Outside of the theater, the streets of New Delsta had largely calmed down for the night. The space around the theater's gate had emptied out now that most of the people who would be there were inside to see Dolcinaea's show. A few guards patrolled the edge of the grounds to make sure no one was acting out of line or trying to sneak inside without paying. Every once in a while, the rabble tried to slip into the theater to see a show without purchasing a ticket first, and the staff had to be very strict to ensure such a thing did not happen. 

Tonight, their efforts amounted to something. A man with blonde hair and a brown hat pressed close against his head was trying to see through the gates to the theater even though he had no way of seeing Dolcinaea through the thick walls and doors. One of the doormen seized him by the arm and dragged him away from the gate. The doorman only released the blonde man when they were standing on the grass nearby. "Oww! H-Hey, let me go!" The guard actually listened, and he forcefully ejected the man onto the ground. The blonde man rubbed at his arm where the doorman's vice grip had been holding it. "That hurt, dammit!"

Behind the doorman was the manager of the theater in New Delsta: a man by the name of La'mani. He was a portly man who wore expensive clothing from the richest of blacks, the deepest of crimsons, and the brightest of golds. A top hat sat on his head, and a rose was pressed against one side. The man's features were large, and the white cravat around his neck only made his blonde curls seem bigger. "If you want to watch the show, buy a ticket like everyone else," La'mani told the blonde man sternly.

"What's got your purse strings in a knot? I just wanted to take a peek," the man on the ground pressed. He was still rubbing at the skin where he had been grabbed, but that did very little to alleviate the pain he knew was going to manifest as a bruise within the next few days. 

"Dolcinaea, the greatest dancer in the land, graces our stage," La'mani replied simply. "We are a theater, not a charity. Come back when you have money, or not at all." He wasted no more time on the conversation when he heard chatter nearby. The theater's show for the night was over, and that meant it was time for him to attend to other business. La'mani left the man on the ground and walked away with the doorman, off to thank the patrons of the theater for their time that night. 

The blonde man remained on the ground for a few minutes even after La'mani walked away, not seeing much of a point in getting up until he was able to get the pounding in his arm under control. While he was busy with rubbing at his new injuries, the people who had attended the show that night came streaming out of the theater. The man stared at them all as they passed him by, completely unsurprised when no one crouched down to help him stand. That simply wasn't the way of New Delsta, and he knew it well. "Good grief... Well, show's over. And it looks like the stars are out of my reach," the man murmured, finally hauling himself into an upright position.

Near the back edge of the crowd were the travelers, all of them excitedly chattering with one another about how impressive the performance from Dolcinaea had been. Agnea was the only one who remained quiet, too caught up in humming the song Dolcinaea had sung to speak. She went through the movements she recalled of Dolcinaea's performance, mimicking them to the best of her ability. She didn't remember everything, but she did her best to muster together what she could to make it into something concrete. The other travelers were distracted with their conversations all around her, but Agnea's moves caught the attention of the man with blonde hair nearby, and he stared at her as she finished her imitation of Dolcinaea's performance. 

Once Agnea was done, she pressed her hands to her chest. "So that was 'All For You'..." Agnea murmured under her breath. "It's no wonder she's a superstar."

Agnea's attention was drawn upward by the sound of clapping, and she looked over to find the blonde man smiling fondly in her direction. "Well, well. You've got some hot moves, kid," he remarked, starting to walk over to her. 

Agnea felt heat rush into her cheeks in an instant. "H-Hot moves...?"

The blonde man nodded as he fell into place just beside Agnea. "That's right. I missed Dolcinaea's show, but seeing you has me all fired up."

Agnea couldn't help the bright smile that spread across her face at that. "I'm glad... I'm quite fired up myself," she confessed. She didn't know how she couldn't have been excited after all she had already seen in her short few hours in New Delsta. "This incredible town is overflowing with dreams..."

The blonde man bowed his head, and for a moment, his eyes disappeared beneath the brim of his hat. "You've got that right." He straightened out a moment later and cast a smile at Agnea. "The name's Gil, by the way. I run a tavern in the backstreets. Did you know that dreams taste like beans?"

Agnea blinked. "B-Beans...?"

Gil nodded. "I serve more than just spirits at my tavern. I've got freshly ground coffee too. Come see for yourself tomorrow. I owe you a cup for that dance earlier."

"R-Really?!" Agnea gasped. 

"Of course. You're more than welcome," Gil assured her. "I'll see you there tomorrow."

Agnea nodded enthusiastically, her energy levels rising in an instant. "I'll be looking forward to it!" She watched as Gil offered her a final salute before he disappeared into the crowd. Once he was gone, Agnea turned to face the rest of the travelers, finding that they had stopped their individual conversations upon Gil's arrival. Throné in particular was staring after Gil like she had seen a ghost, but Agnea didn't acknowledge it openly so as to not put her on the spot. Instead, Agnea pressed her hands together over her chest. "I think we have plans for tomorrow!"

~~~~~

The travelers went to the inn together shortly afterward, and Agnea practically collapsed into her bed. She hadn't realized just how tired she was until her pillow was in reach, and at that point, she could hardly stay awake. She had wanted to stay up for as long as she could to try and memorize the finest of details from Dolcinaea's performance, but instead, Agnea's night was spent dreaming of the song and all of the joy it had brought her. When the morning came, Agnea was still humming the tune under her breath, and she was far from the only member of the travelers' group doing it. 

The plan for the day was quickly decided over breakfast. They would be splitting into two groups with the same layout as the day before with Castti and Partitio staying behind at the inn for Osvald. They were going to try and see what he could handle in regards to limited physical activity, but he needed rest first. They would be catching up with the other travelers at the tavern later on. For the time being, Agnea would be leading the other four members of their team to the backstreets to see what Gil's tavern had to offer them. 

The backstreets of New Delsta were a stark departure from the heart of the town, and Agnea quickly realized they were much more run down. This was the poorer district of the city, it seemed, and Gil's tavern was meant to be right in the middle of it all. The tavern itself looked notably worn, like it hadn't been given proper attention in years. Still, Agnea pressed her shoulders back and pushed the door open, the rest of the travelers following close behind her. 

The inside of the tavern was lit poorly by a chandelier that very clearly had not been cleaned in a long time. Cobwebs lined the upper platform overlooking the tavern floor, and the walls looked aged, the brown paint peeling up in some places. There were spirits and coffee lined up against a wall behind the bar, but the rest of the tavern was reserved for a single open room. A stage was elevated slightly above the base of the ground, and two tables sat in front of it. The chairs looked like they would fall apart if they were given even a little bit of pressure in the wrong direction. The stage held a piano, but it did not seem as if it had been graced with a song in many years. 

Even though the tavern was aged and worn, Agnea couldn't help but find it all... Charming. Something about the place was intriguing to her, and she found it homey and cozy. In many ways, it reminded her of the tavern from back home in Cropdale. Most people wouldn't think of giving that place a second glance either, but it was a second home to her. She loved taking to the stage and showing off her moves for any crowd that was willing to watch. Sometimes, it was all about the simpler pleasures, and Agnea couldn't think of any pleasure that brought a bigger smile to her face than dancing. 

Gil was arranging a few of the chairs when Agnea arrived. The other table had two patrons who were grumbling quietly to one another. Gil ignored both of them when he saw Agnea step into the tavern. "Welcome to Montraine's Tavern," Gil declared with a smile. 

Agnea let out a small sigh before taking a deep breath, and the lovely scent of coffee rose to her nostrils. "It smells so good in here...!"

"Here, have a cup of coffee," Gil said, gesturing to a small mug sitting atop the table he was standing beside. "You won't regret it." 

Agnea walked over to the table and sat down, gladly taking a sip of the drink Gil had set out for her. The taste was... Not what she had expected, and it overwhelmed her senses immediately. She knew she was far from the best when it came to tolerating bitter flavors, and that remained true now too. It took her a moment to swallow down the drink, and she immediately figured out that one of the other travelers would enjoy this much more than her. Maybe she would be able to pass it off to Osvald when Castti decided he was fit for walking around again. She was certain he had mentioned enjoying coffee at some point on the road between Cape Cold and New Delsta. "It's... Bittersweet."

"The flavor of dreams," Gil smiled proudly. He leaned up against the table, pressing one hand into the wood. The weight of the table shifted slightly, but the mug was heavy enough to not be disturbed too greatly. "Only a handful of folks can become stars. The rest are just stardust in the wind." 

Agnea couldn't help but stare at him in muted shock. She had come all this way with the hope of becoming a star, and she hadn't even wanted to consider what could happen if she was unable to reach her dreams. It was all she had ever wanted, and if she fell short... She didn't know what she would do. The thought made her chest go tight, and she wondered what had happened for Gil to become so cynical. 

He covered his tracks almost immediately with a shake of his head. "Or so some folks say. In any case, take a load off." Gil walked over to the other table to attend to the two patrons in the tavern, leaving Agnea and the travelers to their own devices. 

Agnea rose to her feet once again and wandered over to the stage. The piano glowed in the limited lighting of the tavern, and Agnea smiled at it with her own glow. "That's a beautiful piano... Can you play it?"

Gil stopped speaking with the other patrons, and his face went dark and sad as he turned away to face the piano. "Montraine could. He was a famous pianist and a master at captivating people with song. After he retired, he took up tending this very tavern. I was born in this town, and every day was as boring as the last... Except when I could hear him playing the piano from the alley. Hearing those melodies made me forget about my troubles... Yeah, those were hot sounds. I came here whenever I could. Montraine even taught me how to play the piano... I wanted to be able to make music like him, to make others smile. So I practiced and practiced... Sometimes the patrons laughed at me or jeered, but... I never gave up." Gil faced Agnea next, his eyes still full of something sad. "Before I knew it, years had passed. And no one paid any mind to my music... Montraine grew old and passed away. That's when it finally hit me. I've got no talent. After that, I took up tending the tavern and selling spirits."

Agnea bit down on her bottom lip. That was certainly a sad way to end that story. Anyone could truly make something of themselves if they were willing to work hard at it... Or so she had always told herself. What if there was more to it than just hard work though? If it also took talent, then... Then would she really have what it took to be a star? Or would she become stardust on the wind too? 

The other tavern patrons had heard enough too, it seemed, and they pushed themselves to their feet to approach him. "Enough reminiscing. I'm thirsty, Gil," one of them complained. 

Gil shook his head with a sigh, snapped out of his memories in an instant. "Good grief... Is this going on your tab too? You know you have to pay that someday, right?"

"Gil..." Agnea stepped forward in a moment of firm resolve, pressing her hands together against her chest. "I want to hear you play the piano."

"Sorry, but I quit," Gil replied, ducking his head beneath his hat so he didn't have to meet her gaze. 

"As you should," the first patron that had just spoken agreed.

"Dreams are good for nothing but getting you hurt," the other chimed in. 

That couldn't have been true. Agnea wasn't going to let it be true. If there was something she could do to prove there was more to the world than just ruined dreams, then she had to try it. If these people could not believe in their own dreams, then she would have to give them something to believe in. "Say, Gil, would you mind if I danced here?"

Gil's eyes went wide. "Why would you want to do that?"

Agnea laughed softly. "I guess... I just feel like it."

Gil considered it for a moment before his face softened. "Of course. You're more than welcome to."

"Thank you." Agnea turned to face the rest of the travelers where they had been quiet throughout the bulk of the conversation. "Now then, we need an audience if we're going to have a show! I'll go gather a crowd!"

It took a moment for Gil's mind to catch up with his tongue, and he sputtered twice before finally managing to speak properly again. "Hey now, don't get too carried away. I can only handle so many here. Bring any patrons you find to me, okay?"

Agnea nodded with an enthusiastic smile. "Hehe, okay! See you soon, Gil!" Without wasting a second, she was off toward the door, the other travelers trying to keep up with her. Hikari was the last one through the door, and he pulled it closed behind him once the entire group was out on the street. 

Gil stared after the travelers with a small smile and a shake of his head. "Something tells me it's about to get a lot livelier in here."

~~~~~

Over the course of the next hour, Agnea and the rest of the travelers did all they could to pull together an audience for the afternoon's show. Agnea's charm was enough to persuade most people they met to head for the tavern, and her grin brightened the spirits of all those who happened to meet her gaze. Agnea felt her heart flutter each time she realized what she was doing. She was about to put on a show, and she was going to do everything in her power to make all of these people happy. 

Gil's story had been a sad one, but to Agnea, it was more of a reason for her to keep going. She could lose her resolve entirely or she could decide that she was going to work even harder to ensure all of her dreams became a reality. She thought the latter was a much better choice for her, and so, she decided to take charge of her situation however she could. She was going to put on a show to remember, and she would make sure everyone who sat in the audience was smiling by the time she was finished. 

By the time Agnea had finished rounding up a crowd, the tavern was full of people, all of them talking to one another in between ordering drinks from Gil. The tavern, once struggling to keep itself afloat, suddenly had a ray of hope for the future, and it was all thanks to Agnea's enthusiasm. She could tell there wouldn't be much room for other people now though, so she decided she had done her section of work to prepare for the performance. 

Once Castti and Partitio managed to situate Osvald at the bar, Agnea approached Gil. He poured out a cup of coffee and then looked up at Agnea. "The crowd's all warmed up. What say we get the show started?" he asked. He passed over the coffee to Osvald, and the scholar hummed in appreciation as he took a sip. Immediately, he brightened, and Agnea knew that getting him out of his inn room for a short excursion to the tavern had been the right decision.

Agnea nodded and walked over to the stage, knowing this was the moment everything was going to change for the people in the crowd. She settled down in her position at the center of the stage, and the murmurs of the crowd went quiet as every eye turned in her direction. From there, Agnea began to dance and sing, and even though she had no instrumentation to go with her show, she didn't mind it at all. The most important song to her was the one in her own heart, and if she let that guide her, then she could never go wrong. If it was enough to make the people in the crowd smile, then she was more than willing to consider it worth it. 

Agnea finished her show a while later, ending off with a kick and then a flourish. When she held the pose for a few moments, the crowd began to cheer and clap, and Agnea couldn't help but smile even as her chest rose and fell from the exertion of the show. "That was incredible!" one person in the crowd exclaimed. 

"I've never seen anyone dance like that before!" another cried out. 

Agnea let her arms fall back down by her sides before she bowed before her audience. "Thank you, everyone!" she grinned merrily. 

Gil, who had been clapping over by the bar, approached the stage with a smile. "I knew it. Your moves really are hot," he told her. After a moment of silence, he looked out over the crowd. "To tell the truth, I was hoping you would dance for them too."

Agnea smiled, pressing one hand to her chest. The excitement of the audience truly was infectious, and it felt like it was more than enough to keep Agnea going no matter what her life turned out to be full of next. "Say, Gil... Would you mind if I stayed here to dance for a while?" she asked. If she and the rest of the travelers were going to be in the city for another few days, then she wanted to make the most of it. Agnea didn't need to perform on the stage at the main theater in order to enjoy herself. She had another option, and Gil's tavern was a chance she knew she wouldn't be able to pass up on. 

Gil shook his head. "Not at all, but I wouldn't be able to pay you for it..."

"I don't mind at all," Agnea assured him. She was hoping she would be paid for her performances one day so she could make it into a career, but right now, she was fine with dancing free of charge. If it would make the people in the audience smile, then it was more than worth it. "Now then, let the dance continue!"

~~~~~

Over the course of the next few days, Agnea fell into a predictable and sweet routine. She woke up every morning to go to Gil's tavern, and she danced with everything she had upon arriving. The people in the audience always cheered and declared they were looking forward to her next show, and Agnea would thank them for their time and encouragement. Once everyone had streamed out of the tavern for the night, Agnea and the other travelers would help Gil to clean up. He wasn't used to having this much activity in the tavern, and he needed a few extra hands helping out to make sure he was able to keep up with everyone coming in and out. 

When they had extra time, the travelers pitched in by helping to clean up the tavern in other ways too. Castti and Partitio helped to paint the walls with a fresh coat of a deep turquoise color. Ochette and Hikari went up to the second floor to help dust off all the lighting fixtures and get rid of any lingering cobwebs. Throné and Temenos tended to the piano and gave it a fresh life through tuning. Apparently, Temenos had learned how to play the piano when growing up in the church, and he was able to get all of the notes back to sounding the way they should have in no time. Osvald was still under orders to take it easy, but he gladly took up the mantle of testing Gil's batches of coffee to ensure they were at their best. When Agnea struggled with the taste of the coffee, she always passed her cup to Osvald for him to try instead. 

Today was no exception. Agnea was on her sixth day of helping out at Montraine's Tavern, and much like every other morning, she was trying a cup of coffee. She had taken to trying various combinations of ingredients mixed in to see if she was able to find something she liked, but Agnea suspected she simply wasn't a coffee fan. After she took a taste of the day's coffee, she winced again. "Mmh... It's bittersweet."

"The day's coffee smells good," Osvald commented from beside her. He was working his way through a book he had bought from a shop in town. After years of not being able to study anything to do with magic, he was determined to make up for lost time, and now was the perfect time to start. 

"Here, have a cup!" Agnea smiled, passing it over to Osvald. "Would you like some milk and sugar?"

Osvald shook his head. "No thanks. I like my coffee black."

"I should've expected such refined tastes from an adult!" Agnea laughed. If anyone in her life was going to prefer black coffee, she supposed it was going to be Osvald. All of the travelers were technically adults, but Osvald was the oldest of all of them, and it showed in his demeanor too. 

Osvald took a sip of the coffee, and he let out a small sigh once the taste had washed down the back of his throat. "Ahh... This bitterness stimulates the mind." After a few moments of quiet, he reached for his book once again. "Might I read here?" 

Agnea knew the real question Osvald was trying to ask. He wanted to know if there was anything else he could do to help out around the tavern, and if there was no task for him, then he would return to reading. "Of course! Be my guest!" Agnea exclaimed. Even if there had been something she could have asked Osvald to do, she likely wouldn't have done it. He was well on the way to recovery now, but he still needed a bit more time to fully regain his strength. Agnea wasn't going to ask him to do anything until she was absolutely sure he was ready, or more accurately, when Castti gave the all-clear. 

Osvald got back to reading a moment later. His face visibly relaxed, and Agnea couldn't help smiling at the sight. When she first met him, she had feared he would be stoic and detached from the world for the entire duration of their time together. It was no doubt true that Osvald struggled with finding his place in the world that had changed so much in the last five years... But Agnea could see him adjusting perfectly well. She didn't realize she had let out a laugh of joy until Osvald looked up at her in muted confusion. "What are you laughing at?" he asked. 

Agnea snapped out of her thoughts all at once, and she shook her head. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was just so happy..."

Osvald blinked in confusion. "What about me reading could make you so happy?"

Agnea floundered beneath his gaze, suddenly turning to look at the ground so she didn't have to meet his eyes for any longer. "Well... You looked like you were enjoying yourself. That's all." Agnea supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that Osvald was unused to being treated with such kindness. By his words, his time on Frigit had been far from pleasant, and he had only himself to rely on for years. It would likely take far longer for his emotions to recover from what he had been through even if his body managed to return to its previous state as much as it could. Agnea was willing to wait though. She knew Osvald had a good heart, and she was looking forward to seeing where he went from there. 

"Hmph... You're a strange one." Even after Osvald made the comment, he didn't try to push for a further conversation. Instead, he returned to looking at his book, and he visibly relaxed once again. Agnea smiled in his periphery before she pushed herself to her feet and started to prepare for the next few tasks she knew Gil would want to give her. The tavern was opening soon, after all, and she was determined to be ready for it. 

Agnea really had come to enjoy working at Gil's tavern. Even though she wasn't being paid for the work, she was having a lot of fun. She wondered if this could be the rest of her life. She really did want to become a star, but surely it wouldn't hurt for her to spend a bit of time in the tavern trying to work her way up to something bigger. Agnea already felt like she was making waves, and she could only hope her momentum continued well into the future. 

Agnea looked out at the rest of the tavern with a content smile and a matching sigh. If this truly was what she was going to spend her time doing for the foreseeable future, then she had no objections. She couldn't think of any better way for her to work her way up to stardom. One day, she would be a name known all across the continent. For now though, she was happy to be the star of New Delsta's backstreets. 

If it would make people smile, then Agnea had nothing to complain about. Stars brought smiles to people's faces... And she was happy to declare that she was already doing it.

~~~~~

The following day outside the tavern, a few of the poorer citizens of New Delsta were talking about the coming opening of the tavern. One of them wore a bright smile as he rushed up to a group of his friends nearby. "Did you hear? Gil's got a dancer over at his tavern," the pauper began. "They say seein' her steps will lift your spirits."

Another man in the group laughed heartily. "Really? Maybe we should check it out." The other men in the party all nodded their agreement, and they walked up to the tavern. 

It was just about to open for the day, and the men found that they arrived right on time. Ochette darted out of the tavern to turn the sign on the door around to show that the tavern was opened for the day. She grinned up at the new customers and gestured for them to come inside. "Come on in!"

The inside of the tavern was completely transformed from how the men remembered it. The tables no longer wobbled, and the chairs had been reinforced thanks to the hard work of Partitio and Hikari. New life had been breathed into Montraine's Tavern, and it barely resembled what it had once been. The evolution was as beautiful as it was sudden, and no one could have ever imagined the tavern coming so far. 

Still, it was something for everyone to be proud of. The backstreets of New Delsta had always held a poor reputation with those who lived in the richer districts. Now, Montraine's Tavern was the jewel of the back alleys, and all those who knew about it felt honored to have heard of it. It truly was beautiful, and it was something for everyone to enjoy. 

It was a place of dreams and joy, and it would remain that way forevermore. 

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Making our way through Agnea's chapter two! 

I'm really liking the way this chapter is turning out. I don't have all that much to add about it aside from what I already said, but I'm having a lot of fun with this. I think my favorite tiny detail from the chapter is that all of the travelers wound up helping out around the tavern to sort of revive it. There was a notable shift in how the tavern looked during the first half of the chapter as opposed to the second half, and while it's a small environmental detail in the game, I wanted to call more attention to it here. You can't see it in a novelization after all, so I needed to point it out however I could. 

I'm just really loving working on this again. I love writing my Octopath novelizations, and I've missed being able to write interactions between everyone. I keep saying it, but I really do mean it. These chapters are always so much fun, and I'm looking forward to everything that will come after this too. I've got great stuff planned for the end of this chapter, and I hope you're all excited for it too. 

Next time, we'll press on with Agnea's chapter two. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is appreciated as always. Have a nice day, everyone!

-Digital