#V: BABY I'M A VAGABOND!

[sweetheist]

whoa there, bubbles. what’s the rush? it’s not like a certain crafty ol’ thief is oh so conveniently ( uh, okay he totally is ) barring their trusty leader from the only way out. heh! come on, he’s damn near desperate and desperate times - what do they call for? desperate measures! just needs someone to tag along on his latest bee hunting venture ( someone who’ll distract a certain pegasus knight on the prowl ) and guess who’s lucky day it is!

ohhh, he’s practically oozing with excitement. time to reach for honey heaven and no stumbles in sight to trip the whole hive this time. just gotta throw down some of his good ol’ tongue work to convince the tactician all their soon to be trouble will be damn worth it and they’re golden!

sweet glazed honey cakes here he comes!

“say, uh.. goin’ somewhere? got a bargain for ya! all i need is someone to play shadow. how ‘bout that? real easy, yeah? help out gaius and he’ll make all your problems go bye-us!”

@grmasruin

[sweetheist]

well, well!

pretty little doe eyed thing ain’t she, huh? sure he’s got a whole collection of wonders tucked beneath his belt ( seen twice as many back in the good ol’ day ) but nothin’ quite like her. ehhh, somethin’ otherwordly or another y’know? just popped up one day like a spring daisy in full bloom! uh huh. nothin’ beaten can rightfully nurture on these lands all thanks to the war business.

law of the land is best keep to yourself if ya knew what was good. but good ol’ gaius never settles for good, always goin’ for the better; the best of the best don’tcha know. this whole shepherd business is still fresh outta the works for him after all, they give him some real sweet incentive to clean his hands and runnin’ with the little motley crew keeps ‘em clean, yada yada. sure, the army is great and all but most of ‘em couldn’t spot a real treasure in the trove and that’s exactly why he needs to play on someone’s curiosity, yep.

lucky for her ( that’s where she comes in, see ) he’s danglin’ a real pretty piece of handiwork by yours truly in oh so suspiciously plain sight, gems sparklin’ temptingly bright, oooh!

“hey, hey you! you’re a girl and girls like this sort of stuff, yeah? whaddya think? yay or nay? gimme some input and i’ll toss this one in as a freebie!”

@reinepomme

[sweetheist]

“Favorite food it might be too early to tell….but I do like it” having no memories. It was hard to tell what used to be their favorite. But they do enjoy…whatever this was, quite a lot. So it might their favorite. Well, at last for now.

Still, that the thief enjoys this food as well, was a surprise. They would have assumed Gaius favorite food would be…sweeter.

“ It is quite a funny coincidence still. heh. Though aren’t sweets your favorite food as well?”

a-ah, huh. yeah!

coincidence indeedy! not like he’s been diggin’ into what little valuable info they’ve got tucked under their waistcoats concerning their mystery tactician over here. nope, nada. zilch! hands are totally ( heh, almost! ) clean on this and even gaius knows ya can’t out tact the real tactician. eh, besides! who didn’t like a little bundt cake every now and again?

“sure they are! nothin’ like a little chocolate to smooth the mood. if you’re lookin’ to dip into the deeper details it’s gonna cost ya!”

[sweetheist]

cripes! there goes his crepe.

y’know, maybe the sticky wouldn’t be all over his damn fingers for once if the sentry wasn’t all up on hawkin’ a guy like he’s done wrong. uh, is it a crime to eat now? bummer. seriously, can’t he cook up some creme de la creme in peace?

aww, forget it. these guys would just as soon stick it to him for dinner before good ol’ gaius gets a sweet taste of dessert, eh? they’ve been eyein’ up his sack all day too. fine. fair is unfair, guess he’s sneakin’ into the mess hall way after hours ( uh, again ) if he wants to do what he’s gotta do.... ohhh! holy cannoli, if it ain’t bubbles to the damn rescue! don’t mind him now, just gonna grab up what actually survived of the little crepe that ( almost ) could and shove it at bubbles ‘cause man he’s desperate right now.

that outta get the guards off his candy stash, jeez.

“h-here, bubbles! perfect timing! try this, yeah? just made it but i can’t help feelin’ like somethin’ just doesn’t cut the mustard.”

@stratesia

[sweetheist]

shuffle, cut, good ol’ deal. guess who brought his cards out to play again? with patchwork luck maybe he’s finally wrangled enough tricks of the almighty sense deceiving trade to convince her he’s got juuuust the little piece of heaven she needs if she’s willing to sweeten the trade.

it’s all in the wrist, yeah? besides, his sleeves ain’t the only hidin’ place he’s got. heheh!

“say, specs... any turnaround on those peach pastries yet? in case ya haven’t noticed the orchard ain’t exactly bloomin’ and i gotta get my fix somehow!”

@edifyingisms

[sweetheist]

g-gods, talk ‘bout real embarrassing, huh?

next time bubbles plays eye spy with her little tactician eye he’s gonna make damn sure the bathhouse is off limits. uh, but there’s no pullin’ one over on good ol’ gaius this time ( nope, nada! ) ‘cause guess what he’s got shinin’ in his hot little hand?!

the newest strategy book fresh off the streets -- errr, nearest stall. figured it couldn’t hurt ( hey, at least he didn’t lug half a library’s worth of a tome load with him this time ) soooooo... maybe, just maaaaaaybe it’ll keep those lips of hers sealed like the nearest bag of sweets; nice and tight!

“kept ya waitin’, huh?! no more holdin’ out! here it is, brand spankin’ new. i promise ya won’t spot another one of these babies on the streets for a long while!”

@tactiquess

[sweetheist]

You need to do better if you want to meet your goal.

TRAINING TURNED TENSION STARTERS / accepting!

yikes! that smarts. what’s with all the sudden know how ‘bout gettin’ up close and all slippery kind of personal anyway? that’s what the rest of the shepherds are for! while they storm the front lines good ol��� gaius plays it cool hangin’ back on the stealth lines. besides, there’s only one of him and no one else can houdini a door or lock open faster, tell ya what. sure, magic is real nifty but once someone figures out the trick you’re deadbeat as melted sweets.

couldn’t be his face that got bubbles all riled up after a match like that, nah. no way. still... fry a guy for almost noddin’ off mid lesson why don’tcha. what gives? only got so much sugar in his tank to burn. man, these nighttime guard shifts are killin’ his daytime vibes.

“ehh, y’know go hard is good but all work and no play and even you’re gonna go grey. my goal is pretty reachable from down here, thanks. sorry to burst your bubbles. too bad everyone needs downtime, huh? yeah, even you!”

[sweetheist]

"I've been wanting to kick your ass all week."

TRAINING TURNED TENSION STARTERS / accepting! 

whaaat was that? tall dark and broody wants to skin poor ol’ gaius alive? hang him right out to dry? jeez. so much for fun in the sun. told him not to train in this heat - must’ve finally gone and scrambled whatever’s left of his brains, it did. heck, his too and would ya look at that; his entire reserve of juice bars. melted.

yikes, real bad day this is turnin’ out to be and he ain’t lookin’ to get squashed on top of it, no siree. you’d think finally accepting that not so sweet offer for pointless exercise -- errr, training would be good enough. yuck, got sand in places he never knew existed until now. gee, thanks for that.

“don’t go gettin’ your almighty sword hand bent outta shape there. you won, right? so then what’s this about, huh? not even gonna ask ya to sweeten the tone this time. how ‘bout just shove an ice pop in it and chill.”

[sweetheist]

phew, this is the big one!

a real sixth ( sweet sweet ) sense he calls it, oh yeah! good ol’ gaius finally whipped up the winner of winners, a pie of all pies. crust so luscious it could damn near sparkle with all that perfect golden brown, eh?! yep, after hours of trial and error this has gotta be it; somethin’ so undeniably scrumptious even the gods can’t deny!

heh heh, speakin’ of...

guess who’s lookin’ to get his first step to a best sellin’ success blessed? this guy and his pie! uh, who better to slice him a special piece of heaven? no one but padre.

“look here, i know you’re lord and savior of everything peachy clean, but i think i’ve hit the mother load of all loads this time so maybe you’d be kind enough to do the honors? i guess what i’m tryin’ to say is... i’d like your spiritual opinion. so how ‘bout it, padre? think ya can bend the knee to some sugar just this once?”

@clericallis