A Festive Farewell: Between Friends or Family?

[Bobbie]

Hayden rushed down to the infirmary where he knew he had left Eponine, but he slowed down when he heard that she and the Professor were talking. Popping his head in for a bit, he saw that she was in his embrace and he let out a sigh of relief as he knew she was alright.

Without making a sound, he lingered for a few moments as his brow knotted with sadness for the poor girl. It was heartbreaking to hear what she did and why she had to do it… yet it was also touching to see how Gabriel held her as caringly as he did. A gentle but sad smile crept onto the young pharmacist’s face before he quietly turned around and began to make his way back up the stairs to give them some time.

Meanwhile on the main deck, Danielle fetched her suit jacket and put it back on before doing what she could to help set everything up. It was clear that Niko and Hariyama didn’t really need the help, but it would be the courteous thing to do.

Once everything was arranged and the table was set with enough chairs for everyone, she turned to face Namkhai only to find that he was gone. Whipping her head around in fear of this being some sort of sneak attack, a secret component to her training that she really did not appreciate, she looked around for him with a deep frown.

“Nam-” about to reprimand him for a sense of humour that was less than funny in her opinion, she spotted him resurface with a bottle in his hand. With a sigh, her worry washed right off her features and she raised her brow.

“Mead? No, but I’ve heard of it. Never got to actually taste it.” As she explained, her eye was fixed on his prized possession with tame curiosity. Danielle was not too much of a drinker, rarely taking the opportunity to do so especially in Rosalina’s absence or simply considering herself too busy to waste time on such frivolous things. The treasure huntress would often be engaged in a goal that required far too much focus for it, anyway… but tonight was very different. For the first time in a long time, she didn’t want to think about her goal or the absence of her significant other. Tonight would be her last night with these people - her people - and she wanted it to be a good one.

Without realising it, Danielle’s lips had curled into something of a frown as she stared into the liquor within its container. Suddenly becoming aware of this, she cracked a grin and nodded to the Titan, the bringer of mead.

“It better be good!”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Hayden: #c3f8fa

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #16

Namkhai noticed Danielle´s confusion and the first syllable of his name that escaped her mouth before she found him. It really made him happy, that she missed him and he had to fight a hard battle to keep his mouth shut and not comment on it.
“Wait, you really never tasted it? Well in that case we have to do something about it.”
Leading her to the table that was slowly filling with all the goodies Hariyama prepared, the Titan grabbed a bottle opener opening the bottle with the help of his healthy arm and teeth.
“Oh boy, do I smell a mead?”
Niko asked, sniffing the sweet scent that filled the air.
“And it´s your home made!”
His usually stern face brightened as he noticed the bottle, grabbing a glass for himself.
“Come on man!”
Namkhai laughed.
“That was supposed to be a secret, now she´ll feel obligated to like it. Besides, I have only one bottle left so hands off!”
It was meant as a joke and Niko took it as one. Still, before he could play offended Hariyama, who missed the subtle notes in their voices raised his own.
“Don´t argue boys. The giant who commanded this ship had his own stash, so there is enough mead and beer even for Sigrid.”
The giantess´s eyes sparkled as he mentioned it, jumping at her feet, so she could see these treasures for herself, while Namkhai poured a glass for Danielle, himself and Niko.
“Hope you´ll like it.”

---

Gabriel had no idea no idea how long he sat in the infirmary with Eponine. Above them, the loud voices and laughter announced that the party already started and while he would like to be present to tell his goodbye as well, he understood, that right now she needed him more. Almost as if she felt his dilemma, the young medic raised her head from his shoulder, releasing her grip.
“Danielle, she is leaving right?”
The Professor nodded.
“You should go there. She means a lot for you.”
She said after a while, trying to push him gently away, but the Professor was holding her tightly.
“So do you.”
She paused for a moment, snuggling back into his arms, before carefully nodding.
“Than we can go together.”
Gabriel raised his eyebrow.
“Are you sure?”
Another pause and another nod, this time more confident one.
“Yes. I won´t be the best company, but I don’t want to hold you back.”
With a kind smile, Gabriel strokes her hair.
“You are not.”
Eponine tried to smile back, but where his gesture was genuine, her was reflecting a mix of pain, anger and sorrow.
“Just…let´s go.”
She whispered, slowly climbing on her feet.

[Bobbie]

“Really. Never tasted it.” Nodding in response, Danielle confirmed her previous statement before she chuckled lightly and continued. “I guess something will be done about that today.”

“Here, let me-” However, the hint of a smile that was present on her face faded when she watched Namkhai open the bottle with his teeth. “I could have opened that for you.” Danielle muttered, thinking it was quite silly that he didn’t ask for help with his arm as it was. Then again, he could get through training with that injured arm and probably most daily activities, so it wasn’t really a question of whether he could open it but rather if he was in the mood for the hassle.

She turned to Niko as he instantly recognised the scent of the drink and then glanced at Namkhai in surprise when it was revealed that the mead was made by none other than the Titan himself!

Scoffing at his words, she shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you the truth if I think it’s rubbish,” she joked, though she knew she didn’t even have a refined enough taste to tell a good mead from a poorly made one. “No obligations here. It’s impressive though, I never imagined you knew how to make mead. Might ask you to explain the process to me later on, if it's not some family secret.” Despite it being no item of huge value on the market, the treasure huntress showed genuine interest, considering trying her hand at it in the future to brew some interesting drinks for her and Rosalina to share.

She hadn’t tasted it yet, but the aroma that wafted out of the bottle was sweet and delightful. Taking her glass once it was filled, Danielle raised it to her nostrils to enjoy the scent of fermented honey, before moving it away to cheers her companions at the table.

“Cheers,” the novice drinker offered her glass up and waited for the signature clanking sound before tasting it.

Hayden felt like he was floating around on the deck, not quite one with the crew, but not entirely disconnected either due to his sister and his recent contributions. His awkwardness was showing as he was hesitant to approach the table and simply took in the view some distance from it for a moment. While he made sure to stay out of her decision to leave, he knew it would be hard on her and possibly some of the people here as well, so he didn’t wish to get in the way of any celebrations that were meant to be dedicated to their friendship.

Naturally, his gaze would fall upon the largest being that caught his eye, her own sparkling with excitement at Hariyama’s most recent announcement. Perhaps it was the giantess’s own interest in the party that gave him the courage to move across the deck to the table and join in.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Hayden: #c3f8fa

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #17

Noticing the change in Danielle´s tone, Namkhai turned around with the bottle opener still in his mouth, wearing wide grin as a shield against her grumpy mood.
“Sorry, didn´t realise that.”
He laughed, when he got his mouth free again.
“Well its recapture running in my family for centuries, but since it´s you…”
The Titan laughed, patting Danielle´s shoulder.
“I think my ancestors would understand.”
It was clearly a joke, but Namkhai refused to elaborate more on it and instead grabbed his drink, tapping the glass against the remaining two, before taking sip.
“Damn shame these a*sholes destroyed the rest of it.”
Growled Niko as he nearly emptied his glass in one go, slamming the glass against the table.
“It smells nice, what is it? Can I have it?”
Asked Beast who suddenly rushed to them from the other side of the deck, where she was munching on a large piece of beef, poking Danielle´s face with her wet nose.
The whole deck shake a bit as Sigrid climbed back up on the main deck holding two, even for her standards, large barrels, one under each arm.
“Yeah, that´s what I call drink!”
She laughed, taking place near the table, before opening one barrel, drinking directly from it. Her wide smile however somehow faded as she noticed Hayden who was aimlessly wandering across the deck.
Leaning forward, the giantess gently grabbed the lost twin, rising him up toward her face.
“Why so gloomy? It´s party time!”
She grinned, carefuly taking human size mug between her fingers, before filling it with beer from her barrel.
“Here, this is patented mood uplifter directly from Elbaf! That captain was j*ckass but boy he knew his stuff!”

---

And while Sigrid was trying her best to get Hayden drunk, two other people joined the party on upper deck.
Holding his puppy around her shoulders, Gabriel led Eponine towards the table, where she quickly disappeared on one of the many free chairs.
“Hmmmm, you good?”
Hariyama asked, noticing her sad expression. She nodded, but it would need more than that to fool the sumo wrestler.
“Don´t look that way, but hey this could make you smile, fresh from the grill!”
He grinned, putting a platter with large steak in front of her.

[Bobbie]

Danielle watched Namkhai as he spoke, masking the flutter of her heart when he patted her shoulder behind a stern facade that remained unmoving apart from her brow that tensed for a very quick moment and then resumed its former more loosely knotted position.

Smiling in response to his reassurance that his ancestors would condone their practice being passed on to her, she couldn’t help but feel slightly puzzled by what he could have meant by it. She swallowed the mead that was swishing in her mouth and then nodded.

“Niko’s right, that is a shame because this is really good.”

Aiming to confirm her words or perhaps simply silence her thoughts, she took another long sip. Everything seemed to become so complicated after he kissed her and she was trying very hard not to be angry at him for it. The worst part of it all, however, was not the way Namkhai behaved, but the way her own body responded. Thankfully, another distraction appeared out of nowhere as Danielle lowered her glass and found a large malamute muzzle nudging her and poking her own face.

Laughing at the wetness of Beast’s nose, she instantly moved the glass away from her snout and raised her other hand to pet the beautiful dog.

“No, Beast, this isn’t good for you, it’s toxic for dogs as majestic as you.” The animal lover explained and put her glass down on the table, before finally taking a seat to guard it, ready to quickly snatch it of Beast tried to steal it from her.

Hayden’s path to the table to join his sister was intercepted as he was suddenly picked up by Sigrid and lifted off the ground. A bright smile promptly appeared on his face as he was quite flattered by the attention he received as well as relieved that his embarrassed walk was cut short.

“Oh, I’m not gloomy, I was just... feeling a little awkward, but that's already getting better!” Unlike his sister, Hayden had no problems admitting his feelings on most occasion, and he coupled it with a little laugh as he took the mug that she held so delicately in her fingers. Little did he know Danielle was struggling with an awkwardness of her own. “Thank you. It’s mead, right?” Having heard Namkhai mention it, he smiled and held his mug up to tap it against her barrel before drinking its contents.

As the Professor reached the table with Eponine, Danielle’s gaze followed the wounded girl, watching her closely as she tried to discern how poorly her morale was doing at the moment. Physically, she looked like she’d seen better days, but it was immediately clear that her mental state was the more dire concern. Taking some of the meat that she was sure would be safe for Beast, she held it out for her most beloved furry friend, and then looked at Gabriel as if to silently ask if Eponine was going to be alright. She was sure, however, that both Hariyama and Gabriel would be taking good care of her.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Hayden: #c3f8fa

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #18

Namkhai either didn´t noticed or wilfully ignored the way Danielle reacted on his hand on her shoulder and grabbed the bottle instead to refill her glass, that became less than half full after her last sip.
“Shame is we don´t have more time. I could make you few bottles for the trip.”
He grinned, reaching for a large burger that Hariyama just finished.
“Do you want some?”
He asked Danielle, accidentally getting Beast´s attention. The fluffy miracle was upset, that the treasure huntress refused to share her drink with her and so looked for a way to snatch it from her. But as the smell of a freshly prepared meat hit her sensitive nose she quickly lost her interest and instead focused on the large treat in Namkhai´s hand.
“Yes please!”
She howled, darting forward to snatch the delicious meal from the Titan´s grip.
“What the..”
With jaw dropped Namkhai looked at the spot where his food was just a second ago.
“I was offering it to Danielle you bag of fleas!”
He yelled in jest, chasing the malamute lady across the deck.

---

“So in other words I improved your mood?”
She teased Hayden, bringing him closer to his face.
“Mr. Hayden if you won´t stop with all that flattery I might start blushing.”
She laughed, taping her barrel against his mug.
“No, mead is in the second one. This is Elbaf´s beer. You should be careful, however. We giants are making it a bit stronger than humans.”
The blacksmith tried to warn him, but it was already too late as Hayden already started drinking and didn´t look like he wants to stop anytime soon.

---

“You should go to talk with her.”
Eponine´s silent voice tore Gabriel out of his own dream world as he was watching Namkhai chasing after Beast, who was running across the whole deck with her prize in mouth.
“Hmmm?”
The Professor asked, but he already know who she was talking about.
“Danielle, it´s her party. You should spent more time with her.”
She nodded towards the blonde who was for the moment left alone.
“Maybe later.”
Said Gabriel, wishing nothing more than to spent more of his time with his leaving puppy, yet unable to leave the side of the wounded one.
“I am alright. Hariyama will take a great care of me”
She offered him a sad smile, before pushing the Professor towards the treasure huntress. With a sigh and riddled by guilt, Gabriel headed towards his golden puppy, trying to figure out a way how to start conversation with her. Social events were never his strong side especially when he was emotionally invested in them like he was right now. So when he arrived he defaulted to the thing he knew best.
“So…aside from some names, how do you like your manual?”

[Bobbie]

As her glass was refilled, Danielle was happy to take another sip of the sweet drink. It was brewed extremely well and felt dangerously smooth on the throat that made her want to keep drinking from it, but she tried to pace herself.

“Yeah, that is also a shame,” she replied, though she was now distracted, her glass in her hand, as she was watching Gabriel. Namkhai’s words registered in her mind with a slight delay, and by the time she turned to accept his offer and eat that delicious burger, Beast had already nicked it. All Danielle saw was an empty hand and a stunned Titan, staring at the spot where food should be with a devastated look on his face.

Glad that it didn’t happen to her and the fact that it was Namkhai who lost his beloved meal making it even funnier, the treasure huntress burst out laughing as the man rose to chase after his own form of treasure. Had she been left alone to watch the spectacle of man and Beast any longer with none other than a trusty glass of mead to ease her tension and lower her guard, she may have started shouting cheers for Beast to keep running and evade the man’s grasp. However, Gabriel approached her before she could.

Glancing up at The Professor, she suddenly became aware of the wide grin that was on her face and she grew more serious. “The training manual?” his protegee asked, silently repeating the hope like a mantra in her head that he wouldn’t offer some depressing speech about her leaving. It might break her all over again.

She took another sip and before she knew it, her glass was less than half full again.

“I quite enjoyed the training. The techniques are interesting and unique, I can see myself engaging in such a form in the future… I’m looking forward to going through it some more though I have to admit that it will be more of a challenge without you to guide me through it. Still, it's well-explained and written out to be quite user-friendly. You're a good teacher, Professor.”

Pausing for a moment, she seemed to contemplate her own words before she put her glass down, feeling that she was becoming too talkative already. She noticed that he had no drink in his own had and preferred not to be the only one drinking in the middle of a social exchange anyway. Instead, she grabbed another burger to eat and pulled a plate closer for Gabriel to take one as well if he was hungry.

“How’s Eponine doing?” She asked, eager to direct the subject away from her.

---

Hayden smiled as he was pulled closer to her face and proudly nodded before his smile erupted into a gentle and graceful laugh.

Indeed he had no intention of stopping in his drink, as the young man tipped his mug further and further, emptying its contents into his mouth and drinking it like it was water. He could taste that it was stronger than usual beer, but although his own tolerance for it was not everlasting, it was higher than his twin's.

Lowering it when there was only a little bit left at the bottom of his mug, he nodded in agreement. “It is strong! But I like it! Elbaf’s beer… I must remember this.” The blond’s grin once again returned when he looked away from his drink and into the woman’s face.

“So, tell me, Sigrid… how did such a majestic giantess like yourself end up here? Were you already with the crew when you met my sister?” He asked, curious about which one of the two came first - Danielle or Sigrid. “If my sister was here first, then she has a lot of explaining to do as to why she hasn't written me any letters that outline whatever crazy adventure included recruiting a beautiful giantess!”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Hayden: #c3f8fa

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #19

As Danielle praised his teaching abilities and the manual he prepared for her, Gabriel smiled and for a moment he was very proud of himself, almost to the point of looking smug.
“Thank you, it´s what I am doing for living, so I should be…”
He paused, suddenly realising something rather troublesome.
“Well, at least what I used to do for living.”
He muttered, rubbing his stubble beard.
“I wonder if they let me teach again with such high bounty on my head…but perhaps I can simply buy the university or something.”
He smiled again, deciding, there was no real reason to gloom about it right now.
Watching as his puppy put her glass down and grabbed a burger instead Gabriel thought whatever he feels hungry at the moment or no, before grabbing one as well, driven by curiosity rather than hunger, as these things rarely found their way on his table.
“Not well, she k…her brother died after all.”
The Professor bit his lip realising perhaps a bit too late that he shouldn´t tell everyone what exactly happened on that beach.
“But she is strong girl so I am sure she will handle it.”
He finished, taking a large bite from his lunch in buns, just as Namkhai arrived, with a faked frown.
“That little monster ate my lunch!”
He complained, grabbing another burger, while Beast happily chewed on her spoil near the main mast.

---

Sigrid watched Hayden drinking the whole thing in one go, her expression slowly changing from worried one into that of awe as she realised, that the blonde man could stomach it without any issues.
“Well, it´s actually quite long story.”
She smiled, refilling his mug, this time taking a platter with freshly prepared BBQ as well.
“Basically, I worked for one bad guy as a weaponsmith for one bad guy here in East Blue to earn enough money to settle down and…you know…start family and stuff.”
She blushed.
“Anyway, there was some bad blood between him and Gabriel, so the Professor attended one of his parties pretending he is going to buy weapons from him. And I have to say I was excited! You know I always wanted dog, but all dogs I saw were always too small and squishy and then this guy was supposed to arrive who was rumoured to have a giant doggo with him!”
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Beast.
“Anyway he didn´t take Beast to the party but Danielle instead. Can you imagine it? Your sister in beautiful dress, she looked like a real princes! And the dance they had together! I never saw something so beautiful before! They looked more like a real couple than all these old dudes and their trophy wifes!”
Sigrid exclaimed, her booming voice carrying over the whole ship.
“Anyway, after that Gabriel argued with Mr. Gatling and beat me up because I tried to smash him to the ground. Your sister stole some paintings, the Professor forced the bad guy to reveal his secret and I…”
She blushed again.
“I really wanted to see that doggo so I rushed to the port and…kinda stepped on some buildings by accident, so when marines arrived I had no other choice but to join as well. But I never regrated that decision!”
She laughed, taking another large sip from her barrel.

[Bobbie]

Danielle could see the proud look on The Professor’s face, and she actually felt quite glad that she could make him feel that way. It was only a guess, but judging from his social skills, she assumed that he didn’t get a compliment like that very often.

It would be difficult for him to let go of teaching, she imagined, if his bounty got in the way, but before she could express any consolation, he made mention of buying the university and her eye twitched. Then she smiled. The talent that this man had was amazing, to ruin a moment with a phrase that was not even ten words long and which instantly reminded her of his entitlement and his creepiness. Of course he can simply buy the university… logically, that is the only sound reason for a man like him to remain employed there without any formal complaints from the students. Her thoughts prompted a soft chuckle and a gentle shake of her head while she watched him grab one of the burgers.

This being her last night with him seemed to dampen her temper with The Professor.

That was not the case with her brother, however, as while she was ready to forgive Sigrid’s description of events since this was the last time she would get to actually hear Sigrid’s voice for a while, Hayden’s words clearly struck a nerve.

Danielle’s eye twitched once more and her jaw clenched as she heard where Hayden’s thoughts were going, shouted out from Sigrid’s palm up above to go along with what the giantess was saying. Rising to her feet, she suddenly grabbed a grilled chicken wing and hurled it at her brother with all her strength to make the distance while she yelled at him not to start something. Her twin temporarily silenced when it hit its mark, Danielle wiped the sauce off her hands and sat down with a pleased smile.

As her conversation with Gabriel resumed, she ate while she listened. Her ruby red eye suddenly widened as she caught what Gabriel was about to say and her attention darted away from her food and onto him instead, a frown burrowing deeply into her brow. “Did you just say… did she..?” Danielle was shocked to hear that, her mouth left partly open as she turned her head to look at Eponine for a brief moment.

“What about her…” the blonde intended to ask about Eponine’s wound as she gestured to her own right cheek with a pointing finger, but found that Namkhai had returned to the table just at that very moment. With that, she decided to let the conversation drop.

---

Hayden watched as Sigrid told her story, thanking her for refilling his mug before nicking a little piece of barbecued meat from her platter. His smile grew and grew as he noticed the little nuances in her face, each time she blushed, and how excited she seemed to get about ‘pretty things’.

“Oh!” He interjected after a few more sips. “I don’t need to imagine what she looked like, I saw the newspapers! She looked stunning in that dress, she should wear dresses more often. Everyone agrees!” he shouted loudly, wishing to be heard alongside his giantess companion.

“If she and the Professor made such a beautiful couple, just imagine Danielle and-” his sentence was cut off as a barbecued chicken wing flew threw the air and hit him in the face before falling into his lap.

“DON’T YOU DARE START THAT, HAYDEN!” his sister’s voice bellowed from down below.

It didn’t physically hurt, but his own cheeks grew red underneath the sauce on his face, embarrassed to have that happen in front of Sigrid. Nevertheless, he smiled and turned to lean over the edge of Sigrid’s hand to shout back.

“THANKS~ SAVED ME THE TRIP FOR A CHICKEN WING~”

Sitting down again, he proceeded to eat the chicken wing. “This is really good. Did you get any napkins too, by any chance?” he asked, his mouth full with food that was tucked into his cheek like a squirrel. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you joined these people. Apart from my sister, they seem like very nice people and you fit right in! I wouldn’t have met you if you didn’t.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Hayden: #c3f8fa

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #20

The Professor was no expert on social interaction or relationship and he knew it, but probably nothing ever confused him as much as what was going on between Danielle and Namkhai. First their kiss which Danielle returned and now, right after he arrived back the treasure huntress tapped her cheek with a finger in a gesture that usually meant a request for a kiss. And the Titan really acted as if he was about to give her one. Leaning forward, very close to her face, Gabriel was absolutely sure that he will kiss her, only for him to grab another burger as if he changed his mind at the very last moment. Shocked, the Professor had to exert all of his considerable will to stop himself growling in frustration.
“Why do you torture me so much!”
Me howled for himself. Nothing, nothing would make him happier than these two getting together and Danielle staying on their ship. But from their behaviour he couldn´t really read anything and asking directly would only lead to angry response from the treasure huntress that much he knew already.
“Dad! Dad! I think that I know what my Devil Fruit can do!”
His train of thoughts was suddenly interrupted by Beast. Curious, the Professor raised his eyes only to see his bellowed doggo stuffing three large burgers into her mouth.
“It meud miine mooouth buiiiger!”
She muttered, making Gabriel laugh.
“No honey. Sorry to break it to you, but it was always that big.”
His smile became even brighter as he noticed that her fooling around made even Eponine smile a little.

---

“Namkhai right?!”
Sigrid wanted to say that these two would make the best couple imaginable, but her words were cut short by a chicken wing that arrived out of nowhere and slammed right into Hayden´s face.
“Hey! Don´t throw things on my Hayden!”
She yelled at Danielle in jest, not realising the strange choice of words she used.
“Well don´t be so harsh on her. I grew up with seven brothers so I can tell from experience she is quite nice sibling.”
Turning back to Hayden, the giantess laughed, taking a long sip from her barrel, before offering him some napkins.
“Besides, your sister is just pretending to be tough, but she is real softie inside.”
She smirked trying to whisper but with her size and level of alcohol in blood it wasn´t really working.
“I am pretty sure she really cares for you and the crew. Especially one particular person.”
The giantess winked, interpreting the tension between Namkhai and Danielle her way.

[Bobbie]

The figure of the Titan looming over her was initially missed as Danielle’s eyepatch limited a lot of her vision in her right peripheral. It wasn’t until Namkhai was close enough for her to get a whiff of his scent and hear his breathing that she actually realised how close he was.

The calmness previously shown by the treasure huntress was suddenly gone as she swiftly leant away from Namkhai, looking at him with a bewildered expression. Her eye scanning his features as it narrowed into a frown it would be clear to anyone who looked at her that she wanted to yell at him, but her confusion seemed to match her frustration.

“What are you…” having completely missed her own mistake that may have prompted such a response from the wrestler, she watched as he continued to move forward for a burger bun. Perplexed by his behaviour and her own, she wondered if she had misread the situation and perhaps was simply in the way for him to reach the food, so she didn’t finish her question. Clearling her throat as she recomposed herself, she grabbed the base of her seat and moved her chair slightly to the left, away from him, to ensure that she wouldn’t block anyone’s path to the food again.

She took another bite of her burger and repeated that controlling her temper is part of her training over and over in her head. This required another sip of her drink.

Once again, her attention was pulled away from her food and she turned to look at Beast, an immediate smile appearing on her face as the large malamute claimed that her mouth had suddenly grown bigger. She was equally curious to know what abilities Beast’s new Devil Fruit granted her, and still felt a little bit guilty for not being quick enough to stop the fluffy doggo from devouring it.

“If Beast’s mouth grows any larger and her appetite to keep up with it, we can probably say goodbye to- uh…” It wasn’t until she got through most of her sentence that she realised her mistake in pronouns and her smile wavered. Taking a deep breath, Danielle tried to steel herself, choking back her feelings as she was determined to make this a good feast.

“Then everything on the grill at any barbecue would belong to her.” Rephrasing her sentence, she smiled again and focussed on her food once more.

---

Catching the fact that Sigrid called him ‘her Hayden’, the young man blushed, his cheeks reddening as he smiled, but chose not to address it. Surely she couldn’t be too heavily affected by her drink already, he wondered.

“Okay, okay, finally someone who sees it!” Hayden couldn’t help agreeing with her. “It might be an act, but she plays it very well, I have to say… still, she has a far softer side that she doesn’t dare allow herself to reveal to anyone. I don’t understand why.” Pausing, he took another long sip, before lowering his mug and laughing. “I blame that ginger witch!”

He shook his head at the mere mention of Rosalina, a woman he grew to despise for getting her claws burrowed so deeply in his sister’s heart. A spoilt and bratty girl, really, who didn’t deserve Danielle. As his expression clearly reflected his dislike for her, he didn’t realise how heavy his frown had become until Sigrid spoke again.

Instantly, he grinned and glanced down at the crew. “Oh, I wonder who~!”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Hayden: #c3f8fa

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #21

Noticing the sudden shift in Danielle´s mood, Gabriel slightly frowned as he didn´t want to see his puppy upset no matter what.
“Wait, no sulking.”
He said with a cheerful smile.
“You said it yourself; this is party and party is supposed to be happy and cheerful so…let´s play a game!”
Reaching for his wallet, Gabriel pulled out single belly a small metallic coin before grabbing a nearby empty glass, putting it on a table.
“So this game is called a Belly and is very easy. All you have to do is bounce this coin from the table in a way it would land in the glass. You hit, we applaud you. You miss we applaud you too, but you have to drink.”
As he finished, the Professor realised that suddenly there was a deafening silence on the deck as every M.A.R.I. were staring at him with their jaws dropped.
“What´s…whats going on?”
Gabriel asked in confusion, looking for answers, but getting nothing but a question instead.
“How…how do you even know something like this?”
Namkhai asked after breaking out from his stupor.
“My students taught me that when I took them to excavations.”
He answered as if it was the most natural thing imaginable.
“Oh…fair enough I guess…”
Muttered Namkhai, earning a shrug from the Professor.
“Very well? Who is playing? I´ll start.”
Taking his stance in front of the table, Gabriel throw his coin against it, bouncing it in a perfect curve that landed directly in the glass. One little thing he didn´t tell the rest of them was that while all of his students ended up drunk, he didn´t have a single drink thanks to the unnatural eyesight and precision he was born with.

---

Sigrid noticed the blush on Hayden´s cheeks, but didn´t comment on it and instead reached down for especially large burger prepared by Hariyama. Well, for humans as in her hand it looked more like a little snack.
“Yummy.”
She smiled after munching on it, before turning back to Hayden.
“I mean, I am definitely not the only one. I am sure that Gabriel noticed too, and Namkhai! Otherwise, he wouldn´t…you know…”
She lowered her voice.
“He wouldn´t fell in love with her so hard.”
The giantess giggled, her attention suddenly focused on the main table, where Gabriel explained the rules of their new game.
“Now that looks like a fun. Shame that coin is so small for me…but what about you? Do you want to try it?”
She asked Hayden.

[Bobbie]

Danielle was quite surprised that Gabriel picked up on her subtle shift. “I’m not sulking…” she muttered with, ironically, a sulk on her face. That was soon swept away, however, when he continued to propose a party game.

Raising her brow, she simply stared at The Professor as he explained how to play this new game that she had never heard of before and she slowly began to nod her head. He was right, it was extremely simple, but this coming from a man usually so serious really threw her off. It seemed that she wasn’t the only one as everyone on the deck fell silent.

Namkhai was the first one to break that silence as he asked the question they were all thinking. “Your students… so you played a drinking game with… you know what? I don’t want to know! I just didn’t expect you, of all people, to be the life of the party… no offence.” Her apology was genuine and she really did mean no offence by her words, but it was also accompanied by a laugh. “You’re right! I’m playing. I would like to add one rule, however… if you succeed, everybody else has to drink!”

The confident expression was almost immediately wiped right off her face after Gabriel’s first turn, as she watched the coin bounce off the table and land right in the glass. Her jaw dropped as she stared at the glass, then looked at Gabriel, then at the glass again, snatching it and turning it upside down to get the coin out as if to check if he cheated somehow.

“That’s… starting from the next round.” The treasure huntress amended her rule before putting the cup down onto the same spot he had it in so as to ensure the distance was fair. The coin already in her hand, she decided she would go next and stood in front of the table for a moment, calculating how and where to throw it with a look of pure concentration upon her features. She couldn’t help but feel this was unfair, given her complete lack of depth perception, but her pride prevented her from letting that get in the way.

When she was ready, she threw the coin and let it bounce on the table once… before it landed right… onto the table’s surface again, and then rolled off it.

“Damn it…” Danielle muttered in frustration, before fetching her glass and drinking what was left in it, judging it to be about the equivalent of a standard shot. Feeling a little embarrassed, she looked around to see who would go next.

---

Turning to Sigrid once more, he watched her take a giant burger and eat it. The contrast in their sizes amazed him, as anything that appeared to be huge and clunky in his eyes took on such a delicate appearance in her fingers.

“That’s a good point, you’re probably not. She seems so happy with you lot… makes me sad to see her leave as well, even though I guess she’s not really leaving me.” He muttered, glancing at the group of people down below again, just as they started to play their game. A smile came to his face when Sigrid suggested that Namkhai fell in love with his sister. He thought it was cute. In reality, anyone would be an upgrade from Rosalina, but the pair just seemed to fit together so well, like two puzzle pieces meant to be... or perhaps he was just hopeful that there would be someone to replace that rotten girl Danielle claims to love so dearly.

“Hmm, it looks like fun…” he considered joining them, but then turned to her with a smile. “I’ll only play if you’re playing. If not, I’d rather stay up here with you. Can I have a refill, please?” He grinned brightly, holding his mug out to her.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Hayden: #c3f8fa

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #22

The Professor slightly frowned, when Danielle proposed a rule of her own, that if someone scores a hit everyone has to drink, only to go back on her words after his first successful attempt. It was an interesting proposal, to be honest as his students didn´t teach him this rule and Gabriel himself rarely drank anything more than a single glass of quality wine after a good dinner. Just because of that he was tempted to refuse it, but then he realized it was Danielle´s farewell party so he shouldn´t spoil the fun.
“All right, that´s fair.”
He nodded, only to see Danielle fail miserably at her first attempt. Only now did Gabriel realize that with her one eye, this game wasn´t really favourable to her. But…why didn´t she say anything before they started?
Trying to figure out this mystery, the Professor made a way to Namkhai, who grabbed the Belly with the confidence of someone who played this game hundreds of times.
“Come on, this is how you do it.”
He grinned, throwing the coin against the table only to miss the glass entirely, earning laughter from everyone present.
“Well, you really showed us!”
Niko managed to say through a fit of laughter.
“Tss…everyone is lucky that my good arm is broken!”
The Titan laughed it off, drinking his share of mead, only to make room for Niko, who missed too. The following laughter was a bit more silent as Eponine got up from her chair, making her way toward them.
“Can I also try?”
She asked silently, prompting Namkhai to throw a look at Gabriel, who after a moment of hesitation nodded.
“Sure, why not?”
He offered her single Belly only for her to hit the glass with almost as much ease as the Professor himself.
“Oooh boy, we have a serious contender!”
Niko laughed, patting her back.
“So Danny what was that rule of yours? Should we all drink or we´ll keep it only for losers?”

---

“Yeah…”
Sigrid muttered, taking two more burgers, one for herself and the other one for Hayden so he could taste them too.
“It´s damn shame she is leaving, buuuuuuut…”
She grinned gently poking the blonde twin´s cheek with her finger.
“You don´t have a ginger bi*chy fiancée, so maybe you could stay with us? It would be great fun! Lots of sailing, fighting, and partying!”
She tried to tempt him.

[Bobbie]

As Namkhai made a show of confidence, Danielle scoffed and rolled her eye, crossing her arms as she watched him step up and take his position to throw the coin. She was a little worried as he looked like he knew what he was doing, but that illusion immediately shattered when the coin missed the glass entirely.

Along with Niko, Danielle started laughing as well and she quickly joined in. “Thank you, Namkhai, now we can all hope to be as professional as you at the game after that brilliant display.” She chimed in as he picked up his drink.

Eponine’s voice, although quiet, struck the treasure huntress and her laughter also subsided, her smile replaced with a worried frown. She too looked at Gabriel, hoping that he would allow her to join. If not, she was ready to leap to her defence and urge her into the game, but it seemed that wasn’t necessary after all.

To her surprise, however, the newest player to join immediately got the coin in on her first try and any sense of pity for the girl was washed off Danielle’s face. Her mouth agape, the corner of her lips twitched for a moment while Niko announced Eponine as their serious contender. Looking at him, her frown developed into something of sulk, a huff escaping her before her jaw visibly tensed. She regretted including that extra rule, but she decided to be a sport. Taking solace in the fact that they would all have to drink to this newfound prodigy’s success, Danielle forced a smile and grabbed the bottle of mead Namkhai had offered her, filling her glass half way, then Namkhai’s, and finally Niko’s.

“A rule is a rule! Go on then, drink!” She snapped at Niko, biting back at his sarcastic question with a stubborn snicker that said she won’t be backing down. Turning to Gabriel, she held her glass in one hand and the bottle in the other. “Are you going to fetch a glass for yourself, or do you not drink?” Despite the game and its rules, she didn’t want to be disrespectful and she thought that someone should remain sober anyway… just in case things got out of hand.

In the meantime, she drank her mead.

---

“Thank you!” Hayden took the burger, pleasantly surprised that Sigrid thought of offering one without him having to even ask. Finishing his drink, he put his empty mug down in her palm where he was sitting and focussed on eating the burger.

“Your chef is amazing…” he muttered, covering his mouth that was filled with food with his hand out of courtesy.

His eyes darted up at her when her finger poked his cheek and he smiled. That smile soon erupted into a fit of laughter that he tried his best to stifle, yet something about Sigrid calling Rosalina a ‘b-tchy fiancee’ was just too funny. “You can’t let her hear you say that!” He wheezed in between squeaks as he struggled not to choke on his food while taking in oxygen amidst his chortling.

“I would love to stay with you, sailing and partying sound like good fun, the fighting not so much.” Pausing, he stretched out his scrawny arms and gave them a wiggle. “I’m not as strong as my sister.”

Hayden let out one more chuckle, the beer giving him a worse case of the giggles than he expected, before growing serious again. “I don’t think I should leave East Blue though…” Now his attention was redirected away from Sigrid and his food, as he looked down at the scene below them, watching Danielle boldly command Niko to drink. “She clearly loves you all very much, I’m worried about how she will cope after she leaves you. I think I need to be here for her, just in case.” Turning back to Sigrid once more, he gave her a caring smile. “Sorry. I would love to hang out again if you’re ever around though! I don’t really want this to be a one time thing.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Hayden: #c3f8fa