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

[Rogue Sloth]

As soon as Crow saw Penelope, he waved her over to where he was sitting. He grinned, unable to hold back his excitement at both seeing her again, and knowing she was about to tell him the news he had been waiting for. However, his expression vanished as he caught sight of another person enter the tavern a short while after her. A knight had stepped in, one that he didn’t recognize. The thief stiffened and lowered his gaze, reaching up to draw his hood a little further to cover his face. He hoped that he was far enough away from the entrance that this man, whoever he was, wouldn’t catch sight of him.

This is bad, he clenched his jaw, eyes already darting over the room as he marked potential routes of escape in case the knight spotted him. He didn’t want to ditch Penelope, but getting away without a fight was more important to him than waiting around and hoping the man wouldn’t notice him. He began shifting towards the edge of his chair in preparation to run as soon as the knight looked away.

However, to his surprise, it seemed that he wasn’t the target.

He wavered slightly as the stranger addressed Penelope with a confused tone. It seemed like they already knew each other. He frowned. That had to mean that this knight wasn’t one of the local guards. He had to be part of the battalions that had been sent to fight in the war. But if that was the case, then what was he doing here in Myrefall, of all places? The more he thought about it, the more bewildered he became.

Suddenly, the knight turned towards Crow, and he tensed, rising slowly to his feet and backing away from the table as he readied himself to run. Just because this man knew Penelope, it didn’t mean he was someone he could trust. He glared warningly as he reached for one of the daggers at his waist, his movement hidden beneath the cloak he was wearing. Even though he didn’t want to fight, he was more than willing to do so if the stranger came after him.

Penelope went on to speak with the knight, and the thief watched them warily. He noticed that she seemed just as surprised to see him in the tavern as he was to see her. After she explained herself to him—with a very false story, Crow noted—he appeared to relax. The thief didn’t follow suit. He continued to observe them from a slight distance as he waited to see whether or not he needed to run.

Eventually, Penelope turned back to face him with an uncomfortable expression. “Crow, this is Gavin... my suitor.”

He stared at her, fighting to keep from giving away his shock. This was her suitor? He glanced back at the other knight—Gavin, she had called him. It felt strange to be face to face with the man his former lover intended to marry. He wasn’t quite sure how to react. Inside his head, his mind raced with dozens of different thoughts and emotions that he had a hard time keeping straight. He remembered the pain of her rejection; he wondered who this man was to have won over her heart; he sized him up in physical comparison with himself.

Above all, he felt a surge of jealously that he wasn’t expecting.

“Is that so?” Crow finally responded with a bitter edge to his voice. He tilted his chin up slightly as he eyed Gavin from where he stood across the table. “Forgive me if I find his appearance to be an unwelcomed surprise.” He turned back towards Penelope with a still cold gaze. “I should go. I don’t want to stick around if any more of your comrades show up.” With that, he turned to head for the door, keeping Gavin in his peripheral vision in case the knight chose to go after him.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope felt her heart drop at the bitterness in Crow's voice. They had just begun to bridge that gap that had grown between them and now, she was worried he was closing up again because of Gavin's sudden appearance. It shouldn't have matter as much as it did to her. Despite everything, she wanted to grow close to him again, but she tried to tell herself it was merely as friends rather than to return back to him as a lover.

The male knight narrowed his eyes at Crow as he began to eye him. Gavin seemed to grow a bit tense as he watched Crow speak and act rather coldly. Penelope bit her lip as she watch Crow move to head for the door before looking back at Gavin. Her head was telling her to just let the thief leave as to not draw anymore suspicion but she found it more difficult to listen to that logic as she realized they hadn't set up another time to meet. "Stay here." She told Gavin sternly, surprising him slightly.

She turned and hurried to catch up with Crow before he made it out the door. She glanced over her shoulder once to make sure Gavin had stayed back. Seeing that he did, she focused on Crow once again. "Crow wait." She said, moving to place a hand on his shoulder before he could leave. The female knight quickly withdrew her hand from him, suddenly a bit awkward. Damnit, why did Gavin have to show up..

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was being tailed." She told him with a small frown. She lowered her voice to continue, "But I didn't get a chance to tell you.. The barons agreed to it. In the next battle, it'll be a rule for the knights to be more mindful of the villagers." Penelope offered him a half-hearted smile. The moment that was supposed to be joyful for both of them now ruined by Gavin's sudden entrance. She paused before adding, "Also, when do you want to meet again?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow had almost reached the door to the tavern when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He flinched slightly and spun around, still on edge from Gavin’s appearance. When he saw that it was only Penelope, he relaxed a bit, but remained tense. Even though he was fairly confident that she hadn’t expected her suitor to show up any more than he had, he couldn’t help taking out some of his frustration on her. He knew it was irrational, but at that moment, he found it difficult to be anything but.

As she explained that she hadn’t known he was following her and confirmed his suspicion, Crow silently reprimanded himself for how coldly he was acting towards her. It wasn’t her fault. He knew he shouldn’t blame her for the interruption. However, part of his bitterness did have to do with the fact that she had chosen this man over him. He was trying to move on, but her rejection was still recent. It would be hard enough to face her future husband even if he had come to terms with their separation, but to see him now, while he was still wrestling with the pain of losing her, was too much for him to handle.

He listened wordlessly as she went on to tell him that her conversation with the barons had been fruitful. It was the news he had been hoping for, but in that moment, he couldn’t bring himself to feel happy about it. Instead, he simply nodded, “Good.”

At her following question, Crow took a moment to think. He glanced over her shoulder to see Gavin watching them from a distance. The sight of the man observing them so closely made his skin crawl. Though it wasn’t Penelope’s fault, he knew he was going to need some time away from her to process everything that just happened. “We can meet again in one week,” he answered curtly. It would hopefully be enough time for him to move past running into Gavin.

Not wanting to linger to negotiate the time with her, he tipped his head in a silent goodbye to Penelope and walked out of the tavern, making his way briskly towards the forest.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod as he replied to her. She was glad to at least know they would meet up again. She took a step back to let him leave and then turned to look over her shoulder as Gavin finally walked up besides her. There was a silence between the two that seemed to linger for longer than the female knight liked. He knew she and Crow were friends but she worried about how he would interpret Crow's coldness.

"I don't think you should see him again." Gavin mumbled to her looking a little tense. "He seems dangerous."

She looked up at Gavin and crossed her arms. It seemed Gavin as viewing Crow's coldness as aggression rather than the hurt feelings of an ex-lover. Part of her was glad that she'd likely be able to keep that a secret from him but she felt a little defensive of Crow. "He's not. He just doesn't know you. So he doesn't trust you." She stated. The female knight headed off towards the door, ready to leave now. She was feeling a little frustrated and disappointed at the results that night had. Now all she wanted to do was get back to camp.

"Come on let's get back." She muttered tiredly. Gavin looked down at her and moved to walk besides her.

"I still don't think you should see him...If someone else were to have found you with him-"

"I'll be fine." She responded a bit sharply. "I was just distracted today.. After getting the barons to agree to the rule and all that. Guess I just had my head in the clouds." Penelope sighed and looked over at Gavin. "I'll be careful."

"Alright.. You know you can trust me, right? I'm here for you." Gavin said moving to take her hand in his.

Penelope smiled a little at him. "Thanks.." She said before looking ahead and falling silent as they returned to camp. While she appreciated his words, part of her still worried about just how much she could trust him with. She was lucky he believed her story and hoped that now that he knew where she was going, he would keep out of it.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow kept his guard raised high as he made his way back to the thieves’ hideout. After Gavin’s sudden appearance, he didn’t want to risk running into any other knights that could be patrolling the area. Still wounded from the battle and not in a good place emotionally after encountering Penelope’s suitor without warning, he knew he was in no condition to fight. If he ran into any knights now, he would probably be driven to kill them in self-defense, and that was only if he wasn’t overpowered first. He didn’t want to be put in such a position.

As he weaved through the trees, he watched the shadows around himself, looking for signs of movement. Fortunately, it seemed that Gavin had followed her by himself, because the thief didn’t see any other knights between Myrefall and his camp. He relaxed as the ravine came into sight up ahead. Even though he was still in a foul mood from meeting Penelope’s suitor, he was glad to have at least made it home without any trouble.

He climbed down the side of the ravine and removed his cloak, hanging it on a tree branch before walking over to sit on the fallen tree near the center of the camp. Still wound up from the events in the tavern, he didn’t feel like sleeping right away. Instead, he leaned back on his palms and looked up at the starry sky, exhaling softly. It was a rather cold night, so his breath left him as a visible cloud. However, he was too caught up in his thoughts to mind the cool air.

Seeing Gavin unexpectedly had left him shaken in more ways than one. For one thing, even though Penelope had told him that she had a suitor now, he supposed there had been a small part of him that didn’t truly believe it—a part of him that had been hoping she would come back to him again. To see the man in person made the situation feel much more real. She had moved on. It was really over between them, and there was no going back.

Even though the paradigm shift had been painful, Crow was more worried about what was going to happen now that someone else knew about his late night meetings with Penelope. He trusted her to keep their rendezvous a secret, especially since the repercussions would be worse for her than for him, but he knew nothing about Gavin. He wanted to believe that the knight wouldn’t tell anyone out of concern for Penelope, but he had no idea what to expect. It would be bad news if Gavin chose to tell someone else about their interactions or tried to question her to find out what she knew about him and the other thieves. Now that he and Penelope weren’t as close, he didn’t know if she was still loyal enough to him to keep everything between just the two of them.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a twig snapping and turned towards the shelter to see Rikki stepping outside. The female thief yawned widely and rubbed her eyes, “Hey, boss. What are you still doing up?”

“Just thinking,” Crow shrugged, averting his gaze. The other thieves were still skittish about his dealings with Penelope, so he didn’t want to tell any of them about his encounter with Gavin for fear that they would tell him it was too risky to continue seeing the female knight. Eager to change the subject, he turned back to her with a quizzical look, “Why are you up?”

“Bathroom,” Rikki answered simply, jabbing a thumb towards the woods. “You should get some sleep. It’s almost morning.”

Crow blinked and looked up at the sky. It was a little lighter than before. He had gotten so lost in thought that he hadn’t realized how long he’d been sitting outside. He glanced back at her and stood up, “Yeah… Goodnight, love.”

“Night, Crow,” she smiled at him tiredly and then turned to head up the side of the ravine to the tree line.

Crow stepped into the shelter, moving quietly so as not to disturb Alistair or Simon, and laid down on his bed mat. As he drew his blanket over himself, the weight of his exhaustion finally began to bear down on him. He yawned sleepily and closed his eyes, drifting off almost as soon as he laid down his head.

[BuzzingBee]

A week passed with minimal trouble. The knights mainly kept to themselves, of course until some of their food was stolen. A few patrols were organized again to try and track down the thieves but with no success. Penelope and Olivia often volunteered to be a part of the patrols on occasion when some strayed a bit closer towards where the thieves were actually located. The camp began to grow busy with work once again as more of their troops healed from the previous battle.

As day turned to night, Penelope headed out once again to meet up with Crow. This time, with much more caution. Gavin had agreed to keep it a secret but the male knight only knew they were meeting once and he didn't completely approve of it. She was worried that if he decided to follow her again, he might end up discovering why she was really meeting Crow. The female knight glanced over her shoulder one more time as she neared the outskirts of Myrefall, scanning the area to make sure she was alone before heading into the village.

A wave of nervousness suddenly washed over her as she recalled their last meeting. It had gone so poorly due to Gavin's sudden appearance. The knight wished her suitor wouldn't have followed her that night and while most of that wish was due to the risks involved with his discovery, part of it was also due to the fact that she had wanted Crow to know as little about the other man as possible, especially after the reaction she had. Penelope sighed softly, feeling a familiar guilt hit her as she thought about Crow's reaction. Perhaps he would act coldly towards her again after that. I deserve it.. I hurt him and I just keep reminding him of it.. Though she told herself this, she could help but feel a selfish longing for Crow's forgiveness.

Pushing down her nervousness and guilt, Penelope stepped into the tavern and looked around for the thief. When she didn't spot him at any of the tables, she quietly moved to sit down at one of the empty ones in the back corner. She sat down and ordered a drink as she waited for Crow.

[Rogue Sloth]

Over the course of the following week, Crow did his best to move on from his frustration from his run in with Gavin. Eager to keep the unpleasant memory out of his head, he busied himself by planning and executing a couple of raids for supplies. There wasn’t much that the thieves needed, especially now that they had plenty of money for themselves after selling off the weapons, but to Crow, it was better than sitting around and feeling sorry for himself. So, he organized one raid on the Brerratic knights for food, and another on the Younisian knights for medical supplies, since they didn’t want to take obvious sides.

Keeping busy was helpful for a while, but when the night came for Crow to meet with Penelope again, his reservations came flooding back. He recalled how offended he had felt when her suitor had showed up and how painful it had been to fully realize that there was no hope for him to ever be with her again. He hated to admit it, but Rikki had been right: There had been a small part of him hoping that things would go back to the way they had been two years ago. But that part of him was gone now. He had seen her suitor for himself. Gavin was really courting Penelope, and she really intended to marry him. There was no more room in her life for a poor thief from the outer villages.

Intending to keep their meeting short and to the point, Crow made his way down the main road in Myrefall that led to the tavern. When he arrived at the door, he reached out to grab the handle and then hesitated. What if Gavin had told his comrades about the thief’s meetings with Penelope? He swallowed as an image of knights waiting inside of the tavern flashed through his mind. Unsure of what he might face on the other side of the door, he proceeded more cautiously.

He opened the door, but didn’t enter right away. Instead, he lingered just outside the entrance, tensed to run if he caught sight of anything suspicious. However, from a thorough sweep of the room, he only saw a couple of tables filled with drunken peasant men and Penelope, sitting alone at a table in the back. It seemed to be safe. He glanced carefully around the side of the doorway, just to be sure there weren’t any knights hiding around the corner, before he finally stepped inside.

He made his way towards Penelope’s table, keeping his guard up just in case he had missed anything, and casted one last look around the room before he relaxed just enough to sit down across from her.

“Are we alone this time?” he asked quietly with a slight hint of accusation in his voice. Even though he knew it hadn’t been her fault that Gavin had showed up the last time, he needed to remember that she was a knight too. She was on their side, not his, so he wanted to make sure that there was no one else around to spy on or attack him.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope picked up her glass and took a small sip from it as she waited quietly. For a moment, she wondered if he would still come. Gavin finding out about them meeting likely had Crow on edge. She frowned faintly at the thought that their meetings might have reached an end if Crow had decided it was too much of a risk now that someone else had found out. The thought shouldn't have made her feel as upset as it did.

The knight perked her head up as she heard the door of the tavern open and Crow finally stepped in. She felt a small wave of relief and excitement that he had still chosen to come. However, she noticed how much his guard was up this time and her excitement quickly died down. Penelope frowned a little at his accusing tone. "Yes. I made sure to be more careful when I left camp today." She replied and let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry about last time.. I didn't know he followed. I thought I would be fine since Olivia was the one standing guard and I guess I was just eager to tell you the news.."

She shook her head and lowered her gaze to her drink, still mentally kicking herself for the slip up. "He doesn't know...the whole story but he agreed not to tell anyone about us meeting. He's kept a secret or two of mine before so you can trust his word." Penelope tried to assure Crow. Feeling rather uncomfortable speaking about Gavin to Crow, she quickly decided to try and change the subject. "

"A-Anyways, the next battle will be coming up soon. The barons want to keep pushing back the Younisian forces so it'll take place a little south of Grimsby." Penelope went on to inform him. She didn't like going straight into business after they had nearly been on good terms again but desperate to change the topic, she decided to focus on it instead of their previous meeting. "It'll be in another week from what I've heard."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow nodded when Penelope said she had been more careful to make sure she was alone this time. He was glad to know that his encounter with the other knight seemed to be a one-time thing. If Gavin had shown up again or any other knights had made an appearance that night, he would have been quite hesitant to meet with her again. The information she offered wasn’t worth revealing himself to anyone else and risking being caught or killed—or worse, leading them back to the hideout and causing his companions to fall with him.

As she went on to apologize for her carelessness the last time, he shifted slightly in his chair, unsure of what to say. Her words sounded genuine. He lowered his gaze as he thought over their last meeting again. Perhaps he was being unfair to her by being so distrusting. After all, she hadn’t known her suitor would follow her into the woods in the middle of the night without warning. It wasn’t her fault that he had interrupted their meeting. He supposed he was still just bitter about the fact that she was with someone else now, and he was taking it out on her by accusing her of things she hadn’t done.

Crow frowned as Penelope told him that Gavin was trustworthy. Even though he knew she was trying to reassure him that their secret was safe, all he could think about was the fact that there was another man in her life that she was confiding in now. He knew he should be happy that Gavin was a reliable confidant for her, but he wished he could have been that for her instead.

Stop hoping for things that can’t be, he silently rebuked himself. It’s over. She’s moved on, so I need to do the same.

He was relieved when she changed the subject and told him about the knights’ plans for the next battle. Thinking over the information, he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, “One week, huh?” Grimsby was one of the northernmost villages in the kingdom, so it would take at least two or three days to get there. Even though the knights from Brerra had agreed to avoid the peasants, he still planned to go to make sure the villagers of Grimsby would be safe from the Younisians.

“Thanks for the heads up,” he said, meeting her gaze again. “I’ll be sure to tell the others that we’ve got quite a walk ahead of us.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope nodded her head at his words. "I'm not sure when you guys plan to leave but I'd recommend taking the long way there.. Since we're healing and a battle is coming, everyone's a bit antsy so there are quite a few patrols. Some knights are just leaving camp to get away from it all a bit. However, as long as you keep a good distance away from the camp you should be fine. Most don't travel too far." She shrugged her shoulders.

The knight paused for a moment as she came to the end of the information she had to share with him. She felt a bit reluctant to end their conversation, wishing she had more to say than just the information she had. For a moment, the knight thought about how easily they had once talked about everything together. Even though she was fond of Gavin, she still hid away many secrets from him. It was strange for her to think of a time when she had someone that she shared everything with. She felt a small pang of pain at the thought, suddenly a little more aware of just how much she had kept to herself over the two years.

Trying to avoid reflecting too much on the past, she focused back on Crow. "I guess that's about it though." Penelope mused as she finished off what was left of her drink. "I figure we can meet again a couple days after the battle. I doubt I'll have much information to come in the next couple of days and after that we'll both have a bit of journey ahead of us." The knight slowly stood up and gave small nod to him.. "Be safe, Crow." She told him with a hint of concern in her voice. She turned and began to head off towards the door of the tavern.

[Rogue Sloth]

“We will,” Crow nodded when Penelope advised him to avoid the knights’ camp. He planned to take the same route past Norcrest that they had on their way to Whitebridge to stay well clear of the knights. It would probably add at least an extra half a day or more to their overall journey to Grimsby, but it would be worth it to avoid a confrontation with the nobles. The thieves had mostly recovered from the last battle as well—aside from Rikki, whose injured leg was going to take a while longer to heal—but they wanted to save all their energy for the next fight. Getting into a skirmish with the knights before then would be a waste of time and energy for all of them.

As Penelope went on to say that they should meet up again two days after the battle, he nodded once more in agreement, “Of course. We’ll probably be leaving in four days, but if you discover anything important between now and then, come and find me in the ravine.” He stood up from the table with her, drawing the hood of his cloak as they prepared to leave. “Other than that, I’ll see you after the battle.”

“Be safe, Crow.”

The concern in Penelope’s voice caught his attention, and he turned to look at her. He shifted his weight slightly. Every time he thought he had started to figure out how to act around her, she said something that made him question it all again. He had thought they were moving on to just be acquaintances, but her expression and tone told him otherwise. Perhaps she was hoping they could be friends again? He wasn’t sure what to do with that. While he wanted to be closer to her, he didn’t want to just stay friends with her. After everything they had gone through together, it would be too hard to get close to her while knowing they had no future together anymore.

“You too,” Crow offered her a smile and followed her to the door of the tavern. Even though he was torn about getting close to her again, he still wanted to end the night on good terms.

As they walked onto the road, he turned to head South towards the ravine, but then paused as he caught sight of a movement to his right. A small group of local knights were making their way towards them from the other side of the street. The thief averted his gaze so they wouldn’t see his face. Usually, as long as he didn’t do anything to stand out, they would leave him alone. He took a step forward to leave, but the sound of a voice made him freeze in his tracks.

“Hey, you two!” one of the knights called out as they walked closer. “Hold on a moment. We have some questions.”

Crow muttered a curse under his breath, but didn’t turn around. He wondered why the knights wanted to speak with them. It was strange for the local guards to stop a couple of peasants—or what they probably thought were just a couple of peasants—for questioning. There must have been an incident in the village that day that the knights were gathering information about. What terrible luck, he thought, glancing towards Penelope. They couldn’t just wait around and comply with the guards. He was a wanted criminal, and she a knight in an obvious peasant disguise. If either of them was seen, it could mean trouble.

“We need to get out of here before they recognize us,” Crow said quietly to her. “I know a part of the forest in the west where we can lose them.” He peeked over his shoulder at the knights, who were slowly getting closer, before turning back to hold her gaze. “Do you trust me?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope stepped out of the tavern and glanced around as they moved out onto the street. Her steps faltered slightly as she picked up on the knights nearby. She felt a bit of panic rise in her until she realized they were local knights rather than one of her comrades from the battalion. While it still wasn't a good situation, she was a little relieved to know that it wasn't anyone that had followed her again. The knight's relief didn't last long though as one of the local knights called out to them.

She tensed and began glancing around, looking for a way of escape from the approaching knights. She couldn't let herself be discovered and neither could Crow. They'd have to find a way to get away from the local knights if they wanted to avoid any trouble. As Crow spoke up, she turned her gaze to look over at him. She nodded her head at his words. At his question, she blinked as she looked up at him.

Though a lot had changed between them, Penelope had continued to put a great amount of trust in him. Trusting him enough to make a compromise and give him quite valuable information even at the risks it involved for her and her comrades if he had chosen to abuse it. It surprised her that he was even asking her. Besides that, who better to help her escape the local knights then the man who had been escaping them all of his life. "Of course." She replied as if it were obvious. The knight glanced over her shoulder then looked back to Crow with a serious expression on her face. "Lead the way."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow nodded when Penelope said she trusted him. He had suspected she would, but now that things were different between them, he had wanted to make sure she still trusted him rather than assuming she would come with him right away. He casted one final glance back towards the knights, who were only a building away from them now, and then turned back to her, “Follow my lead.”

Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a small, white parcel. It was nothing special, just a wooden container he had filled with dirt that was wrapped up in a cloth, but with any luck, it would distract at least one or two of the knights. He looked back towards them one more time, this time with a more hurried movement, as if he had been caught in the act of something, and then turned to sprint towards the woods, dropping the box behind them as they ran from the knights. He heard one of them call out after them, followed by the sound of footsteps as they took chase.

Peering back over his shoulder, Crow saw that his distraction had worked. Two of the four knights stayed back to investigate the useless parcel, while the others pursued him and Penelope into the forest. He smirked to himself. It would be easy to lose the remaining guards once they reached the western side of the woods, which was full of ridges and valleys. The knights would have a hard time keeping up and there would be plenty of places to hide once they put some distance between them.

“This way, love,” he grinned at Penelope, momentarily forgetting the awkwardness between them as he got caught up in the excitement of the chase. “Let’s teach them not to mess with us again.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope nodded her head. She watched as Crow pulled out the small parcel and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly but remained quiet as she waited to see what his plan was. As he turned and took off towards the woods, she followed closely behind, only glancing once over her shoulder to see how close the knights were. She gave an amused look as she noticed a couple had stayed back to inspect the parcel that Crow had dropped, quickly realizing it was just a distraction.

She looked back ahead at Crow and felt her heart race excitedly. Running from guards with him and his grin quickly hit her with a strong wave of nostalgia. She easily recalled a couple times they had ran from enemies together during their journey. That moment nearly felt like nothing had changed as she followed Crow through the forest, racing towards the western side.

Perhaps a little distracted by the feeling, she suddenly felt her right foot sink into a small hole in the ground, likely caused by a rodent. The knight grunted as she felt to the ground, causing for her foot to twist awkwardly. Not wanting to fall behind or let the knights catch up, she hurriedly tried to scramble back up to her feet. However, as soon as she placed a bit of weight on her right foot, pain shot up from her ankle, nearly making her crumble back to the ground. Penelope let out a small gasp of pain and was forced to lean against a nearby tree as she favored her right leg. "Just keep going!" She told Crow blindly in case her fall had caught his attention.

Sounds of the local knights approaching caused for a surge of panic. Penelope looked back over her shoulder with a hint of fear in her gaze. She wouldn't be able to keep with Crow and that meant, she wouldn't be able to get away. It's fine.. Crow can still get away. She told herself, putting on a braver face as she tried to keep herself from panicking at this new development. I can handle this.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow pulled slightly ahead of Penelope as they raced through the woods, taking the lead since he was the one who knew where they were going. He always loved a good chase, and having been out of prison for two years now, his stamina had improved quite a bit. Even at the pace they were currently moving, he hardly felt the burning in his legs and lungs that used to plague him when he ran. Instead, he felt energized from the adrenaline of being pursued by the local knights. It was exhilarating.

To make things even better, he enjoyed having Penelope by his side again. Running with her now, he remembered all the times they had done so in the past. It was a bittersweet memory that only served to remind him that she wasn’t his anymore, but even so, he was glad that they were able to do it one more time.

Suddenly, he heard a thudding noise behind him and glanced back over his shoulder to see that Penelope had fallen. He skidded to a stop and doubled back to run to her side when he noticed she had to lean against a tree when she got up. Assessing the situation quickly, he saw how she was favoring her right foot and how the knights were catching up to them. If he and Penelope didn’t move fast, their pursuers would reach them within the next minute.

Crow met her gaze as she told him to keep going. For a moment, he toyed with the idea of actually leaving her behind. After all, she could be fine. What were the odds that the guards would recognize her as another knight, really? He was known in Myrefall, but she didn’t have a reputation there. It was starting to sound like the best plan, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Perhaps it was foolish, but even though they weren’t together anymore, he still felt the need to protect her if he could.

“No,” he finally said with a shake of his head. “I’m not leaving you here.” Turning back towards the two knights, he drew the daggers at his waist and stepped forward to confront them.

As they reached him and Penelope, the knights slowed to a stop and brandished their swords. The one on the left raised a brow in amusement and let out a low whistle, “Would you look at that? It’s Crow Lockton.”

The second knight grinned, “How much is the bounty on his head worth now?”

“I’m not sure, but the last time I checked, it was a hell of a lot,” the first knight began edging around to come at the thief from the side.

“Split it fifty fifty?” the second knight mirrored his comrade. “He can’t take us both.”

“Try me,” Crow curled his lip at the two, watching them carefully as they attempted to get on either side of him.

The second knight laughed, “Cocky, aren’t you?”

“Funny,” Crow smirked at him smugly. “I was going to say the same thing to you.” In the next moment, he tensed as the knight charged at him with sword raised to strike. From behind, he could hear the other knight doing the same as they attempted to catch him in between their blades. Unfortunately for them, the thief had become quite a skilled fighter over the course of the last year.

In one swift motion, he stepped to the side to dodge the sword of the knight in front of him, kicking out his leg to strike him in the knee as he twisted at the waist to block the other enemy’s sword with one dagger while he threw the other at the man’s foot. Both knights cried out as his blows landed. The one he had kicked dropped to his knees, and the thief spun his remaining dagger around in his hand, delivering a sharp strike to his head with the butt of his weapon before he could recover. As the man crumpled to the ground, Crow did the same with the second knight as he reached down to pull the blade out of his foot.

“Halfwits,” he muttered with a roll of his eyes as he retrieved his second dagger and wiped it off in the grass. With both of their immediate attackers unconscious, he sheathed his weapons and walked back over to Penelope, eyeing her injured foot with a concerned frown. “How bad is it?” he asked, looking up to meet her gaze again. “Can you walk?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope turned her head to look over at Crow as he refused to leave. Her eyes widened and she opened her mouth to protest but fell short as the knights caught up. She grew tense and shifted to reach for her own dagger, grabbing the hilt of it. Though she was injured, she still wanted to help and was worried Crow might get hurt since he was outnumbered. However, she had momentarily forgotten just how much had changed in two years.

The knight watched as Crow quickly,and quite skillfully, dispatched the two knights. She was still getting used to his new ability to fight, even though she had already seen it before. Most of the time she was around him, Penelope couldn't help but think of the person she had once knew. The thief she had once protected many times in various fights was now protecting her. It was strange but his skills were impressive and it left her wondering yet again what had happened over the two years that had gotten him to this point.

Her thoughts were broken as Crow spoke. Penelope looked over at him and then down at her injured foot. "Maybe.." She mumbled. Though she had already tried to put weight on it once and it didn't go well, she was determined to try one more time. Being unable to walk would mean she wouldn't be able to get back to her camp easily and that would definitely be a problem. She attempted to place her foot down, adding light pressure. Unfortunately it went just as poorly as before. She let out a small gasp of pain and quickly lifted her foot back up.

"Ok maybe not." She winced. Penelope frowned and leaned on the tree, trying to figure out her next move. "I think I twisted it pretty bad. Damnit." She cursed quietly under her breath. Getting back to camp would be rather difficult without help and without being able to walk on her own. She couldn't ask Crow to help her either. Him getting too close to the knights camp would be dangerous and not only was she unwilling to put him in that sort of trouble, but also felt reluctant to ask him for any help after all she had done.

The knight let out a frustrated sigh before looking over at Crow. She'd just have to think of a different way to get back but in the meantime, another thought concerned her. While Crow had taken out the two knights, there were still two more out there looking for them. The distraction might have worked but certainly not for long. She was sure that the other two knights would be coming after them soon enough. "I'll figure something out.. But you should get going. It won't be long before those other two knights go looking to try and catch up to their comrades here."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow stood back as Penelope tried again to put weight on her foot, only to end up leaning against the tree again. It seemed she couldn’t even stand on it, let alone try to walk. He crossed his arms and glanced back towards the village in thought. This was a bad situation to be in. Even though there was no sign of the other knights yet, it wouldn’t be long before they showed up to find out where their comrades had gone. The thief had used the element of surprise to take down the first guards, but the other two would be much more cautious against him after their companions disappeared.

He turned back to Penelope as she told him to leave yet again. Once more, the suggestion was tempting to him, but he couldn’t bring himself to abandon her while she was still injured. Past loyalties aside, it felt wrong to leave her stranded when she couldn’t move and none of her comrades knew where she was. As far as either of them knew, he was the only one in the area who could do anything to help her. If he left her now and something happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

He blinked, surprised by the strength of the emotion. Perhaps I still feel for her more strongly than I thought, he realized.

Noticing that Penelope was still waiting for him to give her an answer, he pushed the thought aside. “Nice try,” he smirked. “But you’re not going to get rid of me that easily.” Stepping up to her side, he took her arm and slung it across his shoulders and then slipped his free arm around her waist to support her against his side.

Holding her body against his, Crow felt his heart begin to race in spite of himself. He swallowed, trying to ignore its incessant pounding in his chest. She has a suitor, he reminded himself sternly. I’m just helping her get to safety, nothing more.

“Come on,” he said, avoiding her gaze. “We need to go somewhere less visible so those knights won’t find us.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked up at Crow as he smirked at her. She was hesitant to accept his help, believing that he should have left to go back to his camp. However, she didn't protest as he moved to her side to support her. As he held her against him, she felt her heart begin to hammer despite herself. He was just helping her and nothing more but that didn't help calm her heart. It must just be because of old feelings.. She told herself, trying to dismiss what she felt. She still cared for him so of course old feelings would occasionally stir when they got close like they were. However, they were a bit stronger than she expected.

The knight nodded her head at his words. "Alright." She agreed quietly, shifting her gaze away from him. "Thank you." As they began to walk, she tried to only lean lightly against him, feeling a bit overly conscious of how close he was to her. However, she found that it was still difficult to walk when she only partially leaned into him so eventually the knight caved in and pressed a little more fully into his side so she would be able to keep up without slowing them down.

A small silence lapsed over her, causing for her mind to wander a bit. The situation reminded her of the time after they had fallen into the river and he had helped her back to the town after she had been too tired to make the journey back on her own. It was the first time they had put trust in each other as they made the deal for him to complete the mission and for her to let him go after. So much had changed since then but yet, somehow they ended up in a similar situation, which caused for her to wonder if that much had really changed. She snuck a glance over at Crow and felt her heart pound a bit faster once again. She quickly averted her gaze and tried to focus on something else. Perhaps it would be harder to ignore what remained of her old feelings than she thought, especially when she kept thinking about the past.

"So what's the plan?" She finally asked, breaking the silence and trying to focus on the present in hopes to calm her pounding heart. "I know we can hide from the knights and all but at some point, we're both going to have to get back to our camps. And while I appreciate the help, we both know you taking me all the way to the knight's camp is too risky."

[Rogue Sloth]

As they walked, Crow found it difficult not to think about how close Penelope was to him. He felt his arm around her waist and remembered how they used to embrace; he felt her arm around his shoulders and remembered how she used to pull him in for a kiss; he felt her slender body against his side and remembered their first night together in the stables. Her touch was so familiar to him, and yet now so distant. It was like a ghost of the past he couldn’t bring himself to forget—bittersweet.

He sighed softly, adjusting his hold on her as he felt her lean a little more heavily into his side. He felt torn in two again. Part of him wished Penelope hadn’t gotten injured so they could have parted ways and returned to their separate camps. With her ankle twisted, it was going to be tricky to figure out a way to get her back safely before anyone noticed she was missing. He was sure the thieves had probably gone to sleep already and wouldn’t miss him if he came back late, but what if they were stranded until the next day? He dreaded to think of what they might do on impulse if they thought something had happened to him.

As Penelope spoke up, he glanced down at her and shook his head, “I’m not sure yet. Let’s just focus on getting to safety right now, and I’ll work on a plan from there.” Following his own advice, he looked around for a good place to stop and rest. They had reached the western part of the forest, so the ground sloped and curved quite a bit with natural variations. It didn’t take long before he spotted a place that looked promising.

“Let’s try over here,” he said, changing direction to guide her towards the ridge. Fortunately, his guess had been correct. On the other side of the short ridge, the ground dropped off, revealing a small hollow that had formed from erosion around the roots of a large tree. He helped her down the side of the ridge, moving slowly so she wouldn’t strain her ankle any worse, and let go of her arm once they were beneath the overhang.

Finally able to stop, Crow sat down and leaned back against the dirt wall. He eyed Penelope’s ankle again, “Is anyone waiting up for you at your camp?” He looked up at her concernedly. “I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea and thinking I did something to you.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope nodded her head and followed him over to the ridge. She was grateful that he moved slowly, allowing her to keep up easily enough with her sprained ankle. Once they were beneath the overhang, she carefully moved to sit down and leaned back against the wall as well. She eyed her ankle and let out a small sigh, trying to think of what their next move needed to be.

Her gaze flickered over to Crow as he questioned her and she shook her head. "No.. Olivia knows I left but she doesn't have guard duty tonight so she isn't staying up to wait for me." She paused. "And Gavin doesn't know that I left but he knows that I intended to meet with you again at some point. Both of them probably won't realize I'm missing until morning." Even if Gavin woke up before then to check on her, she trusted that the other knight would venture out to look for her on her own. Olivia, on the other hand, would likely just assume that she was sleeping with Crow and wouldn't worry about it.

Clearing her throat as she felt a hint of embarrassment at the thought, she quickly brought her attention back to the situation at hand. "We have until then but I'm not sure that helps much." She mused. Penelope reached down and rubbed her ankle, grimancing slightly as she pressed the spot that hurt. "Maybe it'll lessen enough by morning for me to make it back on my own." She told him hopefully.