[IC] Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow smirked at the blush that flooded Penelope’s cheeks. With everything that had been going on, he hadn’t thought about the occasional awkwardness between them. In fact, he had forgotten about it completely since the nobles had taken them captive. Penelope’s flushed face gave away the fact that her fluster around him was still very much alive though. Somehow, the knowledge made his own heart race slightly. He wondered why. Perhaps it’s because of how close we’ve gotten as friends? The thief thought dismissively. Surely it can’t be anything more than that. We’ve only known each other for a few days.

“You’d be wise not to trust a thief,” Crow nodded sagely. “But I’m also your friend... and that’s another reason why you shouldn’t trust me.” He shrugged. “I did say I’m biased, love.”

--

Crow and Penelope’s conversation tapered off as weariness struck them. The thief migrated back to his blanket pile, where he finally got some shut eye after his wild day of mischief and hijinks. The night passed without trouble, and eventually the sun rose above the treetops. Its soft, hazy light coaxed the thief out of his slumber. He sat up and stretched, looking out the side of the wagon to see where they were. His eyes widened with excitement when he saw that they had reached the famous olive tree forest of Younis.

It was breathtaking. Dark brown, fat tree trunks sprouted haphazardly from the ground, splitting off in multiple directions and thinning out as they moved upward. The ends of the branches were covered in plumes of small, sage green leaves, with black olives scattered in between them. The gnarled forest stretched in all directions as far as the eye could see, just like the waves of the sea.

Crow let out a giddy laugh when William announced that they would be setting up camp here. What luck! Now he could explore and get a close-up look at the forest. Maybe he could even stash some olives away in a salt bag to cure and eat later on. It was unlikely that he would actually have time to prepare them, but he decided he might as well give himself the opportunity in case he had the chance.

He climbed down from the back of the wagon with Penelope just as William began giving orders to the other knights. Like always, William shot Crow a disgusted look and told Penelope to watch over him while she collected firewood. The thief rolled his eyes, “Sure, put your savior under watch. It’s not like I could have run away or anything by now.”

“You may have made a noble decision once, thief,” William spat. He obviously didn’t like the way Crow referred to himself as their ‘savior.’ “But that doesn’t make up for your years of conniving and betrayal. I will never grace a criminal with my trust.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night,” Crow shook his head and trotted after Penelope to gather wood.

“Well... least we didn’t get the water one... right?” she whispered to him.

“True,” Crow nodded. “I don’t really feel like hauling buckets to and from the camp. This is much better.” He picked up a large stick from the ground. “Look, I’m being useful already.” He snapped his fingers as if struck with a brilliant idea. “Ah! Maybe if I hit William in the head with this, it’ll knock some sense into him, and he’ll realize I’m not trying to run away anymore. Two birds, one stone.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope glanced over at Crow and smirked in amusement. “Oh you’ve got to cut him a bit of slack.” She said as she picked up a couple sticks nearby. “His large ego took a big hit from getting saved by a thief. It could take months, maybe even years, before it completely restores itself.” Another big reason William would never trust Crow like she did was because of the promise they made. William would kill her if he knew her plans to let Crow escape after their mission was over.

She was grabbing a few more good-sized sticks when she heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The knight froze as she caught sight of a cloaked figure approaching the two. Immediately her free hand went to her waist, which was sadly missing a sword. “Curse this peasant disguise...” She muttered under her breath. It seemed she’d have to try a different approach. Something, a tad more friendly. “Hello? Is there something we can help you with?” She asked as the figure stopped in front of them. The knight remained tense. Luckily they weren’t far from camp so calling for back up wasn’t completely outrageous.

The stranger chuckled and pushed back the hood of her cloak. “Always so tense, Penelope~!” The woman grinned. She was slightly taller than Penelope with black hair and dark brown eyes. It was needless to say the woman was quite attractive, though small scars made it evident that she was no ordinary peasant woman.

Penelope stared at her in surprise. “Olivia?” She asked as she recognized her fellow female knight. The two had previously trained together and Penelope had come to know Olivia quite well. A mutual respect of their skills and abilities allowed them to be friends but their conflicting personalities kept their friendship distant. Penelope was often reserved and focused on her work, whereas Olivia was much more carefree and fun-loving.

“The one and only! Figured I’d drop into see how this mission of yours was going. You don’t exactly keep me up to date on your life, you know.” Olivia said as she stepped closer. Her gaze finally fell on Crow. She looked him over, with a hint of interest in her gaze. Penelope raised an eyebrow at Olivia, a bit confused by her behavior. “Mm... And you who’s this?” Olivia asked with a sly smirk.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow smirked when Penelope talked about how much damage he had done to William’s massive ego. He might have started making an effort to get along with her, but he still had a strong dislike for the rest of the knights—especially ones that treated him like an unreliable, feral animal. So, it pleased him to learn that the older knight was upset about the situation at the rebel camp.

He was about to make a snide comment about it when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from behind a cluster of olive trees. They came from the opposite direction as the knights’ campsite, so he doubted it was William or Abraxas. Again? The thief thought in exasperation. They had just gotten away from the last group of people that wanted to cause them trouble, and now—after they had just crossed the border—there was already somebody else on their tail? It was getting ridiculous how many people seemed to want them dead.

He tensed, taking a step back in preparation to run, and kept his eyes fixed on the trees as he waited for the stranger to appear. The odd thing was that the footsteps were loud and even. It was almost as if the person they belonged to didn’t care if he or she was heard, and was in no hurry to get to them. He or she must have been very confident. Well, either that or the stranger wasn’t dangerous. But he had been through too much in the last few days to believe that.

Surprisingly enough, it seemed like Crow’s second guess was the accurate one. After a moment, the figure stepped into view. The thief’s eyes widened in shock. It was another female knight, wearing the colors of Brerra. Apparently Penelope knew her as well, because she greeted the new knight as if she were an old friend.

“Figured I’d drop in to see how this mission of yours was going,” the woman, whose name was Olivia, said to Penelope. “You don’t exactly keep me up to date on your life, you know.” Crow eyed her curiously. She seemed friendly enough, even though he couldn’t figure out why she was here—he doubted she travelled all the way to Younis just to visit a friend—and Penelope seemed to trust her, so he relaxed.

Olivia turned to him, “Mm... and who’s this?” Her gaze swept over the thief in a manner that resembled the way a buyer might examine a stock horse at the market. He tilted his chin up, mildly offended that she didn’t know who he was. He had thought his reputation spread all across the kingdom by now, but apparently he had been wrong. Well then, I suppose I’ll just have to introduce myself.

The thief stepped over to the female knight, bending forward in a garish bow, “My name is Crow Lockton, most renowned thief in all of Brerra.” He looked up at her and grinned mischievously. “A pleasure.”

[BuzzingBee]

Olivia watched him and heaved a sigh. “A pity.” She corrected crossing her arms over her chest. “It’s always the pretty ones that end up as criminals. Such a tragedy, don’t you think Penelope?” The knight casted a disappointed look towards Penelope, clearly catching her off guard. “What?” Penelope squeaked. Was Olivia truly looking at Crow in that way? It really shouldn’t have surprised her. Olivia had a record to chase after boy she deemed handsome enough, regardless of their background. Penelope paid little mind to it usually but something just felt wrong with her looking at Crow in that light.

“Anyways, where is your camp? William and Abraxas traveled with you correct? I should greet them as well.” Olivia mused, ignoring Penelope’s baffled expression. Penelope watched Olivia, seeming to snap out of her previous thoughts. “Olivia, why are you here anyways? I know it’s not just for a visit. That much is clear.” she asked in a serious tone.

Olivia blinked and turned around. She smiled sheepishly at Penelope. “True. I was sent here as back up. In case something went array and you needed aid. I’m guessing things are going fine though. You appeared quite relaxed earlier and Crow over there clearly hasn’t been killed by William after all.” She explained calmly. Olivia flashed a confident grin at the two. “Now I’m just here for company and a full report to the king. Now then, which way Penelope?”

Penelope smiled faintly back at Olivia. She supposed it was nice to have her drop. It had been a while since the two knights had last seen each other. “I see, well, follow me then. We’ve just barely started to set up.” She informed Olivia as she took the lead in heading back towards the camp. Penelope didn’t get much of a chance to speak with the other knight as she noticed Olivia hung back to walk closer to Crow. Penelope couldn’t help but feel a slight twinge of annoyance.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow stood back up and stared at Olivia with interest. He was caught slightly off-guard by her comment, finding it both backhanded and flattering. So, the female knight was interested in him, eh? His lips twitched as a smile threatened to take over. It had been quite a while since he last found himself in a position to be with a woman. Sure, he flirted constantly, but he never had a chance to really win over any of the women he had met with since he had gotten out of prison. Well, except for… his green eyes drifted to Penelope. They had been together constantly for a little over half a week, but she never seemed to fall for his charm. She had pretended to for a while, but he knew it was all just an act. It’s no matter, he thought, returning his gaze to Olivia. We’re friends now anyway. I wouldn’t want to spoil that for a one-night fling. The new woman appeared to be fair game, however.

The female knight asked Penelope to bring her to the camp so she could greet William and Abraxas. Crow turned to look at her as well, and was surprised to catch a glimpse of a strange expression on her face. Was that anger or… jealousy? It didn’t last long enough for him to tell for sure, so he let it go, deciding that he must have just imagined it. What reason would she have to be upset? It wasn’t like she was interested in him. Odd, he frowned, tilting his head a bit in confusion. For some reason, the thought stirred an uncomfortable feeling within his chest.

“Olivia, why are you here anyways?” Penelope’s voice sounded stern, almost hostile. “I know it’s not just for a visit. That much is clear.” The thief winced. He hadn’t heard her use a tone like that since the beginning of their journey, when she still thought of him as a lowly criminal. He wondered why she was being so unfriendly with her old acquaintance. Perhaps they had been rivals?

“True,” Olivia responded, unperturbed. “I was sent here as back up. In case something went awry and you needed aid. I’m guessing things are going fine though. You appeared quite relaxed earlier and Crow over there clearly hasn’t been killed by William, after all. Now I’m just here for company and a full report to the king. Now then, which way, Penelope?”

Penelope seemed to relax a bit, and she led them back to the campsite. Crow walked a bit behind her, unsure of whether it would be a good idea to question her about her sudden change in demeanor. He didn’t want to get snapped at if she was still angry.

“Hey, renowned-thief-of-Brerra,” Olivia’s smooth voice pulled Crow from his thoughts. He turned to see that she had lagged behind to walk with him. There was no denying that she was interested in him now.

“Yes, strange-friend-of-Penelope?” Crow replied.

“You’re a quick one, aren’t you?” the knight chuckled. “You’re also the one who was in prison for a year, right? The king told me a little about you before he sent me on my mission.” Her eyes swept over him again. “Sounds awfully boring.”

Of course the king would only tell her I was in prison for a year, he rolled his eyes. “It was, but fortunately I’m still alive and kicking.” He paused, deciding to test the waters a bit with this woman. He looked into her eyes and smirked coquettishly. “In fact… I’ve still got quite a bit of stamina.”

“Oh, really?” the knight purred. “I don’t know if I believe you. You might just have to prove it to me.”

“I might just do that.”

Olivia leaned in and whispered into his ear closely enough that he could feel her warm breath against his skin, “I’ll be around whenever you want to try. You know where to find me.” With that, she pulled away from the thief and trotted up next to Penelope, engaging the other woman in casual conversation and leaving him to watch her from behind. Crow laughed softly, shaking his head. She was a feisty one, that knight. He would have a lot of fun with her.

[BuzzingBee]

The talking behind her back made Penelope on edge. She couldn’t quite make out what they were saying though. It doesn’t matter... It shouldn’t matter. The knight told herself as she forced herself from glancing back at them. Finally she noticed one of them moving to walk besides her. The knight didn’t understand why but she was slightly disappointed when it wasn’t Crow.

“So tell me about your trip so far. If I’m correct, it seemed you guys got here a little behind schedule.” Olivia said casting a friendly glance at her friend. Penelope was glad to talk if only to distract her from her own thoughts which were currently annoying her. “Yes, unfortunately we got a bit held up.” she said gesturing to her bandaged shoulder. The other knight’s eyes widened in surprise at the injury.

“Not too bad but I’m surprised someone managed to get you that good. What happened?” Olivia said, looking at Penelope with curiosity. “Some sort of rebels. They captured us but they were really inexperienced so we escaped the same night.” She explained with a shrug. Penelope felt a twinge of guilt as she was careful to phrase it so there would be no need to mention Crow’s help during that time. It wasn’t something Olivia needed to know anyways.

“Rebels huh? That can’t be good... I’ll be sure to inform the king once I return.” Olivia said with a small nod to Penelope. The knight certainly could be serious when she need to be and those were moments Penelope truly respected. Penelope smiled and looked ahead as they entered camp. “William, we have a visitor.” She told the older knight as he looked up from his map.

“Olivia?” He questioned in confusion as the other knight grinned. Olivia made her way over to greet him and explain herself while Penelope hung back. She looked over at Crow and paused for a moment. She came close to asking him what him and Olivia had discussed but decided against it and instead moved to put down the wood she had collected.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow picked up a few more decent-sized sticks from the ground as he walked back to the camp, whistling a song from the outer villages. His flirtatious banter with Olivia had put him in a good mood… mostly. There was still that strange, uncomfortable pressure in his chest that had started when the female knight first arrived. He was doing his best to ignore it, but the damned feeling continued to persist. He wondered if he was getting sick. It would be just his luck for that to happen. A beautiful woman arrives at their ragtag little camp, and the thief catches a cold. He sighed, sending a quick prayer to the gods that the pressure would go away.

When they reached the camp, Olivia greeted the others. they seemed just as surprised as Crow and Penelope at her sudden arrival. Their new guest made herself right at home, conversing freely with William about what she had been doing in Younis. The thief dropped off his wood collection near the makeshift fire pit the older knight had been working on, and then went to seek out Penelope. He found her standing off by herself. It was a bit unusual considering how she usually stayed close to the group. He watched her from a distance for a moment, before walking over to join her at the edge of the camp.

“Are you okay?” Crow asked slowly. “You’ve looked a bit out of it since that other woman got here.” He paused, thinking for a moment. What if Penelope was sick too? He had been spending so much time with her lately that he wouldn’t have been surprised if he caught something from her. “Hold still a moment,” he said, pressing one hand to the knight’s forehead. She felt warm, but he couldn’t tell if it was a fever or just her normal body heat. “Hmm… I don’t think you’re unwell,” he mumbled quietly, mostly talking to himself.

[BuzzingBee]

It didn’t occur to her how out of place she might have seemed sticking to herself. While she wasn’t overly social, Penelope did usually keep with the group but at that moment, she preferred to stay off to the side. At least until she sort out her thoughts.I only care because Olivia is a knight and Crow’s a thief. Yes. That has to be it... He’s a criminal. Knights shouldn’t involve themselves so deeply with a criminal... she told herself.

Penelope looked over at Crow as he walked up.“I’m fine.” She insisted. As he pressed his hand to her forehead, her cheeks lit up a light pink. Something that seemed to happen more often than not whenever he was close to her. No... Otherwise I’m a hypocrite. she thought troubled as she couldn’t come up with another reason to her current feelings. She was annoyed with both Olivia and Crow but, while she wanted Olivia farther away from her, she wanted Crow to remain close.

Penelope, in an attempt to recover, rolled her eyes and brushed his hand off her forehead. “What are you babbling about? Like I said I’m fine.” she said, attempting to sound sure of herself. She sighed and straightened up slightly. “Olivia showing up just threw me off a bit... You think the king would have informed us of back up.” She lied. Olivia did throw her off but not because she claimed to be back up for their mission.

“Well, you must be enjoying her showing up.” Penelope teased. It took a lot of effort but she managed to hide away most of her bitterness. However, her eyes did hold a bit of a sour look as she spoke to him.“She seems to have taken a liking to you... For some strange reason.” She added, casting a glance over at Olivia before looking up at Crow.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Alright, alright,” Crow held up his hands when Penelope brushed him away. “Calm down, I was just checking.” He stopped, realizing that he was speaking rather harshly to the knight. Normally he wouldn’t have cared, but since she wasn’t acting like herself, he was trying to tread lightly around her. He didn’t want to do something stupid and ruin the friendship they had just begun to form. He cleared his throat awkwardly and averted his gaze, “Anyway… You are most certainly not fine, and I want to know why.” The thief cursed silently. He knew that his words and tone of voice were curt, but he didn’t know how else to speak to the knight at that moment. I really have to get this empathy thing down…

“Olivia showing up just threw me off a bit...” Penelope responded with false confidence. “You think the king would have informed us of back up.” Crow stared at her without response. He could tell that she was lying. Twisting the truth was part of his trade; he was an expert at it, so he knew the signs when someone else wasn’t honest with him. Well, that and the amount of time he had spent learning how to read the female knight helped too. Whatever was going on with her, she obviously didn’t want to talk to him about it. He let the subject drop.

“Well, you must be enjoying her showing up,” Penelope spoke up again. There was a hint of bitterness in her voice. “She seems to have taken a liking to you... for some strange reason.”

“Yeah,” Crow agreed vaguely. He looked over at Olivia. She glanced back at him in the same moment and smiled. He averted his gaze, not wanting to upset Penelope any more than she already was. He still didn’t know what was going on with her, but he wasn’t completely daft. It had something to do with the other knight. He decided not to tell her about Olivia’s physical interest in him, or about their conversation and plans. “She’s a friendly one, alright,” the thief said, attempting to lead Penelope off track. “It’s a nice change from how most other knights talk to me—apart from you, of course, love.” He smiled and leaned in close to her, speaking in a hushed voice. “Don’t tell the others, because they’ll just be jealous, but I like you the best.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope was a bit surprised to hear Crow agree, even though his mind did seem to be thinking about something else. She thought him to be a show off when given the opportunity and was quite surprised he didn’t take the chance to gloat about the interest Olivia had shown him. He even tried to playoff her interest as nothing more than friendliness. Penelope looked skeptically at him. Surely even he wasn’t dull enough to think her advances were only friendship.

Her thoughts were quickly thrown off track as he leaned in closer to her. She felt her cheeks once again light up, this time at both his words and closeness. Penelope gave a small snort and offered a smirk as she attempted to act how she normally would. “I must be doing my job terribly wrong then.” She joked. The knight looked up at him and smiled briefly. Her gaze then focused over on the other knights.

William and Abraxas still seemed to be discussing something with Olivia. They all seemed quite relaxed, even the stern William to some extent. “We should join them. Best make sure they aren’t planning anything without us.” She mumbled. Though she was hesitant to join the group, Penelope decided it was probably for the best. She turned and walked over to the other knights, moving to stand between Abraxas and William.

[Rogue Sloth]

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. Am I…? No. That can’t be it, he thought, shifting his weight uncertainly. He glanced up at Olivia once more, trying to reassure himself. Instead, the pressure returned. Damn it.

“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 are, 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’m 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.”

[BuzzingBee]

William was quick to begin informing Penelope and Abraxas about what their next move was. It appeared he had studied the map and had even gotten some knowledge about the first village they would come across from Olivia. It was a basic run down and Penelope quickly got the idea of what to expect. However, she was only half listening to William talk. Out of the corner of her eye, she was watching Crow and Olivia quietly speaking to each other. It didn’t truly bother her until she noticed Olivia lean in and whisper something in Crow’s ear. Penelope quickly looked to the other side, her green eyes narrowing in annoyance.

Vulgar witch! She thought as she felt a surge of jealousy corse through her. Jealousy... The word popped up in her mind as she realized it wasn’t just anger or annoyance she was feeling. But what on earth is there to be jealous of? Penelope quickly tried to cool her head as she looked back to William. “We’ll leave later in the day tomorrow. The town isn’t far from here and there’s no reason to rush into unknown territory... Especially since we have quite a bit left to prepare.” William stated, refusing to admit that what really needed preparing was his accent. Penelope blankly nodded in agreement with the older knight. I was wrong to think that about her... Olivia is a friend. She reminded herself.

“Good then, I’ll head back to the kingdom when you all head out for the next village then.” Olivia announced as she rejoined the conversation amongst the knights. Or you could just leave now.. Penelope thought bitterly. She forced a smile at Olivia. “Are you sure you shouldn’t leave first thing? I imagine the king must think there has been some delay already since we were behind schedule.” Penelope pointed out with a hint of concern. In truth, she just wanted whatever jealousy she was feeling to go away. It was quite unpleasant.

“It’s fine.” Olivia said dismissively. She smiled at Penelope. “I’m sure I can spare a bit of time.” It seemed Olivia fully planned to remain in their company until they left. Which was quite disappointing for Penelope. However, the knight merely smiled back at Olivia and nodded. “If you’re sure. It will be good to have you around for a little while.”

“Well, it looks like we can relax for a while now that camp is set up.” William commented, pretty much ignoring whatever conversation the two girls had.

Penelope nodded in agreement. “I’ll get the fire started then. The sun will be set before long and it’s already getting chilly.” She said before turning to head over to the makeshift firepit they had built. She was quick to busy herself with work and welcomed anything as a distraction from Crow and Olivia.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow couldn’t help but dwell on Olivia’s prophesy. He never planned to pursue Penelope—at least, he never planned it in earnest—but for some reason, it frustrated him to know that it wouldn’t have worked out even if he did. Maybe it was just his stubborn spirit, but he wanted to believe that he could have made a relationship with her work, even if it were only in theory. Still, he wondered why he cared so much. He already had the knight as a friend, and he also had Olivia to satisfy his other needs. Besides, he wasn’t interested in Penelope in that way… was he? Somehow, he was even more uncertain now than he was before.

The thief listened in to the knights’ conversation again when he heard Penelope’s voice asking Olivia if she should leave immediately to bring news to the king. The other woman just casually shrugged the idea off, saying that she had time to spare. The tension between them was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife. Crow shivered. He was glad Olivia was going to stay, but he also couldn’t wait for her to leave tomorrow. Hopefully Penelope would return to her usual self once the other female knight was gone.

“I’ll get the fire started then,” Penelope said. “The sun will be set before long and it’s already getting chilly.” Crow felt a pang of disappointment. With her businesslike attitude, it almost felt like she was ignoring him. Had he done something to offend her? He didn’t think his questions had been that intrusive, but maybe she didn’t like the way he had tried to get involved with her problems. Or maybe she was just taking out her irritation with Olivia on everyone. Either way, he hoped her bad mood would lift soon.

“Ah!” Olivia exclaimed, clapping her hands together in excitement. “I have food at my camp. It’s just west of here. I bought some chicken at a market in the last town I visited. I can go get it, and we can cook it for dinner if you’d all like.”

“That would be wonderful,” Abraxas agreed. “Chicken sounds delicious.”

The woman knight turned to Crow and quirked a brow, obviously awaiting his response. The thief glanced at Penelope before answering with a simple, noncommittal: “Sure.” In truth, he was desperately hungry, and chicken did sound delicious—his mouth even watered at the thought of it—but he didn’t want to upset Penelope, so he acted as if he didn’t care either way.

“Excellent,” Olivia said. “I’ll be back by the time the fire is started.” She turned and headed into the forest. As soon as she was gone, Crow joined Penelope in the center of the camp, aligning some sticks in the pit so they leaned against each other in an upright position to help her get a fire started.

“I haven’t built a fire in a long time,” he said in an attempt to make small talk. He wasn’t really sure what to say to her, but he knew he wanted to talk. “I used to enjoy doing it though. Having control over flames makes me feel kind of powerful.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked up at Olivia as she offered to go grab chicken from her camp. “Yeah, it sounds greats.” She agreed honestly with Abraxas. It would give her some time away from Olivia and a good meal when she returned so naturally she supported it. Her gaze flickered over to Crow. I’m surprised she’s not dragging him along... she thought. It was also strange to her why he didn’t seem very enthusiastic about the chicken. Whenever food was offered or on the table, Crow always seemed to jump at it after all. Penelope didn’t dwell on it for much longer but part of her was strangely happy that Crow didn’t end up tagging along with Olivia.

She quietly focused back on building the fire pit when Crow came up besides her. Penelope seemed more relaxed now that Olivia’s presence had been removed. “I don’t know about building but they’re quite relaxing...” She said with a small nod. Talk of the fire sparked her reminder of his previous wounds from escaping the day before.

The knight paused in her work to look over at him. “How are your burns healing?” She said eyeing for visible spots of burns. “If they’re not healing well, we can stop for medicine once we reach the next village.” Penelope had been meaning to ask him but had been rather distracted. I’ve been worrying about useless things. She thought, scolding herself. When Olivia returned, the knight would be sure not to let her emotions rule her any further.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow was relieved to see Penelope relax after Olivia had gone. It made him feel a bit calmer as well, now that he didn’t have to be quite so on-guard around her. He looked down at his arms when the knight asked how he was healing. “I think they’re getting better,” he replied thoughtfully. “They don’t hurt much anymore, and I forget they’re there when I’m busy with other things.” He honestly wasn’t sure how he was healing, since he had never been burned by a fire before. Cuts and bruises? He’d had countless. Arrow wounds? Sure. Broken bones? Absolutely. But burns? Those were a new experience for him.

“It might still be good to pick up some more medicine though,” the thief said, looking up at Penelope from where he crouched by the pit. “I used up a lot of the ointment from the stock on the wagon.” He toyed absently with the wood in the pit, tearing off some of the thin bark on the outside of the pieces to make a tinder nest underneath the cone-shaped arrangement he had placed the sticks in. Once it looked good and ready, he grabbed the two flint stones William had left nearby and struck them together, creating sparks, until the tinder nest started smoking. He leaned forward, propping himself up on his elbows, and blew gently on the tiny flame until it grew big enough to catch the surrounding wood.

When the fire was of self-sustaining proportions, he got back up and dusted himself off, smirking at Penelope, “Sorry, darling. I know you wanted to do this job, but I just couldn’t help myself.” He turned back to look at the pit, the reflective light from the flames dancing off his face. Fire was a comforting sight to him. Back in his days before prison, he only ever lit them when he was certain he was well hidden from bounty hunters. Because of that, they had grown to become something of a signal of safety, a signal that it was okay to relax. The thief needed that every once in a while.

“So, how’s your shoulder?” Crow asked in return to Penelope’s question. He sat down next to the pit and motioned for her to join him. “Are you healing?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope nodded, seeming a bit relieved to hear he was doing alright. She was no healer so there wasn’t much to go off of. His burns didn’t seem to be worse so she assumed that meant he would be fine. “Alright. I’ll be sure to tell William to stop once we reach the village.” The knight said. Stocking up on more medicine wouldn’t be a problem. The king had supplied them with enough gold to restock on supplied if need be. Of course, William was the one who held onto said gold, stashing it away so it wouldn’t be on the thief’s radar.

She watched as he started the fire, moving back slightly as he took over. The knight shrugged and smirked a bit at Crow. “It’s fine. You really do have a strange affinity for fire after all.” Penelope mused. Once the fire was lit and burning, she moved to sit down besides Crow. The knight quietly watched the fire for a moment. The smell of a nice campfire was always comforting to her.

“I believe so. My shoulder is still a bit sore.” She answered him with a small shrug. “It doesn’t hurt nearly as bad as it did the day before so I should be fine.” Penelope’s skill with healing and medicine ultimately boiled down to if it’s not worse the next day, you’re gonna be fine. It had held true for her every time she received an injury so she saw no reason to change her ways. She knew the very basics of medicine, which was enough for her.

“It’d be nice if we could just avoid getting into any more trouble before this mission is over.” Penelope said with a small sigh before leaning back on the palms of her hands.

[Rogue Sloth]

“That’s good,” Crow said when Penelope told him about how her shoulder didn’t hurt as much as it had the day before. He gingerly touched the burns on his arms. They still pained him like a bad sunburn, but he didn’t think they would hold him up when he went to raid the Younisian king’s palace. He looked back at the knight. He knew it would be too much to expect her to perform at one hundred percent so soon after getting cut by a sword—whenever he had wounds that severe, it always took him a month to fully recover at least—but he hoped she would at least be able to keep up with him if she had to.

“Guess who’s back?” Olivia’s sing-song voice cut through the silence. The knight had changed clothes. Instead of the cloak and masculine clothes from before, she now wore a very form-fitting shirt and a calf-length skirt. She held up a plucked chicken by the legs, presenting it as if it were a trophy. “And I brought dinner!” Her eyes fell on Crow and Penelope, who were still sitting together by the fire. She pursed her lips for a moment, as if an unpleasant thought crossed her mind, then returned to her usual bubbly self. She stepped over to the two, putting herself between them, and crouched down to look Crow in the eye, “Want to help me cook it? I’ll let you have first pick of the meat if you do.”

The thief hesitated, torn between his desire for Olivia and his loyalty to Penelope. He frowned, a bit surprised by his own thought. Loyalty… that was a word he never imagined he would use to describe himself. He had always been a loner, looking out for no one but himself. Whenever he wanted something, he would take it without a care as to how his actions would impact anyone else. But now that he was friends with Penelope, it was hard for him to get back into that mentality.

But still… Crow bit his lip, his green eyes fixed on Olivia’s attractive body. It wasn’t everyday a beautiful woman wanted to spend a night with him, and he couldn’t deny that he wanted to be with her. It had been so long. “Alright,” he answered her, glancing back at Penelope for a second before climbing to his feet. As guilty as he felt for choosing Olivia over Penelope, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Besides, why should he ask for permission when he could always ask for forgiveness later, right?

“Wonderful,” the dark-haired knight exclaimed happily. She tossed an unrestrained smirk at Penelope before inching closer to the thief, brushing her shoulder against his. “Now then, I’ll teach you some tricks to make it taste better…”

[BuzzingBee]

A peaceful moment by the fire was quickly disrupted as Olivia’s voice cut in. Had it always been that annoying? Penelope let out a faint sigh as she looked over at her fellow knight, just in time to catch the unpleasant look that crossed Olivia’s face. She briefly wondered what had momentarily upset the knight before her attention went on to the sudden change of clothing. There was no need for Olivia to change. Well, no practical reason at least. As Olivia came between them, Penelope shifted to lean away from the two.

She was careful to conceal her emotions away with a neutral expression, not wanting to get swept up in her feelings again. She looked over at Crow, listening to see what his answer would be. It sadly wasn’t the ’no’ she was hoping for. The knight quickly averted her gaze away from Crow, feeling a pang of disappointment stab through her. The disappoint was quickly replaced by annoyance as looked to see Olivia’s smirking face. For a moment, Penelope wrinkled her nose up in disgust. Olivia was mocking her. Why just because she got Crow’s attention? Yeah well, it won’t last... I’ve held it for much longer! Without throwing myself at him too! Penelope thought venomously as her gaze burned into the back of Olivia.

She blinked. Crow’s attention... That’s what she was jealous of but why? Penelope glanced over at Crow before quickly moving her gaze over to William and Abraxas. It must be because he’s better company than those two... Yes, that makes sense. And he’s my friend so of course I want to spend time with him. Olivia is getting in the way of that and I’m not used to it, that’s all. She thought, satisfied with her conclusion. Her expression eased as her confusion was given a false answer. However, reaching an answer didn’t just make her disgust and annoyance towards Olivia just go away.

Penelope made the mistake of looking back over at Crow and Olivia. Olivia seemed to take notice of her gaze and turned her head to look back at Penelope. A tauntingly please smile spread across Olivia’s lips before she focused her gaze forward once more and leaned closer to Crow. Penelope stood up and turned her back to them as she rolled her eyes. Every part of her wanted to hurry over there and get in between them but she knew she couldn’t do that. Crow was a friend and his love life was of no concerned to her. Even if the girl chasing him seemed as vile as a snake. Instead, Penelope sought distraction from the two by spending time with William and Abraxas. She walked over to them, careful to keep her back pointed to Crow and Olivia so it wouldn’t be easy to see them.

“Seems we’ll be having a better dinner than planned huh?” she mused casually to the two male knights. Both of whom were either oblivious or choosing to Penelope’s current mood and Olivia’s advances towards Crow.

“Yeah.” William said bluntly. This is why Penelope rarely spoke to the older knight in a friendly manner.

“Penelope, you’re not sticking with those two to watch Crow?” Abraxas asked innocently.

“Nope. It’s my off time. Olivia’s a good enough knight so she can deal with him.” Penelope stated firmly.

“And three’s a crowd...” William muttered with a sour look. Penelope raised an eyebrow at William. Abraxas casted a confusion look at the older knight. “What does that mean?” He asked. William sighed and crossed his arms. Penelope smirked faintly as she was reminded of the older knight’s dislike of Olivia. Needless to say the two had very conflicting morals. “Nothing. Just keep away from that girl. She’s a troublesome for a knight.... Anyways, it must be a nice break for you, Penelope. That damned criminal... How you put up with him for so long is beyond me.” William grumbled casting a glare a Crow.

Were conversations with you always this dull? Penelope wonder with a sigh as she merely shrugged her shoulders to answer William.

[Rogue Sloth]

Olivia continued chatting to Crow about her techniques for cooking chicken in a bonfire while Penelope sat nearby. She occasionally shot the other knight smug glances and touched the thief seductively, brushing his hair from his face, resting her hand on his back, and speaking closely to his face. It was no secret what she was trying to do in his mind: She was showing off to Penelope. They were good friends, but the two women were rivals. It probably frustrated Penelope to see her friend spending time wit someone she disliked.

Crow’s suspicions were confirmed when the knight got up and walked over to join William and Abraxas in their conversation. As soon as she was gone, Olivia’s demeanor changed. She pursed her lips, “Are you still going to tell me you don’t have feelings for Penelope?”

“I told you before, love,” Crow met her dark eyes, leaning in close and smiling coyly. “We’re. Just. Friends.”

“Good to know,” Olivia leaned closer as well, placing her mouth near his cheek. “So we’re still on for tonight, I presume?”

“Of course,” the thief replied softly.

“Fantastic,” she nuzzled her cheek against his, exhaling seductively into his ear. “After dinner, I’ll tell William I’m going for a walk and I’d like you to accompany me. Then, we’ll go back to my camp and… you know.”

“Can’t wait,” he shivered as she planted a kiss on his cheek. Oh, how he had missed the touch of a woman. It almost melted away his discomfort with making Penelope upset. He glanced at the other knights to make sure they weren’t looking—he didn’t want to ruin their night by alerting William to their true intentions—before he placed a hand on Olivia’s waist and pulled her close. She giggled. The thief traced his free hand along her jaw to tilt her chin upwards towards his face, speaking slowly as he did so, “How about a little teaser, hm?” With that, he pressed his lips against hers. They kissed passionately for a moment before separating again.

“Mm,” the knight sighed. “Not bad for a man who spent a year in a prison cell.”

“Darling, that’s just the beginning,” he said with a wink.

“Show me what you’ve got, thief,” Olivia smirked. She bent down to check on the cooking chicken. “Perfect timing. It looks like dinner is ready.” She took the food off of the spit it was roasting on and brought it over to the other knights, “Who’s ready to eat?”

[BuzzingBee]

It was just a small, brief glance but still enough to catch a glimpse of the knight and thief kiss. It stung like a knife in Penelope’s back. She flinched a quickly looked elsewhere. Her gaze eventually landed on William, who was distracted and didn’t catch sight of the exchange. It would only take a few simple words and Penelope could end whatever was going on between Olivia and Crow. She opened her mouth just slightly but then quickly closed it. No, she couldn’t do that no matter how much she wanted to. If Crow wanted to sleep with that arrogant woman, Penelope wasn’t going to intervene. But boy did she wish he would reconsider.

As Olivia walked up, Penelope stepped back, just slightly. William and Abraxas quickly welcomed the food. Olivia’s gaze finally fell on Penelope and she offered a smile that even Penelope could see through. “Here you go~! Try it. It’s delicious, Penelope.” she insisted. Penelope accepted a bit of chicken. The flavor may have been good but she simply couldn’t get some bitter taste inside her mouth. “Yeah it’s not bad.” She commented taking another bite.

“Thanks.” Olivia said with a wink before she headed back over to Crow. Penelope let out an involuntary snort. She moved to take a seat besides the wagon to finish the rest of her meal. If it wasn’t for Crow, she likely would have alone like that more often since conversations with William and Abraxas didn’t exactly interest her unless they were necessary to the mission or William was drunk.

Penelope frowned as she couldn’t erase the kiss between the two out of her mind. It annoyed her but more than anything else, she felt hurt. Why did he have to kiss her? It was a stupid question. It was obvious why and that they both planned to do much more than just kiss. But still, Penelope couldn’t get over it. It made her stomach feel empty and the chicken tasteless.