Please read Author's Note at the bottom!

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Be Careful What You Say

Chapter 2: The Dancer

"O-Oh…I really messed up this time…" Olivia mumbled to herself, her head resting on her arm which lay against a flat wooden table. Light pink hair lay strewn lazily across the semi-smooth surface. The dancer let out another quiet groan. Slender fingers from her free hand ran up and down the wood-grain of the table. Her fingertips followed the small little indents in the wood just to occupy herself with some sort of action to prevent her nerves from going crazy. Alone in a small secluded back room of the Shepherd's Garrison, the dancer sulked in the shadows where she sat. Small rays of golden light beamed through the tiny window. Olivia had only the little speckles of dust dancing through the rays of light to keep her company. A red blush shown on her light toned skin, just visible in the dim sunshine. Olivia's face had a look that was a mixture of embarrassment and shame.

Earlier in the day she had a rather interesting encounter with Robin on the outskirts of Ylisstol. It didn't exactly go as she had planned. In fact, it ended up being possibly the farthest thing from what Olivia had planned. Maribelle, in what seemed as an attempt to get her to closer to the man, had sent her to him out in the countryside. But in the end, it seemed her physical actions got a little ahead of her thoughts. Olivia accidentally had gotten a just a bit too close for Robin's comfort, probably more than that. Sadly, the dancer had a consistent issue of invading someone's personal space. Usually she only found this out when it was a little too late. The recent episode with Robin had sent her flailing down the dirt path back into Ylisstol, face flustered, and mumbling things about how embarrassed she was. That emotional episode only made her a bigger target for people to look at. When all of it was said and done, Olivia crept into this back room where she sat now for shelter, hoping nobody would find her to lecture her on her actions or make her more flustered then she already was.

On the other hand, perhaps Olivia did have her reasons on why she 'accidentally' got so close to Robin. Every other Shepherd always mentioned how nice and gentle he was and Olivia had often seen this first hand. Robin was one of those people who would rarely tell someone off simply because he would rather keep the peace than have the whole place in an uproar. Often he would tell those sorts of things only to Chrom who would handle them the only way Chrom knew how. Even so, Robin had always shown Olivia kindness ever since she joined up with the Shepherds. Whether it was complements on her dancing, or just a friendly hello when Olivia herself couldn't manage a response, Rob consistently treated the dancer like she was just as important as someone with a sharpened blade. Yeah sure, the man might have a little fixation with reading, but there was really no downside to that. That's what he did; it's how he was useful. The knowledge he gained from those books he read assisted everyone. To Olivia, that sure beat out her colorful jumping around and twirling in circles.

But yes, Olivia did have the slightest urge to get to know Robin better than what she could accomplish with everyone else around. Maybe it was just her nerves talking. Maybe it was just a passing fancy. Or maybe it was Olivia finally attempt to break out of the introverted cocoon of self-consciousness that surrounded her. Attempts at socialization with Robin were renewed attempts at the dancer trying to get to know someone more than just eyes watching her dance. There was the slim chance that Robin could become something more than just a friend. It was an odd feeling for Olivia to feel to be sure. Yet a failure was a failure. It was an utter blunder in front of the person she was aiming for. And the way she acted that day only pushed her farther away from that goal.

Olivia let out a long drawn out sigh in disappointment. She picked her head up a little, shifting her arms so that her elbow rested on the table and her head rested on her propped up hand. Resting her cheek on that hand, she continued to grace the grain of the table with her fingertips. Her eyes darted around the room once. This nearly hidden room in the Garrison was almost entirely empty. A table, a chair, a small window, and a stacking of wooden boxes in the corner were all that filled up the open space. The room had a large open floor made of smooth grey stone tiles. Filled with dust, it was clear that this area hasn't been in active use with the Shepherds for some time now. Maybe that was why Olivia took such a liking to the back room. Having a nice quiet and out of the way space really gave the dancer a sense of privacy when she needed to escape her own blunders.

In fact, the open space sort of reminded her of a stage. Olivia's head turned on her hand as a little smile crossed her face. The ground was open and smooth, just like a stage she could dance on. Glimmering rays of the golden sun that were passing through the window fell onto the grey stone like a light that highlighted the star performer. The smile began to widen. Olivia sat up straight and got out of her seat. Kicking off her sandals she began to slowly walk over the stone. With her big toe she drew it across the tiny cracks between each stone, just like she had done with the wood-grain on the table. The bottoms of her toes slid over the dusty floor, making shapes going from stone to stone, and tile to tile. Pacing quickening, Olivia's feet stared to make large circles on the floor, anchoring one foot while circling with the other…

And soon, with closed eyes and a grin, Olivia forgot about people watching. She forgot about her embarrassment, and started to dance...not noticing the door slowly and silently opening and closing behind her…

Her performance began. Arms above her head, it was as if Olivia had entered an entirely different world. Flowing like water, the dancer's arms swayed to the musical beat she was listening to in her own head. They moved left, right, up, and down, moving around her upper body as she began entrancing the imaginary audience that was slowly taking shape in her mind. Attached to her wrists, the lengthy white ribbon fluttered in the light as Olivia's arms pulled it through the air. Olivia's feet started to move. Her waist, legs, and feet swayed and slid to that same fake tune that was playing in her head. As her movements became swifter, the dancer twirled and arched her back, increasing the speed of her spin. All of this dancing took her to another place and another time, a dream of her own. Olivia was dreaming of a place of her own where she could showcase her dances and share them with the world.

Pulling herself out of the twirling arched posture, Olivia continued her set. This particular dance, while not extremely fast, was neither slow. The pacing of each limb as it moved worked in unison with the rest. There was no hesitation in any movement or contortion. Sharp holds or slow swings filled the dance as it continued. This particular dance could be compared to waves on a shoreline, actions pushing and pulling, being swift and then slow as if they were waves washing up on warm sands. Olivia swooped her arms around her body, pulling that white ribbon with it, wrapping herself up before releasing the hold and spreading the cloth to its full wavy length.

Olivia's body was her tool, her weapon. Her skill with her tool was astonishing. Like a swordsman she wielded her weapon with as much skill and Chrom did with his blade or Robin with his books. And like wise, she always kept it in prime form. Her clothing was always clean and pure. The whites and blacks never had any blemish or stain. Olivia's light pink hair was always brushed smoothly and pulled up into her regular style. Each piece of golden jewelry never fell out of polish. Even as she danced they glittered in the sunlight.

Her movements began to slow. The dance was coming to a close. Olivia started to move into the center of the room where the light met the floor. Eyes still shut tightly, Olivia was imagining her theatre around her and the audience completely enthralled with her movements. The performance was in its final motions. Olivia's mouth opened, she began to speak in her daydream. "ONE and TWO and THREE… One more pirouette aaaaaand… Hold for applause!" Olivia stood there motionless with her eyes closed shut, still thinking of the sight that would be before her if her dream was real. Once again, she began talking to herself, voice raised in excitement. "Yay, Olivia! Woooo! Standing ovation! Olivia's the best! Marry me, Olivia!"

A woman in pink spoke up from the far end of the room. She was leaning against the only door. "You dance rather well." The voice said simply with a tone of amusement.

Olivia's heart nearly jumped right out of her chest. Her feet gave out on her as the 'flight' part of her 'fight or flight' instincts took over. She stumbled into the table, almost taking it with her as she plummeted to the ground. Landing in a dusty heap on the stone, Olivia looked toward the voice, red faced and wide eyed as usual. "Eeeek! Maribelle! How long have you been standing there?!"

Maribelle stepped forward into the light. The girl was twirling that little umbrella she always carried around in her hands. "From the beginning, darling." She said with a small grin. "I didn't mean to spy, but your dance was so wonderful! I just couldn't bring myself to interrupt."

Scrambling to pick herself up, Olivia pulled herself into the only wooden chair in the room. Here it came again. That wave of embarrassment was taking over her. Maribelle had just seen her dancing by herself. To make things even worse, Olivia was talking to herself with Maribelle present. Words began to tumble out of Olivia's mouth. "Oh, er, gosh…Thanks. I mean, I'm still working on the rough bits, so…" She couldn't form a complete thought. "…Oh, gods, this is SO embarrassing!"

Coming to the table next to where Olivia sat, Maribelle placed her hips against its wooden rim and looked down at the dancer. "Ha! Save the false modesty for your social betters, my dear." Maribelle began with an extended index finger. She waved it around in the air as she spoke as if it would reinforce her point. "A working-class girl like you needs confidence above all else!"

What in the gods did Maribelle mean by that? Olivia wasn't sure if that last bit was a complement or an insult, or even complement disguised as an insult, maybe even the other way around. Olivia raised an eyebrow as she attempted to return Maribelle's gaze. "Er, right…Okay. Thanks…I think?" She couldn't help but feel a little bit offended, being called a working-class girl made her seem below herself. Olivia pulled her around in front of her chest like she always did in these situations, fingers gripping the large white ribbon hanging from her wrists.

Maribelle noticed Olivia's red face and her inability to return any sort of eye contact. Leaning down a bit closer, invading her personal space, the woman uttered her next response. "Good heavens. Are all lowborn folk this skeptical?" There was a huff of air that erupted from Maribelle's mouth. "How can you be so bold one minute and such a quivering mess the next?"

Lowborn?! Maribelle really had to work on her word choice. Like the last thing she said, this latest comment wasn't exactly a confidence booster and more of a blow to Olivia's ego. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"When you dance, you're so…" Maribelle pulled away, eyes glancing about furiously. She stabbed her parasol in the air while trying to pick her next word. "…daring! You stand tall and proud, completely unafraid to meet the watcher's eye. You exhibit great strength and dignity!"

Maribelle was doing quite well at putting Olivia on the spot. The dancers face turned strawberry red. "Oh…b-b-but… Argh, stop it! This is so embarrassing!" Olivia's voice barely had any volume, it all coming out as a whisper.

"And yet when you stop, you become this jabbering, bashful mess of insecurities!" Maribelle pointed her umbrella at Olivia and gave her this strange look. She was standing between the dancer and the door, preventing Olivia from escaping in case the idea was crossing her mind. "I want to see more of Olivia the Bold and less of Olivia the Mouse! Got it?!"

Olivia couldn't help but agree with Maribelle's demand. She too wanted to become more social, albeit, Olivia wanted to become social for a different reason. That reason being getting to know the same person she had a fatal blunder with earlier that day. "Oh, er. Yes, I'm sure you're right… I guess. But-."

Cutting her off, Maribelle took control of the conversation. "Ugh. Very well." Both hands grasped her umbrella, holding it parallel to the ground in front of her. "If you won't do it yourself, I'll just have to aid you. You'll grow a backbone if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming!"

"B-backbone?" To Olivia that sounded like it could be rather painful.

"Pluck! Grit! Dignity! Resolve! Pick any noun you like!" This woman in pink turned into strange version of Vaike. Maribelle was really starting to take this seriously. "Hmm…I'll have to think about the best way to whip you into shape. This may take a bit. I'll let you know when the first lesson is ready." Maribelle was quick to exit the room, leaving Olivia where she had started, alone.

For a few moments Olivia just stood there, face still as red as ripened berries. She twiddled her thumbs as she thought what kind of torture Maribelle was already cooking up for her. Looking to her left and right, mind racing through all the possibilities, Olivia's mouth gave a small whisper as she head hung low in defeat. "I don't like the sound of this…"

Author's Note:

Well here is the next chapter! I really hope you liked it!

(As you can probably tell this is based off of the Olivia and Maribelle support in-game).

Anyways, right now I'd like to give a shout out to anyone who had read this story so far. Every review, favorite, and follow means a ton to me! This has probably been my most popular story I've done in a very long time. And all of it thanks to you guys!

So, without wasting any more of your time I'll close this note up!

Please, if you enjoyed this chapter and are enjoying the story so far, please leave a review! They are really what keeps me locked onto a story. Knowing people are actively enjoying what I write means a ton! Thanks!

Thanks for reading and hope you stay tuned!

MrWatch

P.S – PM me if you find any error, and I'll fix it ASAP!