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

[Rogue Sloth]

Once again, Crow followed Penelope’s lead as she guided them through the next part of the dance. He paid attention to the subtle push and pull of her hand that told him what to do, knowing he would eventually have to learn how to lead on his own if he was to be able to dance with anyone else at the party. The moves were still simple enough that he followed her without too much trouble. For him, the hardest part was maintaining a decent posture, since his weariness tempted him to abandon grace for the ease of slouching. He managed not to give in though, since he knew that the sooner he perfected the routine, the sooner he could go back to his bedchamber to sleep.

The viceroy nodded a bit absentmindedly as Penelope went on to give him further instructions. He turned to keep facing her as she walked around him, losing some focus as his thoughts wandered to how elegant she looked performing the move. The more they danced together, the more he realized that his role seemed to be just to show her off as she completed more difficult maneuvers. It was actually a bit relieving, since he had a feeling that most of the dance would be simpler for him than it was for her.

When she guided his hand up and over her head, Crow smiled faintly to himself, feeling a burst of fondness for the knight as he watched her complete a single spin. She really was quite beautiful. He found himself distracted from the lesson as his mind continued to stray, not even realizing that he should have been preparing himself for the next round of directions when she finished her last move.

He was drawn from his musings when he felt her suddenly pull away from him and announce that they should take a break. More than eager to rest, he murmured his agreement, stretching languidly as he trailed after her to sit on Naida’s bed. Of course, his sister attempted to protest, but thankfully the knight seemed determined to stop for a moment, granting them a brief respite from the dance lesson.

Crow let out the yawn he’d been suppressing as he settled down on the edge of the mattress with Penelope, no longer caring about keeping up appearances as his exhaustion grew too strong to fight off. It was quite late now, and he wondered if he should go back to his own room. Even if Elizabeth had been bold enough to seek him out earlier, there was no way she would still be there now. He was just about to voice the suggestion when he felt the knight shift beside him on the bed. Glancing down at her, he blinked in mild surprise to see that she had laid back and appeared to already be falling asleep.

“‘Just a break,’ my ass,” Naida scoffed when she noticed that her friend was doing a little more than just resting.

“We should probably stop anyway,” Crow sighed softly, leaning back on the palms of his hands. He studied Penelope’s sleeping face for a moment before turning to the princess. “I’ll wake her for you, and we can go.”

Naida frowned, looking between the two for a moment before a sly smile crossed her lips, “You’re tired too, right?”

“Well, yes,” Crow admitted slowly, unsure where she was going with the remark. “But that’s why I was suggesting that we should go back to our own bedchambers.”

“You don’t have to go,” the princess waved her hand dismissively. “Let her sleep a little longer. In fact, you can too.” Her smile broadened. “I’ve got a couple of letters to write that I’ve been putting off anyway. You can nap while I work on those.”

Crow shifted his weight, his eyes flicking toward Penelope before returning to his sister’s face. The offer was tempting—he missed sleeping next to the knight—but he didn’t want to give Naida any ideas about them. “I don’t know…”

“It’ll be fine,” Naida insisted before he could object. “I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.”

Crow hesitated. Logically, it made much more sense for him to simply go back to his own room, whether he woke Penelope up or left her to nap. However, he knew that if he went back alone, he was just going to wake up feeling like he hadn’t slept at all again. He bit the inside of his lip. As long as the princess didn’t let him sleep through the night and woke him before his nightmare could reappear, this might be his only opportunity to get a few hours of decent rest in gods knew how long. The realization was persuading.

“Fine,” the viceroy relented with another yawn, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “Just for a little while though, okay? Wake me up as soon as you’re done with your letters and no later.”

“Alright,” his sister grinned.

Feeling satisfied with their deal, Crow shifted on the bed to put some distance between himself and Penelope before he laid down. As much as he would have liked to fall asleep right next to her, he couldn’t be that obvious in front of Naida. Being nearby would have to be good enough. With that thought in mind, he rolled over to face away from the knight and closed his eyes, drifting off almost as soon as his head touched the pillow.

[BuzzingBee]

Eventually the knight began to stir again after falling into a rather deep sleep. Almost immediately, she became aware that she had curled up into someone. Feeling an arm draped over her, she figured it must have been Crow. The thought put her further as ease and she buried her head into his chest, enjoying having his warm presence besides her that night. It was a bit strange though. For one, she didn't recall going to sleep with him. In fact, she wasn't even sure when she had gone to bed. Thinking on it more, she began to remember the night prior. She had been teaching him how to dance and then...

Oh gods we're still in Naida's room! Her eyes snapped open with alarm. She pulled back slightly from Crow and flickered her gaze around the room. It was dark now with no lantern or candle to light the space. The only thing that made the room even slightly visible was the pale moonlight that seeped in from the window. Penelope's gaze landed on Naida's form and she relaxed a bit as she saw that the princess had fallen asleep in a chaise lounge on the other side of the room. Though her position didn't seem overly comfortable, she appeared to be fast asleep. Penelope just hoped that the princess had fallen asleep earlier enough to miss catching them in their current position.

Now it was just a matter of getting up quietly enough to not wake her before they got out of it. Penelope's gaze flickered onto Crow as she turned, preparing to wake him up. However, as her gaze landed on his sleeping face, the knight paused for a brief moment. It had been a while since they had last woken up next to each other and despite being in a bit of a sticky situation, she couldn't help but take in his features, feeling a swell of affection for the viceroy. He looked peaceful besides her and it made her wish she could just let him sleep, especially knowing how tired he had been due to his dreams.

She let out a soft sigh, knowing that she couldn't though. Especially if there was a chance he would wake up screaming from his dream like usual. Still, tempted by the moment, she casted one last glance at Naida's sleeping form before leaning down to press a kiss to Crow's cheek. "Crow, wake up. We're still in Naida's room." she whispered as her gaze flickered nervously back to the sleeping princess.

[Rogue Sloth]

Having not gotten a good night of sleep in days, Crow slept more deeply than he had in a long time. Even when Penelope kissed his cheek and whispered to him, he barely stirred, just shifting slightly on the bed instead of getting up. The rest had felt so good, and he was comfortable in the knight’s embrace. He didn’t want it to end yet. However, before he could start drifting off again, he realized vaguely that something seemed off about the situation. He wasn’t sure what it was, but there was definitely something that set off a red flag in the back of his mind, and he couldn’t bring himself to ignore it.

Letting out a soft groan, he opened his eyes to look over the room. The sight made him relax at first, since nothing seemed out of place; but after a moment, he stiffened as he remembered that he was in the wrong bedchamber. He sat upright, suddenly confused. How had he and Penelope ended up sleeping beside each other in his sister’s room, and why were all the lights put out? Exactly how late was it? Naida had told him that she would wake him up when she finished writing her letters.

His dark-adjusted eyes swept over the space once more, only to find the princess fast asleep on a long, cushioned chair. He clenched his jaw. It seemed Naida hadn’t been writing at all, and to make matters worse, she had no intention of waking anyone up. Though he knew his sister’s intentions were innocent, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of frustration with her for lying to him. If Penelope hadn’t roused him before dawn, he could have found himself in another panic and drawn the royal guards to the bedchamber by screaming. He shuddered to imagine what could have happened if the knights had caught him and Penelope in a bed together. They needed to get out as soon as they could.

“I can’t believe she did this,” he muttered irritably, still simmering from the situation his sister had put them in. Swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress, he climbed down from the bed and made his way toward the door, eager to leave the bedchamber. However, before he even made it halfway, he sucked in his breath as he felt his leg collide with what felt like a table. Too late, he realized that Naida must have moved it back into place while they had been sleeping.

The legs of the furniture grated loudly against the floorboards, and the former thief lifted a hand to his face in humiliation. He’d never made a mistake this bad in years. Living at the castle for so long must have made him soft. He mentally chided himself for getting so complacent as he glanced worriedly at Naida, praying that the abrasive sound hadn’t woken her up.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope shifted back as Crow sat up. She slowly did the same, adding extra caution to her movements in fear of waking Naida up. The knight gave a confused look at Crow's irritable mutter, unsure what he meant by his words. If anyone was to blame, surely it was her. After all, she had been the one to suggest a break and not to mention, the first to fall asleep. The knight didn't have the time to question him though and instead followed his lead as he slipped off the bed.

She carefully she placed her feet on the ground and moved to follow him out of the bedchamber. However, they didn't get very far before she heard him bump into the table. At the loud sound, she cringed and turned her head to look over at Naida, praying that the princess was a heavy sleeper. Unfortunately, she wasn't, at least not enough to sleep through that sound. She held her breath as Naida's form shifted in the darkness of the room. Naida lifted her head up and blinked her eyes sleepily as she adjusted her gaze onto them.

"What's going on?" she asked letting out a yawn.

"We're going to our own rooms." Penelope answered and frowned slightly. "You should have woken us up instead of sleeping there."

Even in the dark, Penelope could make out the knowing smirk that crossed her friend's lips. "I guess but you two just looked so comfortable I couldn't." Naida replied with a shrug.

[Rogue Sloth]

To Crow’s displeasure, it seemed his collision with the table had been enough to wake Naida up after all. He took a small step away from the furniture when his sister began to stir, as if the distance would be enough to hide the fact that he was the one who had stumbled into it. Now more than ever, he just wanted to go back to his own room and move on from what had just happened. He was frustrated with the princess for nearly getting him and Penelope caught, he was embarrassed that he had run into something when he knew better than to move without looking where he was going, and he was irritable because his left thigh had begun to hurt where he’d struck it on the corner of the table. Overall, he was in no mood to stick around and chat with anyone.

As Naida and Penelope began to speak, Crow averted his gaze, toying with the idea of stepping out before either of them roped him into the conversation. However, he didn’t even get a chance to set a foot toward the door before his sister made a comment that made him flinch. Even though he had put some distance between himself and Penelope when he’d passed out, they must have shifted on the bed before the princess had fallen asleep. He was disturbed to know that she had caught them lying in each other’s arms, but even more so, he was annoyed that she had decided to use it as an excuse to lie to him.

“You told me you were going to wake me up when you were done writing your letters,” Crow snarled, turning on her with narrowed eyes. “I don’t appreciate being lied to.” Privately, he knew he was probably being a bit harsh on her, since she couldn’t have known what she had been risking by letting them nap together; but at the moment, he was still too angry with her to be rational.

Naida frowned, seeming taken aback by his hostility. She held up her hands, “I didn’t lie though. I said I’d wake you when the letters were done, and I just decided not to finish them tonight.”

“You still knew I didn’t want to stay here long,” the viceroy objected. “I told you that.”

“I know…” Naida admitted a bit meekly. “I just thought you’d like to stay longer since you two looked so comfortable on my bed.”

“That wasn’t your decision to make,” Crow said sternly, making the princess shrink slightly in her chair. He opened his mouth to go on and then closed it again, turning toward the door as he thought better of what he was going to say. “I’m going back to my room,” he muttered instead, making his way out of the bedchamber without waiting for a reply.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope paled slightly at Naida's words, realizing that the princess had caught them in each others arms. While it would be easy to excuse it as an accident since they were sleeping, it was still a bit worrisome to the knight, especially when they were trying to keep their relationship hidden still. She was about to open her mouth to respond but didn't get the chance to as Crow suddenly jumped in with a surprisingly angry snarl. His anger caught the knight off guard and she turned her head to look over at him with unbridled surprise.

His words did explain why he had been angry with her though since it seemed the princess was supposed to have woken them up. She frowned a little bit. Naida had put them at risk, especially Crow when it came to his dreams, but to be fair, the princess had no clue that would happen. However, Crow didn't seem to register that aspect of it in his frustration. Penelope remained quiet as her reprimanded his sister and then headed out of the room. Her gaze flickered back to Naida, who had sunk down in her chair. The princess looked over at Penelope and shifted a bit.

"I'm sorry... I didn't think it'd be that big of a deal.." she said quietly, clearly expecting her friend to share a similar anger towards her.

Penelope let out a soft sigh. "It's alright, Naida.. I'm a bit annoyed but I suppose it's my own fault for falling asleep." she mused with a shrug. As she looked over at her friend she frowned a little and shuffled her feet. She wished she could explain the situation to her to make her see why Crow had really reacted the way he did and why her lie could have been quite harmful. However, knowing she couldn't, she'd just have to settle for a different way to comfort her friend.

"I'm sure he'll be over it soon too. Personally I just think he's crabby from hitting his leg on your table." She assured her friend with a small smile. "Get some sleep, Naida. I'll see you in two days.. And thanks for taking my shifts."

"See ya, Penelope." Naida said giving a small smile.

Penelope turned and headed out of the room and back into the corridor. Spotting Crow further down on his way to his own room, she picked up her pace slightly to catch up with him. Luckily the only people awake at this hour would be the guards so she wasn't too concerned about being seen, especially since they had been coming from Naida's room. "Hey... Are you alright?" she asked him in a quiet voice as she fell in step besides him. "You were pretty harsh with Naida back there."

[Rogue Sloth]

As Crow made his way back down the hall that led toward his room, he let out a long sigh to cool his head. Now that he had left the room, his temper had simmered back down enough that he could think clearly, and he began to feel a bit guilty for being so harsh with his sister. While he didn’t regret confronting her about what she’d done—he still believed she had been wrong for tricking him for her own gain—he knew she hadn’t meant any harm by it. She had never tried to lie to him in the past, and there was no way she could have known that the “innocent” joke she had pulled could have such serious consequences.

Still, it stung that she had fooled him when he had trusted her to follow through on her promise.

Rounding a corner in the hallway, his mind wandered back to Rikki, another person who had manipulated him before, and he winced. Part of him knew he was being unfair in comparing Naida to the thief, since his former companion’s intentions hadn’t been nearly as harmless as his sister’s, but it was difficult not to when the frustration was still so fresh. He wondered if there was anyone he’d allowed into his life that he could trust beside Penelope.

Stop it, Crow closed his eyes as his old bent to isolate himself began to creep back up on him. She was just fooling around. I’m overreacting. Despite the knowledge in his head, it was difficult not to be swayed by memories of past hurts that told him he couldn’t trust anyone.

Suddenly, the viceroy was pulled from his spiraling thoughts when Penelope caught up to him and asked if he was alright. He opened his eyes and turned to her briefly before looking away again, unsure what to say. The thought of telling her what was going on in his head made him cringe. He knew he was blowing the situation out of proportion, but he didn’t want to tell her that. He just needed some time to calm down on his own, so he could move on from what had happened… He hoped.

“I know, I know,” Crow admitted quietly after a pause, running a hand through his hair. “I didn’t mean to be. She just…” He trailed off, changing his mind about speaking even vaguely about what had bothered him. “I’ll be fine,” he finished instead with a low exhale.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope eyed him as she noticed him pause. As he went onto finally answer her, she let out a small sigh at his vague reply. Part of her wished he would just be a bit more upfront about what had bothered him but feeling like she already had a decent idea about the situation, she didn't feel it was necessary to push him for a better explanation. Besides that, it was late and if she hung around him too long in the corridor, nearby guards were bound to spot them and possibly be suspicious for how long they were hanging around each other this late.

"I know she put you in a risky situation because of your dreams but she doesn't know that. All she thinks is that she did a harmless trick that got you overly pissed." Penelope gave him a soft smile. "Just make amends with her in the morning... The tricks she pulls may be inconvenient but honestly, I think she's the first person who's ever wanted us to be together without any need for convincing. I think that alone deserves a little forgiveness and patience for the stunts she pulls sometimes."

Penelope shrugged her shoulders and looked ahead as she walked down the hallway with him, briefly reflecting on her own words. Thinking on it now, she did have to give Naida some credit. After facing person after person saying they shouldn't be together, it was pretty refreshing to finally have someone that wanted them together. Naida did make it more difficult to keep a distance at times but her heart was in the right place. Of course, it'd be much easier once they were just able to tell her they were together. She let out a breath and looked back at Crow with a small smirk.

"Just think of it this way, we'll get our revenge on her when we finally tell her we were together the whole time." Penelope told him, giving his side a playful nudge. Glancing ahead again, she saw that they were nearing his room. Her smirk faded into a half hearted smile. "Looks like I better get going.. Guess I'll see you at breakfast and if not, hopefully I'll catch you in two days."

[Rogue Sloth]

When Penelope began to speak about his nightmares, Crow blinked, realizing she thought he was upset because of the risky situation Naida had almost put them in. While it was part of the reason why he’d snapped at his sister, he was far more concerned about the way she’d gotten him to stay in her bedchamber in the first place. Since he had gotten close to her, he’d let his guard down around the princess quite a bit. He hadn’t thought she would lie to him so blatantly. It was distressing to know that he couldn’t trust her as he’d previously thought.

But that’s not true, he clenched his jaw. All she’d done was play a joke on him and Penelope. It wasn’t like she had intentionally tried to put them in a position where they could get caught by the royal guards. He knew he shouldn’t hold it against her when she was clueless about what she’d done. But she also shouldn’t have lied to me in the first place, the part of him that was still bitter argued. He let out his breath in a conflicted sigh, hoping the remnants of his frustration would fade away by the morning.

“I know, and I will,” Crow promised, turning back to the knight again as they walked. Even though he was upset, he knew Naida didn’t deserve to be snapped at. He didn’t want his sister to think she had ruined their relationship over one stupid prank. The only way to make things right between them was to apologize for being so quick to snarl and hope she wasn’t mad at him for treating her unfairly at the time.

As Penelope nudged his side, Crow offered her a halfhearted smile. He could tell she was trying to cheer him up, and he appreciated her effort, but he still needed some time to process before he could let go of what had happened. “I guess we will,” he agreed, looking ahead again as his room came into sight up ahead.

“Yeah,” he nodded reluctantly, wishing they didn’t have to part ways. Since he’d gotten decent sleep for the first time in a while, he had no intention of trying to go back to sleep that night only to wake up again in a panic. For a moment, he was tempted to invite her to stay up with him but, knowing she was going on a long trip tomorrow, he held back from proposing the idea. “I’m going to stay up, so I’ll be at breakfast early,” he told her with a more genuine smile. “I’m sure we’ll run into each other before you leave.”

His expression softened as he held her gaze, and he went on in a soft tone so the guards in the corridor wouldn’t overhear him: “I love you, Penelope. I’ll see you in the morning.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled as he said they'd likely run into each other. She was hoping that they would since it would be a day or two before she was able to see him again. The knight felt a small burst of affection for him as she noticed his expression soften. She wished she could close the distance between them and give him a proper kiss goodbye but with the guards nearby, she didn't dare move any closer to him. "I love you too, Collin." she replied in a hushed voice. "I'll see you then."

She casted him one last smile before turning and beginning to head off to the staircase. Despite getting in a good bit of sleep, she still felt a bit tired and knowing she had a long trip ahead of her, it was best for her to go straight back to her room. Penelope eventually reached her room and stepped inside. Giving a long stretch, she slipped out of her boots and laid down on her bed. It didn't take long for the knight to fall back into a deep sleep.

----

The next morning, Penelope woke up at a decent time. She blinked her eyes, trying to adjust her eyes to the sunlight that was filtering in from the window. She stretched and slowly sat up. Recalling that Crow would be there early for breakfast and that she had to meet up with the Lenz's immediately after, she hurriedly put on her boots and headed out of her room, beginning to make her way to the Great Hall. She hoped she hadn't sleep in enough to miss the viceroy for breakfast, wanting to get a bit more time with him before she would have to leave.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow stretched his arms as he headed back to his bedchamber for the night, trying to wake up a little more after the long nap he’d just taken. Inside the room, he made his way by memory over to the table by the window to light a lantern. Knowing that he might fall asleep if he laid down in the dark, the flickering glow brought him some comfort and helped him to relax.

He sat down at the table, idly drumming his fingers against the wooden surface as he decided what to do to entertain himself while he stayed up. After a moment, his eyes drifted to the book Udolf had given him during their last lesson together. It laid on the opposite side of the table, unopened since the day his tutor had introduced him to it. He supposed he should have put more time into reading it, but with everything else that had been going on, he’d completely forgotten about the assignment.

Deciding that now was as good a time as ever to catch up, he picked up the book and leafed through the pages to figure out where he’d left off last time.

--

Crow wasn’t sure how much time passed between the moment he started reading and the time Preston arrived in his bedchamber. All he knew was that the sun had come up sometime during the middle, and the energy he’d gained from his earlier nap had faded significantly. Towards the end of it, he was nearly tempted to go back to sleep and probably would have if he didn’t have to worry about dealing with his nightmare again. But, such as it was, he forced himself to stay awake to avoid having another panic attack that morning.

When Preston stepped into his room, the attendant froze by the door, clearly surprised to see the viceroy awake and reading a book. “You’re up,” he commented obviously, hesitating for a moment before he asked, “Did your nightmare happen earlier today?”

“No,” Crow shook his head, standing up and arching his back to get his blood flowing after sitting for so long. “I’ve been up for most of the night.”

“Why?” Preston frowned. He walked over to the viceroy and handed off the water he’d brought for him.

“Unplanned circumstances,” Crow answered vaguely, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture as he downed a large portion of the drink.

The servant eyed him for a moment longer before he spoke again, “Did you have Penelope over?”

Crow nearly choked, unprepared for the boy’s question. “No, I did not have Penelope over,” he scoffed. Finishing off the rest of his water, he set the empty glass down on the table and brushed past the attendant to put his boots on. Since he hadn’t bothered to change out of the clothes he’d worn the day before, he decided to save himself some effort and just wear the tunic and trouser he already had on instead of finding a new outfit in the wardrobe.

“Oh,” Preston trailed after him, still interested in finding out what had happened. “Why else would you have stayed up?”

“Sometimes you’re too nosy for your own good, kid,” Crow rolled his eyes without answering the question. He straightened his posture once he finished putting his shoes on and headed for the door. “Come on. I may not have met with Penelope last night, but I did tell her I’d meet her for breakfast this morning. I’d rather not keep her waiting.”

“Alright,” Preston relented, seeming disappointed that the viceroy wouldn’t tell him anything else. However, he didn’t press the matter and followed along compliantly as his master led the way to the Great Hall.

--

When they arrived, Crow performed his usual sweep of the room to look for Penelope. It seemed that he was the first to arrive though because the knight was nowhere to be seen. Assuming he had just beaten her there that morning, he sat down at the closest empty table to wait for her, reclining tiredly on the bench while Preston hurried off to get him a plate for breakfast.

Once he was alone, the viceroy leaned forward to rest his arms on the table and yawned broadly. It was starting to appear that even though the nap he’d taken in Naida’s bedchamber had helped him stay awake long enough to avoid another nightmare, it hadn’t been enough to give him the energy he needed to get through the day. He hoped his lesson that afternoon wouldn’t be too difficult, since he wasn’t sure how much he could take in after staying awake most of the night.

“Good morning, Collin.”

Crow startled faintly at the sound of a voice, having come close to drifting off while his thoughts had been wandering. He turned around in his seat, expecting that Penelope had caught up with him, only to stiffen in surprise as his gaze landed on the last person he wanted to see.

“How was your meeting with the princess last night?” Liz grinned, smoothly circling around the table to sit across from him. Like the last time, she was wearing a provocative dress in the color red.

“Um,” Crow’s mind went blank as he took a moment to process what was going on. “It was fine. I think we got done with everything we needed to.”

“That’s good to hear,” Elizabeth leaned forward to lace her slender fingers together on the table. The angle at which she was sitting offered a direct view down the front of her dress, which Crow felt quite certain she had arranged on purpose.

He reddened slightly and averted his gaze, pretending to look around the Great Hall as if the rest of the nobles were suddenly interesting. “Did you need something?” he asked with forced nonchalance, hoping to send her away before Penelope arrived, since he knew the noblewoman bothered the knight.

“Not particularly,” Liz shrugged. “Like I told you before, I just want to catch up.” She tilted her head, frowning with a hint of disappointment as he avoided looking at her. “Are you searching for someone?”

“Just my attendant,” the viceroy lied in a low voice. “He’s been gone for a while and has yet to return with my breakfast.”

“I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” Liz assured him, reaching across the table to rest her hand on his arm. “Besides, the longer he’s gone, the more time we’ll have to talk.”

Crow fought the urge to groan in frustration. It seemed that no matter what he said or did, Liz wasn’t going anywhere. He found himself hoping that Penelope would just sleep in that morning, so she wouldn’t see them together again, since he couldn’t shake the stubborn noblewoman off.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope made her way into the Great Hall and began to sweep her gaze over the crowd in an effort to find Crow. It didn't take long to spot his familiar figure sitting at nearby table. A smile crossed her lips for a moment as she realized that she hadn't missed him. However, it quickly disappeared as she realized who the woman was sitting across from him. After all that had gone on the previous night, her worries about Liz had been completely forgotten. However, they all came back now as she spotted them sitting together once again.

She shifted uneasily as she debated even sitting with him. Based on how her previous interaction with Liz went, the knight knew it'd be an unpleasant time. However, she wasn't sure she could just merely sit on the sidelines and leave the two alone. Her fear of what could possibly happen between the two hadn't faded, even with the sleep she had gotten. It wasn't fair to Crow—even with Rikki's attempts he had managed to stay faithful to her and Rikki had been after him for a much less greedy reason—but she just couldn't ignore her worries. Especially knowing she'd be gone for two whole days. The knight flinched at the unwanted thought of something happening while she was gone.

Unable to put her paranoia aside, she reluctantly made her way over to join the two at the table. "Morning." she greeted the two, attempting to act casually while forcing a smile. Penelope hesitated before sliding onto the bench besides Crow. While she really didn't need Liz thinking she was after Crow, she also couldn't stand the thought of sitting right besides the unpleasant woman and part of her still wanted to assert herself. Glancing across the table at Liz, she took not of the way she pressed her lips together. It wasn't hard for Penelope to guess she wasn't exactly happy about her joining them.

Flicking her gaze away from Liz, she instead focused on Crow, hoping to salvage some of their already ruined breakfast. "How's your morning going?" she asked as she stifled a small yawn.

[Rogue Sloth]

Unfortunately for Crow, Elizabeth was persistent as well as stubborn. She struck up a conversation about what she had been doing in Colchester for the last few years, which wasn’t bothersome by itself, but continued to make casual passes at him throughout the discussion. As she talked, she occasionally rested her hand on his arm or let her leg brush against his beneath the table. She also made sure to learn forward against the table continually, making it difficult for him to avoid catching a glimpse of her bosom whenever he glanced in her direction. Overall, the exchange was more than uncomfortable for the viceroy, and he hurriedly shoveled food into his mouth to end it more quickly after Preston had brought out his breakfast.

Throughout the meal, Liz didn’t seem to notice his discomfort—or at least, if she did, she didn’t care—and eventually went on to ask him about what he had been doing since they had last seen each other seven years ago. He shifted his weight stiffly, disliking both the idea of telling her anything about his life and the fact that he could feel her tracing her foot up the inside of his right leg underneath the table as she waited for his response. However, before he had a chance to react to either thing, he blanched when a familiar voice spoke up from behind him. It seemed Penelope hadn’t slept in after all.

As the knight sat down next to him, he dropped his gaze to his lap, fidgeting nervously with the hem of his tunic. After what had happened the last time the three of them had shared a meal together, he wasn’t excited about the prospect of doing so again. He just hoped the noblewoman wouldn’t make any more sultry comments about their past to set Penelope off.

“It’s alright,” Crow shrugged noncommittally when the knight asked about his morning. Truth be told, it was going terribly so far, but he didn’t want to say so in front of Liz and cause her to get upset. There was no telling what the woman would do if she thought she needed to try even harder to win him over.

“I’m sure things will get better later,” Liz offered brightly, reaching out to lay her hand on his arm again in what he took to be a mildly possessive manner.

“We’ll see,” Crow muttered. Even more uncomfortable with the gesture now that Penelope was here, he lifted another bite of food to his lips to force her to retract her hand. “I’ve just got another lesson today, so it’ll probably be boring.”

“There’s that pessimistic attitude again,” Liz sighed melodramatically. “See? This is why we need to spend more time together, Collin. I’ll help you see how much happier you can be with the right partner by your side.” She flashed him a smile as she leaned forward against the table again.

Crow blushed and averted his gaze. It seemed that even with another woman around, Elizabeth wasn’t deterred from using any method she wanted to win him over. “I think I’m doing just fine on my own,” he said quietly, poking at the small amount of food that was left on his plate.

Elizabeth pursed her lips, falling silent for a moment before her blue eyes danced toward Penelope. “I’ve been meaning to ask,” she said, a mischievous look crossing her features. “Where did you get that awful scar?” She pointed at her own face, mirroring the location of the blemish on the knight’s. “I must say, it’s such a shame that your beauty was stolen from you at such a young age.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod as Crow answered her. Her gaze immediately shifted over to Lix as the other noblewoman touched her hand to his arm with words that came off as a bit suggestive to the knight. She bit her tongue to keep from snorting and shifted her gaze away looking for one of the servants to bring her food. Though she normally wasn't in a rush to eat, she wanted to have something to keep her from snapping at the arrogant and bold noblewoman across from her. Unfortunately, since she just sat down, her food likely wouldn't be arriving for a while.

Her gaze flickered back over to Liz as she yet again insisted on spending time with him. Catching the way she leaned forward against the table, the knight dung her nails into the palm of her hand underneath the table, feeling herself growing a bit tense. It was infuriating to watch the way Liz acted and having to keep her mouth shut was even more difficult. If they didn't have to hide their relationship, then this situation would have been a lot more simple. The knight forced herself to look away from the two, attempting to glance around the Great Hall as if she was bored.

However that didn't last long as Liz suddenly addressed her. The knight looked at her, narrowing her gaze slightly with suspicion as she noticed the mischievous look that crossed her features. She still wasn't prepared for her next words though. As Liz made a rather nasty comment about her scar, Penelope curled her lip at the other woman. "Excuse me?" she growled.

"I was just curious." Liz said with innocence that Penelope knew was fake. "I mean, you seem to have good skin aside from that awful thing.... Have you ever considered trying to hide it with a touch of makeup?" A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips. "It'd probably do you wonders."

The knight was seething. She usually didn't care what other people thought of her scars. Most of them she bore with pride and the few ones that she didn't—the ones she had gotten from the mercenaries while trying to get the staff—certainly didn't make her ashamed of her appearance. However, she had never had someone bold enough to say such things directly to her face. "I don't see any reason to hide my scar and I certainly don't find it as awful as you claim." she growled firmly, struggling to keep a grip on her anger.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow had to fight the urge to stare at Elizabeth in shock when the noblewoman commented on Penelope’s scar. The remark was so out of place that he didn’t even know what to think. On one hand, he was astonished that she would be so bold as to openly insult another woman to her face. On the other, he was furious that she thought it was okay to say something like that about the knight in the first place. It wasn’t often that the viceroy felt the urge to strike a woman, but he couldn’t help but think that Liz needed a good slap to the jaw for being so rude.

As the two continued to speak, he averted his gaze again, this time out of the need to remain calm rather than because Elizabeth was making him uncomfortable. He trembled slightly as he restrained himself from lashing out in Penelope’s defense. Having to sit back and watch the noblewoman verbally attack the woman he loved was practically torturous, but he couldn’t do anything to help without giving away his feelings for her. He bit down on his tongue, hating how powerless he was in the situation.

“Really?” Elizabeth gawked at Penelope when she said she didn’t think her scar was awful. “Well, I suppose it’s noble of you to find beauty in yourself despite your flaws.” She shrugged. “But I still think you should take my advice to heart, especially if you want to get married someday.” Her lips curved upward in a foxlike smirk. “No man is going to want to marry a woman with a streak like that on her face.”

Crow ground his teeth, nearly unable to hold back from snapping at the noblewoman. He couldn’t believe she was continuing to say such terrible things to the knight. Of course, none of it was true—he loved her more than anyone else in the Kingdom of Brerra, no matter how many scars she bore—but he was still irate to hear her be torn down in such a brutal manner.

Subtly, he reached to take Penelope’s hand beneath the table, seeking both to comfort her and use her touch to keep him from losing his temper.

If Liz noticed the effect her words were having on him, she didn’t care. “Aren’t I right, Collin?” she asked, casting him a hopeful look, as if she actually expected him to side with her on the matter. The question was just enough to push the viceroy over the edge.

“Of course not,” he snapped, glaring furiously at the noblewoman as he lost the little that remained of his composure. “Not all men are superficial enough to cast a woman aside simply because she bears marks of the trials she’s been through. And if you think otherwise, then you’re the fool.”

Elizabeth blinked, seeming caught off guard by his opinion. “I didn’t mean any offense,” she said innocently. “I was just trying to help.” She shuffled her feet, frowning at the viceroy with a hint of confusion, “I’m surprised you feel so strongly about it though, since I remember that you have a fondness for beautiful women.”

Crow had to bite his tongue again to keep from spitting that Penelope was beautiful with or without her scar. Taking a calming breath, he averted his gaze to glower at the wall as he muttered, “It doesn’t matter what my preferences are. I won’t stand by and let you insult my friend like that.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope clenched her jaw as Elizabeth gawked at her. She hardly considered her scar a flaw. After all, it had never held her back aside, perhaps, from the memories attached to it. Of course, the brutal words didn't just stop there. As the noblewoman claimed at no man would want to marry her, it took every bit of willpower to keep herself from saying just how wrong she was. Not only did she had a man wanting to marry her but he had given up everything for her and had taken a sword for her on top of it all. She wasn't one to gloat about such things but by the gods, this woman made her want to.

She was about to snap back at the woman when she suddenly felt someone take her hand beneath the table. Not expecting the touch, she tensed up only to relax slightly as she realized that it was Crow. The knight let out a subtle breath and laced their fingers together as she took his hand in hers. Penelope was appreciative of the gesture, especially with how worked up she was feeling. The knight had already felt uneasy about what could possibly occur between the two due to Liz's attempts to get 'alone time' with the viceroy. While her attempts to tear Penelope down didn't make that feeling worse or better, it certainly added a feeling rage to the mix.

Of course, she wasn't able to gain much composure since in the next moment, Liz ventured onto get Crow's support. Penelope stiffened slightly, disliking how hopeful she seemed about him agreeing. Luckily Crow shot her down with a fury that nearly made the knight sit up a bit straighter. She had already known he didn't care about her scars, but at the moment it was just nice to hear him state so out loud. The only thing that made it better was that Liz seemed caught off guard from his reaction. For a moment Penelope thought it was enough to end Liz's merciless remarks. Apparently she was wrong as the noblewoman took one last dig at her appearance.

Having been dragged through the mud enough by this woman, Penelope shot her a cold glare. "Aside from that, you should be more concerned about yourself than me. Your personality is certainly much more dreadful than any of my scars ever could be." she snapped coldly. The knight wanted to storm off but she had a feeling that was exactly what Liz wanted. So, powering through, she grab Crow's hand a small squeeze trying to reassure herself as her gaze shifted away as a servant arrived with her food. In a foul mood because of Elizabeth, she gave him a curt word of thanks and began to dig into her breakfast, wanting to stuff her mouth before she said anything else to the other noblewoman.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow lifted the last bite of bread from his plate to his mouth, chewing slowly as he simmered down from what Elizabeth had said. Though he had thrown caution aside to come to Penelope’s defense once, he knew he couldn’t keep doing so without giving away how close they really were. So, despite his desire to tell the noblewoman off or ask her to leave, he forced himself to think about other things in an attempt to relax and move on from what had just happened.

A silence fell over the table before it was broken by Elizabeth. “I was only trying to help,” she asserted again, shrinking down in her seat as if she was upset that Penelope called her personality dreadful. The woman frowned, her crystalline eyes flicking from Crow to the knight as she seemed to realize that her approach wasn’t getting her the results she had been looking for. After a drawn out pause, she spoke again, “I’m sorry if I caused any offense. I really didn’t mean to. Beauty is just something that’s always been important to my family. I didn’t realize there were women who thought differently.”

Crow nearly scoffed at that. He wasn’t gullible enough to believe she had been trying to be helpful when she had told Penelope that no man would want to marry her because of her scar. If anything, he suspected she’d been trying to attack the knight’s confidence by seeking out a sore spot or chase her off because she didn’t want her to linger with them at the table. There had been nothing friendly about any of the comments the noblewoman had made.

When the second try didn’t seem to work either, Elizabeth pursed her lips together. “So, Collin,” she persisted, offering the viceroy a pleasant smile. “How have your lessons been going? You mentioned you’ve got another one today, right?”

Crow looked up at her, unprepared for the sudden change in topic. However, even though this subject was much more innocent than the last one had been, he was in no mood to talk to the noblewoman after the harsh things she’d said to Penelope. “I think you should go,” he said abruptly, though he spoke in a low voice as he held Elizabeth’s gaze.

Liz blinked, seeming taken aback by his sudden order. Her blue eyes flicked between the two once more before she averted her gaze. “Alright,” she agreed with visible reluctance as she rose from the table. “I’ll see you later, Collin.”

Crow said nothing in response as she walked away, waiting until the noblewoman had left the Great Hall before he let out his breath in a frustrated exhaled. “I’m so sorry she behaved that way to you,” he apologized, turning to Penelope with a frown. “I had no idea what a shrew she’s become. Are you alright?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope was unable to stop herself from rolling her eyes as Elizabeth broke the silence, noticing how she was acting upset. The knight doubted she actually was. If anything, the noblewoman was just trying to redeem herself after her plan to drag Penelope down in front of Crow had greatly back fired. Even her apology was rather backhanded in Penelope's opinion. She made it sound like the knight didn't care about her appearance. While there may have been some truth in there, Penelope did make some kind of effort but she certainly did hold the same standards of beauty that this woman claimed to.

Wanting nothing more to do with the conversation, the knight focused her attention to her food, eating a bit faster than usual just to keep herself from saying anything else that was on her mind about Liz. However, it seemed she wouldn't have to deal with her for as long as she thought. Penelope glanced up from her meal with thinly veiled surprise as she heard Crow advise the other woman to leave. She had been expecting him to just go along with the subject change to avoid any suspicion. While perhaps the move was a bit risky on Crow's part, the knight couldn't help but feel a wave of relief as Liz got up to leave.

She watched the other woman exit the Great Hall and let out a small breath. Next to her, she heard Crow do the same and looked over at him as he apologized. "Don't apologize, it's not your fault." she assured him then gave a small shrug. "Well, I'm certainly pissed." Penelope admitted, clenching her jaw as she replayed Elizabeth's harsh words over in her head. The knight shook her head at the thought.

"Gods I can't stand her." she growled quietly. "First she tries to threaten me and now this... I've had people give me odd looks because of my scar before but certainly never anything like that. I mean gods, it's not even that bad." Penelope touched her hand to her face tracing lightly over the blemish. Perhaps Elizabeth's words had bothered her a little more than she cared to admit, especially considering her previous worries. Now that her initial anger had faded a bit, she thought more on what the other woman had said. While she knew her scars didn't change the way Crow felt about her, she had to wonder if he prefered her without them. At least the obvious one on her face. She felt like she knew the answer but her feeling of unease about Liz made her a bit uncertain.

The knight shifted a bit nervously and looked over to Crow. "It doesn't need make up to hide it... Right?" she asked quietly.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow nodded when Penelope assured him that Elizabeth’s behavior hadn’t been his fault. He knew she was right, but he still felt guilty for dragging the knight into a part of his past that he would have rather forgotten about altogether. Plus, Liz was turning out to be quite a terrible person since they’d reunited the day before. When they had been together seven year ago, she had been just as confident, but he’d never heard her make any negative remarks about anyone other than her father—though he had never held that against her since the man had been so controlling in her life. To find out that she had become such a judgmental woman had been shocking to him.

As Penelope went on about the exchange, Crow watched her with a sympathetic frown. He could tell she was still upset about the things Liz had said to her, and he certainly didn’t blame her for feeling that way. He just hoped she didn’t let the arrogant noblewoman get to her, since everything Elizabeth had said had been wrong. Her beauty hadn’t been “stolen” just because she had a few marks on her skin, and just because some noblemen may have seen the blemishes as a reason not to marry her didn’t mean she would never get married. He still loved her regardless of the scars she bore. They would never be the reason that deterred him from spending the rest of his life with her.

Unfortunately, he suspected the knight was more bothered than she had admitted when she lifted her hand to her face to trace her scar. He felt a pang of frustration, angry that Elizabeth had hurt her so cruelly. Penelope was one of the bravest and kindest people he knew. She didn’t deserve to be ridiculed about a feature that, in his opinion, just proved how strong she was compared to the noblewomen who were too delicate to even get their soft hands dirty. Liz had no right to judge her for it.

Crow was drawn from his thoughts when Penelope spoke to him in a quiet voice. The nervousness in her tone made him wish he could gather her into his arms, but with all the other people around, he couldn’t let himself do it. He squeezed her hand beneath the table, trying to reassure her in a subtler way as he casted her an affectionate look. “Not at all,” he smiled at her fondly, speaking softly to keep the conversation between just the two of them. “Don’t listen to anything that witch told you. I think you’re the most beautiful woman in the kingdom, whether you have scars or not.”

He gently traced his thumb over her hand, his smile turning a bit more lighthearted as he added, “Besides, I think you’re even more perfect now because we match.” He gestured to the spots on his torso where he bore scars of his own, hoping the joke would help to cheer her up.

[BuzzingBee]

Though the knight had been pretty sure he didn't mind her scars, there was a bit of relief in hearing him saying it aloud. She smiled at him as he assured her that he thought her beautiful regardless of scars. It was enough to put Penelope at ease. After all, she didn't really care what some other men thought. Knowing Crow thought that way of her, was more than enough for the knight, since his opinion was really the only one that mattered about such a topic. As he traced his thumb over her hand, the knight cast him a grateful look. She wished she could close the distance between them. After getting a bit worked up, she wanted nothing more than to take comfort in his touch. However, she supposed holding his hand underneath the table was just going to have to be enough for now.

At his joke, Penelope cracked a smile and gave a small chuckle. "I guess so." she said amusedly. Her smile faded slightly and she let out a long sigh. "Gods I can't wait to have to quit hiding like this... The longer it goes on the more issues that seem to pop up." Penelope muttered with a small shake of her head. "I just hope that after this party, everything falls into place."

At the mention of it, the knight glanced towards the window, realizing she needed to meet up with Dimia and Oliver soon. The couple was likely readying for their trip to Bexley by now and it was only a matter of time before they would end up waiting on her. She was a bit reluctant to leave, especially since the two had just gotten free of Liz's foul company, but she knew she had to. Penelope ate up her last bite of food and turned back to Crow with a half hearted smile. "I better get going. I'm sure I've got quite the day ahead of me."