I flicked my wrist for about the hundredth time that day, spinning Dyrnwyn in the air in front of me. I then twitched my fingertips, sending the spear at a dozen different leaves that were drifting in the air around it. It missed all but a couple.

"Arrrgghh! Why can I just not get this?!" I grumbled angrily. "I've never heard of anyone having to actually learn how to use a spirit spear. I've always been told that it's just plain instinct!"

"It is. For a fairy king - which you aren't. We have our spirit spears from the beginning, while you inherited yours." Harlequin was sighing. "How many times do I have to tell you, you're exaggerating your movements too much. You just need quick, simple movements." To demonstrate, he floated a few leaves into the air again and did the technique he had been trying to show me, easily slicing each of the leaves perfectly in half. Except that I didn't see any difference between his hand motions and mine. "Try again."

I shook my head in annoyance, but did as he said. After he tossed a few leaves into the air I repeated the same moves that I had been doing all day, attempting to make the already small movements smaller. My only reward was that this time I grazed the edge of a third leaf.

Hey, you're improving! Zephyr congratulated me from where he lounged in the shade nearby. His eyes had been half closed and his head on his paws as he enjoyed the cool afternoon breeze, but he lifted his head and looked more alert as he said this.

"Not enough…" Groaning, I returned Dyrnwyn to a cloak and flung myself into it, burying my face in the folds of fabric. When I resurfaced from the softness, I sighed in exasperation. "What if something happens? What if we have to fight soon and I still can't do anything?"

"Then you stay behind, as the captain told you to last time." Harlequin allowed Chastiefol to turn back into a pillow and laid into it, drifting lazily across the clearing. "You're not a sin; you don't have to fight."

"I know that, but you guys have helped me so much. I can't just sit back and do nothing while you all risk your lives out there." I pressed my face back into my cloak before murmuring quietly. "I've spent too much of my life doing nothing, anyway…"

Zephyr let out a quiet breath, but neither one said anything. It took a few minutes for me to pull my head back out of my cloak again, and when I did, I saw Zephyr and Harlequin exchange a glance.

"So while you're taking a break, why don't you tell me what forms your spirit spear has? Considering how many Chastiefol has, I'm sure that Dyrnwyn has more than I've seen." Harlequin hopped out of his pillow and floated up to me.

"I mean, I'm sure there are plenty that I don't know," I mumbled. I tucked some hair behind my ear, slightly embarrassed at my ignorance of my own weapon. "I only know a few. There's it's first form, Dyrnwyn. There's also Guardian, Spider Silk, and Increase. Those are the ones I use most often, though there are a few more that I use occaisionally. Oh, there's one that my Onii-chan told me that my mother used, but I haven't used it before. It's called-"

"Hey, King, stop chatting with Zinnia-chan and come here~" Ban's voice interrupted from the direction of the Boar's Hat. When I glanced over, I saw through the window that he appeared to be having a discussion with Meliodas, but had stopped to call the fairy over.

"Well, I guess that's it for the day." Harlequin froze in his meandering. "We can pick back up on this tomorrow." Then he was gone, disappearing into the tavern. The windows were shut shortly after he went in.

"Oh… Okay." I sighed. While I had been getting annoyed at my incompetence with my spirit spear, I had also been enjoying myself. It had been a long time since the last time that I actually got to spend any amount of time with another fairy, and it had given me a feeling of belonging that I didn't get too often. Even if we weren't exactly the same.

I wonder what that was about? Zephyranthes languidly stretched before standing and sauntering up to where I floated. It seemed like they didn't want us to hear, with how they didn't call you, and how the windows were closed…

"You're probably looking too far into it." I dismissed him. I really didn't want to linger on the idea of the sins wanting to hide stuff from me. While I knew that everyone kept secrets, it really was a peeve of mine when something was kept from only me in particular. Though, deep inside, I knew it was pretty hypocritical of me to feel that way with how many secrets I tend to keep. "They might just be closing the windows to keep the breeze out. It's pretty windy today, after all. If fact, that may be part of the reason that I kept missing those leaves." As though to prove my point, a particularly strong gust of wind howled across the clearing, blowing me a couple of inches away from where I had been.

The fox shook his head, uncertain. I don't know… Maybe you're right. I've spent so long looking for the worst in others; it feels like everything's directed at us. He padded up to my side and leaned lightly against my leg.

"I know what you mean." I smiled as I touched down on the ground, placing my hand on Zephyr's fluffy head. "You've always been looking out for me, haven't you? But I think we can trust these people. Heck, I've known some of them for most of my life! I'm sure you don't have to be so suspicious of them all the time. There are still some things to work out, but it'll work out in the end." I got down on one knee and my grin widened as I looked my friend in the face. A small laugh escaped my throat as I spoke. "Oh, and try to be nicer to Hawk-chan. I know he can't hear you, but your expression says a lot, and we'd probably have a more pleasant time here if everyone liked us."

The fox shade looked to the ground and shuffled his paws. "Fine… But I'm not going to go out of my way to become friends with him!"

It had been a few days since my first training session with Harlequin. While I was still nowhere near as good as the Fairy King, I had certainly gotten better. Just yesterday I had sliced seven of the thirteen leaves I was aiming for, and had almost hit an eighth. Not to mention that the other practice wasn't going so badly either. Harlequin had instructed me to attempt to make complex shapes and patterns with my Spider Silk form within a short amount of time in order to hone my precision with it, and to make Dyrnwyn's increased form into as many pieces as possible and to do many separate things with them at once, along with a few other exercises. My personal favorite was making the shapes with the Spider Silk; I even made a hammock at one point before taking a break on it.

Right now, though, I was in my room - well, my and Gowther's room; Meliodas had insisted, as it was the only room with only one person (apparently Zephyr didn't count). Everyone else was downstairs, and I was working on patching up my old dress. Even if it would never look exactly like how it had when I received it, I was determined to make it wearable again. The shoes were hopeless, though. The flats that had once been a soft mint green were now so faded that I could hardly tell they were supposed to be green, and only a thin strip of fabric between the heels and the toes remained of their soles. I still held onto them out of sentimentality, but I was certain to never wear them again.

"Hey, Zephyr, what do you think we're gonna do next?" I asked, not even looking up from where I was stitching on a patch of minty fabric that looked blindingly green next to the faded dress. "Like, do we just keep wandering randomly until we find the next sin? Or is there an actual plan behind it?"

I hadn't realized that you were now including the whole group in 'we'. I'd always that that was reserved for you and me… He sniffed before shaking his head. Sorry; I'm not the best with changes. I think that they probably have a plan behind what to do next. Perhaps that was what they were talking about the other day when your training session with Harlequin-sama was interrupted. I'm sure we'll know what's happening soon.

"That'd be nice." I winced. I had accidentally stabbed myself with the needle, and now a bead of blood tipped my finger. "We've been wandering seemingly aimlessly for awhile now. While it's nice to have a break from the violence, it's making me a little high-strung. I mean, the next fight could be at any time! I could just be wandering along and bam! Suddenly everyone's fighting and a whole town's destroyed when just moments ago we were casually talking. It could be just around the corner, and we wouldn't even know it."

So what would you prefer? The fox shade looked over my shoulder, examining my finger to make sure it wasn't serious.

"I'd prefer that we take action, rather than waiting for it to come to us! I'm getting antsy just waiting for it." After I spoke, I simply licked my finger and tied a spare strip of white fabric around it before going back to sewing. I only had a few more patches that I could do with my current materials, so I was almost done.

That's understandable. Zephyr closed his eyes and dipped his head in admission. Most everyone probably feels the same, so I'm certain that we'll hear what the next plans are soon.

I didn't respond, as I was too focused on sewing the last few stitches. "And… done!" I held up the dress, which now slightly resembled a patchwork quilt. In order to make the once-white dots that were sprinkled across the midsection of the dress stand out, I had sewn on new white spots, but they weren't perfectly circular like the old ones, nor did they fit seamlessly into the rest of the dress. It was also a couple of inches shorter than it originally was, as the hem if it had been shredded. I didn't care, though. "It's perfect!"

Zephyr looked hesitant. Umm, are you sure?

"Of course!" I stood up from where I had been hunched for over an hour, spinning in a circle as I held the dress aloft, allowing it to flutter in the air. "Now I'll just put it on to show to the others." After a moment of thought, I grabbed the deep green ribbon that I had bought in Vaizel with the sewing supplies and tied it in and off-center bow around my neck.

The fox shade just gave an exasperated smile and shook his head.

"The sword stolen from me… or rather, it's dragon hilt… is a fragment of a ritual instrument called the Coffin of Eternal Darkness." Meliodas was speaking.

Everyone - other than Zinnia and Zephyr, that is - was gathered in the tavern. Even Diane was looking in through the window. Meliodas stood behind the bar, while Ban, King, and Gowther were in front of it. Elizabeth sat at a table, with Hawk eating out of his bowl that was perched on one of the table's other seats.

"Coffin of Darkness?" Elizabeth asked.

"Isn't that…"

"It is an old legend." Gowther answered King's unfinished question. "Long ago, the goddess race, giant clan, fairy folk, and mankind joined forces to create this relief that sealed away the demon race."

"Then…" The princess contemplated. "The Holy Knights really are planning on bringing the demon race back?"

Hawk looked up at her, scraps covering his mouth. "Do you think they want to revive them… to befriend them?"

"They wouldn't dare-"

"Then what is it they want?" Hawk seemed actually serious for once.

"Hey, hey!" Diane drew everyone's attention to her face in the window. "If they have your sword, do you think they've already revived the Demon Race?"

Meliodas crossed his arms in front of his chest. "It's a pretty strong seal. When it's lifted, I'm sure there will be some kind of sign."

Just then, Zinnia peeked her head out from the stairway. "Hey guys. What are you talking about?" She floated all the way into the open, the tap tap of Zephyranthes's paws following her. Instead of the tavern's pink and purple uniform, she was now wearing a faded mint and white sleeveless dress with patches of bright, new fabric. A thick green ribbon was tied in a bow around her throat, with the tips of the ribbon reaching her waist.

"Hey Zinnia-chan!" Diane called cheerily. "Oh! You fixed your old dress?"

The fairy girl smiled and nodded. "Yep! I've been working on it for awhile now. I'm not the best at sewing, though."

Zinnia was looking to King, curious of what he thought, as he had helped to make the dress in the first place.

King, though, was just staring at her in shock. He remembered making the dress. He also remembered who had asked him to help make it. He had never imagined that Zinnia was the recipient.

Diane continued chatting with Zinnia, pulling her attention away from the Fairy King. "I don't know; you did pretty good considering what you started with. And that looks so much better on you in this form! It's adorable! And I love the ribbon."

Zinnia blushed lightly. "You really think so?" She poofed into her human form, making her look almost exactly like Elizabeth. While the dress had changed slightly to fit her, it now only reached midway down her thighs - only a little longer than the uniform she had been wearing. "Yeah, I think it's a bit better on my shorter stature."

"Zinnia-san, you know-"

A loud gurgling and squealing interrupted King's question. Everyone looked to the source: Hawk. "The sign!" He squealing, sweat pouring down his sides. "The sign! It's here! I ate too much!"

"You just gotta take a dump~!" Ban seemed both slightly annoyed and amused from his place at the bar.

Elizabeth rushed up to the pig. "Hawk-chan… are you alright?"

"He's fine, Elizabeth." Zinnia wandered up to them, setting her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. Zephyranthes, though, eyed Hawk warily, and remained standing stiffly at the foot of the stairs. "Just let him go outside, and he'll return good as new in five minutes."

"I have to go release this seal," Hawk moaned. "That reminds me… ugh… why do they want your sword… oop… and Elizabeth-chan too?"

"She's the final key to lifting the seal." A masked woman had spontaneously appeared in front of Elizabeth and Zinnia, but neither had seen, as Elizabeth was looking at Hawk, and Zinnia at Elizabeth. Zinnia looked up at the mysterious woman, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Elizabeth!" Meliodas cried, jumping up from his seat. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" He started to leap across the room.

Zinnia! Zephyr, too, leapt to his paws and started forward.

But before either one had crossed the room, the woman had vanished, and Elizabeth, Zinnia, and Hawk with her.