Yup, but at least we have to delude ourselves with the posibility that things may go badly:
Will Hokage's group be able to poach enough people before the other group find their location?!
I think this could kinda work if they poach very small groups, like 1 or 2 people, convince them hard...
What womanizer? He is sweet talking her, yes, but I wouldn't even say he is being sexist. He is giving her a gift saying he wants to have a chance to look at her longer and wishes she uses her gift and thinks of him when taking it off.
Jojo is just very uncomfortable with the flirting happening...
I'm guessing they'll start poaching people very selectively. Suddenly one day a guy disappears, then a girl, then a group. And now you have 3 higer ups in a cave asking where the hell everyone is.
Though that still has the risk of either the enemy showing up with the gun after thoroughly...
Looking at it from the view of the opressor and the opressed, yeah, the elves have the justification to fight for a life where they don't have to mourn people being killed periodically for their opressors wealth. The opressor now saying "How could you kill my comrades!" feel pretty human, but...
Yeah, just the situation: a rebel and her (soon to be) lover go together on a mission to steal from the empire while promising each other their love.
At least one of them has to die.