Crow ate ravenously as he was quite hungry after his river adventure with Penelope the night before. He finished his food long before the knights, so he sat back and idly listened to them converse. He had already gotten to know William and Penelope fairly well—not necessarily out of his own intent—but Abraxas was still something of an enigma to him. The young knight was not a man of many words, and when he did speak he always addressed his equals. The boy had yet to say a single word to the thief. Normally Crow would have taken every opportunity to prod at him about this, but he wasn’t sure if he was doing it out of malicious intent or if he was just shy around strangers. Somehow, the latter actually seemed more likely.

“Hey,” Crow spoke up to get Abraxas’s attention. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Um, sorry?” Abraxas looked puzzled.

“You know,” Crow shrugged one shoulder. “What are you trying to get out of this trip? I know William and Penelope volunteered so they could torment me, but you don’t seem to be interested in that.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “What exactly are you doing on this mission to Younis?”

“I don’t know,” Abraxas answered unhelpfully, shaking his head. “I guess I thought it would be a good experience for me to leave Brerra. I want to learn as much as I can about the other kingdoms because I’ll be training to succeed the king’s ambassador when I’m finished serving in his army.”

“Is that so?” Crow muttered, suddenly losing his interest in the conversation at Abraxas’s mention of his plans to take over the position his own father currently held.

If Abraxas noticed his abrupt attitude change, he didn’t care. “Yes. That’s why I need to gain as much experience as I can,” he went on excitedly and then paused. “I meant to ask you this before, but I haven’t had the chance. Why did you become a thief? It seems like the risks outweigh the rewards, even if you’re good at what you do. So why not put your skills to better use and work as a spy for the king? He would give you protection and pay you handsomely if you did well.”

“I don’t care about that,” Crow eyed him searchingly. While he wasn’t overly friendly, Abraxas didn’t seem to be questioning him out of any ulterior motive. Still, he wasn’t about to share anything about himself with a knight, even if he was just an innocently curious man. “I do it because I enjoy taking things from other people,” Crow lied, nonchalantly leaning back in his chair. “You really didn’t expect to hear a profound answer from a criminal like me, did you?”

“I suppose not,” Abraxas knit his brow, looking slightly disappointed. However, he didn’t push the matter, and that was all Crow cared about.

As they began preparing to head out, Crow listened in on William and Penelope’s conversation and frowned at what he heard. Her family had already gone back to work without saying so much as a simple goodbye to her. He wasn’t well-versed in the habits of knights, but it sounded quite rude for John and Layth to just take off like that. Penelope didn’t seem happy about it, either. Crow could see a hint of disappointment in her eyes when William told her the news, even though she said nothing about it.

When they began walking out to the wagon—a pair of local knights had wheeled it around to the front of the inn—Crow trotted up beside Penelope. “You know, I’ve heard that Younis is a beautiful kingdom,” he said with a grin. “Younisian travelers are always bragging about the olive forests. They say the trees stretch as far as the eye can see in every direction. Maybe we’ll be fortunate enough to see them for ourselves.”

Penelope looked ahead towards the wagon and gave a small yawn. Part of her wished she could risk taking a nap on their trip but she wasn't about to test her luck with either Crow or William. Mainly William. Crow had gained quite a bit of her trust from the night before since he had chosen to help her rather than run away. There was a form of respect for the thief since he had kept his word, something that wasn't common among most of the people Penelope dealed with. Though, it was likely that she wouldn't be very willing to admit such a thing, especially when he tried to escape just the other day as well.

She turned her head to look over at the thief as he came up besides her. A small smirk of amusement crossed over her lips. "You're quite the sight seer aren't you?" she comment as she recalled the small pond where he had taken her before. Penelope walked ahead and climbed up into the wagon as usual. She sat down with her legs stretched out in front of her. Wanting to wake up a bit more, the knight began to do a few simple stretching exercises as she leaned forward to touch her toes.

William and Abraxas both mounted their horses once both Penelope and Crow had entered the wagon. Penelope paused as the wagon gave the usual tug before beginning to move. Her gaze then flickered over to Crow. "Ah, so what all is there to learn?" she asked him. With plenty of time to waste, she figured that they might as well use it wisely. "The accents and all... Might as well get a jumpstart on it."

“But of course,” Crow held up his hands in a shrug. “I’m a connoisseur of beautiful things. I want to see as much as I can and, if possible, possess as much as I can. Since I can’t steal an olive forest, I’d at least like to visit one, and you knights have generously provided me with the opportunity. Besides, what the point in traveling if you’re only concerned with your destination? I think it’s much more fun to enjoy the trip there.”

Having completed his short speech, Crow climbed into the wagon with Penelope and laid down in his usual spot beside the blanket pile. He stretched out contentedly and yawned, closing his eyes. He planned to use his time in the wagon to catch up on sleep since he was tired and there was nothing better to do, but Penelope spoke up before he had a chance to start drifting off.

“Ah, so what all is there to learn?” the knight asked. “The accents and all... Might as well get a jumpstart on it.”

“Well, your Brerratic accent would be the biggest tell-tale when we reach Younis,” Crow responded, opening his eyes again to meet Penelope’s gaze. “So teaching you how to speak like a Younisian is my top priority. Other than that, I don’t think there are many differences between our two cultures.” He looked up at the roof of the wagon, taking a moment to think. “I actually hadn’t heard about women being unable to serve in the same positions as men in Younis until William told us earlier. Going by that, I’d assume that women are considered to be of a lesser status than men in their general society, but I’m still not sure what that would mean for you.” He shrugged and met her gaze again. “We’ll just have to wait and see how Younisian women act when we get there.

“So, I suppose that just leaves me with the task of teaching you how to talk like a Younisian,” Crow said, switching back to the lilting tone he had used at breakfast. “It’s not very hard. They just speak in a slightly higher pitch and put emphasis on different words.” He grinned at her challengingly. “You’ve heard me use it a few times now. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Penelope gave a small nod. She supposed she would just let William and Abraxas handle things when they first got to Younis. It was likely she wouldn't be able to hold much authority once they reached the other kingdom anyways. That in itself was a tad annoying but the knight could manage. Her main job was to keep an eye on Crow so at least nothing there would change.

Her gaze met his as told her to give the accent a try. There was a small flicker of uncertainty beofre she gave a shot at it. "Ah, does this work?" she said as she attempted to imitate the accent. However, it didn't quite come out that well. She could tell there was a clear difference between the one he used and the one she had given. Penelope shook her head and sat up a bit straighter. "No wait... I can do better." she said using her regular voice, a clear tone of determination. She always got this way when learning something new. She took it very seriously and aimed to perfect it as quickly as possible.

There was a pause as she replayed the voice he had used in her thoughts."Ok, Crow," She began her second attempt at the accent and there was improvement from before, "Not so bad I guess. What do you think?" She met his gaze for a moment. It seemed she would be using his name a bit more now than just calling him thief. It even began to feel a bit normal though it was still a rough change since she had to be careful when around William and Abraxas.

Crow smirked when Penelope attempted to speak in an accent. The fakeness of it was amusing to him. He could almost imagine the look on a Younisian’s face if the she tried talking like that when they reached the neighboring kingdom. He was almost tempted to let her and the other knights flounder with their accents, but he knew that their lives would all be on the line once they crossed the border. There would be no room for fun and games in Younis.

“That’s a little better,” Crow nodded when Penelope made her second attempt. He continued to speak in a proper Younisian accent so that she might be able to learn it by ear. “You mixed up your emphasis on some of the words, but other than that it wasn’t bad. Of course, you won’t get away with mistakes like that once we cross into Younis.” He grinned at her teasingly. “Best case scenario: We all get written off as lunatics. Worst case: We’re all arrested on the spot by local knights for trespassing. Well, you three will get arrested, at least. My accent is flawless. I could easily tell the knights that you were holding me hostage so I could lead you to their king.”

He shrugged and then lowered his voice, taking on a luring tone. “However, if you treat me well, I might be willing to get you out of trouble, too, darling. Since you’ll be dressed as a peasant, I can always tell the local knights that we’re married, and you’re just from another kingdom. It would make a fine plan ‘B’ if you three aren’t able to master the Younisian accent in time and get us all caught.” He let out a short laugh. “You know, I like it. Lovers from distant lands. Sounds romantic, don’t you think?”

Penelope glanced briefly towards her comrades as Crow spoke, his words making her a tad worried though she hid it for the most part. She hoped to be able to learn the accent quickly but there was also them to worry about. Especially when they would be the ones taking on a position of authority as knights. She wished that this topic had been brought up earlier in the journey. Penelope turned her gaze towards Crow, seeming ready to give him an annoyed look as she put the blame on him but then she recalled his previous plans. She was coming to understand the thief better now and she was also going against the basic morals of a knight which were to keep a distance between them and thier enemies.

As his tone changed, Penelope raised an eyebrow at him. She gave a small snort, at first finding it to be rather ridiculous. "Perhaps it'd be romantic if I found myself in better company." she teased him, rolling her eyes. However, the plan wasn't all that bad. If William and Abraxas were to get caught, Crow and her could still potientially get the job done. Though it would be more difficult for several reasons.

"But..." she added quickly. She moved her gaze away in slight embarassment. "It's not a bad back up should worst come to worst..."

“I’m sorry, but this is an arranged marriage,” Crow teased Penelope when she said his plan would be romantic if she was with better company. “You don’t get to choose.”

“But...” she added. “It’s not a bad backup, should worse come to worst...”

Crow stared at Penelope in thinly veiled surprise. He had only been joking by suggesting they should pretend to be married if they got caught. He never expected her to actually go along with such an outlandish idea.

Then there was the matter of her sudden bashfulness. For a moment, he wondered if she really did harbor feelings for him, but he quickly put the thought aside. There was no way that was possible. Even though she was friendlier towards him now, he was still just a prisoner to her. She likely only decided to go along with his plan because she was so determined to finish their assignment for the king.

He blinked. What did it matter if Penelope was interested in him or not? He would be leaving her behind in a matter of days and, while she was a beautiful woman, there were plenty of other pretty faces back in the outer village. He would have his choice when he returned, so there was no point in pining for someone who would never return his affections.

He cleared his throat, suddenly realizing that she was waiting for him to say something. “Exactly,” he said, returning to his normal Brerratic accent. “Even if William and Abraxas get arrested, we can finish the job on our own, and the king can order their release when he gains possession of the staff.” He drew the dagger he kept in his boot and turned it over in his hands, absently examining the edge of the blade. “Besides, I work better in smaller numbers when I’m not on my own. If they get caught, we could move even faster, and we would be back in Brerra before the king even realizes he’s won.”

I’ll also get home faster, he added silently. It was strange how one simple, offhanded remark could lead to such elaborate plans, but all of the sudden Crow could see numerous advantages to traveling with just Penelope rather than all three of the knights. He almost found himself hoping their plans to blend in with the Younisians would fail.

With such plans being made, Penelope couldn't help but feel slightly more at ease. It was always nice to have a safety net should something go wrong. The knight glanced at the dagger before looking to make sure William or Abraxas hadn't looked back at the time. For the plans they made, it would be wise to keep the thief armed as a precaution. She was glad that she hadn't come to regret the decision to let him keep it.

Having over come such acts of embarrassment rather quickly, the knight now looked at Crow once more. "Good... I'm glad that there's a little less to be concerned about then if we aren't able to copy the accent right." she said with a nod. Penelope then took on the accent again. Unlike him, the knight preferred not to rely on failure and hoped that it wouldn't be necessary. "Guess I better get used to it while I can though."

“True enough,” Crow smiled, switching back to his Younisian accent with ease. He slipped the dagger into his boot again and moved over to the food supply, taking an apple for himself and then sitting back down by the blankets. “Early lunch,” he explained simply to Penelope, tossing the fruit from one hand to the other. “You never know when you’re going to eat your last meal, so I believe you should have many.” He bit into the apple, smirking at her cheekily. “So, which part of the accent are you having trouble with?”

--

Despite his faults, of which there were many, Crow had to admit that William was efficient. The group reached the outer villages just after high noon, which would give them plenty of time relax and prepare for the crossover into Younis. The early arrival was a pleasant surprise, but that wasn’t why Crow was excited.

He leaned expectantly out the side window of the wagon as they approached the edge of the village, watching as a few small, rundown houses came into view between the surrounding trees. To most travelers, the border wasn’t a very breathtaking sight, unless one counted how strikingly impoverished it looked. The buildings were all small and pockmarked with weather damage, and the people all wore wool or low-quality linen in the dull shades of gray or brown. They toiled in fields or tended to their animals, working for money that would all be sent as taxes to the king. Overall, the outer villages were remarkably unremarkable, but to Crow they were home.

When the wagon rolled to a stop, he wasted no time in climbing out of the back. He was eager to see what had become of the villages since he had been arrested so long ago. However, as soon as his feet touched the ground, he was met by a scowling William. The knight stepped in front of him, glaring coldly, “You’re not going anywhere, thief. I’m well aware that you used to live in one of these border villages, so as long as we stay here, I’m keeping you in my sight at all times.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Crow narrowed his eyes at the accusation. “But for once, you’re wrong. I’ve come to terms with my assignment from the king, so I’m going to go through with it. I’m done running.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that?” William scoffed. “You have a reputation for lying. It’s in your blood, thief. There’s no way I’m going to turn a blind eye to a criminal as infamous as you.”

“You really are blind if you can’t tell when a man is speaking the truth to you,” Crow muttered under his breath, staring longingly at the village. He wanted to go explore, but he knew there would be no changing William’s mind once he had made it up. He sighed. It seemed he would be forced to stay with the knights after all.

Penelope watched as Crow hurried out of the wagon. She got up and headed over to where they had stored the extra clothing. Since they would be crossing over to Younis soon enough, she decided that it was time to change into the disguise they had provided her. After shuffling through a few pieces of clothing, she soon found her dress laid neatly down at the bottom. It was a light brown for the most part except for the occasional white which was used as trim around the bottom. There was also a white apron that would tie around her waist. Overall, it wasn't a very eye catching dress as it lacked any sort of color or elegance. It was simple and to the point, something Penelope actually found to be a redeeming quality of the dress.

"Oi! No one come in the wagon until I say so!" Penelope shouted at the three men from inside. She was easily flustered by the situation and that alone made her much more defensive. Reluctantly, she removed her armor and set it off to the side. Giving a slightly annoyed look, the knight continued to remove her usual wear, which was a loose fitting shirt and pants, before quickly slipping into the dress. It was a foriegn feeling to be wearing one. There might have been an occasion once or twice that had called for her to wear a dress but Penelope had otherwise worn clothing more fitting of men than women due to her job.

She smoothed out the apron that attached to her front for a moment before lifting her hand to lightly touch the bun her hair was pulled up into. She supposed it didn't fit very well with the outfit. It was held up in a very tight and formal bun, not very fitting of a peasant woman. Penelope then removed it and let her hair fall freely for once. She ran a hand through her hair to comb it out slightly as she turned walked towards the exit of the wagon. She stepped out of the wagon more carefully than before since she was concerned about possibly tripping due to the dress. "This is ridiculous." Penelope grumbled as she walked up to the two.

Crow glanced back at the wagon when Penelope curtly shouted at them not to come inside. For a moment he wondered why she would say such a thing, but then he remembered the dress. The knight must have decided to put it on before they crossed into Younis. Clever plan. He turned away again and looked for a place to wait while she changed clothes. Off to one side, there was a shady spot beneath a tree. He glanced at William, “I’m going to lie down for a bit. And before you say anything, this isn’t an escape attempt. I’m just tired.” He ambled over to the tree and laid down in the shade without bothering to wait for a reply. To his annoyance, the knight followed him and stood nearby.

“Can I help you?” he looked up at William irritably.

“No,” William crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the tree trunk. “I’m just making sure you don’t try to run, thief.”

“You’re wasting your time,” Crow muttered, closing his eyes. “Besides, I have a name, you know.”

“Criminals don’t deserve the same treatment as upstanding citizens,” William growled. “If you wanted to be called by a name, you should have thought of that before you became a thief.”

“It doesn’t matter to me if a few knights don’t recognize my name,” Crow said simply. “I just wanted to make sure you knew I have one. As for my life decisions, I regret nothing. Now, be quiet so I can get some rest.” He rolled onto his side so he was facing away from the knight.

He had only just begun to drift off when he heard someone approaching. He lazily opened one eye to see a young peasant woman standing beside William. She was quite pretty with a slender frame, wavy brown hair, bright green eyes… Wait. Penelope? He sat up and stared at her. There was nothing particularly eye-catching about the ensemble she was wearing, but to Crow, she looked stunning in the simple dress. If she had been an actual peasant girl from the outer villages, he would have wasted no time introducing himself. He found it hard to believe he was even looking at the same person.

“Wow,” he said, lost for words.

William snorted, “It seems you’ve found the cure for our thief’s incessant prattling. I only hope you can fool the men of Younis just as easily.”

Penelope found herself a bit happy with Crow's reaction despite herself. A small hint of pink even crossed over her cheeks. Silently, she scolded herself for the way she took his reaction. It shouldn't have mattered what the thief thought about it after all. She gave a small snort in attempt to recover, especially with William around.

"Better. I lost my armor and sword for nothing if it doesn't." Penelope stated giving William an annoyed look. William shurgged carelessly. "Anyways... How's your accent coming? We're going to cross soon after all." She eyed William who muttered something under his breath.

"Come on then. Can't be that bad is it?" Penelope said testing out her own take of th accent. She had improved during the ride over and it was sounding more similar to Crow's now. "I'll work on it." William grumbled. Penelope rolled her eyes in annoyance with the elder knight.

Feeling slightly awkward to be the only one still seated, Crow stood up while the knights talked amongst themselves. He busied himself by looking out at the village to see if anything had changed, but since it had been a few years since he had last been to this particular one, he couldn’t remember what it had been like before. As with all of the outer villages, it was quite rundown, but it didn’t seem to be in any worse of a condition than when he had last seen it. That much was relieving. He just wished William would let him wander a bit, so he could take a closer look and perhaps even visit the local tavern to speak with some of the peasants who lived here.

Despite his best effort to distract himself with other things, Crow found that his eyes frequently drifted back to Penelope. He was still marveling at the fact that he was looking at the same knight. For all her stiffness and stern expressions, she made a surprisingly gorgeous peasant. Her shoulder-length hair framed her face, and the dress she was wearing cinched slightly at the waist, showing off the curve of her figure. He glanced back at William as another thought crossed his mind.

“I think I’ve come up with a compromise,” he said. “Penelope is just as capable as guarding me as you are, so she can accompany me around the village, and you can do whatever it was that you were planning to do here. See? Everybody wins that way.” He turned to the female knight and wavered slightly. “Err… if you want to, that is.”

“Get ahold of yourself, thief,” William rolled his eyes. “You’re acting like a lovesick puppy.”

“Shut up,” Crow snapped, turning a bit pink. “I’m just not used to seeing her in a dress is all. She’s throwing me off my game.”

“Sure,” William scoffed. “But just in case you do get any ideas: Remember that she is a knight and you are a convict. Don’t forget your place.”

“I’m not ‘lovesick,’” Crow muttered vainly. “I’m only a bit surprised. That’s all.”

“If you say so,” William shook his head in obvious disbelief. “However, I will allow Penelope to guard you if she wishes to, as I’ll be busy taking care of other matters and won’t have time to babysit a childish thief.” He turned to the female knight. “What do you think? You’ve had to spend all day in a wagon with this fool. I would perfectly understand if you want to take some time off and let me take over.”

Penelope found it a tad odd how he wavered slightly. Usually the thief was quick to force his company onto her without so much as a second thought. Which was in some way understandable when he would otherwise be stuck with William. It made her wonder how bit of a difference there was between how she looked now rather than before. To her, th only thing that felt different was that she was in a dress rather than armor. The knight shrugged to herself and remained quiet during the conversation with the two. She found herself feeling a bit embarassed by Their words though only rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Ah," Penelope blinked as William now directed his attention to her. "I'm fine with it. I think I'm beginning to become immune to such annoyances." she told him with a small smirk. That wasn't quite true. While he annoyed her at times, the thief's company was overall enjoyable to the knight but with the older knight around there was no way she could admit to it. Especially with how Crow was acting around her at the moment. William gave a small nod. "Alright. I'll leave him to you then." he agreed before turning and walking off.

Once he had gone, Penelope cleared her throat and began to look around. "So where are you dragging me to day, hmm?" she questioned in a teasing manner.

“Just… around,” Crow murmured absently, averting his gaze once more to look about the surrounding village. “I have a few places I want to visit before we move on. It’s for personal reasons, so don’t ask me why. I’m not going to tell you.” He glanced back at her, paused for a moment, and then went on hurriedly, “Come on. There’s only so much daylight left before we need to get back to William.” With that, he turned away again and walked down the road, keeping his eyes focused straight ahead.

Gods. Why was she suddenly so distracting to him? All she had done was put on a simple peasant dress, and now he couldn’t even think straight. He let out a quiet huff. It must have been because he hadn’t seen a beautiful woman in so long that she was having such a strange effect on him. Of course; that had to be the problem. Once he got used to seeing her in commoners’ clothes he would be fine again.

Having worked out his dilemma, Crow felt much better. He glanced back at the knight, casting her one of his characteristically impish grins, “Sorry if I worried you, love. I was a bit distracted earlier. It’s the first time I’ve been close to home in over a year, after all. I suppose I was just a little caught up in the moment.” His green eyes swept over the buildings that lined the road. “I’m assuming you’ve never been to this village before, right? You have to visit the tavern here. They make exceptional honey mead that you can’t buy anywhere else in the kingdom—you know what? I’m not even going to give you a choice in the matter. Come on.”

He reached for Penelope’s hand and led her towards a building with a faded sign over the open door that—to any literate person—read: ‘The Black Dagger.’

Penelope shrugged at his answer. "Fine." she replied. The knight didn't bother to press on the topic and instead followed the thief rather quietly. Her gaze wandered around the village. To her, there wasn't much to see but she had enough sense to understand why he wanted to look around.

The knight grinned a little out of amusement as the thief returned to his regular self. "Back to the normal routine.." she muttered rolling her eyes as he grabbed her hand and lead her towards the building. However, this time felt a bit different. She should have been used to the thief's touch but somehow his hand felt much more prominent than usual in hers. In fact... it even made her feel a bit nervous... Or perhaps it was anxious? Penelope shook her head to rid herself of the confusing thoughts.

Looking back ahead, she read the name of the tavern she was being dragged to. She eyed it with a hint of curiousity, entering the building shortly after Crow. It was different than any tavern she had been to but that was merely due to the poverty this particular area. It seemed run down and almost a bit eerie to the knight. It wasn't long before she had the uncomfortable feeling of being watched. It seemed that a couple men there had already began to eye her with slight interest upon her entrance. Penelope shifted uneasily. She wasn't used to such attention or looks. As a knight, she rarely recieved such and was more familiar with a hateful look.

When they reached the door of the tavern, Crow let go of Penelope’s hand and stepped inside first. He stopped near the entrance, eagerly taking in as much as he could. Truth be told, he couldn’t remember whether this place made good drinks or not. There were some outstanding taverns in the outer villages, but he was fuzzy about which was which. The real reason he was here was for the people. In his experience, the best way to gather honest information was to speak with the men of the taverns. Usually half drunk and rowdy, they didn’t pay much attention to what they said. Thus, they wouldn’t be careful to use filters around strangers.

He examined each of the individual faces in the small room. Fortunately, it didn’t look like there were any men here who might recognize him from his past visits to this tavern. He was relieved about that, since he wanted to avoid the uncomfortable topic of his arrest, but he also noticed one thing that made him frown in annoyance. Off to one side, there were a couple of drunken men eyeing Penelope hungrily. He glanced back at her. She seemed to have spotted them as well and looked visibly uncomfortable. Well, he wouldn’t stand for that. While it wasn’t his main goal, he had brought Penelope here to show her the better parts of the outer villages.

“This way, love,” Crow said, slipping his arm around her waist to guide her towards an empty table. He shot the two men a pointed glare until they turned away, muttering amongst each other. Satisfied that they had stopped their leering, the thief smirked and murmured into Penelope’s ear, “You can thank me later.” He gestured at an old, wooden bench for her to sit down and then took a seat across from her, leaning forward and crossing his arms on the table. “So, not too shabby, eh? I mean, it’s nothing classy, but this place has its own kind of charm.”

Penelope blinked, a bit caught off guard as Crow moved his arm around her waist. "I could have handled myself just fine." she grumbled in return feeling a bit ashamed for having let such a pety thing bother her. She was a knight after all and a few looks should be meaningless, especially when coming from drunken men. Though, she was a bit grateful for the aid.

Moving on, Penelope sat down quietly at the table. "Yeah." she agreed with a small nod. "It's quaint." The knight briefly swept her gaze across the room before looking back to Crow. "So this town is where you grew up, huh? Must be nice to see it again after being locked up for a year." she mused.

“Well, it’s not exactly like that,” Crow shrugged, absently watching a few men gamble at a nearby table. “I’ve never had just one home, you see. I’m a traveler; I go wherever the wind takes me. You’re right that this is one of the many villages I’ve lived in, but it isn’t my home town.” He winked at Penelope. “That, my dear, is a secret I’m going to keep to myself.”

he glanced up as an older woman approached their table. He grinned, recognizing her as the owner of the tavern, Evelyn Ansgot. Back when he used to live in this village, she had been the one to keep him under control, always sternly chiding him when he provoked fights—he enjoyed watching the drunken men brawl until they passed out—or rebuking him when he stole from her customers—usually with a wooden cane. Despite this, they held a mutual respect for each other and, while he would never admit it out loud, Crow looked up to her like a mother or an aunt. Out of everyone he would have liked to run into here, she was at the top of his list.

“Can I help you two?” the tavern owner asked without looking up from the pad of paper in her hands.

“Aw, come now, Evelyn,” Crow pouted. “It’s been so long, but I don’t even get a ‘welcome back?’ How cruel.”

“I know that voice,” Evelyn stopped and looked up, squinting at the thief. “Crow, is that you?” She let out a curt laugh. “Well, well, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. You’re not here to steal from my customers, are you?”

“It’s nice to see you, too,” Crow rolled his eyes. “And no, I just happened to be in town, so I thought I’d stop by and say hello to my favorite tavern keeper.”

“Thank you, dear,” Evelyn said. “But you still have to pay.”

Crow clicked his tongue and frowned in disappointment, “You haven’t changed at all.”

“Naturally,” Evelyn smirked at him and then took notice of Penelope. “Well now, who is this? She’s a pretty young thing. Is she your girl, Crow?”

The thief colored slightly as he glanced at the knight, “Um, no. This is Penelope. We’re just… recent acquaintances. She’s never been to this village, so I thought I’d show her around.”

“Mhm,” the tavern owner chuckled softly. “It seems you haven’t changed either, you rascal.”

“Evelyn, please,” Crow hissed, the flush in his cheeks deepening.

“Fine, fine,” the old woman laughed. “What would you two like to drink?”

Crow cleared his throat awkwardly, “Two mugs of your best honey mead.” He sighed as the tavern owner scribbled down his request and walked away. “I’d forgotten how much she enjoys a good laugh at my expense…”

As he winkd at her, Penelope rolled her eyes. "Ah yes, the ever complex mystery that is Crow continues." she muttered sarcastically with a very faint smirk. It was then that Evelyn approached the table. She glanced briefly at the woman but remained quiet as Crow would be the one ordering. He dragged her here afterall. However, she became a bit more curious about the woman as it seemed Crow knew her.

At the older woman's teasing, the knight looked a tad annoyed but more embarassed then anything, quickly looking away at such accusations. Once Evelyn had left, Penelope recovered slightly and looked back over at Crow again."Now you know how I feel on a daily basis." she teased. Despite having been put into a rather unwanted position by the older woman, there was something about her that Penelope couldn't help but admire slightly.

"Though, if you keep up that terrible lying, we'll have a whole kingdom confusing us as some sort of thing..." Penelope added giving him a criticizing look. "Couldn't come up with anything better than acquaintances huh?"