2293/For Every Action...

For Every Action...
Date of Scene:	21 May 2015
Location:	The Citadel - Field of Trials
Synopsis:	Gaius Van Baelsar teaches Sanary that power isn't just a physical force, but also much deeper one. Including that sometimes, you already have everything you need in you.
Cast of Characters:	522, Sanary Rondel

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Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
It was the early morning to afternoon and the Training area was quiet. Only the hum of the machines ready to active in order to keep those within from getting killed were the only sound here. There was however one man here, a man who though in his mid fifties, looked somewhere in his late thirties, maybe forties.

He had on a pair of leather pants, black with his bare feet and no shirt over his body. He had wraps around his hands to protect the skin of his knuckles. His body was lightly tanned, but scars ran this way and that over his body. Many were old, some were newer. A few bruises were still visible from the recent attack he had been recovering from. An attack, Sanary perhaps saved his life from.

The man's face is a little rough from needing shave and the dark brown hair is a touch messy, but there was some graying around the temples and slightly flaked through the hair. Those gold eyes however-- they were predator eyes. They yet, had a slight gentleness behind them--- it was easy to see why he was dubbed "The Black Wolf" when one looks into those eyes.

The only oddity that separates him from just a normal human soldier, was the off white oval in the center of his forehead, while not large-- it was the mark of a Pureblood Garlean; Their third eye. Something they were all born with and its purpose a shrouded mystery.

Perhaps-- even from them.

This is Gaius Van Baelsar, the same man who wears the armor, the same man who shows no fear, and here he is-- no armor, defenseless, and yet--- still seeking for a match. A match from Sanary of all people.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Gaius' call to meet him in the training room was a strange one. He had taken Sanary down so easily the last time, but what did he mean when he said it would go the other way around this time? Sure, the fight on Reptilon did a number on the Legatus, but it couldn't have possibly been that bad, could it?

     Unless it was. Did that mean... Her healing wasn't enough? Or did Medical fail? So many questions keep racing through her head as she hurries to the training area, nearly barrelling into the stranger with the three eyes in her haste to find Gaius. She brings her hands up to steady herself and swerve around the man, taking a moment to peer at his face.

     "Erk.. Sorry! In a rush to find... Find..." There's familiarity in those eyes. Or that side of his face, rather. She looks him over several times, stepping forward once before stepping back again. She opens her mouth as if she's about to say something, stops, then gives him a bewildered look.

     "... Gaius? That you?"

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Those gold eyes stare right at her, before he raises up his head slightly from perhaps his own thought. "Sanary." He says firmly with that commanding tone. "Step forward and let me educate you what I mean by that for ever power there is a counter power."

The older man then motions her forward gently with his hand. "You are capable of offensive magic-- yes?" Yeah, he isn't giving her much time to really /think/ about how he is outside of his armor or the fact he really was just a normal human like her. No cybernetics. No implants. Just flesh and bone.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     She isn't sure how to react at first. Surprise, sure, but... Awe? Fright? Confusion? Definitely confusion. "H... Hey, Gaius. Where's your...?" She keeps tripping over words while trying to figure out just what to ask next, but that gesture is enough to keep her from finishing that line of thought.

     "Sort of. Uh. Not without the eye or the gunaxe, though. Then it's just the healing thing." Stepping forward, she stops just in front of the unarmored Legatus to continue staring upwards at him. Even without the armor, he's still nearly a foot taller than her, and she looks juuust a little unamused from reminding herself about that fact.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Legatus looks down at her, then steps away, stretching out his hand as he does so. There was even worse scars along his backside, some of them almost look like a few arrow wound marks from long ago, blade slashes-- this man has seen some battles and those scars all tell their stories.

He then turns around to face her once more. "Activate your eye then and I want you to strike me with that offensive magic. Failure to do so and I will have you down on that mat." That is when his hand rolls up into a fist and that bare foot slides back.

"Because once we start--- I will be out to kill you. I /expect/ you till kill me first. Do you understand, Sanary?" Gaius does't give her much time to reply, only just a few seconds of a click of the clock hand, before those eyes lose all gentleness, they lose all humanity and he comes racing at her like a beast.

He wasn't super fast, but he was still athletic, once he got in, unless she quickly countered he be on her and his fist driving right in for her stomach with a hard uppercut.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Is he serious? "But you're not wearing your armor. And..." Watching Gaius as he gets into a combat stance, Sanary takes a deep breath before nodding and bracing herself for what may come. If she's learned anything from being involved with the Multiverse so directly these several months, it's not to underestimate anyone.

     "... Understood, Gaius." The softness fades from the healer's eyes as well, replaced with determination and excitement. It had been a while since she had last fought him, and there was a clear discrepancy in both their skills and equipment back then. Now, though, without Gaius in his armor and with her having a weapon on her?

     Some might call it cheating, but she's fine with cheating. Whipping the gunaxe off her hip, she pumps her own energy into the weapon to activate the Ice shell in the weapon. A trail of cold air follows the path of the axe at first as she swings it upwards to meet the Legatus, eventually turning into a thick layer of ice going with the axe itself.

     Of course, she's doing this without even attempting to avoid the uppercut itself, aiming to match his blow with a strike of her own even as the wind is knocked out of her from taking that uppercut head on.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Legatus fist impacts, but in the process Sanary sacrifices that in order to return the strike with her own. The ice blade swings up from the gunaxe with little time for the Garlean to get himself out of the way. Once the blade hits its mark, it cuts across his chest as he goes to pull away.

The blade cuts easily across his skin, but the ice-- the magical ice that coats the blade can be seen crawling out from the cut, freeze the blood there from coming out and frostbiting up his skin, turning it quickly blue.

Gaius grits his teeth as he staggers back and as he tries to move his body, his chest muscles try to bend with his arm, the frozen skin can be seen cracking and its easy to tell-- even as Gaius' teeth tighten against one another--- that was a very painful experience.

However with a few stumbled steps and trying to gasp for air to get past the pain, the Legatus comes at her again, this him coming in for a hard side swing of his fist for her face with a battlecry roar to release the rage of pain.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary coughs painfully as she hunches over from taking that blow so firmly to the stomach. It takes a great deal of focus and stubbornness just to keep from falling over completely, but her resolve is bolstered at seeing her own strike work so surprisingly well against Gaius.

    "This... Gh. Personal best, eh?" She laughs lightly as she looks over the Legatus' wound from her attack, encouraged by actually managing to do some noticeable damage to him for once. Sure, it probably has something to do with how he's not wearing any armor at all, but a personal victory is still a victory!

     It's knowing that she's already gained that one good hit that drives her to keep going and to keep fighting! Returning the Legatus battle cry with one of her own, the healer moves in to repeat the strategy that seems to have worked the first time.

     She steps into the blow and mirrors his hook with one of her own, albeit with the aid of the gunaxe barrel/handguard to bolster her own punch. As with before, she'll use that weapon as much as she can, pulling the trigger to try and fire an Ice shell at the same time as the punch itself, then drop to the floor from taking the Legatus' punch square in the face.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The shot is fired and the punch seems to connect. There was another staggering step as Sanary will find her bullet has impacted his shoulder and buried in deep. Like the slash wound, the ice magic is trying to consume that section of his arm.

Yet he doesn't seem to /care/, snarling his teeth almost like a monster as she lays down on the ground. If she doesn't act fast, he would be on top of her, using his bad arm to pin her if she wasn't quick and if she wasn't quick-- his fist would be pounding at her face relentlessly.

He told her to kill him before he killed her. He was not kidding about this. She needed to take him out and she had the ability right now to do so. To take down the big, bad wolf of a Legatus. The man that so many within Garlean Empire respected and feared.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Of all the opponents Sanary had fought and struck with the magic-imbued weapon, Gaius seems to be taking it the worst. That oddity isn't lost on the girl even as she struggle to pick herself back up, lurching slightly in a daze from taking two solid hits one after the other.

     Although she's not exactly slow by any means and has even managed to win footraces back home, speed has never really been her strongest point when it came to fight those in the Multiverse. Even Gaius' speed is enough to knock her to the ground and keep her pinned down under his weight.

     To make matters worse, swinging the axe at this angle isn't viable, and even slipping the weapon under him to try and fire from close range would necessarily require fitting it under him in the first place. She's still got one trump card, though, and it's something the Legatus has even faced before. Bringing her free arm up to try and defend her face from some of those blows raining down on her, she starts pumping magical energy into the Magitech eye itself. As that energy builds up, there's a light red glow from the eye before it fires out a beam straight towards Gaius, creating an explosion not too far from where it's coming from. It won't be great for her at that range, but she's doing it in the hopes that it'll be even worse for him.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The arm comes up to block and the Legatus does not back down, this was until Sanary pulled out her trump card. The blast impacts him with the explosive force and throws him off. He slams down not far from her and the steam of the fiery explosive rises from his body. The side of his face crackling from the head of the magical beam ray, burning away his skin and it becoming like ash.

It is a brutal display of what the magic is doing to his body and he doesn't even get back up. He doesn't even talk, but only lays there, having some trouble breathing as the ice from the deep gash is probably taking its hold on him; or just the combination of it all.

His index finger twitches though, some part of him still trying to /fight/ to get up. To not surrender, she may even see his leg slide up, but it collapses back down to the ground. There was then one more try of defiance, but soon--- he just stops moving all together.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     As well as the close-range explosion worked, it also did quite a number to Sanary herself. The upper part of her coat has been seared off, most of her face is charred, and the punches to the head are keeping her from even being able to pick herself back up or recognize that Gaius isn't on top of her any more.

     Racked with pain, she turns over slowly and cries out at the extra pressure being put on her exposed arm, gritting her teeth to while sucking in air through her teeth. "Not... Not done yet...!" She slams her hand on the ground and pants heavily, finally getting her head together enough to start circulating the energy inside herself, using it to start mending the worst of her wounds rather than powering something up for offense.

     "Come on, Gaius... L-let's finish this." Eventually getting up, she listens for the approach that probably won't be coming any time soon, having focused all of her energy just into keeping herself from bleeding out and none into actually seeing where he had gone after that last explosion.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius does not get back up, Sanary wont even hear him breathing. It isn't to much longer after this does the training room flip the reset switch and soon both of their injuries fade away, leaving only that slightly numb feeling.

Which at that time, the Legatus grits his teeth and rolls over, before rising up to his knees. "For every strength... there is a weakness. For every power... there is a counter to that power." At last his voice breaks the silence as he goes to stand up.

"For every man has a weakness and every man has a strength." He inhales deeply, closing his eyes for a moment. "It is simply a matter of understanding that strength and weakness." He then opens his eyes and looks at her.

"You desire power, but you already have all the power you need." He places out his hands. "You managed to get back up, after being beaten down to an inch of your life--- where I did not. You underestimate yourself because you are bewildered by all what the Multiverse can offer, but forget that sometimes the greatest strength of all..."

The Garlean walks up to her, "The greatest power in us all..." Then he gently goes to place his hand on her chest. "Is within us. Each unique in our own way, each with our own greatness, that lies within us." Gaius looks down at her. "I see much greatness in you Sanary, even back when you were blind and new here... but taking shortcuts will not get you what you desire, because if it did," He hand slips away. "Then you wouldn't continue to seek for it."

Gaius then chuckles softly, "...After all, you just defeated me-- and I was not holding back."

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary lurches slightly as the room resets everything to how it once was, inhaling sharply as the light returns to her eye and forces her to readjust to sight again. Hearing Gaius behind her, she turns around quickly and just gives him a long, confused stare. Did... Did she just beat him in a horribly skewed fight?

     She did! There's a look of pride on the healer's face at that revelation, but she restrains herself enough to not cheer outright. Instead, she stays quiet as the Legatus speaks and approaches, a thoughtful hum being the only sound that escapes her. Was it her own power that brought her victory today? Or was it the technology? The magic? Or was it from fighting Gaius without any armor and weapons on?

     Still, a victory is a victory, and it's still miles ahead of how their last fight had gone. She opens her mouth to speak before shutting up at feeling his hand on her chest, looking just a little confused at that gesture. Is he...? No. He's got a kid already. THen again, it's not like he looks that bad without the suit, but...

     Enough distractions. She really isn't sure how to react to that part, although she does relax considerably once he draws his hand back.

     "It's... Uh. It's definitely better than the last time. Even though..." She chuckles lightly and clears her throat, glancing around for a moment before sighing to herself. "It's... It's not good enough. I mean." She points at her eye, the axe, then at Gaius himself. "Shortcut, shortcut, holding back. How much of this was really me?"

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
"Your prevalence." Gaius said calmly. "A tool is a tool." He says taking hold of her Gunaxe, but he doesn't take it from her. "Power is power." He then pushes the weapon toward her, which may push her off balance a bit.

"We Garleans created Magitek in order to survive in a world full of magic, in order to achieve a goal of dominance after hundreds of years of being in the shadows of magic. We could have seeked perhaps other ways, other alternatives. Become maybe... pawns of the Eikons we swear to eradicate." Gaius then crosses his arms over his chest. "But instead we adapted by bettering ourselves, our country, and our knowledge."

"The Magitek you wield amplifies the magic /you/ already possess. Thus, it is a tool-- it is a tool that takes your /own/ power and makes it greater. Just like our Magitek is a tool that allows us to manipulate things we ourselves can not." The Garlean tries to explain to her, before shifting his weight a bit. "Do you understand this, Sanary?"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary goes quiet again as Gaius speaks, staggering back a step with the push of the gunaxe before regaining her footing. The information about the Garleans and their choice gives her reason to pause, an uncertain frown crossing the healer's face as she closes her eye and tilts her head back.

     "So instead of gaining power through become a minion for those Eikons... You got it through technology. Amplifying what you're already good at. Shoring up your weaknesses. Using Magitek so you could fight on equal ground with... The rest of the world." She chuckles lightly and takes a close look at her axe, the weapon having become a staple of her general combat strategy ever since receiving it. A potent weapon in its own respects even without being activated by magic, and amplified with.

     "If I can just get rid of those weaknesses, then... Hmm. " There's another bout of silence from her as she focuses her gaze on that axe for a while longer, then turns to Gaius several moments later. "I think I understand. At least... Where you're coming from with all this." She chuckles again and rubs her neck, her gaze slowly shifting downwards as that uncertainty starts creeping back in. "Just as long as I keep full control over whatever that tool is, right?"

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius tilts his head faintly. "Yes." He says to her question, "But," He places up an index finger, "It should never be by temptation. The stench of fallowing the desire, brought on by that temptation will always remain. That is why it is key to never let power be an escape rout, a short cut to your /own/ self worth."

The Legatus lowers down his hand. "If it was my choice, I would not, but this comes with age and experience talking, Sanary. /Everyone/ has their weakness, I just showed you mine after all." The Garlean looks directly at her, his eyes actually soft for once. "I also do not say this in fear for your safety, nor in the fear of you not being able to control what is being laid before you, but I do employ that you not make choices with haste."

Gaius then looks off to the side for a bit, seeming lost in thought for only a moment, before he looks back to her. "We--- Garleans have a saying. You are only as good as the actions you show." He shifts his weight slightly. "We are a society that grows by merit, by our actions. In our lands, a man gains wealth, not by political means of power or by the blood of heritage, but by his own actions. His own sweat, blood, and tears."

Gaius then shows her his hands. They were rough over the years of abuse no doubt. From the many years of countless battles and war. "I gained my strength, my /power/, from the roots of a non-military lifestyle. I took care of my family's horses and they were beautiful horses." He smiles gently, looking down at his own hands.

"I joined the military so I could make a difference, I grew up in the age at which we just became an Empire and /I/ wanted to be something greater then my father or my fathers before." Gaius then slowly lowers his hands. "To become who I am now, to become /what/ I am now, I worked for every /inch/ of it. I started as a trooper... lowest of the lowest and by my deeds-- I moved up that ladder, step by step... and I did not get here in a month or in a few years. It took me nearly," Gaius looks up trying to remember how long. "Perhaps twenty, but," He then motions his index finger to her. "It /was/ worth it."

"I have no regrets, I gave everything my all, and I /proved/ not only to my own peers, but to /myself/, and that-- that Sanary is the most important thing of all." He then points his index finger directly at her. "You must /prove/ to yourself, because when that sun sets... you are the only person who gets in your own way... and trust me, shortcuts--- will not make you like yourself or who you are... any more."

Then Gaius motions outside to the door. "And there are those out there who will argue with me, who will say that I not know what I speak of, but that too.." He lowers his hand once more. "...is something you must determine for yourself."

Gaius then goes to step by her to walk off the mat, heading for satchel bag on the ground which probably has most of his cloths in it.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Temptation. That's a difficult concept for Sanary to grasp even now, and she considers Gaius' words carefully as she crosses her arms, casting her gaze to the ceiling in deep thought. Is the whole thing an escape route? Or is it just another tool to be bent to her will?

     Looking back down from the ceiling (and technically still upward) at Gaius, a small smile forming on her face. It really was quite the personal thing he revealed by showing her that weakness, wasn't it? She bites her lower lip as if struggling to come up with something to say, but she remains quiet in favor of letting him speak for both of them.

     About his past, his upbringing, his rise to power. There's a few chuckles to be had here and there, especially when he reminisces about the horses. "Could've always moved to my village. Horses would've made you a small fortune back there." There's a wistful tone in the laugh that follows, and she looks distracted for a moment while recalling the life she had left behind.

     Looking up as Gaius points at her to punctuate his words, Sanary bites her lip again and rubs her face, her breathing becoming more erratic over time. "What If I... Don't? Like myself, I mean."

     There's another unsteady breath as she steps towards Gaius from behind, grabbing at his arm and visibly fighting to keep her expression from cracking. "Do I have twenty years to catch up? Or... Hell, ten? Before the next Reptilon? Or even the next naval battle?" She pauses again, her grip trembling even without trying to exert much force.

     "If I wasn't involved in all of this... Stuff and was just back home, sure. I'd be lucky to live twenty years, but even the fighting there isn't anything like here. Here, though... What if I'm not strong enough the next time you get hurt again? Or Yari? Or Lute? Or Audrey, or Souji, or... Everyone else?"

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius' step pauses when she takes hold of his arm. His knows that feeling of such hands, he raised a young girl who lost her family in a war. He held a scared boy who's father went made due to an Eikon's power. That feeling runs deep in him and he keeps his gaze away for a moment.

The Legatus though slowly looks over to her, his eyes looking at her like a father to a daughter. He watches her hand tremble, her words quiver and the desperation. He knows all these sounds so well. He can only stare at her for a moment, before he inhales deeply. "They took you in... and taught you nothing. Keep you like an ignorant babe to the true hearts of war." Gaius concludes as he looks at her once more.

Then he actually kneels down before her, taking her trembling hands into his own. That rough touch, those tough hands, becoming gentle, compassionate, and calm. "Sanary. Look at me." He says softly to her, his tone even changing ever so slightly. Still a commander's voice, but-- a soft one. "That--- is the dangers of war. Every day of every hour, we step out their to fight, we are /all/ aware of the risks we take. That /is/ war, but the results are what matter. The end of the day, the end of the battle-- that is what matters."

"You defeated me here and that made you proud. What we did for those people of Reptillion? They will remember it and you should be /proud/ of what you did. For yes, every one life that was lost... we saved a hundred more." Gaius then goes to place his hands on her arms. "Lives will always be lost in war and that is unfortunate, but you /saved/ lives and that is even /more/ important then anything else."

"You /saved/ me, Sanary... and if not for what you are capable of. If not for that /strength/ to stand there and come to me... to help me... I would not be here, right now, having this conversation with you." Gaius then places his hands to the side of her face to make sure her eyes stay on his. "You are not weak, Sanary. You are a /very/ strong woman and a fine one at that. You are brave, strong willed, and courageous."

"Do not let that fear mislead you and do not let others take you down a path you can not return from, but be brave... in whatever you do. Stand /tall/ and understand that strength, doesn't always come from just one person... but sometimes from also a united force." Gaius then goes to remove his hands slowly. "Understand, Sanary?"

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Fighting and killing for survival has never been a foreign notion to Sanary. The world she had come from has been steeped in death and fighting for as long as she could remember. War as an institution, though, is still something of a foreign concept to her. She's kept up a strong appearance throughout the events in Reptilon and in the other worlds she's been in, but the events of the recent months have taken their toll on her.

     "I... I am proud of what I did. But I feel like I could do more, you know?" She swallows slowly and takes a long breath to steady herself, her composure still showing those cracks. "Saving more people. Stopping more from getting hurt."

     She shakes lightly as if she was on the verge of actually crying, only managing to hold it in with Gaius' hands on her face. She actually calms down considerably from that, going quiet once again as the words seem to sink in.

     For good or for worse, though? Who knows. By the time he releases her, though, her expression has lightened considerably despite the dampness in her eye. "Y... Yeah. I understand. Whatever I do with this... I'll make sure it's what I want to do. What I'm sure of."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius goes to stand up and places his hand on her shoulder. It was a gentle squeeze, but one of comfort. "As a commander... I can't always save everyone I wish I could. I can't always keep my men safe... but I do what I can, in my own best efforts and I always strive to improve myself."

He then slides his hand away. "That is all you can really ask of yourself in this war. To stride harder, to do better, but understand that by the end of it... you can not save everyone, but for those you do save--- they will live on with the hopes and dreams of those who had fallen."

The Garlean then moves over to his bag and starts to unpack things, At least putting on the light tan button shirt and then his own boots after that. There wasn't much more he could say to Sanary or teach her. He could teach her war, but they all went to an academy for that. An academy that focused on that art and mental stability to handle such harsh times.

"Sanary..." He at lasts says as he finishes making sure his boots are on tightly and starting to button up his shirt. "...just make sure to talk with Yari, alright?" He wanted to say more. To give a warning of what was to come, but it wouldn't do any good. Not right now. Just like he would give her a hug--- but she wasn't his daughter... but she was a young girl who had nothing or no one. His own thoughts digging a bit deeper into where things may go for her...

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     Sanary hums softly at the hand on her shoulder, still shaking slightly from some sort of tension in her despite looking and sounding more relaxed than before. A lot of that tension, coincidentally, is focused in her shoulders. "Heh. Yeah, it's... Man. Just gotta focus on the job we have and keep as many people alive as we can. Commanders like you, soldiers like me."

     There's a long sigh as the girl straightens out her coat and checks her gear to make sure everything's back in place, trying not to look at Gaius too closely in respect of keeping his modesty. Even if he was technically like a father to Yari, he...

     ... No. Bad thoughts. Bad. The Legatus speaks up again, thankfully, dragging her out of that potentially disastrous train of thought as she looks over at him. "H-huh? Oh. Yeah, definitely. I'm hoping to talk with her about this tonight, actually."

     She laughs softly and rubs her eye, her arm trembling again before she drops it. "It's... It's actually kinda nice to have people worrying about this. N-not that I'm trying to make you and everyone else worry but-" She fumbles over her words and lets out another long sigh before grinning brightly. ".. Thanks. Means a lot."

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
The Legatus then goes about undoing the straps on his hands as he listens to Sanaray. While she was also trying to not watch, he can tell that Yari has yet to take her aboard the Dreadnought or around much of Garlean culture. Given as far as the military was concerned, men and woman bathed together, dressed in the same space, and were on equal terms.

Another thing he has always noted that was different about his own culture versus so many other worlds. Curious that really.

"Sanary." Gaius says as he takes the last strap off and goes to roll it up, before tossing it in the bag. "You have nothing to thank me for. Its part of my job." He says with a mild smirk, trying to break the tension of the hard lesson being learned. Then he zips up the bag and throws it over his shoulder, before he walks over to her.

Those gold eyes look down at her, "I don't normally do this... but I'll make an exception to the ruling." That was an odd comment but becomes clear as he extends out his arm and then pulls her in for a hug. A warm embrace really with that one arm as he then pats the side of her arm with his fingers. "Just don't tell anyone. Alright? They will start to think I'm getting soft."

The Garlean gives her another playful smile, before he goes to remove his arm from her and walk away, unless she for some reason stops him.

Sanary Rondel has posed:
     "Part of the job? Hm. Well, you're doing a good job at it, either way." Sanary chuckles lightly and rests a hand on her chin, looking Gaius over a few times before raising it in confusion. "Doing.. What?"

     And then he's next to her, actually hugging her. There's a confused grunt from the girl at that embrace, and she lets out a long "uhhhh" while trying to process what had just happened. Did the Legatus, armored commander of the Centurions and the Garleans, just give her a /hug/?

     She's still just as confused by the time he releases her, but there's also a soggy-eyed smile on her face as she finally stops making that noise. "D-don't tell anyone about what? Nothing happened here." At least she's getting better at being subtle.

Gaius Van Baelsar (522) has posed:
Gaius smiles and gives her a nod. "You're right. Nothing happened." He says with a wink to her and walks off. Letting Sanary to her own thoughts and youthful confusion about how many layered that man probably has in his personality. Along with hopefully and more importantly, everything he had to say to her.