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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow quirked a brow in surprise when Penelope adamantly stated that she would go with him into the palace. The corner of his lip twitched upward when she called him ‘love.’ She was blatantly teasing him for his use of the pet name, but the way her cheeks turned rosy when she said it was oddly endearing to him. It was cute how embarrassed she got. He let the persistent smile take over his mouth and shook his head, Stubborn woman.

However, her following words didn’t go over quite as well with the thief. He didn’t like how insistent she was about joining him on the mission. He was fine with failing if it meant only he would be caught for it, but the thought of Penelope getting captured—or worse—as well made him shudder. Thievery could be an incredibly dangerous occupation, especially when dealing with such a well-protected target. He didn’t know how to make her understand, and he doubted she would change her mind even if she knew what was at stake.

If Crow was honest, the knight was even beginning to sway him with her words. As much as he hated to admit it, she had some good points. This wasn’t like his other runs in the past, and he was pretty out of shape after spending so long in prison. He didn’t like the idea of using Penelope as a scapegoat if things took a turn for the worse, but would it really be such a bad thing to have another pair of eyes watching his back?

Crow’s thoughts derailed when Penelope moved closer to him. His heart pounded at her proximity, and he had to force himself to calm down. Stop getting so excited, he reprimanded silently. Nothing is going to happen. Once the spontaneous burst of adrenaline faded, he met the knight’s gaze evenly, ready to give a reply.

“Besides,” Penelope continued before he had a chance to say anything. “Although I prefer that you just agree to my help, I’m willing to play the ‘thief might run away with the staff’ card to William. He’d of course say that someone should accompany you and naturally, I’d volunteer since he’s a bit too arrogant and Abraxas is a bit too slow.”

“Wow,” Crow pouted in mock betrayal. “After everything we’ve been through together, you’d use William against me like that? I’m hurt. And besides,” his stern expression melted away with a wry grin and a wink. “I was going to say you can come with me, love.” He leaned in closer to the knight’s face when he spoke the pet name, teasing her for the way she had tried to turn it around on him earlier. “You’ve convinced me, alright? No need to bring William into it.” He paused. They were so close together. For a brief moment, the thief’s eyes flickered down to Penelope’s lips. If he just leaned in a bit more, he could almost kiss her… What am I thinking? He quickly drew back and turned away, fixing his gaze on a cloud outside. His heart was racing again, and his face was scarlet. He couldn’t believe how close he had been to kissing the knight. He cringed, imagining how awkward that would have been. He could actually feel the sting in his cheek from the slap that would have followed if he had been so impulsive. It was going to be harder than he thought to get over his feelings. I really need to watch myself around her…

Crow cleared his throat uncomfortably and attempted to change the subject, “Anyway… do you think we’re close to the outer villages of Younis? We’ve been on the road for quite a while now.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smirked in amusement at Crow as he acted betrayed. As he agreed to let her go with him, she gave a victorious look that quickly vanished and was replaced with one that was a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness as he moved closer. She knew he was just getting her back for her previous teasing but the distance between them was no joke. She could feel her heart begin to pound against her chest and for some reason she found herself frozen.

For a moment, she almost swore that his eyes had moved to her lips rather than the ground and her face heated up in response. However, he quickly moved away which ended any assumptions she had been making. I’m going crazy... I actually thought he was going to kiss me there for a moment.. Hoping even.. Get it together Penelope. He doesn’t see you that way. She thought to herself as she even leaned away from him. The strange thing was that she swore he seemed to be blushing afterwards. She only caught a small glimpse of his face since he turned away but what she had seen, seemed to be red.

Penelope welcomed the change of subject. Anything to keep her heart from racing and her head from having such outrageous thoughts. She averted her gaze away from Crow and gave a small shrug. “Uhm... We shouldn’t be too far. I didn’t study the map as well as William but I’d say we’ll make it there before the sun goes down.” She said with a casual shrug.

The knight took a quick glance at Crow before looking away once more. “I’ve been meaning to ask but how did you learn to copy the Younisian accent so well? You seem to know a lot about a place you’ve never been to.” she said. Penelope was really just making conversation though she was a bit curious.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow’s head was still spinning from his near mistake. Even after telling himself repeatedly that there could never be a romance between them, there was obviously still a part of him that was hoping for one—a part of him that regretted pulling away from kissing Penelope. He felt torn in two. His logical mind said no, but his captured heart said yes. He closed his eyes. It was hard to argue with emotions. This was why he used to keep people at a distance. He had chosen the life of a loner. There was no room for love. Love was a pesky feeling that would keep him tethered to another person, when he needed a full range of motion to perform his thievery to the best of his ability. Love just made everything more complicated when it used to be so simple… but love also made his heart of stone feel just a little bit softer.

It doesn’t matter, Crow reminded himself once more. She’s a knight. Nothing is going to happen between us. Keep it together, Crow.

“I’ve been meaning to ask but how did you learn to copy the Younisian accent so well?” Penelope’s voice coaxed him back to reality. “You seem to know a lot about a place you’ve never been to.”

Crow whistled softly and folded his arms across his chest, “I hope you’re comfortable, love, because that’s a bit of a long story.” He winked at her. “And it’s a story I’m only going to tell you because I consider you my friend. You have permission to feel special now.” He cleared his throat:

“You already know I was born in the outer villages, but I’m not sure if you know what that entails. You see, many travelers come through from all over the world. I’ve met men and women from Younis, Gorm, Waithen, Medora, and many other kingdoms. I’ve also heard the languages and accents that each of them use. When I was just a child, I was quick to pick up foreign speech. I would listen to them speak with each other until I learned the words and phrases common to each kingdom.

“One day, my mother saw me speaking Weaenyit–that is, the language of Waithen—to the daughter of some passing Waithenese merchants. She took me home and checked my health, convinced I was possessed by a spirit of tongues, because she had never been able to learn another language fluently in all her years in the outer villages. When she realized there was nothing particularly out of the ordinary about me, she came to the conclusion that my proficiency with languages must have come from my father. It makes sense. After all, he’s an ambassador for the king. He would have to be good with languages to do his job.” Crow laughed and shook his head. “My mother used to joke that I got the only good qualities my father had: his looks and his ability to pick up foreign speech.

“Anyway, I don’t necessarily know much about the culture of Younis apart from the little I’ve been told by travelers: They’re a very peaceful people who live more traditional lives than we do in Brerra. They’re also the only other kingdom that speaks Missenar, the language Brerratic people share, that I know of. Every other foreigner I’ve met spoke a different tongue. Tegi nyi Weaenyitili via’vri pha’s ifedvri. Tyih yesti e stelnrh vaephisitn l’viiry nyet zi va.” He grinned at Penelope in obvious pride of his talent to switch seamlessly from Missenar to Weaenyit. “It’s been a useful skill.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope couldn’t help but feel a wave of relief as he began to tell his story. It seemed to bounce them back from whatever awkwardness that had just taken over and she was more than glad to steer away from that. Especially since she couldn’t seem to get ridiculous ideas out of her head. She looked over at him as he whistled and smirked lightly.

His story was a welcomed distraction and it actually interested her. Penelope was slightly impressed by his skills to pick up a language. Not that she’d let him know that. She doubted she could ever do it as easily as he described and she already had enough trouble merely taking on an accent let alone learning a whole other language. She raised an eyebrow at him as he slipped into another language at the end, clearly not recognizing it or even realizing it was two different languages. She had rarely been in the outer villages and didn’t have much knowledge about other cultures or languages. She just simply knew they were out there.

“I see. Well it’s certainly convenient. We’d be in a way worse situation without it.” Penelope said with a small sigh. “Although, I do always have a small worry you’ve been teaching us the wrong accent.” The knight joked, faking a suspicious look at Crow.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow smirked, pleased with himself. He hadn’t had an opportunity to practice his multilinguistic talents since before he had been put in prison. The languages must have become so deeply ingrained in him that it would take longer than just three hundred and sixty-five days to forget them. Either that, or he really was possessed by a spirit of tongues. He preferred to think it was the former. The thief’s ego was further inflated when Penelope commented on how his talents were putting them into a better situation. He already thought that, but hearing someone else say it out loud made him sit up just a little bit straighter.

“Don’t worry,” Crow shook his head when the knight joked about her concern for him teaching them the wrong accent. “I enjoy a good laugh at someone else’s expense, but I’m not suicidal. Besides,” he met her gaze evenly, taking on a more serious tone. “We made a deal. I’m going through with this ridiculous mission, whether I want to or not.” He hesitated for a moment, then looked away from Penelope. That’s right. Just a few more days before I take my leave of these knights—of her. The thought of freedom had turned so bittersweet. Even though he had decided not to pursue Penelope as more than a friend, the thought of going separate ways made him taste bile. Part of him wanted to at least keep in touch afterwards, but he knew it would be far too risky. He didn’t want bounty hunters breathing down his neck right after he escaped from the knights, so there would be no simple way to reach her after this assignment was over. There would be no way to continue their friendship either.

Crow stared out the side window of the wagon, his eyes dull, Love really is a pesky emotion. He exhaled. “Have you ever been torn between two opposing desires?” the thief asked. He blinked, startled by his sudden vulnerability. He wasn’t sure why he even bothered involving Penelope. Perhaps he had grown careless because they would be parting ways soon; or perhaps he was just that desperate to talk to another person about the weight on his heart. He went on: “I’m not talking about a desire such as whether I should eat chicken or fish for lunch. I mean two desires that would change my life completely, no matter which one I chose.” He met Penelope’s eyes once more—those pools of deep green that he could stare into all day long, but were unattainable to him—and smiled melancholically. “What’s worse is that the strongest of the two desires is something I can’t have. It’s something that, if I tried to obtain it, would destroy me and everything I’ve achieved. Yet it still calls me.

“The second desire is something completely within my power to reach. It’s something I thought I wanted, but now I don’t know… It would give me everything I wanted in life, but I would almost rather let myself be destroyed, just for one moment of having the other desire.” Crow paused. He felt numb with shock at his own honesty. He was saying things to Penelope that he was only admitting to himself for the first time. He suddenly felt guilty for putting that weight on her. He forced a laugh, trying to lighten the mood, “I’m sorry, love. It wasn’t fair of me to spring that on you. Just pretend I didn’t say anything. Oh, look!” He pointed out the window, hoping to change the subject. “I can see a marketplace from here. I wonder if William will let us stop to get food and stretch our legs?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled as he reassured her about their deal. “I know.” She said softly. At the mention of the deal, she was reminded of her part. The moment this mission was finished, the two would be forced into a good bye. Just the thought of it made her heart ache. She knew that once that time came, the only way she’d ever be in contact with him again was if she was forced by her position to try in capture him or finding him locked up in prison once more. However, Penelope figured it was for the best. They would both be free to go their own ways and she would just have to forget or bury away whatever she felt for him.

His voice drew her out of her sad thoughts and into his. Penelope looked at him a bit confused at first but she listened. As he went on, she found it nearly impossible to look away as he met her gaze. His talk about two desires resonated with her but also caused some concern. There was an aspect of Crow that always struck Penelope as lonely but she usually brushed it off, figuring the thief preferred to be alone and was even alone by choice. However, in that moment, she felt that might not be the case. He seemed so conflicted and it made her realize how much he must deal with on his own. What could he possibly desire so much to nearly be willing to be destroyed?

“Crow-“ She quietly began, trying to respond but was quickly cut off as the thief attempt to change the subject. She pursed her lips together and glanced out the window to see the market place. It was likely that William would stop, considering they had traveled a good distance and it was about time for a pitstop. “Maybe... I’ll check.” She mumbled, letting the topic change for a brief moment as she scooted over to pop her head out to speak to Willaim.

“William! Can we make a quick stop at the market place ahead?” She asked.

“Why? We should just keep moving.” William grumbled.

Penelope rolled her eyes. “Just a quick break. It’ll give everyone a nice breather including you.” You old fool. She added inwardly.

“Fine..” William huffed in agreement.

Penelope smirked and ducked back inside, turning her attention back to Crow. “Looks like we’ll be able to take a small break...” She said but trailed off as she looked at him. His words were still bugging her and she couldn’t just pretend he didn’t say anything. Penelope held her breath for a moment, feeling her heart pounding against her chest as she suddenly moved forward and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “I’m not really sure what you were talking about earlier... but I don’t think one moment is worth death... So please, be careful.” She said quietly. Penelope worried that he could hear her heart beating furiously and quickly withdrew from the hug. She found herself unable to look him in the eyes so she shifted her gaze out the window, trying to cool her head and slow her heart. Who knew it could take so much from her just to try and comfort him. “And you don’t have to be sorry... I’m your friend remember? Temporary or not, I’m supposed to listen.” She added.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow was relieved when Penelope requested for William to let them stop and take a break. He felt uncomfortable after he had vented to Penelope, and he worried that she might try to bring the subject back up again if they continued to travel in that small, inescapable space. Hopefully she would just forget about his unnecessary words after exploring the marketplace for a while. It would be better if she did. Friends or not, there was no reason for him to involve her in his own internal conflict.

It wasn’t like he had a choice between the two desires anyway. There wasn’t anything to discuss. It was already settled: He had to leave Penelope and go home, without ever telling her how he felt or trying to reach out to her again. Besides, he already knew what would happen if he revealed his love for her; she would turn him down in that caring way of hers, but their friendship would be tarnished—he would have destroyed a relationship that took so many long days to build up, and his softening heart would turn to stone again. He wanted to avoid that pain for as long as he could.

“Thank the gods,” Crow sighed when Penelope announced that they would be taking a break soon. “It’s so stifling in here. I think this still air is driving me—” Crow inhaled sharply as the knight suddenly leaned in and wrapped her arms around him. His eyes widened and he sat rigidly, heart pounding in his chest. He opened his mouth to speak, but found that he had lost his voice. Wh-what is she doing? the thief thought. He stared past her shoulder at the other side of the wagon, in a trance that left him unable to move. He was strangely disconnected, but aware of everything all at once. He felt her soft, brown hair against his cheek, her slender arms wrapped around his back, her chest pressed against his. The embrace felt foreign to him—he hadn’t been hugged by anyone like that since his mother died so many years ago—but it was so comforting, he never wanted it to end.

“I’m not really sure what you were talking about earlier,” Penelope said softly, her breath warm against his ear. “But I don’t think one moment is worth death... So please, be careful.”

She thought I was talking about physical destruction? Crow thought. He had a sudden urge to embrace her too, wanting to return the comfort she had given him. It was difficult though. He trembled slightly as he began to lift his arms from where they lay limp at his sides. But before he could work up the nerve to hug her back, she pulled away, returning to her seat at his side. His heartbeat slowed, and he let his arms fall. Just like that, the trace was broken.

“Thanks,” Crow mumbled. His tongue still felt a bit like lead in his mouth. “And it’s not what you think. I’m not going to die—or at least I shouldn’t. You don’t have to worry.” He felt the wagon slow to a halt. They had arrived at the marketplace. He glanced out the window to see bustling crowds of people and rows of hearty vendors, shouting out sales pitches for their products. “This looks like fun,” the thief said with a Younisian lilt, offering a genuine smile to the knight. “I hope you feel confident with your accent, because you’re going to need it here.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope felt a small wave of embarassment wash over her as he assured her that it what he was speaking of didn’t mean his death. Admittedly, confusion also followed and took over. She sat in a brief silence as their wagon slowed to a halt and tried to wrap her mind around what he had been speaking about. What other way can a person be destroyed? She wondered with a small frown. She guessed emotionally for a moment but to her, that certainly didn’t seem to fit with what Crow was talking about. The knight barely picked up on his words once Crow spoke again.

Her head lifted and she looked at him, only catching the last bit of words that came out of his mouth. Her gaze flickered away from him towards the window of the bustling marketplace. “Ah, right.” She mumbled with a nod. “I mean, right.” She corrected herself, putting on the best accent she could. The knight rose from her seat and hopped out of the wagon, admittedly glad to be able to stretch out her legs for a bit.

“Alright. Let’s make this quick. And don’t go drawing any unwanted attention.” came the low growl of William, who was clearly looking towards the thief and trying to keep his voice quiet so it’s lack of accent didn’t cause for any suspicion.

“We’ll be fine. It’s only a quick break. We’ve still got a schedule to stick to after all.” Penelope assured her comrade, managing to keep up her accent decently. She took a couple steps away from the wagon to survey the busy marketplace. Unfamiliar smells wafted around her, some good and bad. Something certainly smelled delicious but the knight couldn’t pinpoint what it was. She noted that the Younisian marketplace wasn’t completely different from the ones she had experienced in her own kingdom. Both seemed to be filled with people, things and smells. Though it did lack the comfort of familiarity to the knight and left her wondering where to even go. She glanced over her shoulder towards Crow, figuring that he would work which way to go. “So where to first?” She asked him.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow hopped down from the wagon bed. His green eyes swept over the bustling crowds like a predator hunting for prey. There were so many unsuspecting villagers with satchels swinging at their hips, filled with money and goods. It was almost as if they were begging him to steal from them. He watched a particularly wealthy looking merchant near the end of one aisle. His cart was filled with exotic produce the thief had never seen before. However, what had caught Crow’s attention was the fat purse that laid carelessly at the man’s feet. Its drawstrings strained against the overflowing gold coins that they struggled to keep contained. All it would take was a clever distraction, a simple slight of hand, and then—

“So where to first?” Penelope’s friendly voice interrupted his scheming.

He turned to look at her, carefully forcing his excitement into check. He didn’t want her to know where his thoughts had been, since he already knew she disapproved of thievery. He cast the rich merchant one last wistful glance, and turned his back on him with a sigh. For the sake of his friendship with the knight, it would be better to leave the big fish alone.

“I try not to have a destination in mind when I visit places like this,” Crow answered with a shrug. “It’s much more fun to wander. You never know what sort of interesting things you’ll find.” He smiled at her and tipped his head in the direction of the food stands. They stood at the end of one long aisle of rowdy merchants. “We can go this way first though. I never miss an opportunity to try foreign food.”

He led the way towards the vendors, weaving effortlessly through the sea of people. Having been to marketplaces like this since he was a child, it wasn’t difficult for him to navigate his way through a busy street. “Come on,” he called to Penelope over the continuous roar of the people around them. He reached for her hand to help guide her. In his excitement about being in a market once again, he hardly even felt the awkward pang that usually hit him when he touched the knight.

As they dodged through the crowd, Crow began eyeing coin purses again. Everyone here seemed to have their guards down. He peeked over his shoulder at Penelope. Surely it wouldn’t matter if he took just a few bags, right? Even though he held one of her hands in his, he doubted she would notice the motion. Besides, they might need the extra money later on if they got separated from the others. He made up his mind.

Crow turned slightly and bumped into a passing woman. “Sorry about that,” he apologized while he pocketed the coin purse he had snatched from her hip during the collision. The woman snorted and turned away from him, continuing towards the merchant stand she had been trying to get to. He smirked, Easy.

“Let’s try that stand over there,” Crow said to Penelope, pointing at a vendor on the other side of the market. He didn’t want to be anywhere near the woman when she discovered her money was missing. “Looks like he has some interesting wood carvings. Also, there are a couple of food stands near him that smell amazing. What do you think?”

[BuzzingBee]

“I guess so.” Penelope mused with a small shrug as she looked around the crowd. The knight thought one could easily get lost in such a place if they were to just wander like Crow suggested. She didn’t argue though and began to follow him into the busy street. She had a bit more difficulty maneuvering her way through the crowd but still managed to keep up with Crow. She blinked as the thief grabbed her hand and helped guide her. She felt her heart beat slightly faster but she did her best to try and focus on the different sights and smells around her rather than the warmth of his hand around hers.

Too busy distracting herself from Crow, she failed to pick up on his thieving as he took the coin purse of a passerby. She looked over towards the two but paid little mind. She watched the woman leave and then directed her attention to the vendor Crow was pointing out. She eye the stand and then smiled a bit before nodding her head. “Alright. Let’s go.” She agreed, rather chipper. The marketplace was beginning to feel like a small vacation from their actual work. With a friend at her side and wearing peasant clothing, she certainly felt more like an average shopper than a knight on some secret mission.

Penelope took the lead this time, having become a bit more relaxed and gaining a bit more confidence as she got used to the crowd around her. She made her way over to the other side of the marketplace, not once considering Crow might be up to his usual tricks of stealing. The knight looked over the wood carvings briefly, most of them being of various animals and plants. She snickered as a certain carving caught her eye. It was of a crow with it’s feathers ruffled and it’s beak wide open, likely squawking had it been real. She nudged his side with her elbow to get his attention and had a wide grin on her face. “I see the resemblance.” She giggled with an amused gleam in her eye. “They really did a good job capturing a crow’s true nature."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow glanced over his shoulder as he made his way across the market with Penelope. The woman he had stolen from didn’t seem to have noticed her missing money just yet. Good. He slipped through the crowd, moving beyond her line of sight. As they walked, his eyes wandered back to the fat coin purse of the wealthy merchant he had spotted before. Shimmering gold coins spilled over the top, seeming to beckon to him with their lustrousness. He swallowed and turned away. Not this time. He couldn’t make such a bold move in front of Penelope.

He deftly snatched another coin purse away from a passing man. It was almost too easy. He wondered if theft wasn’t a common crime in their kingdom. After all, the peasants didn’t seem to be worried about keeping track of their belongings. He grinned to himself. If the people in the rest of Younis were this trusting, he would definitely enjoy his stay.

He stole one more pouch on the way to the wood carvings stand and then moved to stand next to Penelope as they looked over the artist’s pieces. There was a wide variety of plants, animals, people, and even some religious idols he didn’t recognize. It was an impressive display of craftsmanship.

Crow looked down at Penelope when she nudged him and pointed out a carving of a crow, saying she could see a resemblance between them. He rolled his eyes, “Funny.” Nudging her back, he pointed at a carving of a toad. “Look, I found William.” He smirked wryly. “I think we should buy it and hide it in his things.”

He began to look over the artist’s works again. One statue in particular caught his eye. It was a carving of a woman, about as tall as his thigh if it had been placed on the ground. Her long hair flowed around her body, meticulously arranged to cover her in place of clothes. Her hands were cupped around a spherical object held in front of her bosom, which she gazed lovingly down upon.

Crow leaned forward, suddenly noticing something odd about the carving’s face: the woman had four eyes, with a second set located directly above the first. He shuddered when he realized the upper eyes seemed to be looking back at him. They met his gaze with an intensity that almost made him forget he was looking at a piece of wood. Her stare was equally as mesmerizing as it was disturbing, making him want to stare into her eyes forever yet also run as far from them as he could.

“I see you’ve found Aeklora,” the artist walked up, noticing Crow’s lingering gaze. “She’s my prized possession. Took me a full season to carve her.”

“She’s… very unique,” Crow nodded, finally managing to tear himself away from the statue’s hypnotic stare. “What is she holding?”

“You can’t tell?” the merchant laughed. “It’s everything.” When Crow just stared at him blankly, he went on. “As I’m sure you know already, Aeklora is our matron goddess of vision and truth. She watches over us all and protects us from those who wish to do us wrong.”

That would explain why the people here are so laidback, Crow thought, absently touching his pocket where he had stashed the stolen coins. They trust this goddess so much that they don’t even watch their own backs. “Right,” he said, pretending he was familiar with Younisian religion.

“The sphere she’s holding is the heavens and the Earth,” the merchant went on. “It’s everything she sees.”

“Then why are only two of her eyes looking at it?” Crow asked, looking back at the eerie face of the carving.

“Observant, aren’t you?” the merchant’s eyes glinted proudly. “That’s a little twist I threw in that makes my Aeklora so special. It’s why this carving took so long to finish.” He leaned closer to Crow, speaking quietly, “I carved her upper eyes to see into our world.”

“You mean…” Crow trailed off, beginning to understand what the man was telling him.

“That’s right,” the merchant grinned. “Aeklora, herself, is watching us right now.”

Crow felt his blood run cold. He had heard of the ritual to turn an idol into a medium for the gods to use, but he had never seen such a thing in person before. It explained why the statue’s eyes gave him such a bad feeling. If this goddess really was watching them, he and Penelope needed to get away from it now.

“You’re an exceptionally skilled craftsman to have made a piece like her,” Crow said calmly. He didn’t want the merchant to know how unnerved he was by the goddess. “Unfortunately, we have friends waiting for us to come back to them, so we won’t be purchasing anything from you today.”

“Are you sure?” the man frowned. “I noticed the lady eyeing a few of my beasts. I’ll give you one for just twenty tael if—”

“We’re sure,” Crow’s eyes flitted nervously to the Aeklora carving once more. He put a hand on Penelope’s shoulders to guide her away from the merchant’s stand. “Thanks, but we’ll be on our way now.” With that, he turned and walked back into the crowd with Penelope, putting distance between them and the goddess statue.

“We should get what we need and go,” Crow said, all humor fleeing from his words. “I’m getting a bad feeling about this place.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope laughed a little as he pointed out the toad. She shook her head and continued to look over the various carvings when she noticed Crow speaking with the artist. She glanced over and listened in on their conversation. She eyed the carving of the woman but not feel the same fear as Crow did. Mainly due to her own beliefs. However, she didn’t argue as Crow ushered them away from the stand and off into the crowd.

She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. “All because of that?” She asked, choosing to speak carefully even though they had already left the artist and his creations. “It was just a carving. Granted he certainly had talent.” Penelope commented with a small shrug.

Penelope sighed, her feeling of carefree fun leaving as Crow’s serious attitude made her recall the whole reason they were even in Younis. The knight quietly looked over at the thief for a brief moment, wondering how much he actually believed in the tales of the Younisian gods. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe their gods were real but rather, that she doubted they involved themselves with the human world. And that went for gods of any religion that she came across, even her own. It made her wonder what he thought of the legend behind the king’s staff, the very item he was meant to steal.

“But I guess you’re right.. We shouldn’t hang around here too long. William will have a fit if we waste too much time.” She mumbled with a decisive nod. “Let’s go stock up on a bit of food and maybe see if they have any medicine stands."

[Rogue Sloth]

“Maybe,” Crow shook his head when Penelope said the Aeklora statue was just a carving. “But I don’t want to take my chances. Call me paranoid if you want, but that’s how I’ve survived this long on my own.” His eyes swept cautiously over the crowd, but nothing seemed particularly out of place. Perhaps it was nothing after all. Even if the goddess had been watching him through the statue, why would she waste her time on one lowly thief? What would she do—smite him for taking three coin purses? The longer he thought about it, the less rational his fear seemed.

He slowed his pace slightly, but kept alert. “Food and medicine, huh?” he mused, looking at the vendors around them. “Let’s get the food first. I saw some farmers over here.” He took the lead once again, directing Penelope towards the delicious-smelling stands they had noticed earlier.

When they reached the first one, he finally stopped to look at the merchant’s products. The man was selling plucked chicken, just like the one Olivia had brought to their camp the night before. His mouth watered at the memory of the savory meat, and he turned to Penelope, “We should get one of these for the road. If this is the same vendor Olivia used, the chicken will be delicious.”

Crow glanced over the other farmers’ stands in search of more things to buy, but he paused when his gaze fell on the merchant with the exotic fruits once again. His stand was the fourth one away from where he and Penelope currently stood. Adding to Crow’s temptation, the man was in the middle of a conversation with a customer; his overflowing coin purse lay unwatched at his feet. He glanced at Penelope. It was such a perfect opportunity, and gold in that quantity would help the villagers in his home town pay off the king’s taxes for many seasons to come. He couldn’t pass it up any longer.

“Want to check out that stand over there?” he asked Penelope, pointing to a merchant on the other side of the aisle who was selling a variety of local seeds and nuts. “Those would last a while. They might be useful if we can’t restock our food later on. I’ll look at some of the produce over here.” He tipped his head towards the section of merchants selling fruits and vegetables. “Meet me back here when you’re ready.”

Without waiting for a reply, Crow turned and headed towards a produce farmer that was next to the rich merchant. He pretended to examine some tomatoes while he watched the man out of the corner of his eye. The merchant was still engaged in a heated debate with a customer about the quality of a fruit Crow didn’t recognize. He wasn’t paying any attention to his money.

Crow set down the tomato he had been holding and walked casually into the aisle behind the food vendors, acting like he had found something interesting over there. He did a quick yet thorough sweep of the crowd. No one was looking at him. Perfect. Moving quietly, he snuck into the space between the stands that lined each of the aisles, crouching beneath the wagon of the rich merchant. He checked his surroundings once more, but it seemed like nothing had changed. No one had seen him duck below the cart. He eyed the coin purse hungrily. It was now within his reach.

Crow reached towards the glittering bag with one hand, chewing on the inside of his lip as he focused on keeping silent. Just a little further and the gold would be his…

“It’s the thief!” a voice cried out, making Crow freeze in his tracks. He hurriedly retracted his hand and crawled deeper below the wagon, his heart pounding against his chest. Boots were already surrounding his hiding place. He had to move fast or he wouldn’t be able to get away. He swore under his breath. I shouldn’t have let my guard down… Not with that cursed goddess breathing down my neck.

Crow shot out from beneath the wagon, aiming for an opening between two Younisian knights. The men dove for him, but they were too slow. He danced just out of their reach and sprinted towards the crowd, hoping to lose them amongst the other people. To his surprise, however, the peasants in the crowd didn’t make way for him as they would have in Brerra. As he reached the edge of the human sea, he felt three different sets of arms catch hold of him. His breath caught in his throat as he was knocked off his feet by a small group of peasant men. They proceeded to pin him down as the knights approached.

“Why…” Crow groaned beneath their weight. “Why are you helping the knights?”

“You think we’d just let a criminal like you get away?” one of the men scoffed. He turned to his companions. “I think he must’ve hit his head pretty hard on the way down.” They all laughed while the knights apprehended him.

“I have to admit, you gave us a run for our money,” a knight said. “It took a while, but we finally caught you, Hartley.”

Crow shot him a glare, “Hartley? Who the hell is Hartley?”

“You really think we’d buy that?” another knight rolled his eyes. “Come on; don’t play dumb. We know you’re the thief who’s been stealing from the innocent people at this market.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Crow snapped, struggling against his captor’s grip. “I’ve never been to this market before, and I’ve never heard of this ‘Hartley’ guy you keep going on about.”

“Oh, really?” the first knight drawled. “Then what’s this?” He reached into Crow’s pocket and revealed the three coin purses the thief had stolen earlier. “I’ve never met a man who carries this much money on an errand.”

“Okay, I may have taken a few things,” Crow admitted, shifting his weight. “But I’m not Hartley. My name is Crow.”

“Like the bird?” the knights laughed. “That’s a weak lie, Hartley. You must be pretty desperate to stay out of prison.”

“You have no idea,” Crow muttered under his breath. He went on audibly, “I’m telling you idiots the truth. My name is Crow, and I’m just passing through.” He sighed in exasperation. “Look, you can keep the money. I don’t care. Just let me go, and I promise I’ll leave this market and never come back.”

[BuzzingBee]

“Sure.” Penelope mused with a small nod. She turned her attention to the stand as Crow left to look over the produce. She glanced over the various nuts and seeds, eventually beginning to pick out a few to buy, much to the pleasure of the merchant selling them. The knight was barely finishing with her transaction when someone shouted about a thief. She stiffened slightly and whipped her head towards the produce stand, scanning for Crow amongst the crowd and praying he had not been foolish enough to actually steal.

Her hopes were quickly crushed as she spotted Crow dashing out from below the wagon in an attempt to get away. Penelope quickly grabbed her purchase and began to maneuver her way towards the scene, finding it a tad difficult with the crowd that had gathered. She was surprised to see that the peasants had actually aided in capturing Crow, something that was unheard of in Brerra. Her gaze shifted to the two knights, finding herself holding some respect for them. It seemed they were able to work with and for the citizens, which was something that often seemed lost in her home kingdom.

Penelope didn’t dwell on it long though and focused her gaze on Crow. The knight sent him an angry glare from the crowd as it was revealed that he had stolen three coin purses. She certainly hadn’t noticed and scolded herself for not paying more attention. She’d get him back for that later but couldn’t dwell too much on her anger. She need to work out a way to free Crow so they could get back on track.

The knight glanced over her shoulder and frowned slightly. It was unlikely that she had the time to back track and get the help of William and Abraxas. Plus with not knowing the layout of the town, it would take too much time to try and find Crow again. She’d have to get him free on her own.

“I don’t think so!” the knight laughed. “You’re not getting away from us this time.”

The other knight turned his head to give a small nod of thanks to the men who had assisted in capturing Crow. “Thank you for your assistance today.” He said gratefully.

Penelope watched them and glanced around at the crowd. She decided to wait until things died down a bit. It seemed a few were already returning to their shopping but Penelope worried that too many were still focused on the scene. If she tried anything now it was likely that the peasant men would stop her much like how they stopped Crow before. Luckily there was only two actual knights. It made the situation a bit more manageable as Penelope was certain she could handle them long enough to make an escape with Crow. The knight stepped away and headed back towards the merchants, keeping an eye on Crow and the knights.

[Rogue Sloth]

“While you’re wasting your time hassling me, the real Hartley is probably getting away,” Crow argued with the knight, although he doubted they were listening to him. He sighed and looked out over the crowd. Among the onlookers, he spotted Penelope glaring at him from off to the side. She was probably furious with him for hindering the mission just to steal a few gold coins. He shrugged and offered her a sheepish grin. He would have easily gotten away if it hadn’t been for the ridiculous peasant heroes. He was still shocked that they had sided with the knights. In Brerra, the peasants had always helped him, or at least turned a blind eye when he stole.
But here, everyone was united against criminals. It seemed he still had much to learn about Younisian culture.

Crow caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see a hooded figure making its way through the crowd, heading for the nearest exit point. He knit his brow suspiciously. I’d bet anything that’s the thief they’re looking for… He looked back at the knights, sizing them up. It wouldn’t be too hard to get away from the two, especially since he knew Penelope was biding her time somewhere in the market. He just had to get away from the peasants, so they would be more evenly matched.

“Fine, I give up,” Crow said, ceasing to struggle against the knight’s iron grip. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“About time,” one of the knights said.

“Looks like you’re not as dumb as we thought, Hartley,” the other chuckled, tugging Crow along as they walked away from the market.

“Yeah?” Crow muttered irritably, letting himself be guided by the knights. “Well you’re dumber than I thought if you still can’t see you’ve got the wrong man.”

“What was that?” a knight growled.

“Oh, nothing,” Crow said airily. He glanced over his shoulder, wondering where Penelope was. They were far enough away from the crowd now that it would be easy for her to overpower his guards if she wanted to. He just hoped he hadn’t overestimated hey loyalty. He still couldn’t see any sign of her as the knights dragged him to a nearby cart with metal bars around its sides. He shuddered at the sight of it. The cart looked just like the one he had been transported in when he had been sentenced to prison in Brerra. One of the knights took out a key and unlocked the door, while the other forced Crow towards the opening.

Come on, Penelope, he thought, beginning to feel a bit nervous. Where are you?

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope traveled through the crowd quietly. She kept towards the middle of the street, trying to remain out of the radar of the knights as she followed them at a distance. As soon as she spotted the cart with metal bars, she increased her pace slightly, not wanting to be too late to stop them from shoving Crow in. She smirked slightly as she noticed one knight moved ahead to unlock the door, leaving the other one holding Crow alone.

The knight saw her chance and raced forward as the knight began to force Crow towards the cart. Without so much of a warning, she delivered a sharp punch to the knight’s head. It was enough to make him stumble backwards, releasing Crow in the process. He looked dazed as he seemed to take a moment to even realized he was being attacked by Penelope, who certainly looked the opposite of threatening in her peasant outfit.

With Crow and the knight separated, Penelope swept a leg out, which was notably a bit awkward for her to do in a dress, before the knight could truly recover from the punch. He fell to the ground with a hard thud and groaned. She turned her head to see the other knight had drawn his sword and was clearly angered by the sudden attack.

“What the hell do you think are you doing?!” He roared at Penelope. He seemed as shock as the knight she had punched.

Penelope reached for her sword and then cringed. Damn it! She thought as she clutched her hand around nothing. Her side certainly felt empty without a proper weapon. She recovered quickly though and turned to Crow, grabbing his hand. “Time to go!” She said in a hurry before turning and taking off. She did have an idea of where she was heading in the slightest but figured they didn’t have the time to figure that out.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow dug his heels into the ground, fighting back against the knight as he was shoved towards the cart, “I changed my mind. I don’t want to go back to prison, after all.” He glanced over his shoulder to see Penelope running towards them from the road. Way to keep me waiting until the last second, he thought with a smirk, turning back to the knights. “Look!” he shouted, getting their attention. “A pretty woman!”

“Nice try,” the knight holding him scoffed. “You really think we’d fall for—argh!” He let out a howl as Penelope’s fist collided with his head. He staggered, releasing the thief as he tried to recover. Before he had a chance to do so, Penelope struck again, knocking him off his feet with a precise sweep of her leg. The knight crashed to the ground, staring dazedly up at the sky.

Crow trotted up and leaned over him, smirking snidely, “I warned you.” He crouched down and retrieved the three coin purses from the knight’s bag. “Thanks for keeping those safe for me. I’ll be taking them back now.” He winked at the half conscious man and stepped back, pocketing the stolen money. In the next instant, he felt someone take him by the hand and drag him away from the knights. Stumbling to catch his balance, he looked up to see Penelope sprinting ahead of him.

“Time to go!” she called hurriedly.

“You sure do know how to keep a man on his toes, love,” Crow teased as he ran after her. “I was beginning to think you were going to let me get arrested back there.” He peered back to see one of the knights pursuing them. The man’s sword was drawn and he was slowly gaining ground. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and searched the surroundings ahead of them, looking for a place to lose the knight. Unfortunately, the landscape was flat and the trees weren’t thick enough to hide them. They couldn’t go back to the marketplace either, since the peasants were practically untrained knights as well. He muttered a curse, hastening his pace and tightening his grip on Penelope’s hand as he pulled ahead of her.

“Hey!” a new voice called out, drawing Crow’s attention. “Over here—quick!” He turned to see the hooded figure from before beckoning them towards a building near the market. With no time to think about it, Crow tugged on Penelope’s hand and changed direction, sprinting towards the stranger.

As they rounded the corner, the man in the hood waved his hand again, “This way.” He ducked into a low, arched opening in the wall, disappearing from sight. Crow cast Penelope a wary look and then followed after him. With the knight hot on their trail, they didn’t have time to question the stranger’s intentions. He just hoped they weren’t walking into another trap.

In the darkness, Crow felt the hooded man press a hand to his chest, forcing his back against the wall. “What are you—” he began to protest, but stopped when the man shushed him. Outside, he could hear the knight’s boots pounding against the road as he ran up to the tunnel… and then past it. They were in the clear for now.

With the immediate threat gone, Crow had time to think again. He eyed the hooded man cautiously and stepped closer to the exit, his instincts kicking in. Sure, the stranger had helped them get away from the knight, but why? He wasn’t about to trust a man he didn’t know. From his experience, most people didn’t just help each other out of the goodness of their hearts.

“Who are you?” Crow asked sharply. “Why did you help us?”

“Cool it,” the man held up his hands. He reached up and removed the hood of his cloak. “My name’s Hartley. I’m a thief… like you.”

Crow stared at Hartley’s face in surprise. He was surprisingly young, no more than in his late teens. He had dark skin and curly black hair, with a friendly smile that almost convinced Crow to relax… until another detail about him set the thief on edge again. He narrowed his eyes, “Wait a minute… I recognize that voice. You’re the one who sold me out at the market!” He took a step towards Hartley. “If you’re a thief too, why would you do that?”

“Um, yeah,” Hartley averted his gaze bashfully. “Sorry about that. I’ve been trying to get those knights off my ass for a while… I guess I just figured putting the wrong face to my name would be the easiest way to do that, and then you showed up.” He shrugged. “Didn’t really think about it, you know?”

“Uh huh,” Crow glared at him suspiciously. “So, now what? You’re going to turn me in, yourself, for the reward on your head?”

“No, no,” Hartley shook his head vigorously, causing his dark curls to bounce against his forehead. “Nothing like that—I swear. I just saw you guys escape from the knights, and I thought it was pretty impressive.” He turned to Penelope and smiled. “I’ve never seen a woman fight like you. Hell, I’ve never seen anyone fight like you.” He reached for her hand, lifting it to his lips as he planted a gentlemanly kiss, “Hartley Bennett. Charmed.”

Crow felt a pang of annoyance at the boy’s too-friendly gesture with Penelope. He put himself between them, so Hartley had to take a step back. “Alright, kid,” he said dryly. “Why don’t you show us how to get out of here?”

“Oh, sorry,” Hartley scratched the back of his neck. “Didn’t realize you guys were together.”

“What?” Crow flushed, suddenly thankful for the darkness that concealed his face. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “We’re not… I mean, we’re just friends.”

“So the lady is single?” Hartley looked at Penelope with a coy grin. “It must be my lucky day.” He sidled up next to her and waved his hand towards the deeper part of the tunnel. “If we follow the sewer this way, it’ll take us back to that wagon I saw you both climb out of earlier.”

“This is a sewer?” Crow wrinkled his nose and looked down at the water he was standing in.

“Don’t worry,” Hartley laughed. “They never finished building it. That’s just rainwater. Why do you think you can’t smell anything?” He tapped his nose knowingly. “Come on, follow me.” He started walking into the tunnel, resting one hand flirtatiously on Penelope’s waist as he struck up a conversation with her.

Crow lagged behind, watching the exchange with distaste. For a kid, this guy is pretty audacious…

[BuzzingBee]

“Trust me, I was tempted to.” Penelope remarked sharply as the two ran from the remaining knight. She let Crow take the lead and was caught off guard when she heard the new voice. She barely had time to consider it as Crow suddenly tugged her in that direction. She followed his lead and kept up as they tried to lose the knight and follow the lead of this stranger. As the hooded man came into view, Penelope felt a hint of reluctance, exchanging the look with Crow.

She remained tense as they followed the man into the darkness and fell silent as they waited for the knight to pass them buy. She tried to even out her breathing during that short time. She looked over as the conversation between Crow and Hartley began. She was admittedly surprised by how young he appeared to be.

Young or not, she felt rather frustrated with this new thief to find out he had been the one to frame Crow. Admittedly, she did feel a hint of pride at his compliment of her fighting skills. “Thanks.” She said with a small smile that faltered slightly as kissed her hand and introduced himself. She was about to introduce herself until Crow stepped between them. She glanced over at him, a little surprised by his rush to get out. She felt her cheeks flare up at Hartley’s assumption and averted her gaze to the side.

Penelope blinked at Hartley’s boldness as he maneuvered up to her side and placed his hand on her waist. It certainly wasn’t like Crow’s occasional remarks, especially since his were often just jokes. She leaned away from him slightly and walked on through the tunnel.

“So what’s you’re name?” He asked with a smile. “I don’t believe I was able to catch it earlier.”

“It’s Penelope.” She replied offering a polite smile in return.

“Ahh a lovely name.” Hartley mused with a wink. “You know, I’ve got to ask, where’d you learn to fight like that?”

Penelope paused for a moment and shrugged her shoulders. “Father worked as a guard at one point.” She responded and added with a smirk, “So I picked up a few tricks.”

“I noticed.” Hartley said, leaning in a bit closer to Penelope. Penelope gave an awkward laugh and looked around elsewhere.

“Yeah haha... I wouldn’t have had to do anything at all if someone hadn’t been stealing in the first place.” She snorted, quickly changing the topic as she shot an annoyed look over her shoulder at Crow.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow really didn’t like how close Hartley was getting to Penelope. The boy was shameless. At one point he could have sworn Hartley was moving in to kiss her. He snorted and looked away, watching absently as a rat scurried past his feet. As annoyed as he was with Hartley, he was also frustrated with himself. It was ridiculous for him to be jealous of a kid, especially when the woman the kid was vying for wasn’t his to begin with. His statement to Hartley had been true: He and Penelope were just friends.

Get it together, Crow, he chided silently. Still, the knowledge in his head didn’t stop the anger in his heart. He exhaled. Why did he have to go and fall for Penelope? Life was so much easier when he only cared about himself.

Despite himself, he listened in on the end of the others’ conversation once again. Hartley was questioning Penelope about her fighting skills, to which the knight simply replied that she had learned from her father. Crow raised a brow at her in surprise. She was getting good at lying. He smirked, I must be a bad influence.

“I wouldn’t have had to do anything at all if someone hadn’t been stealing in the first place,” Penelope said, shooting him an annoyed look.

Crow shrugged, “What can I say? I’m an opportunist.” He drew one of the coin purses from his pocket, tossing it up and down in his hand. “You’ll thank me later when we need the extra money.”

Hartley turned to him, a curious look in his eye, “I’m surprised you remembered to take that after the knights caught you.”

“If there’s one thing years of thievery has taught me,” Crow grinned. “It’s that you can never lose sight of your prize.” He slipped the small bag into his pocket again.

“I thought the ‘prize’ was staying alive,” Hartley countered.

“Maybe if you’re an amateur,” Crow rolled his eyes. “But if you have a good plan in place, that’s already a given.” He rested one hand on Penelope’s shoulder. “In that particular situation, I already knew she was coming to get me from those knights. I just had to sit back and wait for a moment to take what I came for. See?”

Hartley looked at him with newfound interest, “You sound like you actually know what you’re talking about.”

“Of course I do,” Crow let his hand drop from Penelope’s shoulder, and he cast the boy an indignant glare. “I’ve been doing this almost as long as you’ve been alive, kid.”

“Alright then,” a mischievous look came over Hartley’s face. “If you’re so good at this, you won’t mind if I challenge you to a game, would you? When we get back to the market, let’s have a race. First one to steal five coin purses from the merchants wins.” He grinned cockily at Crow. “Let’s see what’s better: your plans, or my skill.”

Crow opened his mouth to reply, but one look at Penelope made him think better of it. He could already hear the scolding he would get if he accepted Hartley’s challenge. Instead, he just scoffed and kept walking, “Not interested.”

“Coward,” Hartley taunted.

“Hardly,” Crow narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m busy, kid. I can’t waste time playing games with you.” He turned and kept going, hiding the smile that threatened to take over his mouth. He was proud of himself for proving that he was more mature than Hartley. He wondered what Penelope thought… Stop it, he rebuked himself. You’re competing with a kid, Crow! Don’t be so stupid. Still, he couldn’t help the upward curl of his lip as he walked ahead of the other two.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a disapproving look as he took out the coin purse. She sighed and shook her head. Maybe I’ll just leave him with William for a little while as payback... She considered as the two thieves talked. The knight glanced back over as Crow put his hand on her shoulder. She rolled her eyes at the thief and looked back ahead, quietly listening to them talk.

She tensed up as Hartley challenged Crow. The knight certainly wasn’t going to stand by and let those fools go around stealing. Penelope was about to interrupt, having a stern look on her face. However, Crow said no before she could say anything. She glanced over at him as he quickly dismissed the challenge of the other thief, even finding herself a bit surprised.

The knight relaxed once more and smiled a little as Crow walked ahead. Hartley, however, gave a deep sigh and shook his head.

“He just knows he wouldn’t be able to beat me.” Hartley told Penelope in a quiet voice.

Penelope snorted slightly at the young man’s arrogance. “I don’t know about that. I think he’d be able to beat you just fine.” She retorted with a small smirk. It just hit her that she, a proud knight, was praising the skill of a thief. Not wanting to encourage it anymore she quickly add, “But neither of you should be stealing to start with! You both caused too much trouble today.” She grumbled with a stern glare.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be so against stealing.” Hartley laughed. “Especially when you’re friends with thief after all!”

Penelope looked over towards Crow. “There’s better ways to earn money... But your occupation doesn’t determine if you’re a good or bad person.” She mumbled quietly with a shrug.

“I can respect that I suppose.” Hartley said, seeming a bit amused. He looked ahead as they walked and grinned. The thief put an arm around Penelope’s shoulder. “Ah look, we’re almost there!” He said cheerfully gesturing towards the faint stream of light that was coming from a ways down the sewer.

Penelope stiffened slightly as Hartley threw his arm around her. The thief was a bit more flirty than the knight could handle. She nodded. “I’ll be glad to get out of this water.” She said picking up her pace slightly, mainly as an excuse to put a bit of distance between her and Hartley.