Last Witness

[Bobbie]

Knelt beside her frantic lover, Danielle’s first priority was to calm the woman down, speaking softly and for the moment ignoring everything that surrounded them. A palm to Rosalina’s wet cheek, she whispered gentle words to her until the ginger’s wails quietened to soft sobs.

It was only then that Danielle could get a proper look at the wounded arm, to find that she had indeed been shot. Thankfully, however, the tear in her flesh seemed to suggest that the bullet grazed her and didn’t penetrate deeper than the outer layers of tissue as it went through. Despite her relief, however, and even in her lack of expertise, she knew that the wound would have to be seen to and the bleeding stopped.

While Gabriel discussed matters with the commander, Danielle was only partly listening to their conversation and did her best to dress Rosalina’s wound with a handkerchief until she could get her to see somebody with more medical knowledge like the Professor himself, or perhaps Eponine.

“You’re fine, my love… it's just a scratch.” She reassured Rosalina as she secured the handkerchief around her arm and slipped one arm under her knees while the other wrapped around her body to lift her up and take her to safety. Before she had the chance to even lift the ginger princess off the deck, however, she heard the commander give the order to ‘get the blonde’. If it wasn’t already obvious that they were targeting her, the rush of three men’s feet on the deck in her direction was enough to prompt her attention.

Swiftly retracting her arms before they even got to lift Rosalina, Danielle spun around and drew her sword once more.

Rosalina whimpered behind her protector as the treasure huntress stood her ground in their path, despite it being clear that Rosalina wasn't their target. Striking back at the first attacker to cause their blades to collide, she swung her weapon downward in a crescent shape to disarm him. “One…” she whispered under her breath, swinging a closed fist at the man’s jaw with more force than intended to hurl him back and create some distance between them.

Squeezing the hilt of her weapon, she shifted her attention to the second attacker and raised her scimitar in a horizontal swipe against the man, Burning Gold leaving remnants of golden fiery wisps in its wake. “Two…” she quietly uttered as the man fell back, floundering in panic as his clothes were quick to catch aflame.

Danielle’s then gaze turned to the last man standing who bravely launched an attack on her first, following the assumption that she was well distracted with her previous two assailants.

“Huntress Hop,” faster than the armed man’s eye could track, Danielle made a short leap out of his path, leaving a blur of an image instead of her person.

“What the-”

“Three!” Turning her sword at an angle to avoid using the sharpened edge of her blade, Danielle swung her scimitar like a bat that rammed into the man’s skull with an empowered Golden Strike. The blow sent the lackey face first into the deck and sliding across it as wooden boards came undone and sprang into the air with the momentum of his body burrowing across the polished surface.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff
Cruiser Captain: #8cbda8

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #9

On a national level, Gabriel knew that Danielle is strong enough to take care of these three, but that didn´t help him much, as the sole fact, that someone dared to attack his puppy in front of him was pushing him over the edge. Unfortunately, he didn´t have the time or space to actually do something about it as his opponent was keeping him quite busy.
Ducking under his jab, the Professor heard a loud bang as if someone shot from a gun above his head, quite a testament to the speed and power of his punches.
Gabriel tried to push forward but was met with another jab, and then another, connected into a seemingly endless barrage that forced him to defensive.
“Mirrored Moon”
Dancing between the punches like a leaf in the wind, Gabriel caught on a female voice, that didn´t belong to either Danielle or Rosalina.
“All hands on deck, the Professor has help!”
As he was focused on the enemy in front of him, Gabriel didn´t see his blonde assistant raising a hand to her mouth with a small Den Den Mushi worn on her wrist, but he could hear her loud and clear.
“New Moon: Phantom Step!”
On his own, he wasn´t fast enough to get away from the veteran, but speeding up his heart just for a moment gave him the edge he needed.
The experienced fighter grinned when he saw as his fist hit Gabriel´s face, but the smile quickly disappeared together with the afterimage the Professor left behind.
Moving with a blinding speed, Gabriel ran around him, behind his blonde assistant, grabbing her ponytail with one hand, while pressing the tip of his finger against her neck with the other one.
“In battle, anything goes right?”
He asked, all traces of kindness gone from his tone.
“So why won´t you call off the rest of your men? No one has to die as long as you release that mermaid.”
Frowning the tall warrior turned to the Professor, completely unfazed by the fact that his comrade was taken hostage.
“Dear Professor, I think there was a miscommunication, so allow me to set it straight. I am Catan, 9th captain of the Grey Company. And his woman is Kaede, 7th Captain.”
Gabriel reacted fast, but even with his enhanced reflexes, he wasn´t fast enough. Before his finger could do more than tear through the skin the blonde slammed him against the deck with a perfectly executed throw. And to make it an even worse bunch of heavy boots rushed from the lower decks toward them.

[Bobbie]

Once her three opponents were taken care of, Danielle sheathed her blade and turned to check on The Professor, just in time to watch him pull the woman’s pony tail to expose her throat. It was an unusual tactic, but he was right… anything goes and there was no reason not to use that to their advantage.

However, after a quick glance toward the whimpering Rosalina who seemed unable to move from her spot, she was met with an entirely different scene upon returning her gaze to her companion that drained all the confidence from her features and replaced it with concern and shock. In an instant, the blonde assistant had somehow successfully thrown Gabriel over herself and slammed him on the deck, prompting Danielle to instinctively move toward him without thinking.

“Are you alright?” She asked, moving quickly to help him up onto his feet. “Professor, I understand your hands are full, but Rosalina needs medical care...” Danielle uttered in a hushed but urgent tone. She soon realised that it would have to wait, however, as a large number of men emerged from the lower deck and surrounded them all, Rosalina included within the circle as well, trembling like the innocent bystander that she was.

Drifting away from Gabriel to protect her fiancée, Danielle couldn't help wondering where all these soldiers were coming from. During all her time on this cruise, she hadn’t seen a single one donning such a uniform, which meant there must be an entire section on this cruiser that kept its secrets hidden, including this mermaid…

“Did you say a mermaid!?” the treasure huntress suddenly blurted out as she only just made sense of Gabriel’s words now. Having never seen one in the flesh, she was sceptical to say the least, but also knew that they sold for a lot of money on the black market… it seemed that she really was standing on a gold mine, almost literally… a reflection of all the beri that could be made might have been clear in Danielle’s eye if one looked close enough.

Composing herself once more, she drew her scimitar again in preparation to fight off the mob that surrounded them, only to suddenly have it flung from her grasp by one who had seen what she did to three of his comrades. The marksman's pistol still raised after an impressive shot that collided with the steel and sent her sword flying from her hand and skidding across the deck toward the edge, he snickered.

“Not this time. You’re on our ship now, you fight by our rules.”

Danielle watched her sword, the precious weapon that was so close to heart nearly flung overboard, while she had no way of fetching it without instigating another shot. Trying her best to appear calm despite being furious, she rubbed her wrist that she knew suffered the effects of such a sudden jolt, and glared at the man whose gun was raised in her direction.

With Rosalina behind her, there wasn’t a lot that she could do in fear of putting the ginger in harm’s way with each attack she evaded, and as she looked around her to weigh her options, there really didn’t seem to be many. They were outnumbered by soldiers who Danielle assumed were underlings, though not to be underestimated, and then there were the other two, the main captain and his assistant… while she had no guarantee that she would be given the time for it, getting rid of the swarm first felt like the best alternative, while she hoped The Professor could stand his ground against the other two. It was a risk, considering how easily she could swing him around like a ragdoll.

Kicking off the ground with a sudden burst of energy, Danielle launched her assault on one of the soldiers before swiftly turned to fight a second, aiming to take the fight away from the helpless ginger that she swore to protect, sitting in the middle of all this chaos.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff
Marksman: #de9c75

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #10

She managed to throw him. As he was lying on the ground counting stars, the Professor couldn´t but admire the speed and precision Kaede demonstrated with her technique. In his career as a martial artist, he met probably only one person as skilled as her in this particular art and that was Namkhai.
“I wonder…”
He muttered; his line of thoughts interrupted by a stiletto heel that suddenly appeared above his face. Rolling to the right, he managed to dodge it just in time, quite grateful for Danielle´s help on his way up to his feet.
“Yeah, that might be a bit complicated…”
Gabriel muttered in response to Danielle´s request. Truth be told, he wouldn´t lose his sleep over that ginger dying but he knew how badly it would hurt the blonde treasure huntress by his side and so Rosalina´s survival got pretty high on his list of priorities. Sadly, thirty or so mercenaries and their two captains were still higher.
Moving around to stay back-to-back with Danielle, the Professor noticed her sword flying away, however before he could kill whoever was responsible for this a ray of bright light flashed from the Invincible Reason setting that man´s uniform on fire, creating a welcomed distraction.
“What the…why our cannons aren´t firing?”
Catan cursed, finally realising how close Gabriel´s ship got in that short span of time.
“You called all hands on deck!”
One of the soldiers responded, as he barely dodged his comrade, that was sent flying by Gabriel´s punch. The pulsing vein that appeared on Catan´s forehead would be probably visible even from miles away.
“You have to be…”
He growled, turning towards the approaching ship.
“Military…”
The veteran took a deep, karate-like stance, almost as if he was intending to punch the ship from such distance, but before he could execute whatever technique he wanted to use, he was hit by a body of his own subordinate that flew through the air with such force it almost knocked him to the ground.
“Whatever goes.”
Muttered Gabriel, who shoot the man with his Dragon Palm.

[Bobbie]

Danielle was quite surprised to see the bright flash of light suddenly ignite the Marksman’s uniform and send him screaming off the deck into the water. Glancing toward the Invincible Reason, she had no doubt that it was Beast's doing and a smile played on her lips amidst the chaos. After throwing a second soldier overboard to accompany his fallen friend, she nodded to Beast to let her know that her help was appreciated, then began to make her way toward her sword to retrieve it.

Unfortunately, it seemed their opponents were quick learners, however, as one man mimicked Gabriel’s technique he used against the assistant and grabbed Danielle by her hair to jerk her head back. Unable to reach her weapon, she redirected her focus onto the man attacking her instead.

Stepping backward in the same direction he pulled, she twisted her body to get one leg behind him before sweeping her steel shin across both of his. For a moment, Danielle was sure she was going to have her hair pulled out as the man fell, but he thankfully released his grip on her to break his own fall. Seeing that he was about to get back up, Danielle grabbed his ankles to pull them out from under him again and prevent him from standing, then spun around in a full cycle to sweep out a few more who dared get close enough. Releasing her grip, she sent him hurling toward more of his comrades who were knocked down like bowling pins.

As she straightened, her arms shook with fatigue as her muscles were not prepared for the strain. Her display of strength was hardly that, but rather having no indication that she was pushing herself too far through the commonly recognised signal of pain. Leaning forward for a moment to catch her breath with a stiff spine, her hands on her knees, she allowed herself no more than that before looking for Rosalina.

Upon spotting her, Danielle scooped up her scimitar and called out to her lover, but she appeared to be in some sort of stupor. The shock of the battle that ensued on the deck was too much for the delicate ginger who was too scared to move or raise her head. Instead, she simply sat in the middle of it all. Rushing to her side, she gently raised the girl to her feet and ushered her to a safer and more sheltered spot on the deck while most seemed distracted or were recuperating. A quick gentle word was exchanged with a kiss, and Danielle rushed off once more, scanning the deck for the blonde assistant to be her next target so as to keep her off The Professor.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #11

Growling, Catan turned toward Gabriel unleashing another swift jab in his direction.
“Military Pistol!”
The distance between the two of them was too long for a regular punch, but the speed and power of this one were enough to create a small bullet of compressed air, forcing Gabriel to duck, unless he wished for another orifice in his head.
“Phantom Step”
Disappearing from the sight, the Professor moved with a blinding speed to Catan´s right, unleashing a fast jab with his spear hand, that his opponent blocked.
“For someone…”
These two men traded blows back and forth, blocking each other´s attempt to outmanoeuvre the other one.
“with a bounty on his head, your skillset resembles Rokushiki more than I like.”
With his impassionate face it was very hard to say whether the Grey Company captain was only teasing Gabriel, or if he was genuinely curious, but it didn´t matter, because this was an offense the Professor couldn´t let slide.
“Rokushiki?”
He asked, slipping one arm under Catan´s guard, to touch his chest with an open palm.
“Pressing Palm”
A powerful shockwave hit the captain, dropping him on his knees as his lungs and heart were suddenly compressed.
“Don´t compare me to these bunglers!”
Twisting his body, he hit the kneeling man with a roundhouse kick, sending him flying against a nearby mast.
Before he could finish the job however several grunts rushed him with swords in his hands, just as yellow flash moved through the deck. This time however it wasn´t light released by Beast but a normal yellowish pencil was thrown with such force it stabbed Rosalina´s leg as if it was a throwing knife.
“Planning to go somewhere?”
Asked Kaede quietly, pencil in each hand.
“Get her now, she will have to protect that ginger!”
She ordered to another score of soldiers. However before either of them could raise their weapons, someone else intervened. Using a good half of the Invincible Reason to gain proper speed, Namkhai covered the remaining distance between the two ship with one colossal jump, landing between the soldiers like meteor, slapping the closest one into the ocean.
“Which one!”
He yelled furiously.
“Which one of you ******* pulled Danielle´s hair!”

[Bobbie]

Rosalina tried to make herself as small as she possibly could where Danielle had left her. She was genuinely terrified and just wanted to go home, worried about her own safety and her lover’s as her mind raced through all the possibilities that they might never make it back alive. This rush of adrenaline and sense of impending doom led the ginger to re-evaluate some of her life choices for the moment…

What were they waiting for? They loved each other more than anything, Rosalina felt she made that clear to her partner and Danny to her. She wondered if money was really such a deciding factor of their future, or if it was simply an idea instilled in her by her father and his own greed. Wealth was all she’d ever known, but that didn’t have to mean it ruled above all else… For the first time in her entire 23 years, the redhead took a very bold step and decided to defy her father and his wishes.

We should get married immediately… the realisation hit her as she watched her fiancé, supposedly the man of her dreams who was putting his life on the line to protect her and keep her safe. Daniel Skye. Her Danny. 

However, that train of thought collided with a deadly wall at full force as a sharp stabbing pain suddenly interrupted her. The next thing to come from her mouth was a cry of pain and horror as a pencil had somehow found its way right into her delicate, pretty calf. Screaming in the shock of having her beautiful and silky smooth skin so savagely penetrated by a yellow pencil, the pain was only the second thing to register.

Danielle cursed and immediately turned her head away from her opponents to check on Rosalina, fearing the worst as she regretted not telling her to leave the ship before. Kaeda’s words only confirmed a weakness that Danielle was already aware of - she had to protect Rosalina, but with the command for the soldiers to attack now, that was difficult, and each passing second of hearing her beloved whimper and sob made Danielle’s heart ache at the thought of failing her and allowing her to get hurt.

Despite the threat of an entire squad of soldiers with raised weapons, Danielle knew she had to get to Rosalina and calm her down, if nothing else could be done for the wound.

Before she could even get close, however, a meteor smashed into the deck with the burning fury of righteous crusader… and the cause? Danielle’s hair was pulled.

“Namkhai!?” the blonde blurted out after recovering from the shock of his arrival, and stared at him incredulously, though she was thankful that he showed up when he did. She was getting tired and wasn’t sure if she’d have managed to fight off the large number of soldiers by herself. Her first instinct was to rush past everyone and skid to a crouching position beside Rosalina to assess how badly injured she was. The pencil was lodged in her leg which limited the blood loss, but she had no idea what kind of damage could have been done internally. Once again trying to calm her down, she promised to get her proper help soon, but there was not very much else she could do without any medical supplies or the knowledge on how to use them.

Next, she quickly closed the gap between herself and Namkhai. “I’ve clearly asked you to call me Danny when in public to avoid confusion, so why the hell would you come here yelling my name at the top of your lungs?!” In the heat of battle, passions were high and Danielle was as fired up as anyone, approaching Namkhai and occupying his personal space with a burning energy that almost matched his own fury.

“Thank you for your help, but I don’t need anyone to leap to my rescue because my hair was pulled! This isn’t a school playground, I can handle myself. Rosalina on the other hand needs a doctor, so we need to get her off this ship!”

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #12

Slapping another soldier with his right, before smacking the second one against the deck with his left, Namkhai turned to Danielle, the sight of that pretty blonde erasing all signs of anger from his face, replacing it with a friendly grin.
“Well, then maybe instead of venting your angst on me, you should get her out of here.”
The Titan gifted Danielle a friendly jab, leaning back to avoid another soldier, that was sent flying by Gabriel´s punch.
“We can take care of the rest.”
What he meant by that “we” became obvious a moment later when the Invincible Reason finally got close enough for a boarding action and several dozens of M.A.R.I.´s combatants rushed to the deck weapons in hands. From Gabriel´s point of view their training wasn´t complete by any stretch of the imagination, but that didn´t mean they would be weak, on the contrary, armed with a mix of spears, swords, and guns they seemed to be more than a fair challenge for the soldiers of Gray Company.
“Secure the deck and…”
Namkhai´s voice was interrupted by a loud crack, that sent splinters flying everywhere as Catan climbed back on his feet.
“You b*stard that was a good hit, but it´s still it early for your victory lap don´t you think?”
Frowning, Gabriel moved so he would stay between him and Danielle.
“Namkhai, take our men and sweep the lower decks, find the mermaid. Danny, take your fiancée on our ship, I´ll handle it here.”
Frowning Catan, took a boxing stance.
“Like h*ll you will…Military Rifle!”
“Dragon Tail!”
Instead of a jab, he threw a straight punch this time, creating a powerful blast of compressed air, that crashed with a crescent blade created by the Professor, these two techniques negating each other in an air explosion.

[Bobbie]

Although this was technically not even her fight, there was something about having them step in and take over while she fled that hurt the swordswoman’s pride. Namkhai’s reassuring statement that they could take care of the rest only frustrated her more, as if she needed to be benched.

Had Rosalina not been wounded as she was, Danielle would have said all this and stubbornly refused to go anywhere. Instead, however, all she could do was glare at Namkhai as the body of a soldier flew past them both, her jaw clenched as she clearly had something to say, but didn’t say it. While she had no intention of admitting it, she knew that he was actually right and she was wasting her time arguing, though she’d hardly call it ‘venting her angst’.

Turning her back to the Titan, she went to Rosalina, sheathing her sword while she walked and staying out of the way of oncoming combatants from the Invincible Reason that were quickly boarding the cruiser. “I’ll show you what venting my angst looks like…” she grumbled through her teeth in a quiet murmur, and crouched down beside the crying ginger.

“Come on, let’s get you to safety, my love.” Her arms tucked underneath Rosalina’s legs and back, she made a swift motion to lift her - but it proved to be more difficult than she expected and only just made it to lift the girl's body off the deck, but no further. Thankfully, there was a loud cracking sound behind her at the same exact moment, which Danielle was glad to use as a distraction, putting Rosalina down once more to rest her arms for a few seconds before lifting her on a second attempt. Having carried Rosalina like this in the past, albeit only once or twice, she knew that her weight shouldn’t be a problem, but her muscles felt stiff and were burning like they were on fire.

With permission granted for her to take Rosalina onto his ship from its captain, Danielle nodded, adjusting her fiancée in her arms. “Thank you…” She uttered, a hint of worry in her tone as her gaze lingered on The Professor for a moment, watching him launched another attack to counter Catan’s, then she looked at Namkhai as if to silently request he’d make sure Gabriel would be alright.

With no further words, she made her way toward the gangplank that allowed M.A.R.I.’s fighters to board the cruiser to take Rosalina onto their massive ship instead while calling out for a doctor.

In Danielle’s arms, Rosalina’s cries were reduced to quiet whimpers as any movement of her leg hurt and she couldn’t hold on with her injured arm either. Curling up in Danny's arms was the best she could do, and she simply rested her head against Danielle’s chest, catching a glimpse of the battle going on aboard the cruiser. They all fought so valiantly, some looked better than others while doing so… her gaze falling upon Namkhai, his figure was the last that filled her vision as her eyes closed and she lost consciousness.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #13

Hearing her grumbling Namkhai couldn´t but laugh, while at the same time dodging an incoming blade, before grabbing the sword in his hand, shattering it into pieces.
“And I am looking forward to it!”
He grinned, sending the attacking soldier to the ground with a headbutt, before turning to two M.A.R.I. combatants on his left.
“Josh, Thomas, cover her!”
As Danielle was trying her best to get Rosalina on the other ship, these two martial artists took positions at her back, keeping any members of Grey Company who felt courageous at a respectful distance.
Satisfied, Namkhai took the rest of his men, spearheading an attack that led them deeper into the cruiser.
“Who allowed you to…”
Kaede frowned, moving to intercept them, only to be forced to dodge another crescent blade from the Professor.
“Are you sure you want to do this alone?”
Catan growled, slowly circling around Gabriel, as the upper deck suddenly became emptier, with most of the Grey Company members trying their best to stop Namkhai and his forces.
“Two against one it´s quite clear who has the upper hand.”
Using his words as a distraction, Catan slowly lured the Professor to turn his back to Kaede, who tried to rush him from behind.
Hearing her footsteps on the wooden plank, the grandmaster turned around, ducking under finger jab, before slamming his shoulder against her abdomen. Her partner tried to take advantage of this and attack at the same time, but before he could do anything, he was forced to dodge as a large shadow appeared above him out of nowhere, and with cracking wooden planks, Hariyama landed to the deck.
“Yeah about that…”
Gabriel smiled.
“I am not alone.”
Back at the ship, two people rushed to Danielle and injured Rosalina. One was a tall blonde who glowed with an aura of gentle light and the other young woman with dark hair and a long scar across her left cheek.
“Put her down.”
She barked at the treasure huntress almost as if she didn´t recognize her, quickly kneeling down to check on Rosalina´s vitals, while Beast jumped around the blonde´s neck.
“It´s youuuu, it´s really you!”
She yelled happily, transforming into her doggo form to lick Danny´s nose.

[Bobbie]

Surprised that Namkhai heard her, Danielle wasn’t expecting such a response, but decided to ignore it. While she had little faith in this Josh and Thomas, whoever they were, hearing the command come from her friend was reassuring enough for her to know she was safe, and didn’t need to look back.

Boarding the Invincible Reason, she was immediately met with two women, one of whom was far more aloof with her greeting, while the other was more focussed. Immediately doing as she was told, Danielle put Rosalina down while she spoke with urgency in her voice.

“She was hit in the arm with a bullet, but it looks like it’s only a graze, and her leg… well, you can see-” the treasure huntress explained, but was cut off by the taller blonde suddenly throwing herself around her neck. Resisting at first, as she wished to stay by Rosalina’s side and not be dragged away, she then softened and hugged Beast in return with a happy smile.

“Yes, yes-” she laughed, though had to stop talking when the large malamute’s tongue washed over her face with slobber when Beast licked her nose. “It’s really me. It’s so good to see you again!” She genuinely exclaimed, wiping her face before burying her fingers in Beast’s fur at the neck as she gave her loving scratches. She then however turned to the doctor once more, with an expression that grew more sober in an instant.

“Eponine…” gently moving one hand off Beast while leaving the other where it was to keep giving the malamute attention while dealing with other matters, she stepped closer to her old friend with whom she recalled she had got off on the wrong foot initially. Danielle put a hand on her shoulder. It really was so good to see them all.

“Will she be alright? She’s not used to any form of battle, I think she’s just fainted,” she spoke clearly, in fear of her emotions overwhelming her and taking over if she simply remained silent and allowed herself to bask in the presence of her favourite people and doggo for too long. “I would like to return to the cruiser and assist the others… can I leave her with you?” Her gaze drifted away from Eponine’s face and onto Rosalina’s, which looked so very peaceful as the ginger lay unconscious. Danielle was confident that she would be in good hands...

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #14

Beast didn´t seem to be upset because Danielle pushed her away and instead tried to push her giant head under Danielle´s arm to take a look at Rosalina as well.
“Well if you want to know whatever I´ll slice her throat so you would stay with us instead of chasing after that spoiled b*tch, the answer is no.”
Eponine answered coldly, gesturing at two tall men in white coats who were standing near the entrance to the lower levels of the ship.
“I am not murdering my patients…usually.”
Being well drilled by the chief physician on the ship, these two didn´t even need any verbal instructions and immediately grabbed stretchers to carry the ginger to the medical bay.
“That pencil in her leg will leave a scar but other than that, she will be all right.”
Hearing that, the fluffy calamity pulled her head out, only to lower herself so she could run under Danielle, throwing the blonde on her back.
“TO BATTLE!”
She howled, leaping from the Invincible Reason back to the cruiser. There the battle progressed already.
Pulling out a whip sword that originally doubled as her belt Kaede managed to keep Hariyama in a distance. And while it seemed that she didn´t find a way through his iron-like defense yet, her higher flexibility allowed her to outmaneuver him.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship, Gabriel was clashing with Catan in short, but intense exchanges interrupted by the Professor´s usage of Phantom Step to frequently reposition himself.
“You…are…really…getting…on…my… nerves!”
The older man growled each word between these clashes, trying his best to create some distance between himself and his opponent so he could use his long-distance attack, only to find Gabriel blocking his path each and every time, with his spear hands aimed precisely on his opponent´s vitals.

[Bobbie]

Danielle was taken aback by Eponine’s words, not expecting her to be so straightforward and aggressive, even though she actually stated that Rosalina would be safe. Unsure of how to respond, the blonde simply nodded, considering the compliment that was hidden in those words.

“I don’t care about the scar, just-” before Danielle could finish her request, she suddenly found herself lifted off the deck as Beast had managed to get underneath her and throw her onto the furball’s back. "Beast. wait!" As her ride leapt across from one ship to the other, the treasure huntress held on for dear life as she adjusted her seating on Beast’s back to be very much like a knight charging into battle.

As Beast landed, however, Danielle was quick to dismount and stand beside the malamute. Her hand immediately went to the massive doggo’s scruff, protectively gripping her fur in an attempt to keep her safe from making any sudden impulsive acts. So many things were little more than a game to this puppy, and that could lead to her getting very badly hurt.

“Beast, I need you stay at a distance, okay? Back on The Professor’s ship. Keep an eye out for when someone calls you, until then, send more of your light beams our way.” Turning for a moment to look at the ship, she no longer had any concern for Rosalina’s safety and was confident that Gabriel would be able to get out of a shipwreck, which meant their battleground could be torn to pieces. She pointed at the few sails that hadn’t been burnt down yet. “Aim for those… and that,” she moved her finger to point at the cruiser's crow’s nest, knowing the fire will spread through the rest of the ship along the ropes that were all connected to it. “You’re such a good dog!” Giving her one last encouraging bout of attention, Danielle made her way toward Kaeda.

Fighting off a few soldiers who got in her way, she evaded most of the others who were quite busy fighting off the army that came from the Invincible Reason and Namkhai. Her sword drawn, she approached the secretary from behind, stepping in at the precise moment she escaped one of Hariyama’s blows with a flexible manoeuvre, assuming it to take all of her attention. Tapping the deck twice, Danielle dashed toward her to make a Crescent Sweep.

Let’s see you twist your way past both of us! She snapped, angry at the woman for stabbing her fiancée with a pencil.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #15

While Hariyama was trying his best to get closer to Kaede, Beast made an offended expression when Danielle suggested that she should keep her distance from the main fight
“But I am a fierce warrior!”
She protested, trying to look really threatening with her teeth bared, but for some reason, it looked rather cute.
“I can…I can hmmm CHEW ON HER SHOES!”
She exclaimed, getting ready to rush against the woman, only to scream in surprise and jump several meters in the air as the tip of her flexible sword hit the deck in front of her.
“IIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”
As she landed back the malamute girl ran back to the Invincible Reason, startled by a human trying to hurt her.
“Sorry, I really couldn´t take that silly mutt seriously.”
She grinned, which kind of saved her life as it allowed her to retract her sword and block Danielle´s attack by the skin of her teat.
“You little…”
She grinned, trying to kick the treasure huntress´s shin with her stiletto heel.
“Just like that, keep her pinned!”
Yelled Hariyama, sprinting towards them.
Unfortunately, the attempt to scare Beast off didn´t escape Gabriel´s attention.
The Professor turned around furiously, ready to tear Kaede in half, only to get shoulder slammed by Catan.
“Military Blast!”
The resulting air explosion knocked the Professor from his feet, sending him flying off the ship.
“Sh…”
Feeling a strong metallic taste in his mouth as the shockwave hit him hard Gabriel needed a while to put himself back together, before kicking the air beneath him to launch himself back, only to meet Catan who jumped out of his cruiser as well, meeting him mid-air.
“Flame Clouds”
“Military Boots!”
As the two clashed kick against kick the elder warrior grinned.
“Now let´s see how fast you can dance here!”

[Bobbie]

Not expecting Kaede to turn around and block her attack, Danielle had to shift into her reactive stance instead as a sharp stiletto hammered into her shin. Thankfully saved by its steel-like quality, her shin remained in tact, while the woman’s heel pierced through her flesh alone.

With no physical pain that would have otherwise caused the treasure huntress to flinch, Danielle absorbed the impact that felt no different to simply having her path obstructed, like meeting a brick wall. Upon hearing Hariyama’s command to keep her pinned, Danielle acted quickly and swept her leg across the woman’s standing knee at full force, releasing all the energy that was absorbed on impact as if now pushing back against that wall with all her strength. Her intention was to do the same kind of damage that Kaede planned for her shin, but to Kaede’s knee instead.

The moment her balance was off, Danielle grabbed both the secretary’s ankles, jerking them out from under her as swiftly as possible, before kneeling on the woman’s back to hold her down.

“Beast is not a silly mutt,” she leant down to grab her hair and push Kaede’s face down into the floor, while her sword was now pressed against the back of her neck. The anger Danielle felt toward this woman was burning - not only had she wounded her beloved fiancée, but she also terrified and insulted the second most adored female in her life.

Allowing her gaze to leave the source of her anger before doing something she might later regret, she looked at Gabriel and Catan, who were suddenly having an intense battle in mid-air.

Then her attention wandered to the others on the deck. It was all in a brief moment as time felt like it slowed down for her. Hariyama sprinting toward her, people yelling and charging with weapons raised, while others fell to the ground silent. It was surreal. Danielle never imagined herself to be in such a situation, but it felt like she was caught in the middle of an actual warzone. Yet, despite the dangers of it, she didn't fear for her own life. When she was with Rosalina, she felt elated, like in some sort of paradise unmatched by any other's company... but when she was with them, she felt invincible. As her chest rose and fell with her own steady breaths, her body processed the adrenaline of battle. Her eye then fell upon Namkhai, who was fearlessly leading a platoon of soldiers that fought with M.A.R.I. and she wondered which two of those men were Josh and Thomas...

All of that in a matter of a second, before her focus was forced back to her own predicament, a sharp clash of metals waking her from her dream-like state and shoving her back into reality. A reality where time didn't slow down. All of a sudden, everything sped up once more and she was once again surrounded by real dangers.

---

Danielle: #fffd17
Rosalina: #ffaaff