A/N: This chapter's a little shorter than the last one.

Till next time,

D.L.D

Chapter Two: A Wizard?

"Elizabeth!"

Elaine came rushing up the stairs, her boots clicking against the polished wooden floors. In her hands were the bright pink skirts of her bakery uniform, a white headband keeping her blonde hair out of her golden eyes.

When she had first heard from a colleague that Elizabeth had landed on the balcony, Elaine hadn't believed it at first. Quiet, timid Elizabeth was never one to flaunt her wings, let alone use them publicly in town. The thought alone was mortifying to the goddess, worthy of killing her from the shame alone. Yet, Elizabeth had allegedly arrived here with a stranger, floating down from the sky and landing on the veranda. Now, that stranger was nowhere to be seen and Elizabeth was left all alone aimlessly staring out a window.

"Elaine," Elizabeth greets her friend, her tone entirely dreamlike. She stares ahead, her blue eyes unblinking as she doesn't even register the blonde's hands clasped around her own. Instead she focuses on the window, the jubilant dancers below.

"Are you ok?" Elaine asked, her eyes wide as she peered into Elizabeth's. Gaining no reaction, she frowned, placing a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Someone just told me that you floated down onto our balcony."

Something flickered over Elizabeth's face. Floated? So that really did happen. Elizabeth did meet a wizard and he did help her escape from those pesky soldiers and nasty blobby creatures. She had floated above the sky without using her wings, and had watched as dancers laughed and twirled below. She had stepped upon rooftops and slid along tiles, her unpolished work boots paling in comparison to the grandeur of the entire situation.

Everything about her paled in comparison to the entire situation. Yet Elizabeth was also the girl who had gone through it. She was also the girl who had lived that reality.

"So it wasn't a dream..." Elizabeth blinks, letting the words out slowly. She continues to stare distantly, unmoving and unfeeling, as her eyes drift to Elaine's worried face. Nothing noticeable passes through her features. "It really did just happen - I really did just walk in the sky."

A door swings open and two blood red eyes home in on Elaine, analytical and sharp. The owner in question was a man, a tall one, with spiked hair and a scar running down his neck and chin. He was dressed in a suit, the tie loose and his shirt untucked - the opposite of most people who worked within the building. Slowly, the man sifts his gaze from Elaine to Elizabeth, raising a brow, before he opens his mouth to speak.

"You can use my office if you want," He points to the door, stuffing a hand into a pocket. "I was heading out anyway, so I don't mind."

"I should really get back to work, Ban," Elaine smiles softly, her face flooding with pink. She gives him a little wave, distracted slightly from the current situation. "But thanks for the offer. I hope you enjoy the evening off."

Nodding, the man then closed his office door and walked past the pair. His little pat to Elaine's shoulder hadn't gone unnoticed by Elizabeth, the goddess being a keen spotter of small details, but she didn't utter anything about it. She couldn't. She was still too dazzled from her encounter with the possible wizard to even think about Elaine and her possible love interest, Mr Ban. Instead, she simply watched as the tall man disappeared around the corner, Elaine staring wistfully after him.

A beat after, Elaine shakes her head and turns back to Elizabeth. Immediately, her pining expression morphs into one of extreme worry.

"Not even a word about it..." Elaine sighs, confused by the still distant expression on Elizabeth's face. Grimacing, the blonde then grabs Elizabeth by the arm and begins to lead her downstairs towards the bakery's kitchens. "You've clearly been spellbound - perhaps even lovestruck."

Lovestruck? Elizabeth's nose instinctively scrunched at the word, her daze breaking a little as she followed Elaine down the stairs. That was one thing she would never be: lovestruck. Love was not a thing that made a home in Elizabeth's brain, not when she knew of the trouble love could bring. Love brought passing time; love brought marriages that would eventually end in bitter divorces. Therefore, Elizabeth would never trust herself to fall in love with someone, let alone marry them, as she knows that she will end up like her mother.

A shiver passes through Elizabeth's spine, the memory of her mother being one she was not keen on. Her mother was a woman who Elizabeth never aspired to be. While she carried noble characteristics and was formidable in their social circle, she was someone who could never connect emotionally. She was someone as sharp and cold as the diamonds she wore across her neck.

"Don't be ridiculous, Elaine," Elizabeth eventually mumbles, shaking her head. "I'm only shocked, that's all."

"Sure, sure," Elaine waved off, still pulling the goddess down the stairs. Her golden eyes roll. "And I'm ten feet tall."

Thirty minutes later and Elizabeth is comfortably stationed upon a pile of crates in the backroom of the bakery. The room was comfortably heated, filled with the heat of the ovens and lacking many open doors. Somehow, the stacks of wooden boxes and crates made pretty comfortable seats, and Elaine had made the space a little cozier by requesting a plate of leftover treats from the kitchens.

Sweet aromas of sugar, flour and fruits bled into the room, light and airy like the warm air that escaped from the baking ovens. Cinnamon and chocolate mixed into one, the most potent of the scents, a batch of hot cross buns and eclairs baking away within the store's kitchen. Beneath the heavenly scent was the hubbub of the customers only a room away, many of them flirting with the women on counter duty and making witty remarks.

Right beside Elizabeth, Elaine sits, talking avidly about the goddess' sudden arrival and the mystery of the wizard man who had dropped her off. Despite her enthusiastic nature, worry spiked most of her speech, Elaine's emotions evident as she stared at Elizabeth and tried to figure out just what had happened.

"Are you sure he wasn't a wizard?" Elaine asks for the millionth time, frowning as Elizabeth bites into a cookie leftover from the previous day's bakes. "He used magic, so he has to be one of them."

Elizabeth had thought that too. There was no way that the man who had saved her was not a wizard. He had the charm, the skill and the knowledge to be recognised as one. He was able to lower Elizabeth's guard almost instantly, make her feel safe and somewhat comfortable. Plus he was pretty intent with getting away from those blobby creatures. Only someone well-versed in the world of magic would know about the dangers of such creatures; only a wizard would know how to walk in the sky and disappear in a crowd.

But then, when she thought about it again, the man seemed too different to be a wizard. Most wizards were forthright, very obvious, in their goals. They liked to pester young women in the goal to steal their hearts and use them to fuel their power. They would be ostentatious, terribly flirtatious, with the ultimate goal in mind being to brainwash their victim.

Yet the man wasn't like that; he was mysterious and ambiguous in his goals. He was hidden behind a cloud of mystery. Not many wizards were like that.

"At first, I did think he was a wizard," Elizabeth sighs, swiping a hand over her tired face. She blinks, trying to shake off the daze that continued to cling from earlier on. It doesn't work. "But the problem is that he was so kind to me. He rescued me, Elaine. Wizards don't do that."

"Of course he would, Elizabeth! He was trying to steal your heart!" Elaine butts in, leaning forward from her post on the boxes. Her worry refuses to dissipate the longer Elizabeth stares off for, the daze unnatural for the usually alert goddess. "You were so lucky, if that wizard was Meliodas he would've eaten your heart."

A scoff leaves Elizabeth at Elaine's words, her brain disbelieving of such a thing occurring. Meliodas would never prey upon a girl like her. She was too blunt, too ugly and too plain to be someone who would capture the eyes of such a infamous wizard. Meliodas was someone who would take one of the girls from the hat shop, someone who would take girls that like feathered hats and fine gowns. He wasn't someone who would pick on a plain, little mouse like her. A hidden Jane Doe.

Elizabeth always made sure to keep herself hidden. Being hidden was what she did to protect herself from the world and the many suitors it presented. At first, it was a defense for when her mother would try to get her married off; now it was her defense for when wizards wanted to steal a girl's heart. And it had worked. For many years she had slipped under the radar and avoided wider attention. But now - now things were different. Attention was slowly coming towards her.

Did that mean...she could be preyed on by wizards?

"No, he wouldn't," The words leave dryly, stale, as Elizabeth glances at Elaine. Her head shakes, silver hair bouncing with the motion. "Meliodas only preys on beautiful girls and I'm not one of them. I'm safe from monsters like him."

"Don't give me that," Elaine huffs, turning away and placing her hands on her hips. Bitterly, she glares ahead, studying the plain brick walls of the backroom. "You're more beautiful than you think and you need to be more careful out there. Even the Witch of the Waste is back on the prowl..."

As Elaine spoke, Elizabeth continued to nibble on her cookie. She couldn't quite make sense of it all - a wizard choosing to save her from those soldiers. Hypothetically speaking, if that man was a wizard - which he most likely was - why would he choose to save a plain thing like her? Why would he choose to intervene with the whole situation? Wasn't it just adding more pressure onto his shoulders? Wasn't it all just unnecessary responsibility?

Frowning, Elizabeth continued to nibble and stare, determined to solve this riddle. There must be a reason why that wizard saved her. There must be a reason why he chose to risk getting her involved with his problems.

"Elizabeth?" Elaine notices Elizabeth's drifting, her head turned completely towards the goddess. Frowning, she swipes a small hand in front of her friend's face, attempting to break her sudden daze. "Are you even listening?"

The goddess blinks, "Huh?"

Before Elaine can respond and voice her annoyance, a box slides free from the crate pile and a face pops through. A young man. He flashes both of the girls a smile, his brown eyes crinkling and face flushed from the heat of the ovens. Judging from his expression, he is reluctant to interrupt the pair's discussion.

"Elaine, the chocolate eclairs are done."

"Ok, I'll be right there!" Elaine nods, a hand smoothing back her blonde hair.

As much as she wanted to stay here and keep Elizabeth hostage all evening, she had to do her job first. Work came before anything - especially when she had a lot of customers waiting on her - and she didn't want to screw up this good opportunity. If she worked hard enough, then soon she could own this bakery or even create her own shop.

Sensing the timing, Elizabeth promptly hops off the crate and dusts her dress off. It billows with the action, air filling the skirt's dark fabric. Behind her, her wings flutter a little and sift themselves of dust as she pulls on her plain straw hat and ensures that the headband covers her face.

"I'd better get going," Elizabeth says, her voice entirely prompt and professional. She looks at Elaine with a much fresher and concentrated eye, the daze appearing entirely wiped away. "I just wanted to come and check how you were doing."

"Let me walk you out," Elaine hops up as well, dusting off her own uniform. Particles of dust fly into the air, tiny and fluffy as they float towards the floor. "It's a nightmare getting through all the gates and such."

About to protest, Elizabeth opens her mouth but then quickly closes it. There was no point in trying to persuade Elaine, especially when she was so worried. A worried Elaine was much more formidable than any possible threat in the town, especially when it came to her close friends. Therefore, it would only be best if Elizabeth just closed her mouth and let the blonde walk her out. At least then she'll be a little more at ease and will stop worrying after her.

Guiding Elizabeth through a small maze of courtyards and brick walls, Elaine walked just as quickly as the goddess, despite her tiny stature. In just the short, few weeks that she had worked at the bakery, Elaine had the grounds memorized as well the back ways and secret paths. It didn't take long for the pair to walk through the back gate, the wall of it framed with twisting ivy and leaves.

Beneath its arch and black iron gates, the pathway led out into a quiet street of the town. It was still well lit, the evening sunlight illuminating the light brick walls and clean cobbled roads splendidly. Aside from a truck with bags of flour loaded into its bed, the street was vacant, quiet. Not a single person beside the delivery crew were present, the distant shouts from another street being a hint as to where they had gone to. Just the perfect place for Elizabeth to start her journey home.

"Hey, Elaine," A man with a bag of flour hoisted over his shoulder flashes the blonde a smile. He walks past the pair, under the gateway.

"Hi," Elaine calls after him, returning a smile that seemed a little too wide to Elizabeth. A small arm stretched to give a vigorous wave as the man disappeared down the pathway. "How are you doing?"

Patiently, both women waited for the man to disappear down the pathway. Once he was out of eyesight and earshot, Elaine stepped closer to Elizabeth and yanked her closer by the cuff of her dress. A somber, serious look gleamed within her golden eyes, alerting Elizabeth to the fact that her friend was far from done with her little interrogation. Far from satisfied. If anything, Elaine was going to glean as much information as she could while possible.

The blonde takes a deep breath, "Now, Elizabeth, I know this is a touchy subject, but do you really want to spend the rest of your life in that hat shop?"

Immediately, Elizabeth feels herself internally groan at the question. The dreaded question. Everyone she knew always asked her about the hat shop, the dull job of stitching away at hats in a quiet, isolated workroom. Her mother; her old, socialite friends; now Elaine. Everyone always voiced their disagreement with her decision to work away as a milliner, avoiding grand parties and the finer things in life. They always worried about her.

"Hatting is my passion, Elaine," Elizabeth sighs, shaking her head. She makes sure not to jar the position of her hat too much, limiting the motion. "And if you're worried about finances, I've got it covered. My mother is humouring me."

"I'm not talking about that," Elaine exhales, exasperated. Her small head shakes, blonde locks scattering from its vigour. She then pokes Elizabeth's collarbone, right above her heart. "I'm talking about what you want."

What she wants? Elizabeth had never really seen things like that.

When she was growing up, what she did all depended on what her mother wanted. Lessons to learn how to play piano, dressing in beautiful gowns, meeting people from exotic lands and marveling at their pets and menageries of items, had all been things her mother wanted. Elizabeth had never gotten to decide on what she wanted, what she desired. By the time she was sixteen, she decided she'd had enough and chose her only escape: moving out - well, she told her mother she was becoming a hat maker.

But now that she thought about it, about how she ended up being an apprentice at Margaret's hat shop, Elizabeth knew that she didn't really want to do it. As much as she loved making hats, creating new designs and sifting through the piles of beads and feathers, she grew tired of it. Bored. Each day was a tedious cycle, a repeat of the one before, and even if she got the occasional gaudy customer from time to time, it was all still the same. It was all still...repetitive.

Hatting was her only escape, though. Hatting was the only reason why her mother wasn't dragging her into some arranged marriage to a rich, barely known stranger. If Elizabeth said she didn't want to hat anymore - well, she'd be dragged right back home. She'd be forced into marrying.

But how can she explain that to Elaine?

"Well, I- "

"See you later, Elaine," Another interruption. Another worker leaving the bakery, giving Elaine a hearty wave as they disappeared down the street. It seemed Elizabeth would never be able to fully explain herself here.

Shooting Elizabeth an apologetic smile, Elaine turned on her heel and waved after the man, "See you tomorrow, Helbram!"

While Elaine waved goodbye to her fellow colleague, Elizabeth stepped away from her and smoothed out her dress. If she ever wanted to escape this forever-continuing interrogation, then she needed to leave while Elaine was distracted. Right now, was her chance to leave. If she didn't take it, then she'd be here all night discussing her wants, future and the topic of the mysterious supposed wizard.

"I'd better be going," Elizabeth garbles out as Elaine turns back around. Already, she could sense Elaine's disagreement. So before the blonde could say anything else, Elizabeth begins to walk down the street, hoping that Elaine would not follow. Luckily, she does not.

"It's your life, Elizabeth!" Elaine calls out after her, her voice ringing down the street. She wears a hopeless expression, her worry for her friend not dying out at all. "Do something for yourself for once, will you?"

A small, knowing smile blooms on Elizabeth's face as she shakes her head, "Bye, Elaine."

Soon, she is back at the station, climbing onto the omnibus and holding onto the bar next to the steps. As it passes across the bridge, she watches as the sun sets in the sky, its orange light bleeding onto the grand structures of the town's centre fading away into the distance. With its shining pillars and colourful buildings, you wouldn't think that such a beautiful place would be native to so many hidden secrets and dangers. You wouldn't think that this place would soon be exposed to war.

Releasing a gentle sigh, Elizabeth releases her gaze of the town. Even though she doesn't want to admit it, she needs to be more careful. More wizards than ever have been on the prowl, and if she wanted to keep herself safe then she needed to be hidden. She needed to remain within the shadows. If she didn't, then a repeat of today would happen - only no-one would be able to know if she'd make it unscathed.

A single palanquin waited within the street, painted in a sheeny coat of navy blue. Bright white lined the frame of the small box window, a star dotted curtain drawn across the gap. Holding the vehicle's four bars were two men, their skin a deep, slick-looking black. Bulbous noses protruded from their faces, barely fitting within the fine ivory masks over the features. Their suits were made of fine-looking fabric, the collars of their shirts drawn over their necks.

Neatly tucked into the backstreets of the town, they were hidden away from the hubbub of the streets. Beside them ran a small waterway, the water flowing fast and sure along its designated path. It was the only sound aside from the distant cheering that filled the air.

With a soft click, the door to the palanquin shifted open a little. After it came a gloved hand, the material of the garment just as dark as the paint of the vehicle. In that hand rested a small, golden container with a hooked handle, similar to a pitcher that came with a tea set. On its lid was a small amber jewel, the base of it fixed onto the container in a circular shape.

Gracefully, the gloved hand tapped the lid and it flew open. As soon as the lid was ajar, a mass of black ink swam through the cracks in the pavement, fast-moving and impatient. Melding together, they formed a simple black lump, their individual hats dotted in between, before they leapt into the container. Jabbering some sort of encoded language, each of them made an odd squelching sound, their little boater hats still adorned upon their heads and being sucked into the container too.

Then, just as swiftly as they'd placed out the jar, the owner clicked the lid shut and brought the container back in. The palanquin door followed, sealing in a silent and fluid motion.

'Interesting,' The person inside hummed as they examined the small golden container. Their keen golden eyes watched as they turned the container, listening to the small sounds escaping from within it. 'It seems he has an accomplice.'

With a single wave of their hand, the two men outside straightened up and lifted the palanquin from the ground. In a rather jerky and awkward movement, they maneuvered the vehicle around and began to walk down the backstreet. Soon the only trace of the palanquin and blobby men was the squeaking of their shoes as they continued down the streets, disappearing into the dusky shadows.