The young barkeep stifled a yawn as she scanned the busy tavern. The night had just begun and they were already packed to the brim with travellers. It astounded her how popular they had become in just a few short months. Her mother insisted it was because she had started working the night shift, but she didn't really believe her. It was illogical that her mere presence could cause such an influx of people. She was nothing special, that much she knew. Sure, she was pretty, but it wasn't like she was the prettiest girl in town, the girls at the tavern by the ports were much prettier than her, sluttier too. Still, she knew there must have been some truth to her mother's statement, for the sheer number of people packed into that room was proof.
"Aldonza, stop spacing out and tend to your customers."
"Sorry mama." The girl said, shooting her mother an apologetic smile before bracing herself for the crowd before her. It was going to be a long night.
Putting on her best smile she went to work, charming every person who walked up and asked for a drink. Suddenly the air in the lively room changed, a chill settling as a new group of people entered. The Donquixote pirates. A slight frown formed on her lips as they sauntered in, the crowds parting for them to pass, and a group of lesser pirates scurried out of their seats and offered them their table. She found herself scoffing at the display, sure she had heard all the rumors, who hasn't? Still, it seemed absurd to her that a single group of people could incite such fear in others.
"Aldonza, stop making that face. You know perfectly well what they are capable of." Her mother said softly, drawing close to her.
"Yes, mama. But at the end of the day, they're just humans… I don't understand the fear and reverence… it's not like they're Celestial Dragons or anything."
"Still child, please be on your best behavior please, you've heard about what they did to that one town…"
She frowned, yes she had heard. A whole town burnt to the ground because their leader, Donquixote Doflamingo had tripped on uneven pavement. It was excessive, and her mother was right, she should be on her best behavior, but she hated to think that one person could have that much power. What was so special about him anyway? Just another self-absorb psychopath running around acting like he was the king of the world.
Putting the smile back onto her face she attempted to carry on like before, but the chatter seemed forced, and every once in awhile she could feel his eyes on her. Turning her attention toward him, her eyes locked onto his, and as much as she hated to admit it, that guy was captivating. She could feel her heartbeat increasing as she took him in, there was something about him that made her feel hot all over and she couldn't help but feel like she was staring into the sun. A slight smirk crossed her lips as she silently let him know that she knew he was staring.
It didn't surprise her when he finally decided to make his way over to the bar, pushing aside the men sitting there like he owned the place. "Donquixote Doflamingo." She said sweetly, offering him the brightest smile she could muster.
"You know my name, but I have yet to have the pleasure of learning yours."
She chuckled softly, amused by his antics. "Aldonza."
"Aldonza, huh?" He mused, tracing his tongue across his lips as if he was tasting her name. "I like it."
Oh he was bad, but also so sinfully divine. "So tell me, Mister Donquixote, what can I do for you?" She asked with a coy smile.
"Fuffuffuffuffu, please call Doffy," He said as a devious smile crossed his face. "Mister Donquixote makes me sound so old, besides it will be such a mouthful to scream later... then again, your mouth would be too full for screaming."
It took her a second to register what it was he just said and she reflexively laughed. "Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves, Mister Donquixote." She replied, emphasizing the formal use of his name.
"Help me," He started as he leaned in toward her, that smile on his face growing wider. "I broke apart my insides. Help me, I've got no soul left to sell. Help me, give me the only thing that works for me, help me get away from myself."
An impish smile passed across her lips, as she reached under the bar and pulled out two glasses and the best bottle of wine she had. Popping the cork and pouring out two glasses, she handed one to him and crooned, "With pleasure, Mister Donquixote."
She watched as he tossed back the glass, licking his lips as his smile twisted into a wicked grin. Suddenly he moved, leaning over the bar he brought his face right next to hers, his breath ghosting her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "I want to fuck you like an animal. I want to feel you from the inside. I want to fuck you like an animal, my whole existence is flawed, only you can get me closer to god."
Jerking away from him she desperately tried to subdue the blush which was furiously spreading across her cheeks. A little part of her wanted to give in, to see the things this guy could do, but she decided to fight against that desire, and instead she let out a laugh. "Oh my, Mister Donquixote, we would have to get to know each other a little better first." She stammered, refilling his glass as she downed her own, in an attempt to calm her nerves. This guy was going to be the death of her. She just knew it.
"Fuffuffuffuffu," he laughed, settling back down and draining his glass. "Well what is it you would like to know? You can have my isolation, you can have the hate that it brings. You can have my absence of faith, you can have my everything."
She pondered his words as she took in his face and refilled their glasses. That smile of his held fast, contradicting his words, and she couldn't help but wonder what expression his eyes held. "Hold that thought." She said suddenly, draining the fresh glass of wine before taking off to tend to her other customers.
She could feel his eyes on her as she moved to the other end of the bar and a small smile found its way to her lips. He was certainly different than what she had expected, and everything about him made her long for more. Letting out a sigh she shook her head in an attempt to get him off her mind, nothing good could ever come from a guy like that. That much she knew.
Still, there was something so undeniably attractive about him, and every now and then she would look over his way and meet his eyes, giving him a smile before moving on with the next customer. As she worked, she somehow found herself standing before him again, giving into that little voice inside her head she pulled out another bottle of wine and poured herself glass of before refilling his.
"So, Mister Donquixote," She purred, taking a sip of her wine. "What brings you around these parts?"
He smirked at her, "What can I say, the scenery on this island is simply divine."
"Is that so?" She inquired with a smirk matching his own, "Pray tell, Mister Donquixote, what part of our landscape is so captivating?"
"The hills of course." He replied without missing a beat, and she could feel his eyes trailing down her chest behind his glasses.
She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him, and instead she offered him a small chuckle. "The hills huh? Well that's a first."
"Aldonza, you have no idea."
He was right, she had no idea, especially considering the fact that the island had no hills, just towns, forests, and rivers, but she would be lying if she said she didn't know exactly what he meant. She just refused to go down that road with him, there was not one bone in his body good enough for her. "Well then, Mister Donquixote, you'll just have to show me some time, now won't you." The words spilled out before she could stop herself and she blamed it on the alcohol. Seriously, nothing good could ever come from playing with him.
"Oh, I'll show you all right, I'll make sure to show you stars as well…"
She clicked her tongue in disapproval and pouted. "I thought we established the fact that we'd have to get to know each other first. I'm not that kind of girl. You want a whore, there are plenty over there." She said, gesturing toward the table he had been sitting at before.
The expression on his face was not lost to her. His strained smile, the way he hands clenched around the stem of that glass, it was evident that he was used to getting his way, and she could tell she was getting under his skin. She chuckled softly to herself, she had to admit it, it felt kind of good, making a guy with his kind of reputation, squirm.
Draining her glass she went back to work, flashing him another smile as the alcohol slowly made its way through her system. By the time she ran the last call bell, she was pleasantly drunk, and quite surprised that he was still there, staring at her. Coming up in front of him again she leaned over, resting her arms on the bar as she smiled sweetly at him. "I get up at ten, come by around noon and show me these hills you are so fond of, perhaps we can see where it goes from there, Doffy."
Groaning Aldonza opened her eyes, glaring at the sunlight which filtered in, between the cracks of her drapes. Sitting up in bed she let out a yawn and rubbed her at her eyes, frowning as images of that guy flashed through her mind again. She mentally slapped herself for getting caught up with him last night, wondering what on earth she was thinking, inviting him over at noon.
Getting dressed she prayed that he didn't actually care that much, that maybe he wouldn't show up. She knew it was wishful thinking though, a silly pipe dream, and as she made her way down the stairs her fears were confirmed.
"Mister Donquixote." She said, crossing the room and slipping behind the bar.
He let out a laugh, "Aldonza, I thought we had already moved past all these formalities last night." He said with a grin.
Grabbing the crate of limes off the floor she lifted it onto the bar and began prepping the fruit, cutting them into neat little wedges. "And I thought I asked you to come at noon." She retorted, refusing to meet his gaze.
"What can I say, I couldn't wait to see you again."
She flinched at his words, yelping softly as the blade slipped and she nicked her finger. Grimacing as the citrus juice found its way into her wound, she brought her finger up to her lips she sucked on it gently, removing the juice and hopefully slowing the flow of blood before she wrapped it tightly in a napkin. "I'm sorry, what?"
His eyes followed the movement of her hands, his own tongue flicking lightly over his lips as she brought her hand up to her mouth. "You are the single more intriguing person I have ever met."
"Tsk," She scoffed, as she continued with her previous task of slicing the fruit. "Is that so? Are you sure it's not because I simply said no?"
"Fuffuffuffuffu," He laughed, "Yes, there's that too…"
She let out a sigh and placed the limes into a jar, securing the lid before moving the now empty crate back onto the floor. "I have a lot of work to do in preparation for tonight's service." She said looking up at him, instantly regretting it when he flashed her a brilliant smile causing her heart to skip a beat. Sucking in a deep breath she tried to calm her nerves, "If you don't mind, I will gladly keep my word and meet with you at noon, but until then... do you mind?"
Turning in his seat as she whipped by him, the smile on his face grew wider. "Oh I don't mind at all." He replied, leaning back into the bar, his arms resting lightly on the edge. "You go do your thing, I'll just wait right here."
She shot him a glare before she went to work cleaning the tables and picking up the rubbish that was left littered around the room the night before. "Don't you have better things to do? Like pillaging the town or something."
He let out another laugh. "What kind of deviant do you take me for? I do not pillage."
"Oh? Well then excuse me, I just figured pirate and all. Pray tell, what is it exactly that you do then, Mister Donquixote?"
"I'm a businessman."
She scoffed. "Is that right? And what business do you have here?" She asked as she finished wiping down the tables and benches and worked on moving the benches onto the tables.
Shifting in his seat, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees as he followed her movements with his eyes. "Aren't you the inquisitive one."
Placing the last bench onto the table in front of it, she turned to face him, as a polite smile filtered across her lips. "I simply like knowing what kind of company I'm keeping."
"Divine." He stated with a wicked grin.
"Oh I'm sure." She retorted with a roll of her eyes.
"You have no idea, Aldonza."
She attempted to tune him out as she finished up with her chores, but his stare was burning a hole in her back. When the room was sufficiently clean she made her way back to the bar and took a quick inventory. Letting out a sigh she turned to acknowledge him again. "If you're just going to sit here, you might as well be useful." She said, eliciting a grin from him. "Follow me to the cellar and help me bring up the alcohol for tonight."
Without waiting for a response, she bent down and pulled opened the hatch which lead down to the cellar, flicking on the light before she descended down the stairs. She knew he would follow her, for she had just effectively invited him to enter a secluded dark space with her alone.
Shifting a few crates around she pulled out the bottles she needed and started placing them into an empty box. When she heard the tapping of his shoes on the stone steps she hastily filled a few more boxes, and before he could say or try anything, she pushed a case of wine into his arms. He stared down at her in disbelief, and when he didn't move, she placed another box on top of the one he was already holding.
Smirking, she maneuvered around him and made her way up the stairs. Placing the box she was holding gently down onto the ground, she went to work on stocking the shelves as she listened to him slowly make his way up those steps.
When he finally emerged from the cellar, he placed the two boxes down next to her and leaned against the bar, a sinister smile planted on his lips. "It's noon."
She almost dropped the bottle she was holding. Glancing over at the clock above the door she let out a slight groan. He was right, it was noon, and she had given him her word. Putting down the bottle she stepped off the little step stool she was on and turned to face him. "That it is."
Reluctantly she followed him out of the little tavern, wondering what in the world she was getting herself into.