renegade (seven deadly sins)

ACT TWO / the maze

<EDITED ON FEBRUARY 3>

this is quite a bit of filler before it gets into the main part of the story but i actually like the way it's written lol, i feel like i went through an epiphany in the middle of writing this

-

You roamed around the village that you had stopped in for the day. You had slipped out before your shift had started, trusting Elizabeth to take over. A breeze began during your stroll, reminding you of what today was.

You fiddled with your necklace as you watched the children playing in the town square. Today was the anniversary of the fall of Nubium. Mama had died today as well.

You swore you wouldn't follow in their footsteps. Today already had enough sadness associated with it.

You gathered some food in a basket as an excuse for your absence. You still wore the tavern uniform, drawing some unwanted attention by people in the village square, but you used that as an opportunity to tell the villagers about the Boar's Hat Tavern. It was easy to fool them with a charming smile.

"If anyone there is half as cute as you, then for sure," one of the villagers told you with a wink. You kept your smile and hurried away, resisting the urge to retch. If you had to deal with lines like that for the rest of the day, maybe you would skip out. You wondered what Meliodas would think.

You walked up the hill, your basket swinging from your arm. Before you went inside, you took a deep breath of the fresh morning air. Somehow, it smelled cleaner. You entertained the notion that Caelum was sending good vibes your way before stepping into the tavern.

"Good afternoon!" you chirped, keeping up a happy facade as you swept into the kitchen. It had been a while since you'd cooked a decent meal, since you relied on Ban's cooking and the chefs in Liones, but you had confidence you could make something marginally better than Meliodas. Granted, it wasn't a high bar, but it was good to start off small.

"Good afternoon," the others chorused. The night before had been filled with drinking and merriment, as per usual, and it had taken a toll on their bodies. They groaned as they got into more comfortable positions, taking up residence at the bar counter and the tables.

You didn't realize how large the space felt without Harlequin, Diane, and Ban until you finished cooking and turned around. You missed the conversations they brought to the table, and you felt their absence strongly.

"Eat up," you said, bringing plates to your friends. They were hung-over, squinting against the bright light streaming through the windows and holding their heads. You let out a more genuine laugh, closing the windows and allowing the tavern to be dimly lit for now.

You turned just in time to see King Arthur turn green. You grinned as he choked on the food you had given him. "I never said it would be good," you said. "But you must admit, it is better than Meliodas'."

"Anything would be better than his," Gilthunder said, comedic tears streaming down his face. "Although yours is a close second for the worst food I've ever tasted."

"Thank you!" you said with a thumbs up. "Finish eating and get changed. We have customers coming in for lunch hour."

"Is it too early to be praying?" Elizabeth whispered to Hawk. You pretended not to hear her; it was a lot funnier that way.

A stream of villagers came in at about ten in the morning. You and Elizabeth busied yourselves with serving food and drinks as fast as you could. Elizabeth had gotten better at her job, you noticed with pride, although you saw her trip over her own feet a few times. She never dropped anything, much to your relief.