His stomach and heart acted weird around her too. Yeah, Bragi was part of the reason, but Holt really did light up in Zinny's presence. Maybe it was the whole goddess of youth thing. She made him feel light as air, like he could accomplish anything, like his life had only just begun. How could he not love her?
"Oh that pout!" He put his hand over his heart. "Gets me every time. I'm powerless against the pout. Fine. You win. No begging required."
He let her keep her legs in his lap, but he picked up the guitar and rested it along her shins. Holt plucked the strings in turn briefly, making a few adjustments. It sometimes got out of tune during transport. When he was satisfied with the tone, he paused and looked at her. "You have to be honest, okay? Don't just tell me you love it if it sucks." Holt could be a little weird about his music. He didn't think he was all that great. Bragi disagreed.
The chords and rhythm were fairly simple, and there was nothing extraordinary about the lyrics, but it was clear in how he played and the emotion that fell from his lips that he felt every bit of the song. He got quite cheeky at times with the lyrics, winking at her as he sang, "This old world, well, it was mine to take. Faith can keep you warm, but I'll teach you how to shake..."