I stormed down the stairs, wiping a stray tear from my cheek. I wasn't so angry that I was crying; that's not what happened. It just leaked from my eye as the imagery from my dream lingered.

As I arrived in the downstairs area of the bar, everyone turned to face me. Ban, Meli, Ellie, and Hawk all acknowledged my entrance, but returned to what they were doing.

"Meli," I growled, and the bar keeper turned toward me with a neutral expression.

"Yeah?"

"What... in the hell," I spat, holding up the pieces of the Boar Hat uniform toward him. "Is this?"

"Our uniform."

"Why was it on my bed?"

"Cause I put it there."

"Give me my clothes."

"Nope.

"Give them back."

"Sorry."

"Meliodas, I swear to fucking god..." I growled, sighing. My frown deepened, and I returned the clothing to my side. "Why can't I have my clothes?"

"Cause I need you in the uniform if you're going to be a waitress," he hummed back.

"Then I won't be a waitress," I said, "Give my clothes back."

"Okay," he responded, and I sighed in relief. "After you wear it once or twice as a waitress."

"MELIODAS, I SWEAR-" I shouted, diving across a table and grabbing him by the collar. Both my threat and attack were interrupted by the soft spoken princess who sat at the table next to Hawk.

"(Y/N), have you been crying?"

I turned toward her with a raised eyebrow. "Huh?"

"Your eyes are slightly red, and there are small streaks of pink across your cheeks," she explained, eyebrows furrowed as she stared at me. "And your eyes are more relaxed and tired-looking than usual."

"Oh, no," I chuckled, lying as I rubbed the back of my neck. I set the captain down, who was also now staring at my face. "I'm just tired, that's all. Didn't get very much sleep last night."

"Cause you were crying?" Meli asked from next to me. I glared at him, and he shrugged. "She's right. You do look like you've been crying."

"Look, I'm fine," I said irritably, turning away from him and toward the stairway I had just come down from. "I haven't slept very well for a long time... And then I had a dream about wearing this." I lifted up the uniform, then grinned back at Ellie. "I'm fine, down worry about it."

I walked past Ban, who stared at me. I mouthed the words 'Please don't' and he nodded, looking nonchalantly back to the group. I sighed, stalking up the stairs toward the death of my pride.

"This doesn't even fit!" I exclaimed from in front of the group. I frowned as I stared at the outfit, which very clearly showed off my (f/c) panties and a considerable amount of my chest. The top was too small, so I had to leave the top two buttons undone. Since I was too lazy to brush my hair, I threw it up into a bun that was tied back with the part of the uniform that was usually the tie.

"I think you look great," Meli said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"No hands- stick to Ellie," I scowled, glaring at him.

"It doesn't even fit her!" Hawk huffed, looking at the outfit disapprovingly. "Can't we out some leggings on her, or something?"

"Nope!" Meli smiled, "The sexual appeal of the outfits makes it easier for her and Elizabeth to get people to buy booze and tell us stuff."

I sighed, frowning, but giving up arguing with the pervert. I sat down in the bar counter, scanning the room out of boredom. Ellie was staring at me, probably because she was worried. She was really observant.

The bell of the door jingled, signaling somebody was entering. Obviously, it wasn't a customer, since Hawk's Mom was taking us to our next destination- the details of which only Meli knew. It couldn't be Diane, since she was walking on the opposite end of the bar, so it must've been King.

My hypothesis was proved correct at the lazy boy floated in, laying tiredly on his green, leopard print pillow. He galnced at the captain, letting the door close behind him.

"So where are we headed ne- OH MY LORD, (Y/N) WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!?!" King asked, then shouted, as he gaped at me.

"I don't like it either. Sadly, it's not my choice," I growled, glaring very obviously at the captain.

"YOU'RE MAKING HER WEAR THAT?!?"

"It's good for business," Meli shrugged at the sin, "Hot girls in skimpy outfits sells."

"Meli!"

"Lord Meliodas!"

"Meliodas!"

"Captain!"

Ellie, Hawk, King, and I all yelled simultaneously at the blonde man, who grinned cheekily and chuckled. He sat down next to Ellie, whose face was bright red and hands were clenched.

"We get it, cap'n's a perv," Ban yawned, emerging from his corner of emo and joining the conversation. He turned toward Meli, who grinned wider. "Where're we headed next?"

"Oh!" Meli smiled, "There's a famous town nearby called Biron that's famous for their ceramics. We're going to stop their and try and get some information."

"Isn't that just an excuse for us to drink more?" I asked, and Meli laughed.

"Yeah, pretty much," he grinned, turning toward King. His expression changed from a smile to serious contemplation rather quickly. "King, something's been bothering me. Yesterday you said something weird was going on with the Holy Knights- that they were acting strange and abandoning the code. What did you mean?"

"There are a few other things that are weird too," Ban chimed in, leaning against a pillar at the end of the bar counter. "Like that girl, Guila. What was her deal?"

"She was pretty powerful for a Holy Knight of her age," I frowned, "She could take on four of us with relative ease. I mean, we didn't have our sacred treasures, but still.... that's a scary thought."

"That's not even the most curious part, either," King added.

"What do you mean, Lord King?" Ellie asked, looking at him.

"If I told you that just a day before she encountered us, she was a low ranking, run-of-the-mill Holy Knight Apprentice with barely any power, would you believe me?"

"She was what?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

"How does that even happen?" Ban asked.

"I'm not exactly sure..." King frowned, placing his fore finger and thumb against his chin. "I wasn't given much information. What I do know, however, is that there have been tons of rumors that Holy Knights like her appeared before the coup d'état. Gilthunder called them 'The New Generation'."

"A new generation of Holy Knights, hm?" Meli muttered to himself. He was right next to me, sitting on a bar stool, so I could hear him. "Sound fishy."

"More like dangerous..." I breathed, frowning.

"This town is way more lively than I'd thought it would be," I hummed, smiling as I looked around the small, bustling village.

"I know!" Huffed Hawk, snorting quietly. "There's a lot of people here for a town so small."

"Merchants come from all over to buy ceramics here," Meli replied, looking at the several ceramic shops and booths that littered the town.

"Lord Meliodas," Ellie started, "Why did Lady Diane have to stay behind?"

"What else could we do?" The captain replied, "If she came with us and there were and Holy Knights around we'd have to fight instead of info gathering."

"Oh," Ellie spoke shortly, blushing slightly out of embarrassment. "I should have realized that."

"Naw, it's fine," Meli grinned, "We can bring her along if everything checks out."

A man holding a large basket of what looked to be fruit walked by, and Hawk watched him closely as he passed. When he got to the point where Hawk had to go out of his way to watch, he faced ahead again and huffed. "Man, I'm hungry..."

"Hey," King said boredly, "Have you ever noticed how Ban and (y/n)'s posters are like a photo?"

"Yeah," I grinned, winking at him. "The only reason it matters to you is because you and Meli look nothing like what's in your posters."

"Hey!" He huffed, puffing his cheeks out as they dusted a light pink. He crossed his arms and lied against his pillow angrily, playfully glaring at me. I laughed lightly, smiling as I turned to face the front of where we were walking.

"Have you guys noticed how everyone is staring at us?" Meli asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked around. His tone was more hushed, making it clear he was only speaking to us.

I raised an eyebrow as well, looking around. I hadn't noticed it before, but he was right. Nearly everyone in the town stared or glanced at us as we walked by. I frowned.

"Well, like King said before... Ban and I do look a lot like our posters..." I muttered, more to myself than anyone else. It was mostly the adults who were staring, children just looked from us to their guardians curiously, obviously not understanding why they were staring. I was suddenly very aware of the skimpy outfit I was wearing. I hugged my arms around my waist, hands resting on my hips in a feeble attempt to cover myself up a bit.

I glanced at a notice board as we passed, gingerly skimming over every poster in the board. Mine, Meli's, King's, Ban's, Diane's, Merlin's, Escanor's, Gowther's, and...

I did a double take, stopping in the middle of the road to stare at the poster. I gasped at it, stopping the nearest member of our group by the shoulder. I had grabbed Ban.

"Guys. Look."

Everyone gathered around me, staring at the new wanted picture with surprise. How did the catch on so quickly..?

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ELIZABETH LIONES

(Insert her picture here)

WANTED FOR AFFILIATION WITH THE EIGHT DEADLY SINS

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"A wanted poster for me...?" Ellie asked, confusion and shock ridden on her face. She furrowed her brows lightly.

"And there isn't one for me?!?! Those pigs!" Hawk huffed, staring at the board in disgust.

"Hey little lady," A man walked up behind Ellie, tapping her on the shoulder. "Are you the one on the-"

"Time to run!" Meli shouted, grabbing Ellie by the breast and picking her up bridal style. He ran as fast as he could, followed by King and Hawk. Ban grabbed my by the wrist, starting to drag me along as I was about to shout something at the captain.

"H-hey!" The man shouted, "COME BACK!"

"Ban!" I growled, picking up my feet and beginning to run alongside him. "I can run on my own, you know."

"Sure didn't seem like you were gonna start moving any time soon," he replied stoically, releasing my wrist. I huffed, a slight red tinge in my cheeks.

"HEY! ITS THE WANTED CRIMINALS!"

"GET 'EM AND TURN 'EM IN!"

"SOMEONE GET A HOLY KNIGHT!"

Villagers were collectively shouting about apprehending us and getting a Holy Knight. Man, sometimes being a wanted criminal and supposed traitor of the kingdom really sucks...

I began looking around, searching for any place we could use as a temporary shelter. There was a few buildings around, but nothing that would be useful. By now every civilian here knew we were running off. And since I didn't have my cloak I couldn't shove my hood on and hide out in a bar. Goddamn Meliodas...

"OVER THERE!" King shouted, pointing at a run-down looking tower. Meli turned, us following him, to the structure, sprinting toward it with Ellie still in his arms.

He shoved open the large wooden doors, scaling the stairs to the top relatively quickly. Since I was in the back, I paused momentarily to close the doors and put the barricade next to them in its proper place. I then followed everyone up the stairs, locking the trapdoor to the uppermost area we were in behind me as well.

"Man, that was stupid," I huffed, listening to the distressed, angry shouts of the villagers bellow. The shouted about where they saw us running and what we looked like.

"We were careless, that's for sure," King sighed. "We know Holy Knights were proactive about wanted posters, and since the whole 'Twigo Incident'. And they've been after Elizabeth for a while. Finding out that she was with us was great for them because it and was easier to spread word about them wanting her."

I glanced over at Ellie, since everyone else was preoccupied with making sure no Holy Knights were outside, I was sure I wasn't needed over there. She was shaking, and looked like she was on the verge of tears. I immediately walked over to her.

"Hey, it's okay," I said quietly, hoping to console her. "They're not going to find you. And it's not your fault. Okay?"

She nodded shakily. Nobody else had noticed her yet.

"Yeah," Ban spoke dryly, "She was in the castle not to recently, too."

"Meaning that her picture is very recent," King frowned, "And very accurate."

Meli finally turned around and saw Ellie. His eyes widened slightly, then returned to normal. He immediately walked over and crouched on the opposite side of Ellie that I was. She was still shaking vigorously. I wasn't sure what to do; I was never the greatest at this kind of stuff.

"Hey, Elizabeth, are you okay? You aren't looking so good," he commented bluntly, causing me to glare at him.

"I'm sorry... I knew this would happen eventually," she spoke shakily, drawing everyone's attention. "It's just... when I saw my own wanted poster I couldn't stop shaking. I don't know why... I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I would assume this is a totally normal reaction," King said softly, "You are just a sixteen year old girl, after all."

My entire body tensed. She's sixteen?!?! I've been hardcore shipping an over 3,000 year-old guy with a 16 year-old girl?!?! I feel so... gross.

"Can't we just forget about business here and go back to the Boar Hat?" Hawk asked, leaning over the banister of the building.

"Yeah, we can forget about that," Meli agreed, "But either way we need to stay up here until the commotion dies down."

"No, please!" Ellie said suddenly. She had stopped shaking for the most part, it looked like Meli had cheered her up. Never mind, I don't feel gross anymore. Those two were made for each other. "Don't sacrifice why we came here just because of me! You guys can go gather information, I'll stay here so you won't have to worry."

"...Are you sure...?" Meli asked uncertainly, looking at her with a semi-worried expression.

"I'm positive," she said determinedly. "I'll be fine, Lord Meliodas."

"I'll stay here just in case," I added, them pointed at Hawk and Ellie with a grin. "Keep these two out of trouble."

"And who's gonna watch you?" Ban asked, smirking lightly. I glared at him.

"You're a toddler compared to me," I glared, "I can manage myself just fine."

"Whatever you say, grandma," Ban grinned, and I stuck my tongue out at him. He chuckled.

"Okay, it's settled, then. We'll get this over with quick!" Meli smiled, guesturing for everyone to follow him out. "And if anything happens, I'll roast Hawk."

"What?!?!" Hawk shouted, staring at Meli as everyone followed him out the trapdoor. They quickly left, leaving me, Ellie, and Hawk by our lonesome.

"Thank you, (y/n)," Ellie smiled quietly, looking at me. I was retying the blue ribbon in my hair because it had come somewhat loose. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"For what?"

"Always being there for me," she elaborated, "Lord Meliodas has always been there to protect me, but you've always been there as a friend for me. I don't want to downsize anyone else, but you're one of the people here who I could see myself being a friend with for a very long time. I can count on you to always be there for me. It's... it's a nice feeling. I haven't felt that way since the Holy Knights kidnapped my family."

I smiled, crouching down next to her. "Hey, you don't have to thank me. We're all in this together. You're a Deadly Sin now, after all," I laughed, "One of the most dangerous criminals in Liones. We've got each other's backs. That's what we do."

Her eyes shone brightly as she stared up at me with a wide smile. It was sort of a mutual agreement. We were friends. Good friends.

"Uhm, excuse me? Are you forgetting someo-" Hawk started, but was cut off by a loud shout.

"I FOUND HER!"

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