Non Serviam Chapter 5

A/N: As always, click on the story's tag at the bottom to see the previous chapter more easily! 

Chapter 5: A Whole New World

When the uniforms came out, I finally put my foot down.

“Rias,” I said. “I’m not going back to high school.”

The devil looked over her shoulder, blinking at me. “Hmm? But my entire peerage goes to Kuoh Academy!” She pouted. “And you’ll look so good in this skirt too! Your legs are just amazing.”

I sighed. “I already finished high school, and got a GED. The last thing I need is to go back for the third time.”

“The third time?” Rias asked.

I pinched my nose. “I stopped going to school for a few months during my sophomore year due to extenuating circumstances. It’s not relevant.” I met her gaze. “More importantly, that’s my line. I am not interested in going back to high school. Just stick me in a box next to Gasper at that point, we’ll have more fun.”

“Well…” Rias tapped her chin, uniform skirt still dangling from her other hand. “What about college?”

“Last I checked, Kuoh didn’t have a college.”

“Mou, just answer the question, Taylor.” She gave me a smile. “Not everything has to be an interrogation! I’m just trying to figure out your preferences.”

I sighed. “College… I don’t hate the idea.” I always just assumed I’d go to college, actually. Like it was never supposed to be a question. Hell, college on Earth Bet was actually much cheaper than Aleph even. But then life got in the way.

“Okay, well, even if you’re not going to high school, we still do need to get some new clothes for you.” Rias tossed the school uniform back into the closet, crossing her arms. I glanced at the lone discarded article of clothing. Her room was completely spotless otherwise.

Probably because someone else cleaned it for her.

“How about a maid?”

I glanced over at Akeno. The black-haired girl was leaning back in a chair next to the fireplace (yes, Rias had a fireplace in her room). So far she’d been surprisingly civil, only threatening violence with her eyes.

Honestly, a rich, fashion-obsessed Redhead and her taller physically aggressive best friend? The only thing that was missing was the small cute one and I’d be in my own personal hell.

I paused, thinking about it for a second.

No, Gasper was too cute to be Madison. He was too good for this world, too pure.

“Hmm.” Rias looked me up and down. “You’d look excellent in a uniform, I think.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What, we’re taking the maid thing seriously now?” To the side, Akeno scoffed. We hadn’t physically attacked each other yet, but that didn’t mean we’d decided to magically start getting along.

Still, I could be civil when I needed to be.

Rias ignored the byplay with aplomb. “No, I don’t think so.” She shrugged. “Big sis Grafiya will give me the look.”

I tilted my head. “What, you mean the head maid?”

Rias nodded. “She’s my brother’s wife and Queen.” She leaned forward, cupping her hand next to her mouth. “Grafiya takes the whole maid thing very seriously.”

I rubbed my forehead. “I… see.”

I’d gotten a quick rundown of the evil piece system this morning as well. The Queen had the most powerful piece, and so was the most valuable member of the King’s peerage. Likewise wit the other pieces.

Pawns, on the other hand, were cheap and borderline disposable.

(As an aside, until Rias went over it with me, I had no idea that chess players didn’t refer to the pawns as ‘pieces’. That little bit of trivia felt a little bit more personal than I expected it to. But back to the matter at hand.)

“So she wouldn’t be impressed with you making your pawns into your maids?” I asked.

Rias shook her head. “More like she would resent the implication that she wasn’t doing a good enough job.” She waved her hands in front of her. “Not that Grafiya and I don’t get along, it’s just…”

I glanced off to the side. “She did come off as very intense.”

“Exactly!” Rias nodded happily. “I respect her a lot, as my sister and as the Queen of my brother’s peerage.”

Her brother, of course, being Szerich Lucifer, the current ruler of hell itself.

I sighed. And I thought my relationship with just my dad had been complicated. I… hoped he was doing okay. That he’d made it out alive.

“Anyway, there won’t be anything in here that will fit you. You’re too tall.” Rias pushed the double doors to her closet shut. “I was just looking for ideas.”

I glanced down at my chest. “Too tall is one way to put it.”

Rias rolled her bottle-green eyes. “Taylor, stop that. You’re seriously gorgeous, okay? And Sona would kill me if I tried to say I was prettier than you just because of my cup size.”

I raised an eyebrow at her.

Rias sighed. “I’ve had this conversation with everyone in my peerage you know. Didn’t I tell you that devils are quasi-shapeshifters? We become our idealized self.”

I raised my other eyebrow. “Somehow I feel like that’s making light of something very concerning.”

I was less fussed on the idea of being no longer human, I’d had half my body cut off and replaced with a giant rat monster before. Just, I’d consented before. You know, to the rat monster thing.

“Oh, Taylor.” Rias reached up, patting me on the shoulder. “You don’t need to worry about it. It really is just you becoming more you.” She gave me a sly smirk. “Or didn’t you wonder why your hair still looks so flawless despite not taking care of it the past two days.”

“My… hair?” My hand came up to my shoulder.

“And those curls!” Rias gently ran a hand through my bangs. “I’m almost jealous actually.” She leaned a little closer, and I found myself leaning back. “Akeno actually is jealous, actually.”

“Prez!”

Rias stepped back, glancing over her shoulder playfully. “What? Aren’t you always the one telling me to be honest with myself?”

“Rias.” Akeno frowned. “You’re teasing me in front of the new girl.”

My hand ran through my hair as they bantered. It… did feel more like I’d just had a nice shampoo and conditioner session at a salon (I treated myself sometimes, okay?) than only showered once in the past two days.

I glanced around the room, picking out a mirror and walking over to it.

I looked… nice, I guess?

I didn’t really see what Rias was talking about.

“See?” Rias came up behind me, peeking around my shoulder. “You’re so sharp. Striking, even!” She nodded to herself, twisting me back and forth in front of the mirror. I guess I looked much more put-together than I felt. “It’s only been a few days too, usually it takes longer for new devils to start to shift. You must have a very strong self-image.”

I opened my mouth. Then I closed it, letting out a long breath. “I guess that’s true, isn’t it?”

Rias giggled. “You should be a bit more sure of yourself, Taylor. You’re a member of my peerage now, I won’t have you talking down about your appearance oryour abilities.”

I glanced over my shoulder. “Didn’t I say I was only joining your peerage so I could get strong enough to leave it?”

Rias nodded happily, even as Akeno glared. “And I said I’d support you one-hundred percent of the way.” She smiled up at me, a playful glint in her eye. “But don’t for a second think you’ll be able to get stronger than the Crimson Ruin Princess if you don’t believe in yourself one-hundred percent.”

I blinked, glancing back to the mirror. “Devil magic is about imagination, huh?”

“Exactly!”

I narrowed my eyes, taking in my own appearance. Snorting, I straightened up, tossing my hair back. “Okay, I’ll bite.” The woman in the mirror quirked her lips into a smirk she learned from her best friend, projecting the image of effortless self-confidence she’d learned as a villain and a hero both.

It didn’t look bad.

“Perfect.” Rias clapped her hands. “Just keep that image of yourself in mind.”

“Easy for you to say.” Still, even though I looked away from the mirror, I kept the thought of it with me.

“Well, trueborn devils do have a bit of a leg up on reincarnated ones. We’ve spent our whole lives looking exactly how we think we should look.”

I gave a short laugh. “That easy, huh?”

“Well.” She shrugged. “Mostly it’s just I’ve never been surprised looking in a mirror. But there’s a reason mythology says demons are all beautiful temptresses.” She grinned. “Or temptors as the case may be.”

“I thought the bible just said you were snakes.”

She waved a hand. “Details, details. Now,” she pulled me back to the center of the room. “We’ve gotten a bit sidetracked, but I’ve decided on a solution.”

“Oh?”

Akeno smiled. “So where are we going, Prez?”

“Akeno, didn’t I tell you to stop calling me that outside of school?” Rias pouted. The other girl just smiled wider. “Anyway, first off, if you’re not going to be attending Kuoh, that’s just an even bigger reason to get you a new wardrobe.”

I sighed. “You just want to go clothing shopping.”

Rias smiled. “After we get you some new clothes, I’ll show you the training facilities, and we can get started on your plan to become the very best.”

I looked over at her, raising my eyebrow.

“That no one ever was.”

“Is that supposed to be a reference to something?”

Rias pouted. “Well, that’s one more thing to add to the to-do list.” She giggled. “At least I’ll finally have a reason to watch all my favorite shows again. Anyway, I’ll be right back, just going to tell Papa that we’ll be going out to the human world.”

Akeno rose when Rias did, but the redhead waved her hand. “Oh, Akeno, can you get Taylor prepped and ready to go? I know we don’t really have anything that fits, but if you could get Lillia to bring up a nice dress or something? Thanks!”

We both stared as the door swung shut behind her. “So,” I said. “This is the part where we’re supposed to sing kumbaya and make up?”

Akeno snorted. “I’ll ring for Lilia.” She went over to an honest to god bell pull next to Rias’s bed, and called up a maid.

Suffice it to say, the simple blue sundress was altered and delivered up in a little under five minutes. Magic, or just really good help? Impossible to say.

“So.” I held the sundress up against myself in the mirror. It was light and off the shoulders, but otherwise… conservative enough that I wouldn’t feel too exposed wearing it. “This is how the other half lives, huh?”

Akeno said nothing, staring at me from the corner of her eye. She made no move to turn around or give me any privacy. With a shrug, I pulled off the simple pants and shirt I’d been given when first showing up at the mansion, settling the sundress over me.

It fit perfectly, of course.

I twisted back and forth in the mirror, watching the dress swish around my knees. There were flats that came with it as well. I guess the maids thought I was already tall enough without adding an extra few inches.

“I’m not going to run crying to Rias, you know.” I stayed facing the mirror, watching Akeno watch my reflection. “Really, I’d much rather have it out right here, instead of constantly wondering when you were going to stab me in the back.”

“Stab you in the back?” Akeno scoffed, crossing her arms. “There is only one traitor in this room.”

I shrugged. I guess the dress didn’t look bad off of my shoulders. I’d always been slim, or whatever. “I don’t intend to lie. I’ve been very clear with my intentions this entire time.”

“A fool is what you’ve been.” Akeno turned her head, long ponytail swishing derisively through the air. “And when you realize it, I certainly won’t be there to help you wipe the mud off your face.”

I smiled. “Won’t you?” It wasn’t a nice smile. “It seems like you’d do anything your mistress asked of you. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not questioning your unquestioning devotion. It’s just… never really been my style.”

Oh, I knew loyalty.

Just… never really to authority.

Akeno sniffed. “Rias is happy giving you all the rope in the world,” she said. “Take care you don’t slip into a noose.”

“How terrifying.” I smoothed out a few ruffles in my dress, pulling the flats onto my feet. “So, shall we smile for the cameras?”

Akeno simply gave me a flat stare before heading to the door.

I rolled my eyes. What a drama queen.

Rias was waiting outside in the hall. She gave a hopeful glance towards the both of us, expression slipping slightly as she saw Akeno’s stony mein and my own disinterested look.

“All ready?” Still, she perked up quickly enough. “The summoning circle is ready, we’re going shopping.”

I sighed, but still, I allowed myself to be escorted to the summoning chamber. My earlier guess was right: it was behind the door right across from Gasper’s room. I felt my skin prickle as I stepped over the threshold from the palatial estate to the bare stone room. It was like a veil settled over my shoulders.

In the center of the chamber was a large circle, its radius maybe a bit more than twice my height. To the sides, there were simple couches and brass candelabras. It still gave off the air of tasteful wealth, but it didn’t detract from the rough cut stone walls, wards so strong that the masonry practically shimmered.

I took my place next to Rias in the summoning circle, remaining placid as the young woman’s magic washed out over the room. “Here we go!” The summoning circle flashed a brilliant red.

There was a moment of discontinuity, then we landed on tiled floors. I shook out my arms. That had been smoother than most of Strider’s jumps.

I turned to see Akeno staring at me, fingers sparking.

I raised an eyebrow, before turning my attention back to Rias as she took both of our hands. “This way, this way.”

We exited the unused hallway through a maintenance door, coming out into a massive mall. As I looked around, I realized that it was honestly much nicer than the one big mall left in Brockton, with clean white linoleum and massive glass skylights. I saw a host of familiar brands, like Nike and Aeropostale, sitting right next to stores with Japanese signs and wacky English titles.

I tilted my head at the bold “This is the steak. The very steak.” sitting in bright phosphorescent lettering over the entrance to a restaurant.

“So, what’s your favorite style?” Rias asked.

I looked over to her. “I like hoodies.” I shrugged. “Jeans. That sort of thing.”

Rias sighed. “Another hard one.”

“Before we start.” I looked around again. “Why Japan again? Couldn’t we have just teleported anywhere, you know, like New York, or Paris or something, if you wanted haute couture?”

Rias tilted her head. “This is my favorite mall. Why would I want to go somewhere else?” She waved a hand. “Paris isn’t even that great, anyway. I don’t think I’ve ever had my accent insulted so much anywhere else in the world. We speak all mortal languages perfectly you know!”

I blinked, not sure what to say about that. “I guess I’m just happy I don’t have to learn Japanese.” I looked back towards the Very Steak sign. Nope, that one was definitely in English. I could just tell.

“Anyway, you can’t tell me you’ve never been shopping before, Taylor!” Rias pointed a finger at me.

I tilted my head, looking up at the glass ceiling. “Maybe once or twice. Usually with…”

A blonde head of hair and a sly smirk flickered through my mind’s eye.

Miss you, Lisa.

From the corner of my vision, I saw Rias and Akeno share a glance. I had to hold back a laugh. What, did you think the woman you found bleeding out in an alleyway had a happy backstory?

I took a deep breath. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“Right!” Rias gave a determined nod. “Probably not anything brand… I feel like Avant Garde would suit you much better.”

“What’s the point of speaking multiple languages if you switch between them anyway?” I asked. “And I thought you hated Paris.”

Rias shrugged. “It’s the best word. Now, no more dilly dallying.” She snagged my wrist again, something that I felt was going to happen a lot, and pulled me along.

It did feel a bit like being back in a mall back on Earth Bet, but the little differences quickly jolted me out of my melancholy. There were no cape-brand stores, no graffiti on the walls, and everything was clean.

Rias tugged me into a smaller boutique on the second floor, sharing a familiar wave with the attendant.

“Hello, Ms. Gremory!” The young woman smiled, welcoming the three of us into the store. “Is there anything we can help you with today?”

Rias nodded. “I’m looking for something for my friend here. I remember last time you said you had clothes for taller women?”

The woman hummed, looking me up and down. “I think so. I’m sorry that it won’t be as wide of a selection, but…”

Rias waved her hand. “Please, do you think anything will have dresses the right size for my friend?” Rias giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. “Taylor, how tall are you anyway?”

“Five ten.” I paused at the shop attendant’s somewhat bemused expression. Luckily, my handy dandy translation magic helped me out here too. “Sorry, about 1.8 meters.”

“Almost two meters!” The woman gave a little ‘wow’ of amazement. “Well, let me show you what we have!”

There were no dresses in the right size, but Rias did browse through a selection of tops, pulling off a long-sleeved one in a dark navy with airy sleeves and a v-necked front. It looked rather stylish even to me, so apparently Rias knew what she was doing.

She held it up against my chest before shaking her head, putting it back to pull out another almost identical shirt in a slightly different shade.

Or apparently, I had no idea what I was talking about.

“Here, hold this one.” Rias passed the shirt off to me, wandering down another isle in the boutique. “Oh, what do you think of this color?”

I stared at the shirt in her hand. It looked pretty similar to the one I was already holding, only a slightly different cut of the blouse. I shrugged. “It looks fine.”

Rias pouted at me. “Well, go try these two on, then we’ll see if we can get anything else.”

I looked at the two hangers in my hands. “Rias, I don’t have pants.”

She snapped her fingers. “I knew I forgot something! Here.” She pulled a pair of jeans off another rack. “Hmm, these might be a bit short for you.” She swapped them out for a pair of capris that were essentially the same length.

I shook my head in bemusement. “Did you memorize all of my sizes or something?”

“I have a woman’s intuition.” Rias winked at me. “Now go ahead and get changed into that. Akeno, could you keep her company? I need to make a quick call.”

Akeno and I shared a mutual sigh as Rias strode out of the store, cell already in hand.

At least the changing room was clearly marked.

I stepped into the nearest open stall, pulling the curtain shut behind me. “Alright.” I put the two tops and the pair of pants up on the wall hanger, glancing over at the mirror. “Not much different than shopping with Lisa, honestly.”

I pulled on the clothes, smoothing out the first top and looking myself over in the mirror. I shrugged. “Good enough.” Same with the second shirt. I put them all back on hangers, switching back into the blue dress. The whole process took me about two minutes.

“Ready?” I asked Akeno.

She raised an eyebrow. “Rias isn’t back yet.”

“Well, the clothes all look fine, so would you rather sit here making small talk or get a move on?”

Akeno looked at me for a moment longer before looking away. “Whatever.”

We rang up my—or rather, Rias’s—purchases at the register, then stepped back out on the mall’s concourse. Or whatever it was called. I wasn’t exactly an expert on architecture.

“No, no, it’s just… wouldn’t it be more convenient?” I glanced over as I heard Rias. She was pacing in front of a nearby fountain, phone next to her ear. “I mean, I’m already managing this territory, aren’t I?” She paused, before a wheedling note entered her voice. “Papa, you promised!”

She sighed. “No. No, I’m not going back on my agreements. If anything, you are.” She huffed, crossing her arms. “Wasn’t it you who taught me to take advantage of every clause in every bargain? And besides, I know the biggest reason you’re against it is you don’t want me gallivanting over Europe. Well, isn’t this the perfect way to—”

I looked over at Akeno, but the other girl was studiously avoiding eye contact with me.

“Papa, I promise it will be worth it.” Rias glanced over, eyes widening slightly at the two of us, before going back to her phone. “No, I’ve actually taken care of the groundwork.” She giggled. “What, I told you it wasn’t just a flight of fancy. Okay. Yes, I understand, Father. I promise!” She gave a sharp nod. “Give Mama and Millicas my love.” Rias giggled again. “No, no, I’ll call Sirzechs myself, he’d be put out with me otherwise. Kay. Love you!”

She hung up, turning towards the two of us. “Done so fast?”

I shrugged. “The clothes fit.” I flicked my eyes towards her phone. “What was that about?”

“It’s a secret!” Rias winked. “But still, you can’t tell me you decided so quickly!”

I tilted my head, and she huffed. “Fine, fine. We’ll go through a few more stores. Two blouses and a pair of pants do not a wardrobe make, you know!”

“Especially not considering the size of yours,” I murmured. Akeno shot me a sharp look, even as Rias laughed.

“Exactly, now let’s go.” She waved me after her and I resigned myself to another two hours’ worth of shopping at a minimum.

Thankfully, Rias was true to her word, and we did only visit a few more stores. Somehow, I escaped it with less than twenty new articles of clothing and as many shoes, though I couldn’t tell you how.

At least Rias left me to pick out my own underwear.

Instead of going back to the same unused hallway, Rias pulled us into an empty bathroom instead, pushing the door shut before summoning us back to the underworld with a flick of her wrist.

I shifted the bags in my hands. “Won’t someone notice that we never came out of there?”

Rias smiled. “People notice things all the time. They just have a tendency to brush them off.”

I paused at that. Mind control? Some kind of Stranger effect?

Or was it really just as simple as people taking the easy answer instead of leaping to ‘magic’?

I sighed. I wish I could have gone back to easier times, when my power was just a power, before I’d learned that it was actually an alien parasite that would eventually eat my world.

“So.” Rias said as she made me hand off all of my purchases to a maid. “Training.”

I turned to look at her. Akeno crossed her arms off to the side.

“Training?” I asked.

“Yep. We have a small training area here, though of course it’s not for more destructive techniques. That’s what the villa is for.”

Right, because of course there was a Villa.

“But it should be more than enough to get you started!” Rias took my wrist again, pulling me after her once more. I rolled my eyes. Christ, and I thought Impwas touchy feely. I winced. Right, can’t think of the G-word.

“I also wanted to talk to you a bit more about your position in my peerage.” Rias led me down a series of hallways, towards a set of grand double doors in a sub level of the mansion. She pushed it open, revealing… a rather normal looking room, complete with sparring mats and a variety of training dummies.

Really, the only thing that stood out was the wall covered in weapons, from swords and spears to even a few firearms.

“I know you don’t want to be my servant,” Rias turned to look at me, “but if I’m trusting you with this, I need to be able to trust that you won’t try to do something crazy like run away the minute you’ve figured out some sword forms.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “I keep my promises.”

Sometimes all too well.

Rias huffed, crossing her arms beneath her bust. “Says the girl who kicked me into a wall.”

I chuckled. “Well, at that point we hadn’t quite agreed to anything, had we?”

“Taylooor!” Rias rolled her eyes. “That’s not how this works.”

“Sorry.” I shrugged. “Devil.”

She huffed again, but I could see the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “Anyway, feel free to use anything here. Don’t worry about the dummies or the walls, they’re magic resistant and should be able to handle anything you can dish out.” Rias placed her hands on her hips. “I used to train here too, you know!”

I nodded, looking around the room. “And how quickly did you graduate to the Villa?”

“Hmm?” Rias tapped her chin. “Oh, about a month or two?” She waved her hand. “But that’s because that was when I unlocked the Power of Destruction. Basically nothing here could stand up to that.”

“Two months, huh?” I walked over to the weapon wall, running my finger along the hilt of a sword. I didn’t see anything like my old nightstick, but there werea fair few knives.

I’d gotten pretty good with those, after I joined the Wards. “Can I just come here whenever, then?”

“Hmm?” Rias blinked. “Oh, of course, and I’ve asked one of the maids to train you as well.” She smiled. “Ardesia is a master of nearly a hundred different styles of combat, so just ask one of the maids to ask for her when you want to train.” She leaned forward, raising a hand to her mouth. “Though, between you and me, she’s a little bit of a drill sergeant.”

I paused, turning to look at Rias. “A whole room and a personal trainer just for me?” I shook my head. “What did I do to rate this kind of treatment?”

“Did you need to do anything?” Rias asked. “I told you that I wanted to help you. Just because I can’t let you wander off to die doesn’t mean I was lying, you know.” She shrugged happily. “Plus, you made Gasper smile! So that alone was more than worth a shopping trip and another tour of the mansion. Well, and the other thing.”

My eyes narrowed. “What other thing?”

Rias hummed innocently. “So, about your place in my peerage…”

I turned to face her, letting my hands hang back down to my sides. “We agreed that I wasn’t going back to high school.”

“Oh, we did, we did.” Rias nodded. “But, of course, I doubt you’d want to be stuck here all the time, and I want to show you a bit of how the supernatural world operates in the human world as well.”

I shrugged. “You can summon me when you need me, can’t you?”

“Probably.” Rias held her hand out to the side, hip cocked. “But that would defeat the whole point of getting on your good side, wouldn’t it?”

I gave a short laugh at that. “Usually, you don’t tell someone that you’re buttering them up.”

“We didn’t promise to never lie to each other,” Rias said. “But I’d like to be completely honest with you, Taylor. I get that you find it hard to trust people.” She placed a hand on her chest. “I hope that in time, you’ll come to trust me all the same.”

I paused, looking over the young woman in front of me.

She… didn’t remind me of Emma. Not really. That was just a knee-jerk reaction to a beautiful woman with brilliant red hair. But even before Emma betrayed me, she’d never been so straightforward and self-effacing as Rias Gremory.

And she’d convinced me to take a bet on her.

I sighed. “Fine. I wouldn’t mind getting out of this place to tour Japan. Even your mansion only has so many rooms.”

Rias cheered. “That’s the spirit!”

“So, what’s your plan then?” I placed a hand on my hip. “You know, if you’re not just going to let me have the run of this place, calling me over for playdates when you’re done with school.”

“Funny that you should mention school.” Rias smirked. “I didn’t forget what you said about college, you know.”

I blinked. “I thought you didn’t want me gallivanting off on my own.”

Rias’s smile only grew as a knock came at the door.

“Please excuse my intrusion.” A maid with ash-blonde hair curtsied as she entered the room. “My Lady, I have brought the materials you requested.”

“Perfect.” Rias took the offered pamphlet before pressing it into my hand.

On the front of the glossy brochure, the words “Higher Education Starts Here” were emblazoned in thick red lettering.

What.

“What.”

“Congratulations!” Rias grinned at me. “You’ve been accepted as part of the inaugural class of Kuoh University! I made the arrangements with Papa back at the Mall!”

“You.” I opened my mouth, closing it, before opening it again. “You built an entire university just so I could go to school in Kuoh?”

“Huh?” Rias tilted her head at me, before waving her hand. “No, of course not. The building was already there.”