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❝ I miss Captain... ❞

The little goat-like creature was really asking questions that made it difficult for Bepo to keep away from the topic of Law and how he'd react to having a child aboard the ship. He grimaced, giving a quick shake of his head as he continued twisting through the halls, keeping his footfalls as light as a massive polar bear mink could, which in reality, wasn't anywhere close to quiet. ❝ There... ❞ Bepo sighed in defeat, one paw kept securely on Gala's head while the other kept her cradled against his chest. ❝ Captain might not be too fond of me bringing you on board... ❞ Darting around another corner, then down another level into the depths of the Tang, Bepo seemed to relax slightly. At least now they were on the bunk floor. A couple more doors and he'd be home free. Luckily, it seemed most of the crew were either on duty, or still perusing what the island had to offer, leaving the halls practically empty. They only had a close call twice, which he just managed to avoid in the nick of time. He hoped and prayed Law was doing the same, out on one of his 'secret' missions or something. That would be the best thing for them right now. ❝ But don't worry! He won't harm you... hopefully... ❞

Another blatant lie. It normally took a lot for Bepo to become frustrated. Well... unless the situation involved Law and one of his self-destructive whims where he refused to see reason. Cora was quickly becoming a close second in the frustrating category. Lying in any capacity hadn't been a skill he acquired easily, still had a lot of troubles with it in all honesty, so trying to wrap his head around how simple it seemed to be for others was difficult. How hard could it be to just open up and allow others to help when you were hurting? Fluffy cheeks puffed out slightly, the only indication of Bepo's annoyance, which he doubted the taller man would be able to see from this distance. Hearing a crinkling, his eyes drifted to whatever shifted against the wall where Cora leaned up against it. Pictures, he noticed once he focused enough on the small square shapes. Most of them were of the original crew; Law, Shachi, Penguin and Bepo himself. Bepo liked to think that they were all like a little family, and it seemed that Cora might feel the same way if he had keepsakes like this hanging about in his room. The thought had some of his irritation melting away. Maybe if Bepo used some of the same tactics he used with Law he could get Cora to talk. It wouldn't hurt to try, at the very least. He made a point to ignore the fresh wash of tears that dripped freely down Cora's cheeks despite his warm smile and took a couple steps toward the bed. Plopping down onto the cold floor when he deemed he was close enough, Bepo let out a little huff, making it obvious that he wasn't about to just leave Cora to his own devices. If Cora was going to be stubborn, so was he. ❝ You see us as family, right? ❞ He asked softly after a short stretch of silence, bringing a hand up to point a clawed finger at the photos getting half crushed behind Cora's back. ❝ Family sticks together, and helps when one's in pain. Don't-... Stop lying about being fine. ❞ Pursing his lips again, Bepo looked directly into Cora's eyes, an uncharacteristic sternness in his expression. ❝ Please don't be like Captain. It's not good to let his stubbornness rub off on you... ❞

The moment Cora opened his quarters' door Bepo knew something wasn't right. He paid close attention to the signs he was being given by the taller man, eyebrow furrowing at the explanation given about his unkempt appearance. A lie. Bepo could smell the salty tang of tears. It wasn't water that smudged his now almost nonexistent makeup. Still, he didn't say anything right away to contradict what Cora told him, and simply followed him into the room, the worry solidifying like a chunk of ice in his gut. The heavy door fell shut behind him with a resounding bang, causing him to jump slightly despite knowing it was coming since either of them didn't catch it in time. Bepo looked over his shoulder to stare at it for a split second before returning his attention back to Cora, carefully taking in his demeanor. He chewed gently on the inside of his cheek as he thought over how to word his concerns, paws curling into fists at his sides. ❝ I... ❞ Bepo hummed in discomfort, not used to being alone with Cora. He had to admit he was still a little apprehensive around him, even after all these years of being essentially raised by him. He just couldn't help it, not with the knowledge he had of the man. Eyes fell to Cora's hands where he could see them trembling despite the dim lighting in the room, and it pushed him to continue talking. ❝ I know something's wrong, Cora... You never miss a chance to hang out with the crew, and you've been crying... ❞ Bringing a paw up, he gently tapped at his nose to emphasize how he knew that, as if Cora wouldn't already know. The man wasn't an idiot. Clumsy, yes, but not stupid. Bepo then took a deep breath to ease the tension and steady himself. ❝ You can talk to me about it, whatever's bothering you. I know we're not close like you are with Captain, but I'm here... and if you don't want Captain knowing, I won't tell him. But I'm worried about you. ❞

Bepo watched in relative silence as Ikkaku went about grabbing her washing supplies then made for the showers. He took a quick peek into her room, eying the mess of blankets on the bed which only caused his frown to deepen, before he ventured off toward the galley. She said he could grab his own blankets if he wanted, but he had other things he felt he needed to do. It was still early enough in the night that the designated cook for the day wasn't up to prepare breakfast, so he had the kitchen to himself. He still took extreme care as he went about preparing a cup of tea for his new crewmate, his bigger bulk and rather clumsy hands making the task a little more difficult than normal, but he made do. One of the good things about having fur over the majority of his body was he could hold the steaming mug without much issue. Hopefully Ikkaku liked tea... Just as he was returning to her quarters, Ikkaku was also coming back from her shower. Bepo had to admit, she appeared to be doing a little better. The haunted look in her eyes had dissipated, which was a good sign. He graced her with a small smile, black lips pulling back slightly over sharp teeth, but the expression looked more goofy than menacing. Eyes dropped to the mug grasped between his paws, which he tentatively help out to the curly haired woman, a sheepish look coming over his features. ❝ I... made you some tea. I don't know if you like it or not, but I've been told it helps calm people down, so figured you could use it... ❞ Claws gently tapped against the porcelain before he huffed. Bepo could feel his cheeks burning, clearly embarrassed, and he thanked the heavens above for his natural covering of fur to hide that aspect from the woman in front of him. His next words came out in a rush. ❝ I'm sorry I didn't ask first. I can throw it out if you don't want it, too. It's not a big deal. ❞

Law's words only seemed to confuse Bepo further, and it definitely wasn't the answer he was looking, or hoping, for. Not surprising with his Captain, though, giving a roundabout answer without actually answering. He couldn't deny that it kind of hurt that Law still felt the need to hide things from him despite how much they've been through together, someone who he saw as a best friend. His person. Something close to a whispered apology rushed from him while he hung his head in defeat, that dismissive tone essentially ending the conversation. He knew he wasn't going to get anything more out of Law, not right now anyway. Didn't mean he was just going to let it go and not come back to it. They were getting very close to the climax of something big, Bepo could feel it, and despite how much he hated drilling Law, they all deserved to know what was going on. If it wasn't Bepo badgering him, it was going to be one of the others, and he could already imagine the arguments that would ensue if that happened. Better him than say, Ikkaku, or Penguin. Wiping his paws down the front of his boiler suit to rid his palms of sweat that wasn't there, Bepo sauntered back up to Law's side, resolved to continue helping him with the inventory count if he needed it. He looked over his shoulder to read what was left to go through on the list. Black eyes trailed down the vast amount of numbers, check marks and small notes jotted down that he couldn't really make out because of Law's atrocious handwriting. Honestly, sometimes he thought his own writing was better. ❝ What's left to go through? ❞ Bepo tentatively asked, deciding to try and steer the conversation away from whatever it was Law was so reluctant to tell him. He could only deal with Law being in a mood for so long.

Bepo stared at his friend for a long moment, allowing his question to roll around in his mind before nonexistent eyebrows pinched together. He was probably thinking way too deep into the question, knowing it was probably some type of joke. His crewmates had a tendency to pick on him. Crossing his arms over his chest, he lifted one hand up to rub at his chin, gears visibly turning. ❝ Ah, well... no. Octopi don't really... have fists to punch with. So wouldn't they just be slapping the fish with their tentacles instead? ❞ Bepo mused with a hum, black eyes returning to Uni after having drifted off to the side while he thought.

Activities on the Polar Tang were often an entire crew event, especially when they were games of any sort. Even the more stoic members of the crew would eventually cave and join in, Law included, unable to ignore the excitement for long. It was enjoyable, a good way to destress after missions where they could all just goof off and be themselves without the potential worry of anyone being harmed. Well... unless someone got rowdy, but that was different. Currently, the majority of the Hearts were crowded into the rec room, huddled over the main table. They were all engrossed in playing some card game that Bepo could never really get the hang of, but his crewmates made sure he felt included in anyway, regardless of if he still lost almost every round. During one of said rounds, where he lost earlier than usual, was when he noticed they were missing a certain crewmate. Bepo found it strange that no one else seemed to realize Cora was missing, seeing as he was almost always the center of attention during game nights. Frowning, black eyes scanned over the mass of bodies one more time, nose twitching as he double checked to see if he may have missed him. Sure, enough, that distinct scent that clung to Cora never reached his nose, and the taller man was nowhere to be seen. Unease settled in the pit of Bepo's stomach, and after wringing his paws together a few times as he thought about what to do, he quietly excused himself from the table, to which no one really paid much attention. Law caught his eye for a split second, but just nodded at him before returning his gaze to the game, and then Bepo slipped away. As he made his way through the narrow halls, making sure to check every possible room he could think that Cora may have been, the unease evolved into worry. It wasn't like him to miss out on game nights. Something was wrong, Bepo was sure of it. Maybe he was sick, and just didn't want to bother Law with it. Wouldn't be the first crewmate to hide an illness from their Captain. Soon, after letting his feet move on autopilot, Bepo found himself in front of Cora's room, having had no luck finding him anywhere else in the sub. He could sense the other man inside, along with something he couldn't quite place his finger on. It was something he felt a few times before, but from Law instead. A deep feeling of sadness that wasn't his own, and the frown on his features only deepened. Reaching up, he timidly rapped his paw against the metal door, unsure if it would be alright for him to just barge into the other's quarters unannounced. ❝ C-cora...? ❞ Bepo asked softly, making sure his voice was loud enough to travel. ❝ Are you okay? ...You're missing game night. ❞

Bepo felt when Ikkaku started shivering under his paw, which only caused the concerned frown on his features to deepen. Was the shivering because of her fear of him, or because of the cooling perspiration he could smell coating her skin. He didn't want to make the wrong assumption and potentially make it worse. It put him in something of a pickle, standing awkwardly still in the threshold of Ikkaku's sleeping quarters. Her confirmation of having a nightmare at least made him feel a little better. Having dealt with Law's near constant night terrors, and the occasional ones from the rest of his crew, he at least knew what he could do to help with those. Giving his head a shake, Bepo then turned his attention to down the hall, sifting through some of the things he knew helped his crewmates in situations like this that didn't involve him promptly snuggling into bed with them. Ikkaku obviously wouldn't be opposed to that, or at least he thought so, considering she just confessed to sleeping with other animals back home, but he wasn't sure if suggesting that at this very moment would be the smart move. ❝ Did you want to go take a warm shower? ❞ He suddenly asked, not looking back to the newbie, but he still kept his grip on her shoulder. ❝ Once you've warmed up a little, and washed off all the sweat... maybe I could stay with you for the night? If... if you want. A lot of the guys use me to help them sleep after they've had nightmares... so it's not weird... at least I don't think so... ❞ Bepo muttered the last part, words barely even audible to his own ears. If he wasn't covered in thick white fur, there would definitely be a blush creeping along his cheeks.