There it was again: the soft color on her cheeks, that subtle fluster in her voice, the awkward smile that appeared on her face… If Crow didn’t know better, he would have thought Penelope was interested in him too. But he did know better—and that’s why it was confusing. What was even more baffling to him was the way the pressure in his chest seems to dissipate at the thought of the woman knight falling for him. The two factors were too obviously related now for him to write the latter off as sickness. [i]Am I…? No. That can’t be it,[/i] he thought, shifting his weight uncertainly. He glanced up at Olivia once more, trying to reassure himself. Instead, the pressure returned. [i]Damn it.[/i]

“I told you before,” Crow said to Penelope in mock exasperation, as if he was repeating the same information a hundred times. He was trying to distract himself from his inner turmoil by engaging with her in playful conversation. “I have the refined taste of an aristocrat. If I tell you I like you, it’s because I see something of quality in you. You could almost think of it as a compliment from a nobleman—” he halted with a grimace. “Actually don’t do that. I dislike nobles. Just think of it as a compliment from a thief, which is much better anyways.”

Unfortunately for the thief, he wasn’t able to hold Penelope’s attention for long. She shifted her gaze to the knights that were gathered near the fire pit and announced that it would be best for them to regroup with the others, moving to join the small circle before he could respond. Crow followed after her, slightly disappointed that he couldn’t steal more time alone with the knight.

He wanted to stand next to Penelope, but Abraxas and William were too close on either side of her. He couldn’t squeeze in without pushing one of them aside, and the thief didn’t want to deal with William’s comments about him being ‘lovesick.’ So instead, he moved in next to Olivia, who had stepped aside to make a gap for him the moment she saw him walking over.

“I see you and Penelope are quite close, hm?” the knight said softly while William addressed Abraxas and Penelope.

“You could say that,” Crow shrugged.

Olivia observed him in silence for a moment before cracking a knowing smile, “Ah, unrequited love is a painful thing, is it not?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Crow scoffed and shook his head. “I’m not in love with her. We’re just friends.”

“I see,” the female knight clicked her tongue. Her dark eyes flashed to the other woman for a moment before returning to the thief. “It’s best that you aren’t. No good would come of it.”

“And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, it’s because of what you [i]are[/i], sweetie,” Olivia crooned, as if it were obvious. When Crow just stared at her, she went on. “You’re a thief. She’s a knight. Your lifestyles are completely different, you wouldn’t see eye-to-eye on anything, and you would fight constantly. You’re natural enemies, Crow. Trust me; it wouldn’t work.”

“You do realize that you’re a knight too, don’t you?” the thief pointed out blandly.

“Of course. But you do realize [i]I’m[/i] looking for something different than what she would be, don’t you?”

“Touché.”

Olivia chuckled softly and brushed a stray hair out of Crow’s face. She placed her lips near his ear again, whispering seductively, “Midnight in the clearing to the west. I’ll be waiting.”