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19
Harley stumbled towards the guards. There was a nearly empty bottle of wine in her hand while her other played with her hair, making it even more messy than before. It was her goal to look like a drunken whore who was about to reveal her "secret lover". It would likely cause quite the scandal, but she relished in causing a little chaos.
She took a swig from the wine and the two guards stepped to stand in front of her, blocking her from entering the courtyard. She gave them both a scowl, "Excuse me, I need to get through." The guards gave each other a knowing look before one shook his head and replied, "Miss, you're drunk. Go home." Harley frowned and swayed the bottle in a circular motion, then she laughed, "I had a drink or two, but I am not drunk. I'm here to see...a client." She leaned in close enough to ensure they could smell the alcohol on her breath as she whispered in a mischievous manner, "Would you be so kind as to let me pass?"
Once again, the two men glanced at each other. One looked irritated, the other was slightly amused. The amused one crossed his arms and shook his head at her, "We don't normally get...entertainers. Especially not ones as bold as you." Harley grinned and winked at the man as she rose the bottle to her lips, "I'd love to show you just how bold I can be."
His eyes widened while the other guard stifled a laugh. Harley continued by stepping closer and looking the guard in his eyes, tracing a finger along the buttons of his red coat. "Normally I'm the one that gets paid, but I would be willing to give you something in return if you let me pass. I'm sure we could work something out," she winked a second time. Gently, the man moved her away from him until they stood at a comfortable distance. "As...tempting as your offer is, I must decline. I have a duty to guard these walls and prevent anyone from entering the castle this late at night."
Harley frowned and furrowed her brow, "I have a duty as well! I've already been paid for my services, now I have to follow through. He told me to come see him tonight, at this very hour, here at the castle. Do you really want to deny Commander Dent?" She then gasped and slapped a hand over her mouth, as if that were some kind of big secret. If word ever got out that someone with such a position was seeing a whore, there would be a lot of problems for that individual. But Dent had been unfair to her. And although she had won the challenge against him and it was a sweet victory, she saw no reason why she couldn't add a little more shame to his plate.
Both of the guards fell deathly still, their eyes wide. Harley smiled sheepishly and laughed as she waved her hand dismissively, "Sorry, I didn't mean to spill the beans like that. After all that poor Dent has been through lately, this would really take the cake." She slid her fingers over her lips as if she were zipping them shut. "Keep this hush-hush, okay?"
One of the guards cleared his throat and squared his shoulders. "Whoever you're supposed to be seeing is none of my concern. I still can't allow you to pass." He paused as the other guard leaned in to whisper into his ear. He seemed to consider what he was being told. His eyes met with hers and she smiled. She took that moment to glance at the courtyard behind them. The other guards who had been stationed by the front door were heading towards them. Once they reached a considerable distance from the castle, she noticed a shadow moving away from the wall and vanishing among the shrubs nearest to the tree.
"What's going on here?" One of the other two guards said as they approached. The new ones looked very annoyed with the situation, as if they were displeased by the fact that they had to leave their posts for anything at all. The first two looked at them and replied, "This young lady insists that she has a client that told her to meet them here." The third and fourth guards looked over her briefly before one clicked his tongue and placed a hand on his hip. "We don't allow anyone to enter the castle at this hour. Go home." Clearly he was far more impatient and far less entertaining as the first two guys.
Harley stomped her foot and feigned anger, "Why won't you let me in?! He will be angry with me if I don't show up! Do you want his money to go to waste?"
"Just meet him somewhere else at another time. It's that simple," said the third guard. She shook her head and crossed her arms. "I'm not the one that gets to choose when and where to go. That's entirely up to the convenience of my clients. And he told me to meet him here, tonight."
The first and second guard looked to the third and fourth, one of them daring to say, "She claims her client is Commander Dent." They got looks of surprise in return, and for a moment all four were completely silent.
Finally, the fourth one furrowed his brow and crossed his own arms as he looked over Harley, "Dent, huh? Awfully convenient that he would have a whore show up to the castle so soon after he was beaten in a shoot off by a woman. In fact, you look a lot like the woman he had challenged. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she was trying to ruin his reputation even further by starting some scandal."
Harley kept her cool and drank from her bottle, waving an accusatory finger at the guard, "What the hell are you talking about? I've never shot a gun in my life." He gave her a knowing grin, "Is that so? Are you denying that you are Harley Sinclair?"
She furrowed her brow at him. She wasn't worried that he figured her out. And she knew that now he couldn't be convinced otherwise. That was where Nox would come in. "Who the fuck is Harley Sinclair? My name is Fearne Winters." The guard raised a brow at her. But when he opened his mouth to speak, a different, more familiar voice interjected, "I am so sorry." She looked over to see Dustin walking up to her. He moved to stand behind her with his hands on her shoulders so he could turn her away from the guards. "Your client has asked me to come get you. He changed the location of your meeting," he said to her quietly, but made sure the guards could still hear him.
She yanked herself away from him, "Oh, fuck off! Just forget it! He's pissed me off too much already!" Then she stomped away. She could hear Dustin apologizing frantically to the guards for her behavior, and she grinned to herself. Moments later she could hear him catching up with her. Once he was walking by her side, she finally spoke, "Did you get it?" He gave a pleased smile and nodded. The front of his cloak was pulled apart just enough for her to see part of a branch that had been kept hidden. "Good," she said. Now they needed to make a weapon out of it.
