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

[Rogue Sloth]

As the silence dragged on between them, Crow began to regret agreeing to Penelope’s request. He couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to memories of the past, of happier times when they had been alone together. That fact that all those moments they had stolen to be alone were gone now brought a fresh wave of sadness to the thief. He snuck a glance at her from the corner of his eye. They hadn’t been this distant since the day they had first met. Only now, things were even more complicated and tense between them. He let out his breath quietly, looking away from her again and trying to focus on other things.

Eventually, Penelope broke the silence. Her words confirmed his fear that she wanted him to promise that he wouldn’t do anything to the knights. It was the one request she could have made that he didn’t know how to answer. He slowed to a stop as she finished explaining her point, but didn’t respond right away. Instead, he took a moment to gather his thoughts, hoping he could come up with a way to explain the position he was in without sending her running back to the other knights.

After a moment, he sighed, “It’s not that simple. You don’t understand what we go through to survive out here.” He finally looked up to meet her gaze. “You may have just arrived in this war, but we’ve been living in it for a year. We don’t have the support of a king, or a large group of trained knights to protect ourselves, or even money to get by. When you’re in life or death situations almost every day, you have to make… hard decisions.”

He shifted his weight slightly, “I’m not saying that I’m planning to go and attack the knights. Honestly, I’d rather avoid that conflict if I can. However, I also can’t promise you that I’m going to just keep standing back and hope we continue getting lucky enough to avoid getting caught. If push comes to shove, I’m going to do everything in my power to protect myself and my companions.” His eyes turned cold and he averted his gaze. “I’m sorry, but if that means fighting, then that’s just what I’m going to have to do.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope felt her heart sink at Crow's words. It wasn't what she had been hoping to hear, not even close. While she was glad he wasn't outright making plans to go attack, his willingness to fight made her uneasy. She was conflicted more than ever before. Usually protecting her loved ones was easy, they all had a common enemy and she would do her best to stand in the way of it those she cared for. But this time, two people she cared deeply for were pitted against each other. It should have been easier, to side with her brother and the other knights. It was the life she had chosen.

But she couldn't. Though she tried to ignore them, her feelings for Crow were still around even after rejecting him. Penelope wouldn't be able to turn against him, even with this new development. She felt powerless. "I understand having to fight if it comes down to it.." She spoke again after a moment of reflecting on his words. She lifted her gaze to look at him, a new mix of determination and desperation burning in her gaze.

"But there must be something I can do to lessen the chance of that." Penelope suddenly offered. She had to do something. She couldn't just stand back and risk losing someone in a clash of knight against criminal. The heartache she had been feeling was beginning to dull in that moment, replaced with the care she felt. "I'm a lieutenant now, a right hand to a rather powerful baroness." She explained to him. "It's the reason I was able to find out about the trap they're setting up."

Penelope hesitated. "I can work with you and your group, get you what you need. As long as it keeps you and my comrades safe, I'll do it." She said, speaking with a bit more conviction. She had been hesitant to offer Crow her help. Not because she thought he'd abuse it but rather because that meant they'd be working together despite everything that had happened the previous night. She supposed the situation wouldn't be ideal for either of them but if it meant she could protect both conflicting sides, she was willing to push past the discomfort.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow looked up at Penelope again as she went on to make a proposition with him. He raised a brow in surprise when she practically offered to use her high rank in the king’s army to work as an informant for the thieves. He knew her well enough to expect that she would want to come up with a compromise, but this suggestion was quite a bit more than he was hoping for.

He took a moment to think about her words before giving a reply. If she went through with it, she would be risking everything she had worked for. All it would take was one knight at the wrong place at the wrong time, and she would be discovered and probably lose her rank at the very least. In addition to that, the position would likely force them to see each other often, and he didn’t like that at all. He wanted to stay as far away from her as possible, not get closer. The thought of continuing to meet with her, even if it was only in a formal setting, was more than a little off-putting.

However, as the leader of the thieves, it was his responsibility to do what was best for his companions. He knew they were willing to fight, but it would be better for everyone if they had a way to avoid such dangerous situations in the first place. They already had enough trouble dealing with the battles between Younis and Brerra. Having Penelope working for them on the inside would bring him some peace of mind when handling the knights outside of war conflicts.

“I still can’t promise that I won’t defend myself against the knights if I need to,” Crow said, crossing his arms over his chest. “But, it would be helpful to have a set of eyes on the inside… Very well then. If you work for us and keep us updated on the knights’ activity, I’ll make sure my thieves don’t go out of their way to kill any of them.” With a satisfied smirk, he held out his hand to her. “Is that a deal?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope awaited his answer to her proposition. When he finally agreed, the knight felt a wave of relief despite the big risk it would be for her. She would be putting everything on the line if she was caught. She would be lying to say that it didn't cause her some worry, especially as she considered her relationship with Gavin, but the knight was ready to risk it. It wasn't like she was defecting to the other side after all and trusted Crow to use the information she would give him wisely.

"It is." She responded with a firm nod. She reached out and took his hand to shake it. The familiar feeling of his hand in hers made her heart beat just a little faster, making her quickly end the shake. "We'll need to figure out a better place to meet up rather than your camp though." She told him, trying to focus back on the matter at hand. "I shouldn't be going there unless the news is urgent."

Though she didn't allow herself to acknowledge it, working with Crow again felt natural and even a bit exciting, despite the pain she had caused between them. She kept her serious expression though as she looked up at him. "We have a lot to figure out. But we should probably head back to the others." She said and gave a small smile of amusement. "I don't think I should leave Olivia around that one friend of yours for too long."

[Rogue Sloth]

While Crow wasn’t overly enthusiastic about every detail of the deal—especially the part where he would be interacting with her directly—he was glad that they had managed to come to some sort of an agreement. He also appreciated having someone around who could tell him about the knights’ plans. As the thieves had been coming to find out, sending spies wasn’t a very efficient way of learning anything, since the nobles always seemed to hold their most important meetings inside of tents near the center of their camp. With Penelope doing all the hard work for them, he could spare Rikki and Alistair from sitting around all day and have them do more important things instead. It was turning out to be an interesting development for everyone.

As Penelope brought up the point that they shouldn’t use the thieves’ hideout for their meetings, he nodded in agreement. “And I don’t want anyone else to find out where we are,” he added. “If you’re ever followed, it will be better if we’re caught somewhere that won’t force me and my companions to move.”

Penelope went on to say that they should head back and he laughed, “If you’re trying to keep them apart, it’s probably too late already. Alistair is the most persistent man I’ve ever met, and Olivia isn’t exactly modest, herself.” Regardless of his comment, he led the way back to the camp, finding that he was softening a bit to the female knight in spite of himself. As much as he told himself to move on, it was difficult when there was such a strong history between them. It seemed like it was going to take longer than he thought.

When they got back to the hideout, Crow saw Rikki and Simon sitting by the now-lit fire while Alistair was chatting rather closely with Olivia off to the side. Engrossed in their conversations, they didn’t immediately take notice of his return, so he brought his fingers to his lips and whistled to get their attention.

Once the thieves had walked over, Crow addressed them, “Everyone, this is Penelope. Penelope, this is Simon, Raven, and Alistair.” He gestured to each thief in turn. They exchanged confused glances, seeming to wonder why their leader was telling their names to a knight, so he went on to explain, “Penelope is a lieutenant, and she’s agreed to be our informant. She’s going to keep us updated about the knights, so we can continue to avoid them without fighting. All she asks in return is that we don’t engage with any knights unless we have to. She’s going to be around quite a bit, so I expect you all to treat her as you would any of us if or when you see her again. Got it?”

All three thieves hesitated, clearly unsure what to think about this new development. However, after a moment, Rikki stepped forward and clasped Penelope’s hand in hers, offering a friendly grin, “Nice to meet you, Penelope! I go by Raven, but if the boss trusts you, then I do too. You can call me Rikki.” She winked wryly.

[BuzzingBee]

Her smile grew a bit more at hearing his laugh. "Fair enough." She said with some amusement as she followed him back to the camp. As they reached the hideout, she looked over at Olivia and Alistair, noticing how closely the two were sitting with each other. She found herself a bit amused with the development. As Crow went on to introduce her to everyone, she offered the thieves a small smile.

Off to the side, she caught Olivia raise an eyebrow questioningly at Penelope as Crow announced that she'd be working as an informant for them. Penelope wasn't sure what Olivia thought of this new development but she trusted that the other female knight would keep her secret. Instead, her gaze focused to Rikki as the female thief suddenly stepped forward and greeted her in a surprisingly friendly manner. It was hard to think that the thief had nearly put a blade in her back not that long ago.

"Nice to meet you too, Rikki." Penelope responded with a small chuckle.

"Well this is a much nicer welcome." Olivia mused as she moved over to join the group, moving up besides Alistair. She side glanced at him, sending him a coy smirk before looking back over at Penelope. Penelope was starting to guess that the way she'd be paying Olivia back was through covering for her and the thief. While Alistair and Rikki seemed welcoming, she noticed that the third thief wasn't as trusting of her. Simon seemed to eye her with caution and the knight guessed that he didn't like this new situation very well.

It's fine as long as he doesn't do anything rash about his distrust of me.. Penelope thought before turning back to Crow. "Olivia and I should probably get going soon. When and where should I meet you next?" She asked him on a more serious note. Gavin was likely wondering what was taking her so long to return and the last thing she wanted was for anyone to come looking for them.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow felt himself relax as Rikki made Penelope feel welcome. He hadn’t been sure if any of the thieves would receive the knight well, since they all had a history of distrust for nobles just like he did. It was relieving to see that Rikki was at least making an attempt to be friendly. He saw her glance at him and he nodded subtly in gratitude for her warm greeting. The female thief’s grin widened at his approval and she stood up a little straighter before returning her gaze to Penelope.

Crow glanced at the other two thieves. While he suspected Alistair wasn’t overly excited to be working with a knight, he seemed more intrigued by Olivia than anything else. The flirtatious man would probably be content as long as he had opportunities to see her again. However, Simon’s reaction was a bit more concerning. The anxious thief was standing back rather defensively as he looked between Crow and Penelope. Crow swallowed and averted his gaze. He had never told the others about his history with the knight, but Simon was the most observant of the four, so it wasn’t unlikely for him to have picked up on something between them.

He turned back to Penelope as she asked when and where to meet him next. He dropped his gaze to the ground as he thought it over. Now that they knew the knights were planning to ambush them in Norcrest rather than pay the ransom, the next best option would be to travel to the Younisian frontline and sell off the weapons they had stolen. Of course, he didn’t intend to tell Penelope about it. She had agreed to work with him, but it was going to be a while before she earned back enough of his trust for him to share his plans with her.

Having decided on an answer, he looked up again, “Myrefall is right in the middle of our two camps. We should meet at the tavern there in three days after nightfall.” He glanced back at the other thieves for a moment before adding: “If you find out anything urgent between then and now, just come straight to the camp. I probably won’t be here, but you can speak with one of them instead.” He met her gaze once more. “Sound good?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope hide her surprise as he mentioned Myrefall. She hadn't realized they were so close to his hometown, the only reason she knew of Norcrest was due to the talk of meeting the thieves there. However, she kept her surprise to herself and merely nodded in agreement at his words. "Yeah. I'll see you then." She told him. The knight gave a small wave of goodbye to the other thieves before moving to leave with Olivia, who reluctantly stepped away from Alistair to follow.

Once they were away from the thieve's camp, Penelope let out a long sigh, feeling exhausted as she was worn down by the day and her swirling emotions. She felt Olivia's gaze on her and turned to see the other female knight looking expectantly at her. "What?" She asked Olivia in confusion.

"Well I was waiting for you to explain yourself. What the hell are you doing?" Olivia said, actually sounding a bit concerned about her friend, which caught Penelope a bit off guard.

"I'm just doing what I have to." Penelope answered with a shrug. "It's not like I'm telling the Younisians about our plans. It's just Crow and if it keeps everyone safe, I don't see the big problem."

"The problem might come with what he does with said information." Olivia mumbled, being a bit more serious than usual. "Look, you know I don't care much about stuff like this but I would like this war to go in our favor. Considering I do want to live. Also what about everything you're putting on the line? You left him behind for it and now you're risking it anyways?"

"It'll be fine, Olivia." Penelope assured but then fell quiet at the rest of her comrade's words. She hadn't fully explained to Olivia that she had been planning to leave with Crow at one point so she supposed it all didn't make sense. "I'll be careful. I snuck around a whole castle full of enemies before, I can sneak around a couple knights I know."

"I guess... Anyways, turns out this worked in my favor. Now I'll help cover for you but only if you cover for me." Olivia said with a smirk, quickly changing the topic.

"Yeah, I figured." Penelope said with a small laugh. "You've got a deal though."

The two continued on back towards their campsite. The events of the day left Penelope feeling a bit empty as she reflected on how she and Crow acted towards each other now. There was so much distance and complication that the knight nearly wished she hadn't offered her help. It would have been much less painful to just leave him be and stay out of all that concerned with the thieves. At least.. I get to see him again. The thought passed through despite the feelings that came with seeing him again and she mentally chided herself for it. She sighed and focused back ahead as their camp came into view, trying to get her mind off the thief.

[Rogue Sloth]

“See you,” Crow nodded, watching as the two knights turned to leave the campsite. Once they had gone, he let out his breath in a sigh and headed over to sit by the fire. He felt torn. Half of him dreaded seeing Penelope again, while the other half was overjoyed that they would continue to meet up. He tossed some extra tinder into the flames and rested his chin on his fist as he stared into the warm glow. Even if things would never be the same between them, he couldn’t deny that he was glad she had become part of his life again.

Suddenly, he heard someone clear their throat behind him and turned around to see Simon walking up. The blonde thief sat down next to him and drew his knees to his chest, watching the fire burn. “Sorry if I’m interrupting your musings,” he said dryly. “But I have to ask: What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m making sure we avoid more unnecessary fighting,” Crow shrugged casually, trying not to flinch beneath Simon’s scrutinizing gaze.

“They’re knights,” the thief went on with a shake of his head. “I know you’re supposed to be the leader here, but I’m finding it difficult to trust this decision of yours. How do you know they aren’t just going to turn around and hand us over to their comrades?”

“They won’t do that,” Crow said quietly. “I’ve known them both from past encounters. We can trust them.”

Simon narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, seeming to be putting pieces together in his mind. “People change, Crow,” he said after a pause. “Even if you think you know them because you did once before, you can’t say for sure that they’re still the same people.”

Crow bit the inside of his lip as Simon’s words casted a shadow of doubt over his thoughts. He didn’t want to admit it, but the other thief had a valid point. It had been two years since he had seen either of the knights. Even then, he had barely known Olivia. As for Penelope… He tried not to let the sting of her rejection influence his opinion of her, but it was hard not to connect the two. A lot had happened to both of them since their last night together two years ago. He knew he wasn’t the same man as he had been back then. Was it really a stretch to say that she was probably different too?

“You know I’m right,” Simon went on, catching his uncertain expression. “I know it’s too late to go back and change what you did, but I just want to make sure your better judgment isn’t being clouded by nostalgia.” He stood up and dusted off his pants. “You may think you can trust them, but please, watch your back.” With that, he turned and headed to the shelter to go to sleep for the night, leaving Crow to think over his warning.

People change… he repeated silently, prodding at the ashes of the fire with a stick. I guess I should be a little more careful around her.

Crow sat beside the fire alone for a little while longer before he was joined by Alistair and Rikki. The three spoke idly for a while—mostly about Alistair’s interest in Olivia, which Rikki was quick to poke fun at him about—before they eventually grew tired and put out the flames, heading into the shelter to go to bed.

For Crow, sleep didn’t come easily. He tossed and turned late into the night, wrestling over his conflictions about Penelope. They’d had a civil conversation with each other that evening, but Simon’s words continued to hang over his head like a dark cloud. What if he was right? What if she wasn’t the kindhearted knight he had once loved? What if she was just using him somehow in a way that he couldn’t yet see?

The doubts filled his mind, commanding his focus until he eventually managed to drift off into a fitful sleep.

[BuzzingBee]

The night carried on without any trouble. Upon returning to camp, she briefly met up with Gavin. Though he had ended up taking pretty much her whole watch, she wanted to make sure the knight knew that she and Olivia had returned safely. He was soon taken off his shift by another knight anyways and the three went their separate ways to lay down for the night.

---

Three days went by and luckily, they were fairly calm ones. Layth's attempt to trap the thieves had been unsuccessful but no one was hurt so Penelope counted it as a success in her book. Instead, the barons decided to try sending out patrols to search for the thieves, which didn't work out either due to Penelope's interference. She was quick to join the patrols and offer advice on where to search for them, sending the patrols in directions away from where the camp actually was. Eventually the barons just gave up but still refused to give any gold in return for their weapons.

A small skirmish broke out between a small group of Younisian and Brerratic knights. It was unplanned and ended up being a bit bloody. The Brerratic knights came out victorious but it was only a small fight and not an actual battle, which had yet to come. As the third day finally came, Olivia made sure to take a guard shift in order to assure Penelope an easy getaway, just as she had done for her when she had snuck off to see Alistair on one night.

She had purposely dressed down, leaving behind her armor and sword in exchange for one of the commoner outfits she had taken from the failed trap. Draping a cloak over herself, she hoped that it would keep from any attention being drawn to her, both in and out of the camp. She still kept a dagger on her, just in case trouble were to arise though. Now Penelope made her way to the village of Myrefall, feeling a little nervous as well as curiously excited.

She walked through the village, eying it with silent interest. This was Crow's home, where he was born and raised. Being there and on her way to meet him at a tavern caused for a bit of sorrow to hit her. When she had thought of seeing the village in the past, she had always assumed that it would be because Crow wanted to show her around his old home and not just to meet him in a formal exchange of information. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she stepped up to the tavern doors, pausing slightly at the entrance.

Though she had been trying to suppress the thought, Penelope briefly wondered what it would have been like to have met Crow in the past at the Black Dagger. This situation seemed like a cruel twist on past plans. Penelope shook the thought away, trying to focus back on the task at hand. She stepped inside and glanced around for Crow.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow spent the following two days journeying to and from Younis, where he had planned to sell off the Brerratic knights’ weapons. He had to be especially careful on the way there, since he was going on the trip alone while carrying the supplies he was certain the knights would be looking for. If a patrol happened to catch him by surprise, there wouldn’t be much he could do to defend himself, and he would probably lose the stolen items that he and the other thieves were relying on to get money.

Fortunately, he managed to cross the border without any trouble. On the other side, he found the Younisians’ camp quickly—it wasn’t the first time he had sold off war supplies to them—and handed over the weapons to a rather eager baron. The man offered him food and shelter for the night, since he had arrived late, and once again tried to persuade him to work for the Younisian forces by sabotaging the Brerratic frontline. Of course, Crow declined again and left the following morning as he had intended.

The journey home was more eventful.

Not long after Crow had crossed the border, a fight broke out between the Younisian and Brerratic knights, probably because some of the Younisians had gotten overly excited about their new weapons. The thief nearly got caught up in the skirmish, but managed to get out of the area quickly enough that no one seemed to notice him. After that, he treaded more cautiously until he returned to the ravine.

--

On the third day, Crow left early to go to Myrefall and bring the villagers their share of the gold he had been paid by the Younisians. While it wasn’t quite as much as he would have earned if the Brerratic knights had paid the ransom, it was still an impressive haul for one raid. There was enough for him and the other thieves to get by for the rest of the season, even after giving a large portion of the money away to the people of Myrefall. Overall, he was pleased with how everything had turned out.

Since he was going to meet Penelope that night and there was no point in going back to the hideout, Crow spent the majority of his day in the village. He spoke with the elders about their plans when tax season came around—fortunately, it seemed that they had more than enough to cover their dues now—and then passed the rest of the time by wandering around the streets with his hood drawn to sort through his thoughts.

As the time grew closer to his meeting with Penelope, his heart began to race with excitement in spite of everything he tried to tell himself. He knew he needed to stop getting his hopes up. It wasn’t going to be like before. She was a knight and he was a thief. They weren’t lovers anymore, not even friends. He needed to be cautious. After all, Simon was right: People change. He didn’t know what kind of person she had become, and it was dangerous to assume the best.

Still, he couldn’t tame his irrational heart.

The rest of the day passed by slowly, until darkness descended over the village. Crow made his way to the Ivory Hatchet tavern and found an empty table, where he sat down and ordered a drink as he waited for Penelope. As he did, he was struck with a pang of déjà vu as memories of two years ago began to surface. He grimaced, recalling the pain of waiting for her to show up in the Black Dagger night after night, only to be disappointed each time when she didn’t come. The excitement in his heart began to give way to old grief.

He knew he had told her that it was fine, and that she didn’t need to be sorry for abandoning him back then, but it didn’t change the fact that he still felt betrayed inside. He had been willing to give up everything for her, but obviously the feeling hadn’t been mutual after all. Now that the shock of initially seeing her again had faded, he found that he wasn’t quite so forgiving as he had previously thought.

Of course, he wasn’t about to tell Penelope that. He didn’t want her to know just how hurt he had been both two years ago, when he had stayed up late into the night to wait for her, and now again, when he had found out she hadn’t died, but had chosen to leave him without a word of goodbye. He didn’t want to come across as weak. He was a proud and accomplished thief who didn’t need her anymore. He had moved on with his life.

He just wished the confidence he portrayed didn’t feel so fake.

Crow looked up as the door to the tavern opened, and Penelope stepped inside. His heart beat a little quicker with mixed emotions as he saw that she was wearing a peasant dress, and he silently chided himself, She probably just wanted to disguise herself so she wouldn’t stand out. Still, he couldn’t help thinking it was cruelly ironic for her to show up wearing something like that to meet him in a tavern now when she had rejected entering into peasant life to be with him two years ago.

Overcoming his initial surprise, he lowered the hood of his cloak and gestured so that she would see him at his table.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope soon caught sight of Crow as he gestured to her from his table. She quietly walked over to join him, moving to sit across from him. She shifted a bit nervously, unsure where to start and still figuring out how to act around him. The reasonable part of her told her to just keep it as formal and business like as possible. Especially since she doubted Crow was excited about the current situation they were in. However, it just didn't feel right to her to act so formally. Regardless of her decision, part of the reason she was even there was so she could keep Crow safe from the knights as well as the knights safe from the thieves. There was no denying that she cared about Crow, that much she knew and it made it confusing for her to try and treat him formally.

The knight took the time to order a drink, trying to buy herself some time but also desiring something to focus on other than the man in front of her. As the wench walked off to get the mead, Penelope turned her attention to Crow. "So this is Myrefall huh?" She mumbled a bit awkwardly. "I didn't realize how close I was to this place.." Suddenly realizing it might not be the best topic to start on she quickly sat up a little straighter and changed topics.

"Uh, anyways, looks like you guys are in the clear a little bit." She said, lowering her voice slightly as she went on. "After the trap failed, the barons tried to send out patrols to find you and your companions.. Obviously that didn't work out for them." A small smirk crossed her lips but she continued on without mentioning her interference. "It seems they're giving up the hunt for now. Especially since we've got plans to attack the Younisian forces within two days. A couple of the barons are considering sending a letter to the king to request more weaponry but there's a bit of dispute about that between the three of them so we'll see I guess."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Any questions so far?" She asked as she moved to pick up the mug of mead that had been set down on the table by the wench from before and took a small drink.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow watched Penelope as she walked over to the table and sat down across from him. It still felt strange to see her in a setting like this, since it reminded him so much of their plans two years ago. He could almost imagine that they had gone back in time to that first day when he had been waiting for her at the Black Dagger. He would have seen her walk in through the door and gotten up to greet her with a kiss after being apart for a week. Then, they would have gone off to Farhill, where—

Stop, he averted his gaze, trying to block out the wistful thoughts. You can’t change the past, so stop thinking about it. He pushed down on his emotions, forcing himself to ignore them until he couldn’t feel them anymore. He reminded himself that he needed to keep a level head while he met with the knight. There was no room for feelings here. Emotions and nostalgia for the past would just get in the way and cloud his judgment. At least for now, he had to set them aside.

He had almost managed to do it when Penelope spoke up suddenly. He stiffened at her words as he was reminded of the fact that he had told her about Myrefall being his home village long ago. Even though he didn’t think she would spread such information about him to anyone else, he wished he hadn’t opened up to her so much so quickly. They were no longer together, but she still knew more about him than anyone else. It was unsettling to think that there was someone out there who knew of his home, his past, and even his real name.

When she went on to change the subject, he relaxed slightly, relieved that she didn’t seem to expect him to tell her anything more about his life in Myrefall. Unless things ever changed between them and they grew close again—which he doubted would ever happen now that she was being seriously courted by a nobleman—the days of his openness with her were over.

After Penelope finished explaining everything she had learned about the knights over the past three days, Crow leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Just one,” he said in response to her question. “When and where is this battle going to happen?” It felt strange to speak with her so formally, but he wasn’t sure how else to approach her. Besides, this was the information that he and the other thieves had been trying to get their hands on for the last few weeks. They needed to know where the next battle would be so they could be prepared to assist the villagers that would inevitably get caught in the middle.

Still, as he held her gaze across the table, the thief felt a wave of discomfort. Despite everything he kept telling himself, he didn’t feel right about just using her for information and going on his way. Trying to ignore the feeling, he reached for his mug and downed a sip of mead, glancing off to the side as a small group of peasant men walked into the tavern.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope set her glass back down as Crow asked his question. "It's happening close to the village north of our camp," She told him, pausing as she attempted to recall the name she had heard Mia used during their meetings. "Whitebridge. The attack is planned to happen at dawn in two days time." The knight rested her arms on the table and lightly tapped her mug with one of her fingers as she thought over the battle plans.

"We'll be split into two forces for this fight. The main and largest one will travel on a rather straight path towards the Younisian frontline from Whitebridge. It'll be made up of a mixture of our archers as well as foot soldiers. The second force will come from an angle at the west and a little later into the fight. It'll have the cavalry along with more foot soldiers." She explained to him, going into more depth about the plan that was laid out. Perhaps she should have been a bit more reluctant to tell the thief about everything and for a moment, she thought about Olivia's concern about her being an informant to the thieves. It's Crow though.. I know I can trust him. She reminded herself, feeling a little more at ease. Two years had passed and she had rejected him, so there may have been hurt feelings and discomfort between them but surely even then, he wouldn't use the information she told him against her.

"My baroness hopes that by splitting our battalion like this we'll be able to surround and over power their forces a little more easier." Penelope mused with a shrug. She trusted Mia's judgement but her first battle in the war had her admittedly a bit anxious, though she refused to show it, especially to Crow. She let out a sigh. "I think that's about all the information I've got on the battle coming up though.

"Oh, and there's been speculation of Younis attacking us soon. Especially after a skirmish broke out the other day. So be careful if you go out closer to the border. The barons have decided to send out more scouts and patrols lately to make sure we aren't caught off guard.. They tend to not get very close to the villages though so they should be easy enough to avoid." She explained to him.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow listened closely as Penelope gave him the details he had been wanting for some time. From her description, it sounded like Whitebridge would be the village that he and the other thieves needed to go to protect when the battle started in two days. He lowered his gaze to the table as he thought about how to approach the village. It was already far from their hideout—about a full day on foot—but with the knights’ camp right in the middle, they would need to take a detour past Norcrest to reach Whitebridge unseen.

If that’s the case, we should leave late tomorrow morning to get there on time, he mused, drumming his fingers contemplatively against his knee beneath the table. It wasn’t a lot of time to prepare, but if he alerted the others tonight, they had proven in the past that they were efficient enough to get everything ready. He trusted that they would make it in time to set up camp near Whitebridge before the battle started.

He didn’t pay as much attention to Penelope’s explanation of the knights’ battle plan, since he didn’t care too much about that. The only part he made sure to remember was the directions in which each of the two forces would be traveling, so he and the other thieves wouldn’t accidentally cross their paths. Fortunately, it sounded like the knights would be journeying to the west, opposite of the route he had planned for his group.

As she went on to warn him about the additional patrols, Crow nodded appreciatively. “I’ll tell the others to keep an eye out for them.” He picked up his mug and finished off the rest of his drink before setting it back down on the table. With his question sufficiently answered, he couldn’t think of anything else to say, but he was hesitant to leave right away. He couldn’t tell if it was due to his residual feelings for the knight or simply the fact that he felt a bit like he was using her for information, but to part ways after such a formal discussion felt wrong.

I just have to get over it, he thought. There’s nothing else to talk about anyways.

After a moment, he cleared his throat and looked up to meet her gaze again, forcing a smile, “Thanks for the information, love. It will help us a lot.” He hesitated briefly before moving to stand up from the table. “If that’s everything, I suppose I should get going.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope drank more from her mug as she listened to Crow's response to the information she told him. She gave a small nod, looking over at him as a small silence fell over them. She had given him all the information she had and it was time to part ways again. She gave a small mumbled of agreement. "I should head out soon too. Olivia's guard shift is probably nearing its end and I need to get back before someone else takes her off." She mused.

The knight was going to let him leave first when she hesitated. She suddenly thought about how Crow had stiffened up when she had tried to make small talk about his hometown and lowered her gaze. She didn't truly know if he was concerned about how much she knew about him and who she had told but the knight guessed that the unsteady terms they were currently on probably didn't put him much at ease. Plus with how much Olivia's been around.. He might suspect that I've told her about him more than I actually have. She thought with a small frown. Penelope paused then, instead of letting him leave, she stood up and took a couple steps towards him.

"Actually, there's one more thing." She told him. Her serious expression softened a bit as she looked up at him to meet his gaze, shifting uneasily as she wondered how to assure him that she had kept her knowledge about him to herself. "Crow.. I-I just want you to know that, your secrets are still your secrets." She told him quietly. "Olivia knows we were together at one point and that.. I.. left. But she doesn't know anything about your past. No one does. Not from me at least.

"And I intend to keep it that way." Penelope said with clear certainty. She took a step away from him and averted her gaze once more. "Anyways.. that's all I wanted to say. I'll see you around." She told him before moving out of the way so he could leave first.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow was just about to head for the door when Penelope began to approach him. He eyed her uneasily, not quite sure what she was trying to do. However, in spite of his skepticism, he felt his heart begin to beat a little faster in his chest as she grew nearer. He had to focus to keep his expression neutral so as not to give away his inadvertent excitement at her proximity.

As she went on to reassure him that she hadn’t shared his secrets with anyone, he found that his shoulders relaxed of their own accord. Even though he had already been fairly certain that she hadn’t told anyone else the things he had confided in her, it was nice to hear her confirm it out loud and in her own voice. Even though they weren’t nearly as close as they had been before, he felt like a small bridge had started to form between them.

“Thank you,” Crow said softly after she had finished speaking. He hesitated for a moment, but unable to think of anything else to say, started walking towards the door. When he reached it, he glanced back at her once more over his shoulder, “Good luck in the battle. We can meet again after it ends.” With nothing left to add, he turned around again and drew his hood, stepping out of the tavern and into the cold night.

--

Crow walked back to the thieves’ camp to find that the others had waited up for him. He raised a brow in amusement. Normally, they all operated independently enough outside of group raids that they didn’t keep tabs on each other. For all three of his companions to be awaiting his return was rather unusual. He wondered if Simon had convinced them to do it since he still didn’t trust Penelope. He wouldn’t have put it past the anxious thief to do something like that.

“Good, you’re back,” Alistair yawned. “That means I can go to sleep.”

“Actually, not quite,” Crow said. He removed his cloak and hung it on the tree branch where he usually kept it and then stepped over to sit with them by the fire. “I finally found out when the next battle will be.”

“Really?” Rikki leaned forward. All of the thieves had been searching for information on the upcoming battle for a while, so for one of them to have heard word was big news to them.

“Really,” Crow nodded. “It’s going to be two days from now at dawn near Whitebridge. We’re leaving tomorrow morning to get there ahead of the knights and warn the villagers.”

“Let me guess,” Simon spoke up dryly. “You heard this from that knight of yours.”

Crow shifted his weight, “Yes. Penelope told me.”

“And you’re sure you can trust her?” Simon narrowed his eyes.

Again, Crow hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’m sure.”

Simon eyed him in scrutinizing silence before going on, “Well, you’d better be. If she gave us a false lead and someone gets hurt because of it, their blood will be on your hands.” Having said his piece, he stood up and walked away from the group to get some sleep in the shelter.

Crow watched him go, a bit unnerved by the other thief’s words. He felt like he was being pulled in two different directions. Whenever he was with Penelope, he was confident that he could trust her, but as soon as they parted, he didn’t know what to think anymore. It was frustrating to be so conflicted.

Across the fire pit, Rikki watched him for a second before sidling up next to him, “Ignore Simon. He’s just grumpy because she’s a knight.”

Crow leaned into her side, appreciating her company, and exhaled softly, “I know.”

“She may be a noble, but if you really think we can trust her, then I do too,” Rikki smiled. She elbowed Alistair roughly, and the other thief grimaced before adding: “Me too.”

“Thanks, guys,” Crow laughed quietly. Feeling a little better, he climbed to his feet. “We should all get some sleep. We’ve got a couple days of traveling ahead of us, so we’ll need to be well-rested.”

“No complaints here,” Alistair stretched lazily before rising to follow Crow into the shelter. Rikki nodded in agreement and did the same.

Once they had all settled down, the thieves went to sleep for the night.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope was glad to see Crow relax a little at her words. As he thanked her, she just gave a wordless nod and looked elsewhere as the thief headed for the door. She looked up as he addressed her again and wished her luck. She felt her heart flutter a little at his words. Stop that.. She chided herself. "Alright." She agreed as he added that they could meet up again after it. She watched him leave the tavern and leaned back against the table they had sat at.

The knight waited a moment before heading out of the tavern as well and walking back towards her camp in the opposite direction.

---

Upon returning to camp, she was glad to see that Olivia was still on guard. It would make sneaking back to her tent much easier. She walked over towards the other female knight and gave her a small wave. Olivia spotted her and a wide grin spread across her lips. "Well, well, well Look who's back from her 'meeting'." She said suggestively. "How'd it go? You better tell me about it this time. Especially since I'm the one covering for you."

"I just told him what he needed to know. Nothing more, nothing less." Penelope said with a shrug. She paused before adding in a stern tone, "And stop acting like something's going to happen... We're not even friends anymore, let alone anything close to what you're imagining." It stung a bit to say it out loud even though she knew it was the truth. Crow and her had become distant, it was only natural after what she had done and the choices she had made. Penelope knew she had to let him go again, even as a friend, but damn it was difficult, especially when they were going to be meeting more consistently now.

"You say that yet you're out here sneaking off to give him information, taking risks just to make sure he's safe." Olivia smirked. "Say what you want but it certainly doesn't add up~"

Penelope snorted. "Well he was important to me. Of course I'm going to make sure he's safe. Just like I'm making sure my brother and the rest of our comrades are safe."

"Riight." Olivia said, making no effort to hide the fact that she didn't believe Penelope's words.

"I'm going to bed." Penelope grumbled, having enough of Olivia's insane accusations. She turned and walked off leaving her friend behind as she stepped carefully over to her tent. Taking off the peasant clothes and stuffing them away along with her cloak, she settled down for the night, soon falling asleep.

[Rogue Sloth]

The next day, the thieves woke up early to prepare for their trip to Whitebridge. They each packed a bag of supplies for camping and armed themselves with as many weapons as they could carry. Having been through quite a few battles now, they wanted to be as prepared as they could for the one they would be entering into the next morning.

Once everyone was ready to go, Crow lead the way eastward towards Norcrest, where they would be looping around to continue north. Remembering Penelope’s warning about the extra patrols in the area, he warned his companions to stay alert as they made their way through the area that was closest to the knights’ camp.

Unfortunately, the journey wasn’t as uneventful as Crow had hoped it would be.

Not long after midday, the thieves reached a small valley in the woods that laid about halfway between Myrefall and Norcrest. They were just about to begin climbing back out of it when they heard the sound of footsteps to the north. Crow looked up just in time to see a pair of Brerratic scouts running back in the direction of their camp now that their cover had been blown. He clenched his jaw in frustration. They couldn’t let the knights get away or they would just send better-equipped reinforcements to catch the thieves before they could get to safety.

He turned to Alistair, the best fighter in the group, and tipped his head towards the scouts, “Get them.”

“You got it,” the thief grinned cruelly as he drew his short sword.

Crow thought for a moment and then spoke up again before Alistair could leave, “But don’t kill them. We just need to delay them long enough to get out of here.”

Alistair frowned, seeming disappointed with the additional instructions, but he nodded nonetheless, “If you say so.” He turned back towards the retreating knights. “You guys go on ahead. I’ll meet up with you when I’m finished here.” Without waiting for a reply, he took off after the scouts with his sword poised to attack.

Not wanting to wait around any longer, Crow and the other two thieves took off at a jog up the far side of the hill.

--

It was early evening when Alistair finally caught up with the group a little north of Norcrest village. As he ran over to them, Crow turned to greet him, “Did you stop them?”

“Of course,” Alistair smirked.

“And you didn’t kill them?” Crow inquired with a hint of accusation.

“No, I didn’t kill them,” Alistair rolled his eyes. “I just broke their legs a little. Those knights won’t be going anywhere until someone else finds them.”

“Good,” Crow relaxed. He was glad the hotheaded knight hadn’t done anything rash. If Penelope got word of one of her comrades dying in a fight with a thief, she probably wouldn’t trust him anymore. He didn’t want to lose the valuable information she would be able to give them, and—if he was honest with himself—he didn’t want to lose their private meetings either.

Glad that everything had been settled somewhat peacefully, he grinned teasingly at Alistair and clapped him on the back, “Looks like you’re finally figuring out how to hold back in a fight, huh? Maybe we should steal some liquor to celebrate.”

“Ha ha,” Alistair snorted. “I always knew how to hold back. It’s just not as fun.” He paused and then broke out in a grin. “But… I wouldn’t be opposed to celebrating two knights getting their knees bashed in with my flail.”

“Hear hear,” Rikki laughed, raising her hand in agreement.

“Even I might have a glass for that,” Simon muttered, wrinkling his nose with dislike for nobles.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Crow nodded. “Once this battle is over, let’s raid the knights’ liquor stores and drink to our victory.”

The thieves continued to banter with each other as they walked, heading to their planned campsite near Whitebridge, where they hoped to arrive before nightfall.

[BuzzingBee]

The camp was bustling and the energy seemed to change as the battle was now nearing. Young knights seemed anxious while older knights just seemed stressed with all the work that laid on them now. Penelope spent most of the day with Mia and Tomas, going over the trip the troops would make as well as any additional details and concerns, before she headed out with the first group of knights. The knights wouldn't leave until later in the day since Whitebridge was fairly close by.

Word eventually came of the scouts who had been injured by thieves. Penelope felt uneasy at the news. She was glad to see Crow had kept his end of the deal but she was beginning to feel more torn between two worlds. One she wasn't even supposed to be apart of anymore. Another troubling aspect was the anger that it caused to be relit towards the thieves. A patrol was of course sent out but only one thanks to most of the knights focusing on the battle at hand.

--

It was finally time for the knights to depart from their camp. Penelope walked to join the departing troops, which was a mixture of archers and foot soldiers as planned with Mia riding at the front. It wouldn't take them long to reach Whitebridge so the knights set out at a later hour in order to make it there by dawn. Penelope had been in many fights before but this was a completely new experience and she was admittedly a bit worried.

"You ok?" Came the concerned voice of Gavin as he stepped up besides her as they traveled near the front of the group.

"Huh-Oh yeah.. I'm fine." Penelope said and gave him a reassuring smile.

Gavin eyed her for a moment before taking her hand in his, giving it a small squeeze. "I was thinking.. After this battle, let's slip away for a bit. I'm sure we'll both need a break after this." He whispered with a smile.

Penelope looked over at him. The thought of some alone time with Gavin sounded appealing but the problem was she was suppose to meet up with Crow at the battle's end and thought she didn't want to admit it, she was looking forward to seeing him again. "That sounds nice.. But maybe not right after." Penelope said offering him an apologetic smile. "I think we should just rest for a bit before we go, ok?"

"That's fine with me." Gavin agreed contentedly.

She felt a small wave of relief that the knight agreed with her easily. She focused back ahead as they continued in the direction of Whitebridge.

--

Soon the troops reached their destination and moved into position as the time drew closer for them to attack the Younisian forces that laid ahead of them. Penelope helped Mia and Tomas direct everyone into position, moving the archers to be spread out in a half circle aimed at the enemy. The other knights readied their weapons as the time drew close and the sky began to lighten as the sun began to peak over the horizon.

Mia signaled for the archer's to load their bows. Penelope gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, watching as the Younisians took notice of them and readied to defend themselves. With another gesture, Mia commanded the archer's to release their arrows down onto the enemy knights. As the flurry of arrows landed, she then smirked confidently and gave a battle cry and called for the knights to charge forward. Penelope, amongst the sea of knights, followed orders as she launched herself into the chaos of her first battle.