What a Cupcake!

            "WauGH!" Gaius promptly smashed into the ground. A satisfying "SLAP" could be heard as face hit cobblestone.

“‘Nice body?’ S-Surely you two cannot be serious! I’m beginning to doubt this idea entirely.”

"You’re going to don the sorcerer’s attire?! I mean, yes of course, something as modest and covering as the… sorcerer’s uniform would be much more befitting of a man of the cloth such as you, Libra."

"Modest? Cripes, Ruffles, there's nothing 'modest' about those skimpy-" Gaius caught on pretty fast. To say that the entire conversation up until now was totally innocent would be a complete lie, but claiming that it was all purposeful would be just the same.

"Right, right! This is where the old sweet talking comes in, doesn't it? I'll go run off ahead, then." Gaius sped off, chuckling snidely to himself. The Uniform Tents weren't too far off, not that Gaius particularly cared. He only had one outfit, after all, and it only needed to be washed maybe one every two months. Having a brown and black color scheme worked in your favor once in a while...

The attendant was amiable, if not a bit faceless. It never occurred to Gaius that apart from about 40 or so-odd members of the army, everybody else they ever met was so insignificant as to be almost... dispensable.

Nevertheless, the attendant presented a particular problem: The only Sorcerers in camp at the moment were Tharja and Henry. Needless to say, Libra didn't possess the same... assets as Tharja. As for Henry, well... Being around 2/3rds the height of a person didn't exactly contribute to accurate sizing.

"...Perfect." Gaius snatched the spare uniform right off of the rack, clicking his tongue and winking at the attendant before swoocing right out and back towards the others.

          But then she heard the real bulk of the stuff, mind finally clearing of the absolute mortification that he’d heard her out-of-tune chorus. A little band? Sure, it sounded cute, as long as Olivia wasn’t involved. “Y-you want me to sing? For you? Like, on purpose?”

          Knowing that someone had heard her singing couldn’t have been embarrassing enough on its own, could it? And Gaius off all people, too — he’d never let her hear the end of it. Especially not if she refused his offer. Olivia could barely even dance when in front of an audience. But singing? How could she ever do both? Wouldn’t her voice shake? And Gods, she didn’t even have a pretty voice, did she?

          Olivia’s eyebrows came together nervously and she twiddled her hands in front of her body. He left her with no choice, and he even procured that thing he was holding, as if he knew she’d comply with his wishes. Her eyes looked to the side as she tried her best to think of an excuse not to join his little band. A breathing disorder? Lack of coordination?

"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.