Guns and Paintings

[Bobbie]

Danielle’s eye twitched as she stared at Gabriel in anger. “It IS... if... you’ve never done it... on a human BEING BEFORE!” She really did try to keep calm, but this man was just the limit. How was she supposed to be calm and relax after finding out that he had just poked so many needles into her leg in the same fashion that he had only done so with dogs!?

Seeking some sort of relief, Danielle turned to Beast who seemed to understand the treasure hunter’s concerns more than the man before her. “Come here...” she cooed softly to the dog, wrapping her arms around Beast’s neck to give it love and snuggles.

As Gabriel went on to answer her next question, the blonde raised her head only to reveal the top half of her face, the rest of it concealed in the malamute’s fur. “James Gatling? No, I haven’t...” she replied with a sulk, her words muffled by Beast’s fur coat as her hands moved along the large dog’s body to show more affection to the creature while she listened.

At the mention of money, however, Danielle perked up, moving her face away from Beast to speak loudly and clearly . “Ten million each!?” she exclaimed, that being a lot of money... but... of course there was a catch, which brought a frown right back to the girl’s face and sharp glare thrown in Gabriel’s direction. Whether that was her response to the head pat or what he said, however, might not have been entirely clear. “I don’t wear dresses... or high heels... probably not whatever other accessories you have in mind either!”

Gabriel’s comments were of such displeasure to the boyish Danielle, that she pulled her hands away from Beast as a result. Her arms were now crossed as the petting was discontinued.

“There has to be something else that I can wear, dresses aren’t the only form of eveningwear for women, you know. I hate clothes shopping, but I’ll go find something to buy if that’s what I need to do - but it will under no circumstances be a dress and I certainly will not be wearing high heels.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #9

Beast watched in surprise and considerable disappointment as Danielle stopped petting her.

“Woooo?”

She howled, before poking the woman with her wet nose, licking her face frenetically.

Gabriel frowned. He wasn´t really fond of people who were venting out their frustration on dogs, but he could forgive her for now as she was an untamed puppy herself. However, her demand to be allowed to wear something else than a dress was one couldn´t fulfil.

“That may be true, but I would love to see you in a dress.”

The Professor stated bluntly without hiding the truth behind sophisticated lies or manipulation.

“And since I am the one who is going to pay for them and the jewelry, I think that my opinion is quite important in this case.”

He smiled, turning his head to the door leading outside as they suddenly opened. The guy who entered wasn´t as big as Hariyama, actually, he was only a little bit taller than Gabriel himself, but where the Sumo wrestler was a mountain of fat and muscles, this guy as the physique of an ancient statue, a heavily muscular one, with blonde hair. Still, despite his heavy frame and board shoulders, he was moving with the grace of a large cat. Wearing only simple pants with a piece of rope instead of a belt and an open, sleeveless vest, he was emanating an aura of an apex predator with every step he made.

“Master.”

He bowed formally to Gabriel.

“There is a man named Lieutenant Drake waiting on you downstairs. Apparently, he was sent here from the marine base to investigate the large holes and possible tomb raiding that happened behind the city.”

Hearing his words, Beast silently whined and tried to hide behind the couch.

“Kiozan is keeping him busy for now, but he demands a meeting with you. Should I dispose of him?”

He said it with such a calm voice, almost as if killing a marine officer was no big deal for him. And judging by his look, perhaps it wasn´t.

Gabriel sighed in response.

“No, I´ll take care of it. Danielle…”

He turned at the treasure hunter.

“I would like to hear your answer after I´ll get back. If you are unwilling that´s fine, but I won´t be able to take you with me so, think it over carefully.”

With that, the Professor walked outside, leaving her with only Namkhai as her company. The large warrior looked at her with an ironic smirk on his face.

“Well, Kiozan mentioned, that master brought a girlfriend with him, but after Myra, I expected someone less…boyish?”

[Bobbie]

It wouldn’t take a lot of nudging for Danielle’s fingers to find their way into Beast’s fur again. She could pet the beautiful creature all day and never get tired of it. Gabriel, on the other hand, she was growing tired of, her glare making that quite clear as the man made his demands.

She wanted to dismiss his opinion and just buy something to wear herself, but she knew there was no way she could afford something fancy enough for such a huge event. Even if she could, that was money wasted… she should take advantage of having somebody else pay for everything for her. However, while she considered his words, she didn’t answer, and then there was suddenly a third person in the mix.

Her eye fixed on the newcomer, Danielle watched the man who seemed particularly lacking in the clothing area, a common theme among the more muscular kind. Her hands continued to run through Beast’s coat, giving her lovely scratches all along her neck and behind her ears, as she tried to focus on the malamute again, but the man’s presence was just unnerving. He was clearly a man who was used to filling the room with either his ego or arrogance, Danielle was not sure which one yet… while he seemed modest enough with Gabriel, supposedly his ‘master’, there was no part of his body language that suggested any form of humility.

The next thing she knew, Beast left her side and went to hide before the couch. “No, don't go…” she said, quietly, as her gaze followed the dog circle round to her hiding spot, then the girl redirected her attention to the source of Beast’s distress.

Dispose of him? She thought to herself as she assumed that the ‘possible tomb raiding’ was their little adventure not very long ago. The one that left her no amulet richer. How does one simply dispose of a Lieutenant from the Marines? Something about this man made Danielle just as uneasy as he did Beast, but she didn’t have the luxury of hiding behind a couch - or at least, trying to, as Beast was doing… the dog was quite large and didn’t quite fit entirely.

As she was addressed, she looked at Gabriel, her hands in her lap and her feet still bare and on the cushions. Reluctantly, she nodded to the Professor, receiving his message loud and clear before he left. If she wanted those paintings, she didn’t have a choice.

Being left alone with Namkhai soon grew all the more uncomfortable as the confident muscle man looked directly at her with a smirk on his face. If that wasn’t enough to send a chill down Danielle’s spine, his comment certainly did the trick. Even his friends are creeps…

“Well, I guess you were both wrong then.” She said in a blunt tone as she brought her feet off the sofa to start putting on her socks and shoes. “I am not your…” she couldn’t bring herself to say it. “I’m not the professor’s girlfriend, and whoever this Myra person is, I guess I’m nothing like her if you expected something more like a princess.”

Once her shoes were on, she stood up, facing Namkhai, but kept the couch between them. There was something about him that seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. “Who are you anyway?”

Creep number 2.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #10

Namkhai folded his powerful arms on his chest, watching Danielle with that ironic smirk on his face.

“Princess? That´s one word I didn´t ever think I´ll hear in connection with her. Guess you didn´t meet the young Raven yet?”

His grin became even wider as Danielle showed how much nervous she was about him, by making sure, that there will be an entire couch between the two of them. Apparently, he was aware of his intimidating appearance and was taking the full advantage of it.

“Don´t worry, I don´t bite unless you do something stupid. Or p*ss the Professor off. But that won´t happen right? Because you look like a smart girl. Are you a smart girl?”

He laughed just as Beast, who realized she won´t be punished for digging all these holes carefully returned back to her previous place.

“Name is Namkhai Monkhbat, the current Champion of M.A.R.I.´s First Branch. What about you our little tomboy?”

He introduced himself, without even offering her a proper handshake as in his eyes, Danielle was simply too scared of him to accept.

After he finished, Gabriel appeared again, his usually kind face stern and cold like a steel mask.

“That was fast.”

Namkhai muttered.

“Did you kill him?”

The Professor shook his head.

“Good, I like this place, would be a shame if he had to leave before getting that what we came for.”

Gabriel nodded.

“Yes, that would.”

He muttered, sitting back on the couch. As he looked at Danielle, the stone-cold expression on his face once again melted, being replaced by his usual kind smile.

“So, what´s your decision? Are you going with me tonight or not?”

As he asked, Namkhai slightly moved. Shifting his weight on the front foot, almost as if he was getting ready to sprint towards her in the case she would really try to do something stupid.

[Bobbie]

Danielle frowned at the large man, not an ounce of appreciation for the sarcastic grin. “No, I haven’t met her.” she said, plainly - was that supposed to say something about her character? How could she have known any better if she never met the woman? With the way he was eyeing her, she could only assume…

Great, barely five minutes alone with this guy and I am already officially weirded out - and being talked to like I’m a pet again.

“Good, because bad dogs usually need to be put down.” She retorted as he claimed not to bite under most circumstances, but she made sure Gabriel wasn’t in the room to hear her say that. In response to his question, she shrugged. She knew the answer, you can bet a pretty beli and then some that I’m a smart girl, but she decided not to engage with him on that.

When he gave her his name, however, everything changed and Danielle flinched. Had she known that before, she probably wouldn’t have passed the comment that she just did, as she now avoided looking at him, though the shock on her face was very clear as she recognised the name. He was the subject of many discussions with her sword-wielding trainer, William Barbossa. Not that the man really had anything in common with this one, but it appeared that Barbossa had an eye for bounties and also the mind to appreciate the higher ones and respect the food chain.

The Namkhai Monkhbat… this guy has a bounty of over 10 million Beli, why does he have to be a part of this? The rumours about him are…

Clearing her throat, she finally looked at him again, still looking grumpy as ever. “Danny - and I’m not your little tomboy.”

If he didn’t turn out to be so obnoxious, I might even ask for his autograph to pass on to Master Barbossa, he was a big fan…

Thankfully, Gabriel returned shortly after and Danielle watched the exchange between them. They talked about killing people like it was nothing - so that answered her previous question about how one goes about removing a marine from the premises… as well as all the years of wondering how a man of this stature acquired his bounty. Most interestingly of all, perhaps, was the fact Professor Moon - a PROFESSOR at a university - also seemed to be quite aligned the idea of with discarding of a human life. How he was even employed at an establishment of future education was beyond her.

Her eye followed Gabriel as he returned to the couch and sat down, while she remained standing.

As she opened her mouth to reply, she caught movement in the corner of her eye and glanced at Namkhai. Did he just…? Uneasy in Namkhai's presence, she narrowed her eye in his direction for a moment, her gaze dropping to his feet as if to ensure that they were both securely on the ground, then she looked at Gabriel again.

“Yes. I’ve decided I’ll be going with you tonight.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #11

As Danielle agreed to accompany him, the Professor smiled and Namkhai relaxed, taking a step back so he wouldn't look so threatening.
"Excellent, in that case, we should head out for some shopping. There are a lot of things we have to do before the event itself."
Jumping back on his feet with a surprising amount of energy, Gabriel headed towards the door.
"Need my company?"
Namkhai asked with a tone that was hinting that he already knew the answer.
"No, stay here with Beast, she shouldn't probably show herself in the city after all that digging."
The malamute growled in disagreement, showing exactly what she was thinking about that idea by climbing on the couch and lying down tail towards her owner.
"Oh come on, don't be like that, I'll buy you something tasty when I'll return."
Gabriel tried to improve her mood, but it was Namkhai who actually succeeded.
"Yeah, and we can wrestle together!"
The malamute looked at him, tail wagging.
"Yes, just…don't destroy the room completely alright?"
Gabriel nodded to Daniele that it was time to leave, while Beast started running her celebrating laps around the living room.
The Professor led Danielle to the city, asking the local people, before finally finding the right tailor near the main square. Inside, they were welcomed by an elderly tailor, a short and thin gentleman with glasses and a wild mane of white hair.
"Welcome to my humble shop!"
He greeted them in a place that was everything but humble.
"Let me guess a suit for the young gentleman?"
He pointed towards Danielle.
"Dress for the lady and we need them today."
Gabriel quickly stepped in just in case the young treasure hunter would try to agree.
"Oh…"
The old tailor pushed his glasses higher.
"Well, that's a shame, with more time we could…never mind. Follow me miss, let's find something that will fit your delicate appearance."

[Bobbie]

Surprised by his sudden burst of energy, Danielle moved a single step away from Gabriel. This was going to be a nightmare and she knew it. Not only was she going to have to endure a dreaded shopping outing, but it had to be for a dress. She wasn’t sure if this made things better or worse, but it also had to be done with someone she assumed would be equally clueless in the shopping department as she would be. Of course, this would only be true if her assumption was correct, that they were simply going to walk into a shop, browse, and pick something out themselves without being bothered by a salesperson or tailor.

Looking at Beast for a moment, she sighed softly, wishing she could go with them to ease her suffering just a little bit. She began to pet her head, but soon found that Namkhai’s offer was a lot more inviting to the dog than her affection, so she stopped and made room for the more familiar individual in Beast’s life. Danielle was still a stranger, after all…

As they entered a local tailor, Danielle was quite disappointed to find that this would be no simple browsing experience, as they were instantly greeted by the elderly man who run the store. Not at all happy, the woman only offered a grumpy little hum in response to his welcome, but her face soon brightened up when he offered her a suit.

Quickly, Danielle nodded, “Ye-”

Not a single word… She couldn’t even get one single three-lettered word out before Gabriel rudely cut in to deny her the comfort that a suit brought to the young Danielle, as opposed to a horrendous dress.

“Ugh…” her shoulders slumped and she let out a heavy sigh, having come so close to getting her way. What choice did she have? If she didn’t do this, he wouldn’t let her have any of the paintings, and that would mean all of this would have been for nothing as she’d get no profit. Time wasted. The things I do for love...

“It is a shame…” she muttered, though she was not referring to the short-notice of their request, but rather the fact that she couldn't avoid this dress-wearing ordeal. It was a shame that she did not reply fast enough to get away with ordering a suit for herself. Following the man with a deep frown, she looked around her at all the fabrics that they passed. “I am not delicate.” Her tone was harsh as she turned to walk backwards, glaring daggers at Gabriel, before turning once more to walk forward again after the tailor. “And I don’t particularly like fancy dresses, so… the plainest and simplest you’ve got, please.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #12

The Professor found himself a chair on which he could sit, while the elderly tailor was taking Danielle on the tour through his shop.

“Ah don´t worry my lady. My dresses can mask all imperfections and highlight your strengths.”

He said proudly, obviously misunderstanding Danielle´s complaints.

“You are very tall, so something with a higher neckline and long slit? I think you will appreciate it especially if you will have to dance…or maybe something more classic? Hmmm, let me see…”

He went through dozen or so dresses, before picking dark purple ones with golden trimming.

“Yes, I think these will be perfect, what do you think?”

He wasn´t even asking Danielle, but instead, he showed them to Gabriel, who was waiting nearby.

“Hmmm, I think you have excellent taste, sir.”

The historian replied, flattering the older tailor.

“Thank you, sir. My lady, would you be so kind and follow me to the back room? I need to do some adjustments on them so they would fit your figure.”

It took some time, but despite his age, the tailor was a true master of his craft and so in less than an hour they returned, with the old man walking straight to Gabriel.

“Alright, it will take some work, but if you give me your address, I can deliver them to you in two, maybe three hours.”

The Professor looked at his watches. It was very close, but still enough to make it in time to the party.

“Sounds about right. How much do I owe you?”

The elderly tailor started counting aloud.

“Well, it´s 2 million for the dress and another 300 000 for work and another 100 000 for express work, so 2 400 000 Beli.”

Gabriel nodded, pulling the appropriate amount from his wallet, with something extra, before asking.

“If I may ask, could you recommend me some jewelry store nearby?”

The tailor answered almost immediately.

“But of course! There is Cartier, just down the street, I am sure they will have everything you need!”

The Professor nodded in response.

“Perfect, than you very much. Danielle, can we go?”

[Bobbie]

Danielle frowned at the tailor who clearly misunderstood what she meant. She wasn’t asking for any imperfections to be hidden nor for any strengths to be highlighted - she simply wanted something plain and not the least bit fancy! Her frowned seemed to remain permanently stamped onto her face as he went on to talk about her height and a dreaded dance that she hoped to find a way out of.

As he went through the dresses, Danielle followed him, but couldn’t look any more uninterested, clearly very unhappy to be there. She might have even fallen asleep standing up had he not finally brought out a long purple dress when he did. Appalled by the golden trimming and the hideous embroidery, she stared at it in horror, the skirt being far too large and layered. As Danielle began to shake her head, Gabriel answered, and she realised that the man wasn’t even addressing his question to her. She glanced back at Gabriel, almost pleadingly with a single large puppy eye that glistened, then turned back to the elderly man, who prompted her to follow him.

Turning to Gabriel once more, she silently mouthed the words ‘I hate you’, before she was obliged to follow her tailor to the back room.

It was really quite a wonder that he was able to work as efficiently as he did, as Danielle was rather uncooperative and could be heard grumbling throughout the entire fitting of her dress. Once she finally emerged, she had a deep frown on her face once again, her loose t-shirt falling on tense shoulders as she stormed out from the back room after the elderly man.

However, hearing him rattle off the price for all of this brought a subtle smile to her face. Good, this is going to cost him dearly. She thought to herself, vindictively… and it seemed the next stop would be a jeweller’s... though she didn’t see why she’d need any more jewellery, her piercings were enough, and the dress was flashy and perfectly capable of doing just as well without any pretty stones.

“Yes,” the spite in her tone was impossible to miss as she replied to Gabriel's request to leave, but, nonetheless, she politely thanked the tailor and marched out of the shop before her companion could even take the first step toward the door.

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #13

The Professor promptly ignored the spite in Danielle´s voice, thanked the elderly tailor, and walked outside, with a friendly smile on his face.

“I am sorry it took so long. It had to be a real hell for you right? But you did great.”

He patted her shoulder.

“Now, we have to take care of the jewelry and shoes, but after we´ll finish I promise I buy these nougat-filled cookies for you.”

Gabriel tried to motivate her with the promise of a sweet reward before he let her down the street towards the jewelry shop. On the way there, he took two short stops at the local beautician and hairdresser salon, but never tried to force Danielle in with him and always walked out in just a few short minutes. It was a bit different when they found a shoe store on their way because there, they had to find dress shoes that were not only matching with her dress but also something that would fit the size of her feet and the relatively small height difference between her and Gabriel.

As for the jewelry shop itself, it was one of these high-end shops, that didn´t even bother with displaying price tags on its products because if you had to ask about it, you wasn´t able to afford it. There it turned out, that Professor Moon´s taste in jewelry included delicate yet expensive pieces that were combining gold with diamonds. In the end, Gabriel picked a matching set consisting of a necklace, earrings, ring, and bracelet, adding a replacement for her lip piercing as well. As they were walking out of the store, he handed the small paper bag to Danielle.

“It´s a gift. Even if you won´t be wearing them after today, don´t sell them. I am sure Rosaline would like them.”

With that, he headed towards the bakery where he bought the first batch of these ill-fated cookies.

[Bobbie]

“Yeah, it was hell. Thank you for putting me through that.” She grumbled, watching him in anger… but this was ultimately her choice. She needed as much money as she could get, so all of this was worth it for Rosalina. It had to be. As the man patted her shoulder, she let out a sigh, deciding not to fight his very odd show of affection and offering of treats - she could allow herself to enjoy a reward for all that she has endured today.

“Nougat-filled cookies sound good…” she muttered with a gentle nod, before she continued to follow him to this Cartier place where jewellery would be sold. Yet, it seemed there were more stops along the way. As Gabriel stopped at the beautician and hair salon the first time, Danielle waited outside, having no interest in going into such places, but when he stopped the second time, she got curious and followed him in.

She soon found that this was a big mistake and what could have been a five minute visit ended up lasting thirty as the beautician spotted Danielle and barraged her with every tactic possible to make a sale, offering up countless free samples. Of course, Danielle accepted none of the pampering treatments offered, but she left the building with a bag full of unwanted free samples of make up and hair products. Next, things got even worse, as Gabriel insisted on entering a shoe shop.

Danielle was very reluctant to part with her boots, but even she could see that they weren’t the best match with the dress. However, she felt like she could reach some kind of compromise when she insisted that any heels must not make her taller than Gabriel, knowing that their difference in height was not very large and so ensuring that no 6-inch heels would be purchased. To that, he seemed to agree.

Finally, they were at the jeweller’s and while the blonde had no interest in any of the shiny jewels for herself, she knew Rosalina would like some of these. Still, however, she needed to keep her head in the game. She needed money, not gifts…

When Gabriel handed the paper bag to her, she looked at him in surprise as she heard his words. He’s… actually going to let me keep all these things?

“That’s… she would.” With a sigh, Danielle nodded, appreciating the gesture, but she first needed to earn her hand in marriage with money, and boy did these cost a fortune. “Thank you. I won’t sell them.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #14

Professor Moon was surprised by the genuine gratitude, that came from Danielle. Surprised and pleased as it was the first clear evidence, that his effort had some positive effect on her.

“You don´t have to thank me. I still owe you for your help with that amulet.”

Being in an exceptionally good mood, Gabriel led the young treasure hunter to the bakery, buying her the biggest bag of nougat filet cookies they were offering, before heading back to the hotel. Several surprises were waiting on them there. First, despite the Professor´s worries, Namkhai and Beast didn´t demolition the room during their play. Second, the hairdresser and beautician he hired for Danielle were already waiting there. While hiring the hairdresser was an easy job, it was much harder to get the beautician there without a scene because Danielle unexpectedly followed him inside. Fortunately, one of the employees there basically buried her under a mountain of free samples and sale pitches, so he could deal with her boss in relative private.

Seeing them camming, Namkhai raised a head from Beast, who was sleeping, head on his lap, pointing towards the room, that Gabriel gave Danielle.

“They are already there. Took me a while to convince them that Beast won´t eat them, but they should be alright now.”

Hearing her name, the female Malamute opened one eye, woofing her greetings, before falling back asleep.

“Perfect.”

Gabriel nodded toward his subordinate before turning back to Danielle.

“Alright, I hired two ladies who will help you to get ready for the event. You know, hairstyle, make-up and similar. Once the dress arrives, they can also help you to put them on.”

Namkhai opened his mouth to say something funny but stayed silent after catching a warning look from Gabriel. There was a time when he would appreciate his jokes, but it wasn´t this time.

[Bobbie]

As they reached the bakery, Danielle was quite happy with the large bag of cookies she received. She hadn’t had a bag of goodies this large all to herself in a very long time - it would usually be a waste of money, but today she wasn’t paying.

On their walk home, she proceeded to stuff her face with said cookies, very much enjoying them. “These are really delicious,” she said and offered him one, her mouth still full and crumbs on her face. Maybe this was actually worth it after all… perhaps he wasn’t entirely terrible, but only a bit of a creep.

Once they reached the hotel room, however, Danielle’s opinion changed in an instant. She was happy to see Beast, and less so Namkhai, but when she watched the man point toward her room and mention that ‘they’ were in there, she frowned.

“Who should be alright now? Why is there someone in my room?” she asked, immediately irritated as the bag crumpled in her grip. The words that came from Gabriel only further infuriated her.

“What? I don’t need help getting ready for the event. I’m perfectly capable of tying my own hair and getting dressed!” she snapped, the side pony-tail being proof that she was capable of doing up some sort of hairstyle, though a very scruffy-looking one. “And I don’t wear make up. Is that what this was?” she held up the bag of cookies, sheer disappointment on her face as she felt like she had been bribed. “Tell them to leave!” she snapped, before shaking her head.

“Actually, I’ll do it myself.”

With an stern frown, she dropped the bag of cookies and stormed past Namkhai to enter her room, looking at the two individuals who were in there, waiting for her. “Get out! Your services won’t be needed anymore, you can leave. Thank you.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17

[Mr. Moon]

Gabriel #15

It all looked so good for a moment, but then another scene came, when Danielle found out, he ordered her a hairdresser and beautician, storming the room to throw them out. The two women, both in the first half of the third decade of their life, looked at her with a mix of fear and confusion.
With a sigh, Gabriel caught the falling cookies, taking one from the pack to steel his nerves and calm himself down, before the imminent confrontation. Taking the bag with him, to Beast´s great disappointment, he walked towards Danielle.
“You two…”
He addressed the two women with a smile and kind tone.
“Please wait just a moment.”
“You…”
He turned towards Danielle.
“Let´s talk about it alright?”
He pulled her out of the room, closing the door to make sure the two girls won´t hear them. Or at least that they won´t hear most of their conversation.
“Now listen…”
The Professor said firmly, grabbing the woman by her shoulders. This was nothing like his usual kind and friendly self, there was a determination in his eyes and a will to help his puppy to overcome the obstacles in her way.
“I understand that this is scary and incredibly stressful for you. I understand that you are angry at me because of that, but focus on Rosalina alright? Or do you really think that money is all that matters? Do you really think that you can be worthy of her love if you are not willing to face your fears for her?”
He asked.
“That woman is the best thing that ever happened to you. She is worth more than any treasure, so go there and show me, show everyone, that you are willing to sacrifice anything for her. That you trully deserve her love!”

[Bobbie]

Danielle frowned when Gabriel pulled her out of the room, a stubborn look on her face as she was about to argue. She was so close to getting rid of the two women, and Gabriel just interfered with that once again, pushing forward with his elaborate scheme to get her to dress and look like a proper woman, a concept so foreign to Danielle that it felt like she was transforming into somebody she wasn’t.

The man’s hands on her shoulders, she let out an irritated sigh, watching him. She noticed a look in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before, even while they were in that maze trying to locate the amulet. He was dead set on this… but she wasn’t.

She already started shaking her head, but then he mentioned Rosalina and she paused. Looking away, she didn’t know what to say, her frown turning into a pout as she became sulky. “Fine…” she grumbled beneath her breath. “I’m doing this for her and for nobody else!” she replied, taking a deep breath. He was right about one thing - well, more than one thing - but one thing in particular was definitely true. Not only was this stressful for Danielle, but it was scary.

With a little nod, she pulled away from Gabriel and reluctantly entered her room again, as the doors promptly closed to leave the treasure hunter trapped and at the mercy of the hairdresser and beautician, hired by the sociopath in the next room.

She would be in there for so long that the dress would arrive before the two were done. There was so much work to do in order to make Danielle look ready for a ball that it took almost right until the last minute before they would end up being late. Finally, the doors would be open and Danielle would emerge a different woman.

She had the fitted purple dress with golden trimmings on, the diamond earrings hanging on her ears, her lip ring sparkling elegantly and make up on her cheeks and eyelid, making Danielle worthy of the title of a countess as her tall figure was accentuated. The beautician had even taken it upon herself to stuff her dress a little bit to make her figure look more feminine. While the frown remained, her lips were painted a deep red, contrasting against her pale skin as her neck was exposed as her hair was done up nicely. Upon the woman’s insistence, strands were still left hanging to give it a loose appearance, while the rest of it was turned and tied up into a messy bundle of heated curls, held up with a few pins. The eyepatch had to remain, but had some purple powder dye and gold glitter fixed on it to match the dress, while some stray strands of hair were positioned to fall over it and conceal it a bit to make it less prominent.

Lastly, stepping out of her room, her heels clicked against the floor, though her grace was lost in an instant as the poor girl nearly tripped over. Her arms held out in attempt to balance herself, she looked at Gabriel with a panicked look. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

---

Danielle: #fffd17