Draco shot Faith a smile and left her arm, ducking into the kitchens, Gabriella sneering back at Faith before following him. The kitchens were busy people working on preparing dinner, chefs cooking, servants icing glasses and selecting wines. "Hey, toss me that apple, would ya." He said pointing at the fruit while getting the attention of one of the servants. The older man looked like he had never been so insulted, but he did hand the fruit to the Mandalorian warrior with only a roll of the eyes for resistance.
"Draco, we should get going if you want me to show you around the gardens." The Countess fell in beside him, clutching to him like she might an old flame, but Draco didn't pay her much mind. Even with as much leg as she was trying to show, the man wasn't interested. Besides, he had to think about what he was going to say to her.
"Alright, alright." He rolled his eyes at the insistence of Gabriella, ushering him out of the kitchens and into the Gardens. The gardens were lovely, quite romantic. "Alright, take me to the most romantic part of the garden, and keep the getting there simple, I need to remember how to get there when I bring Faith after dinner."
Gabriella glanced up at the warrior whose arm she clutched, watching him bite into the fruit he had pilfered from the kitchens. She had her doubts since the murder of that poor servant girl, how calmly the Duke had disposed of her and shrugged off any guilt about having ordered it, but at this point she was in to deep to back out. If she did, she could be the next easily disposed of body. The long legged Countess led Draco through the Gardens of Vena, around roses, tulips, daffodils, and other flowers until they came to a small porch overlooking part of the gardens, with a flowering tree to other side, framing the dusk sky. "The moon comes up right there in around two hours." She said, her voice soft and sultry, trying her best to get his attention. Eleven more minutes.
"Thanks," Draco peeled himself from her clutches and leaned against the porch, looking down at the red-haired woman, her emerald eyes. "So. What is it that you get, if the Duke gets Faith?" She was a bit taken aback by the abruptness of the question.
"I'm not sure what you mean?"
"Yes you are. If he gets Faith, its not like you would get to be Duchess, so you lose that. Its not like you are gonna get me, so you don't get to be an heiress or trophy wife. So, what is it he has promised you to break me and Faith up?" The warrior's grey eyes weren't the soft gentle she had remembered when he looked at Faith. If anything his attitude was very matter of fact now.
"I don't know about that, Draco. There is no conspiracy, I'm just attracted to you. I want to see what its like to have a powerful Mandalorian warrior like yourself, dashing, and handsome." She was trying her best to maneuver around the line of questioning. Admittance was acceptance of guilt, and besides. She needed to burn ten more minutes.
"Alright, so you gain nothing from all this. Do you really expect me to believe that you would cut ties with House Organa for a man you just met, that you knew your princess was in love with? I'm not buying it. So how about I put it this way. What is it Duke Aris actually wants?" Draco took a breath. He could see Gabriella was considering things, taking her time and thinking. That was good for him, that would likely get him what he wanted. "And just so you know. Coming clean now, might just save Alde's relationship with House Organa that you've been lighting a torch under."
Gabriella was still just buying time, though part of her worried about those things. She looked down at her hands, studying them. Eight minutes. "I'm just trying to get in the Duke's good graces." She thought about it. No, this man needed a Damsel in distress. That would be her best bet at manipulating this man. "He is a lot more influential than you might think. If I were to fall into his ire, I could end up with nothing, no prospects, no one willing to upset him by arranging something with their sons. And then you came along and got in his way. I just thought that perhaps I could wiggle out of his clutches and into someone softer, someone like you."
Draco, looked her over, seeing the slight shiver as she spoke. It was a believable tale, but not one he bought. "So, then what? I lose everything I love, and I'm supposed to just get over that and settle for you, someone I'd have to keep under lock and key to keep from jumping into other men's beds. You aren't that stupid."
"Honest, that is all there is for me, Ser Draco." She carefully used his knightly prefix, batting her emerald green eyes at him.
"Alright, if you are being honest with me, I will be honest with you. If Faith were manipulated and tricked into leaving me because of something you convinced her of or something you did, I won't be pleased." The Mandalorian's voice was low, almost a growl as he spoke. The simple admittance from him took her aback more than his line of questioning had originally. She didn't know what she expected of him if the Duke got his way, but being told worried her. She was now trapped between a rock and a hard place. Unable to fail Duke Aris for fear for her life, and unable to succeed for fear of the Mandalorian.
"Duke Aris wants to merge their houses, then you came along. That is all I know, I swear. He always gets his way, so I figured I could get you to warm up to me now and that way you might come around after he and the Princess were married." Draco laughed, even going so far as to toss his head back at the act. The woman gasped as she saw a reptilian figure hop the row of bushes behind him and the dark reptilian silhouette begin making its way to them.
"Come on. I don't buy it. But at least I know the Duke isn't done chasing Faith." It was good to know at least that. There was at least one more step, one more phase in the Duke's plan. Draco turned as Draz slithered up beside him.
"No zign of the girl, Alor." The reptilian hiss didn't acknowledge the woman just yet, who was covering her mouth and backing away from the large humanoid reptilian.
"Find her and bring her back to the suite. Search all night if you have to." Draco, shook the creatures clawed hand and the reptile nodded and slither back through the bushes, stopping to taste the air with his forked tongue for a moment. "Draz, one of my clansmen." Draco spoke like nothing had happened, putting his arm around the Countess and guiding her back towards the mansion. Four minutes, and it was a three minute walk to the estate, then another sixty seconds of wandering the halls. "So, how is the Duke going to break me and Faith up? Seeing as you aren't getting anywhere, what's his back up plan?"
She looked over her shoulder, losing sight of the fearsome reptilian, holding Draco more for security than lust now. She only needed to do one more thing before they got back inside to seal Draco's fate. She walked slowly, talking the longer way around the garden before entering. Sixteen minutes had passed since they wandered outside, so all she had to do was leave just a little lipstick under his collar. Gabriella faced him and buried her head in his chest, trying to prompt a response from him, a hug of some sorts, but he just stood there. "I'm sorry to have caused you all this trouble and worry Ser Draco. I hope that you can forgive me. I promise to behave better for the rest of your trip. I swear it." And he just stood there, gently pushing her away.
"I'm sure you will." Draco said, pushing her off him and making his way down the steps to the parlor he had left Faith at, Gabriella in her green dress following close behind. She was smiling, her duty complete, but part of her was worried. Draco had threatened her, and he had a reptilian beast roaming the gardens. It was too late now. At least she would get something out of all this. She would need to start manipulating the boy soon if she was going to secure her place in the Duke's house.
[member="Faith Organa"]
