There was a loud banging sound....

BUMP BUMP BUMP.

Like someone was banging on a door....

BUMP BUMP BUMP.

Is it a dream....?

BUMP BUMP BUMP. "Open up!"

I groaned; definitely not a dream.

I sat up, my hair a complete mess and my gloves twisted in an unusually uncomfortable manor. I yawned loudly, stepping off the side of the bed and slouched my way to the restroom to grab a hairbrush.

BUMP BUMP BUMP. "I said, open up!" BUMP BUMP BUMP.

"I'M COMIN'!" I yelled back, beginning to run the several bristles through my tangled hair. An occasional pull or tug would cause my to squeak lightly or whisper an 'ow', but nothing too out of the ordinary had happened in the short time I've been awake. The only thing I could say was an unusual was the people at my door. Never- never- had anyone come to my rented room. The owner of the hotel would come occasionally to collect payments, but other than that, this room was only seen by me, myself, and I.

I continued brushing my hair as I adjusted my gloves, making myself at least relatively comfortable.

BUMP BUMP BUM-

"Jesus Christ, I'm right here," I muttered after I finished, walking over and opening the door. "What do you wa-"

"You.... you must leave our town! You're a fugitive- one of the Seven, I mean, Eight Deadly Sins!" Said the man who was in front of the large crowd outside of my door- he was the one who ran the bakery, I believe. I blinked twice.

"Huh?"

"Y-you're The Raven Sin Of Despond, (y/n)!" A woman from behind the man declared, clutching his arm tightly as she pointed accusingly at me. "You must leave our town immediately!"

"Why?" I asked, tossing my brush onto the bed as I looked curiously at the people. I put a hand on my hip, cocking my head to the side in confusion. "I didn't do anything to you."

The man in front looked astonished, as if I had asked the most ridiculous question in the world. "Why? You didn't do anything to us? You're a sin; a criminal; a traitor to the kingdom! You are not welcome here because of your unforgivable betrayal!"

"But I didn't do that," I said, blinking tiredly as I stared. "The Holy Knights lied and framed me and the other Sins for their crimes. Plus, I haven't done anything to any of you. Not once have I interfered in your daily lives or harmed- much less killed- and of the citizens of this Town. I may have gotten in a few bar fights, but I've never done anything worth calling me a treacherous criminal. Maybe just an unstable drunk with an odd amount of strength."

The crowd stood, staring at me in disbelief. It was rather obvious that they heard the truth in my words. Their faces were ridden with serious contemplation, debating my words in an internal battle.

"S-still!" The main protester said finally, hesitating as he stuttered out his demand. "You must leave! We... we can't be associated with you."

I sighed, looking at the group of people. I spotted the kid who had ran into me the other day; he was hiding behind a woman's leg, peering up at me with a mixture of fear and curiosity. I smiled a small smile, nodding slightly before facing the spokesperson.

"Okay. I'll leave," I agreed, shoving my hands into the pockets of my shorts. The group murmured, glancing around and mumbling questions. They all asked each other whether or not they thought I was tricking them. I laughed lightly. "Don't worry, I'm not going to blow up the town or anything- that's not my style. All I ask is that you let me collect my belongings... and not alert the Holy Knights of my presence."

I quickly added the last part, glancing around at the people. The spokesman answered hesitantly after glancing around at the other townsfolk, "That is acceptable. We will grant your request as long as you have left our town by sunset."

"Will do, Sir," I smiled, sticking my tongue out of the corner of my mouth as I did a two-fingered salute.

With that, the townspeople left my temporary doorstep, leaving only a flyer that advertised my 'crimes' resting on the creaky wooden floors that made the hallway connecting the several rooms of the hotel. I sighed to myself, closing the door and slumping over to my bed. I flopped onto the sheets, groaning into the mattress.

Of course... of course! I assumed the villagers would recognize my poster, but I didn't think it would be so soon. It's just my luck that my poster is the only one that even remotely resembles me. Well, mine and Ban's, but he isn't here right now, so I get to complain.

I groaned once more, feeling the bed below me vibrate in sync with my annoyed vocal chords. My hot breath lingered on the sheets, making my nose and lips tingle from the warmth.

This was the one place where I actually got along with the locals, too....

I stayed on the bed for a few moments longer, lingering on the sheets I had grown accustomed to over the past year. Where would I head to next..?

As I began to contemplate cities to travel to, I stood up, throwing on my usual cloak and grabbing my brush off of the bedding. I walked over to the bathroom, beginning to collect the discarded undergarments and various toiletries I had stored on the wooden counter.

There was always Bernia Village- best ale there, too. I've heard they got the springs flowing again, as well...

There were a few soaps and small towels that came along with the hotel room, considering it was one of the nicest in all of Britannia (and for so cheap, too! Ugh I don't want to leave...). Surprising in a place like Dalmary, I know, but it's pretty cheap when I'm paying in stolen coins, so I'll take whatever I can get. I took the towels and soaps, shoving them in a small pocket of my traveling bag with the rest of my toiletries, and putting the ones that wouldn't fit comfortably in a second pouch.

Then there was Byron Town- I hadn't been there before, so it was a good place to hide out in. But I also heard that there was a sudden surplus in Holy Knights in that area.... probably not the best idea...

Grabbing the few extra outfits I had, that had either been laying on the floor or drying in a windowsill after I had washed them, I shoved them in my bag as well. They sat in the largest compartment of the bag, taking up about half of the space, since there were only three outfits in total.

I could head out to Camelot, settle into a new kingdom.... I wouldn't be recognized nearly as much. But it's so far away...

I shuffled through the bedside cupboard, which held various books and sketch pads that I had stolen (sometimes I bought them, but not often) during my time in the village. I took out the clothes, deciding it would be easier in the long run if I had more bag space, and folded them. I put them back in the compartment, then put the sketch pads in the back of the bag and the books on top of the clothes.

Ordan Village wouldn't be too bad either, it's very secluded and next to a large section of woods- a hideout to stowaway in if necessary. Of course, living in the woods isn't exactly ideal.

I ruffled around the bedsheets, gathering any other discarded clothing and putting it below the books with my other outfits. I quickly re-made the bed, making sure it looked like I tried to make the room look nice, while still trying as little as possible.

Then there's Kaynes Village which would be an ideal place to travel to next, if Fort Solgales wasn't just to the east of it. Guess that one's out of the running...

I grabbed the empty ale bottles that were littered around the room and tossed them in the small garbage bin in the corner of the room, near the door to the bathroom. It was overflowing by the time I threw all of them away. As I threw those out, I grabbed the two ale bottles that I hadn't opened yet and put them in the bag, making it so that there was very little room left.

Ravens... Ugh, that's a last resort. If nowhere else will take me, I guess I'll have to head there. I wouldn't have any other choice, in total honesty. It's where criminals go, after all....

After cleaning up the room a little, discarding trash (in the already full bin), and organizing everything a little bit, I closed my traveling bag. I had my toiletries packed into the small pouches on either side of the bag, and clothes, books, and ale in the main pouch. My wallet, filled with money that I was going to use for food during my search for a new town to stay in, was tucked into a pocket within my cloak.

I secured the bag onto my shoulders, adjusting it so that it was comfortable to wear and relatively compact. The bag wasn't too large to begin with, but I wanted to make sure nobody got any ideas- and if somebody did, I would notice almost immediately.

I opened the door to the room, glancing back at my temporary home that I had grown relatively fond of over the course of the past year. Alas, it was to be expected. I'm never welcome to stay in any one place for too long. I'm pretty sure I overstayed my welcome a long time ago.

I closed the door behind me, after my final glance and goodbye. I walked down the hallway I had grown too familiar with, stumbling home after getting extremely drunk or running from someone who had caught me stealing from them. Good times, good times......

I walked down the stairs that lead to the lower floor of the hotel, where the keeper always stood at his counter, either drinking ale while talking to a customer or humming a friendly tune. The man, Mart, as everyone called him, was wiping the shiny front counter, where his small bell and several purchasable items lingered. He was humming to himself, only stopping briefly when he saw me coming down the stairs.

I approached him, holding the key to the room in my dominant hand, while the other clutched the strap of my bag.

"Hey Mart, looks like it's finally our time to part ways..." I muttered, begrudgingly placing the key on the counter. His eyes widened and he stopped wiping, looking from my slightly upset face to the key in bewilderment.

"They really made you leave?" He asked incredulously, looking out the window at the small crowd of villagers that was slowly dispersing into their regular daily activities. "I didn't think they would actually do it... everyone in town really likes you."

"Really?" I chuckled, shoving my hands in the pockets of my cloak. "After all the stuff I've stolen and times I've gotten into fights?"

"You make the town seem more alive," he smiled, winning as he followed the compliment with a hearty laugh. His smile lingered as he looked back at me, just staring for a moment. "Nobody believed it at first."

I raised an eyebrow, "Believed what?"

"That you're one of the Sins."

"Why not?" I questioned, leaning against the counter. Mart was resting his chin on the palm of him left hand, while his right held the dirty rag he had been wiping the counter with. "I may not look all that strong, but I'm sure you guys would've sensed the power. And besides-" I said, slipping off my bag and taking off my cloak, so that the small of my back was revealed. The Raven tattoo (that lay just above the beginning of my ass, just below the small of my back) showed itself to the shop owner, who didn't react in the slightest, "-I thought you guys would've noticed this by now."

"Oh, we noticed it," he chuckled, "you weren't exactly secretive."

"Hey! Drunkenness can make you do weird things," I grinned, slipping my cloak back on and my bag onto my shoulders. "I'm practically the walking embodiment of stupidity when I've got alcohol in me."

"I know," he laughed, "I can't count the times you've puked in this very room."

"It always smelled afterwards," I chuckled back, scrunching up my face slightly as I remembered the taste and smell of bile. It took a while, but once I drank too much, it was bound to happen. Poor Mart was almost always the one who had to deal with it.

He nodded, smiling. He looked down at the key, staring at it for a couple moments before sliding across the counter and back at me. I looked at it in confusion.

"Take it."

"But I'm leaving."

"I know," he said, pushing the key closer to me. "But you'll always be welcome here. That room has been yours for as long as anyone can remember, and I can't imagine anyone else staying in it. Nobody else'll say it, but we'll miss you. Like I said, you make the town seem alive. Come back anytime, I'm sure everyone'll welcome you- as long as the Holy Knight exposure has died down."

I smiled, looking at the key. I grabbed a small chain bracelet from his collection of items, which cost one silver coin. I slipped the key onto the chain, then hooked it onto my wrist, making sure it was snug so that it wouldn't fall off.

"There," I hummed, holding my hand up. "Now I won't ever forget."

Mart smiled, "Good. Now go on. We don't want the Holy Kni-"

In the middle of his sentence, several screams erupted from outside. My head snapped toward the window, where I could several people were screaming and running for cover. There was what looked to be green rain falling from the sky, burning holes into buildings and the ground under a large, black cloud of buzzing that was hovering above the Village.

"Stay inside."

I ran to the door, bursting outside where a small boy was running. He was crying, clutching his arm while crying out in pain. I grabbed him, quickly telling him to go inside the hotel and ask the shopkeeper for help.

I looked up at the sky, more specifically, the large, black cloud of buzzing in the sky. It took a few moments before it clicked that it was bugs, flying around in a large hoard and spitting wads of poison down at the town.

"Fresia," I growled, seeing that the bugs were coming from Baste Dungeon.

I stepped out into the center of the street, shoving my hand into the air. I shouted, "Inferno- Plume!(1)"

A large rush of flames erupted from my hand, taking the shape of a large plume of fire. It engulfed all of the bugs, burning them to ash in a matter of seconds.

I pushed my legs upon the ground, bending them slightly as I jumped. I surged upward, landing on the roof of the hotel. People began exiting the buildings, looking up at me in awe- a few whopped, shouting their thanks at me.

"Everyone! Stay inside! I don't know what the Holy Knights are planning, but it seems clear that your wellbeing does not concern them! In case anything else happens, I want to make sure I don't have to worry about protecting civilians!" I shouted at the people, who responded with short-lived 'thank you's before returning safely inside.

I sighed, jumping down from the roof and landing gracefully on the ground. I stared at Baste, seeing the small figures of the Weird Fangs on the balcony of the prison. What are they doing? Well, I guess I have to go over there. I don't want to involve anyone else in th-

"(Y/N)?" A voice said. It sounded strangely like...

I whirled around, staring up at the looming figure above me. A giant, with an orange one-piece and a small cheetah-print bag on her shoulders. Large, purple eyes popped from her pale skin and brown pigtails. My eyes widened in surprise.

"Diane?"

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