He had Ban on his phone by the time he'd slid into the front seat of the truck.

"We got ourselves a neighboring succubus, buddy."

The hissing of the grill nearly overcame the line. "Eh?"

"You know, murder-by-sex crazed demon. Seems to know at least fourth tier mind magic as well."

Ban gave a low whistle. Another short burst of sizzling.

"Neighboring, you said?"

"Yeah. Supervisor of sorts at the Intel business down the street."

"Damn! Right under our noses!"

"Best place to hide," said Meliodas, checking both ways before pulling his truck back onto the street and towards his pub. "Like when you lose your glasses on top of your head or your phone in your hand?"

"Yeah, but I'd like to think it'd stink a bit more with a succubus. You're sure on the gender?"

"Yep. So you'll probably want to call Diane or Merlin in. Best we not try to tackle her with just us guys."

"Aw, shucks, boss, aren't I pretty enough for you?"

"Always. But am I pretty enough for you?"

"Eh, a little too much on the shrimp size, not to mention I'd feel like a pedophile."

"Thought so. Think you or Escanor can make the calls?"

"On your way back?"

"Yep."

"Pity. That one was cute. Did I see that silver hair right? That shit's rare."

"I do have my honor to upkeep."

That made Ban roar with laughter. Meliodas just smiled and hung up, focus back on the street.

He didn't live far from his business. In worse case scenarios he could easily walk home and back, and did when money got tight or it didn't make much sense for a healthy young man to not walk. So he wasn't surprised when he walked through the back door into the kitchen and saw Ban still talking on the phone, lazily flipping what looked like a grilled cheese something over and over in the frying pan.

Escanor must have heard the door, because he practically leapt back to greet Meliodas, half hanging off the lower half of the door.

"A succubus? A real, live succubus?" he squawked.

Meliodas raised his eyebrow. "Never took you as the masochistic type."

The ginger flushed, maroon clashing with his orange hair and mustache. "I-I-I didn't mean it that way, of course. How could you ever—"

"Hey, different strokes for different blokes," broke in Meliodas with a shrug. "But you're going to have to be if you ever plan on getting together with Merlin. There's your succubus right there, freaking sadist."

Escanor put a hand to his chest in offense even as he stepped aside for Meliodas to return to his position at the bar. They still had a long night ahead of them, but the crowd hadn't gotten too large. The rum drinker and the regular had been replaced by a gaggle of women right beneath the cusp of middle age. At least these he wouldn't have to watch so closely.

"Lady Merlin is a saint," said his waiter and understudy-barkeeper.

Meliodas just looked at him. He would have laughed so hard he'd pee his pants, but the sentence in and of itself was so erroneous, it went a step past pants-pissing.

"You take meds, right?" Meliodas asked.

Escanor frowned. "For what?"

"That mental condition of yours. It's showing."

The ginger mustache bristled, even while its owner shrunk into his bony shoulders.

The women, dolled up for the night like young things again, cooed at Meliodas as he did the show of making their drinks. One seemed to think she might have a chance with a younger guy and kept landing her large breasts onto the bar like a heavy-laden larder, but the other two at least knew they could have children close to his age. This didn't perturb him. You got all sorts of interesting characters, least of all himself. And, well, technically all three of them were much, much younger than him, even if he didn't look it.

Despite having specifically requested the girls, it was Gowther who appeared first at the bar, snapping open his laptop and fine adjusting his glasses on his face. Meliodas didn't question how the sometimes gender-confused man had picked up on the message. His way around software and the ever-present smartphones made him practically a mind-reader.

"Merlin should be a few minutes behind me," he said, then snapped his fingers. "A Pink Lady Martini, tout suite ."

"You know, it's not exactly kosher to boss your boss."

"I'm finding the line for assertiveness. Too much?"

"For this situation, yes."

"Understood." And, robotically, returned to his screen, the light of which filled up his glasses.

Meliodas didn't have to turn around from his martini making to see when Merlin walked in.

No matter how many of the customers were regulars, there was really no getting use to Merlin. Tall, black-haired, ambered eyed, it wasn't so much the overwhelming air of superiority that hit people first, but rather her, um, rather provocative taste in clothing, despite having never shown any interest in romance whatsoever. As Meliodas understood it, the display of skin was all part of her design to make sure everyone within sight knew who was in charge.

I'm in charge, he thought blithely, not even looking up at the gasps and murmurs as he slid the martini next to Gowther. The not-quite-middle-age trio visibly wilted. The one flashing her chest load at him quietly slid them off the counter.

One of the stools creaked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw black and skin. She rarely shook it up.

"A succubus, Captain?" she purred, leaning a sharp chin into her palm. At least she had long sleeves, but that was pretty much all there was. The sleeves only met together over her shoulders, otherwise they gapped open over her ample breasts, barely enough to cover her nipples, forget the rest of her front. Meliodas couldn't see, but he could assume that beneath the mock cape on her back was a pair of booty shorts that barely qualified to be called shorts and thigh high leather boots. She did like her leather.

"Well, I'm glad you're excited at least," he said, pulling up a light beer from the cooler. She thanked him and popped off the metal lid from the bottle…with her thumbnail.

Oh yeah. Escanor had to be a masochist.

"You can't tell me you aren't excited either?" she said.

"I prefer to live after my love making, thank you very much."

Gowther raised his hand. "If we're looking into sex as a possible research subject with the succubus, might I suggest—"

"No," said Merlin and Meliodas as one.

Gowther went back to whatever had his attention, completely unperturbed by the cock block. Then again, not much ever perturbed Gowther. They were still deciding on whether he was an emotionless sociopath or not.

Diane summoned an entirely different reaction when she came in.

"Captain!" she cried, or more like boomed, from across the room.

Meliodas already had his largest stein beneath a faucet of ale as a woman who could be no less than eight feet tall skipped around the tables to the bar. Despite her height, she was delightfully well proportioned, giving her a healthy glow that others of her height seemed to lack. Humans were, after all, not meant to grow to such heights.

"Prompt, as usual!" Meliodas set the stein next to Merlin where Diane daintily sat, brown pigtails still swinging.

"So what are we doing?" she asked, all brilliant smile and bright eyes. "Swinging in, hack and slash, swing out?"

"Got to find the nest first," said Merlin. "Have you given Gowther the parameters yet, Captain?"

"You know you're talking really loud and right next to some valuable customers, right?" he asked, his practice smile extra rigid.

The not-old-yet trio had leaned closer together at the arrival of Diane. At his comment, they flinched and took a swig of their respective drinks as one.

"Don't worry, ladies," it was a regular who spoke this time, sitting down on the stool on the trios other side, broad smile towards Diane. "The D&D germs aren't contagious."

"Hey, Howzer!" called Diane with a happy wave, which was returned.

"Usual?" asked Meliodas, relieved nonetheless. Howzer was a clueless, college student, but he had overheard enough of their conversations to accept the excuse that they were just very serious D&D campaigners and not…what they actually were. Even so, when he tried to get involved, it did get rather confusing.

It was still funny to think that he worried about these sorts of things now. Better than worrying about nothing, though. He remembered that much about his old life.

"Once we find the nest, Diane and I should go in with the Captain and/or Ban. Or neither. Depends on how threatening this succubus is."

"I want to go," said Gowther plainly.

"Why not Escanor or King?" Dianne asked.

"Because they're as virgin as you get, and succubae are irresistibly drawn to the destruction of virgin men in particular."

"I think it has to do with the assumption that a virgin man is less likely to know how to turn down a sexually advanced woman than a man that's more experienced," said Meliodas, stuffing away a rag he'd used to clean up some spray from filling up Dianne's stein.

Gowther blinked. "You're experienced with women, Captain?"

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"I've never seen you show interest in women, let alone date anyone. And I've known you for quite some time."

"But you haven't known me since the beginning of time," said Meliodas with a toothy smirk, knowing no one but Merlin would take that sentence for what it really meant.

"I don't know, bringing Ban doesn't sound like a good idea still," said Dianne, frowning with both displeasure at the thought of her male friends being weak enough to be seduced by a pretty, murderous demon so easily.

"He's got Elaine," said Meliodas. "And mind you, he's a man after my own heart. Straying won't even cross his mind."

"You say that, Captain, and yet I have yet to see a man's loyalty being unaffected by an experienced enough succubus," said Merlin with a smirk. "The spirit is indeed willing, but the body is weak."

Meliodas just smiled back. "Butts and boobies are nice. What can I say?"

Dianne's frown grew deeper. "Maybe the Captain shouldn't go."

"Can I come?" asked Howser, who had moved a seat closer after the fleeing of the broad squad.

None of them acted as though they heard him. Came with having him ask that question whenever he was nearby.

"If anyone shouldn't go out of the two, it's Ban," said Merlin.

"I did not just hear you dis me out of a mission."

From that back, still in his apron and all, sauntered the pale hair, shark-eyed cook, who came to Meliodas's side.

"True, usually Captain can handle the worst of it," said Dianne, as though Ban hadn't just appeared.

"Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you."

"We heard you, Ban, but we have yet to even figure out what we're dealing with. Parameters, Captain."

Meliodas nodded to Gowther, who met his gaze through opaque glasses.

He told them everything he had garnered from Elizabeth, as well as what he had been able to infer from observation.

"The basis of a succubus's magic is in mind magics," said Merlin when he mentioned the fourth tier mind control and memory wiping. "But I will agree, that such a level of aptitude does speak of higher competence. But the more I think on it, the more I think only Ban or only the Captain should go. Should she get to one or the other, it would be better if we only had to face one opponent rather than two."

Over her shoulder, Meliodas caught sight of Escanor looking at her from the stage, microphone clutched in pale, probably sweaty hands, clearing his throat politely.

"Oh my friend, the deadly sin," he started. "Beneath your mantle of leaden night, I wish you well beneath lightened skies—"

Like with Howser, nobody reacted, the Meliodas listened with a corner of his mind, smiling inwardly. This was excellent material for teasing Escanor about his masochistic crush. Gentle encouragement hadn't worked, so of course he'd fall to the old dude friend strategy of humiliation as encouragement to get the girl rather than whine about it.

"I think I've found someone who might be her," said Gowther.

"Quick as usual," said Ban with a happy smirk.

"Yes. There is a certain employee with manager rights who has an office full of women, including I believe is this Elizabeth you spoke of?"

Gowther turned the screen around, and Meliodas nodded in affirmation when he saw the same silver hair girl he had just left back home. Granted, she looked a far cry more put together in this picture.

"I'm sure her address won't be a problem?"

"No. Though it will take a minute," Gowther paused to gulp down some martini like it was your average soda, then continued on typing.

"In that case, Boss, you and I have a decisions to make," Ban leaned back onto the counters, his usual lax and lazy posture hunching him over, though even then he was still twice Meliodas's height. "Me or you. Rock paper scissors or something more likely to inflict bodily harm?"

"Hey, I just finished paying off the cost of repairs for last time," said Meliodas. "Though rock paper scissors doesn't sound like as much fun."

"We could always find some cards," said Ban.

"Pfft, I'm not stupid enough to play cards against you."

"No magic stealing crap, just pure skill."

"Yeah, you say that now."

"If it came down to it, I'd rather fight Ban than the captain," said Dianne, glancing down uncertainly to the smaller, and more reveled, Merlin.

"I honestly don't care," said Merlin. "Perfect Cube doesn't discriminate."

"First to fart?" said Ban.

Howser, who had one ear listening this whole time, burst into laughter, as Dianne made a face.

"Gross! Can you not?" she said.

Meliodas smirked. "Yeah, this is a public establishment. Besides, I'd totally beat you."

"Oh? What makes you so confident? Got one already in the tank?"

"Nope. Just got a shorter digestive track than you."

"You seriously think your short stuff is going to help you with that?"

"Yep."

Ban rewarded his efforts with a light, but hearty, chuckle.

"You win all the girls with that one?" he asked.

"You know it!" said Meliodas.

"But I thought I already established that the Captain has no interest in women for the time being?" said Gowther, fingers still flying.

"You assume too much," said Ban.

"Yeah, besides, if I found a girl I wouldn't let her see hair or tail of you bastards until I knew for sure she was a keeper," said the barkeep cheerily, as though stating the plans for a birthday party.

"Sure you would," Ban said.

"I got it," said Gowther, voice flat as ever. He could have found a word in an old crossword puzzle.

He rattled off the address, which they each took out their phones to make a note of.

"For the sake of time, then, rock paper scissors?" asked Ban. "Lame, but it works."

"Might as well," Meliodas stuck out his fist and started the count off.

"Rock—"

"Paper—"

"SCISSORS!"

They laid out their finger weapons.

Meliodas won.

Ban groaned.

"Do I really have to work with Escanor as barkeep?" he whined.

"What's wrong with him?" Meliodas asked.

"I always end up having to come up here myself to end a fight or call a ride for a drunk. Yeah, he's dependable during the day, but these night shifts, man."

"It's a bar. It's mostly night shifts," said Meliodas.

"That isn't the point."

"Whatever you're point, I'd like to get this over and done with tonight," said Merlin, pocketing her cell phone…somehow. Where she found the space for a pocket big enough…

"Got plans tomorrow?" Meliodas asked.

"You could say that."

"Then I better hand over the gauntlet," and just in time, Escanor had finished his poem and his light, breathy applause had just ended. "Oy! Escanor!"

This would be fun. It had been a while since he had gotten out. And, by the sounds of it, the succubus in question had already done everything she could to live incongruously among society. Why else would she surround herself with women who didn't know the addictive taste of love making?