"No! This is completely unacceptable and I won't have it!" Maribelle huffed as she crossed her arms.
Brown eyes glared at her partner who only stared back at her lazily with a lollipop in his mouth. Maribelle's scowl only grew.
"You're not allowed to eat that." Hands moved quickly to pluck the candy from Gaius's mouth. "Candy is completely unsuitable for a lady of your station."
"Fine then, you eat it. You're a thief now, after all." Gaius stuck the lollipop into Maribelle's mouth. She quickly spat it out in disgust.
"Eww… you jerk! This is all your fault! If you could just admit that you're wrong, we wouldn't be in this situation! Maribelle retorted.
"Not my fault that you were arguing over how hard it was to be a lady. Besides this whole thing was Blue's and Princess's idea, not mine. I sure as hell don't want to know what it's like to be like you and vice versa.
"It may not be your idea, but your antics definitely played a role in me wearing this dreadful attire." Maribelle pointed to her outfit. Much to her dismay, she was forced to change her ladylike appearance. Her long hair has been cut to about Gaius's length and her clothes have been replaced with the outfit Gaius usually wears, just tailored to fit her.
"Hey Twinkles, we're in the same boat? Do you really think I want to look like this?" Gaius pointed to his feminized appearance. With the help of Lissa and a few spells from Miriel, Gaius's red hair was now long and done in ringlets just like Maribelle's, complete with white bows. In place of his usual outfit was one of Maribelle's riding suits, tailored to fit the thief. The noblewoman noticed underneath the corset underneath Gaius's outfit, crushing his waist and giving off the illusion of curves and wide, womanly hips. Gaius's face was covered in makeup; blush, mascara, creams, eyeshadow and lipstick. The cosmetics downplay his more masculine facial features while allowing his feminine side to shine through. While she knew Gaius would never completely pass as a woman, at least not without a few very time-consuming and complicated spells, even Maribelle had to admit that no one would be able to tell that he wasn't a woman from a distance.
"And why the hell do I have to wear this corset?" Gaius complained. I can barely breathe. I can't even bend over in this thing."
Maribelle scoffed. "It's to keep our figures proper. That pain is the price we ladies have to pay and so would you." She smiled. "Besides, that corset may discourage your thieving antics."
"Maybe..."
Judging by that smirk on his face, Maribelle knew that Lissa and a few of her friends would need to keep an eye on Gaius when she's not around.
"Anyway, I bet it would at least help you with your posture. But our situation is still far from ideal. What are we supposed to do?"
"Well…" Gaius said. "I think we should suck it up and deal with it. After all, there's not a whole lot we can do about this mess. Might as well try to make the best of it."
As much as Maribelle was reluctant to admit, Gaius did had a point. "I suppose you're right. Might as well try to be each other to the best of our abilities. Hopefully we can keep our dignities intact. Besides…" A smirk grew on Maribelle's face. "I think you make an absolutely lovely lady."
Her smirk grew more devious as she took Gaius's gloved hands into her own. "Such dainty hands. Could barely break a twig."
"And you're so strong too," Gaius returned the teasing as he stroked Maribelle's arm. "Look at those strong, muscular arms. I bet you could sweep me off my feet." But before things could go any further...
"Gaius!" The thief turned to see Lissa approaching him. "I've been looking all over for you. Where were you?"
Gaius scoffed as he gave Lissa a quick curtsey. "I was talking to Maribelle about how we're doing. I certainly hope that wasn't a problem?"
"Nope," Lissa nodded. "It's time for your next lesson. I hope you're ready to wear a ball gown. You'll be wearing them a lot during our training."
"I'm so excited," Gaius muttered as he took Lissa's hand.
"As for you," Lissa turned to Maribelle. "Isn't it time for your training as well? Better hurry, Belle. Don't want to be late."
Maribelle nodded. "Of course. Goodbye Lissa," she turned to her trapped partner. "Bye Gaius. I hope you love your new dresses."
And the two went their separate ways with Maribelle quickly leaving for her new tent and Gaius being dragged by Lissa over to his new room, the two trapped in their swapped roles for the time being.