What Can I Get You?

I'll Always Be There

Thanks lickitysplit for being so encouraging! :)

It's an early morning at the Boar Hat. The sun's easy rays shine in through the windows of the first floor of the tavern. The wooden tables and seats have been wiped down to glimmering perfection and the stone floors cleaned with the expertise of none other than the Captain of the Order of Scraps Disposal. The owner of the tavern has a soft towel in his hold as he gives the bar one last wipe, deeming it clean. Placing the towel back behind the bar for later cleaning, the blond heads down to storage cellar in order to retrieve a few kegs of beer in order to restock from such a successful evening.

His boots thud softly against the steps and he arrives in the dark stuffy room. As he easily lifts two wooden barrels, Meliodas admits, with a jovial smile ,that the night's success was mostly on account of a certain princess he'd come to know. He returns to the first floor with one barrel hoisted on his shoulder and the other under his arm. His green eyes take notice of her now, sitting at the bar, slightly hunched over. Meliodas places the barrels behind the bar, then turns to look at her fully.

Completely elegant in her appearance despite wearing his tavern's rather perverse waitress uniform, Elizabeth Liones gazes downward as her visible blue eye shows a type of longing and one of her hands twiddles gently with the delicate earring on her left ear that she's never without. Meliodas can practically see the melancholy as it hangs over her. He'd gotten to know her quite a bit in the time since she'd arrived at his tavern in that rusty suit of armor, so he has an idea of what might possibly be on her mind.

Striding closer to her he leans against the bar across from her. "Morning, Elizabeth! You feeling alright, there?"

Her blue eye widens and she sits up straighter to turn and gaze at him in surprise. She must not have heard him arrive back up from the cellar. "Good morning, Sir Meliodas! Sorry, I didn't hear you before. And yes, I'm fine..." Her eyes trail from his slightly and he watches her hand go back towards her earring.

With a pleasant smile his tone softens. "You're worried about your family."

"No. I-I mean yes I'm worried about them, but that's not what I'm thinking about," she scrambles to explain as her cheeks heat in a flush.

He raises an eyebrow while taking in the way her rosy skin makes her crystal blue eye stand out stunningly and the way the sun shining in from behind her casts her in a soft glow. His hands clench slightly against the bar. "So what's wrong?"

She looks down once more and her silky silver tresses fall gently in front of her face. He wants to reach forward and brush them behind her ear. "Well, in two days it'll be the two year anniversary since Margaret gave me this earring."

His expression remains unchanged. Inward he's choking on surprise. Two days. He'd learned a lot about her and she about him, well what he could afford to tell her, but birthdays was not a thing that made that list of knowledge. And now he has two days to correct that mistake. Smoothing on a comforting smile, he reaches forward, hesitates, and gently brushes her hair behind her ear, instantly catching her attention. She stares widely into his eyes with a blush that seems permanent upon her cheeks. He's quick to pull his hand back. "Don't be sad, Elizabeth. I'm sure once you're reunited with your family, you'll all be able to celebrate together. Maybe not on the day of, but it'll still be a happy occasion. I promise."

Her lips purse slightly before they turn up into a bright smile. He finds himself swallowing hard. "Thank you so much, Sir Meliodas!"

The beautiful tinkling of her voice is drowned out by the sound of the front door opening and an enraged porker bustling into the room. "Alright mister! What have you done to Elizabeth! I knew I shouldn't have gone out to get these herbs! You could have done it yourself! You just wanted to be alone with Elizabeth so you could violate her!" The pig quickly drops the basket of mentioned herbs in order to rush to Elizabeth's side as he begins to whine over her worriedly. "Elizabeth! He didn't do anything to you did he!?"