gachabox | Time to Spy

Time to Spy

Linhardt was less than pleased when he found out Edelgard was planning on using him as a spy against the Kingdom. That was nothing compared to how he felt when he learned he would have to pretend to be a maid at the palace the entire time.

He wasn't trained as a spy, and he had never acted as a woman before.

Unfortunately, despite his objections, the Emperor was adamant that he had to be the one to take on this task.

He spent some time learning about spying techniques, how best to ask questions and listen in on gossip without drawing attention to himself. The rest of his time was learning how to behave, dress and make himself up as a typical woman in the Kingdom. This, they assured him, would make him much less suspicious.

Linhardt suspected, as he finished getting into his dress, that he was ultimately chosen because Edelgard simply trusted him more than any of her real spies. And maybe, by forcing him to act as a woman, he would be on his toes at all times.

By the time he arrived at the palace in Fhirdiad, Linhardt was feeling the slightest bit more confident. He had a contact inside that helped him get his job as a maid, cleaning rooms of the most important people there... including King Dimitri's. He would also help out at festivities, serving drinks and cleaning up.

That was where he was now, balancing a serving tray of wine flutes and trying not to trip over his dress as he approached various lords and military generals, offering them their drinks. Linhardt tried to remember everything he'd learned as he went from group to group, listening for important details about Faerghus' military intentions. If someone addressed him he spoke softly, trying to keep his voice as female as possible.

He was just going to go refill his tray when he looked to the side, thinking someone called out to him, only to accidentally bump into another person when he took another step forward.

Linhardt caught sight of a head of red hair and a handsome face before he lowered his gaze and offered a half curtsy.

"My apologies. I should have been watching my step."

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Sylvain wasn't terrible thrilled about being here. This isn't his kind of party, and he's got Dimitri's eyes on him too much to really have fun. Still, he's going to do his best to have a nice evening, so he very carefully sets himself up so that he's in the path of the new maid.

Of course he knows all of them by face and name, so he could tell immediately when a new one arrived. He places himself casually so that she will bump into him, easy enough since she's always staring down. The shy look does seem to suit her.

"No, no, my fault entirely. I can't believe I didn't notice such a beautiful girl coming my way. I hope you'll forgive me."

And this is the first time someone has flirted with him since he started the job. Of course he was warned this might happen, but Linhardt feels completely unprepared to deal with the situation nonetheless.

His cheeks are burning as he rises from the curtsy.

"There's nothing to forgive," he practically mumbles while trying to seek an escape route. It's crowded though, and he doesn't want to start squeezing past people or bumping into others.

"Can I, um, help you with anything?"

How adorable. She's so shy! Sylvain steps just a little closer, but not too much. He doesn't want to seem threatening.

"I just wanted introductions. You're new, right? You don't have to be so demure around me, I'm not that kind of noble. I'm Sylvain. What's your name, sweetheart?"

Sylvain... of House Gautier. Yes, he recognizes the name as one of King Dimitri's most important officers.

Maybe he's getting ahead of himself by just trying to run off. At the very least he can establish some sort of connection here that might be useful in the future.

"Yes, I'm new. My name is Lin."

The assumption, of course, being that he's referring to the female version of such a name, or that it's a nickname for something like Linda. He is totally confident that using 'Lin' won't make anyone suspicious. Nobody outside the Empire knows who he is, anyway.

Keeping his eyes down, Linhardt doesn't want to give away that he's suddenly more interested in the man before him.

"I apologize... I've never been around so many important people at once before." Anyone would be intimidated, surely?

Well whatever it was that caught her attention, Sylvain is glad to have it. Of course he had her somewhat trapped already, but she isn't looking for an immediate exit anymore. Maybe she knows him by name. Many people do. Though this isn't the kind of personality who usually is swayed by his status.

Then again, all girls dream of climbing the social ladder, right?

"Yeah, I getcha. Some of my fellows can be kind of intimidating, I know-" looking at you, Felix, "but I try to be an approachable guy. If anyone gives you trouble let me know, okay? I can't stand it when a lady isn't treated right."

He really is laying it on thick, isn't he?

Then again, Linhardt grew up in noble society, and he understands how many women would probably fall over themselves if someone from a powerful house was flirting with them this way.

It's a tricky situation. He wants to be realistic, but he doesn't want to catch Sylvain's attention more than necessary. He's supposed to find out most information by searching rooms and listening in on conversations, not by talking with the officers directly.

That's too dangerous by far. He should probably leave things here if possible... this is more than enough of a connection.

"Ah... yes. Thank you." He curtsies again, but only briefly. "I really should retrieve more wine. I don't want to keep anyone waiting."

You say that like you've never heard about his reputation, which he finds improbable. Possible, but still he assumes anyone who recognizes his name has heard he's a flirt.

At least the whole shy persona Linhardt has on makes it believable that he wants to get out of the situation.

"I wouldn't want to get you in trouble." Puts on his most charming smile, reaching over tenderly to lift Linhardt by the chin to meet his eyes. "Bring me one too, okay? I want to see your cute face again."

Unfortunately, that information wasn't included when he was briefed about the officers back in Enbarr. It would have been nice to be prepared for this, but Linhardt supposes they can't have known to tell him everything.

Feeling fingers on his chin nearly has him flinching back in surprise. Undoubtedly he looks nervous as he's prompted to look up at Sylvain's handsome face again. But the redness in his face could just as easily pass that as embarrassment, too.

"I will. In a little while," he murmurs before pulling back as carefully as he can. This time he squeezes past Sylvain without caring so much who else he might bump into on the way. Linhardt needs to get out of this situation before he draws too much attention from anyone else.

Lin does in fact look nervous, and that expression is so totally adorable it has Sylvain smirking all over again. The shy ones are so much fun, in that way. Easy to get under their skin, and Lin's pale face looks lovely with a dusting of blush.

He makes no move to fight when Lin pulls away and beats a retreat. Sometimes it's better to give them space, wait for them to think of him and pine. He imagines Lin will be more receptive the next time around, once she's had time to contemplate. He blends back into the crows of nobles, waiting for his next chance.

Linhardt does think over that interaction while he goes to retrieve more flutes of wine to balance on his serving platter. What could he have done differently for a more preferable outcome? Now Sylvain will be looking out for him... but hopefully just tonight. Maybe he'll forget afterwards.

So after taking a bit of time to recollect himself and prepare the flutes, Linhardt returns to the party and continues serving nobles and other important people their drinks.

He almost turns away when he spots that head of red hair again, but after reminding himself that he's going to have to deal with people like this eventually, he continues forward.

...Up until he feels a hand suddenly connect hard and solidly with his ass.

It's fortunate that there are only a couple flutes left on his serving platter at that point, because he drops the whole thing with a loud clatter, utterly startled by what just happened. He hears laughter behind him even as he crouches down to start cleaning up the mess.

It doesn't end there, however. An arm wraps around his waist from behind, tugging him away from his task and up against a strong body.

"Forget that, girl. You'll have more fun hanging with the men over here!"

Sylvain starts to wonder if his new friend is going to come back at all. Maybe he thoroughly scared the poor girl off. It's a rare day when the womanizer wonders if he's come on too strong, but here he is.

He doesn't push it, doesn't do more than just keep an eye out for Lin as he mingles and schmoozes with the other nobles.

It's a good thing he has an eye out, though. He sees a flash of green hair right before the sound of shattering glass cuts through the party. Someone got a little too drunk. Sylvain has a deep frown on his face as he pushes through the throng to get closer, and it only grows harsher as he realizes what's going on; and more importantly, how little everyone else around is doing about it. Cowards.

He steps in, tapping the shoulder of the one who's grabbing Lin. "Scuse me, I don't think it's very good form to allow broken glass to remain on the floor of the party. I don't think Dimitri would be very pleased if one of his officers cut a foot on this stuff."

He gently but firmly puts a hand on Lin's shoulder, between her and the drunkard, ready to pry her away if need be. He looks down to address her. "Thanks for trying to do your job, gorgeous. Would you be an angel and go get some help and a broom to safely clean this up with?"

Linhardt gently tries to take control over the situation, but the man holding onto him is clearly quite drunk and isn't listening to him.

He's starting to grow increasingly worried when he spots the redhead approaching with a serious expression on his face. Linhardt looks up at him with a look that clearly says help me, and as it turns out, his silent request is granted.

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Sylvain."

The man behind him grumbles but lets him go, and Linhardt stumbles forward a little with his momentum. What a disaster...

"I'll go get some help now."

Sylvain flashes a little smile and a wink at Linhardt. "Don't rush and hurt yourself, you're probably still startled."

The last thing they need is pointless injuries during domestic celebrations. And Sylvain doesn't want to hurry the girl. Let her take a moment to calm down. As soon as he sees the maid off, he turns back toward the drunk minor lord with a very unamused expression.

"I sure hope you don't plan to make a habit of grabbing our lord Dimitri's servants without warning or permission, friend. Nothing against having a little fun, but these girls aren't being paid to amuse you. You need to earn that. Now go drink some water and sit down."

The guy seems to consider making a fight out of it, as if he could actually take the noble paladin in a fight, but his friends guide him away with some mumbled excuses. Good enough.

Sylvain will watch the area to keep the broken glass controlled.

Linhardt is still quite flustered by the time he returns with a broom and basket to clean up the mess. Thankfully the man from before isn't standing there anymore, but Sylvain is... seemingly keeping the area he'd dropped the glasses in clear of other people.

He acknowledges the lord with a small nod and mumbled thank you, before beginning to clean up the mess.

Linhardt hadn't been all that impressed with the guy during their first encounter, but now? There's obviously quite a lot of good in him.

And that? One of the things he feared would happen if he got to know any of the soldiers or officers. It doesn't feel very good to think about making their deaths easier, does it? It takes way too little to bring out his empathetic side. Edelgard truly should have taken that into consideration before making this decision.

Sylvain flashes Lin a grin when the maid returns. He at least doesn't get in her way of cleaning up, not wanting to be so much of a hypocrite as that.

When the job is mostly done, though, he touches Lin's shoulder gently to get her attention, and gives a little supportive squeeze.

"Hey, sorry about him. Are you all right?" For all his occasional observant abilities, he is blind to Lin's current internal crisis.

He really isn't sure if he's okay or not. If a little extra kindness like this is going to dig into his conscience, then how is he going to manage if more people act like Sylvain? What if he starts getting too comfortable here?

"Just a little shaken. I'll be okay," he replies, trying his best not to look Sylvain in the eyes again while he speaks.

"You don't have to worry about me."

Honestly, he thinks, don't. Don't make this harder than it's already going to end up being.

Lin is clearly very shaken up and upset, and even though Sylvain thinks that's entirely because of the events from earlier, he's starting to realize that him trying to help isn't, in fact, helping.

As much as he doesn't want to, he knows he should back off a bit, at least for a little while. He surely isn't going to give up on attempts to get to know Lin better.

"I'll worry about you getting harassed like that again. I dislike seeing women treated such a way." Some people would claim he isn't much better, laying on the lines and minor manipulations to get women to like him, but he sees a big difference there.

Linhardt feels his stress rising by the moment. The longer he's standing here speaking with Sylvain near the 'scene of the crime,' the greater chance he has of drawing more unwanted attention.

"Really, it's okay. I'm sure it won't happen again."

Well, not so sure. Maybe the other maids have advice on how to deal with those types of situations so he doesn't end up caught in one again.

"If you'll excuse me, I think I'll take a break in the kitchen." With the mess cleaned up, he brings the broom and bin back with him to the kitchen, stepping hurriedly so he doesn't have to look back at Sylvain as he goes.

Once he makes it to the kitchen, Linhardt puts everything down and collapses on a chair with an exhausted sigh. Goddess, he needs a nap. Where can maids nap? Well, he's never been picky. Right here on this chair should work well enough.

"Let's hope so," Sylvain agrees.

He lets Lin beat another hasty retreat, content for the moment to disappear into the crowd. He had promised that she could rest as much as she needed, and he isn't going to go back on that.

When he doesn't see her for the rest of the evening, though, he wonders. Worries, a little, if he's being honest with himself. He asks some of the staff after her, and is told where to find her.

So Lin will awaken to a very gentle voice and tap on the shoulder. "Sweetheart?"

Linhardt honestly didn't mean to sleep so long. If anything, he'd expected one of the other maids to wake him up after a bit, but... none of them did. So he slept through the rest of the party.

And he probably would have kept sleeping longer if not for the sudden wake up call from an unexpected source.

Thankfully, Sylvain was gentle enough that he doesn't startle awake or make any particular sounds. But once the fog is mostly clear from his head, Linhardt hurries to his feet, a bit of a panicked look on his face.

"Wh-what are you doing back here?" If he gets in trouble for this...

It's barely been a few days and already he wants to quit and head home. At this rate he's going to be found out, tortured probably, and then executed in a horrible way. Just the thought makes him want to flee.

It's a wonder the other maids didn't wake the newbie. Perhaps they were afraid to, or they chose to let her rest after the kerfuffle, hard to say.

Either way, it leaves Sylvain to do the awakening. Whether Lin knows it yet or not, this is probably the best of the officers who could have found the sleeper.

He hesitates, wondering if it would spook Lin more for him to be honest about having been looking for her.

"I came in to check on Alayne," one of the other maids with whom he has a pretty good relationship, "and found you here instead."

He smiles a warm, hopefully nonthreatening smile. "Don't worry, I'm not in a habit of tattling."

"Oh... okay."

That response makes him feel a bit better, and Linhardt works on trying to calm himself down. He messed up, but that doesn't mean he's done for just yet.

"I slept through the rest of the party, didn't I?"

He sighs, shaking his head slightly. Maybe he needs to take up drinking coffee, like Hubert. Sleeping this much isn't going to go well for him while he's supposed to be working all day.

Sylvain is pleased that he managed to say the right thing. He waits a patient moment for Lin to get it together again.

"I suppose you must have, yes. Perhaps you needed it. You should take better care of yourself, so you don't exhaust next time." He isn't really scolding, so much as lightly teasing. He really does mean it, though. He doesn't like the idea that even their servers are working themselves to the bone.

"Would you like an escort?" It's not far to the maid's quarters, but even still, it's late at night and he's not going to leave without offering.

It's strange to hear someone suggest he take better care of himself after sleeping too long rather than berating him for it. Of course, Sylvain doesn't know that this is common for him, but... it's still almost like a breath of fresh air.

"I will try to be more careful next time, yes. Thank you."

He blinks at the offer of an escort. What if some of those drunk men are still lingering about? He wouldn't have anyone to help him if he got caught up in trouble this late with so few people around.

He felt a bit ridiculous for feeling the need, and yet?

"I... yes. If you wouldn't mind, Sylvain," he says, smoothing his hands down his skirt just to have something to do with them. "I'm still so new to this job."

Sylvain just smiles as warmly as he can at Lin as the maid struggles through some thought process or another. He offers a hand, palm-up.

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded. It's no trouble. A lady shouldn't walk by herself so late." Even a servant. Welcome to being a woman, Lin, doesn't it suck sometimes?

"It's alright, you'll get the swing of things soon enough."

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