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Damian and Raquel had spent the day touring the beauteous countryside of Veratia. It had begun with the two of them pulling themselves out of bed for their usual morning routine, but instead of it ending in Damian's usual cane and smart outfit ensemble, he sported a very high-tech pair of crutches. Built for comfort (or as far as comfort could go with crutches), he was ready to take the weight off his knee and do all he could do take Raquel out and about. They both looked rather sophisticated, which deserved being seen.

And so, once their ride came, Damian and Raquel were taken off into wine country, to the vineyards upon rolling hills. The sky was so clear and the air so fresh that Damian felt at several times he was being transported to a completely different dimension, though that could have been the wine making him a bit giddy. Everything was so untainted upon the world that it was like he'd never tasted wine before, and the joy went straight to his head.

He wasn't completely drunk, though. If anything, the wine just made him sleepy as they went from vineyard to vineyard. Tours were sometimes boring, and the walking was making him even more fatigued by the time the last establishment was being visited. There, they caught their ride one final time after perusing the gift shop, where he insisted (as he did every time they went inside one) that Raquel buy something for herself. Whatever struck her fancy, he was certain she could have. Damian still could not be broken of his habit of buying his way into people's affections, even if with Raquel it would be a matter of winning what he already had.

Inside the speeder, Damian heaved a huge sigh. Overhead, the sky had steadily turned into a deep grey. A storm was creeping its way down from the heavens, but it gave him such a perfect plan for his final show to Raquel.

"Could you please drive us to La Loggia villa?" he asked him. "I believe it is the last destination on the map I had printed..."
And indeed it was, and so they went off to "avoid the threatening storm," as Damian put it.

As they drove along, the wealthy man looked over to his Raquel. He may have looked a bit battered and rosy-cheeked by then, but she seemed to glow with the day they'd spent.
"Have you enjoyed yourself?" he asked, just as the peace was broken by a soft roll of thunder.

Hearing her say that she had had a perfect day made him smile in a way that made the driver have to hide his own grin. He was a man smitten with the woman beside him, that was for sure.

"Good. Very good... I have to say, I've enjoyed myself as well. But there's one more place I'd like us to go, even in this weather."
The rain was beginning to come down quite a bit, though not too much that it might make driving dangerous. The road they were traveling was paved, thank goodness, so Damian had no worries.

La Loggia Villa was just a few minutes away. Raquel might take it for another vineyard, though it looked more personal than all the other businesses they'd just been to, who were accustomed to taking in tourists. This place was a home for sale, and not a business at all.

Ah, she knew how to play the game. But even with that tickling his mind, he shook his head.
"There's something you must see. I promise it's worth everything in this rain."

And so they kept driving until the road turned into a dignified, well-crafted cobblestone driveway that led to the villa itself. The entry gate was automated, and granted them access to the property once Damian handed the driver the card from the agency. With a loud click, the gateway opened, revealing a much better view of the villa through the rainy day. Even with the clouds, the building stood out in all its grandeur.

A small umbrella was all they needed to be shielded from the rain. Damian used one crutch to get himself out of the car, with the other holding the collapsable umbrella. It opened with a pop above him, and did it's very best to keep him dry as he made his way to the other side of the car for Raquel.
"Welcome to La Loggia!" he said, with a grand gesture. There was no one else around, making the silence one that was already hinting at his plan. This house was for them alone.

"I wanted to show you this place... the very last step of our day. Just for you."

With the umbrella being taken of by Raquel, Damian could fish out his other crutch to use for a safe walk. Together the walked up to the house, surrounded by lush gardens. Everything was accentuated by the charge left by the dying storm, and the overcast light.
Damian led them through the back yard first so Raquel could walk under the stone archway and up the old stairs, see the bushes and moss creeping between the cobblestones. This was such a quiet, lovely place...

"Not a wine tasting... but something even better."
Damian fished out a key. At the back door, he fumbled a bit with it all, but eventually opened it for her to go in first. His grin was giving it all away, he felt.
"Go on, go inside your prospective palace."

"Only if you want it to be."
Damian's voice carried softly across the polished floors and through the beautifully painted walls. He had no idea if her reaction was good or bad, so he took a few more steps towards her. Every metallic click resonated like her shoes did before he came to a rest.

"There's... let's see, a loft, for maybe your artistic pursuits," he began, as if stating his case very carefully before the grand jury. His voice remained quite calm and soft as they stood in the rather dark home.
"And a large kitchen. A study. Several bedrooms... one master bedroom, with a bath regal enough to rival mine. And in the living room, there's a domed ceiling like in my library."
He kept switching his eyes from the floor to her face like a child searching for positivity in the critical adult. Damian just wanted her to be happy, but suddenly felt guilt at not consulting her at all for this house idea.

What didn't she get? he thought with a light chuckle.
"You're looking at one house of many that could be yours. But I was presumptuous and believed this one might be the best."

Once more he hobbled over carefully to her side, where she seemed elated and caught totally off-guard by the luxury around her.
"That is, if you do want to live on Druis after you're done with schooling, and live with me until we're little wrinkled things sitting on the front porch, yelling at the young hired help to get their jobs done already."

Damian chuckled again at the look upon her face. It was sending butterflies right through his bones to see her so taken with just the main area.

As she took him into her arms, Damian dropped his crutches upon the floor. They made a loud clattering sounds that seemed to resonated throughout the entire house, but he didn't care. He was just thankful to have his Raquel hugging him so tightly out of joy.

"We haven't even seen the entire house!" he teased. "But yes, this could be ours. But only if you are absolutely smitten with it."