The chatter drops to a state of complete silence when a blonde haired girl with the most beautiful blue eyes opens the door to Erwin's knocks. She's even shorter than I am, but her muscular forearms sticking out of her sheer puffed sleeves is evident of the training she does in the gym. Wait, is she related to Erwin?

"Boss!" She exclaims, more with the intention of informing her friends than to greet.

"Historia." Erwin tries to return her enthusiasm but is held back by authority. "This is Niji Castillo. She was hoping that you'd dress her for the evening."

"Of course." When she smiles, I'm even more convinced that she and Erwin are related. She eases her arm through mine like we've been friends forever and leads me inside. "Guys, look who's here."

"Hi, Boss!" A guy with a shaved head and a grey blazer that fits him but doesn't suit him yet, waves at Erwin. He looks like he needs a little bit growing up to do. Vibe-wise.

"Connie." Erwin nods at him.

"Yes, yes, the Boss is here. And also..." Historia bends her neck in my direction. "Ms. Niji. She's here to get dressed for the party."

"Oh, hi," "Hello," "So nice to meet you," "We've been looking forward to meeting you." The younglings rush up from their seats to greet me. As if I was invisible to them before Historia led them to me. As if they were blinded by Erwin's shine. Honestly, I get it.

I greet them all, getting to know their names. Connie, Jean, Ymir, Sasha, Armin and... Mi casa? It's gonna take a short term memory much stronger than mine to remember all of them.

"Still no show?" Erwin enquires and the whole room falls silent again. The others steal glances at the boss but refrain from looking directly at him. Finally, Armin, yet another person who looks like he could be related to Erwin, shakes his head. "He knows it's his birthday today, doesn't he?"

"I spoke to him in the morning, Boss." The East Asian looking girl with the weird Spanish name answers. "He'll be here."

"He better be." His jaws clench. Scary Erwin is back. He eases when his eyes land on me, smiles. "Ymir, I believe you have my suit."

"Yes, Boss, it's upstairs." The girl with the short hair and freckles, and in a brown suit, detaches herself from the group. She leads my boyfriend away to the staircase winding up. I hear her voice disappearing step by step until I can't hear her anymore. "Oh, Boss, that neck... umm... thing you asked me..."

"So I have a few options that I think you might like." Historia captures my attention. "Do you have a color in mind?"

"Umm... I don't know. Can I see the pieces you have?"

Even Historia's smile is similar to Erwin's. She gathers Mi casa and Armin, taking us through a door that throws us into a closet/workspace. A large window shows us the sea, letting the golden light in, settle gently on the fabric on the floor, draped over the ironing and the sewing desks, and reflect at the bottom of the mirrors behind us. This is a studio not of a genius, but that of a passionate creative. On the hangers, I spot a couple of dresses with color combinations that I wouldn't put together but hey, maybe it works for someone.

"We make these on demand usually." Historia pushes away some of the wheeled racks. "But sometimes, I experiment." She giggles and I smile at her honesty.

"Are you not a part of the... umm..." I hesitate to say the word.

"The family?" Right, not a gang! "I am. I just don't work at Paradis. We were given the freedom to choose when we turned sixteen, either to take up a job at the firm or start our own project. I opened up this boutique back then and Boss gave me the seed money and all the support that I needed. And then Ymir joined the family and became a partner. Sorry, I'm rambling." She giggles again.

"No, no. It's I who asked. Historia, when did you become a part of the family?"

"Three years ago, when I was fifteen. That was when a lot of us joined."

"Was there a recruitment drive in the underworld?" I chuckle and immediately regret it. The glare I get from Mi casa sends a familiar chill down my spine. Only one other person, a man of my stature, has ever shot me a glare of that intensity.

Armin jumps in to ease the tension. "It was just after the pandemic, Ms. Niji. A few of us had lost our parents and other family members, some were separated from our foster homes, and some of us simply needed jobs. I guess, Boss and the others just took us in."

I'm so tempted to ask if he is related to Erwin but I push it to the back of my head. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to... umm... bring back memories of trauma and loss."

"No worries," Historia conjectures. "I don't intend to downplay anybody who sees trauma in a different light, or has had a dissimilar experience, but in our case, or at least in my case, it is what made me who I am today. And I'm pretty fucking pleased with my current life."

"Still, I assume, being in a crime group must have its down days. Please correct me if I'm wrong."

"You don't know how it's like." Mi casa chimes in.

One comment and Armin is back in his peacemaking position. "What she means is, we understand how this life might look like to someone on the outside. And, yes, there are risks and days when we feel like we may never see the Sun again. But it's times like those that make us appreciate the better days even more. Sorry if that sounds cliched but that's what I feel." He turns to Historia and she agrees with a polite nod. "Also, we're free to leave whenever we feel like this is not the life for us anymore. The only thing Boss expects from us is loyalty and that we don't sell the family out to our competitors. And it's very easy to comply because this, genuinely, feels like a family. Sorry, we're not trying to recruit you or something. Boss had been very clear in that he doesn't want us to make you feel that way."

Mi casa clicks her tongue, making Armin jump on his feet. I get the feeling he was not supposed to say the last part out loud. Walking up to him, I ruffle his hair a little to put him at ease. He doesn't look he's fully dressed for the event yet so it should be okay. His cheeks redden but he accepts the affection smiling.

Historia beckons me toward a line of clothes. "So, to me, you give off a light accademia princess vibe with a hidden dark side." That's very flattering, to be honest. "Which side would you like to accentuate for tonight? If you want something innocent, we have some fluffy, tiered skirts in baby blue and pink, in florals, and if you want to do something a bit sultry, I'd recommend something in dark red. Like this one." She slides two dresses away to reveal one, crimson like she said, something to wear to the red wedding from Game of Thrones. It has a corseted bodice, dramatic long sleeves and a floor touching skirt, very elegant. I can see myself wearing this on the day of my coronation, probably not to a kid's birthday party.

"This will drag a lot of attention and I don't want to do that on someone else's birthday."

"You're Boss's date for the evening, Ms. Niji." Historia gives me a sly smile that doesn't sit well with the rest of her angelic features. "Most eyes are gonna be on you anyway."

Is that supposed to make me feel empowered? I'm leaning more toward uneasy.

"What is Erwin wearing tonight?" I ask, hesitant to show my interest in matching with him.

"He's wearing a wine colored suit with trousers, and I think a black shirt inside. Do you want to match with him?" A child reads my mind; that's how easy I am to understand. I don't answer her immediately. Instead, I look around, trying to find something else that'd be just glam enough for the Boss's date while also not be the showstopper. I try to imagine Erwin in wine, wondering if color matching would be the best decision.

Then something sparkly catches my eye. It's on a different rack so I'm sceptical about if it'd fit me but this particular shade of green would pair really well with Erwin's wine. Also, it reminds me of the dress I wore to my quinceañera party.

Historia tracks my gaze and goes over to procure it. "This one?" She asks, pulling the sheer sleeve out. I nod.

"It's okay if that's not in my size. We can look for something else."

"Everything in this room today is in your size." Shocking! But is it? No wonder Erwin insisted on bringing me here. Sly old man!

Historia extracts the dress to hold it against her frame. It's beautiful. The shade is that of a forest so thick with flora that the light finds it difficult to pass through. The skirt is overlaid with a sheer fabric that provides the only illumination in this dense forest. The only problem I have with the gown is the deep V neck; it'd definitely show the fat on my abdomen, exposing the hideous.

"Yeah, it's nice. But let's... Let's look for something else." I pull Historia to other racks, making her extract several other gowns, even trying some on. Armin finds me a couple of really nice dresses in pastels but nothing gives me the same oomph that that green dress did. At some point, Mi casa gets bored and just leaves.

After spending a considerable amount of time around the room, Historia finally asks, "Ms. Niji, if you don't mind me asking, what was wrong with the dress that first caught your eye?"

"I'll look fat in it." I spit out in frustration. These people are being so nice to me and all I can do is be picky and complain.

"Can we try it on at least?" She presses. "If you genuinely don't like it after that, we'll find something else." Historia takes my hand and drags me to the changing room. I take off the burgundy A-line dress I tried last and hand it to her. The tape she gets for my boobs absolutely takes the life out of me when I put it on. I should have known the glue does not pair well with the sensitivity from Erwin's insistent mouth.

The dress hugs my skin perfectly, the poet sleeves falling over my arms like a bed of fern. Fluffing down from my hips, the skirt touches the floor, hiding my feet - it should be okay if I wear the flats I spent the whole day in. Then it occurs to me. If all the dresses are in my size, what about the shoes? And what about jewellery?

When I come out of the changing room, tossing the hem up with every step, Historia's smile is brighter than the sunset pouring into the room. "This looks so good on you. Doesn't it? Armin, tell her."

"You look really pretty, Ms. Niji." Armin shies away.

"Thanks, you guys. But I'm a little uncomfortable with all the exposed skin. Can we do something about it?" I question the designer. She stops to think for a second before going around the room to find me some lace of the same color as the dress. Armin brings Ymir and the lesbians put together their skills to sew the lace along the edge of the deep V to somewhat conceal my skin. One of them works on my front and the other on my back when we hear the door groan open, followed by a loud click of the tongue.

"Are you sewing the dress onto her?" Even Levi's voice doesn't budge Historia's concentration. She tries her best to keep her knuckles from pressing into my tits just like she and everyone else kept themselves from commenting on the purple sores on my chest and neck. Ymir's eyes had widened in astonishment but a little shake of her girlfriend's head, which didn't go unnoticed, stopped her from saying anything.

"Hey! Who said you could come in?" I bend my neck to frown at Levi. Out of everyone, I refuse to let him see the hickeys. This man judges me enough already.

He immediately slides past the door, only letting his head in. "Sorry. Erwin wanted to know if you were done."

"He can come in, not you," I declare.

"Yeah, only the artist can look at his masterpiece." The masc lesbian reads my mind.

"Ymir!" Historia rebukes her girlfriend.

"It's okay! Laugh all you want; just give me enough concealer to cover it up for the party."

Next time the door creaks, I turn to see Erwin stepping inside. It's needless to mention that he looks handsome. The color suits him, striking against his porcelain skin like the blood I saw the first time we met. The button open at his chest does nothing but make me want to rip his clothes off right here. He ambles toward me, his gaze sinking me into the unknown depths of his ocean eyes. I don't notice when the hands of my stylists leave, only when they are replaced my the staunch grasp of this beautiful man's arms.

"Leave us." He orders his subordinates and they scurry away, out the door in no time. "Are you done with your makeup and hair?" He asks me.

Smirking, I reply, "the flattery is unnecessary."

"I'm an honest man, angel." He murmurs against my lips before kissing me. Like he's been missing me. Even though we've been apart for less than an hour. "I see a beautiful woman, I tell her how obsessed I am with her." Erwin kisses my neck and I recoil from him.

"Hey, no! The kids are already staring. Do you know how much makeup I'll have to use to hide your previous work of art?"

Erwin laughs, pulling me in for another kiss. He stays the rest of the duration of my dressing up, gawking, likely cursing the other hands on me in his mind. Historia and Ymir do a good job with the real-time sewing. The lace hides the bulges of my boobs without looking out of place and destroying the whole outfit.

For makeup and hair, it's to each, her own. Mi casa and the other brunette girl - Sasha, I think - join us again and we line up along the dressers with brushes and blushes, and all things pretty. They have a ginormous amount of products, ranging from drugstore eyeliners to foundation bottles from Fenty, Rare Beauty and that lipstick from Dior that glitters when you press your lips together. I do a clean eyeliner with a silvery shimmer eyeshadow and wine lips to match my date's outfit.

Connie and Jean come in around the time I'm done, asking if they can borrow some eyeliner. I offer to do theirs and they immediately tense up. "No, no, that's okay! Ymir can help," Jean mumbles.

"Boss will kill us," Connie whispers under his breath, loud enough for me to barely make out his words.

"It'll be fine." I make them sit down and close their eyes. As I brush the soaked eyeliner tip across Jean's eyelid, I feel Erwin's eyes fixed to my back. The studio is booming with the vibrant hubbub of women dressing up for a party but amidst that, I can hear the uncomfortable shift in my boyfriend's seat, the stretch of the couch's leather under his ass. Connie asks for a lower eyelid eyeliner and some mascara so I comply. Love to see some positive masculinity!

Once everyone else has left, I get Historia to do my hair because I'm genuinely not sure what would look good with the outfit. She also wants to get me heels even though I insist on wearing my flats. Not sure if I hate it or adore it that this little girl knows how to not take no for an answer.

"Ms. Niji, I have a pair of nude golden tie-ups and the heels aren't that high. These work?" She holds up a pair of block heels to which, I nod. I shift my gaze to Erwin who manspreads on the couch with his phone in his hand, a cigarette between his lips and his work face on. I wanna spoil him so bad. With Historia's back facing me, I pad barefoot across the room and slip into Erwin's lap.

"Oh, hi there! Where did you come from?" I tease him. My dress flows over his knees, cascading along the length of his long legs. Erwin puts his phone away, his arm draws me in. He tries to kiss me but I put my hand over his lips. "I just did my makeup."

"Ms. Niji, how do you want your hair? Oh-" Historia spins away as soon as she sees us. "Sorry, sorry. I'll be outside."

The door opens at the right moment and a disgruntled Levi walks in again. "How much longer do you... Tch! Have some shame in front of your own employee, Erwin."

I rise to my feet immediately and brush my skirt down. Levi can't see me being all mushy. "Let's go," he says, looking directly at me.

"We're still left with hair and jewelry. Give me a few minutes, Captain." Historia pulls me to the mirrors again to brush my hair into place. Halfway, she turns to her bosses and asks, "can I see the piece? I'll do her hair accordingly."

"What piece?" I enquire but get no immediate response. Erwin leaves his seat, walking over to stand beside me. I watch through the mirror as he fumbles with the inside pocket of his coat before pulling out a dark blue, rectangular velvet box. Whatever this is, I'm dreading it.

He opens it up and shows the contents to Historia. I see her mouth open in a gasp, her eyes blow round in a sort of amazement. "It's beautiful," she whispers before Erwin pockets the box again. Without another word, she starts brushing my hair back and up into a bun. She pulls out two thick tufts of hair at the front to soft-curl them on both sides of my face. Gotta hand it to her, she's making me look really good.

"Shall we step outside, Captain?" She asks Levi once she puts the hairbrush down. The smile on her face is more taunting than sweet, and I know this involves the piece. So that's making me a little nervous as I keep looking at the shut wooden door.

"A little kiss?" Erwin's raspy voice makes me turn to the mirror again. His lips are beside my ear - he's aiming for the crook of my neck.

"Fine, but first tell me what was in that box."

"Just a small gift for my angel," he whispers, his eyes trained on the reflection of the dress's plunging neckline, making me even more aware of how naked I am. Half my tits are out and even under the top, it's just a couple of pieces of tape covering me up, not even a low coverage bra. Erwin's breath blows over my neck, raising the hair on my arms. The anticipation is killing me. When his lips finally touch me, it startles me even though I was expecting it. The politeness of his seduction adds a layer of suspense to his whole act.

"Show me."

Erwin shuffles the box back out and holds it in front of me with its lid up. The sparkle inside is blinding. "Do you like it?"

A/N: Disappeared for a week for the holiday season. Which is to say, Happy New Year 2024. Hope this year is peaceful for everyone, and that even through the adventures and lessons, this year is kind to us all.

Sorry for this long and kinda slow chapter. But I genuinely believe it is important to know the new characters and their chemistries with our FMC.

If you liked this chapter, please consider leaving a vote. You wouldn't believe it but it does wonders to the writer's motivations.