There were certain types of clothes that elevated the beauty of women. Lingerie was an obvious example, hiding so little and emphasizing it through contrast (or, if particularly saucy in design, framing beautiful bits with lace). Another lovable contender were skin-tight clothes, be it latex or swimsuits. Although less naughty, I also loved dresses, particularly ball dresses, with a high amount of style but little fashion. Fashion was temporary and often designed for the spirit of the time. Style was eternal and much more fundamental.
Lastly, there were uniforms. It pleased the spirit of most humanoids to see a matching set of something and clothes were no exception. An overarching design theme sticking to a person always looked nice. Not all uniforms were created equal, however. There was a certain appeal to a soldier's outfit, but on its own the sex appeal was rather low. A bunny girl outfit ranked much higher.
Like many hot-blooded men, my favourite set of clothes to see on a woman, out of all categories, was the maid outfit. Black and white joined as frills, lace, stockings and plain cloth through careful stitches into one of the many variants. A well made maid uniform was the ultimate marriage between style, practicality and history, signalling both a long line of traditions and a serving attitude. Clearly, the maid outfit was the outfit of choice for the significant other of any cultured male.
Therefore, seeing Esther dressed as a maid was my personal (if temporary) heaven.
It all started with the shoes. Normally she aimed for footwear that was purely practical. For the sake of the outfit, she was now in high heels. Their black colour harmonized wonderfully with the equally black stockings. Through the fabric, I could barely make out the nakedness of her long legs.
The upper rim of the stockings disappeared under a dark skirt. White embroidery, outlining the shapes of flowers, decorated the rim. The skirt was neither scandalously short nor was it prudently long, striking a classy, yet tantalizing, medium.
A white waist band was secured behind her back with a neat ribbon, and from the front dangled a small apron. The top of the outfit was primarily black, sitting over a white blouse like a corset. That blouse was only truly revealed around the chest, where the pale was stretched out by her sizable chest. A wonderful amount of cleavage was created from that relative tightness, framed by short frills. The sleeves were short and tight, leaving the smooth skin of her arm visible.
Sadly, my carefree indulgence in the visual feast came to an end when I arrived at her face. As gorgeous as she was, as cute as the decorative headband made her ponytail, she still seemed displeased to see me enter..
I didn't even try to act like I was surprised to see her there. "These look really good on you, my lady," I complimented and received a long stare in response. Noteworthy was that her pupils didn't narrow, neither did her eyes go from amber to sulfuric yellow. While she obviously was feeling something negative towards my presence, it was not wrath. My personal guess fell on shocked surprise.
"Why are you here?" she asked straight out of the door. Perhaps given where I was standing right now, in the entrance of a servant cafe, it was more appropriate to say that she asked this of me straight at the door. Either way, I had to hold back the cheeky remark that this wasn't an appropriate way to talk to a customer. I wasn't there for the service anyway.
Before I could decide on how to properly answer, we were approached by an elderly gentleman.
"Welcome to the Café Served," he said in a smooth voice. He wore a butler's outfit, much in the same aesthetic. His shoes were polished, the black pants cut perfectly and his vest had those two dangly bits at the back whose purpose eluded me but which looked good nonetheless. Underneath, he wore a white shirt. His buttons were made orderly and a black bow tie sat on his collar. He was the complete package of an elderly noble butler, sporting a trimmed moustache, hair that was combed until it sat flat on the head and a monocle on his left eye. "I am Allister, owner of this fine establishment, at your service. Please excuse any rudeness of our new employee, we are working her in."
"No, no, we know each other," I waved off, not wanting to get Esther into any trouble. "Getting a bit direct with me is perfectly okay."
"Oh, that is a pleasant surprise... that makes you the first understandable exception all morning!" The butler was downright ecstatic about this. It was obvious that this gentleman was here to look over the newcomers' shoulder. From the sound of things, Esther needed the schooling in the communication department. "Do you wish to get a table?"
"No, I am actually here because of that," I gestured at a 'Help Wanted' sign that was sitting behind the large window next to the entrance. Karona's intel had included the cafe hiring, so I had come here already determined to apply.
The way the butler looked at me changed following that announcement. Analysing me as a potential worker was a whole different beast than as a potential customer, after all.
Welldark made sure that the necessities of most of the students were met, courtesy of the provided housing and monthly allowances. In a world where the basis of existence was guaranteed, certain sectors of the economy profited immensely. Entertainment and services were among the top two. This servant café, where maids and butlers took and fulfilled the orders, fell a little bit under both categories.
Café Served was a middle-sized restaurant. It stretched over two floors and a cellar containing a bar. While the main restaurant was open every day (except Sunday) from 7-23 o'clock, the bar only opened on Friday, Saturday, and for hosted events. I could glean that much information just from looking around and reading what was written on info boards.
The ground level was quite charming. Light blue and grey tiles covered the floor. The couches and chairs were of a pleasant beige, the former surrounding black tables in a simple U-shape. In one corner of the room, there was an enclosure for animals, a miniature petting zoo of some description. Potted plants were scattered about, keeping things from feeling empty.
There wasn't a lot of privacy, courtesy of the lack of space. It definitely was a moderately successful, family-owned restaurant.
I liked it. It was clean, the atmosphere seemed relaxed and, from what I had heard, it rarely got crowded. The broad walkways and simple layout meant that it would always be easy to move around. My primary motivations for coming had been to put some pressure on Esther and simultaneously fix my money situation. That the place had every advantage of a small-time business made the decision easier to justify.
Allister was still inspecting me. He was scanning me not just to gauge my character, but also my marketability. Being a servant cafe, this place pandered primarily to the desire of men and women to see the opposite sex in attractive clothing. The fantasy of being actually served as a master seemed less important in this establishment. Regardless, I had to be at least moderately good looking and well behaved.
I put on my most charming smile and Allister nodded.
"I see," the owner said, slowly, glancing over to Esther. She had regained her typical stern look, but her annoyance with the situation was very much written into her behaviour. With her arms crossed, she stood there, her left heel causing a staccato by repeatedly tapping on the tiled floor. Both were actions that broke the proper conduct of a diligent maid. I could imagine that she was hired more for the stern housekeeper role though. "Let's talk about this in my office," Allister decided to take this to somewhere more private. "Esther, please be on your best behaviour."
The lady of my desires forcefully relaxed, letting her arms dangle and ceasing the jittering of her legs. "Certainly, head-butler," she responded, addressing him more like a soldier would their officer than as an employee would their direct superior. Even as we walked away and another newcomer stepped into the entrance, I caught her looking after me.
From the entrance extended a straight walkway. To the left of it was the customer area I had already described, to the right was a wall with a number of doors. The first one led to the kitchen, evident by the noises coming from behind it. the second and third to the toilets, the signs made clear which one was for which sex. The fourth door, Allister entered. A little further ahead, a winding staircase led up to the second floor. This wasn't the time to explore, so I followed my potential boss.
We didn't immediately enter his office. Rather, the door opened to the employee area. The difference to the main restaurant was, unsurprisingly, quite stark. It was quieter, almost silent. I heard some chatter and a coffee machine brewing a fresh pot. In passing, I saw the cramped breakroom, barely able to contain more than the table and the small kitchen in it. I had a quick look at the two people taking a break, but we passed by the empty door frame too quickly for me to make out any details. All I managed to do was give them a quick wave. They reciprocated the gesture.
Allister turned left in the hallway and stopped before another door. A security panel hung next to it and he quickly punched a code in. From that simple thing, I could tell that he was a normal human. A security option utilizing Astral Capacity analysis was universally superior to an electronic lock. Nobody who would have had the chance to use one over the other would have passed it.
