Over 20 followers, are you kidding me? Like seriously-wow. I know to some that number seems pretty damn small, but it means the world to me, and I just can't thank you guys enough. Your love and appreciation for this story just keeps me determined to finish it, a pretty hard task for me, and just... T.T
Well, to not sound like a broken record, I want to talk about something else; CHRISTMAS. It's really simple, and it's like a little thank-you present for reading, commenting, and just enjoying the story in all. So what I did, was create a Christmas special about a much loved OTP (I can't tell you because it'll ruin the surprise 8D) It'll come out some time this week, don't know yet, but don't think that it'll ruin my weekly updates. Just know that something special is coming up, because you guys mean the world to me, and I hope you enjoy it just as I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.
By the way, how do you like the way I portrayed Violet in this? A little change doesn't hurt anybody, amIrite or amIrite?
Chapter 4.
Coy and Sneaky Violet
Law exited the strip area, the eyes of the dancer fresh on his mind. She had turned away too quickly for him to see her expression, making the woman mysterious and unreadable. Returning back to the bar, Law placed the round metallic plate into the sink and scanned the black countertop for anymore hidden white slips.
Baby 5 remained seated on the bar stool, her attention still focused on her lit up screen. Upon Law's arrival, however, she lifted her head up and gave a light, barely audible sniff. Baby 5's nose wrinkled up when the smell of strong perfume and liquor invaded her sinuses. Law saw this and cocked his left eyebrow above his eye. "What, is there something on me?"
"No. You smell like a girl."
The man's lips curled into a slight frown, his gray eyes taking on a deadpan appearance. "If you would have done your job in the first place I wouldn't smell like a girl." Baby 5 didn't reply; she glanced down at her phone and resumed texting whoever.
Law sighed and got to work washing off his neglected dishes. As he washed, his eyes trailed across the crowded tables inside of The Royal House. They landed near Doflamingo's table, still inhabited by the leader and his brother, Diamante, Trebol, and a ridiculously broad-shouldered man that looked ready to combust in his black and white suit.
The man had long and wavy hair light lavender in color and was pulled back into a loose ponytail with locks framing either side of his face. Law couldn't make out the rest of his facial features since they were hidden underneath his black hat; plus, he didn't want to come off as a stalker to the man.
So, after reassessing his overly large body, Law swept his attention elsewhere. He was just about done with cleaning and drying the wine glasses and moved on to the serving plate that he placed in the sink when the appearance of another white slip stopped him short.
The paper was brought to him by a young olive-skinned man similar to him. He had faint stubble on his chin, opposing to the goatee Law was sporting and had sideburns an inch shorter than Law's. The only difference in between the two men was the hair; while Law's was jet black, the other had flecks of brown thrown in at the roots.
The man slid the paper closer to him and pointed off to a ringing table on his left. "My shift's over, so take care 'a that 'ight?" The thick New Yorker accent rolled off his tongue fluidly. Before Law could interject, the man was walking off in the other direction, twirling a set of car keys as he passed through the golden barred doors.
Law sighed with faint fatigue before taking the slip and going over it. Two Lady Margaritas and three Bourbons. Another sigh exited his lips as he crushed and tossed the paper into the trashcan underneath. Knowing Baby 5 wouldn't get up to make the beverages, Law started putting them together in reasonable timing and placed them on an already washed and dried serving plate.
He hoisted the medium sized plate onto his opened palm and exited the bar, then maneuvered his way to the incessant ringing. Law appeared at a dining table full of women, laughing and enjoying the fancy array of appetizers before them.
There were five sitting around the table, three of them wearing mini dresses in solid colors and the other two wearing full gowns. Law set the plate on the side of the mahogany crafted table and started passing the women each of their drinks.
The first one to receive her beverage was a woman that had black wavy hair cascading down her shoulders. She wore a strapless red and black mini dress which revealed milky white skin flushed red underneath the lighting.
The woman fixated her oceanic teal eyes onto Law as she cupped her margarita from the bottom and raised it to her lips. "My, my, what a handsome devil the Don Quixote Family recruited this week. And he surely knows how to make a margarita at its finest."
Law glanced at the woman, noting her lightly flushed cheeks and dilated pupils. He curled his lips in a tiny smile and gathered his plate underneath his arm. "Is there anything else you ladies need? I can clear some of those plates for you, if you don't mind,"
"What about a piece of that ass?"
Law didn't register it but the circle of women before him burst into laughter and gave him sly coquettish looks. "Miss Alvida, you can't say things like that to a young man! You'll come off as a cougar."
"Oh to hell with that term. Can't a girl get any fun without being reprimanded for it?" Alvida turned back to Law and gave him a leering smile. "Age is nothing but a number anyway. So how 'bout it, young man? Let's get to know one another—a drink?"
Law took that as his invitation to leave. With a small bow and a hurried "Adieu!" he hustled back to the bar. He could hear Alvida and the other ladies snickering madly behind him, clearly intoxicated.
Once Law was in the safety of the bar he threw Baby 5 a heated glance. The woman, too preoccupied in her phone, didn't see it. Law sighed heavily; with most of the wine glasses put away and the sink fairly empty, he too sat back and occupied himself with looking at the crowds before him.
Being absorbed into his people-watching, he didn't hear Baby 5 squeal excitedly and jump from the barstool. Only when she brushed past him did Law glance behind and saw her heading for the exit of the bar. "Whoa, where are you going?"
Baby 5 rolled her eyes without looking at Law, and then turned around to face him. "I'm leaving so you can finish your shift." She started to head out once again.
"Won't you get in trouble if you leave without checking out or some—"
An audible click of the tongue had cut off Law's sentence, and Baby 5 whipped her head around again to face Law. "Listen here Law; I'm a full-fledged member of the Don Quixote Family, unlike you. I can leave whenever I want and come back at whatever time I feel like it. Bien?"
Law felt his lips purse at the attempted French word. He rolled his eyes and dismissed the dark haired woman with a flick of his wrist. "D'accord, quelle que soit. Go have fun with your boyfriend and whatnot. He needs you more than me, apparently."
Law resumed to his people-watching for another five minutes until a faint cough captured his attention. Turning his head, he looked over and saw a slightly blushing Baby 5 staring back at him, her hands clenching at her sides. She swallowed once and parted her red tinted lips, where an audible squeak pushed out. "D-D-Do you n-n-need me, L-L-Law?"
"Just go!"
The blush vanished instantly and Baby 5 was hurrying towards the exit. Law watched her leave, rolling his eyes as he did so. Women. I'll never understand them.
He returned back to people-watching, smirking at his own remark.
For the rest of the night Law served tables, washed glasses, served more tables, and washed more glasses in a repeating, tiresome cycle. It was nearing ten-thirty, close to his overtime hours, and Law started to feel fatigue crawl into his bones eyes. Sleep drooped heavily onto his eyelids and was making it harder for him to keep them open.
Law had returned from serving his umpteenth table that night and slumped into the barstool that was once seating Baby 5. His head started to nod off and Law began slipping in and out of the comfort of his black dreams, which then turned to images of his black and yellow striped comforter resting on his king-sized bed.
A faint smile started to waver on his thin lips. How nice that comforter would be once he got home. When he would take off his starch-ridden dress shirt and slacks, and then proceed to fall into his bed with plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt on.
No, scratch that—he'd probably just strip down to his extremities and snuggle underneath the comforters, letting the warmth and softness of the fabric lull him into sleep. Yes, that sounded better. Law's faint smile turned into a growing grin the further he went into his mind.
"Rookie!"
Law jumped in his chair, the back of his head bumping into one of the lower shelves sitting behind the bar. Rubbing away at the tender spot, he turned to the man that shocked him out of his sleep. "Ou—I mean, yeah? What's up?" It didn't register to Law that the man neglected in calling him by his real name.
The other rolled his eyes and gave him a white slip. "Come on kid, if you're going to work here you need to stay awake. Dose up on some speed or something if you need to." He pointed to the white slip underneath his finger. "Get busy on that. After you're finished, start cleaning up this place. Don't forget that your overtime starts tonight."
It annoyed Law at how everyone that worked in The Royal House seemed to know more about his hours than he himself, but he didn't voice his complaint. The man turned away just as Law got up and went to prepare the beverages.
They were simple—two vodkas with lime served on the side. Placing the glasses on a recently cleaned serving plate, Law took them to a ringing table at his right, this one accompanied by two men in a friendly game of roulette.
After serving the men and staying to watch a part of the game, Law headed back to the bar to begin his shift. What the man had said earlier finally sunk through his brain, making Law snort in dry amusement. Please, like I need to get doped up on a drug or stimulant to keep me awake.
Once he dropped the serving plate into the sink, Law got to work closing down the bar. He grabbed a dishrag from the bottom of the sink and soaked it in hot running water. With the rag thoroughly soaked and dripping with hot water, Law applied it to the countertop and scrubbed away at the obsidian surface. The rag was removing any traces of dirt and food particles left behind plates to be later swept up, and Law applied bleach to the black countertops to finish off the job.
Being so engrossed in cleaning off the surface, he hadn't noticed someone sitting behind the bar, patiently waiting to be served. He returned to the sink to drop the rag inside when he caught a familiar pair of mahogany eyes, and was shocked to see the woman from the La Muchacha Del Baile stage sitting before him.
Just like how she appeared on the stage, the woman was beautiful underneath regular lighting. Her skin was a light-tan complexion and her hair was similar to a chocolate waterfall, falling over her shoulders in luscious brown locks. The brunette was also surprised to see him once again and gave Law a friendly smile, one that he returned with his own. "Hey."
"Hi. You look very familiar… Have we met before?"
Law nodded as he drained the rag into the sink. "Well, I saw you on stage if that counts." He folded the rag across the median of the sink and grabbed the sweeper resting against the wall. The brunette blinked, remembering the moment, and then sighed thoughtfully. "Oh, yes. We did capture each other's eyes, didn't we?"
Law nodded and proceeded to sweep up fallen particles from off the tiled floor. The brunette watched him work, one hand resting on the left side of her face and the other draped over her arm. Now that she was closer to him, Law was able to make out unseen facial features than when she was on the stage.
Such as the smoky black eye shadow that went around her eyes, bringing out the mahogany color within them. Noticing how long he was staring into such captivating eyes, Law quickly thought of an icebreaker to start off the conversation. "My name's Law, by the way."
The brunette grinned, though it only lasted for a few moments. "Law?" she repeated. His name rolled off her tongue with a hint of Spaniard in it. He nodded shortly. "I have heard of a Law working here, but I thought he worked in the kitchen. So are there two Laws now?"
A breathy chuckle pushed between Law's lips. "No, there's only one Law. I use to work in the back until someone moved me up to this position."
"Oh? Well, how nice of him. I still figured that Baby 5 would be here working alongside you, but you can never get that woman to do anything for a suspended amount of time. Huh, I bet she was happy when they moved you to bartender."
A playful, small grin panned across Law's lips at the comment. "Well, she was the one who did it herself. Claims she did it out of the goodness of her heart, but you normally don't include a contract with something like that." The raven haired man started up a quiet chuckle again.
The brunette mocked him, chuckling into her free palm. Law's grin widened more; he found it surprisingly easy to talk to her unlike the other members of the gang. Was she apart of this gang, too? Law decided to save the question for later, in fear that he might ruin their all-too-good conversation.
Catching what the man had said, the brunette stopped her chuckling and gave Law a curious look. "Wait, contract? I know this is Baby 5 we're talking about, but what did she mean by 'contract'?"
A nonchalant shrug came on Law's side. "'You work your shift, and I work mine. Got it?' type of contract. It's stupid really, but it benefits both of us in a way."
"Shifts?"
"Yeah—I work part-time here. I wouldn't even dream of working at this place as a full time job." A faint shiver unnoticed by the brunette passed through Law.
"Part time?" The brunette slipped out of her position and leaned forward, clearly intrigued at what Law was saying. He nodded once more. "Why are you working part-time? What's the reason behind it?"
The tricky part. Law was unsure how to go about discussing his financial problem to the woman, despite how easy it was to talk to her. He decided to go along the natural way, leaving important details out. "Extra money for school."
"You're a student!? Then what the hell are you doing working here?!"
The outburst took Law by surprise and nearly made him drop the sweeper. The brunette was taken aback as well and resettled herself in her seat, clearing her throat as she did so. "Where do you go to school at?" she replied, instantly changing the subject.
Weird.. "New York University."
"Ah, that's good. Is the bar closed by the way? I wanted to snag a quick drink before I headed back to the stage."
"It's in the process of closing, but I can make you something if it's not too elaborate."
The woman ordered a small glass of tequila. Law fixed it up and slid it towards her. "Here you go Miss…"
"Please, just call me Violet. Misses are used for wealthy and intelligent women." Law instantly grew curious at the answer as Violet sipped the alcoholic beverage. She placed it down on the surface and looked around, then back towards Law.
He had finished up sweeping and was reaching for the mop to give the floor a final touch up. Violet hid her smirk behind her glass as she took another sip, then it faded into a light smile when Law looked back at her. "So, your style of dancing. It's different from most of the strippers you would normally see on TV."
When Law looked back to read her expression, he bit his tongue. Violet's grip on the glass was tight and looked like she was about to break the thing into smithereens. She let the rage that slipped inside of her pass through a loud sigh, which in turn had loosened her grip. "That's because I don't dance like a stripper. I wouldn't dare let myself be sold into removing clothes from my body, only to have perverted men beg for more. It's degrading to the womankind."
Law grunted his agreement. Violet did have a point, he remarked to himself. "All men are the same when it comes to topics such as this. They want more, and will do anything to get it. Men are foul creatures, and yet strippers such as those in the back love them for it. The ones that pay the most are the hungriest, and that's what attracts them.
But I can see it all. I see it in every single one of them as I dance to the music. It's such a sickening sight to see an ocean of hungry eyes prey upon you, searching for whatever opening to attack."
"Is that why you danced with your eyes closed?"
"I always dance with my eyes close. It's the best tip for a dancer. They can focus on their moves that way. It's better for me because I don't see the ugliness in the crowd."
Violet finished off her drink and slid it to Law for another. He was surprised at how the brunette described the women behind the curtains and the men that watched her night after night. Law began to wonder if this is what she goes through all the time. If that was the case, why was she still working here?
"You should leave, Law."
Violet beat him to asking the question first. Law shrugged away the option. "I can't; not yet at least. Not until the end of my second semester."
"That bad, huh?" Violet sipped her drink before twirling the clear liquid around. "If you need money, why don't you just take it from the treasury room?"
"The treasury room?"
Violet's eyes widened at what she said. Law heard her mumble words such as 'stupid' and 'big-mouth', and a Spanish phrase that was probably equivalent to being called a dumbass. "Don't worry about it. The treasury room's not a place you should familiarize yourself with yet—not until you get to my level."
"Your level?"
Violet grinned slyly. "Don Quixote member level. If you were to ever go in that treasury room without permission, even if you somehow obtained the key and passcode, Young Master would have your head in a mere five seconds."
The fatigue Law felt earlier was replaced with burning curiosity. He wasn't the type to go snooping around in places he shouldn't belong, but the mentioning of the treasury room got the mischievous part of his blood broiling. He went to press for more answers, such as what the key looked like, but Violet slid her glass to him. "Refill please. Anyways, think of the treasury room as The Royal House's main organ—the heart. To steal from it, you'd slowly kill the thing and everything inside this casino would come crashing down.
It's also the weakness of the place, and makes it a perfect target to launch any type of attack on it. But I doubt you know anything about that, do you?"
Law gave the drink back to Violet, quirking an eyebrow at her last sentence. The woman kept saying sneakier things that piqued Law's curiosity and also started to make her look suspicious. "That important you said? What's all that's in the treasury room?"
"What's in your typical treasury room?" Violet countered. Law pondered before answering. "Money?"
"Sometimes—in this case, yes. Loads of it, stashed in several different golden vaults. Not only money, but weapons you wouldn't even think they were real. Jewelry, artifacts dating back to several hundred years ago, drugs—you name it and it's probably located in there."
Law's mopping ceased. The Royal House was holding possibly billions of dollars behind a closed and tightly sealed door? While the thought seemed to excite Violet, it made Law's stomach quiver and recede to his spine. "They stole some of it, didn't they?"
Violet chuckled at this. "Stole some, received some, and gained some. In the world of gangs, stealing is considered a business, and yours partners are the gangs allied to you."
That's probably how Doflamingo and Corazon end up with those rings. Law thought back to the golden rings on the men's fingers, and a bitter smirk formed on his lips. I hate to admit it, but they looked damn good on both of them. Especially Doflamingo.
Violet saw the smirk with a similar one spreading across her pale tinted lips. "I know, right? All that money, located in the same place you happen to be working for. It's tempting, isn't it?" She took a finishing sip of her drink and slowly sucked on a piece of ice. Once the ice melted and the liquid went down her throat, Violet gave Law a dark expression.
"Would you do me a favor, Law?"
The raven haired male faced the brunette and was about to say yes before he caught her dark expression. A scream would have fled from his lips if it weren't for his natural filter slamming into place. Her mahogany eyes, once bright and lively, were now dark and threatening. She had a nasty grin on her lips that reflected off of her malicious expression.
Violet rolled in her bottom lip and gently clenched it with her pearly teeth. Upon letting it go, a seductive tone took to her voice. "Would you find the golden key to that treasury room and give it to me?"
Law wasn't able to answer fast enough before Violet was asking the question in a different format. "Or, how about you find it and go to the treasury room yourself, then steal five-hundred million dollars and give it to me?"
A stunned expression one couldn't describe in words properly was written all over Law's face. His throat had closed up, unable to produce words or even a sound. The handle of the mop that he gripped fell and hit the floor with an ear-shattering wha-crack! thatsilenced the entire casino in Law's mind.
Seeing this, Violet's expression changed, and she quickly apologized to the man. "I'm sorry, that was such a stupid thing to ask. You're a school student trying to earn your money the right way, not the wrong way—please forgive me Law." He still didn't respond.
Violet pushed herself from the table and headed back to the strip area. "Adios, Law! It was a pleasure talking with you, but now I have to go back to these hungry men. Take care!"
Law came back to his senses the moment Violet disappeared from his view. Even though she was out of his eyes, her words haunted him through his mind.
Would you find the golden key to treasury and steal five-hundred million dollars, and then give it to me? He shivered, not out of cold but out of fear. The way she asked was so dark and so outrageous at the same time.
Law bent over to retrieve the fallen mop stick and continued wiping down the floors in an attempt to get the woman out of his mind. It worked for the most part, but another thing came to him soon after—
The woman forgot to pay.
"Goddammit.."