“Careful,” Crow curled his lip at the knight. “Dogs can bite, too.” Usually he prided himself on staying above petty arguments, but this guy was really rubbing him the wrong way. He reminded him of his old prison guards, but with even less of a filter. Everything about him was annoying. Crow shifted his weight, ready to run if the knight made a move towards him, but Penelope stepped in first, tentatively reminding her brother that the king wanted the thief to remain unharmed.

“John, Layth,” another voice spoke up. Crow looked up to see William approaching the group with Abraxas.

As Layth turned away from him to acknowledge the other knights, Crow took the opportunity to put some distance between them. He stepped around to Penelope’s other side and glowered at him. He knew it wasn’t particularly ‘manly’ to stand behind a woman, but he was also aware that if it came down to brute strength, he was painfully outmatched at the moment. Besides, Penelope had already proven that she would stop her brother if he attempted to attack him again.

If William had noticed the tension between Layth and Crow, he didn’t care. He gazed upon Penelope’s father with a mixture of curiosity and reverence. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

“We were just stopping by to see how your mission has been progressing,” John replied noncommittally. Crow stared at him. He wasn’t even going to mention his daughter? He glanced at Penelope again. She was taking everything surprisingly well. But, then again, this was all probably normal to her. He sighed softly. It was no wonder she didn’t know how stop and take a moment to relax. With a father as businesslike as hers, he doubted she had had much of a childhood.

Crow leaned over to whisper to the female knight, “Quite a family you have here.”

“I know you both must be very busy,” William went on. “But if you can find the time, we would be honored if you would join us for dinner tonight.”

Layth glared hostilely at Crow with his hand curling into a fist. He glanced briefly over at Penelope and gave an annoyed look, as if disappointed. He backed down as William and Abraxas approached.

Penelope glanced over at Crow as he whispered to her. There was a protective glare in her eyes but as she turned away, a small sigh escaped her lips. There was plenty wrong, even she understood that much. Both her father and her brother always seemed so out of reach but they were her family. Her only family really. Penelope valued them deeply but it seemed that the feeling was very onesided.

John seemed to hesitate with William's offer. He glance down at Penelope, who was looking away at the time before looking back to William and nodding. "I suppose we can. The local guards here don't need us much at the moment." he agreed. Layth crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. He seemed rather unpleased with the fact he'd be around Crow for longer than need be.

Crow frowned when John agreed to eat dinner with them. There were many things about this decision that he didn’t like. For one, he hated Layth as much as the knight hated him, and the thought of spending any more time with him turned his stomach; however, their father was an even bigger problem. Crow was relying on his ability to trick Penelope into trusting him in order to escape, but if he tried to get friendly with her while John was watching, he would be practically begging to get killed. As long as the family of knights stayed with them, he would have to put his plans on standby. He didn’t have time to wait. They would reach the outer villages tomorrow, so he couldn’t afford to sit around until her father left. He would just have to find a way to steal some moments alone with Penelope when John and Layth weren’t looking.

William led the way as the group began walking towards the inn. He struck up a conversation with John while Abraxas listened and occasionally interjected with a question or two, but they only spoke about uninteresting things like crime rates and food supplies in the village, so Crow tuned them out. He glanced at Layth. The knight was also listening quietly to his father’s description of the village welfare, but he occasionally looked back at Crow. He was likely still mad about how the thief had spoken to him earlier; or he didn’t trust him because he was a criminal; or perhaps both.

“I think your brother doesn’t like me,” Crow said quietly to Penelope. He gestured discreetly at Layth, “Is he always this ill-tempered towards the men in your life or am I just special?”

Penelope had been listening in on their conversation. She seemed to be itching to ask her father and brother questions but William had prevented that for now. At Crow's question, she rolled her eyes. "Well, you are a criminal... Besides that my brother has little patience for other people." she replied quietly, giving a small shrug.

The group soon arrived at a small diner. It didn't seem to match the previous one's elegance but it was probably on the higher end in this town. They choose a nearby table and sat down. Penelope glanced across the table at her father. "Ah, so how has work been?" she asked after a moments hesitation. She seemed unsure of how to go about talking to her family and it was clear to see why. John heaved his shoulders in a casual fashion. "It's troublesome but things run smoothly enough here... I suppose we'll be relying on you all to assure that the border remains as quiet as it is now." he said. The slight acknowledgement made Penelope brighten a bit.

Layth narrowed his eyes at Crow. He was clearly unhappy with the current arrangement with the thief sitting at the table with them. "If you keep treating pests like him so kindly, they'll get attached you know." he growled. He glared at Crow, as if criticizing him for acting like he was their equal.

Crow looked around when the group arrived at the small restaurant. There were few other people since it was a semi-decent location compared to the rest of the village, but the ones could see were all of the lower class. He felt much more at ease here than he had in the previous diner, where every guest had looked upon him with a critical gaze. He could always cope with the aloof nobles, but he enjoyed being able to relax with members of his own peasant class. Here, he didn’t have to put on an act or assert his pride in order to be treated like a human being—at least, he only had to do that for the knights he was travelling with.

Crow sat down between Penelope and Abraxas—the two least hostile of his companions—when they reached their table. Layth sat across from him. Of course, it didn’t take long for the knight to make another snide comment to his sister, “If you keep treating pests like him so kindly, they’ll get attached, you know.”

“True, true,” Crow nodded sagely. He leaned close to Penelope as if he was going to whisper into her ear, but he spoke loudly enough that her brother would have been able to hear him as well, “You shouldn’t get too close to that one. He might start following you around.”

He looked up as a young wench stepped over to take the group’s orders, starting with William and John. The girl moved and spoke with hints of nervousness when addressing the knights. She was likely afraid of them for their authority to punish lowly peasants such as herself when they made trivial mistakes, and for that, he pitied her. After living in the outer villages for so long, he had seen many instances of knights who had abused their power to take advantage of poor commoners, so when the wench came around to his side of the table, he flashed her a friendly smile.

The girl returned his gesture with a faintly upturned lip, “What would you like, sir?”

“Whatever you think is best, love,” Crow winked at her. “Just bring me a lot of it, if you would. I’m quite famished. Oh, and some mead would be wonderful, as well. Thank you.” The girl nodded without writing anything down. He guessed she was illiterate as well. It wasn’t surprising. Most peasants didn’t know how to read or write. There were no schools or scholars willing to teach them.

She turned to Penelope to take her order next, “And for you…” she trailed off, seeming unsure of how she should address a female knight. “Miss?”

Penelope gave a slightly amused look at Crow's comment but said nothing only rolling her eyes. She acted as if she was stepping on eggshells when around her family, clearly worried how they'd react if they took notice of her closeness with the thief(not that Penelope was incredibly friendly with him anyways). Even the slight sign of hospitlity towards Crow could easily make Layth irritated. Penelope couldn't even imagine how he'd react by simply finding out that she addressed him by his name rather than 'thief' or 'it'.

She turned her head to look over at the wench as she came over. The knight silently took note of her nervous behavior, suspecting it had something to do with it being a group of knights but otherwise brushed it off. "I'll have whatever stew you have and some bread." Penelope said when it was her turn to order. The wench gave her a slightly surprised look, likely having never seen a female knight before. They were even less common in the outer towns and villages than elsewhere. Penelope shifted uneasily in her seat and forced a polite smile before the wench took off with their orders.

As the wench walked away with their orders, the knights returned to their boring conversation. Crow let his eyes rove across the room again. There were few other commoners in the restaurant. He suspected the men and women who frequented this place were mostly travelers or wandering merchants, since locals in the outer villages didn’t usually waste money on eating outside of their homes. Many of them grew their own food or bartered for it at a communal market so they could afford to pay their taxes to the king at the end of the season. To eat in a diner such as this one was a luxury to the average peasant.

His green eyes rested on a table of rowdy young men seated at the other end of the room. He felt a pang of envy. Their high spirits and boisterousness reminded him of his life before prison, when he would wander from town to town in search of worthy targets to rob. The thought made him feel nostalgic, so he pushed it away. No point dwelling on what once was when he could work on what was to come. If everything went according to plan, he would be the one sitting at a table with other villagers by the same time tomorrow.

Layth’s reaction to the peasants was much bitterer. He glowered at them in annoyance and muttered under his breath, “Why must commoners be so loud?”

“They’re just having fun,” Crow rolled his eyes and leaned back in his chair, meeting the knight’s gaze evenly. “You know, laughing is a surprisingly enjoyable activity. You should try it sometime.”

"Perhaps it'd be enjoyable if I found myself in better company." Layth grumbled in return giving Crow a glare. Though, as he glared at Crow, his eyes shifted over to Penelope as well, as if to include her in his statement. Penelope had been looking away at the time though and didn't catch his glare. Her interest was on what her father was saying.

"So Penelope," John said as he noticed her interest in his current conversation with William, "what are you planning to do after this mission?" Penelope blinked at his question. She hadn't thought much about it but she had always wanted to join her family at the border. It would mean less guessing if they were in good health and less worrying as well. "Ah, well, I was thinking of joining you and Layth at the border." she admitted. A small look of disapproval crossed over her father's gaze. "I'm not sure you would be of much help here." he mumbled as he picked up his drink and took a small sip, acting casual.

"That's if your mission right now even goes according to plan. And that in it's self is looking awfully grim." Layth snorted eyeing Crow and Abraxas. Abraxas was either oblivious to his words or simply didn't care. It was hard to differentiate between the two when it came to the knight.

"Pardon me if I come off as rude," William spoke up now looking irritated, "But I think we're doing just fine. Unless you're implying that the king was foolish in choosing us for the job."

"Not foolish." Layth stated, "I just think that perhaps he over estimated the abilities of at least two of you... For example, Penelope has yet to beat me in a sparing match but I'm the one stuck at the border." He didn't seem envious of her as he spoke but instead appeared to be bragging and looked arrogantly down at his sister.

Penelope narrowed her eyes at her brother. "Likely because you and your comrades more prone to use unnecessary violence despite the king's orders." she retorted. It seemed that this reunion of the Vermillions was destined to go down hill at a very fast rate.

"Enough. Both of you." John growled silencing his two children in a matter of seconds. "The food's here.."

Penelope had lost her appetite. She ate very little of the stew and bread in front of her. It was about half way gone when she finally stood up and moved to leave. "I'm going out for a bit... I'll return to the inn later." she stated, needing some time to clear her thoughts.

Crow eyed Layth skeptically. It almost seemed as if he was upset about being reunited with his younger sister. The cold look he had flashed her went beyond the typical, petty sibling rivalry. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought Layth actually despised Penelope. But surely that couldn’t be the case. Even nobles, as arrogant and pompous as they were, had to have at least some sense of familial ties. However, as the knights continued to converse their words became less and less friendly until they teetered on the verge of a fight.

Crow stared at them, taken aback. He couldn’t believe how unattached the family of knights seemed to be towards each other. Layth had been belittling his sister rather than congratulating her for her accomplishments, and John was no better. He had shot Penelope down the instant she had even tried to suggest accompanying him in the village. Were they really this shallow? What kind of father was he to push his daughter away like that? It was pathetic. He glared at them from across the table, only looking away when their dinner arrived.

The wench moved slowly around the table, setting down plates of food as she went. When she reached Crow’s seat, he caught hold of her wrist. She flinched and gave him a startled look, but he held a finger to his lips, smiling at her playfully. He snatched a small cloth from the table and dropped some food into it from his own plate, deftly folding it over and slipping the bundle into the girl’s dress pocket. She widened her eyes at him, but he spoke before she could object, “I asked you to bring me your favorite food off the menu, so you should have some, too. Take it home to your family. Ah ah,” he held up a hand when the girl opened her mouth to protest. “I can see right through you, love. You need this more than I do. I’m not going to take ‘no’ for an answer.”

The wench ducked her chin and smiled softly, “Thank you.” She turned and walked back to the kitchen.

Having completed his good deed for the day, Crow dug into his dinner. The girl had brought him bread, cooked vegetables, and some smoked chicken, along with a pint of mead as per his request. He ate ravenously, finishing his meal before all of the others. Feeling satisfied, he took a swig of his drink and sighed, leaning into his chair and tipping it onto its back legs. Layth shot him a disapproving look, but Crow ignored him. They were in the land of the common folk, so he could act as he pleased.

He glanced at Penelope and frowned. She had hardly touched her food. The fight amongst her family must have affected her more than she let on. Soon, she stood up to excuse herself from the table, “I’m going out for a bit… I’ll return to the inn later.”

“Alright,” William nodded. “But don’t be long. We will arrive in the outer villages tomorrow and begin our preparations to cross into Younis. I want everyone well rested.”

Crow watched her for a moment. She appeared to be quite distracted by everything that had just happened. He stifled a smirk. This could be the opportunity he had been waiting for. He quickly jumped to his feet and took a step towards the knight, “If you’re going, then I am, too.” He looked back at William, “You’re all boring, and she’s supposed to be guarding me anyway, so this won’t be a problem, right?”

Penelope glanced over her shoulder as Crow said he'd accompany her. She gave an irritated look. Usually, she wouldn't have cared but at the moment, the female knight could make due of some alone time. Part of her was hoping William would disagree but with a glare at the thief he gave a reluctant ok.

She began to head in the direction of the exit. Once they were out of ear shot of the others, she turned her head towards Crow, giving him a very stern look. "I really wasn't looking for the company but since you've weaseled your way out here with me, at least try to not cause trouble or bother me for once." she said with a worn out sigh.

Penelope stepped outside and gave a small frown as she thought about her father and brother. Their actions weren't surprising. This was how they had always been. But even Penelope couldn't find herself immune to the harsh treatment. It bugged her a great deal, especially when she didn't get to see them very frequently.

Crow grinned and followed Penelope out of the diner, ignoring the hostile look she threw at him along the way. He had planned to wait until they reached the outer villages before he made his escape, but she had practically handed him the perfect opportunity to run. There was no way he was going to pass this up. All he had to do now was get close enough to the edge of the village that he could get away without running into any of the local knights. He was already marking the route he would take in his head. He hadn’t been to this area in over a year, but he still remembered the general layout. There was a ridge to the northeast that he could climb, and from there he could find his way to—

“I really wasn’t looking for the company,” Penelope interrupted his thoughts. “But since you’ve weaseled your way out here with me, at least try to not cause trouble or bother me for once.” Her voice sounded oddly somber. Crow wavered. During their short time together, he found that he had come to like the knight, if only just a little bit. It was unsettling to see her look so upset. Somehow, it felt wrong to leave her like this, so maybe he could do one last nice thing for her before he ran. She was helping him escape, after all, even if she didn’t know it yet.

“Don’t take their words so harshly,” Crow said softly, walking alongside Penelope. “Despite what he said, I’m certain that your father loves you. I can tell because he has such high expectations for you. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have asked about your plans for the future; he wouldn’t have wanted to know.” He shrugged and averted his gaze. “Every family has its problems, but I’m sure you will work yours out in the end. You knights are stubborn like that. So, take it from someone who doesn’t have one… You’re lucky to be part of a family.”

He paused thinking something over, and then looked back at Penelope with his eyes narrowed warily. “I’m only going to tell you this once, so listen carefully. It’s a story I’ve never shared with anyone else before, but I think you need to hear it. Just promise me you’ll keep your mouth shut and never speak of this to anyone. Ever. Got it?”

Penelope side glanced over at Crow. She raised an eyebrow at him as he began to comfort her. Her expression became a tad softer though and she merely nodded at his words. They were strangely nice to hear, even if it was coming him. There was very little doubt in her that her family did not care about her... She knew that much despite their distant actions and harsh words. But, after a while, they began to tear at her little by little. What had effected her the most was her father denying her suggestion of working along side them. It had been one of her goals since the beginning but it seemed that she'd be unable to reach it now.

The knight paused in her footsteps as he narrowed his eyes at her. She had an oddly innocent and confused look on her face as he spoke. "Alright..I won't say anything to anyone.." She agreed taking on a more serious look.

Crow shifted his weight awkwardly. His sudden change in attitude seemed to have confused Penelope. It made sense though. Until now, everything he had said and done to her had been out of his own self-interest. In fact, he wasn’t even sure why he felt the need to open up to her about this particular story. Even if she was helping him escape, it was risky for him to share anything about himself with a knight. Yet here he was, prepared to offer her a piece of his past.

He held her gaze and then nodded, accepting her word when she said she wouldn’t say anything. Heart pounding with nervousness, he exhaled as he readied himself to tell the tale. “I know you must think it’s none of my business, but I can’t stand seeing families fight like that. It’s frustrating when they don’t realize what they have and how fortunate they are.” A smile tugged at the corner of his lip. “Do you remember when you asked me why I became a thief? Well, the answer I gave you was a lie. It is satisfying to rob the wealthy of their excess, but that isn’t the only reason why I do what I do.

“You see, my father… he’s a noble; the viceroy for the king. If you’ve lived in the inner citadel for any length of time, you’ve probably seen him around.” He averted his gaze, suddenly self-conscious. He knew it wasn’t difficult to see the resemblance between himself and his father if one looked closely enough. According to his mother, they had a lot of physical similarities, including their dark, wavy hair, pale green eyes, and sharp jawlines. He had no memories of his father, but he suspected that he had grown up to bear quite a few other features of the man as well.

After a pause, Crow went on, “Anyway, he met my mother when he was stopping in the outer villages on his way to Younis for an assignment. She was young, and he was taken by her beauty, so he charmed her into spending a night with him. After that, he went on his way.

“He spent about three months in Younis performing various tasks for the king, and then returned to Brerra. By that time, my mother already knew she was with child, so when she heard that he had come back, she immediately sought him out to tell him the news.” Crow’s expression turned cold. “But when she told him, he didn’t even do her the justice of taking responsibility. Instead, he claimed she was a harlot who had seduced him, and she was outcast from her society.

“My mother was forced to move to another village and rebuild her life from scratch. She was scarred by my father, so when I was born, she kept an emotional distance from me. I took after my father in my appearance, so every time she looked at me, she saw him. She tried to get past it, but I always knew she never really got over how I look.

“Teaching me to be a thief, while it put food on the table, was also her way of getting revenge against him. It’s disgraceful for a noble to have a criminal for a son. I wouldn’t be surprised if my mother had been hoping I would make a name for myself so my father would find out what I had become.” He gave a mirthless laugh. “I’d give anything to see the look on his face.” He shook his head. “My main point in all this is that you shouldn’t take your family for granted, and they shouldn’t take you for granted either. They may feel like a pain in the ass right now, and not everything will go your way, but you’re lucky you have them. Not everyone does.”

Crow stopped walking and fixed his gaze on the ground. Something must have possessed him, or maybe he was losing his mind. Even if he was trying to help Penelope, it wasn’t like him to share such a personal story. He had never told it to anyone before. The secret of his father’s identity had been kept solely between him and his mother ever since he had been born. Why he was suddenly putting his trust in a knight he had just met, he had no idea.

He shot Penelope a warning glare, “If you tell anyone what I just said, I will murder you in your sleep.”

She seemed to silently agree that it was none of his business but did not say it out right and instead simply listened as he told her his story. It wasn't all too surprising to find out that he had lied back then, she figured he would in some way. Strange how similar they were, though Penelope lacked the full knowledge of her background and had found herself quite lucky with the outcome unlike him.

For a while, her gaze focused on the ground. A growing sense of sympathy for the thief began to arise. For once she didn't question whether he was just trying to mainipulate or lie to her. His actions were enough to gain her trust in his words. Her gaze lifted as he finished his story. She watched him for a moment before it seemed that their roles had switched as he was the one glaring at her now. Penelope didn't take offense or become defensive. She merely looked at him with a sympathetic gaze that likely seemed foriegn since she was always glaring, looking annoyed, or otherwise had a smirk of sorts. But for the time being, she looked at him with a soft expression.

"I won't. Thank you..." she said quietly. There was a brief hesitation before she began to walk again, staying at his side as she did. "Your situation was unfortunate to say the least... Nobles are selfish people...They care only for the security of their name and rank." She sighed gave her head a small shake. Clearly, Penelope didn't consider herself a noble. While her father provided well for them, they had also lived in the lesser part of his family's manor and were often looked down upon by most. It almost felt like they were just servants having to pay taxes to remain on the property.

Crow softened a bit at Penelope’s gentle expression. When she thanked him, he flushed slightly and looked away, muttering: “It was nothing…” He still felt strange for trying to comfort the her. Ever since he was a child, he had considered all knights to be his enemies, but he somehow found it difficult to look at Penelope in such a way. Like the other knights he had known, she was strict and distant, but at least she had treated him like a human. He was glad to have met her.

But now, it was nearing time to say goodbye.

After a moment, Penelope spoke up again, “Your situation was unfortunate, to say the least... Nobles are selfish people...They care only for the security of their name and rank.”

“You speak as if you’re not one of them,” Crow said absently. As he spoke, he let his eyes wander discreetly over the houses around them. They were getting close to the edge of the village now, and he couldn’t have hoped for better circumstances. Penelope had completely let her guard down, they were alone, and there wasn’t a single local knight in the area. He swallowed in anticipation, being careful to keep his expression neutral so Penelope wouldn’t suspect anything. Now that he had done his part to help her recover from the fight at dinner, he could leave without any regrets.

As they neared the tree line, Crow glanced back at Penelope. While he wanted to make a clean break for the forest, he couldn’t help but add a little bit of flair to his escape. It was just his nature. He stepped in front of the knight and turned around so that he was walking backwards in front of her, “Do you remember what William said about a knight being able to do the job I was assigned by the king? I don’t believe it for a moment. What about you?” He crossed his arms and smirked at her challengingly. “Do you think you could sneak into the Younisian king’s palace and steal his beloved staff?”

Penelope gave a small shrug. She looked ahead with a blank expression then glanced back over at him. She could sense that there was something different in his behavior though wasn't quite sure. For now, she remained silent and gave him the benefit of the doubt. There was a slight change in her demeanor as she began to watch him more closely.

When he stepped in front of her, Penelope raised an eyebrow. His challenging look made her narrow her eyes at him. With his words, she quickly became tense with her hand inching towards the handle of her sword. "Don't you dare thief..." she growled, glaring darkly at Crow and even reducing him back to simply thief. She took a step forward towards him and tried to grab him before he ran.

Crow’s eyes darted to Penelope’s hand as she began to reach for her sword. She had caught onto his plan faster than he had expected, which unfortunately meant that he would have to cut short his grandiose speech. He took a step back. She reached out to grab hold of his tunic, but he was much quicker. In one sharp movement, he pivoted on his heel and sprinted into the forest, using the trees as cover in case she tried to throw her sword at him.

As he weaved his way through the foliage, Crow glanced back over his shoulder to see that Penelope was giving chase. He snorted. Fine, if she wanted to waste her time pursuing him, he wasn’t going to object. He made an abrupt turn to the east and climbed down into a steep valley. The bottom was thick with trees, which he hoped to use to his advantage. If he could just get far enough ahead of the knight, he could easily find a place to hide down here.

He looked back again to find that Penelope was still keeping up with him. In fact, she had even gained back some ground. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and picked up his pace, narrowly avoiding a low-hanging tree branch. She could be such a pain. After everything he had done to comfort her, she couldn’t even do him the courtesy of turning a blind eye when he ran away? It was completely inconsiderate.

Crow turned his attention back to where he was going and then gasped, coming to an abrupt halt. In his momentary distraction, he had almost run straight into a fast-flowing river. He cursed under his breath and hurriedly searched for an exit point. However, before he could take a single step, he felt something crash into his side, the force of it knocking him off his feet. He let out a startled yelp as he fell into the rapids.

The water was shockingly cold and powerful. He fought to keep his head above the surface, but it was a difficult task, seeing as he hardly knew how to swim. He struggled against the swift current for a while until, finally, he slipped out of consciousness.

Penelope muttered something foul under her breath as he took off. She wasted no time in pursuing him. She weaved through the trees surprisingly well and kept up with him for the most part. He should have learned from before that she would be able to keep up with him. There was a dark gleam in her eyes, clearly angered by his actions and feeling foolish since she had nearly fallen for them.

Her pace increased slightly as she pushed herself forward. There was no way she was letting him get away so easily. When she started to gain ground on him, a cocky smirk came over her expression. She noticed him halt ahead but thought little of it and used the chance to catch up to him. However, she was too late when she realized what had made him come such a sudden stop. Penelope tried to stop in time but was unable to as she crashed into Crow and knocked them both into the gushing water.

It was icy cold and she gasped for breath. Her mind became more concerned with trying to get out rather than locate Crow, who had also fallen in. She flailed her limbs in a futile fashion. Her armor was slowly weighing her down bit by bit. Before long she felt her struggles weaken and fell unconcious.

With a sudden jerk, Penelope suddenly sat up and began hacking up the water that she had swallowed. The knight looked much weaker and paler than usual as the breeze that went past made her tremble. Her muscles ached and she found it a struggle to try and stand up. Looking around, she found herself in an unfamiliar area at the water's edge. The foest seemed dense and she had trouble distinguishing her current location. The only thing that helped was the river that had taken her here. A lucky land mark for the way back to the villiage.

As she looked around, she also took notice of another person nearby. Crow. Slowly, she picked herself up and stumbled over to the thief, looking down on him with a glare in her eyes. She nearly felt like giving him a good kick in the side to wake him up but she showed restraint and merely nudged him with her foot. "Still alive?" she said before coughing again. Her voice seemed rather cold and distant like before when their trip had first started. His little stunt had lost whatever trust and friendliness Penelope had held towards him, for now at least.

Crow woke up sore and dazed on the edge of the riverbank. He groaned and attempted to sit up, but his muscles burned in protest. The effort was too straining, so he gave up and closed his eyes, laying still. Well, that plan had been a complete and utter failure. He had never expected that Penelope would be able to keep up with him in the thick of a forest. For that, he blamed his year in prison. He had been locked up for so long that he was out of practice.

But how had he ended up in a river? He struggled to remember the chase. He had been running through a valley in the forest, and then he had come across the water… Then something had pushed him over the edge. Only one option came to mind as he pondered what the ‘something’ had been. He opened his eyes again and saw Penelope lying unconscious a little farther downstream. She must have fallen into the river after him.

He made another attempt to get up. This could be his chance. If he took off now, he could put some distance between himself and the knight before she woke up. But the effort was so tiring. He glanced at Penelope again. She looked like she was out cold. He still had some time, so a little extra sleep wouldn’t hurt, right? If he just took a quick nap, he could get some of his energy back and run away before she knew what happened. He laid down again and closed his eyes, letting out his breath slowly. He would just sleep for a few more minutes, and then he would be on his way…

--

Crow grimaced as he felt a sharp prod in his side. He lazily opened one eye, and then startled when he saw Penelope standing over him.

“Still alive?” she said coldly.

He opened his mouth, but found that he couldn’t reply. What was she doing awake already? Had he overslept? He sat up hurriedly, an action which he quickly regretted as a fresh wave of pain washed over his body. He was feeling slightly better since the last time he had woken up, but he was still quite battered from the river rapids, and the sudden movement didn’t help anything. There was no way he was strong enough to get away from Penelope now. He was at her mercy.

Crow looked up at her and offered a halfhearted smile, “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to just let me go, would you?”

Penelope scowled down at the thief as he smiled at her and suggested such a crazy idea. "Like hell I'd let you do that.." she growled furiously. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides looking more than willing to strike. However, the knight let out a breath, cooling her head. She turned and walked away from him as something seemed to catch her eye. Penelope stumbled and grimanced as she walked up to the washed up item on the shore. It was her sword and she felt more than happy to have found it so quickly. Turning back to Crow, she slowly unsheathed it and watched as water poured out then attached it back to her side.

"We're going back, even if I have to drag you there." she stated with cold determination. "But..." she began with reluctance, "we'll stop for a bit though... I doubt either of us can make it very far with out collapsing." Despite seeming to be more mobile than Crow at the moment, Penelope was aching and sore as well. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep but she wouldn't get the opportunity tonight since she would be on constant watch. The knight ringed out the water from her hair but didn't bother to do much with her clothing. She was freeing from the metal that protected her but the fact that Crow could try to get away, possibly using force, made her suffer through it for now.

Penelope staggered over to a nearby tree and lowered herself to the ground grimacing as she did. Propping herself up against the tree, she looked over at Crow. "Rest while you can." she advised.