The Endless Hourglass

Chapter Twenty-Three

"I promise, I'm really not that interesting." Pandora looked off into the distance, enjoying the peace that was in her mind. It was rare that her thoughts weren't racing and that she could just sit and enjoy the moment.

"What's on your mind?" Meliodas asked, walking over. Pandora smiled slightly at his question and closed her eyes.

"Not much." She turned back to Hawk whose plate was empty. "Hawk, are you still hungry?" He nodded, his eyes sparkling. Pandora grabbed the last of the food off of the table and gave some to him and some to Pyrrha.

"Stop giving all of my food to the animals." Ban whined drunkenly. Pandora's green eyes filled with guilt.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. They just looked really hungry and I didn't-"

"It's okay, I was just messing with you. They were going to get the food anyway because everyone already ate." Ban said, trying to reassure her. "Are you okay? You seem...different I guess."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. You would normally tell me to shut up or something."

"He's not wrong, what's the matter, Pandora?" Meliodas joined in.

"I can assist if you would like."

"It's okay, Gowther, thanks." Pandora said through gritted teeth, taking a sip of ale while rolling her eyes.

"Help with what?" Meliodas asked, placing his ale down on the table as he sat down.

"I can assist with explaining her sudden change."

"It's really okay, Gowther, thanks." Pandora said, trying to shut him up, sending a sharp glare in his direction.

"What, no! Gowther, tell us."

"I will go with the majority, Ban, you are the tie breaker."

"What? Gowther, it's my life and my business! Can't you just-"

"Sure, why not?" Pandora slammed her head down on the table sighing. Pyrrha placed her head in Pandora's lap and the blonde pet it lovingly.

"Pandora's change isn't as random as it seems. While her words appear to be opposite to what she normally says, they are more accurate to what she's thinking and less filtered."

"Why?" Meliodas asked, taking a sip of his ale.

"Her judgment and decision making are impacted by the amount of alcohol in her bloodstream."

"Are you saying she's drunk after an ale?" Ban laughed, drinking down more of his ale. "You don't seem very drunk."

"As of right now, she has had about two ales-"

"Then how is she drunk?"

"And an entire bottle of alcohol." Pandora rolled her eyes. Of course, Gowther had to know everything.

"How are you still standing?" Ban asked, poking Pandora gently to see if she would fall over. She slapped his hand.

"Number one, I'm not standing, I'm sitting. Two, I can actually hold my alcohol, unlike some people. Anyway, I'm going to head to bed, I'll see you guys in the morning." Pandora got up and tripped over her own feet making Ban and Meliodas laugh. "I'm clumsy, give me a break." Pandora made her way to her room but didn't feel like sleeping. She stepped out onto the balcony and looked over the landscape with a sigh. She climbed up onto the roof and lay down, looking up at the stars. Her eyes scanned the sky in wonder and amazement. Sometimes it was easy to forget how small she truly was. Not even a speck of dust in comparison to the entire planet. It's easy to get caught up in all of the mayhem and forget how small she was. The earth would keep turning and the seasons would still come and go. Despite what she was going through, despite who she was with, there would always be a constant if she was just willing to see it.

She snapped out of her thoughts at a small cough from the balcony. She sat up on her elbows to get a better look at who it was. Her older brother stood with a small smile on his face but seemed to be uncomfortable. Pandora smiled and motioned for him to join her. He complied and carefully pulled himself onto the roof and sat down beside her. They didn't speak for a moment, both mesmerized by the stars.

"Can I talk to you?" Meliodas asked without turning his head away from the sky. Pandora smiled slightly and shut her eyes. She didn't realize how much she missed her older brother until he was back in her life again.

"Sure."

"I'm sorry, Pandora. For everything. For leaving, for not coming back, for hurting you," Meliodas took a deep breath and shut his eyes. "I should have known you were out there. I should have known you wouldn't leave me. I said some awful things to you, Pandora, and I'm sorry." She just smiled softly.

"You really are an awful liar." Meliodas looked over at her, fear in his eyes, thinking she was implying his apology was ingenuine. Pandora shook her head with a small smile. "No, I mean when you were lashing out. It was upsetting, sure, but I knew you were speaking out of anger and you weren't being honest. I saw the way your eyes lit up when you saw me alive again, even though you tried to hide it." She let out a gentle sigh. "I'm sorry too. I put a lot of things on your list of regrets that don't belong there." Meliodas looked at her questioningly. "It wasn't your fault what happened to me. Even if you were there, you wouldn't have been able to change anything. They would have hurt you too instead of just me." Pandora turned her head so she was looking at her brother. "I see the curse is still active." Meliodas chuckled grimly and nodded. "We'll find a way to end it, I promise." They both went quiet, deep in thought.

"How do you do it, Pandora?"

"Do what?"

"How can you sit here and talk about ending my curse when you have one of your own?"

"The worst part of my curse isn't my curse. It's the fact I can't do anything to break yours, no matter what I try." Pandora stood up and dusted herself off. "I'm exhausted, good night."

Pandora woke up the next morning to a painful headache as a small beam of sunlight shined into the room through the closed curtains. Without warning, the curtains were pulled open, letting light flood the room.

"Rise and shine, sleeping beauty." Pandora groaned and rolled over, ignoring her brother. She heard gentle snoring coming from Pyrrha. "Come on! Get up, we're about to make plans." Pandora sat up, running a hand through her hair, keeping her eyes closed due to the blinding light. She pulled the blanket off of her and stepped out of bed. Pyrrha didn't bother getting up and just kept sleeping. The blonde looked back to the blanket. She didn't remember grabbing a blanket, maybe she was too drunk to remember?

As she started to leave the room, she noticed a pillow and blanket on the floor in the corner. She looked at her brother, trying to figure out who's it was. "Don't look at me, I share a room with Elizabeth."

"Meliodas." Pandora said in a warning tone. He only looked back at her with a blank expression. She sighed, knowing he wouldn't change the room arrangements. "Who was in my room then?"

"I don't know, Ban maybe?" Meliodas looked like he was up to something.

"Whatever, let's just go downstairs." Pandora followed her brother while rubbing her aching head. Once in the main part of the tavern, she sat down at a table, placing her head on it. She tried to ignore the other's chattering until something caught her interest.

"We're going to infiltrate Liones and get the sword back." Pandora shot up to look at her brother.

"Meliodas, what sword?" Fear was prevalent in her emerald green eyes. He ignored her question.

"You'll come with me, right?" Pandora rolled her eyes. Her brother really was an idiot at times. Meliodas pouted for a few moments until he continued speaking. "The sword...no, the dragon handle that was stolen from me...is a fragment of a ritual relic, 'The Coffin of Eternal Darkness'."