn’t get a spot to squeeze in and take a look at the pictures, but she didn’t want to push her way through. It wasn’t until Niko spoke that she seemed to lose all sense of manners.

Her entire body went cold as he complimented her appearance in a dress. It was embarrassing, but there was more to it than that - the way he looked at the article, then at her, and back at the article again could only mean one thing, and she knew the exact moment that it happened, recalling the local photographer appearing before them at Gatling’s manor and taking a photo. This was far far worse than the mere embarrassment of being caught wearing a dress. Pushing to get to the newspaper, she snatched it from Gabriel’s hands to look at it in horror, her eye fixed on the dreadful picture of her in a dress and in the Professor’s arms. This was absolutely terrible and Danielle quickly flew into a panic.

“No! I can’t have my picture in the papers like this! That photographer! We have to find her and destroy whatever images she has of me in this dress!” she uttered, but quickly shook her head at how illogical that was. “No, just… we need to burn every copy before they’re all distributed!” Again, she realised that made no sense and was an impossible task as she reached up to rub her forehead, as if any kind of massage could relax the immeasurable tension in her brow. Anxiously, she shifted her weight. She started to pace, but nearly collapsed immediately because of her leg and grabbed onto Beast once more.

“We have to go to Shimoshiki Island.” She finally uttered in a more composed manner, before pausing once more and falling into silence as she looked at Gabriel, a murderous gaze directed at him. In reality, he was to blame for this. All of it. If he hadn’t insisted that she dress like that for the event, it wouldn’t have been a problem if her picture made its way into the paper.

“Put everything else on hold, I need to meet and speak with Rosalina. This is not ideal, I don't have the money I need yet, so I will have to avoid her father at all cost, but it can't be helped. If I don't, she will see my picture in the papers and be very unhappy - what if she thinks I’m cheating on her with you?” she put so much emphasis on the word ‘you’ that it seemed like being in a relationship with the Professor was the worst thing imaginable.

Then she turned to Namkhai, “Whatever course we’re on, please redirect and head to Shimoshiki Island.” She repeated, folding the paper in her hands and wishing to tear it up to pieces, but it was their only copy so that might not have been wise. This was unlike Danielle, but the ill-tempered treasure huntress was almost pleading, as her relationship with her ginger lover meant everything to her... losing Rosalina was not an option and that desperation came through in her voice. “If I can explain to Rosalina what was going on there and why I was dressed like that in that awful dress, she will understand everything and any rumours being spread from these articles can be avoided... I just need to explain it. She'll understand. Shimoshiki Island…”

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #11

The mood on their ship took a rather dramatic turn with the arrival of the newspapers. Hearing her name and something about bounty, Sigrid leaned forward to take a look, before her face turned pale and she burst into tears.

“WHUAAAAAAA I am a criminal!”

She cried, showering everyone present with large tears.

“How could they do this? It was just an accident! How am I supposed to marry like this?!”

And while the caring voice in Gabriel wanted to go and comfort the heartbroken giantess, he had another, perhaps even more pressing problem at hand. Namely, Danielle, who tore the newspapers out of his hand, before going ballistic over her photo in the dress proposing plans ranging from destroying every single copy of that photo to changing a course towards Shimoshiki Island so she could get a chance to explain herself to her fiancée. However, despite the urgency in her voice, Namkhai didn´t move a muscle, turning towards Gabriel instead.

“Boss?”

The Professor frowned. They had job to do. Learning the identity of the culprit behind Python´s murder he wanted to get a second testimony he had to act, and he had to act fast, before his enemy realize, he knows his identity. However, on the other hand…Danielle got into this situation because of him, so it was his responsibility to help her out of it. So, after a moment of hesitation, he nodded in agreement.

“Yes, change the course towards the Shimoshiki Island.”

Namkhai nodded, heading back to the helm, while Gabriel got up on his feet, turning towards the crying giantess.

“And you don´t cry. Or did you not hear me? Toroa Island isn´t part of the World Government. If you move there, you won´t be bothered by the Marines!”

Sigrid paused, taking a look at him from below her wet eyelashes.

“Really?”

She asked.

“Really…”

The Professor responded encouragingly.

“And…and…are there any giants?”

Gabriel paused, taken aback by her question, before shaking his head.

“No, they are not, but I bet whatever you want, that they will flock there from all corners of the world once word gets out that beauty as yourself lives there!”

Sigrid smiled, drying her tears into her sleeve.

“If…if you say so.”

She smiled and so Gabriel could relax again as another catastrophe was prevented…at least for now.

[Bobbie]

While her pleading seemed to have little effect on Namkhai, she followed his gaze and turned to look at Gabriel when he did. At that moment, the treasure huntress displayed something very different from the usual snappy outbursts, as she felt entirely helpless. She was on somebody else’s ship, which she had no say in its sailing, and she was wounded so she couldn’t branch off on her own to go and take care of things by herself. As much as she hated it and refused to admit it, she needed their help, the Professor’s specifically, since he was the one to give the order for their next course of action.

Her lips didn’t move as she didn’t utter another word, but the silent look in her eye spoke volumes, her brow twisting into something other than a frown for a change. As he considered it, Danielle’s entire body seemed to gravitate forward, as far as it could before the dead weight of her leg would hold her back. She could see that he was thinking about something else and considering his options, and she only hoped that he would understand the severity of her situation - she could lose Rosalina over this.

The moment he agreed, the woman in love let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders lowering into a more relaxed position and the pleading expression - whether a ruse or not - relented. The treasure huntress resumed a more determined and headstrong appearance soon after.

“Thank you…” she uttered as Namkhai went to the helm and Gabriel’s attention went back to the giantess.

Unable to do a lot with her leg as it was, she leaned against Beast and went through the rest of the paper that had now become hers and nobody else was allowed to see. Hearing the conversation between the two, she stayed out of it and only idly flipped through the pages, occasionally having to wipe some droplets from the tears that sprayed from Sigrid’s fluttering eyelashes and landed on her.

The voyage to Shimoshiki felt longer than it actually was, as Danielle was plagued with worry, her mind playing over scenarios that didn’t end well each time she tried to imagine how the conversation explaining the photo would go. Finally, she would see the island become visible, slowly getting bigger and bigger as they approached its port. Instantly rising out of her slump, she looked toward their destination, growing more anxious by the second. Taking a deep breath, she pet Beast as the ship soon entered the port. She wasn’t sure how close Beast would be able to get her to Rosalina, because of the girl’s irrational dislike of canine creatures… they also needed to find a way to get to her beloved without alerting anybody else in the family.

"This will be over soon... don't take any offence if Rosalina looks at you funny, okay?" she whispered to Beast, scratching behind her ears, lovingly. "You are beautiful and I will give you an extra belly rub when we get back for all of your help." With that, she began to make her way to leave the ship with Beast's assistance, leaving her things safe on the ship.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #12

It was very uncharacteristic of Danielle to resort to puppy eyes. Whatever she did it was on purpose to play on Gabriel´s emotions or unintentional the result was the same, the Professor approved of her desired course while secretly happy about how cute his puppy was.

As for their voyage toward the Shimoshiki Island, Gabriel spent a great deal of time with Eponine. Most of the time, they simply talked about her past and his, family, and plans for the future, starting wide and slowly moving toward the traumatic events she went through. For the most part, he was silent, and she talked, while the Professor was making sure to give her encouragement and a shoulder to cry on when necessary. In a few days, he started teaching her the basics of the Imperial Dragon walking her through the most basic postures and patterns of this art.

When they finally arrived at their destination, she looked almost like a different person. The little scared girl that was desperately clinging to her savior was disappearing, being replaced by a confident and self-reliant woman that was quickly learning how to protect herself and the people she loved. Carefully guided by his words and actions, it wasn´t only herself that changed, but her relationship with Gabriel as well. In a way, it became stronger, despite losing its romantic component, while shifting more towards the relationship between a student and teacher.

She was really making him proud because while the Professor felt flattered that such a young and beautiful woman fancied him, he was also realizing that allowing her to act on it would only lead to a tragedy. He was hardly a material for a hero out of a young woman´s dream.

Getting ready for the landing, Gabriel was watching the port in front of them worried because…well, it was completely empty. When they got close enough for his eyes to see the details, it was full of people and very livid but the closer they got the fewer people he could see until they were all gone, hiding in their homes almost as if they were expecting some kind of catastrophe coming their way.

“Hmmmm, what´s going on here?”

He muttered, rubbing his chin.

His words were picked by Kiozan, the giant sumo wrestler who answered him with laughter.

“What do you think? We have one of the most wanted women in the whole Blue with us, of course, these people are scared sh*tless”

He laughed from the top of his lungs.

[Bobbie]

As their ship reached the port, Danielle had made it to Gabriel’s side, her eye fixed on the goal: a large castle in the distance. It wasn't all visible, of course, but its spires stood out as they rose higher than most buildings on the island and even towered over the greatest dojo where Danielle herself had learnt how to hold a sword. She had many fond memories on this island, and other less fond ones. As she recalled the incident with her former sensei, the useless flesh that was concealed beneath her eyepatch felt like it twitched and recoiled at the flashback of how it came to be as it was - though perhaps this reaction was all in her head. Of course, Sensei Barbossa might be around on the island... or her might not be. She hadn't spoken to him in a long time. She knew her brother was somewhere around too, though she usually did not like to disturb him. It wasn't that their relationship wasn't good, in fact they had quite a good relationship whether they communicated often or not, but it was rather that she knew how busy he was. Furthermore, it was no secret that he did not approve of her relationship with Rosalina, and she simply couldn't have a conversation with him without that topic being brought up.

Standing there beside the Professor and having given it a second thought, she decided to take one particular item with her - the chest stolen from Marlowe’s office which Danielle was now holding firmly under her arm. She had no idea what was in it, as she never managed to get it open, but she could foresee a situation where some sort of peace offering might be needed… The chest would make a nice jewellery case that Rosalina would most likely quite enjoy.

Their silence was broken by Gabriel’s question, which was promptly answered by Kiozan, and the love-stricken treasure huntress sighed.

“I hope we won’t have a repeat of events on Mirrorball Island, Professor…” she uttered, glancing at him as she spoke in a slightly accusatory tone but a respectful one nonetheless. She was grateful that he agreed to come here. Whether he had specific plans elsewhere or not, this was still taking up his time and resources, and not once did he ever ask for anything in return.

“I’m bringing this with me.” She held up the small chest, moving on from the topic. “Rosalina will probably be quite upset so I will lead with a gift.” Danielle explained, failing to realise that the very nature of her plan highlighted a rather negative characteristic in her beloved - Rosalina was materialistic and would be blinded by a pretty-looking box. “Then I will ease into the topic, briefly explain the circumstances and we can all move on. Hopefully this will not take very long and I won’t keep you here for too much time.”

Pausing, she looked toward Beast, then back at Gabriel once more, “My plan is very simple and hopefully foolproof. First, somebody will need to deliver a message to Rosalina for her to meet me at a landmark. There is a garden fountain where she and I spent a lot of time together. She will be very familiar with it. I will wait there for her, which will limit how much I need to move around on my leg… she arrives, I give her the gift, we talk, and everything is sorted out. So simple and nothing can go wrong.”

As the gangplank was lowered for people to get on land, Danielle smiled and began making her way toward it. Although her leg was much better, she still needed some support to walk, and as great as Beast has been, it would have been helpful to have some form of a crutch to assist her as well. Her greatest concern was that Rosalina did not like dogs very much, though that was a detail that she felt should not fall upon Gabriel's ears. With the man's obsession with puppies, she feared that he would take it against Rosalina too drastically.

"While I wait for her at the fountain, it is important that none of you are in sight." She added as she walked, relying on Beast to remain by her side for now. 

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #13

With their ship reaching the port Gabriel headed towards Danielle, together with Beast who refused to leave the woman for longer than a few heartbeats possibly scared that she would try to leave them since they arrived on her home island.

“What? But that wasn´t my fault!”

“What? But that wasn´t my fault!”

Both the Professor and Sigrid spoke in unison as Danielle mentioned the disaster that was their stay on the Mirrorball Island. Looking at each other, before quickly turning their eyes in a different direction.

Seeing that, Niko chuckled, making his way toward the treasure huntress.

“You know, with Sigrid on our side, you don´t even have to bother with all that money. We can probably storm that castle and kidnap your girlfriend for you.”

Truth to be told, it was an idea that appeared in Gabriel´s mind as well, and not only once although formulated in slightly different words, but he also always rejected it.

“No one will be kidnapping anyone.”

The Professor said strictly, making Niko flinch.

“Danielle is against kidnapping.”

He added his reasoning, which made the bronze-skinned warrior chuckle

“I can go.”

Namkhai raised his voice when Danielle explained her plan but was stopped by Gabriel.

“No, I´ll go. If these people react so poorly to Sigrid it would be better if the message was delivered by someone who isn´t wanted.”

The Titan frowned for a second, but then shrugged, looking somewhere behind his master. Following the path of his gaze, Gabriel noticed an elderly and obviously distressed man, who slowly walked toward their ship.

“I…my name is Matsuda Shinpei and I…I am the mayor of this town!”

He tried to look authoritative but both his knees and voice were shaking uncontrollably as he was watching Sigrid on the second ship.

“P…please state your business you c…criminals!”

[Bobbie]

It seemed that both the Professor and the giantess refused to take responsibility for their actions on Mirrorball Island, and it infuriated Danielle. So much so that she glared daggers at both of them as they simultaneously began to make excuses. Thankfully, they both stopped after only denying fault.

Niko’s voice caused the blonde to turn around and look at him with a raised eyebrow. She didn’t even need to object, as Gabriel himself did so immediately, much to the man’s surprise, it seemed. Even Danielle did not expect such a response, and when Gabriel gave his reason for it, it brought a smile to the treasure huntress’ face.

“Good. Seems like you’re finally learning something.” She uttered, though she wasn’t convinced that she should get her hopes up about that.

As Namkhai offered to go and deliver said message to Rosalina, it didn’t sound like a terrible idea, but her companion put forward an excellent point - it would be best to avoid somebody as notorious as Namkhai with such a bounty on his head prancing through the town and approaching the Fernandez Dior residence.

“Please just make sure not to say anything stupid… Rosalina calls me Danny, so refer to me as such so that she will know I sent you. She never calls me Danielle, so she might think something is wrong if you do.”

Before Danielle could continue to give any further instruction, a familiar voice was heard not very far away, but completely void of any confidence. Glancing toward the speaker, Danielle held onto Beast to support herself when she recognised the man’s name and face - though it was a little more aged than she remembered.

“Mayor Shinpei…” Danielle stepped forward, hoping to introduce the group in good grace and avoid another incident with the law. “These people are with me, they won’t be staying long. Sigrid will be staying here by the ship and these two men will accompany her.” She gestured toward Niko and Namkhai as she explained, unsure if the mayor even remembered her or not. “Please, mayor, I ask you to turn a blind eye, no criminal will set foot on your land… they will remain here at the dock while the Professor and Beast must accompany me into the village. They will all behave.” Pausing, she looked at Sigrid and gave her the best warning look through a narrowed eye that she could manage, then glanced at Namkhai with a far more lenient expression, and lastly at Gabriel, who was perhaps her greatest concern. Then she turned back to the mayor with a reassuring nod. "I will vouch for them."

The way the mayor trembled was worrying - people tended to act in all sorts of irrational ways when they were afraid. She hoped it would cause him to place blind trust in her, but she considered the possibility of it doing the opposite, driving him to cast the whole lot of them out altogether, Danielle included.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #14

Upon hearing her voice, the mayor finally turned his eyes from Sigrid and looked at Danielle with an expression showing that he didn't notice her up until now.
"Mr. Daniel!? Well if they are with you I think it shouldn't be a problem..."
He asked with surprise, replacing the initial fear in his tone, while at the same time causing a lot of raised eyebrows among the members of M.A.R.I.
"Mr. Daniel?"
Gabriel asked in a whisper, proving a surprising amount of tact by not confronting the older man directly about his mistake. And Danielle insisted on being referred to as Danny in front of her girlfriend…something definitely wasn't right here and the Professor was dying to ask, but his attention was quickly directed towards Namkhai who bluntly asked.
"Ehm do we have to?"
This was a direct challenge to the promise the young treasure huntress just gave to the mayor and frankly, under normal circumstances, Gabriel would let them stretch their legs as they saw fit, but not if it could destroy Danielle's chance for a normal and happy life with the woman of her dreams.
"Yes, stay near the ships, we won't stay more than a few hours anyway. So buy what we need for the next sail and wait for me."
He turned around, getting ready to leave the ship when another voice stopped him.
"Master, can I do the shopping?"
Turning around again, he saw Eponine, who just walked up on the upper deck. Thinking about it, it wasn't such a bad idea. The young woman still needed to strengthen her confidence so doing something on her own could be helpful. And the locals would probably react better to young, seemingly harmless woman, than to Namkhai anyway.
"Sure, ask Kiozan and the rest what they need and pay for delivery on the ships."
She responded with a wide smile and polite bow she copied from Namkhai and the others.
"Yes, master!"
With a wide smile on his face, the Professor headed toward the castle. On foot, because while flying there would be probably faster something was telling him that the locals wouldn't be happy about guy jumping above their heads.

[Bobbie]

Danielle sighed quietly to herself, having thought that after all this time, the mayor would have figured out his mistake and corrected that, but, as usual, it was easier to go along with the error than to spend precious minutes, possibly hours, trying to rectify the mistake. A part of her wondered if even her birth certificate mistakenly identified her as ‘Daniel’ as well.

In any case, it wasn’t important. What was important was that the mayor was willing to let these very dangerous people get on with their business without any fuss. If he was able to see past their bounties, then surely she could see past his mistake. Glancing at Gabriel, she gestured for him not to be bothered with her identification, shrugging and indicating that she didn’t care, but before she could say anything else, Namkhai opened his big mouth.

Turning to the protesting wrestler, Danielle wished to murder him with her gaze. Thankfully, the Professor gave the order for him to stay near the ships, and she hoped that meant not causing any trouble. Unfortunately, it seemed that with these people, there was really no way of knowing what sort of mischief they would get up to and so all she could do was hope for the best. As Eponine asked if she could do the shopping, the treasure huntress let out a sigh of relief. Surely, she could be trusted to behave like a normal person and not rampage through a village like some wild, crazed animal seeking the thrill of a hunt… a police hunt.

“Great, so it’s all settled.” Danielle smiled, quite satisfied with the outcome and thanked the mayor, before she began to make her way into the town with Beast’s help. “Remember, the park fountain! The main park in the square by Duck Lake!” She called after Gabriel, who was already making his way toward the castle. Her pace was far slower than she’d like it to be, but that couldn’t be helped.

“Come on, Beast, let’s get to the park… help me reach the fountain and I’ll sit down, then you go wait for me by the lake. Have you ever seen ducks?” The layout of the park was crystal clear in her mind, as if she had just been there with her beloved Rosalina just yesterday. Time away from her love was painful, but she was doing all of this for her. The precious chest securely under her arm, she held her head high, ready to face the storm that was sure to come during this meeting… explaining the situation will not be straightforward, but she had to believe that Rosalina would understand. Everything she did, she did for love.

---

The Fernandez Dior Estate was huge, with a massive castle that could be seen from anywhere on the island. One might even mistake it for the mayor’s residence, considering how prominent its tall spires were, but this was not the case. In fact, it belonged to one especially wealthy man, Signor Olivier Lawrence Fernandez Dior - and he refused to be addressed as anything other than his full title.

It was a name that was commonly recognised all across Shimoshiki island by the commoners, as most simply steered clear from him. The man’s greed for wealth knew no bounds and the citizens were angry about this as several requests for perfectly affordable donations were repeatedly denied.

Rosalina, however, Danielle swore was different. The girl was kind and doting, in the blind vision of her lover, a prisoner to her father’s restrictive lifestyle who deserved to travel the world and see all the wonders that it held for such a beautiful soul such as Rosalina’s. This further fuelled the treasure huntress’ motivation to succeed at winning the ginger’s hand in marriage, eager to force the cruel man into a corner and take her away from this life, like a princess who had been locked in her castle for too many years.

As any clever owner of such a large expanse of land, the estate had guards stationed at the main gate that would open up into a large garden. The magnificent castle could then only be accessed by means of a bridge that was built over a moat.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #15

Hearing the magical word "ducks" Beast straightens herself both ears and tail pointed as her primal instincts urged her to get ready for a hunt.
"Ducks!? Ducks!?"
She asked in a way that a distant observer could easily interpret as a simple "woof woof"
It took her a while to realize that her favorite hunting toys weren't there and that it was only a promise of a future game and not an imminent one.
"Beast looooves duuuuucks!"
She whispered quickly following Danielle to wherever they were supposed to be.

---

Meanwhile, Gabriel was going through one of the hardest walks of his life as his instrumental overanalyzing self couldn't simply forget what just happened. Danielle asked him to be called Danny in front of her fiancee. The mayor mistaking her for a man. What if he wasn't the only one? What if her girlfriend thought she was a man too? Of course, the idea that her loved one wouldn't know was such a stretch that under normal circumstances he wouldn't even consider it. But when it came to his puppy the man could think straight and his mind immediately bombarded him with horror scenarios of what could go wrong. He had to apply all of his breathing exercises just to calm his racing mind.
Luckily for anyone involved, the walk was quite long and so before he arrived at the front gate he had already decided on a plan. Right now he'll do his best to prevent any damage to Danielle's relationship and then, he'll try to investigate the truth! Not only that but he also used the last few minutes to prepare his initial speech which he used for the guards.
"Good morning gentlemen. My name is professor Gabriel Moon and I am here on behalf of my protegee Danny Sky who would like to ask for a meeting with…"
He paused suddenly realizing that he has no idea what pronouns to use.
"Rosalina…"
He paused again this time because as far as his memory went, he never heard her surname.
"At the park fountain near the Duck lake."
He finished, realizing that this definitely didn't go as planned. So in the awkward silence that followed Gabriel pointed the fingers at his right hand forming a spear hand just in case he would have to get the woman out by force.