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

[Rogue Sloth]

As he finished off the last of his food, Crow leaned back against the tree trunk with a contented sigh. Since they had been eating on the go as of late, it was the first time in a while he had felt so full. He closed his eyes, tempted to take a nap before they continued on their journey. Though he would never say so to Penelope, he was glad the other two knights had been lost in the skirmish with the Younisians. Travelling with just Hartley and Penelope was much more enjoyable. There was no one around to rush them along or chastise him for being anything more than an obedient little prisoner. He felt like he could finally relax and be himself.

“We should get moving,” Penelope said, interrupting Crow from drifting off. “I want to get as far as we can before the sun sets, and luckily it seems we still have a good bit of day left.”

“What’s the rush?” he yawned. “Let’s take break to digest for a bit. The king will still be there whenever we get around to fulfilling our mission.”

“The king?” Hartley echoed, furrowing his brows. “Wait, so you weren’t just saying that yesterday because you were drunk? You’re actually going to see the king?”

Crow opened his eyes again, realizing his mistake. “Err, yeah. We just have some business with him before we go back to Brerra. Don’t worry about it, kid.”

Hartley eyed him suspiciously as details started to connect in his head, “You’re… you’re going to steal something from the king, aren’t you?” His wide, brown eyes darted from Crow to Penelope. “That’s why you came to Younis, isn’t it—to rob the king?”

“I said, don’t worry about it,” Crow shifted his weight, trying to read the boy’s expression. He still couldn’t tell what Hartley really thought about it, and he wanted to be prepared to stop him in case he tried to alert the local knights.

Hartley held his gaze for a moment longer before he burst out into laughter. Crow frowned, “What’s so funny?”

“You both might as well turn back now if that’s what your plan is,” Hartley snickered. “No one has ever managed to steal so much as a used napkin from the king! His fortress alone is impenetrable, and even if you somehow managed to get inside, he’s protected by the gods. Trust me; you’re not going to get whatever it is you came here for.”

“Well, Younis has never had to deal with a thief like me,” Crow shrugged nonchalantly, trying to hide his concern about the second half of Hartley’s words. “I don’t doubt I can get inside his palace. Besides, why would the gods care if one object goes missing? I’m sure they have better things to do than babysit the king’s possessions.”

“I’m just telling you what I know,” Hartley shrugged. “The king is believed to be under the protection of the goddess, Aeklora. No criminal has ever been able to get close to him, let alone do anything to cause him harm.”

“I guess that means I’ll be the first,” Crow averted his gaze so the boy wouldn’t see him blanch. Aeklora, Aeklora. Why do Younisians believe she’s so involved in their lives? he thought scathingly. Surely she wouldn’t get involved to stop one thief from taking the king’s staff… right? Suddenly, he wasn’t quite as confident.

“I changed my mind. I’m ready to go now,” he said, rising to his feet. He didn’t want to keep thinking about potential divine intervention when it was too late to turn back. He turned towards Penelope, “Where to, love?”

[BuzzingBee]

Her eyes widened as Hartley picked up on what Crow said. The knight visibly grew tense as she waited to see his reaction, afraid that he might turn against them now that he knew what they were truly doing. She tilted her head in confusion as the boy broke out into laughter instead. Then the goddess Aeklora came up again. She glanced over at Crow wondering if the thought of it had upset him like before. I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.. He nearly ended up in jail after that. She thought to herself as her gaze flickered over to Hartley. But that was just Hartley not divine intervention.

She snapped out of her thoughts as Crow addressed her. “I say we get back on the main road.” She told then frowned a little. “I wish I had William’s map but I think we’re supposed to travel straight until we reach a town called, uh... Heefern?” She said trying to remember.

“Hefn.” Hartley piped in. “I’ve heard of that place. I think it's about two or three days from here.” The young thief shrugged his shoulders with uncertainty. Penelope began to head off towards the main road once more.

“Ahh, well I think we start traveling west once we hit Hefn. Though I’m not sure how far out we need to go to hit the castle.” She said.

“I can’t help you there.. I’ve never been that far west.” Hartley admitted. He shot Penelope a look of concern. “You’re really going through with this? I mean, aside from the godess’ protection, he’s still got tons of guards.”

“Yeah.” Penelope said without hesitation. She looked over at the young thief and shrugged her shoulders. “With some planning and any luck, we’ll be in and out before anyone even realizes we were there.”

Hartley gave a look of doubt and Penelope let out a small sigh. At least he wasn’t about to rat them out to local knights but Penelope wondered how far he would accompany them and if he was still there after they succeeded, would he still remain quiet about them being from Brerra. Perhaps we should consider parting ways before we even get to the castle... She thought to herself, falling silent as the group walked on.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Works for me,” Crow nodded when Penelope suggested they make their way back to the main road. Slinging his supplies over his shoulders again, he started walking in the direction they had come from. His mind began to fill with unpleasant thoughts about the mission, though he tried hard to ignore them. The myth about the king’s staff stood at the forefront, commanding his attention. Was the rumor about its link to divine right true? If what Hartley had said about the Younisian king’s unearthly protection was correct, it definitely sounded like he had the gods on his side.

But if he does, what does that mean for me? He swallowed nervously. The king of Brerra had made it sound like anyone who touched the staff would die. He didn’t know how a goddess would kill someone, but he most certainly didn’t want to find out. What he had thought would be a simple palace raid was turning into something much more complex. He sighed. What have I gotten myself into?

Attempting to distract himself, Crow began eyeing coin purses on the hips of the people they passed by. He knew it would be smart to keep his head down—especially after what had happened in the last town—but he couldn’t help his nature. Besides, he had gotten caught trying to steal from a wealthy merchant. What was the harm in taking money from a few well-to-do peasants?

Casting a brief glance at the other two to make sure they weren’t looking in his direction, he reached gingerly for the purse of a nearby woman. She was looking away, completely inattentive to the money hanging vulnerably from her body. A perfect target. However, his fingers just brushed the edge of the fabric when he spotted something that made him halt in his tracks: a silver pendant dangled next to the coin purse, engraved with a singular eye that seemed to look back at him. Although he had never seen the design before, he somehow knew it must have been related to that detestable goddess, Aeklora. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and retracted his hand, shoving it in his pocket.

Why couldn’t the Younisians have a goddess of mercy or pacifism? He spat on the ground in frustration. No, they had to have a damn goddess of ‘vision and truth.’ He disliked how much more difficult it was for him to steal in this kingdom. It seemed like everywhere they went, Aeklora was whispering in his ear: “I’m watching you.” He missed when he only had to worry about being caught by human eyes.

“Two or three days, huh?” Crow said after a while. “Is that on foot or by wagon?”

“On foot, obviously,” Hartley scoffed. “We don’t have a wagon anymore.”

“Maybe not,” Crow said, his green eyes falling on a nearby cart filled with hay. It was being pulled by two donkeys, with a farmer riding atop one of them. “But maybe we won’t have to walk.” Without waiting for approval, he took off at a light jog, making his way towards the farmer.

“Excuse me, sir!” he called in his Younisian accent.

“Hm?” the man grunted, turning to look at him. “What is it? I’m in a hurry.”

“I’ll make it quick then,” Crow offered him a friendly smile. “My friends and I are headed in the same direction as you. We’ve been travelling for days and our feet are sore, so I was wondering if you’d be so kind as to let us ride in your wagon for a while.”

The farmer was quiet for a moment, his eyes sweeping over the thief contemplatively until, at last, he nodded, “Fine. As long as you don’t slow me down, you can hitch a ride.”

“I appreciate your generosity,” Crow thanked the man. He hopped into the cart and turned back to wave to Penelope and Hartley, signaling for them to come join him.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope raised an eyebrow as Crow jogged ahead towards the farmer’s cart. She exchanged a glance with Hartley before the two hurried to catch up as the thief waved them over. Hartley jumped in first and quickly turned to help Penelope up into the cart. Penelope hopped up and moved to sit down with her back against the hay as she looked out, watching the road behind them. “Nice catch.” She told Crow with a small smile.

The knight settled in and kept a watchful eye as the day went on. As the two thieves relaxed, Penelope remained alert just in case trouble came to find them once more. However, she did enjoy the peacefulness the day brought. The sun and clouds above made for a warm breezy day and Penelope found herself occasionally watching the clouds roll by.

---

The sun was beginning to set when the three finally hopped off the cart as the farmer was going to head off in a different direction than theirs. Thanks to the ride though, they had managed to travel farther than Penelope had originally planned. She said her thanks to the man as he traveled off before turning to the others.

“Sun’s going to be set soon so let’s find a place to settle down for the night.” She said.

She eyed the area around them. It was less compact with buildings than the one they had been at before but there was still a clear lack of forest. There was, however, a thin line of trees that Penelope considered to take shelter in but they wouldn’t provide much shelter. The knight sighed, she could see why William had been planning to stay at inns for this part of the journey. Her gaze flickered over to the two thieves.

“Any places in mind?” She asked a bit hopeful.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Anything to avoid walking for the rest of the day,” Crow said to Penelope with a wink. He sprawled out in the hay, letting out a long sigh. Whatever the end of their journey would bring, at least he had time to relax for the next few days. He planned to enjoy it while it lasted. Rolling onto his side, he closed his eyes to nap off the remnants of his hangover. With the security of Penelope’s and Hartley’s company, he had no trouble at all falling asleep in the cart.

--

Eventually, Crow was roused when they needed to part ways with the farmer. Penelope thanked the man for allowing them to ride with him, and then addressed the two thieves, “Sun’s going to set soon, so let’s find a place to settle down for the night. Any places in mind?”

“I’m partial to finding another inn,” Hartley suggested with a weary, one-shouldered shrug. “A soft bed sounds much more pleasant than the forest floor.”

“Seconded,” Crow yawned, still not fully awake after his nap. He followed as Hartley took the lead, heading down a side street as they searched for a place to lodge for the night.

After a bit of looking, they found a small inn. Hartley stood in front of the entrance, peering up at the sign. “The Wooden Pixie Inn?” he read aloud. “That’s an interesting name.”

“You can read that?” Crow threw the boy a sideways glance. “Aren’t you a peasant?”

“I can, and I am,” Hartley met his gaze with a quizzical look of his own. “All peasants know how to read. What’s your point?”

“Nothing,” Crow flushed and averted his gaze. “Forget I asked.”

“Wait,” Hartley went on, oblivious to the older thief’s discomfort. “You’re illiterate?”

“Yeah, I am,” Crow shot him a defensive glare. “What, is that surprising to you, mister ‘all peasants can read’?”

“I mean, kind of,” Hartley admitted. “I’ve honestly never met someone who was illiterate before.”

“Well, excuse me for not being blessed with an education,” Crow snapped. “Peasants in Brerra don’t have the luxury to learn about reading and writing.”

“Sorry,” Hartley held up his hands. “I had no idea.”

“Just forget it,” Crow shook his head and stepped through the entrance of the inn. He wished he hadn’t brought it up. To know that the peasants in Younis were so much better off than the ones in Brerra that they were all literate pained him. He resented the king of Brerra for robbing them of the opportunity to learn and do well for themselves. Instead of helping his people, the greedy man had raised the taxes so high that every commoner spent his entire life toiling to make payments at the end of every season while still supporting himself and his family. It made him sick.

Crow stepped up to the counter, where the innkeeper stood counting his money. “Good evening,” he greeted the man. “Do you have any rooms left for tonight?”

“A few,” the innkeeper grunted, setting down the coins in his hand. “What sorta room are you lookin’ for?”

“Just one with three beds.”

“I think I got one o’ them left,” the innkeeper ducked down below the counter and then bobbed back up with a key. “Yep! This here’s the last. Forty-five Tael should cover ‘er nicely.”

“Thanks,” Crow reached into his pocket and pulled out the coin purse he had kept hidden, glad he had managed to keep it away from William. He passed the man two gold coins and one silver, remembering which coins Hartley had used to pay for the inn two nights ago.

The innkeeper inspected each coin shrewdly for a moment before he passed Crow the key, “Pleasure doin’ business with yer. The room’s down that hall to the right.”

Crow nodded. He accepted the key and walked back to Penelope and Hartley, “Ready to go?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope followed the two to the inn. When Hartley read the name of the sign, she shot a look of surprise towards the younger thief. She listened as he explained all Younisian peasants could read. As Crow walked ahead to talk with the innkeeper, Hartley fell back to walk besides Penelope.

“So Brerra peasants really don’t learn stuff like that?” Hartley asked quietly. “Don’t you guys have teachers?”

“Only the rich can afford those.” Penelope replied, keeping her voice low to avoid being overheard. She frowned slightly. “The peasants of Brerra don’t exactly have as much as the peasants of Younis.”

“What do you mean?”

“They’re lives aren’t stable they’re constantly working to meet the high taxes the king has set. And from what I’ve seen here, the peasants have enough to support their families and still have a little extra.” Penelope explained. Her gaze turned to Crow as he returned with the key. She nodded her head and moved to follow him towards the room. Hartley fell quiet for a brief moment as he thought over Penelope’s words.

As they stepped into the room, Penelope set down the bag of supplies she carried next to the bed on the right side. The room seemed smaller than it actually was with the three beds lined up with small tables in between each of them. Hartley moved to take the middle, falling back onto the bed with a large yawn.

“I’m so tired.” Hartley said as he shook off his boots and laid back on the bed.

“Better get to sleep then. We might not get another cart ride tomorrow.” Penelope said.

Hartley nodded his head and mumbled, “Goodnight guys.”

“Night.” Penelope said as Hartley tried to get some sleep. Penelope sat back on her bed and closed her eyes as she thought over the day and what was to come for a while, not quite ready to sleep.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow headed the group as they walked down the hall that the innkeeper had directed them to. He found the room quickly and opened the door, stepping inside and looking around the plain space. There were three beds in a row on the far side of the room. The walls were bare, without even a single window, so the only possible source of light was a small lantern on a table in the leftmost corner of the room. He made his way over and lit it so they would be able to see as they prepared for bed.

Already on the left side of the room, Crow took the left bed while Hartley set up in the middle and Penelope, the right. He rolled his shoulders, allowing his bag to slip effortlessly off his back and onto the wood floor. With the weight removed, he sat down on the edge of the mattress and bent down to take off his boots. He set everything in a pile at the foot of the bed and laid down, propping his head on his arms and staring up at the ceiling while he waited for the others to finish getting ready to sleep.

When the room finally fell quiet, he rolled over towards the table and snuffed out the lantern. Darkness immediately swallowed his vision, and he welcomed it. He turned so he was lying flat on his back again and closed his eyes to sleep. However, having already gotten plenty of rest during his nap earlier, he found it difficult to stop the thoughts running through his mind—particularly about Aeklora. He thought about the statue in the marketplace, the silver pendant, the rumors about the Younisian king. The goddess was everywhere.

How has Hartley been able to get away with stealing all this time? Crow wondered suddenly. If the so called goddess really was protecting her people, why would she have intervened against him, but not Hartley? It didn’t make sense. Maybe it was just a coincidence, after all, he thought hopefully. Perhaps the Younisian gods really were like the ones in Brerratic religion, only interacting with humans when it benefitted them. If so, he would only have to worry if Aeklora found it in her interest to stop him from taking the king’s staff. Surely she would have better things to do than play politics, right? With that comforting thought in mind, he settled down more comfortably in the bed to try and sleep.

Unfortunately, however, sleep continued to elude him. Crow sat up and threw off his blanket. Fine. If he wasn’t going to get any rest, he might as well do something productive with his time. He glanced at the other two. Hartley and Penelope were both lying still with their eyes closed. Assuming they were asleep, he slipped quietly off of his bed and put his boots back on, making his way towards the door.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope laid quietly in her bed, assuming that the other two had fallen asleep as she heard the light sound of snoring come from Hartley. The knight turned over on her side and wrapped an arm under her pillow while she thought about the days to come. She wondered how well guarded the castle was and how long it would take them to come up with a decent plan to execute. Even a decent plan didn’t assure their success nor their safety.

While she didn’t so much worry about her own life, Penelope found herself worried about Crow. He was the one that would have to steal the staff after all and she was the only back up that he had. The likelihood of something happening to him upset the knight more than she wanted to admit. Is it even worth going through with it? She questioned herself as she felt worry bubbling inside of her.

Quickly she reminded herself of her family and comrades. Yes, it is. We have to prevent this war.. She answered her own question silently. The knight reminded herself of everything that was at risk if they didn’t even try. If William and Abraxas were still alive, stealing the staff would be key in getting them released from Younis’ prison. Not to mention she had to make sure her father and brother didn’t have to go to war. Reminded of her reasonings for seeing the mission through, Penelope felt her worries ebb away into confidence.

She was nearly tempted to try and get some sleep when she heard footsteps. The knight opened her eyes and strained to focus on the moving figure in the darkness. However, with the clear sound of Hartley snoring in the bed by her’s she quickly assumed it was Crow. “Crow? Where are you off to?” She asked, keeping her voice low as she sat up.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow startled at the sound of Penelope’s voice. He turned to see her moving to sit up in her bed. Apparently, she hadn’t been asleep like he had thought. He hesitated, wondering what to say to her. The thief had been planning to sneak out and brush up on his technique by hitting a few easy targets before the sun came up. With the Younisian palace so close, he wanted to be as prepared as he could get, and that meant shaking off some dust. But he couldn’t let Penelope know that.

He lingered awkwardly in the doorway, avoiding her searching eyes. “I was just going out for a walk,” he lied. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll be back before morning. Just go to sleep. We probably won’t have any time to rest again before tomorrow night, so you should get some shut eye while you still—” he paused, hearing a break in Hartley’s snores. He glanced at the middle bed, where the boy was rolling over from one side to the other.

Don’t wake up, Crow tensed. It was one thing to shake Penelope off his tail, but it was quite another to lose the stubborn young thief. Fortunately, Hartley settled down again after a moment, and his soft snores resumed.

Crow let out his breath in relief. He turned to leave the room, hoping Penelope would take the hint that he wanted to be alone. If she tried to follow him, he knew she would stop him from stealing. He needed to leave her here if he wanted to get some practice in.

“Goodnight,” Crow whispered, reaching for the door handle. He prayed silently that she would be too tired to object to him taking off on his own. It’s just one night, he pleaded. Please don’t try to follow me…

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope hesitated, glancing towards Hartley before sliding her legs off the side of the bed. “Wait. I’ll go with you.” She said quickly before slipping her boots on. For moment, she had thought about just letting him go alone however, with all the trouble they had ran into over their time together, Penelope decided that it probably wasn’t wise. If she stayed back and something happened, she’d never forgive herself. She casted a glance over at Hartley to make sure the young thief was still fast asleep. He seemed to be a heavy sleeper as he didn’t stir. Seeing that he would likely remain asleep until morning, she stood up and made her way over to Crow.

“I wasn’t sleeping anyways.” She told him with a dismissive wave of her hand. The knight shot him a teasing smile as she add,“Besides if you happen to get into trouble, you might need someone to get you out of it. Again.”

The knight, unaware of his actual plans, stepped past him out of the room, making it clear that she intended to go with him. She may not have realized it, but her stubbornness was certainly a close second to that of Hartley’s. She glanced down the dark hallway towards the faint glow of a lantern that came from where the front desk was. Though the light was minimal, she was grateful to be out of the darkness of the night.

She turned her attention over to Crow. “Couldn’t sleep, huh?” She asked quietly as she began to walk down the hallway.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Really, it’s fine,” Crow hissed, trying to convey his urgency without waking Hartley. “You don’t need to come with me.”

“I wasn’t sleeping anyways,” Penelope said, ignoring his argument. “Besides, if you happen to get into trouble, you might need someone to get you out of it… again.”

“I can handle myself just fine, thanks,” Crow rolled his eyes at her gibe. It looked like there would be no getting rid of the knight. He exhaled softly. So much for getting some practice runs in before they got to the palace… unless he could convince her to turn a blind eye. He watched her thoughtfully as she put her boots on to follow after him. Would she let him steal if he explained his reason for doing so? It didn’t seem likely, but it was worth a shot.

Crow held the door open as Penelope stepped past him to leave the room. As he followed after her into the hallway, he closed the door quietly behind him, hoping Hartley wouldn’t wake up before they got back. Although he didn’t have much to worry about. By the sounds of the boy’s incessant snoring, he would probably sleep well into the morning unless someone woke him.

“Couldn’t sleep, huh?” Penelope asked when they were alone.

“Yeah,” Crow nodded, keeping his voice low so as not to wake any of the other travelers sleeping at the inn. He fell into step with the knight and met her gaze, observing the flicker of light in her green eyes that reflected the lantern. “I slept quite a bit on the ride over, so I have too much energy to sleep now.” He shrugged, turning to look ahead once more as they reached the front door of the inn. “Why are you still awake?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope nodded slightly as Crow explained how he couldn’t sleep. She carefully pushed open the front door and stepped outside into the cool night air. She looked over at him and shrugged her shoulders. “Just.. too much thinking I guess.. About everything going on.” She responded. Her gaze flickered up to the night sky. A crescent moon hung above their heads, barely visible as clouds swept towards it. The stars were just as bright in Younis as they were in Brerra, something that the knight was quick to notice. Penelope averted gaze to the ground for a moment and began to walk down the street.

“With what Hartley said, losing Abraxas, William and most of our supplies, I was.. a little over-whelmed.” She admitted softly. The knight lifted her eyes to meet his gaze once more and gave a small, yet confident smile. She didn’t want to make him go down a spiral worrying like her.

“I’m ok now though..I know we’ll figure it out.” She said before looking back ahead as they walked on. “But now I’m awake. If we get lucky like today I’ll probably end up taking a nap like you tomorrow.” She said with a quiet chuckle.

[Rogue Sloth]

So, she’s been worried too, Crow frowned as he followed Penelope into the night. It seemed that they were both starting to feel the weight of the remaining part of their journey—the part most fraught with risks. For a moment, he wondered what she had to be worried about, since he was the one who was supposed to steal the staff. It wasn’t like she had to put her life in danger when they reached the palace. Of course she will though, he cast her a sideways glance as they walked along the road. Even though she doesn’t have to, she’ll risk her life for anyone she cares about.

His heart fluttered in his chest at the thought that he was someone Penelope cared about. He had never dreamed he would get so close to another person before, yet here they were, close enough to share their hopes and fears with each other. His eyes wandered down to her hand, dangling at her side. Her fingers were slender and her fair skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. He was tempted to reach out and take her hand in his, but he resisted. He didn’t want to tarnish their friendship by making her uncomfortable again. So instead, he forced himself to shift his gaze upward to look at the stars rather than at her.

“Everything will work out,” Crow agreed. He shot her a teasing glance. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you nap before. You’re not getting soft on me, are you?”

Up ahead, he noticed a small house adjacent to the road they were walking on. He glanced into the window and saw an open sack of coins on a table, where someone had left it halfway counted. This is too easy, he eyed a stack of gold hungrily. I just need to get Penelope to let me take it.

“Hey,” Crow spoke up quietly. “I haven’t had the chance to brush up on robbing a house since before I went to prison, and I can’t raid a palace when I’m out of practice.” He tipped his head towards the window of the house they were walking by, offering Penelope a pleading look. “Whoever lives here is practically begging to be stolen from. I promise I’ll be in and out if you let me go just this once…”

[BuzzingBee]

His words of agreement put her slightly more at ease. Even though she had already convinced herself that they would be fine, it was still nice to hear it from someone else. She rolled her eyes at his teasing and smiled. “I dunno. Guess we’ll just have to see if I start slacking off more now.” She joked.

As they walked on, Penelope noticed his gaze shift over to a house up ahead. She raised an eyebrow questioningly until she followed his gaze to the open sack of gold. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. He’s not seriously thinking about that is he... She wondered with some alarm. She would have thought he learned some kind of lesson at the market place when he had nearly gone to jail.

As he spoke, she was already opening her mouth to protest. She had a look of disapproval and sternness that began to fade at his words. She hated that it made sense for him to need practice but she was still reluctant to agree. “I.. I don’t know..” She began with a small frown. Crow had been in prison for a year and during his time out he had been constantly surrounded and watched by the knights. Even though he had managed to sneak a few things, it certainly didn’t add up to stealing from a king.

Oh I can’t believe I’m doing this... Sorry whoever you are. Maybe put your coin away next time Penelope thought clicking her tongue in annoyance. “Alright.. fine.” The knight agreed with clear reluctance. She let out a sigh and crossed her arms. “But be quick and maybe don’t take the whole thing? I’d like to still consider myself a knight at the end of this journey you know?”

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow’s eyes widened in disbelief when Penelope said he could steal the money. He had been expecting her to say that nothing justified committing a crime or that he should find other ways to practice thievery that wouldn’t hurt anyone. For her to agree with him that this was a good opportunity to rehearse for the king’s palace was shocking to him.

He grinned and, before he had time to think, reached out to gather Penelope in a tight embrace. “Thank you!” he said, his voice straining slightly with hushed excitement. “You won’t regret this. I’ll be back before you know it, love.” Realizing he was still holding her, he let his arms drop and took a step back. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to side with me on this.”

Wanting to move on from the embarrassing moment as quickly as possible, Crow turned away from Penelope and began examining the house. He walked around the outside of it with light-footed steps, crouching down when he passed by windows so he wouldn’t cast a shadow on the inside. From what he could see, the interior of the first level was laid out similarly to Malcolm and Lorelle’s home. There was a kitchen and a parlor, with no lower bed chambers that the thief could see—those were probably upstairs.

When he completed his once-around, Crow moved on to evaluate the door. He stooped down and took the lock in his hand, turning it over to see what kind of security it provided. For a peasant home, the lock was surprisingly well-designed—nothing he couldn’t get past, but unexpected for the home of a commoner. He could already feel his heart pounding with excitement at the thought of breaking in.

He reached down to his left boot and gripped the sole of the shoe, giving it a sharp tug. It came loose and a small object fell to the ground: a pick lock key. He held it up and looked at it fondly. He had gone through quite a bit of trouble to keep the little piece of metal hidden from his prison guards for so long. It had been fortunate for him that they had only ever thought to search the insides of his boots. He wished he could have used it to get out of his cell back then, but the king had reinforced the locks because of his reputation, and there had always been a guard or two looking in his direction to keep him in line.

No one is around to stop me now, he thought eagerly as he gently slid the key into the lock on the door. He closed his eyes, focusing intently as he listened to the tumblers click into place. One… two… three… and four. The lock popped open, granting him access. He got up and dusted himself off, retrieving his key and hiding it away in his boot once again.

Crow glanced back at Penelope, casting her a haughty wink before he stepped soundlessly into the parlor of the house. Once inside, he performed another quick sweep of his surroundings, making sure his presence hadn’t been noticed. There were no noises to indicate that someone had woken up. So far, so good. He crept towards the table where he had seen the sack of coins, moving agilely to get out as fast as he could.

Now came the real challenge. Many of the coins were laid in stacks outside of the bag. He needed to find a way to move them back into it without causing them to clank against each other loudly enough to disturb the residents. He looked around them room until his eyes fell on a thick, woolen blanket draped over the back of a chair. He snatched it and laid it out on the table beside the money. Next, he delicately picked up the sack of coins and set it down on the blanket. He wrapped the bag up in the thick cloth and started transferring the rest of the coins into it, using the wool to mask the sound as they clattered against each other in the exchange.

As per Penelope’s request, Crow didn’t take all of the money. He left one stack of ten gold coins on the table. Having attained his target, he carefully picked up the fat sack of coins, waiting until all of the metal pieces had settled before he removed it from the wool blanket. Still, no one stirred in the house. He crept back to the door, shutting it behind him as he stepped back out onto the road.

He found Penelope and walked up to her, leaning forward in a pompous bow as he held out the bag with a flourish. “This is enough money to last us throughout the rest of this trip, and then some,” he smirked at her teasingly. “So, are you impressed yet?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope blinked in surprise as he suddenly wrapped her up in his arms. Her heart began to pound at their closeness. His excited look and words made her stomach churn with butterflies. Despite being against it, she couldn’t help but think how cute he looked in that moment, swept up in his elated look. The moment ended sooner than Penelope wanted and her cheeks flushed from her thoughts. The knight prayed that the moonlight didn’t give away the soft blush that was on her cheeks as she took a small step back. “It’s fine.” She assured him a bit awkwardly.

She moved back to stand in the shadow of a small building nearby, figuring some cover was better than just openly standing out on the street to watch Crow steal. Focusing back on the situation, she crossed her arms and leaned back as she watched the thief sneak into the home. It was interesting to see him operate from afar and a good reminder of how skilled he was. His level of skill was honestly something the knight occasionally forgot as she had grown used to seeing him as Crow her friend rather than Crow the most wanted thief of Brerra.

It wasn’t long before Crow returned, luckily without any trouble. She rolled her eyes as the thief gave a grand bow and held out the bag he had taken. She pursed her lips together and glanced past him towards the house, still feeling a bit bad for the people whom he had stolen from. Penelope looked back over to meet his teasing gaze.

“Well.. a little. You certainly know what you’re doing.” She admitted with a shrug, pushing the people they stole from out of her mind as she focused back on him. The knight found a bit of comfort in seeing his skill, even though it was a particularly challenging target. She gave a smirk in return and gave him a playful nudge with her elbow. “But this can’t be a regular thing ok? You’ll have to figure out a different way to practice since I don’t want the people of Younis trying to hunt you down.”

She glanced up at the sky before looking at Crow. "Do you want to head back or keep walking?” She asked. Either way she didn’t want to hang around the area for too long, just incase someone happened to wake up and realize they were missing their coins.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Of course,” Crow smirked loftily when Penelope said he knew what he was doing. “Do you think I would have gotten the reputation I did if I didn’t know what I was doing?” He slung the long strap of the bag he had stolen over his head, letting it hang across his body. The weight of the coins pulled at his shoulder, pleasantly reminding him just how much money was hidden inside the satchel.

“But this can’t be a regular thing, okay?” Penelope nudged him. “You’ll have to figure out a different way to practice, since I don’t want the people of Younis trying to hunt you down.”

“Don’t worry,” he rolled his eyes. “I doubt the knights in this kingdom would connect me to a bunch of isolated robberies, especially if I spaced them out far enough apart. They don’t seem to be prepared for anything except for trespassers, which we,” he switched to his Younisian accent. “…are not.” He laughed and returned her nudge, bumping her lightly with his shoulder.

“Let’s stay out a while longer,” Crow answered when Penelope asked if they should turn back. “The night is still young, and who knows when we’ll get away from Hartley again.” He gave an exaggerated shudder, as if the idea of going back to the boy disturbed him. In all honesty, he didn’t mind Hartley’s company—in fact, he had come to somewhat enjoy it—but he wanted to spend more time alone with Penelope. Was it selfish? Probably. He had gotten plenty of sleep during the day, while she was losing time to rest by staying out with him. Regardless, he couldn’t deny how he felt. He wanted her to himself for as long as he could have her before they would eventually part ways.

Crow cast Penelope a furtive glance, wondering if she felt similarly about him. She may not have had the same desires for him that he had for her, but they were still friends. Surely she was at least reluctant to separate when they got back to Brerra, right? He hoped so.

“Let’s keep going this way,” he said, adjusting the strap so it fell more comfortably against his chest. “I want to see what’s farther down this road.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled in amusement at Crow’s answer. “Right.” She said with a small laugh. She was starting to grow use to the company of Hartley. Though he occasionally annoyed her with his attempts to make her his, he still decent company, but like Crow, she longed to spend more time alone together before they had to part ways and it seemed that would be difficult to get now that Hartley was with them. She couldn’t help but wonder how far the boy would travel with them.

“Ok.” Penelope said with a small nod as Crow decided on which way to head. The knight began to walk on, falling in step besides him. She fell silent, enjoying the peacefulness of the night. She was beginning to feel the effects of a long day and part of her wanted to return to the inn so she could get the sleep she needed. However, she kept this to herself as the more stubborn part of her didn’t feel like cutting this moment with Crow short. She hid away the sleepiness she felt and looked on ahead as they walked, her mind beginning to roam as she studied the buildings they passed by.

After seeing and even giving him approval to steal, she was beginning to think about what would even come after separating. As if parting ways wasn’t bad enough, she began to consider how she would act as a knight after this experience and what would happen if they were to cross paths again. Her heart seemed to droop at the thought. Meeting again would like mean trouble for them, at least from what Penelope could imagine. She’d never be able to bring herself to capture him, she’d likely be more willing to help him escape than ever bring him. The knight sighed with a heavy heart as she realized her loyalty to the law was now full of twists and exceptions.

She looked over at Crow then averted her gaze to the ground. She walked a little closer to him and pushed away her thoughts. Enjoy his company while you can. She reminded herself as she snapped out of thoughts of the future and focused on the present.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow noticed that Penelope was strangely quiet as they walked along the road. He wondered what was on her mind that was so captivating. Perhaps she was starting to regret letting him steal from the peasant home? It wouldn’t have surprised him since she was still trying to remain true to her values as a knight. Or maybe she was just tired and didn’t have the energy to talk. The more he thought about it, the latter actually sounded more likely.

As they strolled along, the buildings around them gave way to more trees. He searched the edge of the forest, looking for a place where they could stop and rest. “This way,” he directed her towards a nearby stream that flowed just beyond the tree line. When he reached the bank, he sat down, stretching his legs out and setting the bag of coins down beside himself. He patted the ground, “I can tell you’re getting tired. Let’s stop here for a bit, and then we can turn back.”

He waited for her to comply, leaning back on the palms of his hands and listening to the water trickle over the rocks. The stars overhead were bright in the cloudless night sky. He tilted his chin up to look at them, trying to find familiar constellations. It seems the same stars look down on both Younis and Brerra, he mused absently as he found the arrangements of stars that he knew by heart.

Beautiful, yet none are as beautiful as her, Crow glanced at Penelope again. Her fair skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, making her look like a wood spirit. He shifted a bit closer to her, tempted yet again to take her hand or hold her or do anything to close the distance between them. He bit the inside of his cheek, forcing himself to look away. We’re just going to take a quick break and then go back to the inn, he thought, trying to ground himself. Dammit, stop thinking about trying to make a move on your friend.

“We’re lucky we haven’t run into any storms on our journey,” he said, breaking the silence. He flushed. Smooth, Crow… Talk about the weather a bit more, why don’t you? he chided himself silently.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope followed him to the bank and sat down besides him as he patted the ground. “Alright.” She agreed with some reluctance. She quietly watched the water for a moment. The soft sounds of the water slowly began to lull the tired knight to sleep. Now that she was resting, she felt the day weigh down on her. She felt her eyelids growing heavy and she was tempted to just lay back and fall asleep there.

“That’s true..We’ve at least had good luck with the weather..” She mused, her voice quieter than usual. Her green gaze swept over to Crow and felt the strong desire to close that small distance between them. The knight shifted closer as she felt herself succumbing to temptation and rested her head against his shoulder. It was likely the lack of sleep that made her a little bit more impulsive than usual. It’s not that big of a deal right? She thought to assure herself. He won’t think anything of it.

“Sorry... Just for a little bit.. Then we can go.” She mumbled to him as her eyes closed. She was putting most of her weight on her arm that kept her propped so that she wasn’t completely leaning into him. The plan was originally to just rest her eyes for a bit while she laid her head on his shoulder, however, that plan was quickly going down the drain. The peaceful sounds of the forest and the warmth of Crow next to her were drawing the knight much farther than she intended to go.

It wasn’t long after her words that the knight drifted off to sleep despite herself. Unable to keep herself up right, the small distance in between the two was broken as she slumped against him completely. Her breathing was soft and quiet as she slept. Despite the somewhat awkward position, she seemed rather comfortable pressed against him.