"Aw, come on, Babe. Don't be like that! You're not the official army dancer for nothing, right? Why, I'd even wager to go so far as to say that we'd be nothing without you! Seeing you dance, hey, even a guy like me feels like he can do anything twice over!" Gaius beamed. In fact, it almost looked as though a stream of light were emanating from his very figure. To Olivia, at least, he must have been a paragon of praise, singing words that oozed of confidence and pride.
...Of course, in reality, it was nothing more than cajoling. Marks like Olivia, they wouldn't be too hard to wheedle around. It's not that Gaius bore any ill will towards the woman. No, she just happened to have the particular... skills he needed. No, Olivia wasn't the mark in question. Not by a long shot. All he needed was Olivia to...
"...Oh... You don't need any money, huh?" Gaius broke his composure for a second.
It was only a minor wrench in the plan, to be sure, but if Olivia wasn't willing to dance for a few townspeople... Not to mention, the idea of composing music had been completely lost on Gaius. He wasn't a musician, of course. If anything, he would be lucky if he could just play two or three chords over and over for a few minutes. But he DID have a plan. Oh, did he have a plan. Only a few more steps to go.
"Morale, huh? Not a bad idea, Babe. Pretty good, actually." Gaius grinned again. "In fact, why limit it to only the army? We should spread mirth like that all over! A time of strife like this is the best time for people like us! Hells, we could be beacons of hope all over Ylisse!"
...Gaius deflated internally. This was getting bombastic. He had to cinch the deal, and quickly.
"So.. How about this? I have some music sheets I... 'borrowed' from Stahl and Cordelia. Why don't we get some practice in?" He handed Olivia a small stack of papers. "We can start on the down low. Maybe hit a few small markets outside the castle. So? How about it? You ready?"
turnnoffyourmind
dededos
janainaart
ellievsbear
