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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow looked up at Penelope when she said she was used to keeping watch because it was her job. He had forgotten she used to guard their king’s castle before their mission together. It made sense to him why she would be able to endure such a dull job now. It wasn’t much different than what she used to do. He turned away from her again, continuing to toss the rock he had picked up until he grew bored and threw it into the woods. Having never been forced to sit still for so long before, he found keeping watch to be much more unbearable than she did. He preferred to just sleep lightly and wake up if an enemy found his hiding place.

Clear my head, huh? he mused, resting his chin on his arms. Looking around the forest, he took a deep breath and focused on the sounds of the night: the soft breeze rustling the leaves, the chirping insects, the calls of nocturnal birds… Suddenly, he understood why she liked keeping watch a little more. It really was peaceful once he stopped looking for things to entertain himself and simply let himself relax. I guess this isn’t so bad.

He glanced up at her again when she told him he could sleep, rolling his eyes at her playful comment. “I may have napped a lot on our way to the castle, but I can control myself,” he snorted. “I can stay awake on the journey back. Especially since we all have to stay alert, apparently.” Stifling a yawn, he looked forward again to continue keeping watch with her. However, it wasn’t long before he started to find it harder to keep his eyes open.

“On second thought, I think I will take you up on that offer,” Crow murmured tiredly after sitting in silence for a while. He climbed to his feet and stretched, letting out the yawn he had been holding back. After casting a quick glance at William, who was still sleeping soundly, he gave Penelope a quick kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, love. I’ll see you in the morning.” With that, he walked back over to the patch of grass he had been sleeping on before and laid down, drifting off almost as soon as his head touched the ground.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope shrugged her shoulders as he insisted on staying up with her. "If you say so." She mused with a hint of knowing in her voice as she looked away once more. It was long before he folded and his tiredness made him give in. She smirked a little to herself. "Alright. Good night." She said quietly and smiled a little as he kissed her cheek.

She watched Crow lay down for the night and then focused back on her duty while the others slept.

---

Morning came but not soon enough for the tired knight. Penelope stretched and paced around a bit to keep awake. As light began to flood into the sky, she walked over to wake up William first. "William. It's morning." She said before proding the sleeping knight with her hand.

"Ok." William mumbled as he stir from his sleep.

With the older knight waking up, she turned and headed over to Crow. "Time to wake up." She said tapping his shoulder.

[Rogue Sloth]

For Crow, the morning came all too soon. He arched his back in a lazy stretch when Penelope roused him from his slumber. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he could hear William preparing the horses, and he didn’t want to be woken up for a second time by the ill-tempered knight. Sitting up, he offered her a weary smile, “Morning.” He took a moment to wake up a bit more before he climbed to his feet and gathered his things, slinging the bow and quiver over his shoulder and securing the staff with the strap.

Ready to go, he stood off to the side while he waited for William to finish what he was doing with the horses. The knight glanced in his direction once but otherwise ignored him. He shook his head. It seemed like even though the thief was willing to try to look past their differences, the knight was still set on treating him like a prisoner rather than a comrade. It was going to take quite a bit of convincing to get him to stop looking at him that way.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Crow offered with a forced smile, hoping to continue to break down the wall between himself and the knight. “We can all leave faster with two sets of hands working instead of just one.”

“You would just get in my way, thief,” William grunted, tightening the belt of his horse’s saddle without looking up.

“I’m not that useless,” Crow muttered, rolling his eyes. However, he could tell that William didn’t want him around, so he didn’t push the matter.

Bored of standing around with nothing to do, he wandered over to Penelope instead, knowing she would make better company than William anyway. “Hey there,” he said, walking up from behind her. He flashed her a grin, “Well, I had a great night. I met up with this gorgeous woman in the woods and we slept together under the stars. It was pretty romantic.” He winked at her playfully. “How was your night?”

[BuzzingBee]

"Morning." Penelope greeted him in return with a small smile. She turned and walked off to collect her bag. She slung the strap over her shoulder. She dug out the canteen, taking a small sip of water in hopes that it would help fend off her sleepiness. She sealed the container and stuffed it back into her bag. She turned around as she heard Crow approach her.

The knight rolled her eyes at his playfulness. She smirked a little at him. "Well, I had a pretty great night too." Her gaze shifted past him and towards William. It was difficult to keep her guard up around Crow since she was normally used to relaxing around him. However, with William around, she knew it wouldn't be wise to be too relaxed. Especially since there was a chance the older knight would catch on or over hear them. "Though I think it would be inappropriate to talk about it right now." She added, trying to be careful now that the older knight was awake. "Come on, looks like the horses are ready." She told him flashing him a smile as she headed past him towards William and the horses.

"Let's get moving already." William said impatiently as he mounted the gray mare and began to direct the horse in the right direction to leave.

Penelope sighed as William hurried them. Well, at least he's efficient.. She thought as she moved to climb up into the saddle. She shifted a bit to find her balance and once she did, she turned to hold out her hand to Crow to help him up into the saddle once again.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shrugged carelessly when Penelope said they shouldn’t talk about the previous night at that moment. “Of course. That’s why I didn’t use your name,” he nudged her teasingly. “That hard-head would have no idea who I was talking about.” Though he was only kidding, he did have a suspicion that William would find it hard to believe that his comrade had slept with a thief. It was a far jump from mere friendliness, after all, and as far as he knew, Penelope was only being kind to their prisoner because she acknowledged the skills he brought to their team. He didn’t have the faintest clue about just how far their relationship had progressed.

When William called them over to get ready to leave, Crow trotted after Penelope, waiting for her to mount their stallion first before he took her hand and climbed up after her. Despite having ridden the animal once before, he still found the experience to be strange. It was interesting how such a large creature was content with allowing humans to ride and guide it without complaint. He leaned back in the saddle, resting his weight on his palms as they began to move again. Horses seemed to be very laidback animals. It was a quality he could appreciate.

As they travelled through the forest, he felt his weariness slowly returning. The gentle swaying of the stallion’s steady gait made it difficult for him to stay alert. He wrapped his arms around Penelope’s waist, leaning contentedly against her back. “Remember when I said I wouldn’t fall asleep on the journey?” he muttered tiredly. “I take it back. This is a lot harder than I thought it would be.”

[BuzzingBee]

Once Crow was up in the saddle besides her, she gave the horse a soft kick so it moved to follow after William. Penelope was glad that the horse was well mannered, it even seemed to hold a good deal of focus when given commands and was not easily distracted. Hopefully not easily spooked either.. She thought, knowing some horses were easily scared by threats. If the nobleman they had stolen them from was a knight, it was unlikely that either of the horses would be skittish.

After a little while of traveling, she felt Crow slip his arms around her waist and lean against her. She glanced over her shoulder at him and gave a quiet chuckle. "So much for that 'control' you talked about." She teased. Penelope couldn't blame him too much though. She was rather tired too and if given the chance, she'd glad lie down for a nap. However, there wouldn't be time for her to do so until they stopped for the night since she had to keep awake to command the horse as they rode on.

The warmth of Crow pressed against her drew a yawn out of the knight despite her effort to suppress it. She shook her head, trying to shake off the weariness that was creeping up on her again. She blinked her eyes a couple times to get rid of the heaviness that was beginning to set in. "I don't think it's a good idea to fall asleep while riding a horse though. You might just fall off and I'm strong but I don't think I'll be able to catch you." She warned him with a small smirk.

[Rogue Sloth]

“Control is overrated,” Crow murmured in a quiet retort, resting his head against Penelope’s. “I’d rather be weak willed and well rested.” His hold on her waist slackened as he grew more tired. He was quite a bit more tired than usual that morning. If he had to guess, he supposed it was probably because of how taxing the journey had been. Between all the walking, the ambushes, and the raid on the castle, his energy was spent. We’re still so far from the border too, he thought with a sigh, closing his eyes wearily. It couldn’t hurt if I nap for a little while…

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to fall asleep while riding a horse though,” Penelope’s voice roused him from dozing off. “You might just fall off, and I’m strong, but I don't think I’ll be able to catch you.”

“Fine,” Crow muttered, blinking his eyes open and sitting up a little straighter in the saddle. “But it was your idea to steal the horses, so if I die of exhaustion, you only have yourself to blame.” He yawned and proceeded to busy himself by looking at the trees around them in an attempt to distract himself from the swaying of the stallion beneath him. Absently noticing that the forest was growing a bit thinner, he wondered if either of the knights had a plan for when they would inevitably need to travel through the towns later.

After they had been riding for a while, the thief’s stomach began to growl. “I don’t suppose you have any food left in that bag, do you?” he asked, slipping his arms around Penelope’s middle and offering her a pleading smile.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope rolled her eyes at his dramatic words. "Oh please. If anything the horses are at least letting us save some energy.. Blame yourself for the idea of sneaking out last night." She responded quietly. As he yawned, her jaw clenched slightly as she suppressed another one of her own. Her gaze flickered up to the bright sky, nearly pleadingly, as she hoped the day would go by fast so she could finally rest.

The knight glanced back at him and chuckled a little at his pleading look. Penelope leaned her head back against him and smirked up at him in amusement. "You go from one extreme to the next, you know?" She mused with a soft exhale. "I think there's still some seeds and nuts left, though." She held onto the reins with one hand and used the other to dig into her bag. Rummaging through it, she finally located the small bag.

"Here." she said handing it over to Crow. "Try not to go crazy though. We need to make that last until we reach a market." Penelope glanced around the forest, noticing it was growing thinner. They'd have to start traveling through the cities soon but she worried about how that would go. Her gaze flickered over to William, who was rode rigidly with his gaze trained ahead. We need to teach him the accent otherwise he might just get us caught again.. Penelope thought to herself. She made a mental note to bring it up later with the prideful knight.

[Rogue Sloth]

“I can’t control when I want to eat,” Crow shrugged in response to Penelope’s gibe. As she leaned back into him, he snuck a quick glance at William to make sure the knight was looking away and then pressed a swift kiss to her cheek. Even though he wished they had the freedom to show their affection whenever they wanted, he did find some entertainment in hiding their relationship from Penelope’s comrade. It was a bit like a game to steal moments with her without getting caught.

When Penelope handed him the bag of food, he took it from her gladly. “Well then, we’d better find one soon, because I don’t know how much longer I can restrain myself,” he admitted, popping a handful of sunflower seeds into his mouth. Looking at the thinning trees, he was hopeful that they would come across a marketplace within the next day or two though. After all, it wouldn’t be long before they needed to start traveling along paved roads again.

“So,” he turned back to Penelope once he’d had his fill of the small snack. “What’s the plan when we get to the end of this forest? I can’t imagine we’ll get through the towns unnoticed.” He pointed at himself, her, and William in turn, “Stolen staff, woman on a horse, obvious foreigner. We’re going to stand out like we just flew out of the trees.”

“If they try to stop us, we’ll fight them off,” William said nonchalantly from up front. “The knights in these towns are amateurs.”

“Oh yeah?” Crow scoffed. “And how well did that work out for you last time, tough guy?”

William muttered something under his breath about vexatious criminals and averted his gaze.

Crow went on, “I just think we should have a better plan than ‘fight them off’ when we leave the cover of the forest.” He looked at Penelope expectantly. “What do you think?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope glanced over at Crow as he finished snacking. She gave an uncertain look but was glad that he brought it up. Honestly, the knight didn't have a clue on how to deal with the fact that they stuck out so much. Her gaze shifted over to William as he responded as if it were obvious. Penelope frowned a little at his answer, already knowing it was quite the terrible idea. She looked at Crow and nodded her head in agreement with his words.

"You're right. We should have a better plan than that.. They might be amateurs but they outnumber us greatly." Penelope pointed out sending a stern look at William as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

"Well," He snorted. "what do you suggest we do then?"

Penelope rolled her eyes at his ill-temperedness. "I'm not sure... For one, it would help us if you start learning the accent." She stated, making the older knight stiffen slightly. The female knight let out a small sigh and turned back to Crow. "I'm not sure how to deal with everything else though... We'd have to figure out a way to hide the staff but even if we did, your bow still sticks out enough to draw attention to us."

"If we still had the wagon, we'd at least be able to store such things in there." William griped.

"Yeah and unfortunately, I don't think it'd be easy to get another one." She added with a small frown. Penelope paused for a moment as she thought but eventually let out a small sigh of defeat before looking to Crow. "Any ideas?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow looked between the two knights as they discussed the problem amongst themselves. He agreed with Penelope’s point that William would have to learn how to fake a Younisian accent if they wanted to keep their heads down. Even if they were able to disguise themselves better, if they got stopped by a patrol of knights, he would be caught immediately due to his obvious Brerratic accent. Looks like he’s going to have to spend time with me whether he likes it or not, the thief mused.

He contemplated the rest of the ideas they were talking about. It was true that they would have to be incredibly lucky to come across another wagon, and he didn’t want to go off in search of one without at least a somewhat sure chance of success. There had to be another way to hide both the staff and the bow without raising suspicion though…

He blinked, realizing Penelope and William were staring at him in wait of a suggestion. After taking a moment longer to think, a smile began to spread across his lips, “Actually, I may have an idea.”

“Does it involve stealing?” William grunted accusatively.

“Not if we find a market,” Crow said, ignoring the knight’s obstinate tone. “All we need to do is buy three cloaks, some saddlebags, and a rope.” He grew more excited as he spoke, piecing the plan together in his mind. “If we wear hooded cloaks, no one will be able to tell that Penelope is a woman. It’s not uncommon for travelers to wear them anyway, so we won’t look that suspicious.

“As for my bow and the staff, I can hide them both on this guy,” he patted the stallion’s side. “If we buy a rope and tie it around his belly underneath the saddle, I can hide them under the blanket on his back. The saddlebags are just to help cover them up. Most people, even knights, won’t look closely enough to see the end of a bow sticking out from behind a saddlebag. And, the quiver is small enough to hide inside one of the bags. Someone would have to be really looking to notice anything strange about us.”

He glanced between William and Penelope, proud of his idea. “What do you think?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a hopeful look when Crow admitted he might have an idea. As he went on to explain it, she nodded her head slightly as she listened. Thinking it over, it seemed like the best option they had. They'd be able to move through the cities without drawing any attention to themselves. The worst they would have to worry about was either someone looking too closely at them or the rope coming loose.

"I think it's a good idea. It'll let us get through towns without much trouble so long as we can find all of the stuff at the market." Penelope said with a nod of approval.

"You'll really be weighing down your horse though." William commented gruffly. "We still have to get other supplies too, you know."

Penelope glanced over at the other knight, slightly annoyed. She knew he had just been looking for something wrong with Crow's plan. It seemed he'd do anything but agree with the thief. "We don't have to put the other supplies in our saddle bags then. We'll get some for your horse as well so we can pack them in there." She told him simply, giving a shrug. "It'll probably help us seem like less of a target if your horse carries saddle bags as well, actually."

"Alright.."

"You still have to learn the accent, William." Penelope added.

"I know!" William huffed shooting her an annoyed glare before turning to look back ahead.

Penelope smirked a little and shook her head at the older knight's attitude. She glanced back at Crow and smiled. "Well at least we have a plan for when this forest ends." she said optimistically. "Which is good because I don't think it'll be for much longer now.." Her gaze swept over the forest before focusing back ahead as they traveled.

[Rogue Sloth]

It pleased Crow to hear that Penelope thought his idea was a good one as well. He sat up a bit straighter in the saddle. Even when William tried to point out a flaw in the plan, he just rolled his eyes uncaringly. As much as the knight wanted to disagree with him, the thief’s plan was far better than just ‘fighting the Younisians off.’ It still carried its own risks—someone catching a glimpse of Penelope’s face beneath her hood; a too-curious guard getting close enough to spot the bow; or a faulty rope that couldn’t last the rest of the trip, to name a few—but it was the safest option they had.

When Penelope turned to speak to him, he smiled back at her, “Mhm. All that’s left is to teach him how to talk like a Younisian.” He sighed. “This is going to be fun…”

--

As the sun sank lower in the sky, William located another clearing near the edge of the forest where they could set up camp. Crow climbed down from the back of the stallion he had been riding with Penelope, grimacing when he realized how sore he was from sitting on top of the animal all day. He hoped he would get used to it quickly, or the rest of the journey to Brerra was going to be quite uncomfortable.

While the knights tied up the horses, the thief inspected the clearing for a comfortable spot to sleep for the night. He found a patch of soft grass and set down his things nearby to claim it for himself. After that, he walked back over to the others, shooting William a wry grin. “Ready for your first lesson?” he asked, taking on a Younisian lilt as he spoke.

The knight just curled his lip back at him in disgust, “This is absurd.”

“That’s the spirit,” Crow clapped him on the back.

“Touch me again, and you’ll lose that hand,” William narrowed his eyes.

“Come with me, and we’ll get started,” Crow went on, ignoring his threat. He stepped over to the center of the clearing and sat down, cross-legged, on the ground. Gesturing for the knight to sit across from him, he waited for him to comply before going on. “Alright, listen to the way I’m pronouncing my words,” he continued speaking in the accent so William could hear it. “If you want to sound believable, you’re going to have to learn the accent so well that you can do it without thinking about the words in your head.”

“Ridiculous…” William muttered bitterly, averting his gaze.

“Pay attention,” Crow snapped his fingers. “We don’t have all night.” He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. “Hell, you were locked up in a Younisian cell for almost a week. You have to know what they sound like by now. Give it a try.”

William shot him a glare for bringing up his arrest, but then faltered slightly, thinking something over before he went on in a tentative attempt at the accent, “Err… this was how they talked, right?”

“Terrible,” Crow clicked his tongue. “That was pathetic. Try again.”

“Damn thief,” William snapped.

“That was better,” he nodded. “You sound more convincing when you’re mad. Go on, keep it up.”

“Well, if that’s what you want,” William’s lip twitched upward in a conniving smirk. He proceeded to spout off a series of unrepeatable insults to the thief, practicing the Younisian accent all the while.

When he was finally finished, Crow whistled, “That’s quite a vocabulary you’ve got there, O noble one.” He shrugged. “But hey, if it works for you, then who am I to judge?” He climbed to his feet again, brushing the grass off of his pants. “Well, that’s enough for today. I don’t think I can sit through another round of that before I’ve had some sleep.”

William just grunted in response. He stood up as well and walked off to check on the horses.

Crow spotted Penelope and trotted over to join her. “Looks like I found a way to get William to practice his accent,” he grinned.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope dismounted the horse after Crow and began to help William with tying the horses up for the night. She glanced over her shoulder as Crow returned over to them to get William for his first lesson of learning the accent. This outta be interest.. She kept quiet as she watched the two head off to the middle of the clearing. It'd be a lie to say that she wasn't a tiny bit worried about Crow possibly stepping the line and causing William to snap on him like before. She doubt it since he seemed to have improved a little bit around the thief but it still hung in her mind.

She busied herself with taking off the saddles on the horses. She kept her head slightly turned to listen to the two. Soon finishing with the beasts, she moved to place her stuff down near the edge of the clearing closest to Crow's. Her eyes widened as she heard William suddenly go off in a spew of insults to Crow, even catching her slightly off guard. She turned to look ver at the two and shook her head slightly as William moved off to check the horses.

Her gaze focused on Crow as he stepped over to join her. "I noticed." Penelope chuckled, a little amused by his grin. "Well at least he's putting his hate of you towards something productive, I guess." She shrugged her shoulders and looked over at William. She wondered if they'd be able to steal anytime away from the older knight soon. The days were feeling a bit longer to her now that they were forced to find ways to sneak around him.

"I'm thinking I might go on a quick scout around the area. Make sure we're alone and see if maybe there's any wild berries nearby to help us out until we reach the marketplace." Penelope mumbled to Crow as she shifted her gaze back over to him with a sly gleam in her gaze. "Of course, I wouldn't mind some company."

[Rogue Sloth]

“I’ll take what I can get,” Crow laughed. “Although he’s the first man who’s ever tempted me to drink.” He shook his head, leaning against a nearby tree. While he didn’t really care about what William thought of him, sitting through that many insults was taxing no matter who was saying them. He was just glad the knight was trying to learn the accent now. It was better than when he had been too prideful to even try. On top of that, William was improving rather quickly. Despite a few flaws that Crow had caught, his fake accent was coming along even faster than Penelope’s had, which was reassuring since he would probably need to use it within the next day or two.

When Penelope suddenly lowered her voice, Crow met her gaze with interest. He liked the sound of her plan. If William bought it, they would have a good amount of time to themselves under the guise of scouting for Younisian knights and wild berries. Maybe we could even get away with staying out until nightfall, he mused. It wouldn’t be too far-fetched to say that we found footprints and decided to follow them for a while. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became about the idea.

“Well, I had plans to stay here and get yelled at by William some more,” he sighed. “But I suppose I can push that back for you.” He winked at her teasingly and glanced back at the older knight, who was currently pacing along the far side of the clearing and muttering something to himself. The thief smirked. It looked like William had gained enough confidence in his fake accent after using it to insult him that he finally felt comfortable to practice it on his own.

He turned back to Penelope, “You should probably be the one to tell him where we’re going, since he still doesn’t like me. If he asks why you want to take me with you, just tell him that I know the difference between edible and poisonous berries.” He shrugged. “I do know a few, so it’s not even a total lie.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave an amused grin at his teasing words. She nodded her head as he suggested that she should be the one to speak with William. "Alright I will." She agreed before moving to walk over to the older knight. William ceased his muttering as he noticed her approaching him. He stopped pacing to look over at Penelope. "I'm going to go scout around, make sure we're alone before the sun completely sets." She informed him as she came to a stop in front of the older knight. She glanced briefly up at the sky before looking back at the older knight. She hoped her plan would buy her and Crow quite a bit of time, though that was only if William would buy her words.

"Do you think we're being followed?" William questioned cautiously.

"I haven't seen or heard anyone yet but I just want to make sure." Penelope answered. "Plus, I'm going to take Crow along. He knows a bit about wild berries and since we haven't found a market place yet, I figured we could see if there's anything edible around."

William hesitated as his gaze drifted over to the thief. He gave a small snort and nodded his head. "Alright. Better than leaving me stuck with him." He grumbled, crossing his arms. The older knight sighed and looked over at her. "I don't know how you can stand him."

"Who knows." Penelope mumbled giving a small shrug. She soon turned to leave and began to head out of the clearing with Crow, leaving William alone.

As they walked on, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure that the camp was out of view before she moved closer to Crow and slid an arm around him. She slowed her pace and leaned into his side as they walked. "I know I used all of that as an excuse to get away from William but I do think we should probably keep an eye out for those things." She told him. Penelope looked up at him and gave a coy smile. "But we can worry about that more when we head back."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow stood off to the side while Penelope went to tell William that they were leaving to ‘scout the area.’ He continued to lean against the tree, folding his arms over his chest as he listened to them from a distance. Fortunately, William only hesitated for a moment before he agreed to let them go together. The thief smiled to himself, turning to look off to the side so the others wouldn’t catch his expression. It seemed like the older knight felt like he had spent more than enough time with him today and wanted some peace and quiet before nightfall. Good, he thought. Maybe now he won’t be too upset if we stay out for a while.

When Penelope came back from speaking with her comrade, Crow followed her lead, heading into the surrounding forest with her while keeping his distance while they were still within sight of the camp. Once they had walked far enough away, he felt her slip her arm around his waist. He smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, affectionately squeezing her close to his side for a moment. He was glad she had come up with the idea to sneak away now rather than after dark, as they had done the previous night. This way, he could get a full night of sleep, and she didn’t have to sacrifice her watch.

“Of course,” he agreed when she said they should keep a lookout on their way back. “You should know I only agreed to come out here with you because of the prospect of food.” Casting her a teasing smirk, he leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek and then took her hand in his. “Come on, let’s find somewhere more private to stop in.” He gave her hand a soft tug, taking the lead as they wandered through the forest.

Eventually, they came to an area of the forest where the ground sloped downward on both sides, just enough that they would be hidden from anyone who happened to pass by. Crow guided Penelope towards it, making his way down to the bottom of the small valley. When they reached it, he turned to her with a mischievous grin, “I think I saw some knights in the distance. Looks like we’re going to have to stay out for a while longer to investigate.”

Sliding his arms around her lithe body, he pressed in to meet her lips. His hands traced the curve of her back while he held her to himself. As he kissed her, he leaned back, allowing himself to fall back on the sloping hillside without letting go of her, so that she laid on top of him when he landed. He moved to kiss her along her jawline and sighed, “Gods, I’m so lucky to have you.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a soft laugh at his words and rolled her eyes. "Right." she said with amusement before he took her hand and began to lead them further through the forest. She followed after him with a smile on her face, glad they were able to get away yet again. All their attempts had been successful so far but she wondered if they'd be able to keep making excuses and finding time. It was risky to use her watch as a way to sneak time together so she hoped they wouldn't be forced to rely on that.

Crow's voice pulled her out of her thoughts and she looked up at him to catch his mischievous look. "Guess we'll have to." She grinned in return, pressing against him as he slid his arms around her. She closed her eyes as their lips met, forgetting any future worries for the time being. As she laid on top of him, she trailed one hand lightly over his shoulder and down part of his arm. She smiled blissfully as he kissed along her jawline.

Her heart fluttered at his words and she leaned down to put her mouth near his ear. "We're both lucky." she murmured affectionately. Moving down from his ear, she began to place kisses along his neck. She exhaled contentedly against his skin, enjoying their closeness. Penelope pulled back to brush back a couple loose strands of her hair and looked down at him. She gave her head a small shake as a smile spread over her lips. "I still can't believe this happened. That we happened." She told him before leaning back down to kiss him.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow closed his eyes and shuddered at the feeling of Penelope’s warm breath on his ear. He leaned into the grass as she kissed his neck, trailing one hand absently down the length of her back as he melted into her touch. It was so easy for him to lose himself when they were together, to forget about everything else and just be with her in the moment. He could almost believe that they were the only two people in the world when she kissed him.

As she pulled back, he opened his eyes again to look up at her. She was so beautiful with her loving green eyes, her kind smile, and her long hair that fell like a curtain around them. He lifted a hand to caress her cheek as she spoke to him and then met her lips with rivaling passion when she leaned down to kiss him again. Her touch was like fire to him. He wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her closer, and leaned up to nip her ear. “I can’t believe it either,” he breathed, returning her smile. “Yet, somehow, here we are.”

Pressing into her lips once more, he hooked his leg behind hers and gently rolled Penelope over so he was on top of her now. He deepened the kiss, running his hands desirously over her body. His heart raced wildly, and he began to reach for the strings of her dress…

“What the hell is going on here!?”

The sound of William’s furious voice caused the thief to flinch in surprise. He looked up to see the knight standing at the top of the hill, his face contorted into the most outraged expression he had ever seen. Suddenly realizing he was still on top of Penelope, Crow quickly scrambled to his feet. His mind raced to come up with a possible explanation for their actions, but it was no use. They had been caught in the act.

What is he even doing here? How did he find us? he stood, wide-eyed and full of questions as William stormed down towards them.

“You bastard!” William snarled at him, cocking his fist back as he marched towards the thief.

Catching on to his intentions, Crow came back to himself and ducked as the knight’s fist flew over his head. He stumbled out of reach in case the man tried to come at him again, his heart pounding in his chest. He thinks I was trying to take advantage of her, he blinked as the realization struck him.

“W-wait!” he held up his hands as William moved to swing at him again. “This isn’t what it looks like!” Unable to think of a way to convince the hot-headed knight to believe him, he glanced to Penelope in a silent plea for help.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope closed her eyes as they kissed again and was beginning to move her hands towards the hem of his tunic when William's voice suddenly rung out. She paled as she looked past Crow to see the older knight with a furious expression. Her mind scrambled to take in the situation and figure a way out of it, so much so that she barely even realized that Crow had gotten off of her. This isn't good... Why is he even here! The knight panicked slightly as she hurried to get up to her feet as she noticed William threw a punch at Crow.

As he readied for a second swing, the female knight rushed over and grabbed her comrade's wrist before he could strike again. "William, stop!" She snapped at him. He looked over at her, confusion seeping into his outraged expression.

"Why are you doing this? He was try to-" He began to growl.

"No he wasn't!" Penelope said quickly, guessing that William assumed Crow was trying to take advantage of her. She let go of his wrist and moved to put herself in between him and Crow, still worried that the truth wouldn't trigger a much better reaction from the older knight.

"What?" William snarled. His anger didn't waver as he began to piece together what was actually going on. "Penelope you can't be seriously telling me you're with-with him!"

"William, just calm down for second and we can-"

"Calm down?! How can I calm down when you're out here fraternizing with this scumbag! For the love of the gods, you're a knight of Brerra!"

Penelope shot at glare at William as he insulted Crow, feeling a bit defensive. Now that they had been caught, there was no sense in trying to cover up her feelings. She considered telling William it was nothing more than a fling or coming up with some other lie but she doubted the knight would believe her since had been around her long enough to find it strange that she just suddenly decided to do such a thing. Either way he's not going to approve... And I won't even be a knight for much longer anyways. Penelope thought to herself, gaining a bit of confidence as she met William's gaze.

"Look I don't care what you or even the rest of Brerra thinks," She snorted defiantly. "Calm down and maybe we can reach an understanding here."

Her words made the angry knight fall silent as he sent an icy glare at Penelope. He seemed to think something over before gaze shifted over to Crow and he curled his lip slightly. "You. Get back to camp. I'll deal with you later." He commanded dangerously before he met Penelope's gaze. "I want to discuss this situation with you privately, Penelope."