A Dreaded Encounter of Two Lovers and Doggo

[Bobbie]

Danielle laughed as her face was licked, getting a face full of doggy slobber. Reaching up to wipe Beast’s saliva off her, she held onto Beast for support and walked with a limp.

“I know you can, I’d have been so lost without you.” She muttered, softly, as she proceeded to make her way back to the other ship with Beast’s assistance.

On said other ship, Rosalina just witnessed and experienced one of the many risks of being aboard the ship with these brutish fighters. As Niko was hurled through the air mere millimeters away from her, the girl tensed and squeaked, her shoulders rising and her eyes growing wide. However, in response to Gabriel’s comment, she simply laughed, nervously.

“Whoopsee~” she continued to smile, “I just wanted to say hello to Danny’s friends. My, you two must really get a lot of training in, to throw such a strong-looking man across the deck so easily…” Allowing her voice to trail off, there was no doubt where Rosalina’s attention was, eyeing the two muscular men intently.

As she was about to offer another compliment, a gentle hand reached out that was clearly aiming for Namkhai’s bicep, but that gesture and the comment that was about to come from the attention-seeking girl’s mouth were thankfully interrupted by one from Namkhai himself.

“Oh…” withdrawing her hands before making any contact and raising them both to be on her reddened cheeks, she swayed and looked down, only seeing that the man before her was looking in her direction but completely missing that he wasn’t looking at her at all. “Thank you, but you see, I’m engaged… perhaps if circumstances were different…”

The moment Danielle heard Namkhai’s comment, she immediately frowned. While the walk was perfectly doable, it required more focus than she anticipated. Looking up from her footwork, she opened her mouth to immediately tell everyone that Rosalina was off limits to anyone who got any funny ideas as was implied by the flattery she just heard - only to find that Namkhai must not have been talking about Rosalina. He wasn’t even looking at Rosalina. In fact, he was staring right at her!

The treasure huntress felt her own cheeks burn as her face lit up, causing her to stand motionless on the spot for a moment. Perhaps in shock and disbelief, she herself was staring too, trying to determine if Namkhai was serious or fooling around. She wasn’t wearing a dress this time…

Clearing her throat, she forced her flustered self to look away, taking another step and nearly tripping.

Taking Danielle’s response as a way of announcing annoyance at another man flirting with their fiancée, Rosalina spun around, feeling proud of herself for setting up this scene. However, now that Danny’s presence was made known, she skipped over to her and threw her arms around Danielle, nearly knocking her over.

“Danny!” She clung to Danielle, staying on the side furthest away from Beast and gently trying to pull her away from the giant doggo, but Danielle wouldn’t budge. Instead, she kept one arm loosely around Rosalina and the other steadily on Beast, while her gaze lingered on Namkhai once more. There was no glare this time, but rather a questioning look. This, however, did not last very long with the brat that was now attached to her side and demanding her attention instead, as Danielle turned her head to look down at her beloved Rosalina.

“Can you show me around the ship and introduce me to everyone? I just met these two fighters while you were gone, I didn’t know you’re hanging out with men like these.” The cheeky giggle that came with her final statement, uttered in a hushed tone as if it were taboo, made it very clear what Rosalina meant by ‘like these’. Much to her dismay, Danielle chose not to take the bait, and only answered the first part of her question.

“The ship does not belong to me, Rosalina, you are only allowed to go wherever the Professor permits…” Glancing at Gabriel, she continued, "Which I'm sure will not include certain private areas, like the cabins..."

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #9

Namkhai´s smile slightly faded when Rosalina decided to steal the compliment, he addressed Danielle for herself.

“That wasn´t…”

Always blunt to a fault, the Titan of Bokh was more than ready to correct that redhead´s assumption and not in a polite way. But then he realized it would be pointless as the spoiled brat already clung to Danielle, trying her best to get her away from Beast which the goofy furball didn´t take well and decided to go to counterattack, rubbing her large fluffy head against the ginger´s hand any time she tried to grab Danielle.

“Well, I mean…”

Gabriel wanted to say that he doesn´t mind Rosalina visiting their cabins but paused as he noticed Danielle´s glare which confused him. Was there something the treasure huntress didn´t want her girlfriend to see? But what? The Professor was pretty sure she already got rid of the dress he gave her and it wasn´t like she had some obviously girly things herself so…

“Eponine, she is sleeping in her cabin!”

The realization hit him like a hammer together with the possible implication. It was more and more obvious to him, that Rosalina was a terrible person. One that clearly didn´t deserve Danielle´s affection, but the blonde herself didn´t see it. So, if he allowed Rosalina downstairs and she saw Eponine´s things in Danielle´s cabin, the two of them could break up giving Namkhai a chance to make his move and keep Gabriel´s puppy with the crew!

“Now now, who is acting like a creep?”

A sarcastic voice from the depth of his soul reprimed him.

“Besides, try this, and I guarantee you she will hate you for he rest of your life. So stop being so selfish this is about her happiness, not yours.”

Gently frowning, the Professor realized that arguing with himself was pointless mainly because he was right and finished his sentence.

“It´s our personal space so, it´s off-limits for people who are not part of the crew. Besides didn´t you want to go on date?”

[Bobbie]

Although she did not need any further confirmation of who Namkhai’s comment was directed toward, Danielle heard what he began to say. However, her focus was quickly drawn to maintaining her balance as her redhead lover latched onto her like an octopus.

Each time Rosalina’s hand was met with a fluffy head or snout, the spoilt girl gently tried to push Beast away, prompting a frown to appear on Danielle’s face. Quite unpleased with how her fiancee was treating the best doggo, Danielle was quick to move her own hand between Rosalina and Beast, preventing Rosalina’s dismissive behaviour, while also giving the massive furball lots of love and affection.

As Gabriel contemplated which areas Rosalina should be allowed to wander, it seemed to take an age for his response to come. In the meantime, Rosalina proceeded to pout and sulk.

“But why~? Am I not invited into your cabin, Danny? I want to see that you’re being taken care of and have adequate space. No less than a chamber fit for a ki-”

Gabriel’s response interrupted her nagging as she looked at him with a frown, and before she could argue, Danielle spoke.

“There you go, the captain has spoken. Cabins are off-limits and we shall respect his wishes. Besides, he’s right… it would not be very suitable for a date, would it?” The sly smile that spread across Danielle’s lips was one that she rarely showed to any of the other members of the crew, and it was followed by a quick kiss that the pair shared for a brief moment.

“I suppose you’re right. Can we have our date here on the ship? Like… get out a table on the deck and we can all eat together.” The girl suggested, inching away from the one living being that she did not want at their table - Beast - once more as she tried to pull Danielle to turn with her and give the dog her back, but again the animal-lover would not budge. “Oh! That box you gave me, did you leave it behind?” Despite being wholly at fault, her question came out as something of an accusation as if it had been Danielle’s responsibility to simply pick up what Rosalina left abandoned at the fountain.

“No, I brought it back with us. I might have left it on Sigrid’s ship… I’m sure Beast wouldn’t mind being a sweetheart and fetching it for you.” She turned to Beast with a smile, before narrowing her eye slightly, “And bringing it back in one unchewed piece…”

Then she sighed and turned to look at the other members, Hariyama with his fishing, Namkhai and Niko having recently concluding a sparring session, Gabriel with his… creep-like behaviour, and then there was Eponine presumably out of sight and in her cabin at this very moment… It was too risky. “I would really like to take you somewhere nicer than this ship. I don’t think it is very fitting for a princess.”

Rosalina whined, “Pleeeaaaase? I want to get a taste of what you’ve been experiencing all this time. I never get to spend any time on my father’s ships, please, please, please? I’ll behave!” With a final giggle, she tugged on Danielle’s arm and looked up at her with the cutest look her large green eyes could muster.

Making the mistake of looking down at her beloved, Danielle was swayed as she sighed and then looked at Gabriel. “Would… it be possible to do that?”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #10

Seeing the kiss between Danielle and Rosaline, Namkhai made a face as if someone stabbed him in the guts and turned away, suddenly having lots of work on the other side of the ship. Gabriel noticed but didn´t comment on that, instead focusing his attention on Rosalina´s request that followed. Truth to be told he came up with the idea of a date to get Rosalina off the ship, because not only it was tiresome to watch every word, he said to protect Danielle´s secret, but he also wanted some time with his crew to discuss his suspicion that, over the time, grew to near certainty.

“Here? Well, I don´t really think…”

The Professor was very clear in his attempt to say no to this request, but then two things happened. Danielle looked at Rosalina, immediately changing her opinion as she couldn´t say no to her, and second, Gabriel looked at Danielle and realized that he won´t be able to say no to his puppy. So throwing a guilty look at Namkhai, he nodded.

“All right, I think we can arrange something. Hariyama, would you be so kind and prepared a lunch for us?”

The large sumo wrestler raised from his fishing spot, packing his rod in the process.

“Well, boss I would like to, but Eponine still didn´t return with our supplies.”

The Professor´s face conjured a worried frown, that became even deeper when Hariyama added.

“Her brother went to look for her but didn´t return either.”

In his peripheral vision, Gabriel noticed as Namkhai turned around, probably ready to volunteer to go and search for them to get away from Danielle and Rosalina, but driven by the sudden fear for his puppy, the Professor spoke before he could realize that.

“Yes, that´s really strange. I´ll go and look for them. The rest of you prepare the ship for the lunch.”

With that, he rushed out of the boat.

[Bobbie]

Unlike Gabriel, Danielle’s attention was far too focussed on Rosalina to notice anything else going on around her at that moment. It was only when she looked directly at The Professor that the rest of the world resumed its existence in her universe. Hearing him agree that they could arrange to make their lunch date possible on the ship, Danielle smiled. More importantly, Rosalina did too.

However, that soon took a turn as Hariyama mentioned that Eponine did not return, nor did her brother. She didn’t particularly care for the woman or her sibling all that much, but she did owe her something for dressing her wound and taking good care of her - whether it was against Danielle’s own will or not.

“Who’s Eponine?” Rosalina asked, her eyes darting from one speaker to another and finally resting on Danielle once more, locking her gaze on her Danny’s one functional eye. “Danny, who is she?” A gentle prod brought Danielle to look down at her, then up at Gabriel again, then at Hariyama. The treasure huntress was trying to follow the conversation in order to offer her assistance, but Rosalina’s persistence made it difficult for her to be a part of that conversation and a second one with the stubborn girl.

“How long ago did she leave?” She asked, turning to Hariyama. With all that was going on between her and Rosalina, she couldn’t remember who of them left the ship first upon reaching the dock. She vaguely remembered meeting the mayor, so surely Eponine must have left after her…

Just as Gabriel rushed off the boat, Danielle did her best to rush after him. Her leg had definitely improved and she was able to use it a bit more, successfully putting more weight on it, but not without a heavy limp, and its strength was not long-lasting. Perhaps it was for the better that, feeling ignored, Rosalina tugged at her arm to bring Danielle to a sudden halt before she could test that.

“Danny!”

“She’s one of the crew, we need to help find her-”

“And you were just going to leave me here with all these people I don’t even know?” As the sulking and pouting began once more, Danielle could only let out a sigh. It was yet another battle that she had no chance at winning.

“No, Rosalina, I wasn’t-”

“Yes, you were! You ran after him like you’re his puppy.” Rosalina cut Danielle off before she could explain, and then puffed out her cheeks, her arms crossed as she released her lover’s arm. “Fine. Go. I’ll keep myself busy here. Who knows, maybe I’ll be gone by the time you get back, snatched up by one of these big strong men and thrown overboard. Or worse!”

“Rosie…” The sheer willpower that it took not to snap at her beloved or allow her frown to develop into a glare was incredible. Rosalina had a very special way of driving people up the wall and she required a very special degree of patience from Danielle… but she will always be her sweet Rosie. “They wouldn’t hurt you, my love, because they know how very special you are to me. They’ve never met you, but they know exactly who you are…” The kind words that came from Danielle accompanied a loving gesture of her taking Rosalina’s hands, her arms pried open in an attempt to draw her into a gentle embrace.

Rosalina was not having any of it, however. Quite displeased with Danielle’s behaviour, she pulled her hands away and shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out, won’t we? Bye!”

With that, she spun on her heel and marched away from Danielle in search for new company - better company that didn’t try to run away from her to search for some other woman. Hariyama was a good candidate, he seemed like a nice enough person as he waved to her, but he was intimidatingly large… Sigrid was a giantess, and although friendly, not the kind of company she was looking for. The Professor was leaving, which she was quite glad for, so that seemed to leave Niko and Namkhai, the two men who had been sparring earlier, only one of whom she could set her eyes on, far on the other side of the deck.

The man who she believed had called her the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen.

Rosalina skipped over to Namkhai with a bright smile on her gentle freckled face. She giggled as she stopped right beside him, her hands behind her back while she eyed the man. "Hello again~"

Meanwhile Danielle was left standing there, feeling rather foolish and a bit guilty for hurting Rosalina’s feelings, but mostly frustrated. She missed her chance to accompany Gabriel, and she didn't have the energy to keep up with Rosalina right now. With a tired sigh, she moved to the nearby taffrail and leaned against it, first looking out in search for any last sign of the Professor, if he wasn't gone already, then turning to have her back against the wooden rail and merely watched Rosalina and Namkhai in complete silence.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #11

Rushing into town he didn´t know, without a guide and on foot probably wasn´t the smartest idea as Gabriel discovered right after he made several random turns and realized that he has no idea where he is or where should he look for Eponine and her brother. He couldn´t go back to the ship and ask Danielle to help him as that would be too embarrassing so the only other option he had was to fly above the streets and…

Fortunately, he didn´t have to terrify the locals with the display of his martial arts as back on the ship Beast noticed how Danielle struggled with walking and rushed to her side, grabbing that young treasure huntress by her shirt, tossing her on her fluffy back, all that in full sprint. From there it wasn´t that hard to discover her dad as Beast´s sharp nose allowed her to track him down in a matter of mere minutes.

“Oh, here you are!”

The Professor didn´t even bother to hide how glad he was that he saw them.

“But what are you doing here?” I thought you will want to spend more time with Rosalina?”

This question, while it could sound like a gentle jab aimed at Danielle was as sincere as it could be, born out of pure curiosity and not malice.



Meanwhile back at the ship, Namkhai was standing near its bow, looking aimlessly at the gentle waves that were crashing against it. Lost in his thoughts he didn´t notice Rosalina´s approach until she addressed him directly, startling the huge warrior for a moment.

“Oh, that´s you…”

He muttered, showing little to no enthusiasm for the “opportunity” to speak with that ginger in private. Actually, if anything he looked a bit annoyed by her presence.

“What are you doing here? I though you will go with Danielle.”

[Bobbie]

Danielle’s attention was on Rosalina and only noticed Beast charging in her direction when it was too late. Before she knew it, she was hurled onto the fluffy creature’s back with a little ‘oof’.

“Whoa- Beast!” she called, but didn’t have any time to argue, having to grab onto thick tufts of the malamute’s fur to prevent herself from falling right off. The dog in full sprint, Danielle was being knocked up and down until she could finally get into a comfortable position on the creature’s back. Turning her head to glance back toward Rosalina, she knew it was pointless to call out to her - and a part of her wasn’t sure she really wanted to anyway. Rosalina made it very clear that wanted to stay on the ship.

Upon reaching the Professor, Danielle let out a sigh of relief when Beast came to a halt and she couldn’t help laughing at how much fun that ride was. Immediately petting her ride, she watched Gabriel. Then her smile faded as his question did indeed come across as a jab, prompting the blonde to frown at him instead.

“If you don’t appreciate us being here, we can turn back and Beast will carry me right back to Rosalina instead.” She replied, remaining seated on Beast’s back. However, she wasn’t very confident that Beast would obey such a command - first of all, it wouldn’t come directly from her master, the Professor, and secondly, she doubted Beast wanted to go anywhere near Rosalina right now. Before that could be put to the test, Danielle shrugged and looked away, now avoiding the question entirely.

“Do you have any idea where to look for Eponine and her brother?”


Back on the ship, Rosalina eyed Namkhai curiously with a sweet smile on her face.

“It’s me - I’m sorry if I startled you,” she uttered, tilting her head at the man’s apparent annoyance. He seemed upset with her all of a sudden, though she hadn’t done anything wrong, that she knew of. In fact, she barely had anything to do with this man altogether - all she did was say hello!

Then he called her beloved Danny ‘Danielle’. This was the second time she heard such a mistake from Danny’s supposed friends.

“Danny’s busy right now, so you lot get to have me on the ship for a bit until they all return!” Her grin grew once more as she tried her best to dismiss Namkhai’s error. “Professor Moon said that we can have a nice lunch on the ship together, I’m looking forward to it.” She stepped closer to the large, muscular man. “What sort of food do you eat on your travels? A man of your build must eat well, I’m sure… to ensure you have the energy to win so easily at a spar like you did earlier.”

Rosalina softly giggled as she reached up and twirled one of her ginger curls in her finger.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #12

Confused by the sudden shift in Danielle´s behaviour and tone, Gabriel tilted his head to the side, trying to figure out what he did wrong this time, but nothing came to mind. Perhaps the young treasure huntress was just frustrated that the reunion with her girlfriend didn´t go as planned and now was venting her anger on him? It was a plausible explanation especially given the fact that her beloved Rosalina was treating her rather poorly for the whole time.

But thinking about it, it was actually a good sign as if Danielle would become disillusioned with that ginger witch, she could choose to stay with them instead of leaving for that spoiled brat! Well, the only downside of this plan was that the treasure huntress herself would be probably devastated, but then she would have them, her friends to help her out. So with all this going through his mind, the Professor responded with a kind smile, shaking his head in disagreement.

“No, no I am actually very glad you are here, I…”

Whatever he wanted to say next was interrupted as Beast sniffed around for a moment before releasing a silent woof.

“Hmmmm, what´s that Beast? Did you catch her scent?”

The malamute answered with a short nod.

“All right, lead the way.”

As Beast rushed through the town streets, Gabriel followed close behind. With her nose as their guide, it didn´t take long to find the lost woman. She was alone, sitting on the ground in a side alley close to the city market and she was crying.

Seeing her like that, the Professor rushed forward his mind filled with the worst possible scenarios.

“Eponine, what happened? Are you all right?”

Confused, the black-haired woman raised her red eyes from behind her knees sobbing.

“Gabriel I…I can do this anymore. Pretending there is nothing…that nothing happened when…when…”

She burst into tears again.

---

“It´s all right.”

Namkhai muttered, trying his best to ignore that redhead standing near him. God how he wished Gabriel would let him go instead of him. But no, he had to stay behind and endure this annoying little creature that for some unfathomable reason wrapped Danielle around her finger.

“Danny huh….”

The Titan of Bokh played with the idea of revealing Danielle´s little secret to her. “By accident” of course as no one could really blame him for something he didn´t know, even going so far as to use her full name in front of Rosalina, but then he had a change of heart as he realized that despite everything, he probably didn´t have what it takes to make that blonde cry.

“It´s nothing fancy really. We are on the ship so mainly fish, nuts, fermented vegetables, fruit, salted meat…all the good stuff.”

He muttered, hoping that such an answer would make her lose her interest in any further conversation. After all, she looked like someone who wouldn´t survive on such a diet for long.

[Bobbie]

Danielle’s features softened once more once Gabriel explained that he was quite glad that they followed him. It eased her conscience a little, as she was feeling slightly guilty for leaving Rosalina alone when she so clearly stated that she didn’t want to be… then urged Danielle to leave. Rosalina was a confusing woman sometimes.

Then Beast picked up a scent. Having learnt from the journey over here, the rider held onto Beast’s fur firmly so as to avoid being flung off the large doggo’s back. The motion was almost sickening, but it was as if the heavenly fluffiness that she was seated upon magically cured any sickness.

As they moved through the streets, Danielle remained on the lookout and spotted Eponine, sitting alone and in tears. Immediately, the blonde frowned, just as Gabriel rushed over to her side. Following suit, Danielle waited for Beast to move close enough, and then slid off her back to get closer to the girl and find out what was wrong while Gabriel asked his questions.

Hearing her response, a shiver ran down the treasure huntress’ spine, as a few memories ran through her mind.

Eponine had spent some time with Gabriel in his cabin. She was something of a clingy girl, though nothing in comparison to Rosalina - Danielle saw this for herself when she awoke to find Eponine in her own cabin, refusing to leave until she was yelled at. She was also very caring and sensitive, however, both very wonderful characteristics. She went out of her way and did her utmost to care for others on the crew, herself included, but was easily offended by Danielle’s response. Perhaps due to the predicament she had found herself in, she seemed to grow attached to people remarkably easily…

Danielle’s gaze fell upon Gabriel as her thoughts continued.

This was a man who was also very sensitive and extremely caring, to a fault. It skewed his vision and led him to treat any underdog like a lost puppy, taking in as many strays as necessary as it seemed to either boost his confidence or he genuinely believed that they all required him to be their hero… indeed, she could see this in his interactions with her as well, which, she had to admit, there were times she was grateful for. Others, more creeped out by.

Surely he couldn’t have taken advantage of a helpless wounded creature such as Eponine while the lady sought refuge, could he? Danielle couldn’t bring herself to believe that the Professor would ever do such a thing - there wasn’t a single bone in his body that could even conjure up the thought of such a despicable act…

Yet… perhaps if he believed that he was doing her some sort of service…

Rage built up within her. It wasn’t jealousy of any sort, it was pure anger that he would allow his delusions to reach such a stage. Some of that blame fell upon Eponine as well - she latched onto the man with a unique blindness of her own, and now she speaks of ‘pretending there is nothing’, and some secret thing that happened which Danielle has no knowledge of.

Eponine then burst into tears again, the sound of her cries like a wailing siren and alarm bells going off in Danielle's mind. The implications of the situation caused her head to ache. Ignoring the stiffness in her leg and overwhelmed at that moment, her temper took ahold of the Gabriel's supposed protegee as she grabbed a piece of wooden debris, an old, rotting pallet that had been discarded by some neighbouring establishment, and swung it right at Gabriel's head from behind.

Her intention was not to cause any serious damage, yet the moment it began to whip through the air, she regretted her decision… but there was no going back now.

“What did you do!?”

---

Rosalina watched Namkhai, who seemed to be somewhat reserved in her eyes. She wondered if this was awkward for him, knowing that Rosalina was in a committed relationship and her having to state that out loud to him.

With a gentle smile, she nodded, hoping that in some form of kind gesture, she could ease up some of the tension that he seemed to be feeling. He appeared to be so rigid and upset.

“I see…” the girl tried to seem intrigued by that menu, though she really wasn’t impressed at all. It sounded terribly boring and unpleasant. “If you stick around for a bit longer or just pay a little visit sometime, my family’s pantry has a lot more to offer you than that. Do you like candied peel and other sweet, dried fruit? They make excellent desserts.” As she thought about what else she could offer him, she brought one finger up to her chin in a show of deep thinking.

“Some other packed dehydrated food and crackers can last a long time too. Oh, and nut butter! You haven’t mentioned nut butter!”

With a bright smile, she eyed the large man beside her, reaching out to gently touch his arm, “Jams and marmalade too!” The girl could easily rattle off a whole list fancy foods, some of which could have a perfect spot reserved in a ship’s storage unit because of their long shelf-life, but they weren’t all so common or easy to find. Despite this, she clearly spoke like she had easy access to them because of her family’s wealth - which she was not shy to flaunt.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #13

Focused almost entirely on Eponine, Gabriel didn´t notice that Danielle grabbed a piece of old wood until it smacked against the back of his head.

“Ouc, that hurts...”

He complained with a sad undertone, after that improvised weapon shattered against his head. Well, he wasn´t really complaining about the physical pain, even though Danielle surely packed a decent punch, or the blood that appeared between his hair, but about the emotional damage caused by her accusation. After all, she knew him more than most so just the fact that she thought he would be capable of hurting Eponine was more painful than he would expect.

Speaking of Eponine her reaction to that sneak attack was much more anger-driven than Gabriel´s as she jumped on her feet, pushing the bounty huntress away.

“What are you doing!?”

She screamed angrily, tears still running down her face.

“He did nothing to me! It´s…I…I just can not go to the West Blue with you…”

She started shaking, prompting Gabriel to rush to her side, putting his jacket around her shoulders.

“Awooo?”

Utterly confused by what was going on Beast looked at one another howling her question. But Eponine ignored her and continued.

“It´s not that I wouldn´t want to go with you. I would, really but…these people killed my dad and hurt so many people I love I just…I…”

Ignoring the disapproving look he fully expected to come from Danielle, Gabriel pulled her closer and let her find at least some comfort in his arms.

“You want justice.”

She nodded.

“Yes but…I am afraid to go back. They have so much power, even sending the government against us…I feel so helpless.”

Patting her head, Gabriel put on an encouraging smile even though she couldn´t really see it.

“Like a drop of water in the ocean?”

She hesitated before nodding.

“Well…”

Gabriel continued

“you know this world is a really big and marvelous place. Right now, a somewhere single drop of water saved someone from death by thirst. Somewhere else small pebble started a landslide that destroyed a whole town. It´s never about how big or powerful you are, but how hard you believe in your cause and if you are willing to fight for it instead of running away. So, don´t be ashamed because you are afraid. All the great heroes in our history were.”

She looked up at him sniffing.

“Really? You really think I can become a hero?”

He nodded.

“I would never lie to you.”

Using the fact that Gabriel was distracted Beast crawled towards Danielle head down, almost as if she was afraid that the treasure huntress will hit her too.

“Whyyyyy youuuuu huuuuuuurt daaaaaaaad?”

She asked silently with a clear sign of fear and confusion in her voice.

---

“Hmmmmm”

Was Namkhai´s answer on Rosalina´s laundry list of things she considered to be more appetizing than the food he grew up on.

Seriously, no matter how hard he tried he couldn´t figure out what could Danielle possibly see on this childish obnoxious woman. He would understand if Gabriel fell for her given to his tendency to collect helpless creatures that were unable to survive on their own…

He paused for a second before a short and rough laugh escaped from his throat. Now wouldn´t that be ironic, if Danielle who criticized their headmaster for his behavior was pretty much the same as him?

“Ehm, excuse me, miss Rosalina…”

Fortunately, it seemed that his suffering was slowly getting to an end as Hariyama approached them with a large bowl full of something that looked like small dumplings.

“Would you like some mochi? It´s a rice cake filled with sweet red bean paste and there are also some strawberry ones. It´s a traditional recipe passed down through my family.”

Turning around, the Titan of Bokh shot his comrade in arms a thankful look before turning back to the ocean.

[Bobbie]

Hearing the tone in which Gabriel spoke made Danielle flinch. She had already regretted her impulsive action, now that regret was only further amplified. Dropping the wooden bar, she opened her mouth to explain and begin some sort of apology, but Eponine was suddenly between her and the Professor, screaming at her.

As the woman approached her, Danielle didn’t move - until she was angrily pushed back and all of her focus had to go on her leg so as not to fall over. She staggered and her arms flailed for a moment as she desperately tried to grab onto anything to keep herself upright. Manoeuvring across the ship’s deck with a limp and at a slow pace was one thing, but reacting quickly to the violent gesture of this drama queen was entirely another. Thankfully, a pipe that ran vertically down the alley wall from the roof's gutter system presented itself within arm’s reach and the blonde grabbed onto that to give herself enough time to regain her balance. Unfortunately, however, it was anything but sanitary, as Danielle withdrew her hand shortly after and looked down at her palm that had muddy sludge all over it.

“West Blue?” the treasure huntress, now very confused, echoed Eponine’s words and allowed her gaze to drift away from her now sticky hand and onto Eponine instead.

As she continued to explain, Danielle stayed out of the conversation. It seemed to be between her and Gabriel as the situation was explained and the treasure huntress felt like an utter fool for assuming the worst. Of course, the Professor would be far to socially awkward to do any such thing… she thought to herself, silently consoling herself, though it did nothing to ease her conscience for that blow to the man’s head. The guilt she felt, however, was at conflict with a resurging frustration, displayed through a growing frown as she watched the Professor pat the girl’s head like some sort of pet. It was unnerving to say the least.

That angry frown was soon washed away when Beast crawled up to her to get Danielle’s attention. The angry frown was certainly gone in less than a second, but her brow twisted in another manner, arched in the perfect form of pure sadness and remorse. Seeing Beast approach her like that, her head held so low made the blonde’s heart break. It was as if Beast was afraid of her…

All she wanted to do was burst into tears right at that moment, her heart screaming for some form of outburst, but Danielle stayed strong despite the threatening stinging from within her tear ducts.

“Beast…” she spoke so softly and couldn’t bring herself to say another word before gently wrapping her arms around the large dog’s neck in an adoring embrace. “I’m so sorry… please forgive me. I wasn't thinking.”

Danielle quietly mumbled her apology to the malamute. It’s true, it may have been directed toward the wrong being - Gabriel was the one she should be apologising to, rather than his dog - but it was an apology nonetheless. If she were to consider the weight of her crimes, causing any kind of physical, mental, or emotional damage to this beautiful ball of fluff would inevitably rank higher than anything else anyway.

Despite being with Rosalina, today was turning out to be such a terrible day…

Perhaps it was all the stress and worry of what her lover might think of that darn picture in the newspaper or her friends on the ship that was causing her frustration. Surely under different circumstances, this would be a joyful day.

---

Rosalina grew silent for a moment as Namkhai let something of a laugh escape him. At first, she wasn’t sure if it was a laugh or a grunt… or something as simple as a cough… but she soon decided to take it as positive feedback to what she was offering him - and she giggled in return.

Yes, she had successfully lightened his mood and it brought a smile to the girl’s face. Any indication that her presence could have such an uplifting effect was to be celebrated. However, before she could say a word about it, she heard her name being called out.

Spinning on her heel, the ginger girl turned to face Hariyama, her voluminous locks bouncing on her shoulders.

“Oh?” her attention shifted between the man holding the delicious treats and the treats themselves. “Those do look delicious…” Rosalina uttered softly, standing on her tippy toes to get a better look at the cute little rice cakes.

Humming to herself, she looked at Hariyama with the most innocent but curious eyes she could muster and a shy smile. “May I have a strawberry one?” As she picked out one that looked like it was of strawberry filling, Rosalina turned to Namkhai once more, gently tugging on his arm and urging him to be more present, “Surely you must have one too! They are sure to turn that frown of yours upside down!”

Then, perhaps without thinking, the girl reached up to hold the little mochi to Namkhai’s lips, a sweet smile gracing her own. “Here, take a bite.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #14

Beast looked up at Danielle with a question in her eyes but as the treasure huntress apologized she smiled again and licked her nose while wagging her tail like crazy.

“It´s aaaaaaaalright. I looooooooooove youuuuuuu!”

She howled silently just as Gabriel released Eponine from his embrace.

“If you want, I can push your training a bit and focus it on skills that would allow you to fight and not just defend yourself. Then when the time comes it will be up to you if you´ll want to go back to Mirror Ball or if you´ll go with us.”

The black-haired girl dried her tears and nodded.

“Thank you”

She muttered, earning another head pat from the Professor.

“No need to. Now we should really go. We still have to find your brother and Danielle have a date to attend.”

Gabriel looked at the treasure huntress in mention with the usual kind smile on his face almost as if he had already forgotten she actually attacked him just a few moments ago. But from the glare, she shoot at her it was quite obvious, that Eponine didn´t even though it seemed she didn´t want to push this matter any further, at least not in Gabriel´s presence.

“Wait…”

Eponine suddenly paused as she realized what Gabriel said.

“What happened to my brother?”

The Professor looked at her and shook his head.

“Nothing really. He just went out to look for you and got lost…probably…”

Completely oblivious to how worried Eponine became after his last sentence, Gabriel headed to Danielle with a question of his own.

“Speaking of your date I just wondered…would you like a small cello concert for it? I am a bit rusty but I think I can pull off a composition or two…”

---

Hariyama was visibly pleased by her interest in his cooking and pointed to the small group of strawberry ones.

“These are…”

He graced the ginger with a wide smile that faded a bit when instead of actually eating it, she turned to Namkhai and tried to feed him. The fading smile however wasn´t sign of him taking offense but rather him being worried about how the Titan might react. He wasn´t in the best mood after all.

Surprisingly, he didn´t throw her into the ocean as the sumo wrestler expected, although he could clearly see the gentle shift in his stance that implied, he was at least thinking about it before restraining himself, probably out of respect for Danielle and her wishes. Instead, he just turned his head away to avoid any contact with her fingers, before taking the dumpling from her hand.

“Thanks…”

The wrestler muttered, before throwing it into his mouth.

[Bobbie]

Those three magic words from Beast were more than enough to lift the treasure huntress’ spirits, as she immediately cracked a smile and chuckled softly. “Beautiful girl…” she whispered quietly to Beast, meaning that in every way possible, on the inside and out.

While focussing on Beast, however, Danielle could still pick up on what was happening between Gabriel and Eponine, hearing the conversation nearby. She was not happy about it - the Professor just offered to train Eponine to be a killer, and after what she recalled seeing at Mr Gatling’s mansion, that was far more terrifying than most would realise… but she decided not to get involved yet. That did not, however, stop her facial expression from revealing her disapproval once she released Beast and watched the pair.

His kind smile was reassuring, as, although she might have hid it very well from the Professor, she still felt guilty for her sudden outburst and insulting assumption. His smile offered some indication that he did not dwell on it and she needn't worry about it. At least, she hoped that was the case.

Eponine, on the other hand, seemed to be far less forgiving.

In response to the girl’s glare, Danielle merely glared back. She had no intention of making any more effort than she already had in being here to make it onto this woman’s good side. Being away from Rosalina for the sake of locating her and perhaps her brother was more than enough sacrifice that she was willing to make for her.

“I’m sure he’ll turn up. Just as Beast found you…” her sentence only continued in her mind, your wailing from all your hysterical crying probably giving an excellent trail, no doubt… then she shrugged. “She will be able to find your brother as well.”

Before she could continue, however, she realised Gabriel approaching her. She went cold for a moment as she feared that he would force her into an apology - but it seemed he really had moved on from that.

Instead, his question caused the blonde’s jaw to drop open as she stared at him with a wide eye.

“You play the cello?!” She asked, quite astounded and shocked to find out this piece of information about her friend that she never had the chance to learn before. Her interest and eagerness to hear his musical talent was impossible to mistake for anything but genuine as she went on. “Professor, that’s… I had no idea. Yes, I would love that. It would be an honour to hear you play for us.”

---

Rosalina frowned, her lips in a subtle pout when Namkhai turned his head away. However, as he took the dumpling and ate it, offering a mumbled thanks in repsonse, she smiled again. It wasn’t what she had in mind, her intention was for him to take a bite out of it, and then she would eat the rest, but this will have to do.

“There we go, see?” She giggled, “I can already see that bit of grump being washed away!” With that, she turned back to Hariyama and took another strawberry-filled one, eating it slowly and with grace, one bite at a time.

“And it’s no wonder too, these really are quite delicious." Now a lot of her attention was on Hariyama, though she would occasionally glance at Namkhai to prevent an easy out to their interaction.  "So you're clearly the chef in this crew, Mr Hariyama, and rightly so... what other things have you been feeding my Danny?" She asked, a hint of curiosity in her tone. Then she gently nudged Namkhai to draw him in. "Is the menu really as bland as your companion made it sound?" However, before anybody could answer, Rosalina made a full turn to face Namkhai, "Gosh, I don't think you've even told me your name! Come on, you all know mine thanks to Danny who seems to have told everyone about me..."

Rosalina could have rolled her eyes a dozen times more at that statement... it was blatantly obvious that she was flattered by the notion of being brought up in conversations.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #15

Eponine looked at Danielle as she voiced her opinion about her brother and her look softened.

“I…yes, you are probably right. Thank you.”

The black-haired girl smiled, walking towards Beast to scratch her on her large head.

“So do you think you can find my brother please?”

She pleaded, making the doggo to puff her chest and raise her head high as she suddenly felt very important.

“Woof woof wooo!”

She howled starting to sniff around as Gabriel silently nodded.

“Well, yes I used to play a lot but then the thing with Python´s tournament happened and I didn´t really have an opportunity.”

He didn´t say the other part which was that playing would present him an excellent excuse for not talking with Rosalina too much. Truth to be told, he was trying to be supportive of Danielle´s choices, he really was, but that ginger was too much even for his otherwise very tolerant self.

“Very well, I´ll try my best.”

His smile became even wider and a moment later Beast woofed to signal that she finally found a trace of Henry.

“I knew you will make it, good job!”

Eponine smiled and hugged her around her fluffy neck before the doggo rushed to Danielle´s side so she could climb on her back for the following journey.

Fortunately, Henry wasn´t far away and didn´t get himself into any trouble. As it turned out he was going from place to place asking if anyone saw his sister and got lost in the process. When they found him, he hugged Eponine and their group could finally head back to their ship making only few short stops so Gabriel could order the necessary supplies for their upcoming voyage.

---

Hearing praise for his art from Rosaline made the large sumo wrestler blush a bit.

“Oh, I wouldn´t call myself a chef…cook maybe. I am making mainly what I learned at home, stew, dumplings, mochi, ramen…”

He counted on his fingers.

“Just basic stuff like that. Oh, and sometimes we have a barbecue. Actually,” I hoped we could have one today but the meat isn´t here yet so…”

He shrugged his large shoulders, but Rosalina already lost her interest in him and turned back to the master of Bokh asking for his name.

“Didn´t I?”

He muttered still watching the waves.

“It´s Namkhai, nice to meet you.”

[Bobbie]

While Eponine went to Beast, a smile was brought to Danielle’s face, honoured to be one of this magnificent creature’s favourite humans. She was painfully aware that she was not her owner, but she loved Beast so much that she may as well have been. She then turned her attention back to the Professor.

“I see… well, I’m sure it’s not a skill that you lose through inactivity, but maybe the chance to practise again will bring that back. I doubt it will take you very long to be playing just like you used to and I’m grateful for the opportunity to hear it.” Listening to her own words, Danielle wondered if she was being too polite, compensating for her rude behaviour just moments earlier. In an attempt to mask her thoughts, she offered a gentle smile to the Professor and nodded. “Rosalina will also be delighted, I’m certain. What was-”

Beast’s bark brought their conversation to a close as Danielle whipped her head around to look at the massive dog. She wanted to ask Gabriel about the tournament he mentioned, but there was no time. Shortly after, the animal rushed to her side and Danielle climbed onto Beast’s back once more, holding onto her fur to keep herself secure during the ride.

It didn’t take very long to find Henry, Eponine’s brother, with the help of Beast’s powerful nose, and the siblings were soon reunited. Following this, they could all make their way back to the ship, as Danielle’s thoughts wandered back to the topic of her love - sweet Rosalina. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t worried about how the others were treating her. While she had no concern about Hariyama, having only ever been treated respectfully by him so far, she didn’t know much about Niko, but Namkhai was her greatest worry. Sigrid also had the potential to cause trouble, but Danielle was quite convinced that Rosalina would stay away from her if given the choice.

---

Hariyama’s modesty was an endearing quality in the man, Rosalina thought, but it quickly caused her attention to drift elsewhere.

“You didn’t,” the ginger chimed after Namkhai with a dreamy giggle. Seeing where a lot of the man’s attention was, she followed his gaze to look out at the waves as well. A subtle frown came to her brow as she failed to understand how staring at the empty ocean, wave after wave lapping the side of the ship and crashing into one another so repetitively could be more interesting than looking at her! Leaning against the railing, she tried everything possible to enter his view, her eyes fixed on him.

Then he revealed his name to her - Namkhai… it sounded so familiar, though she couldn’t quite place it…

“Namkhai… Namkhai Monkhbat!?” she blurted out as it suddenly clicked and the gears in her head started turning. “Wow, my Danny is sailing with the Namkhai Monkhbat!” She exclaimed, although if she were asked to share any more details as to what that meant, she really couldn’t say. All Rosalina knew was that the man was treated like something of a celebrity by some people. One person in particular was Sir Barbossa, Danielle’s old sword-trainer, and Rosalina knew this. She had also heard his name mentioned around the castle, but never asked for more information.

“Well, Danny sure is lucky then, huh?” she asked, a hint of suspicious jealousy in her tone, even though she considered the chances of anything romantic between her lover and this man entirely non-existent. She wondered if this was a plot put together by Danny's former sensei… or perhaps her beloved Danny would simply rather spend time chasing celebrities than treating her like one!

It was at this moment that Danielle would arrive at the ship with her companions, still seated upon Beast’s back for easier transportation than walking with a painfully slow limp. Rosalina glanced at them the moment her eye caught movement, only to be fuelled by further rage to see Danielle not only sitting on that fluffy creature, but with new company. Immediately, she recalled their last conversation and Danielle jumping to the rescue of this Eponine woman. Turning back to Namkhai, she giggled loudly to ensure that she would be heard by the newcomers and raised a hand to touch Namkhai’s arm.

“In the flesh! I can’t believe it.” Quickly thinking of some way to capture more of Namkhai’s attention, she gently took the man’s hand, which was significantly larger than hers, in both of her own to pull him lower. Gesturing for him to move closer and leaning close to him herself, trying to get as near as possible to whisper the following in his ear. “Did you know that Danny’s former sensei is a big fan?”

From an outsider’s perspective, the interaction between the two could very easily be misinterpreted. Watching this unfold, Danielle was now glaring at them, her teeth clenched. “Beast, will you please take me to Rosalina?”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff