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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow sighed quietly in exasperation when Naida interrogated them about their trip two years ago. If anyone else had asked, he would have assumed it was an innocent question, but knowing his sister, he was sure she was just trying to dig up evidence that they had been romantically involved in the past. Continuously dodging her prodding was exhausting, and he hoped she would forget the subject once she’d had a few drinks at the tavern. Maybe then, they could finally let their guards down a little and relax.

He nodded idly in agreement as Penelope brushed off the princess’s inquiry. Technically it was true that they had spent the whole journey on a mission to retrieve the staff, give or take a few detours and distractions along the way. A smile pulled faintly at his lip as he thought about the day they had confessed their feelings for each other and how much better the rest of the assignment had been after that. Everything had happened so fast, but it was the intensity of it all that had drawn them together like a moth to a flame. Overall, he looked back on the memories with fondness, even though there had been a few hiccups that hadn’t been so pleasant.

“That, and we were separated from him for a while, remember?” he pointed out, casting her an amused grin. “He missed out on the time when we almost died fighting that mercenary, and the time when we almost died raiding the castle. I think near death experiences really draw people together. He didn’t even start to tolerate me until I took that dagger for him the second time were we attacked by mercenaries.”

“Sounds like it was quite the mission,” Naida whistled, staring back at them incredulously before she let out an exaggerated sigh. “I wish I could go on an adventure like that, but father is too strict. He only lets me take up jobs in the inner kingdom… If I’m lucky, I’ll get to run an errand in the cities to the north of Aria.”

“Maybe I can put in a good word for you when he sends me out of the kingdom,” Crow offered, understanding his sister’s disappointment. Staying in the citadel all the time would have driven him stir crazy too. “I’m just going to talk, so it shouldn’t be dangerous. He might let you come with me.”

“That would be great!” Naida perked up, beaming broadly. “Thanks, Collin.”

“You’re welcome,” he drew his cloak a little closer as a shiver ran up his spine from a cold draft.

The princess turned around to look ahead again and then spun back around excitedly. “We’re almost here. The tavern is just up ahead!”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked over at Crow as he added the time they got separated from the other knights. "That's true." she agreed with a smirk. Thinking back on it now, getting separated from her comrades had been rather important. Though there was no way of knowing for sure, it was likely that she never would confessed her feelings for him with William and Abraxas always around. At the very least it would have put quite the strain on the newly founded relationship back then. Some of her best memories from that mission were the days they spent alone together.

The knight gave her friend a sympathetic look as Naida complained about her own lack of adventure. She supposed she could understand the king's protectiveness over his daughter but knew that it must have been annoying for Naida based on her own experiences. Naida was just as much of knight as she was a princess after all.

Looking ahead, a small smile crossed her lips as Naida pointed out the tavern ahead. "Thank gods, let's get out of this cold then." Penelope said, eagerly picking up her pace. She hurried after Naida towards the building, already beginning to hear the sound of people talking and loud bellows of drunken laughter. It seemed that despite the cold, the tavern was just as busy as it usually was. As they stepped inside, Penelope was greeted by a burst of warm air that made her give a small sigh of relief to finally be out of the cold weather. She removed the hood of her cloak and glanced around the tavern.

The biggest difference between this tavern and ones in the outer villages was of course the money that went into it. While it had the same usual set up of any tavern, there were subtle signs of wealth hidden in the quality of the establishment and it's decor. Penelope was also sure Crow would see a difference in the alcohol itself since the taverns of the inner kingdom often carried higher quality ale and the like. Offhandedly she also noticed that the crowd was rather mixed tonight. Usually knights were the most common customers at this tavern but tonight a few other nobles of varying status also filled up a couple tables. Penelope recognized a couple faces from the party and guessed that the nobles must have decided to drink together before heading back to their manors.

She also noticed a group of drunken knights eying them. Well more specifically Crow. One seemed to notice her gaze on them and quickly looked away, saying something to the others to make them do the same. Penelope gave a small snort but otherwise ignored them before turning back to Naida as she lead them over to an empty table. "So, first impressions?" she asked Crow as she moved to slide in across from her friend.

[Rogue Sloth]

As the others picked up their pace, Crow hurried after them, just as eager to escape the cold weather as they were. Up ahead, he could see the glow of a hanging lantern through the white flurry around them, and above the lantern was a sign that read: The Grumpy Dwarf. He stared at it with interest. After going his whole life as an illiterate peasant, it felt surreal to finally be able to make sense of the symbols he had always brushed off as meaningless in the past. He had gotten used to reading words written on parchment, but it was the first time he had found a use for his new skill in a setting like this. It was oddly empowering to know that he could understand any message that had been written on any kind of surface.

The viceroy was drawn from his introspective thoughts when they stepped inside the tavern. Right away, the snow that had collected on his head and shoulders began to melt in the warm room, and he brushed it off to keep his cloak from becoming too soaked before he took a look around. Despite the fact that they were still in the heart of the kingdom, it almost felt like they had traveled back to the outer villages. Men and women talked and laughed jovially amongst each other, and the smell of ale hung thickly in the air. He felt a smile creep over his features as he took in the atmosphere. His sister had picked a great place to spend the evening.

Following the two noblewomen over to an empty table, Crow caught sight of the knights who had been staring at him. If the men had been sober, their lingering gazes would have made him bristle, but he could see the flush in their cheeks that told him they were probably quite intoxicated. Even if they tried to pick a fight, he had learned enough about combat to fend them off long enough to get away. He would just have to remember to keep them in the corner of his eye, so he would be ready to jump to his feet if they approached.

“It’s better than I expected so far,” he said approvingly, sitting down next to Penelope since Naida had pulled her usual stunt to push them together. Like everything else in the inner kingdom, he could see a blanket of wealth that separated this establishment as a place meant for the elite, but he was learning to look past the social differences so that he could enjoy himself.

“Just wait until you try the drinks,” Naida grinned, waving her hand to get the attention of a bar wench. The girl stepped over to their table, her hazel eyes sweeping over all of them and then doing a double take when she caught sight of the viceroy. Crow guessed that she was familiar with his old wanted posters, since she worked in a building whose walls would have been plastered with them.

Recomposing herself, she offered the group a small smile, “What can I get for you?”

“I’ll have a cider,” Naida chirped.

“Just a mead for me,” Crow said, shrugging off his cloak now that he didn’t need the extra layer of clothing to keep warm.

The wench nodded, scribbling down their requests and then turning to Penelope to take the last order.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled as he admitted that it was better than he had been expecting. She knew he likely still missed the outer villages so having him like different spots of the inner kingdom was slightly important to her. He had decided to make the inner kingdom his home on her behalf after all. The knight leaned her elbows against them table as Naida chimed in and she gave a nod of agreement. Having tried drinks from both the outer villages and the inner kingdom, she knew it was safe to say that he'd be able to tell quite the difference.

As the girl came over to take their orders, she waited for her turn to speak before ordering a cider as well. Once the wench walked off to fulfill their orders, Penelope glanced around the tavern, enjoying the lively atmosphere for a moment before Naida spoke up again.

"Gods it's been forever since I've gone here!" Naida exclaimed. She grinned at Penelope. "I think the last time I came here was with you and Olivia..." The princess got an excited gleam in her eyes as an idea formed. "We should all play a drinking game!"

"No thank you." Penelope said shaking her head.

"What? Why not?" Naida pouted. "Usually you're up for it."

"I just prefer not to be stumbling through the snow on our way back." Penelope replied with an amused smirk. While that was a small part of it, she also wanted to keep her wits about her. Naida was always trying to push her and Crow together and she knew it'd be risky to get drunk around the two of them while they were still hiding their relationship.

"Aww come on it's suppose to be a celebration! I know you didn't get to really celebrate last night what with the speech and hosting." Naida pleaded. "It'll be fun! Plus we have a new player." She smirked as her gaze shifted over to Crow.

[Rogue Sloth]

Of course, the first thing Naida did after everyone had ordered their drinks was suggest a drinking game. Crow rolled his eyes. He supposed he should have expected it since the princess was also friends with Olivia, and the wild knight was known for causing trouble whenever there was a mug in her hand. However, she was going to be disappointed, because he’d learned his lesson the last time he’d gotten roped into drinking more than he felt comfortable with. This time, he planned to have no more than two glasses of mead that he would make sure he didn’t take his eyes off, in case his sister decided to try the same trick Olivia had by switching his drink.

It seemed like he wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to get drunk that night either. He glanced sideways at Penelope as she quickly shut down the princess’s idea. He hadn’t been sure if she would agree to participate or not, since she didn’t have the same reservations around alcohol that he did, but he was relieved that she had chosen not to play Naida’s game. Knowing how much of a lightweight she was, it could have been trouble if she’d had too many drinks and forgot that they were trying to keep their relationship a secret until after he spoke to his father about courting her.

When Naida protested by saying that they hadn’t celebrated since the knight’s speech, Crow bit his lip to stifle a laugh. They certainly had celebrated her success, but it had been a bit of a private affair. “No, you don’t,” he shook his head when his sister wrongfully assumed that he would join them. “I’ve told you before that I prefer to be sober. That still hasn’t changed.”

“Why are you both being so boring tonight?” Naida whined. “I don’t want to be the only one who’s drinking. That’s not fun at all.”

“Maybe you should have asked us about our plans before we got here,” Crow teased her, folding his arms on the table. “Anyway, we can still enjoy ourselves without getting drunk. We do it all the time.”

“I wish Olivia was here,” Naida groaned, dramatically laying her head down on the table. “She’s always willing to drink with me.”

“Trying to guilt us isn’t going to work,” Crow said dryly. He casted Penelope a mock look of exasperation and then glanced over his shoulder as the bar wench returned with their drinks.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small shrug as Naida tried to poke at the fact that she hadn't celebrated during the previous night. Of course, her friend had no way of knowing that she had celebrated to some degree. At least, in their own way and it certainly hadn't involved drinking. The knight listened as Naida went on to try and drag Crow into the mix, however, knowing the former thief was never one to purposely get intoxicated, she still wasn't the least bit swayed. The knight rolled her eyes as Naida whined about them being boring.

The knight met Crow's gaze as he casted her the mock look with a mildly amused expression. She turned back to Naida and offered her a smile. "I'll drink a little with you, Naida. I just don't intend to get drunk off my ass." she explained, lifting her mug of cider to her lips.

"That only means a couple of drinks though." Naida sighed disappointedly. "You're not a very good drinker, you'll have to stop before I'm even tipsy."

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, you're a lightweight too don't try to act like you're not." she snorted teasingly at her friend. In response, Naida stuck her tongue out at her friend and chugged a portion of her drink.

The knight gave a small laugh and shook her head before turning her attention back over to Crow. "So does your drink meet those high expectations of yours?" she asked, shooting him a playful smile. After setting her boundaries with drinking, the knight proceeded to relax a little more amongst the good company she was with. Having had an extremely good day, she was in a good mood which usually lead to her more playful nature coming out now that there was much less to stress over. "This place has a pretty good reputation but I fear your review might make it or break it."

[Rogue Sloth]

Apparently Penelope’s will broke faster than Crow had expected. He glanced at her amusedly, knowing full well that a little could go a long way for the lightweight knight. At least he could hold his liquor well enough to have a couple drinks without losing control of himself. As long as one of them stayed alert, he was still hopeful that they could keep his sister in the dark, especially if she didn’t intend to hold back. With that thought in mind, he lifted his own mug to his lips to take a long draught of the honey-colored drink.

Unsurprisingly, the mead was rich and sweet. It was of a finer quality than anything the villagers on the border could make with their limited resources, and it slid down his throat so smoothly that it was dangerous. He set the glass back down on the table, impressed that even the aftertaste wasn’t bitter. If he hadn’t restricted himself to two mugs, he could have easily forgotten to pace himself and polished off more than he could handle. It was like drinking a liquid dessert.

“It actually does,” he admitted, returning Penelope’s smile. “But I still have to say I like Evelyn’s mead the best. This one might be smoother, but you can’t compete with nostalgia.” He winked at her playfully. “Not that it matters what I think anyway. I noticed the glares I got when we came inside. This place would be just fine even if I said I hated it.”

“Maybe now, but not for long,” Naida rebutted, taking another swig of her cider. “Everyone is still getting used to the idea of you being the viceroy, but once they settle down, you’ll have the power to ruin a tavern like this with just a word.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” Crow wrinkled his nose. He already had to be careful enough to protect his own reputation. The idea that he could hurt someone else with just a thoughtless remark was a weighty burden to bear.

“You get used to it,” the princess assured him sagely.

“Hm,” Crow grunted noncommittally and turned back to Penelope. “How’s your drink?” he asked, attempting to change the subject to something more pleasant than his newfound responsibilities.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small chuckle at Crow's words and nodded her head. "Fair enough. Nothing can quite replace familiarness." she mused. She glanced over at Naida as she pointed out that eventually Crow would truly have such an influence. Her comment had merely been teasing but she supposed there would be quite a bit of truth to it in the future once he was truly accepted as viceroy by the nobles. The stranger thought was that she would eventually share some of that influence as his wife. Unsure how she felt about it, the knight sipped at her cider again.

"It's good." Penelope replied to Crow, welcoming the change of subject. She smirked at him. "It's what I usually get here."

Naida opened her mouth to add something but a different voice interrupted. "Well, well Miss Vermillion, it seems our paths cross again." mused a male voice from her left. Penelope blinked and turned her head to see that a nobleman from the party had approached their table. His blonde hair and blue eyes were familiar to her but it took a moment for the knight to place a name to the face. A flash of recognition crossed her gaze as she recalled this particular nobleman to be Kane Papert, one of the men she had danced with and someone whom was a friend of the Lenzs.

"Oh it seems so." Penelope said, offering a polite smile. "It's good to see you again, mister Papert."

"Likewise." He agreed, flashing a charming smile. His gaze shifted onto Naida and then briefly onto Crow. "Princess, ambassador." Realizing he was in the presence of the higher ranking nobles, he dipped his head respectfully to them. His gaze quickly shifted back onto Penelope and gestured to the table. "May I join you this evening?"

Penelope hesitated, side glancing at Crow and Naida, noticing the latter didn't seem thrilled. Truth be told, she was hoping to just spend time alone with the two and especially didn't feel like allowing the nobleman to join them as she recalled how he had been a bit flirtatious with her at the party. However, she also had no real reason to say no and his connection with Oliver made it even more difficult. She owed the Lenz's a great deal for all the help they had given her to make the end of the war happen and offending one of their friends wasn't exactly the way she wanted to repay them.

"Of course." Penelope caved and granted Kane permission to join them. She glanced towards the two half siblings and gave a subtle, hapless shrug. Meanwhile, Kane wasted no time in joining them, but instead of taking up the open seat next to Naida, he instead moved to sit on the other open side of Penelope.

[Rogue Sloth]

For a moment, Crow felt like they were falling into a comfortable rhythm as the subject of his future responsibilities was dropped. However, the short-lived peace was shattered with the sound of an unfamiliar voice. He peered around Penelope’s shoulder as one of the noblemen from a different table approached the knight with a greeting. The sight made him want to groan. It seemed like any time he got his hopes up that he would be able to spend time with her, some other man would swoop in and try to steal her away. He supposed he should have been happy that her increased popularity was a sign that she was gaining influence in the inner kingdom, but he wished their time wouldn’t be interrupted so often. Until they were publicly courting, he couldn’t do anything to prevent it either.

As the nobleman flashed a smile at Penelope, Crow lifted his mug to his lips to stifle a sour expression. He had already known why the stranger had sought her out, but it was still vexing to watch someone else flirt with her when he was sitting right there. If they hadn’t been trying to keep their relationship a secret, he would have slipped his arm around her waist to show Papert that she was already spoken for. Instead, he took a slow breath and reminded himself that it didn’t matter. Whether anyone else was aware of it or not, Penelope was with him, and that wouldn’t be changing anytime soon. The other man was wasting his time.

Unfortunately, the reminder wasn’t enough to stop him from tensing when Papert politely asked to join them. A sharp ‘no’ was on the tip of his tongue, but he restrained himself. He was put off by the thought of allowing the nobleman to join them, but he also didn’t want to come off as overly hostile when the newcomer hadn’t knowingly done anything to feed his temper. Coming up with a more tactful excuse, he turned to the other man with parted lips but didn’t get the chance to turn him away before Penelope spoke first.

Crow glanced at her, bewildered, and then blinked in surprise when Papert squeezed in next to the knight on their side of the table. The noble was surprisingly shameless.

Of course, Naida noticed it too. “What was your name again? Papert?” the princess queried, studying the blonde with a frown as she tried to place him.

“Kane Papert, my lady,” the nobleman replied with a respectful nod.

“Oh,” Naida’s eyes swept over the three people sitting across from her. “Sorry, I don’t remember where I might have seen you before.”

Probably because you were busy downing goblets of wine, Crow thought dryly, suddenly remembering that Kane was one of the men he’d seen Penelope dance with at the party. It looked like he was still trying to stand out from the other nobles who’d begun vying for the lieutenant’s attention.

“Anyway, we were just celebrating Penelope here,” the princess went on with a thin smile. “She did so well with her speech that she earned a few drinks and a fun night out with her friends.” The slightest emphasis was added to the last word, and Crow guessed that his sister was trying to hint that Kane wasn’t included in the statement. He sipped idly at his mead, keeping the nobleman in the corner of his eye as he watched to see how he’d react to Naida’s frosty comment.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope shifted a bit as Kane sat down next to her. She took a sip of her drink in an effort to act oblivious to the bold move. It was difficult to put up with the nobleman's advances when she was already secretly taken for. However, it wouldn't be too much longer before her and Crow would be able to court, provided he was able to get the king's approval. With that in mind, she felt she could tolerate Kane's presence. However, it seemed that feeling was one sided as she noticed Crow had gotten tense and Naida didn't seem anymore thrilled about the newcomer. The knight listened as her friend spoke to Kane, subtly hinting that he wasn't as welcomed as he had thought.

"I see. Well I apologize for the interruption then." Kane said with an awkward chuckle. Aside from the apology, he quickly brushed off Naida's words and instead turned his focus back onto Penelope, smiling at the knight as he added, "It's certainly an accomplishment worthy of celebrating though. You were quite impressive the other night."

"Thanks." Penelope said with a small smile. A small silence followed and she shifted a bit. Deciding to try and be cordial, she turned back to the nobleman. "You said you were good friends of Oliver's, right?"

Kane nodded his head. "I am. We knew each other from childhood, he was always a bit like an older brother to me in some ways."

"He's a good man. I owe him and his wife a great deal of thanks for all they've done to help me with this cause." Penelope mused.

"I'm sure that ending the war will be plenty thanks for both of them." Kane smiled. He paused to flag down a wench, ordering a drink before her turned back to the others. His gaze focused on Crow for once and he gave an amused smirk. "I just hope that if the king does settle for peace that the Younisians don't recognize our new viceory here. Wouldn't be your first time into the castle, right?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Catching on that Kane wasn’t going anywhere, Crow sighed quietly and exchanged a subtle glance with Naida. It seemed like Penelope’s friendliness had attracted some unpleasant company, and since she had already told the nobleman that he could stay, there wasn’t anything that he or his sister could say to undo it. She was the one they were supposed to be celebrating, after all. If she was fine with an additional member of their little group for the night, then they would have to put up with it. He just hoped Kane wouldn’t stay very long. The tension in the room was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife.

As Penelope and her new friend began to chat, Crow caught sight of Naida downing the rest of her cider without restraint. He prodded her shin with his boot underneath the table to get her attention and shot her a quizzical look, to which she shrugged and rolled her eyes toward Kane. The message was clear enough: He makes me want to drink.

The viceroy smirked at her amusedly and turned to the nobleman, who had taken that moment to address him in the conversation. His first impulse was to respond that the Younisian king hadn’t seemed very angry with him when he’d swiped the staff, but the remark died on his tongue when he remembered what Aeklora had said to him in the castle that night. The ruler at the time had been nearing his death bed. If the goddess’s prediction had been right, then the monarch he would be sent to speak with was probably an entirely different person. However, there was no way he was supposed to know that, so he kept the information to himself.

“That was over two years ago,” he said flippantly instead. “If someone recognizes me after all this time, I’d be flattered.”

“Father said the staff you stole was important because it could only be held by their true king,” Naida mused, grinning playfully at her brother. “If that’s true, maybe they should have built a statue in your honor.”

“I wouldn’t oppose it,” Crow mirrored her expression.

“Of course you wouldn’t,” the princess snorted and glanced at Kane. “But seriously, even if they do recognize you, the way I see it, they owe you for trying to stop the war we’re all caught up in now.”

“They would have been absorbed into Brerra if that staff had made it back to the king,” the viceroy pointed out blandly, missing what she was trying to do. He took another swig of his mead and drummed his fingers contemplatively on the table. “I have to wonder what happened to it though. For a few weeks, the staff was everything, and then it just… vanished. I find it hard to believe that the mercenaries who took it had just wanted to keep it all to themselves. Something doesn’t add up.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smirked a little at Crow's reply. Not only had a great deal of time passed but the thief was now a viceroy and she doubted anyone in the kingdom of Younis would even guess that they were the same person. Well except Hartley of course but he wouldn't cause any trouble. She listened amusedly as Naida and Crow spoke only for her smile to fade into a more serious expression as Crow began to wonder out loud about what had happened to the staff.

"That is strange, I suppose. Perhaps they're saving it for something." Kane mused with a thoughtful expression. He paused before his gaze flickered onto Penelope. "You were apart of that mission too, weren't you?"

"I was." The knight confirmed with solemn nod. She frowned a little at the thought of the mercenary attack. "I always assumed that the rebellion had been behind it. They were a collective of fairly wealthy nobles so I'm sure they could have paid off quite a few mercenaries."

"Yeah but shouldn't the staff have been rediscovered by now if it was the rebellion?" Naida questioned.

"Probably." Penelope agreed. She stared down at her drink, momentarily losing herself in thought. The whole situation was strange and it still haunted her. Even though the rebellion had been wealthy, that was quite a lot of mercenaries to pay off. The other unsettling factor to her was the fact that all the mercenaries were similar in their size and features. The knight wasn't sure what that meant but she suspected that where ever the staff had gone, the great threat Toreus had warned about was lurking. The thought sent a small chill up her spine.

Besides her, Kane mumbled his agreement. The wench had returned with his ale and he sipped at his drink. The nobleman seemed to catch onto the dimmed mood and casted the knight a smile. "No sense in focusing on that now when you're trying to celebrate." he chuckled. "In fact, how about a friendly competition, first to the bottom of the mug wins."

Penelope raised an eyebrow at him. "How's that fair? Your drink's completely full and I'm already half way through mine."

"I think I may surprise you." Kane replied with a wink. He grinned. "Perhaps if we were playing for higher stakes fairness would be key but I don't see any reason to do that unless you want to grab a fresh mug." The nobleman shrugged his shoulders and then looked to the two half siblings. "Anyone else care to join in?" he asked.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow glanced between the other three nobles at the table as they discussed the possible whereabouts of the staff. It was a question that had nagged at the back of his mind off and on since he’d first learned that the mercenaries had attacked William and Penelope. He didn’t understand what anyone else could have wanted with the old rod. Sure, the precious stones and gold that had been used to craft it were valuable, but he knew from experience that there were plenty of other luxurious objects that were far easier to purloin. The men who had been after them had risked their lives to take it. And yet, no one had come forward claiming to be the “true king” of Younis in two years. He couldn’t help but wonder what had become of the staff since it had disappeared after their mission.

The viceroy was drawn back into the conversation when he heard Kane try to lighten the mood by reminding them of the reason they had come to the tavern in the first place. He rolled his eyes. Just because they were celebrating didn’t mean he had to keep his thoughts to himself. The subject of the staff was something he had neglected to bring up in general, and there had been a chance that one of the others had heard something about what had become of it. He had never been the type to stifle his curiosity, but, deciding there was no good reason to argue about it with the nobleman, he kept his mouth shut.

As Kane went on to suggest a drinking game, Crow averted his gaze, bemused by how eager he and Naida were to lose themselves to the liquor. He had underestimated just how much nobles liked to drink. However, he was determined to hold fast to the limit he’d already established for himself.

“Hell yes,” Naida grinned, suddenly seeming far less irritable with Kane’s presence. “Finally, someone else who knows how to have a good time.” She raised her hand to flag down another wench.

“Count me out,” Crow shook his head.

“Oh, come on, Collin,” his sister pleaded. “You’ll be the only one who isn’t participating. It’s more fun to be stuck with drunks when you’re drunk too!”

“I don’t care,” he folded his arms stubbornly and shot her a smirk. “Someone has to make sure you two get back to the castle safely anyway.”

“Spoil sport,” she stuck her tongue out at him and then turned to Penelope. “You’ll play with us, right? You’ll even have a head start! How can you say no to that?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope was about to open her mouth to object to drinking but didn't get the chance to as Naida piped in now. Her previously sour mood flew out the window as she jumped on board to drink. The knight found it a bit amusing that her attitude had changed on such a dime. As Naida then focused onto her after failing to convince Crow, she hesitated to answer. She had told Naida that she would drink a little with her friend. Though she still planned to keep from getting terribly drunk, she supposed she could risk humoring them for one drink at least. Besides, she was already half way through her drink.

"Alright fine but just this one. After that, I'm out." Penelope said, lifting her mug.

"Yes!" Naida exclaimed excitedly before quickly picking up the drink she had gotten from the wench.

Kane eyed Crow for a moment before focusing his gaze back onto the two women. His smile brightened as they both decided to join him. "Great! We'll drink on three!" he announced. The noble paused to let the others ready themselves before counting down, "1..2..3!"

As he reached three, Penelope lifted the mug to her lips along with the others and downed the rest of her drink. Naturally, she finished first, setting her glass down a bit clumsily as the alcohol began hitting her system, but was followed closely behind by Kane. It seemed he hadn't been joking about surprising her after all. She eyed the nobleman with a hint of bewilderment as he set down his glass. She noticed he covered his mouth, seeming to stifle a belch as he forced down his last gulp. Meanwhile, Naida chugged down the remainders of her own before slamming her mug down.

"Well, seems I couldn't quite keep up." Kane smirked as he looked at Penelope.

"No but I see you can drink quite a bit." Penelope whistled. The knight leaned further onto the table as she felt her head start to get clouded by the alcohol she had drank so fast. "I certainly wouldn't have come close on a full glass... I'd be trailing behind you, Naida." she snickered.

"Hey!" Naida protested then giggled. Her gaze danced over to Crow and she grinned at him. "Well stick in the mud, you're in for it now."

[Rogue Sloth]

When Penelope agreed to play one round with her friends, Crow watched her amusedly, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the table. After drinking with her in the outer villages, he knew that she couldn’t handle many mugs before she lost control of herself, so he was curious to see what would happen after she chugged the rest of her cider. Even though he had a problem with getting drunk, himself, he cared little about what the knight and his sister chose to do. As long as neither of them tried to pester him to join them, he was content with sitting back and enjoying the show.

His green eyes flicked to Kane as he counted them off for the match. Now that the nobleman was with them, he was even more cautious about staying sober than he had been before. If the other man had too much alcohol and tried to cross a line with Penelope, the viceroy was going to be ready to stop him. He wouldn’t let anyone lay a hand on her after Cedric had kissed her at the party the previous night.

While the others downed their drinks, Crow lifted his glass to his lips to take another sip of his mead. Not long after, he felt the table shake as Penelope put her empty mug back down, closely followed by Kane. He casted her a sideways glance, noticing right away that she was starting to feel the effects of her drink. She looked like she was sitting a bit heavier in her seat, as was evident by the way she leaned into the edge of the table in front of her.

Subtly making sure the gesture wouldn’t be noticed by Naida or Kane, he slipped his hand down into his lap and then moved it to rest on the lieutenant’s thigh. “Bring it on, fireball,” he teased his sister with a grin. “I’ve spent enough time with Olivia to handle anything you throw at me.”

Naida made a face at him and turned to Penelope, “Are you sure you want to stop after just one? I think you can play one more round!”

“You really don’t like being the only drunk in the room, do you?” Crow noticed dryly. “Why’s that? Are you afraid you’ll embarrass yourself?”

“No,” the princess straightened her posture haughtily. “It’s just not as much fun without any competition.” Brushing him off again, she pouted at her friend. “Please? Drunk Penelope is the best, and you deserve to let loose after you worked so hard on that party.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope tensed as she felt a hand on her thigh. It took a moment for the knight to register that it was Crow's and immediately relaxed once she did. She smiled and shifted to drop a hand into her lap, moving to rest it over his. The knight gave a small giggle as Crow teased Naida. However, her amusement was cut short as Naida tried to con her into drinking more. The knight was about to open her mouth to protest but didn't get very far as Crow spoke up instead.

Unfortunately Crow's words didn't go very far with his sister as she continued to insist on drinking more. "I told you I wasn't getting drunk, Naida." Penelope smirked.

"Commmeee oonnn! There's no reason to stay sober." Naida pestered. She grinned mischievously. "I'm sure Collin here can keep you from falling on your face when we head back."

"Naidaaaa that's not the point." Penelope groaned, rolling her eyes. "I'm out of this game."

"Oh..." The quiet voice of Kane caught her attention next to her as he awkwardly shifted the three new and full mugs of cider. During the time the others had been talking, the nobleman had clearly wasted no time in flagging down another wench for refills. It seemed he hadn't registered Penelope's previous protests to drinking anymore. That or he had chosen to ignore them. Penelope narrowed her eyes slightly at him but as he gave her a sheepish smile and she noticed a faint tint of red on his cheeks, she began to think his reasoning was likely the former.

"See you can't let that go to waste!" Naida grinned as she took one of the mugs.

Kane glanced between the two and moved to pull the other two drinks in front of him. "'s fine. I'll just drink them both." he assured quickly.

The knight sighed and glanced over at Crow. Though she knew had been planning to stop, she supposed she could handle one more drink. Even if it did send her over, at least she could relax a little knowing Crow was sober enough to watch out for her if she accidentally said anything. Plus, she was certain it wouldn't be long before Naida was drunk as well. Hopefully that would make the princess less alert and less likely to catch any slip ups that the knight may or may not make. Satisfied with her slightly askew reasoning, she gestured for Kane to hand over the glass. "No, it's fine.. You alright got it for me so I'll drink it. But I swear to gods Papert if you order me another one, I'm going to make you chug both of them at the same time!" Penelope declared. Hearing a cheer coming from Naida, she turned to her friend and smirked. "And the same goes for you!"

"Fair is fair." Kane laughed. He grinned eagerly and lifted his mug to the two. "Bottoms up then!"

[Rogue Sloth]

While Naida continued to beg Penelope to play another round of their game, Crow idly swirled the remains of his mead in his mug. His attempt to stop his sister from pressuring the knight had gotten him nowhere, so he was resigned to wait and see if Penelope would cave to her friend’s pestering on her own. Either way, not much would change for him unless she forgot about their secret and tried to be more physical in front of the princess. Although, if he was honest, he was the one between the two of them who would have been more likely to throw boundaries aside if he was drunk. She wasn’t as sloppy as he was.

Eventually, Penelope folded to the other nobles, and Crow subtly turned his hand over on her lap to lace his fingers with hers. Kane might have been trying to get close to her by sliding onto the bench with them, but now that the three of them were somewhat crammed together on one side of the table, he had an excuse to hold her hand without getting caught. He sipped at his drink to hide the sly smile that formed on his lips. As much as he wished they could come forward with their relationship, he also found some pleasure in getting away with a few casual touches in public. The secretiveness of it was thrilling.

As the others downed their next round of drinks, the viceroy looked down at his own glass. He had been drinking at a fairly steady pace, but his mug was still almost half full. Meanwhile, Penelope and her friends were already at least two pints deep. He turned back to the knight, wondering if she knew what she was getting herself into.

“Done!” Kane’s voice caught Crow’s attention as the nobleman set his empty cup down first.

Shortly after, a second slam followed. “Damn it,” Naida groaned. “I really tried that time too.” A hiccup punctuated her last sentence, and she lifted a hand to her mouth in embarrassment.

“Why do you even challenge people to drinking games if you’re not good at them?” Crow snickered.

“Shut up,” his sister shot him a scowl, though he couldn’t take her seriously as she hiccupped again. “I am good! I think Kane’s cheating.” She turned her glare on the nobleman, who seemed taken aback by her accusation.

Crow laughed and turned back to Penelope to see how she was doing after polishing off another large mug of cider.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope raised her drink with the others and chugged down the cider. The second round of drinks was much harder for the knight to get through, mainly because now she actually had a full mug rather than a half full one. Coming in last, she slammed her mug down shortly after Naida. She flinched at the alcohol she had just took in and leaned heavily on the table as it settled into her stomach. Despite coming in last, she had drank that one just a tad too quickly and could already feel the effect it was having on her. She groaned and leaned her elbows on the table.

As Crow turned to her, Kane happened to as well. He raised an eyebrow at her and gave a chuckle before placing a hand on the knight's back. "Are you alright, Penelope?" he asked. The nobleman wasn't immune to the alcohol's effects but he was faring better than the two women.

"'m fine!" Penelope said with a dismissive wave.

"Onto the next round!" Naida declared with another hiccup. "And no cheating this time!" She added with an accusative look at Kane.

"I swear I didn't!" Kane held his hands up defensively. He paused and glanced over at the female knight besides him. "And it looks like you'll be sitting this one out."

"Yup." Penelope nodded her head slowly.

The nobleman gave an amused look before his gaze drifted back over to Crow. He eyed him a moment while Naida flagged down the wench so the two could continue drinking even though Penelope had tapped out. "So you really don't plan on drinking, huh?" he asked with an air of force casualness. However, Crow didn't get to answer as Penelope chimed in instead. It seemed like an easy enough question to answer. Even though it wasn't one for her.

"He don' like to and...." Penelope paused and turned her head to look over at Crow. She stared at him for a long pause, trying to recall what the other reason was. It was also a reason she needed to be careful but the knight simply couldn't place what it was in her drunken haze. She turned back to Kane to finish off her thought. "Hm.. I don' remember..." The knight pouted then blinked as something came to mind and she turned to Crow enthused by her recollection. "Oh! was 't cuz yar mess whe' you're drunk?"

[Rogue Sloth]

The instant Kane’s hand touched Penelope’s back, Crow stiffened, fighting the impulse to brush the nobleman off for her. Even though he knew the other man couldn’t have known he was flirting with a taken woman, he still found the gesture surprisingly bold. From what he’d heard, it sounded like the two had only met the night before, and yet Kane already had the confidence to make a pass at her. He narrowed his eyes, watching the romantic rival discreetly. The longer the night went on, the more grateful he was that he’d chosen to stay sober. If Kane tried to push for anything more physical with the knight, he would be quick to it shut down.

As Penelope assured them both that she was fine, he gave her hand an affectionate squeeze beneath the table, trying to simmer down so that he wouldn’t snap at the other man vying for her attention. Kane’s intentions were clear, but he hadn’t yet done anything to warrant a hostile reaction. If he lost his temper over something as simple as someone touching the knight’s back, he would have been sure to raise some brows. There were too many other people around to justify causing a scene.

When Kane addressed him with a question, Crow casted him a cagey look. He wasn’t sure why the nobleman was suddenly interested in his drinking habits, or lack thereof. They didn’t need a fourth participant to play their game, and it made no difference to the other man whether he was drunk or sober. He parted his lips to say so but didn’t get the chance before Penelope’s voice made him flinch.

For a moment, he felt a flash of worry that she would accidentally let slip that he was staying alert to keep their secret, but luckily, the tipsy lieutenant seemed to forget what she was saying halfway through her sentence. Relaxing again, he smiled at her amusedly as she turned to him with a clumsy explanation for his behavior. Despite the near catastrophe, he couldn’t help but find her intoxicated expression endearing. The flush in her cheeks was cute, and her features had softened innocently. If there hadn’t been other nobles around, he would have leaned in to kiss her.

“You’re one to talk,” he teased her with a playful nudge of his shoulder. “But yes. I’ve never liked what alcohol does to me, so I just drink it for the taste.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Naida leaned forward in her seat, her eyes glittering curiously. “What’re you like when you’re drunk?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Crow winked at her, dancing around the question. Knowing how persistent his sister was in her goal to “push” him and Penelope together, he didn’t want to tell her that he had a hard time keeping his hands to himself when he had a few mugs of strong ale.

“That’s not fair,” the princess complained. “I’ve never seen you drunk before.” She turned to Penelope with a pleading look. “Tell me! Why’d you say he’s a mess?”

“Look, your next round is here,” Crow cut in abruptly, attempting to change the subject as the wench arrived with full mugs for Naida and Kane. He glanced at the knight from the corner of his eye, hoping she would get distracted before she could tell the others what he’d done before.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope blinked as Crow nudged her playfully. She rolled her eyes and gave a giggle at his words as he teased her. The knight listened as Crow and Naida spoke, absentmindedly rubbing her thumb over his hand that she was still holding. As Naida turned to her for answers, she grinned amusedly. Though the alcohol made it difficult to focus, she could still recall that Crow was bad about keeping his hands to himself. It was something she had noticed back on their trip to Younis and then experienced it much more fully on their previous trip to a tavern with Olivia and the others.

Seeing no wrong with telling Naida and wanting to get revenge for his teasing, the knight opened her mouth to reply. "Oh he—" However, she wasn't able to get another word out of her mouth before Crow suddenly cut in. Penelope blinked and looked over at him before lifting a finger up to her lips. "Shhh, I was 'alking." she shushed him before her gaze softened as she looked up at him, taking in his features. Derailed from what she was going to say, the knight couldn't help but think about how much his appearance had changed since becoming a noble. Stuck on that thought, she slipped her hand out of his and reached up to clumsily brush her fingertips over the side of his face

"You 'ook good as a noble." She mused with a thoughtful expression, nodding sagely as if she had said something profound. A second later though, she broke out into a grin. "Al'ough, I guess you 'ooked good as thief too. So no'hing changed." she added, giggling at her own words.

A mug slammed onto the table next to her, causing her focus on Crow to break. Penelope dropped her hand back down into her lap and turned her head to see that, sometime in between Crow cutting her off and her speaking with him, the other two had continued the competition. Of course, Kane had finished first again, as seemed to be custom. The knight was mildly impressed he was managing to maintain his speed three drinks in.