Eventually, everyone had headed back inside. Meliodas and Gelda were going over the map and some notes she had made on past rumors on the Sins and Elizabeth was sitting with Zeldris at one of the tables, Hawk leaning up on the table as well. The tavern rocked lightly as Mama Hawk made her way towards Baste. Elizabeth gripped the edge of the seat under her, still slightly off balance despite a few hours of travelling already.
"So, all I have to do is serve tables and gather information?" Elizabeth asked.
Zeldris shrugged, leaning on his elbow against the table. "Pretty much. It's not too stressful when business is slow, and when we get real crowded you'll have Gelda and Hawk around helping."
"If only Meliodas would change the uniform to make it easier," Hawk huffed, glaring at the outfit Elizabeth wore.
"I would agree, but it does bring in more customers. More customers means more money, and more money means more scraps."
Hawk huffed again, practically pouting. Zeldris turned back to Elizabeth and gave her a small smile. "He's kind of right, though. The uniform can bring a lot of unwanted attention."
Elizabeth frowned. She knew exactly what Zeldris meant. Her and her sisters had dealt plenty with unwanted attention, Margaret the most since she was the oldest. "What do I do if they get… uh… handsy?"
"I usually step in!" Hawk chirped. Zeldris nodded, humming softly.
"Though, it would do good to let you know where the weapons are hidden around, aside from the obvious ones on display. And maybe see if we could teach you how to use a dagger." He shrugged. "Most of the creeps back off once Hawk steps in, but if they don't stop then or at the threat of one of the weapons around, just call for me or Meliodas."
She nodded slowly, taking a better look around the tavern. Now that Zeldris had mentioned it, she noticed the various weapons hanging around on the walls, all secured but easily accessible. And apparently they had some in hiding places.
Elizabeth fidgeted in her seat, still frowning. Zeldris watched her carefully - the fidgeting and the uneasy expression all too familiar - before glancing at Hawk, then to his wife and brother. "Hey Hawk, why don't you go see if Meliodas and Gelda have figured out what to do after we break into Baste." Hawk hesitated, but listened and walked off after a few moments. Zeldris turned back to Elizabeth. "Alright, what's wrong?"
She jumped, head snapping to Zeldris and brow creasing as she processed what he said. "What do you mean?" she asked after a moment.
Zeldris made a vague motion towards her. "Something seems up is all."
"Oh." Elizabeth forced her feet to plant firmly on the floor so she had some sort of grounding, letting go of her seat to twist her hands together. "I guess I'm just nervous is all." She laughed anxiously. "I mean, I've never broken into a prison, or broken someone out of it. What if something goes wrong?"
Zeldris raised a brow. "Oh, that's all?" Elizabeth looked down, biting her lip. Zeldris frowned for a moment. She looked up and Zeldris' frown disappeared immediately, replaced with a reassuring smile. "Trust me, a prison break won't be too much trouble."
She tilted her head. "Wait- you've broken into prison before?"
"Yeah," Zeldris shrugged, "I mean, who do you think got the Sins out of so much trouble all the time?" He smiled wider. "Meliodas only has so much charisma. Ban has his own limits, often because he was drunk off his ass. King was always too much a nervous wreck. I feel a bit bad for this one, but Escanor wasn't too useful if they were locked away at night. Diane wasn't always conscious, because stereotypes and some people are downright cruel. And Merlin wasn't always in the mood to get them out, usually because they ignored her advice."
He laughed to himself, then shook his head. He turned his attention back to Elizabeth and saw her relaxing slowly. "My point is, it won't be our first prison break."
"Isn't Baste the best prison though? No one has ever broken out."
"Yet."
Elizabeth cracked a smile. "You're awfully sure of yourself."
There was a laugh and moments later Meliodas was settling at the seat nearest Elizabeth.
"Of course he's sure of himself. He and Gelda are the best jailbreakers. Never even came close to being caught before."
She looked over to Gelda, who was rolling her eyes over at the bar as she cleaned up the work she and Meliodas had done.
"How have neither of you been caught? Or even a single wanted poster?"
Gelda shrugged. "Really, it's as much a mystery to us as it is to you," Zeldris said.
"Let's just hope it stays that way," Hawk interjected. "I don't want to be the only one without a reward for my head running this place!"
Gelda patted Hawk's head, nodding.
"Anyway!" Meliodas leaned back with his hands behind his head, balancing precariously on the wooden backless seat. "We have another day until we get to Baste, maybe two if Mama Hawk needs some time to rest. We should use the time to rest ourselves. If Baste really is hard to break out of, we're gonna need all the energy we can get."
Elizabeth couldn't sleep.
Again.
The sun had gone down, the day spent being given a proper tour of the tavern and, as Zeldris had suggested, given some tips on how to properly use a knife for defense just in case as well as the knowledge of all their little hidey-holes. Elizabeth couldn't believe how many swords or small knives could be hidden beneath floorboards or inside wooden walls. Even in her own room, she had been shown where a couple weapons had been hidden. It was unlikely she'd ever have to use them, but they were still there in case of an emergency.
But the frightening amount of weapons in the building wasn't why she couldn't sleep. Oddly enough, it was comforting, knowing that no matter where she was in the tavern she could defend herself.
Her mind was on her family, back in Liones.
Elizabeth pulled her knees to her chest, sitting on the love seat by the window in her room. She rested her head on the glass, the coolness somewhat grounding as she rocked lightly with Mama Hawk's each step. She hoped she'd get used to the feeling soon, before she started feeling sick.
She sighed, breath fogging the window slightly.
She didn't know where her sisters were.
The last time she had seen Margaret, she had seemed anxious but not afraid, a bit sad too. Margaret had seemed sad for years, honestly. Neither Elizabeth or Veronica could ever figure out why. No amount of prying or begging got Margaret to slip.
Veronica had been angry, last Elizabeth saw her. Elizabeth never got the chance to ask her why.
And then there was their father, who had been the last one Elizabeth saw. He was sick, and was getting worse, and he had called upon Elizabeth one night. He had encouraged her to leave, find the Sins for their help.
Elizabeth frowned, thinking of her father. He hadn't seemed worried or afraid or angry, but he had been urgent, insistent that Elizabeth leave the castle. Even with banging on the doors to his chambers, and Elizabeth in tears, he assured her he would be alright but that she must leave. She didn't know why at the time, and still she didn't know. All she did know was that the Holy Knights were involved. They had to be, they were the ones banging on her father's door that night, had broken into his room right as she closed the hidden door.
She couldn't trust the Holy Knights.
Well, most of them, she mused. The Sins were Holy Knights themselves. Although no one considered them such anymore, not after they had killed the Grand Master.
Her frown deepened.
She almost forgot about that, actually. The reason the Sins became the most wanted criminals to exist in the first place.
Elizabeth hugged her knees closer to her chest. She wasn't sure if she should ask about that. She recalled what Gelda had told her, and wondered if this one would fall under being true or false. She hoped it was false. She really, really hoped they hadn't actually murdered Grand Master Zaratras.
What if they had, though? What would she do then?
Her head dropped to her knees and her sigh was muffled. She supposed she'd just cross that bridge when she got to it.
If her father trusted the Sins to help, she would have to trust them too.
She just had to be smart about it.
Just in case.
Miles and miles away, a Diamond-ranked Holy Knight felt his head throbbing with a headache as he listened to some guards from a village he didn't bother to remember the name of. He was on a large chair in a fairly small office, some decorative spears on either side and some tapestries hanging by the closed and locked door. The only light in the room now was faint moonlight from the single glassless window and the firelight from a few torches.
"So, you're telling me, that someone spotted a giant green pig with some sort of building on its back walking around? Specifically, in the direction of Baste Prison?"
The two unfortunate and very, very low-ranked guards shifted as the air began to crackle lightly around the pink-haired knight.
"Y-Yes, Sir Gilthunder."
The knight, Gilthunder, sighed heavily, glaring at the guards before him. "You know not to come to me about far-fetched rumors."
"We- We know it seems far-fetched, sir, downright impossible, but- but this isn't the first time we've heard about this creature, and, and it only appears where rumor of the Seven Deadly Sins are located, and we know of your history and dislike of them. If this- this mobile green pig really does exist, we believed it might be a good idea to keep tabs on it."
Gilthunder hummed lightly, directing his glare to the wall. He rested his head on a hand, tapping his own cheek with the metal glove.
If this was true, and the pig was also supposedly heading towards Baste…
"Right." Gilthunder stood up. "Send word to the Weird Fangs, let them know that someone is coming, and that they should be prepared, just in case."
"Are you going to Baste, sir?"
He shook his head. "I won't waste my energy there if this is just a rumor spread by a drunk man. If Baste actually is attacked by this creature, or anyone travelling on it, I will decide what to do when it happens."
For all they knew, the Weird Fangs would deal with the issue just fine on their own. If not, it could cost them all dearly since there was one prisoner they absolutely could not, under any circumstances, let escape. But they would also learn so much if Baste really did fall.
"You are dismissed," Gilthunder said, and the guards scrambled to leave the room. He turned to the window carved from the bricks and walked over, clutching the edge of it. He ignored the tree just outside the window, practically dead with a single inhabitant on the bare branches, and instead looked to the horizon.