Scye, 1 day before the war
"And where have you been, Basil?" A dissatisfied Elaine asked.
"Hanging out with Lion and his daughter."
Of course you were."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh please,"
Basil slumped into his chair, exhausted from the week's activities so far. It had been a really long week and nagging was definitely the very last thing he needed in that moment. But his wife was not having it. Not long after, Lion walked into the house, throwing himself onto a chair, exhausted and sweaty.
"Elaine…" he nodded.
"It's bad manners to throw yourself on a fragile surface like that." She said, ignoring his greeting.
"Sorry."
"Of course you are." She whispered.
"Can I have a glass of water?" He asked
"They don't have any at Belleyne's?"
Basil looked at his wife with disappointment, embarrassed by her rude behavior.
His friend quietly stood up and made his way toward the door, slamming it as he left.
Basil went after his friend in hopes of apologizing on Elaine's behalf, but she didn't seem sorry for her actions and even justified them. He came back inside to meet his wife sitting by the window, reading.
"Seriously?"
"What, Basil? I'm reading."
"At least show some remorse for what you did"
"No. Now go away."
He stood there feeling frustrated
"You don't respect me as a husband or a human being!"
"Oh save it!" She snapped.
"You're always hanging around that rebel, wasting your time doing who knows what!"
She gently closed her book,
"And then you come home wanting respect. You're not organized, you don't have any skills, yet all you do is hang around with 'Lion and his daughter'".
"Enough, Elaine!"
"Don't raise your voice at me."
She looked at Basil head to toe with disgust plastered across her face.
"Everytime you're hanging around with his child and…"
"Well I don't see your child around anywhere for me to play with!"
He regretted those words as soon as he said it.
It was in a burst of anger, he didn't mean it.
"Sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that…"
"No, you said exactly what you had in mind." She cut him off
"Elaine…"
Elaine grabbed a coat and walked out of the house and into the streets. Her husband tried to go after her, calling behind her as she went.
She headed straight for Belleyne's , hoping she would find Lion, but it was only Mabel she met.
"Elaine?" She looked shocked.
Elaine's glared at the lady and charged straight at her.
"Basil's not here, he just left. I'm surprised you didn't see…"
Slap!
"Excuse you?"
Elaine slapped Mabel hard, then she pulled on her dress by the collar and gave her a head butt.
"What the hell, Elaine!?" Mabel yelled.
She tried to grab her attacker but she was too slow. Elaine was surprisingly strong, she grabbed Mabel's hair and dragged her halfway across the room before hitting her head on a table. She turned her over so that she was lying on her back and facing her. She forcefully grabbed Mabel's face and pressed hard on her jawbones…
"Tell that rogue husband of yours to stay away from Basil!"
"What?!"
She hit the back of Mabel's head on the table.
"Tell Lion to stay far away from my husband. Hmm?"
"Hmm?" She threatened
"Fine!" Mabel cursed under her breath.
She let go of her and stormed out of the pub. She ran into Basil on the street and simply brushed past him, nearly throwing him to the ground. If looks could kill, Basil would've died instantly after Elaine shot bullets at him with her eyes. He quickly dashed off into the pub only to find Mabel laying on the table all beat up, staring at the ceiling with gum in her mouth, chewing and popping loudly.
"She left." Was all she had to say.
She stood up and dusted her apron, fixed her hair and lipstick before grabbing her towel to wipe off the bloodstain on her face. Minutes later, Lion came rushing in. He looked at her battered body and clenched his fists, if only he'd been there in time. He ran over to her side to see if she was badly injured but, she simply pushed him aside and continued what she was doing. He looked around to see if their little girl hadn't been in the room when Elaine attacked.
"Your daughter's in the house, don't worry."
"Oh…how did y-"
"I know you too well. You prioritize her safety over anything else in this world." She said and smiled.
Basil's voice came from behind the room
"Mabe?"
"Don't 'Mabe' her. Look at what that wife of yours did!" Lion snapped
"Look…I'm sorry. She's been having a rough couple of days, she's shaken up badly and…"
"Stop making excuses for her! The hell?"
Basil lowered his head, he was at a loss for words.
"Everytime she does something wrong, you have an excuse for it!"
"It's…" He wanted to say
"Shh"
Lion suddenly raised his head up, he strained his ear as if listening for something. He turned left, then right, then left again. He was sure he heard it! But what direction was it coming from? He couldn't tell. Basil looked at him completely confused and noticed sweat beads started to form on his head, all the way to his neck. He swallowed hard and kept looking around, listening carefully to everything that went on. Theb he heard it again, faint marching sounds coming from outside the building. No doubt about it. They found us! He turned to Mabel and Basil,
"Get everybody out of here!"
"W-what? Why?" Mabel looked frightened.
"Just get everybody out now! We've been discovered!"
Mabel froze immediately, her eyes widened with disbelief. She knew Lion and Basil had chosen Belleyene's as their hideout because it was the safest place for them. No one should've been able to find them out. She tried to move, but she couldn't. Her legs felt heavy, knots began to form in her stomach. This was bad news! She knew she had to go get her daughter and her mother to safety, Grandma Belle too. Suddenly, Lion grabbed her and shook her violently, shouting and screaming, bringing her back to her senses.
"Mabel get everyone out now! Hurry!"
"Hurry!"
"We don't have much ti-"
Boom!
A bomb exploded at the entrance of the building, sending Basil who had been keeping watch flying.
Boom!
Another one hit the roof, causing rubble and debris to fall on the spot where Basil lay. The entire building was covered in dust and smoke. Mabel ran back to fetch the occupants of the house and ran away with them, her daughter safely strapped on her back. She called out to Lion,
"Lion! Meet us at the Omir border!"
"Mmh!"
He made sure she was out of sight before heading to where his friend had been hit. The bombing had stopped for now, so they had more time to escape. He pulled his friend out and checked to see if he had any fatal injuries. None except a small piece of glass that was stuck in his head. Thankfully the glass only pierced his left brow, avoiding vital parts of his head. Lion looked very angry, tears threatening to fall from his eyes, but this was no time to be crying or showing pity. He needed to take care of his injured friend. Carefully, he lay Basil down and gently removed the glass piece then applied pressure on the wound. Luckily, Mabel's hand towel was laying close by so he grabbed it and wrapped it around Basil's head.
Boom!
Another explosioncame from the back of the building. Did they surround us? Lion thought.
Boom!
The next attack narrowly missed the duo on the floor and hit the wine cellar, blowing it to bits as it ignited with the alcohol and set the place on fire. Lion hurriedly carried his injured friend on his back and escaped through the secret exit door underneath the building. He silently thanked Grandma Belle for having this exit constructed.
The explosions continued on the upper part of the bar until the entire place was brought down and burnt. Lion was filled with rage; that was Elyne and Belle's treasure, how dare they destroy it like it meant nothing? Scye's finest liquor store! They would pay for it! He swore that everyone who had a hand in this would pay dearly. But first, he needed to make sure everyone was okay. He worried about the men he had recruited in leading the resistance. Had they too been discovered? Had they suffered the same fate like the Belleyne's pub? Were they able to make a run for it and escape to safety? The children? The wives? The men?
"Everyone…please be alright." He prayed
Auburn…please be safe. Be a strong girl and hold on a little longer.
He looked at Basil who was still unconscious on his back. The towel on his head was covered in blood.
They'll pay for this, brother! Lion thought to himself.
"…they'll definitely pay for this!!"