*appears* not dead

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"I still can't believe you let her boss you around like that," Hawk observes. Elizabeth has no answer for him, mostly because she is still shining up the edges of the dining room table with a soft cloth, wanting nothing but perfection.

"Well, she is my mother," Elizabeth reasons lightly when she is well satisfied with her work. Hawk makes a low rumbling sound.

"I don't see the resemblance. Never have." He responds challengingly. Elizabeth purses her lips and sighs.

"She's taken care of me all these years," she adds plentifully. "I owe her that much, to do what she says."

"She owes you enough to cut you loose every once in awhile," Hawk sings, "haven't you noticed how much you've had to heal her lately? Maybe she's just using you."

Elizabeth cuts herself short, almost dropping her washcloth in surprise.

"Don't….don't say things like that, Hawk." She stammers, biting her quivering lip and shaking her head intensely.

Hawk stays silent, but only for a minute or two. Elizabeth is so heavily burdening herself with menial tasks he has to interject.

"You should go take a nap. Vivian won't be back until tomorrow night, you can worry about all of this stuff in the morning." he tells her softly. The china underneath her small hands makes a clinking sound when she sets it down on the counter.

"Maybe you're right," she answers softly. She doesn't realize - at first, at least - how Vivian's rejection has affected her emotionally. She needs rest, despite how little she likes to admit it.

"Of course I'm right. I'm the smartest person you know." He tells her playfully.

She doesn't bother telling him that he's a pig and not a human - that'd be tomorrow's problem.

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Meliodas clicks his tongue and taps the stone cold tower with his knuckles lightly, testing to make sure it wasn't another clever illusion. He meets solid rock and he is perplexed, to say the least.

It isn't often he stumbles across a mystery as obvious as this one - it was almost too obvious, there was a fair possibility that the tower could be a trap.

His curiosity anchors him to the only conclusion he can sum up in the minute and a half he has investigated - there is something in this tower, and he is going to find out what.

Kicking a brick near the bottom of the wall, testing its durability. A little magic never hurt anyone, now did it?

He grins cruelly at his own joke, magic being the source of nearly every war fought in Britannia….ever.

He sizes up the tower with scrutiny. The ivy that scales the stones in an ever fruitless attempt to grasp the sun has no chance in the world of supporting his weight, he'll have to try something else. If only he had some rope…

His mind feigns at the recollection that his lack of rope had gotten him into this situation in the first place. Magic really is last-resort, he doesn't want to accidentally tell Zeldris and Estarossa exactly where he is, his magic works as a beacon of sorts.

That left only one option. Nothing a little manual labor can't fix, right?

He cracks his knuckles, double checking to make sure all of his limbs are in comfortable working condition. He isn't the world's best climber but he supposes he isn't the worst, either. He just has to keep in mind that one slip of a hand can lead to his inevitable death. Excellent.

He reaches up and loops his hand around a wreath of creeping ivy, always reaching for the sky, and never reaching its fruitful destination.

It was now or never.

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"Elizabeth, wake up." Hawk prods at her shoulder uncomfortably, a sense of urgency written into his voice.

Elizabeth wearily sits up and blinks a few times, taking in the dim light of the risen moon pouring in through her crescent shaped window. Had she really been napping for that long? It couldn't have been more than early afternoon when she first turned in…

"What's wrong?" She asks him sleepily. His eyes nervously shift towards her bedroom door and back again.

"I think...I think someone's in the tower."

Elizabeth blinks once. Hawk makes no motion to retract his statement. She blinks one more time before saying something of her own.

"That's...not possible. Vivian won't be back until tomorrow night, you said it yourself-"

"Not Vivian." Hawk clarifies, voice strangled and tight liek he's in the midst of swallowing an entire cabinet."I think someone broke in."

Elizabeth's mouth opens, to protest, but then she shuts it again. There was no way that could be possible. Right…? Vivian has always told her that the outside world is a dangerous place, and that there is no way she should ever interact with it under any circumstances. So why would she allow something from there to enter her midst?

Elizabeth doesn't normally pride herself with ration, but this time, she has the courage to smile.

"Don't be silly, Hawk." she pats him on the head gently and moves to lay her own back on her soft, homely pillow. "Get some rest."

"-Elizabeth," Hawk whines. "I really think someone is here. I can...I can smell them."

Elizabeth purses her lips, but refuses to sit up. She refuses to acknowledge the idea that Vivian would allow something like that to happen.

"Sleep, Hawk. It's probably just some flowers blooming that you're smelling."

"I'm pretty sure this doesn't smell like flowers-"

"Hawk."

"Fine, fine…" he grumbles obediently. Hawk shifts, moving back to his pillow next to her bed where he is supposed to sleep. It is silent for the next minute, until she hears a slight thump coming from downstairs.

"...You heard that, right?" Hawk asks her, voice small and timid. She swallows.

"I...I guess there's no harm in checking to see if there's a bird stuck in the tower, right?" she offers nonchalantly, hoping to sound brave and not terrified.

"Right. Right! A bird, yes, definitely." Hawk is eager to agree. She gets off of her bed, nightie pooling near her ankles and bare feet hitting the cool floor gently.

She is careful to not make a sparing sound when she nimbly crawls down the steps, Hawk is no more generous with the sounds he makes, and is for once, silent.

When she gets to the lower level, she almost panics at the sight. It isn't much, but her meticulous vision notices enough about the same scene she witnesses every day, and has witnessed for er entire life.

The potted plant that sits on the window sill is knocked to the side, so a tiny bit of dirt has dripped out of the pot and onto the cool stone window where Vivian enters and exits.

Something is definitely inside the tower. The question is what.

Or, as her deepest fears would reveal, whom?

Her next thought is to find something to defend herself with. Her hands anxiously reach for the cool metal of the tea tray still sitting atop the dining room table haphazardly.

She lifts it to her chest guardedly, and Hawk unfortunately notices her nervousness and follows suit. She is careful to remain silent as she investigates the kitchen, the next area of interest.

It looks perfect.

Almost too perfect.

Elizabeth is no dummy, her keen eyes spot the differences immediately. Each chair is pushed in a little too cleanly, each countertop looks a bit more spotless than it had been previous. Either she was being extremely paranoid, or someone has been covering their tracks.

She motions Hawk to stay behind her, because she knows something is up, and she's praying it's only Vivian. Perhaps she's forgotten something, or wants to apologize and tell her adult daughter that she's allowed to finally explore the outside world, to do as she pleased...yes, that would certainly be ideal.

Unfortunately for her, nothing ideal really turned out.

Because the second she inched out of the kitchen, she was met with a smooth, unfamiliar voice that would practically cause her to jump right out of her skin.

"What've we got here?"

Elizabeth falls back into the wall separating the kitchen and the dining room, tea tray clanging against the stone with a loud resounding pang.

Hawk makes an uncomfortable squealing noise and falls back next to her. So much for being intimidating.

The person is standing in front of them, only a few arms distance away, but he makes no intentions of hurting them. He only folds his arms and takes in the sight.

"Who...who are you?!" Elizabeth demands, holding out the tea tray as if it were a much more intimidating sword.

He holds his hands up, as if to plead 'not guilty'. Elizabeth and Hawk aren't so fazed.

"I'm just a traveller lookin' for a place to stay, and your tower had a certain 'cozy' look to it. You know, like a really tall, really fancy dungeon." He tells her slowly, as if trying to convey harmlessness.

"Dungeon? This is...this is my home! I think...I think you should leave." Elizabeth stammers, braveness finding no purchase.

"Of course, of course. I had no intentions of intruding." He says to them both. Hawk lets out a snort of sorts, he is just as skeptical as she is.

Elizabeth says nothing else, only stares at him with an anxious intensity. His eyes are a vibrant green, like the summer grass she so fondly looks down upon from her window. Even in the dark she can see them glow.

"I'll just return down, sleep on the dirt. It's pretty cold, but, y'know. I'll manage." he says nonchalantly as he makes his way towards the window.

Elizabeth gulps, a newfound sense of guilt spreading.

"Elizabeth," Hawk nudges her, sensing her empathy. "Stay strong."

"Thank you very much for your ephemeral hospitality, I'll be off now," he gives them a little bow as he climbs to the window, skirting around the tipped over potted plant politely.

Elizabeth weakens. "I...wait…"

The man stops and turns towards her, a curious satisfactory playing across his lips.

"Yes?" He asks her playfully. He has known it all along she would cave to him.

"I...I mean, I guess you can stay. Just for tonight, I mean." she tries to sound authoritative as she stands back to her feet, tea tray protectively shielding her chest.

"Elizabeth, I don't think that's such a good idea," Hawk whispers to her hurriedly.

"Well, I can't just leave him…"

"I can hear both of you guys, you know. Nice talking pig, by the way." The man says casually, slouching low to examine both of the residents of the tower.

"Um...right. You can stay on the couch down here...but don't touch anything." Elizabeth clarifies, not wanting any more broken lamps and plants that she would undoubtedly have to explain away to Vivian.

"You got it." He agrees, slowly making his way towards the couch. Elizabeth is sure to put herself on guard when he draws close. He notices.

"You don't have to be scared around me, I'm not gonna hurt you," he says to her, eyebrow raised, finding her skittishness comical.

"Well...you're from the outside, aren't you?" She asks him, letting curiosity ebb into her voice like ink from a pen. He nods.

"Yeah...don't tell me you've never been down there," he jokes, before his smile fades. Her anxious look provides him with enough answers.

"So you're like...a prisoner up here?" He inquires. Elizabeth quickly shakes her head.

"No...no! Definitely not. Mother says the surface is a dangerous and cruel place that would exploit me to no end…" Elizabeth trails off, like she is expecting the man to confirm her suspicions. Instead, he looks at her quizzically.

"That's...interesting. And, if it makes you feel any better, I'm from the surface, and I like to think of myself as not dangerous and cruel. But, that's just my opinion." He holds his hands in the air, so signify impartiality.

Elizabeth studies him before responding. "I mean...you don't seem evil…"

"That's the spirit," he encourages, before walking towards her non-threateningly. "Down on the surface, we have customary greetings, yeah?"

Elizabeth cocks her head to the side out of pure curiosity.

"Let me show you," he slowly reached out and grabbed her chest before giving it a good squeeze. She is bewildered by this action, but doesn't stop him.

"See? Not evil." He pulls away, grinning, like they had just shared a secret joke. Hawk makes a grumbling sound, and Elizabeth is enticed.

"Really? Do all surface dwellers do that…?" she pries him for answers, desperate for information about the foreign customs.

"Sure! We do lots of stuff down on the surface, and if you want me to teach you anything else, I can-"

"We should probably get to sleep!" Hawk interrupts rudely. Elizabeth snaps her gaze down to her companion, a crestfallen look on her face. This very well might be her only chance to learn about the surface.

"Mm, maybe in a little bit, I want to get to know…" she trails off realizing she doesn't know the intruders name. He smiles.

"Meliodas. That's my name."

She smiles gratefully. "...Meliodas. And I'm Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth…" he tests her name out thoroughly. "Great. Also, since you aren't a surface dweller, it's typical for you to refer to me as Meliodas-sama. You know, it's customary. i don't make the rules."

Elizabeth nods and Hawk snorts.

"Right! Um, I want to stay up and talk to Meliodas-sama-"

"Time for bed Elizabeth! You can talk to Meliodas in the morning." Hawk insists, pushing Elizabeth up the steps.

"Ooh, Hawk, you should call him Meliodas-sama. You don't want to be disrespectful…" Elizabeth puts out in concern. Hawk lets out a breath of air.

"...Nevermind that. Let's just get some rest." he pushes further.

"...I suppose so. Um...goodnight Meliodas-sama, I hope we can talk more tomorrow." She tells him eagerly. He bows his head in the slightest.

"I'll look forward to it." he glances at her pointedly and she feels a warm blush flood to her cheeks before she turns around abruptly.

By the time she reaches her room again, she shuts the door quickly and falls onto her bed, filled with excitement and wonder. She is brimming with questions and ideas - how could she fit them all in one day?

"Isn't he - isn't he amazing?" she gushes to Hawk, clutching her pillow to her chest tightly to keep herself from squealing.

"I think he's full of shit." Hawk replies honestly. Elizabeth only shakes her head.

"He's from the surface! And he's not evil! He doesn't want to hurt me, or use me...Vivian was wrong." Elizabeth deducts, pushing her hair out of her eyes and blinking. "She was wrong. The surface isn't bad at all...Hawk. I want to go there. I want to go to the surface and I want Meliodas-sama to take me."

Hawk looks at her critically. "...Do you want my honest opinion?"

"Yes."

"I think that's a terrible idea."

"Hawk," Elizabeth protests, "this is the only chance I'm ever going to get. Just one day, just one day. Vivian doesn't have to know."

"Elizabeth, you barely know him. And I don't trust him, I think he's messing with you." Hawk snorts indignantly.

"You're being silly. This is my only chance. I have to take it." Elizabeth concludes, before laying down on her bedspread tiredly.

"Elizabeth, you're too trusting. this is going to backfire."

"Nonsense." Elizabeth murmurs drowsily. "You'll see. this is the best...plan...ever…"

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Meliodas blinks while laying down on the couch, staring at the expanse of the tower's ceiling. The stolen crown hangs neatly off of his arm as he twirls it around, treating it like a yo-yo rather than a priceless artifact.

"Elizabeth." He says her name quietly, enjoying the feel. She would be easy enough to dupe. Another girl, another day. And in no time he'd get her to spill the secrets of the tower right into his lap, and he'll be twice as rich as he was when he first arrived.

People don't lock things in a tower for no reason. And he is going to find out what this tower is so desperately trying to keep hidden from the outside world - even if he has to pry it from Elizabeth's tiny, frail hands.

She was right about one thing - the surface world is a dangerous place, and he is just the dangerous man to show her that.

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meliodas is such a scumbag i love him

dw tho. we all know if anybody can soften him up, its eliza.

thank you for all your reviews and support and i apologize for its latecoming! pls review to save my ded soul