A/N: Last chapter for the day! I promise it will get more exciting than this. Soon. Ish. Just trust in me mmkay? That said I won't always be updateing super often. Well I might be but maybe not. I'm planning my own wedding and working full time so I do get busy. I just want to get a good base amount of chapters for you guys! PS Shout out to my first two followers! BettyBest2 and kittenmoyashi!
Elizabeth stole many glance at the captain during that nights service. As many as she could anyways the tavern was crowded. They did set up tables outside and they still didn't have enough space. This was the busiest the Boar Hat had ever been! Meliodas even had to force Merlin to help behind the bar with him. Gowther chose to take on the waitress uniform. The tables he served weren't really impressed. In fact most of the tables requested Elizabeth, despite her clumsiness. She took orders to the wrong table a lot, but the men didn't care. They were all just looking at her anyways. Meliodas swallowed hard. This was a hard part of the night. Watching them all oggle her.
"Remember Captain, you wanted her as a server. I could take her help back here and you can have this lazy bastard as a sever!" Ban drawled from the counter. King scowled and shouted a 'hey' in response then promptly blushed a bright crimson as human sized Diane walked by carrying far more than a human girl would be able to.
Meliodas laughed off Ban's comment, catching Elizabeth's eye again and giving her a thumbs up. She promptly dropped everything she was holding on the ground. Meliodas jumped the bar to help her pick it up. Before he got to her she shrieked slapping away a mans who had a handful of her ass. Meliodas felt himself burning up as he swept her behind him, telling her to go to Diane.
"Aww come on man, its just so nice." The man slurred his words as Meliodas stared him down.
"Meliodas." Hawk warned from next to him. Hawk had come to clean up the mess Elizabeth made.
Meliodas breathed deeply and smiled at the man. "I'd like it if you kept your hands off my staff. And if you can't manage that you will have to leave." He added the last part darkly, so the man understood his threat then turned back towards the bar. The man left his money on the table and left.
"Try and be a bit more careful okay?" He smiled at Elizabeth while she nodded blushing. Diane gave her a quick hug then she went back to her own tables, mostly outside.
"I don't think you need to be careful Elizabeth! I'll be here to clean up for you any day!" Hawk stated through his mouthfuls of pie Elizabeth had just dropped.
"The caverns just aren't safe anymore-"
"He's not kidding! I heard that in the last few weeks something just decided to live down there. The wildlife won't even go near it anymore!"
"Where's this?" Diane asked sweetly. Batting her eyelashes slightly the way Elizabeth had taught her. She was waiting one of the tables outside when she overheard part of the conversation between a pair of old travelling salesmen.
"Ohoho no where a sweet girl like you should be goin." One of the men answered gently. Diane quickly grabbed the collar of his shirt lifting him from his seat, causing a scene.
"Diane! What are you doing to our fine guests?" Elizabeth asked sweetly, coming to diffuse the situation. Diane put the gentleman down and coughed loudly.
"We were just having a discussion about the caverns west of here when this monster showed up and grabbed me by the neck!" Diane looked hurt. Even in her human form she was still a monster. Rather than getting upset she simply put down her tray and walked down the hill towards the forest. Elizabeth smiled sadly in her direction before looking back at the men,
"what about the caverns? Do they have a lot of gemstones?" She asked in the flirtiest voice she could muster.
"Well yeah there were. But now no one can go down there! Even the wildlife stays away. Nothing for you to worry about though." Elizabeth hated that. Because she was a woman she couldn't deal with it. Just like sir Meliodas had said earlier. She wanted to be involved!
"West of here?" She asked again. The men of the table nodded. "How would you guys like a uh... a round of Ale on the house for your troubles?" The men all agreed enthusiastically.
"Where did Diane go?!" King asked worried as soon as Elizabeth returned to the pub.
"The uh... the men out there called her a monster and she went to the forest." Before Elizabeth could say another word King flew out the back entrance and down to find Diane. He would help her feel better. Elizabeth smiled as he left.
"So what did she hear Elizabeth?" Hawk asked. Elizabeth stood closer to Meliodas, Hawk, and Merlin so they could hear.
"The men were talking about a uhm rocky cavern west of here. Apparently for the past little while, since the uh battle at Liones I guess... Anyways nothing goes in there." Elizabeth watched as Meliodas and Merlin shared a concerned look. "What is it Sir Meliodas? Lady Merlin?"
"Nothing you need to worry about Elizabeth." Meliodas answered simply.
Elizabeth's face became red with anger. She was fed up with this. She was a comrade too right? "Well that table out there is getting a free round of beer and I am going to bed!" Elizabeth stomped upstairs away from the group.
"Meliodas how can you let her stomp away like that?! Go make her feel better!" Hawk shouted. Meliodas looked at Merlin again then sighed.
"No let her go rest. We have a tavern to run and we are short two waitresses and a kitchen staff." Meliodas stated. "I'll go wait tables, Merlin you handle the counter!" He smiled brightly tossing his cloth that regularly sat on his shoulder onto the counter.
"Do you know why he is acting so strangely with her Merlin?" Hawk asked. The mage simply smiled then went back to the counter.
Hawk huffed then stomped back tot he kitchen. "Don't worry about it master. It's all about love." Ban cooed.
"Well if he loves her shouldn't he go make her happy?!" Hawk cried out.
"Sorry master but you just don't understand true love. Maybe you'll get it someday." Ban singsonged while flipping a steak for a customer.
Elizabeth stared out the window of the second bedroom. She wasn't even tired. She was just so angry... What could she do? Tears sprung to her eyes. Why was Meliodas being such an idiot? She just wanted to help! Maybe it was because she was so delicate. She wasn't anything like her sister Veronica. She couldn't really take care of herself. She had those healing powers but as much as she tried to use them again she couldn't. So what she had to be your typical emotional woman just to use her powers? That seemed unfair. Everyone else was so much stronger than her. She wished she wasn't so much of a burden.
From her spot in the window she saw Diane and King emerge from the thick forest and sit on the ground outside. King held Diane's hand as they talked and laughed. Probably about something stupid Sir Ban had done. Elizabeth smiled softly. Things seemed to be going well for the fairy and the giant so why not for her and Meliodas? Was it his secrets. He was protecting her she knew that but she wanted him to be open with her.
The night before he had asked her if she was afraid. She knew he meant the black mars on his body. She wasn't afraid of him though. He would never hurt her, she knew that. So why did he need to constantly reassure her of that. He thought back tho their walk back from the pier. He had taken her hand, causing her to turn scarlet. But after he said his piece he dropped her hand. She was disappointed. She would have held his hand the whole way back. She wished she was brave enough to take his had back.
She continued to think about Sir Meliodas. She found herself smiling imagining his carefree grin. She couldn't stay mad at him. She considered going back downstairs since she had calmed down. She thought of what sort of thing Ban would probably say to her when she got back and decided against it. Instead she stripped off her Ale stained uniform and got into her pale purple nightgown. That was the nicest thing about going home again. She got to pick up some of her own clothing. She fiddled with the cotton hem as she sat with her legs dangling off the bed. She looked at the pillow next to her, where Meliodas would be later in the night. She wished Hawk wouldn't tie him up. She was confident that Meliodas wouldn't actually take advantage of her. Besides would she do anything if he did? She blushed deeply then shook her had, falling back into the bed and pulling the covers up over her face. She breathed heavily. What was she doing? Thinking about Sir Meliodas in that way! Elizabeth hid herself under the covers until she drifted off to sleep, long before Meliodas even made his way up to the room.
"So what is the plan Captain? Are we going out there tomorrow?" Merlin asked while wiping the counter at the end of the night. Meliodas wiped the tables with Diane's help. King and her came back up about an hour after Elizabeth's outburst. Elizabeth hadn't returned.
"Hm? Yeah. We probably don't all need to go. We will see when we get out there."
"What about the princess?" Diane asked. When they returned Ban told her and King what had happened. After punching the captain she insisted he wouldn't go talk to her. Diane sighed sadly, wishing she had been here to support Elizabeth. She probably felt so alone. She also understood how the Captain felt of course. At least a bit. He just wanted to protect her. But Diane had called Elizabeth their comrade then wasn't even there to support her.
"Actually... I think I might have her stay here. With you Merlin." He nodded towards the mage. She nodded obediently.
"Cap'n if you keep pushing her away like this-"
"I know what I'm doing." Meliodas snapped at Ban. Ban simply shrugged, taking another swig of his Ale. His kitchen cleaning was already done, since he made King do it all as his punishment for leaving.
"I'm just saying. If you care about her maybe you should tell her that. You are just going to hurt her..." Ban thought of his Elaine sadly. He would give anything to have her back. He even contemplated killing the captain to have a shot at getting her back.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to avoid doing." Meliodas mumbled, finishing up the table. He then sat at the bar and opened himself an Ale.
Diane and King said their goodnights before leaving. Diane preferred sleeping outside, especially knowing that she would be back to her regular size by the morning. And King liked to be wherever Diane was. Gowther had disappeared to his shared room with Ban hours ago, mumbling something about being the only one who worked the full night without hesitation. Merlin went to her study.
Ban studied his Captain, listening to his Master snoring on the floor where he had passed out. "Is she in danger?" He asked quietly.
Meliodas looked up and met Ban's eyes. Ban was taken aback. For the first time ever he saw something different in Meliodas typically happy look. "Yeah. She is."
"So you'll protect her like you always do. We all will."
"I'm not sure we can. I'm not certain I can."
"We will." Ban stated simply. The two sat and drank in silence until Meliodas decided it was time to go to bed.
Meliodas took in Elizabeth's sleeping form as he entered the room. Her face was lit up with the soft moonlight coming in the window. She was so peaceful. Beautiful. Meliodas thought of what had happened earlier between them. He knew why she was upset. Liz would have been too. but that had been his mistake with Liz. He had willingly let Liz go into battle believing her to be strong. Blinded by his feelings for her. And that was a mere human battle. Elizabeth couldn't be involved in this battle. He had no way of protecting her without keeping her close. But at least Merlin would be able to keep an eye on her.
He worried about her safety again. That nightmare had scared him far too much. What if he couldn't protect her. The Ten Commandments... Well they were like ten demon Hendrickson's with extra special secret powers. If they are released... Meliodas knew one thing for sure, he needed his power back. And to protect Elizabeth he needed to separate himself from her. At least for a little bit.
"I'm sorry..."