"I can see why Merlin refused," I say as I buckle the belt that held my skirt in place. If you could call it that.
I was in a spare room with Diane, both of us changing into the Boar Hat uniform. The uniform itself was really a question of whether they were mandatory, or if Ban and Meliodas, mainly Meliodas, were just getting fun out how it looked. I had to say it showed a lot.
I grimaced as I tried to pull the pink sleeveless crop top I was given further down so it would cover more of my midriff. Right now it barely stopped past my chest and I wasn't too comfortable with it. However I stopped as I realised it made my boobs look like they were about to pop out. That was definitely worse. I growled in annoyance.
It's like whatever I do this outfit still looks perverted. It really needs a redesign.
I sigh as I look over at Diane, who happily stripped and changed in front of me. In fact she easily slipped on the uniform and gave me a sly wink.
"Best way to get tips," She smiled as she adjusted her pigtails, "Drunk men seem to love it when a girl turns up in skimpy clothing."
"I wonder why..." I say as I look down at my legs. They were exposed from upper thigh down, the skirt barely covering my behind.
"Cause of a gift called boobs silly!" The brunette laughed as she took me seriously. "Anyway we'd better get out there before the Captain comes in. Something tells me you wouldn't wanna be in here alone with him."
She was right because as soon as she said that I bolted out of the room. Diane laughed as I happened to appear in the kitchen, where Ban was busy cooking. King was already out there serving tables, leaving Meliodas and Ban behind the counter and in the kitchen. Merlin, Gowther and Escanor had other matters to attend to tonight.
I sighed before instantly turning a shade of red as I felt both males' gazes on me. Meliodas more so than Ban. I could already think of all the perverted things they were thinking of, making me feel way more self-conscious than I would've been. Or maybe it was the fact that Meliodas' gaze was so intent, that I had to look away. Otherwise I'd probably be revealing my tomato red face.
I sighed as Diane appeared behind me. She placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder before gently squeezing it, as if to tell me she'd stop the staring. Well, more precisely Meliodas' staring. Ban had gone back to cooking after giving me a short glance, mumbling something under his breath. But with the way Meliodas is looking at me, I'm surprised that he hadn't groped me yet.
"Hey Captain," Diane smiled, "Elizabeth and I are ready for tonight's shift!"
"Great. Lemme just check everything's in order," The blonde beamed before instantly appearing before me, checking me from all angles. I spoke too soon.
I shrieked as I felt him lift my skirt. The uniform was definitely for his perverted mind. He probably knew I'd end up in it someday because he made no advance towards Diane. As usual I was the target female.
"Meliodas!" I turn a violent shade of red that could rival King as his hands moved to my chest, "I don't think that's necessary."
"Of course it is," He insisted, while Diane huffed.
"Get your hands off her!" Hawk ran into Meliodas at full force, knocking him out of the way.
"Hey!" The blonde frowned. Hopefully he was ok. He was in a pretty rough shape after the fight, but then again he did worse to Guila and Jericho. I shivered at the memory of the two knights. They both had been rushed to the infirmary, probably to be checked for anything that needed to be treated in a hospital. Diane was right when she said he wanted everyone to think he didn't have a weapon. That's if a broken sword counts as a weapon. But then again Meliodas was always full of surprises.
"Elizabeth was clearly uncomfortable," The pig spoke proudly, "And perverted bastards like you should know when not to touch women! How can you sleep at night knowing you do that?"
"She never refused," Meliodas shrugged, a lopsided grin on his face, "Plus Elizabeth's fine."
He was right, aside from me being extremely flustered, and embarrassed, I was fine. Well as fine as I could be after that.
"You're just a huge pervert Captain," Diane shook her head.
"What can I say, I enjoy stealing panties," He grinned as he held up my underwear.
He didn't -
"Give them back!" I turn red once again, as I try to grasp my underwear. However he sat on the counter, holding them just high enough for me to jump. Something I wasn't doing in this short skirt and with no underwear. That'd be a death sentence.
"Just give the girl her underwear," Ban rolled his eyes, "Otherwise she'll end up dying from embarrassment on her first night."
"Fine. Always ruining the fun," Meliodas sighed as he tossed them to me. I hugged the cloth close to my chest as if it were my last lifeline. The hell was that about anyway? Instead of asking I decided to go put my underwear back on.
"Why do you enjoy torturing her?" Diane raised a brow as I began to leave to change.
"I wouldn't call it torture," The blonde chuckled, "Plus she's adorable when she's flustered like that."
"Stealing her underwear, that's really low," Hawk spoke, "Worse than bastard low."
"And that is by no means normal," Diane agreed, "Even if she looks adorable."
"What can I say, it's a hobby of mine," I shook my head at his words. I can remember at least two other times he'd taken my underwear. I wonder if he'd actually stolen more without me knowing. But then again he always returned them. Just like the odd gentlemen he was.
Heading to the spare room once again, I stand in front of the door and slip on my underwear. I then head back to the kitchen to see that Diane had left to serve and Hawk was doing a cleanup. I sighed as I was left alone with the two men.
"So, any instructions?" I say sheepishly.
I'd never waited tables before and the very thought of it was daunting for me. Taking down orders and navigating a packed serving area - those were things I wasn't used to in my upbringing as a princess. In fact I was used to being waited on at times. Plus my accident-prone nature wasn't exactly calming my nerves right now. Clumsiness was always something that caused me to slip up.
"Well the tables are in a simple order," Ban began, "Just count em starting from the door. Other than that you're more than ready to go."
"But -" I bit my tongue, withholding what I was about to say.
I was then given a tray and told what table to go to, given a shove to exit the kitchen. I instantly blushed as I entered the floor, knowing that there were a lot of customers in here tonight. A few faces were familiar such as a few Holy Knights and I'm pretty sure I spotted a few of the Deity Society members in the crowd, but I wasn't too certain.
My heart pounding in my ears, I headed to my first table. Getting the orders was simple enough and I headed back to the kitchen to tell Ban what they'd asked for, before heading to the counter to get the drinks. I was then on my way back, everything running smoothly, until I had to trip over my own two feet.
I dropped forward, face-planting into the floor as I dropped everything. A few laughed while most had concerned looks on their faces. Many said it must be my first day and quite a few said 'bless her, she's trying to hard.' It made me feel like a child helping out in a senior center. Definitely not helpful, or successful, at what I was doing.
Having seen my trip up, Diane immediately came to help me, a smile on her face. A blush brewed on my cheeks and I couldn't help but feel tears brim as I felt like shrinking out of view. Embarrassment sank into my stomach as the brunette helped me to my feet and got some cleaning supplies.
"I'm really sorry," I say as she helps me clear the mess. Meliodas had taken her place serving the customers while she helped me, making me feel even worse.
"It's fine," Diane grinned, "You got away with it. I'm pretty sure most of the customers had a nice view."
I blushed as I recalled the position I fell in. I ended up on all fours, my butt sticking up in the air. Definitely a nice view as Diane puts it.
"Yeah..." I say softly, "But really I'm sorry."
"No need to apologise," The brunette beamed as she placed a cloth in the bucket, "Clumsiness gets the best of all of us."
I couldn't help but smile at her words as I collected the broken glass from the ground. It was nice to know I had some support around here, even if the other Sins were friendly. Diane was the one person who'd actually make sure you have a smile on your face, well her and King. Both of them seemed to not like others' unhappiness.
After clearing up the mess I got a little better at waitressing. Although I screwed up a couple of orders and may have nearly tripped over again, the customers were really helpful and so were the Sins. I lost count of how many times Meliodas caught me before I fell. The same with Diane. She gave me slight indications of how to get tips and even which tables I had the best shot at. Thanks to them I actually felt like I wasn't a screw up at this. In fact I'd actually grown to find it enjoyable.
I sighed as I approached my last table for the night. It was close to closing time and Diane told me that Meliodas hated turning away customers. So we were stuck with a few more customers before we'd have to clear up. So I gave them the best smile I could manage considering how tired I was beginning to feel.
"Welcome to the Boar Hat, what can I get you?" I say giving the group of men a smile.
They were a loud and raucous bunch, singing merrily as they gulped down pints of beer. They all peered at me, faces unreadable or with smiles. I felt a slight blush rise on my face. I didn't do anything awkward did I? I was just trying to get this night over and done with so I could get some sleep before class tomorrow.
"Sorry for the pause," One of them spoke. He had dark hair and an unreadable gaze, "We're just used to Diane serving us."
"Oh, it's ok, I can go get her if you want," I was about to go off when they spoke again.
"No it's fine," I didn't like the way they said it. It was too rushed. Maybe even desperate.
I suppress a shiver as I give them another smile and take their orders. I then head to the counter to get what they'd required. As I did Diane raised a brow.
"You ok?" She asked, "I saw you freeze up back there."
"Yeah," I say, "I'm just a bit tired."
"Well, after you serve them we can go," Her smile was a comfort, "Captain said we can go and he'll handle clearing up."
"Really?" My eyes widen, "Shouldn't we help him? I mean he was pretty beat up from the fight this afternoon."
I frown as I think about they way Meliodas had just brushed off his injuries. He had a black eye from Veronica punching him, multiple bruises and a significant cut on his arm. He wasn't too out of shape from the fight, but he still wasn't completely ok. One look at the cut on his arm could tell you that. I almost cried while bandaging it up. Not to mention how powerful Veronica's punches are. The last time she got into a fight she knocked Howzer out cold. Apparently he said something he shouldn't have.
"He'll be fine," Diane smiled, "He only got a black eye because your sister came out of nowhere. Plus that cut was probably there because he wasn't actually fighting them. To be honest, I'm surprised he didn't fight back."
I nod as I lift my now filled tray and smile at King. The auburn-haired nodded before disappearing into the kitchen.
"It is strange," I say as I think back to when I'd first encountered him. Meliodas was definitely ruthless, however over time he'd began to show some mercy. But when it came to me, or anyone who he valued, coming into harm's way, he'd fight to the death to make sure we were safe. Even when I pleaded with him not to.
"Well, we'd better get back to serving," Diane teased as she pointed to the tables we were dealing with, "After that we can head back to the dorm."
I nod as I make my way back to the table. All of the men were talking, low enough for me not to hear but loud enough for them to keep it between them. The thought made me shiver, however I knew that I was more or less a stranger to them. There was no need for me to know what they were talking about, even if it creeped me out slightly. So I brushed it aside and gave them what they'd ordered.
'Step one's complete,' I mentally sigh, 'Now to check if they want anything else and I'll be on my way home.'
"Can I get you two anything else?" I ask as I was about ready to head back to the bar.
"No," One of them spoke. He had ginger hair and blue eyes.
"Thanks for the service, sweetheart," I squeaked as I felt a hand grope me, but I didn't blush.
It wasn't like when Meliodas groped me. When he did it was more playful than anything, maybe with a bit of intent, but when I felt someone else do that I couldn't help but feel violated. Maybe even enraged. Especially if that someone was drunk and probably looking for an easy lay.
I frowned as I turned to the men, a frown on my face. There is no way they're getting away with groping me like that.
"Who just did that?" They all seemed to laugh at me. I didn't like that. In fact it made me feel even more pissed. Like they didn't even take me seriously. My face flushed, but not in its usual blush. This blush was more anger-fueled than anything. My cheeks puffed as I clenched my fists. "I said who touched me!"
That seemed to grab more than their attention because the Sins seemed to look at me. Even Ban, who was in the kitchen. Diane wore a frown and was about to come over, when she was stopped by King. The fairy had a knowing look in his eyes as he surveyed the scene.
"Is everything ok over here?" Meliodas appeared beside me. He had a smile on his face, but the look in his eyes said otherwise. Anger, maybe even protectiveness, were caught in them made his intentions clear.
"Yeah," One of the men spoke, "We're having a great time. Shame the waitress is such a prude." He was probably the one who groped me and judging by how the group were acting, they were all well and truly hammered.
'I'm not a prude,' I bite back the words and remained silent, my fists clenched.
"Well I'm sorry to hear that," Meliodas' face was grave, but I could see the grin in his eyes, "But they are rules here. One of them is not to touch the waitresses."
There was a wave of laughter in the group, all of them taking the blonde's words as a joke. Clearly they don't respect that women are people too. Or that because you dress like a slut you must be one. Either way the way the group were acting wasn't giving me a good impression. This is probably what Escanor meant by shady characters.
"Diane make sure Elizabeth's ok while I show them the way out," Meliodas spoke lightly.
"Gladly," The brunette smirked as gently she took my by the arm and led me away.
I followed in silence, a dark feeling gathering in my gut. I know it wasn't going to end well for that group of men, especially from the look in the blonde's eyes.
"Looks like those bastards paid for taking advantage of you," Diane beamed as she led me into our dorm.
It was long after curfew so we had to sneak in. It took longer than it would've to just walk to our dorm, however there was an unusually large amount of Holy Knights on patrol tonight. As if the school were on high alert. That had made me wonder what was going on outside the school's campus. If the Demons and Goddesses were once again having another war or reputation grab. Maybe they were getting their sister locations involved as well. If so it wasn't going to be pretty.
I picture injured students, either covered in paint or limping from intense fights. Student councils blackmailed into joining a side and even staff hiding away in classrooms. If there was one thing that was common knowledge around here it was that the Demons and Goddesses often had messy clashes. It often ended with the law enforcement getting involved, only for them to turn away because of both school's prestige reputations (or the fact that both principals were extremely wealthy).
I shiver at the thought. My past definitely wasn't a clean one.
"Yeah," I nod as I head to the living room. I don't think I can sleep after tonight's events.
Diane seats herself beside me, a smile on her face. She seemed to be used to people groping her, however she told me she pummeled them into the ground after. I admire her for that. I didn't have the heart to hurt anyone, especially over something so small. But then again it wasn't something small. It was more or less sexual advances.
I sighed as I thought about going back into the bar after changing. Meliodas looked ok, but I could tell he'd removed the men from the place rather violently. I wouldn't be surprised if Ban joined him. The both of them seemed to have a low tolerance for men taking advantage of women. But what about King? Would he do the same as Meliodas if Diane had been me? He seemed pretty outraged about the whole situation but seemed to stand back and observe.
The question repeated itself until eventually I decided to ask.
"Diane?" The brunette hums as she tilts her head towards me.
"Yeah?" She responds.
"I was wondering," I begin, "Would King do the same as Meliodas if you'd been groped?"
The brunette chuckled at my words, a small smile on her lips. She seemed to know the answer to that.
"Definitely," She answered, "Maybe he'd do worse if I couldn't handle my own."
I nod at her answer, getting a little more of a picture of what their relationship was like. They seemed to be really good friends, however there had to be something beneath that. There was something more under the caring nature they displayed to each other. Plus the way he looked when she called him Harlequin signaled some mixed emotions, especially with how she knew that would grab his attention.
"Are you two dating?" I ask the question, not thinking of a softer way to ask.
Diane blushed slightly, caught off guard by my bluntness. She began to twirl her hair around her finger, hiding her face within her pigtail. A nervous habit.
"Sorry!" I say, my face now flushing slightly. I bit my lip, words tumbling out in a verbal diarrhea. "I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything. I was just curious. You and King seem awfully close."
"Oh, we are," Diane answered, her voice quiet, "But it's a long story to explain and I'd be revealing a lot in the process."
"Well, we've got all night," I offer her a smile, "Plus you might feel better sharing it."
Diane seemed to find relief in my words because she returned the smile, her fingers slowly stopping the twirling.
"Ok," She takes a deep breath, "But this story isn't pretty. I'm pretty sure Jericho told you about the fight in the locker room."
I nod, recounting all that the knight had told me.
"Well, that's not where my story begins," Diane smirked, "It starts...when my parents died."
My eyes widen at how easily she says the sentence. The way she give me a small smile after saying that simple fact. Her parents died. The two people who had brought her into the world and probably nurtured her as best they could before they passed. How could she easily let it slip past? I would be torn to pieces if my father died. He'd shown me more love than I'd ever had from my real family, along with my sisters. Even my adoptive mother had treated me well.
My real mother wasn't around me as much. I was never really close with her, always known as her protegee or successor. When she did see me it was to update me on things or tell me what I needed to do to prepare for my 'future'.
I couldn't imagine how Diane feels about the subject. Especially since she refers to it so casually.
"Diane..." I begin, my expression soft.
"No, it's fine," She smiled softly, "I wasn't old enough to remember them well enough. Anyway, after they died I more or less moved from foster home to foster home, never sticking around long enough to make friends. That was until someone adopted me. Her name was Matrona and she was one of my parents' friends. She was out of the country when they'd died, but once she'd heard the news she decided to adopt me."
"I was taken under her wing," Diane sighed, a far off look in her eyes, "Taught how to survive in the real world, how to fight and most importantly how to not let anyone give me the short end of the stick. Even though Matrona was tough with life lessons, she did teach me what I needed to survive here, especially in the Giant House. But nothing she ever taught me prepared me for her death."
My eyes widened as I looked at the brunette. Death seemed to surround everyone she cared for from a young age. Her parents; Matrona; who else had died?
"Apparently she was an undercover," Diane's fingers were back in her hair, "She was assigned to a investigate a school called Clan Academy. Apparently they'd been faking financial records and a lot of schools had been complaining about vandalism caused by the students. She went and never returned."
The brunette took a deep breath as she held back tears, her hands tugging at her pigtails, "After that I was placed here. I found King whilst on a trip to see an old friend and brought him back here, nursing him back to health. He was worried about his sister and told me we had to find her, so I helped. I searched all the social care databases and even school databases when I could to see if I could find her, while King dealt with all the underworld sources."
"The search was hard," Diane breathed out, "For both of us. But once we did find her, she was enrolled here. After that we became friends and I began to notice small things. I thought I was going crazy at first, but after a while I noticed that I started to develop feelings for him. But I didn't want to make the first move."
"Because everyone around you ended up dying," I say calmly, taking an educated guess.
Diane nodded, "I didn't want the same happening to King. So I avoided it completely and stopped calling him Harlequin opting for King instead. He told me the name tied to his past anyway and from what he'd revealed to me it wasn't pretty. So I went with King to kind of make him more comfortable, but to still separate myself."
"Then some douches thought I was in a relationship with him," The brunette's tone had turned sharp and cold. "They tried to say I was easy to get and wouldn't stop making advances. King tried his best to make me feel better about it, but I couldn't let it go. Their actions eventually led to me getting into that fight. Some bitch decided to say I was stealing her man because he kept mentioning to his friends that I was an easy lay. She started calling me a slut and a whore, but also insulted King, and it got to me. So I attacked."
"After that he wasn't too happy with me," She blushed, a sad expression passing her features. "We ended up getting into a fight and I avoided him for a while. Then I met the Sins, one of the few people who didn't see the fight as a fit of jealousy. So I joined them. Then King somehow ended up with them too. It took me another year to actually talk to him again and even then I gave him the cold shoulder and refused to call him by his name."
"So that's why he was hurt when you said that earlier," I say, realisation clouding my thoughts.
"Yep," The brunette nodded, "Well, that and his past. I'm just waiting for him to make the first move, but I doubt he will after the hell I put him through. Plus I don't think I deserve to make the first move after what I've done to him. I'm surprised he doesn't hate me..."
"Oh, Diane," I give her a hug, feeling her happy-go-lucky demeanor crack as she trembled, "I'm sure everything's fine."
"I know," She sniffed, her voice still cheery, "...You know talking about it made me feel a little better."
"It did?" I smile slightly.
"Yeah," The brunette smiled back, "Thanks for the vent, I didn't think I needed it before."
"No problem," I respond, "I'm glad I was able to help."
Diane then gave me a smile, warm and grateful, as she left the room.
A/N: These chapters are so fun to write! I'm doing them so fast I gotta proof-read at least twice! Sorry for any mistakes or typos in the past ones my brain's a bit scrambled at the moment.
Anyway thanks for the kind reviews, especially Silver. You seem to wait for my updates. Also, I'm glad you guys like the story, my first ones are usually flops. There's a lot more to be revealed though and we're only 6 chapters in. So you may wanna prepare for a long read.
Till next time,
D.L.D
