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

[Rogue Sloth]

Night had fallen over the camp by the time Crow awoke again. He blinked tiredly, still exhausted despite the little sleep he had managed to get. His body still ached as well from the cuts and bruises he had taken from the knights during the interrogation, and his head pounded from dehydration. Worst of all was the deep pain in the left side of his chest. He felt convinced that he had been right when he suspected he had a couple broken ribs.

He shifted against the tree, trying loosen up the stiffness in his arms and legs from sitting in the same position for so long, and looked out over the knights’ camp to assess his surroundings. The activity in the camp had died down quite a bit, but not everyone had gone to sleep. There were a few knights positioned at different points in the clearing to keep watch. He clicked his tongue. They were going to make it difficult for him to escape, so he would have to move fast when he was ready to make a run for it.

Wondering if he was even in good enough condition to run, the thief stretched his legs and rolled his ankles as he checked to see how bad his injuries were. A long cut on his right leg that one of the knights had inflicted smarted at the motion, and he could feel a few bruised muscles ache in protest, but other than that he didn’t seem to have taken any wounds that were serious enough to inhibit him from escaping. As long as he managed to avoid drawing attention to himself before he got his chains off, he would be able to outrun the armored knights and go back to the ravine.

After waiting for a while to make sure all eyes were off of him, Crow slowly drew his right leg to his chest. He glanced over the guards once more before maneuvering carefully to reach into his boot and retrieve his pick lock key. Hiding the metal piece in his clenched fist, he smiled to himself. It was fortunate for him that the knights didn’t seem experienced in dealing with thieves, because they had only searched him for weapons. They hadn’t even thought about the tools he carried for stealing. All he had to do now was find the lock on the chains and work it open.

He casted another wary look at the guards before he lowered his gaze to examine the chains around his body. They didn’t look like anything special, but he couldn’t find the lock. He frowned, Don’t tell me it’s—

He flinched as he suddenly heard the sound of soft footsteps approaching and looked up to see one of the guards coming towards him. After a moment, he felt a wave of relief as he realized it was just Penelope. He was glad to see her because, for one thing, she wasn’t a hostile knight who was coming to make sure he couldn’t escape, and for another, he was starting to think he might need some help to get away.

As she commented on his battered state, he shrugged. “It’s a little more impressive that I didn’t tell him anything now, isn’t it?” he whispered with a good-humored wink. When she crouched down to show him the food and water she had brought, he sighed in relief, “Gods bless you, love.” He paused as another thought came to him and cleared his throat awkwardly. “I just have one problem…” He glanced down at his arms, which were bound to his sides by the chains, and then looked back up at her with a helpless smile.

“Have you figured a way out of here yet?”

Crow nodded at her question, “Mostly. There’s just one thing that might be an issue.” He tilted his head back to indicate the tree he was bound to. “Can you do me a favor? Go around to the back side of this thing and let me know if you can see the lock for the chains.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope rolled her eyes at his wink but smiled faintly despite herself. As he went on to answer her question, she felt a bit relieved to here that he had a plan to escape. She hoped it meant he would be able to get out easily and without either of them having to pull anything too risky. Despite her readiness to help him, the knight still wanted to keep the life she had worked with over the last two years in tact if she could.

She nodded her head and set down the food and water as she got up to step around the tree. The female knight paused, glancing around to make sure the others on guard weren't paying attention to her actions before she began to eye the chains. Her gaze quickly fell on the lock that was on the back of the tree. "Crow, it's back here." She told him, squatting down to eye the lock for a moment. She assumed that he planned to pick it somehow though that would be rather impossible with it located on the back of the tree and out of his reach.

I guess Layth actually took some time to think about this. She thought with a hint of bitterness. Penelope sighed and stood back up as she stepped back around the tree to look down at Crow. "So, what's your plan now?" She asked crossing her arms. Her gaze lifted away from him to watch the other nearby knights. Luckily most of them seemed relax since they weren't position directly near the thief, but she assumed any sudden movement would still catch their attention. "I'll do what I can to help but we still have them to worry about."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow glanced over his shoulder as Penelope moved to the other side of the tree and confirmed his fear that the lock had been positioned out of his reach. “Damn,” he muttered. Apparently the knights hadn’t been completely incompetent after all. He was still confident that he could get to it, but even if Penelope helped him, it would take a long time to maneuver the chains around the tree so he could pick the lock. In addition to that, it would be difficult to keep the chains from rattling during the process and alerting the guards. He wasn’t sure if it was worth the risk.

“I’m not sure,” he shook his head when she asked what his plan was now. “I can’t get out of here without picking that lock.” Tapping his index finger contemplatively against his thigh, he thought over the situation again. The more he looked at it, the more it seemed like he only had two options: He could go with his first idea of working the chains around so the lock moved to his side of the tree, or someone else would have to unlock it for him. He wasn’t sure if he liked either choice. The first was risky because of the noise the chains would make, and he wasn’t even sure if the second was possible. Layth had the real key with him, and Crow was the only one nearby that knew how to use his pick lock key. He sighed in frustration.

Looking up at Penelope again, he thought about her offer to help. Even though she wasn’t a thief, she had been helpful to him in the past, and she was a quick enough learner… But could he really ask her to break him out? He frowned. Once the chains were unlocked, they were going to come loose and fall to the ground, which was going to make a lot of noise. He could afford to draw attention to himself since he was just going to get up and run away, but he didn’t want her to get in trouble for being seen assisting him.

I should at least give her the choice, he thought. Perhaps she could think of a way to help him without getting discovered. She did know the knights and their routines better than he did, after all. He made his decision.

“I have one idea,” he said softly. Glancing down at his hand, he unfurled his fingers to reveal his pick lock key to her. “If you’re willing, I can teach you how to use this to open the lock on my chains.” He looked up at her again, taking on a serious expression. “However, if you choose to do it, you should know that we’re going to draw a lot of attention over here very quickly. You’ll need to come up with a way to run or blend in if you don’t want to get caught.” He peered back at the other guards for a moment before looking up at her once more, “It’s risky, but it’s the only thing I can think of that might work. What do you say?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope waited quietly as Crow thought over the situation. She kept her gaze out on the other knights until he finally spoke up again. She looked at the pick lock key then at Crow, thinking over the idea as he explained it to her. She was a bit reluctant to agree, noting that it would be difficult for her to make a clean getaway without drawing any attention to herself in the process. It's not impossible though.. She thought eying the guards and then shifting her gaze over to the nearest tent as she tried to formulate a way of escape.

The guards seemed to not notice her presence besides Crow yet, so as long as she managed to keep it that way, she would likely be able to blend into them once Crow made his attempt to escape. Most eyes would be on him aways, leaving room for her to slip behind the nearest tent and circle around to make it look like she had simply strayed away from her original post. She was fairly certain that she could pull it off but part of her did worry about someone catching her along the way. There was also the repercussions of what would come after Crow escaped.

Millicent knew she was supposed to be the one watching Crow so the blame for his escape would easily be shifted onto her. Her reputation would definitely take another hit from losing the thief yet again. While it wasn't ideal, the knight found that she wasn't very bothered by the thought of losing some of her credibility amongst her comrades. It was something the knight was willing to deal with. Satisfied with her decision, she turned back to Crow and nodded her head.

"I'll do it." She told him moving to take the pick lock key from his hands.

She looked at it for a moment, hoping that she'd be able to pick up on how to use it quick enough to keep them from both getting into trouble. Wanting to make sure she remained unseen by the other guards, she stepped back around the tree, positioning herself so she wasn't in anyone's direct line of sight. She glanced over at the lock and then looked back to Crow questioningly. "Alright... So how do I do this?" She asked with a hint of uncertainty seeping into her voice.

[Rogue Sloth]

When Penelope hesitated for a while before answering his question, Crow wondered if she wouldn’t be willing to help him after all. It was a huge risk for her since, if she was caught, there wouldn’t be an easy way for her to explain herself to her comrades. She had built up quite a reputation for herself amongst the knights, even becoming a lieutenant for one of the barons, so he wasn’t surprised that she would be reluctant to put all of that at risk for a thief like him.

He was just starting to consider his first option again, trying to think of a better way to go about moving the chains, when she spoke up again and surprised him by agreeing to help. As she took the key from his palm, he blinked and watched her move to the other side of the tree to prepare to pick the lock. His heart beat a little faster and he found that he was smiling in spite of himself. He knew she was probably only helping him because she cared about him as an acquaintance or friend, but the part of him that was still hoping for more wondered if perhaps there was another reason why she was willing to put herself at risk to save him.

Calm down, he took a deep breath, trying to keep a level head. She’s with Gavin. It’s not like that.

He suddenly realized she was waiting for him to explain how to use the pick lock key, and he snapped back to attention, peering over his shoulder at her as he gave her soft-spoken instructions, “Put it in the lock like you would any other key. That alone should open the first tumbler in the inside. You’ll be able to tell because it’ll make a noise like a click, but you’ll have to listen carefully, because it’s really quiet. After that, try tilting it at different angles to hit the other tumblers. I don’t know how many that sort of lock has—probably no more than three or four—but it should pop open when you hit them all.”

He paused as he remembered something else that he had learned when he first started picking locks as a child, “Also, if you feel the key get stuck on anything, don’t panic. There are usually wards inside to prevent keys like mine from opening the lock, but they’re not that effective. Just move the key until it comes loose and keep going.” He offered her a confident smile. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope listened as Crow began to give instructions on how to go about using the pick lock key. She looked over at him as he gave her a confident smile. Her heart fluttered a little at his faith in her and she quickly looked away to focus back on the lock in front of her. Focus. She chided herself silently before leaning in close to the lock so she would be able to hear the click. The knight put the pick lock key into the lock, taking mental note as she heard a small click.

The knight paused before shifting the key around, trying to hit the other tumblers like Crow described. She hit one rather easily and felt a small surge of pride. After a little maneuvering, she felt the key get stuck. However, she remained calm and tried to follow the directions she was given, moving the key until she finally felt it get free from the ward it had been stuck on. Feeling a bit relieved she was able to get it free, she shifted the key again and heard a small click.

Penelope smiled a little to herself, glad she was finally able to get another one of the tumblers. As she moved the key again, she glanced around the tree towards the guards. The knight was careful not to rattle the chains as she worked on the lock but she still worried their attention would be drawn over to Crow before she could finish getting the lock undone. While she was trying not to rush, the knight couldn't help but wish she had a little more skill. Especially as she got caught on another ward in the lock.

Her gaze focused intently back on the lock as she wiggled the key free yet again, feeling a little more pressured. She managed to get it unstuck yet again and shifted a little. If Crow was right in guess the lock didn't have more the four tumblers then it was likely that the next one she hit would be the last. Penelope grew a bit tense, preparing for when she'd have to take off in the opposite direction of Crow. She moved the key around more until she heard another click and felt the lock come open. "Got it!" She told Crow with a hint of excitement in her hushed voice.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shifted carefully against the chains, readying himself to run as Penelope went to work on the lock. His heartbeat quickened in his chest with a rush of adrenaline at the thought that he would be free soon. However, it didn’t take long before he realized it was taking her longer than he expected to get the lock open. He eyed the guards in the camp warily. It was Penelope’s first time using a pick lock key, so he knew he shouldn’t have expected her to get it right away, but he was nervous that the other knights would notice something was happening and come over to check it out.

Come on, come on, he thought, fidgeting impatiently as he glanced between the guards. None of them were looking in his direction so far, but he didn’t want to keep waiting around until one of them did.

In the next instant, his eyes widened with excitement as he felt the chains around his torso fall loose. She had done it—she had gotten the lock open. He jumped to his feet, hardly noticing the pain of his injuries, and hurried to the other side of the tree to retrieve his key from Penelope. Before he had time to think, he gathered her in his arms in a brief embrace and whispered into her ear, straining to keep his voice down in his elation, “Thank you!”

With no more time to spare, he slipped his key from her hand and stepped away from her, turning to run into the woods just as the knights began shouting to each other to go after him.

--

Being free from armor and knowing the area well, Crow had no trouble losing the knights before he even came close to his own camp. Once the sounds of their voices and footsteps had faded completely, he slowed to a walk, glancing back over his shoulder proudly as he took a moment to acknowledge his victory.

With no more reason to rush, he continued to head for the ravine at a leisurely pace so he wouldn’t aggravate his injuries any more than he already had. However, now that the immediate pressure of the knights was gone, he was also able to think clearly again. He flushed as he realized what he had done to Penelope when she freed him from the chains. The moment had felt so familiar to him that at the time, he had forgotten they weren’t together anymore. It had felt natural to embrace her, so he didn’t even think twice before he did it.

Stupid, he brought a hand to his face in embarrassment and closed his eyes. He hoped she would just write it off as him thanking her, but he had already told her before that he still loved her, so it wouldn’t be a stretch for her to guess he still felt the same way now. He groaned. Gods, I hope she doesn’t think I’m trying to get between her and her suitor… He didn’t want to drive a wedge between them when they were just starting to get along again.

Feeling especially uncomfortable, he hastened his pace slightly, now more eager to get back to the other thieves so he could forget about what had happened.

--

When he arrived back at the ravine, he didn’t even make it down to the bottom of the ridge before he felt a pair of slender arms wrap around his middle.

“You’re alive!” Rikki’s voice trembled as she held him tightly to herself. “I can’t believe it. We all thought you were dead!”

“Yes, I am alive,” Crow gasped. “But I won’t be for much longer if you keep squeezing me like that.” He pressed a hand on her shoulder to push her away.

She blinked as she stepped back and looked him over, eyes widening in shock as she took notice of his wounds, “Oh gods, Crow. What did they do to you?”

“The knights wanted me to tell them where the rest of you were,” he shook his head, rubbing a hand along his chest to ease the ache of his broken ribs. “Let’s just say they were very determined to get the information.”

“You didn’t tell them anything, did you?” Simon spoke up, crossing his arms as he gazed at Crow unsympathetically.

“Not a word,” Crow grinned. “They still have no idea where our camp is.”

“Good,” Simon nodded, seeming satisfied.

“I’m just glad you’re back safe,” Rikki murmured, reaching to take his hand as if she couldn’t believe he was really in front of her.

“Me too,” Crow sighed. “I don’t think I’ll be leaving camp again for a few days after all that.”

“How did you escape?” Alistair spoke up now, seeming intrigued.

“It wasn’t hard,” Crow smirked and held up the pick lock key that was still in his hand. “I just waited until everyone was asleep, aside from a few night guards. Penelope helped too.”

“Wow,” Alistair whistled. “She helped you escape from her own comrades in the middle of her own camp? That woman’s got guts.”

“She’s something else,” Crow’s expression softened slightly, but only for a moment. Not wanting to give away his feelings for the knight to the other thieves, he changed the subject, “Anyway, I need to get some sleep. It’s been a long day.”

“Understandably,” Alistair nodded. “We should all get some rest. We’ve been waiting up with Rikki all night, because she couldn’t sleep.”

“Shut up,” Rikki shot him a glare, though her cheeks turned red at the accusation. “You were both just as worried as I was, so don’t pretend like it was only me.”

“Maybe, but you were the only one who cried,” Alistair prodded her.

“I did not!” Rikki’s blush deepened.

“Guys, can we save it for tomorrow?” Crow yawned. “When I said I needed to sleep, I kind of meant right now.”

“Sorry,” Alistair shrugged sheepishly and turned to head into the shelter. The others followed him as they all got ready to go to bed.

Inside the shelter, Crow laid down tiredly on his mat and threw his blanket over himself, closing his eyes to sleep. However, before he could drift off, he felt something press against his side. Opening one eye, he looked down to see that Rikki had scooted onto his bed and was lying curled up beside him. It seemed Alistair hadn’t been that far off when he had said she was worried about him. He smiled and rolled over to wrap his arm around the female thief, holding her close as they both fell asleep against each other.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled at Crow as he moved to retrieve the key from her, only to feel surprised as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her in an embrace. The knight felt her heart hammer against her chest at their brief closeness. As he moved away, she found herself a bit dazed as she watched him take off. Perhaps due to his embrace or the familiarity of helping him out such situations, the knight found it felt strange not to follow his lead into the forest. She shook her head, trying to come back to herself in time as the guards neared.

With Crow being their main focus, she easily slipped out of their pathway and darted behind the nearby tent. She lingered in the shadows and carefully stepped around it so she could circle around as planned. Just as she stepped back out into the open, she came face to face with Gavin, who had appeared from his own tent at the commotion. It seemed the whole camp was quickly coming back to life at hearing the shouts of the guards that chased after Crow. Gavin looked down at her and then towards where Crow had been held. The two knights held each other's gaze, unsure what to say to each other.

Before their silence could be broken, Millicent came jogging up with a look of alarm. "Penelope! What happened? What's going on!? Where's the thief?" She questioned quickly.

Penelope turned her head to look over at the archer. Gavin's sudden appearance had thrown the knight off and she fumbled to answer their comrade.

"We're not sure." Gavin spoke first, wrapping his arm around Penelope. "Sorry.. I may have distracted her a little.."

"Well that's just great!" Millicent huffed and shook her head disapprovingly. "I'm going to go help them track him down. You two better hope the barons don't punish you for losing him!"

With that said, the other female knight turned and raced off towards the woods to help the other guards search for Crow, leaving the other two alone. Penelope turned to look up at Gavin with unbridled surprise. She couldn't believe that the male knight had willingly lied for her, especially after their previous argument. "Why did you do that?" She asked him quietly.

"I'm still on your side, Penelope." He mumbled softly as he looked down at her. "Look, I can't say I'll ever approve of some of the things you do but, I'm not just going to turn my back on you."

Penelope looked up at him appreciatively. "Thank you." She said softly. His loyalty and kindness were two things she deeply admired about him. She felt a small spark of fondness for the male knight but it no longer felt quite like before. "I better get to bed... I imagine that tomorrow won't be a very great day." She sighed, briefly imagining how her brother and uncle would react to hearing that she had been the one to lose Crow.

"No kidding... Mia will be sensible though so I'm sure it'll blow over quick." Gavin assured her before leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek. "Good night, Penelope." He murmured before turning to head back to his tent.

Penelope turned and began to walk off towards her tent as well, thinking over the events of the day as she walked. The knight couldn't help but feel conflicted over Crow yet again. Two years later, a rocky reunion, and even him stabbing her shoulder didn't seem to lessen her care for him. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she thought of his embrace again. I must be going insane.. She shook her head and glanced up at the night sky. Gavin is a good man and I'll have a good future with him. Firmly reminding herself of this, Penelope ducked into her tent and laid down for the night, falling asleep rather easily despite her conflicting thoughts.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow spent most of the following three days sleeping as he recovered from his injuries. Between the battle and his encounter with the knights, he was too sore to do much else. During this time, Simon took over his command of the thieves, leading Alistair and Rikki on patrols of their own to keep watch for enemies. After learning about the additional scouts the knights had started sending out, the anxious thief wanted to make sure they didn’t get anywhere close to the ravine where their camp was hidden. Fortunately, all remained quiet on the southern side of the outer villages, and they didn’t run into any trouble.

Whenever she wasn’t helping Alistair and Simon on their patrols, Rikki stayed close to Crow’s side during his recovery. The day after he had returned to the camp, she admitted to him that she had felt somewhat responsible for his capture because he had gotten caught while he was trying to protect her. Despite his numerous assurances that it wasn’t her fault, she chose to stay by his side anyway, bringing him food and water and redressing his wounds while he stayed in the shelter.

Even though he didn’t agree with her reasoning, Crow found that he did enjoy Rikki’s company. She had a comforting presence, and he liked having her around to talk whenever he wasn’t sleeping. Chatting with her made the time go by faster and took his mind off of the pain of his injuries, which was something he greatly appreciated.

On the evening of the third day, Crow got up to have dinner with the other thieves in the center of the camp instead of eating in his bed as he normally did as of late. Knowing the time was drawing near for him to meet with Penelope again, he wanted to get his body used to moving again so he would be prepared to make the trip to Myrefall. He felt stiff from lying around all day, but otherwise the soreness of his wounds had faded enough that he didn’t think he would have any trouble getting there and back on his own.

As he walked over to them, Alistair looked up to greet him, “Hey, Crow. Finally feeling better, I see.”

“Much,” he nodded, sitting down by the fire pit and reaching for a bowl to serve himself his portion of dinner.

“Do your wounds still hurt?” Rikki frowned concernedly as she moved to get up. “I can get your food for you.”

“Sit down,” Crow rolled his eyes at her teasingly. “I’m fine. A little sore, but it’s nothing compared to two days ago. Don’t worry.”

“I take it you’re still planning to meet with that knight then?” Simon said as he lifted a spoonful of stew to his mouth. Crow had told them all when his next meeting with Penelope would be a couple days ago.

“Of course,” he shrugged, filling his own bowl up and taking a bite.

“Are you sure you’re feeling up to it?” Rikki asked. “I could go in your place, if you want.”

“Calm down, love,” Crow chuckled. “I really am fine.”

“Okay,” Rikki reluctantly dropped the subject.

The thieves spent the rest of the dinner conversing idly until night fell and it was time for Crow to leave. He got up to put his cloak on and arm himself with one of the spare sets of daggers they kept in their small store of weapons. The blades weren’t as high quality as the ones he had lost to the knights, but for now, they would have to suffice.

Once he was ready to go, he said his goodbyes and headed up the side of the ravine to meet with Penelope in Myrefall.

[BuzzingBee]

The next three days were a bit rocky for Penelope. Edward and Layth made sure that her failure of guarding Crow was known throughout the camp. Though it was a bit disheartening to have lost some of the trust of her comrades, such as Millicent who treated her rather coldly now, it didn't affect the knight much. Mia and Tomas still seemed to trust her and didn't get hung up on her 'slip up'. However, it put her in a position where she didn't have as much authority as she once held. She just hoped that wouldn't be a problem later on as the war continued on. Things seemed to be repaired between her and Gavin. Though while neither of them seemed to hold any grudge towards the other, she couldn't help but still feel like something was missing between them. She chose not to dwell on it though.

As the time came to meet up with Crow again, she wondered if the thief would be well enough to meet up with her. In all honesty, she was bit reluctant to leave camp that night. Upon stepping outside, the knight nervously eyed the clouds in the horizon. Perhaps they were just clouds, but she also worried they might mean a storm was rolling in. She considered staying in camp rather than leaving to go to Myrefall. Crow might not even make it to their meeting and by the looks of it, she couldn't afford to stay out too late. But he might send one of the others in his place.. She reasoned. Besides it's probably just going to be a cloudy night.. We've had decent weather so far.

Feeling a little more relaxed with her reasoning, Penelope decided that it was still best for her to set out to meet up with Crow. However, she couldn't shake the anxious feeling that came with seeing the clouds in the distance. Her fear gripped her even worse than before and she had no intent of being caught out in a storm. Though she was a bit eager to meet with Crow, wanting to see if he was healing alright after what her brother had did, the knight intended to make the meeting as short as she could.

Walking briskly, Penelope soon arrived at Myrefall and headed for the tavern. She paused at it's door and checked over her shoulder, eying the clouds one last time before ducking inside. In her eagerness to get there, it seemed she had beat Crow there again. The knight let out a sigh and moved to sit down at one of the empty tables. She drummed her fingers impatiently against the table as she waited for him, hoping he wouldn't run late like before.

[Rogue Sloth]

It took Crow longer than usual to make the trip to Myrefall. Though he had healed quite a bit over the last few days, his more severe injuries still pained him enough to slow his pace slightly. In addition to that, he also moved more cautiously so he could keep watch for knights. He didn’t know if Layth would sent out patrols so late at night, but he didn’t want to take any chances while he was in no condition to defend himself.

He shuddered to think what would happen if he got caught again. The last time had been unpleasant enough. If Layth found him again, he would probably just kill him on the spot. So, not wanting to risk losing his life, the thief traveled especially carefully through the woods that night, taking advantage of the darkness provided by the cloud cover.

When he got to Myrefall, his caution was replaced with excitement at the thought of seeing Penelope again. After they had made up during their last meeting and she had helped him escape from the knights at her camp, he felt like they were getting along quite well again.

By this point, he had given up on forcing himself to move on from her. It obviously wasn’t working, and it was much more enjoyable to just relax and be with her in the moment without trying to put distance between them. Of course, he had no intention of trying to win her back, since she was with Gavin, a nobleman who suited her better than a petty thief ever could. He just wanted her friendship back, since it was the next best thing he could get. He knew it would probably make it harder for him when they would inevitably part ways after the war, but he didn’t care anymore. He intended to make the most of his time with her while she was still in the outer villages.

When he reached the tavern, Crow casted one final look around to double check that there were no knights nearby before he stepped inside. His gaze swept over the room until he spotted Penelope at one of the tables. Lowering his hood, he greeted her with a friendly smile as he made his way over to her and took a seat on the other side of the table.

Suddenly, the memory of his impulsive gesture at the knights’ camp resurfaced in his mind, and he shifted uncomfortably in his seat, wondering if she remembered it too. Not wanting to talk about it when they were finally getting along so well, he quickly brought up a different subject.

“Did any of the other knights see you help me when I escaped?” he asked with a concerned expression. “I hope they didn’t give you any trouble.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked up as Crow finally stepped through the door. She returned his smile and eyed the thief as he walked over. He already looked better than the last time she had seen him but she was rather certain some of his wounds still pained him. Her gaze flickered back up to his face as he spoke, feeling her heartbeat a little faster at his look of concern. Trying to ignore it, she shook her head and went on to assure him, "No one saw me. But they do think I'm rather incompetent now since you've gotten away from me twice."

The knight shrugged her shoulders. "It's not a big issue though. My uncle and brother won't let me live it down but luckily my baroness isn't too concerned with it and still seems to trust me enough." She looked over at him and flashed a small smirk. "I've got some experience with sneaking around so it's going to take more than just one tight spot for them to catch me." She assured him.

Penelope felt herself relax in his company. Since they had begun to get along well again, it was difficult not to. It was hard not to fall into old habits with him, especially at times when it felt like little had changed in either of them. She knew it probably wasn't wise since she was still trying to hold onto Gavin and the life she had built over the two years. However, she couldn't bring herself to let the thief go. Instead, she just found herself missing the past and enjoying his familiar company. She looked over at him and let out a small sigh. I already made my choice.. I have to stick to it. She told herself sharply.

Realizing she had fallen quiet for a moment, she snapped her focus back on the conversation, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Anyways, how are you holding up?" She asked him. Her smirk fade and now it was her turn to give him a concerned look as she addressed his wounds. Though he seemed fine enough to have made the trip to Myrefall, the knight still wanted to make sure he was alright. She paused before adding out of curiosity, "How did they even catch you?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow was relieved to hear that Penelope hadn’t gotten caught assisting him in his escape. The last thing he wanted was to cause her any more trouble than he already had. He felt a little bad that some of her comrades were still holding her responsible for their prisoner getting away, but he was glad her baroness wasn’t upset with her about it. Recalling the authoritative looking woman, he wondered what kind of person she was. Every time Penelope spoke of her, her voice was full of respect. Judging by that alone, he guessed the baroness was a more just person than her comrades were.

At Penelope’s smirk, he returned a smile of his own. He was glad that she seemed to be doing alright since their last encounter. The sight of her proud face was more than enough to put his mind at ease and reassure him that she was doing just fine taking care of herself. He hoped she wouldn’t need to risk so much for him again though. She was already taking a big chance every time she came to Myrefall to meet with him. He didn’t want to put her in any more positions where she could lose her status or her job.

After a short moment of silence, she went on to ask him how he was feeling. He opened his mouth to answer, but then froze as she followed up the first question by asking him about how the knights had caught him to begin with. Shifting his weight, he looked away from her to watch a group of peasants at another table, as if they were suddenly interesting.

Even though he and Penelope were getting along again, he wasn’t about to tell her the real reason why he hadn’t been able to get away. No one knew about his waning health, not even the other thieves. It was a secret he intended to take to his grave—possibly quite literally if he couldn’t find a cure for the illness. He glanced back at the knight. Though they probably wouldn’t be together for more than a few seasons, he didn’t want to tell her either. Knowing how protective she was of the people she cared about, he was sure she would just worry about him unnecessarily. He couldn’t put that burden on her with everything else she was already dealing with.

“They were going to kill Rikki,” he said at last. “She was out by herself and a patrol found her. I saw them and tried to protect her, but there were too many of them for me to take on by myself. They overpowered me before I could get away.” He shrugged, offering her a halfhearted smile. “In hindsight, it wasn’t my best plan, but I’m just glad it was enough for Rikki to get away with her life.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked over at him curiously as he didn't reply right away. She wondered why he was reluctant to explain but didn't push further as he finally answered her. She gave a small nod as she listened to his explanation, soon writing off his hesitance as perhaps embarrassment over getting caught in the first place. "Well at least it worked out.. Sorta." She mused with a small shrug.

"Speaking of patrols," The knight began, recalling the information she had come to tell him. "they'll probably be dying down now. After you escaped, Layth made sure to try and send out as many as possible but after three days of looking, the barons finally decided it was best to slow down since it was beginning to feel like a waste of time for them." Penelope sighed and shook her head. "My brother, of course, is still hell bent on trying to track you down so he still goes out on patrols. However, I assume he'll be pretty easy to avoid.

"No word on the next battle yet but the barons are sending a request to the king for more supplies. From what I can tell, they want to wait until they receive them before launching any attack. If I had to guess, I'd say maybe a couple of..," Penelope trailed off as a new sound caught her attention. The sound of raindrops hitting the roof of the tavern made the knight become rigid and her eyes drifted to a nearby window, watching as the storm began to hit outside. The knight paled. "weeks... Damn it I stayed too long." She breathed, as an all too familiar panic began to rise in her. She silently cursed herself for forgetting about the storm. If she had just focused on getting the meeting over with, she could have been half way back to camp by now!

Maybe I can still make it. She thought hopefully. It seemed to just be rain right now. While the rain still gave her panic, she was usually able to push through it without much trouble, unlike when lightning and thunder came into play. "Sorry, I've got to go." She told Crow in a hurry as she abruptly got up to her feet and turned to head for the door.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow listened as Penelope gave him her update on the knights’ activities. He was relieved to hear that there wouldn’t be any more patrols coming after him and the other thieves aside from Layth’s. The others didn’t try to hide the fact that they were getting annoyed about being so confined to the southern side of the forest. He was sure they would be excited to hear that they could start going out on raids again without worrying about knights hiding around every bend.

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair thoughtfully as she went on to explain how the barons didn’t intend to launch another attack on the Younisians until the king replenished their supplies. While the news by itself was encouraging, he also wondered if there was some way that he could use such information to his advantage. Perhaps if he and his companions raided the knights again, they could keep delaying them from starting up another battle. He made a mental note to work on that idea more later.

As Penelope suddenly trailed off and muttered something to herself that he didn’t catch, he raised a brow at her in confusion, wondering what had caused her abrupt change in demeanor. In the next moment, he blinked and looked up at the ceiling as he took notice of the pouring rain outside. Not paying much attention to the weather on his way to Myrefall, he hadn’t realized the clouds he had seen before were storm clouds. The rain must have started after he got inside.

Crow turned back to Penelope as she hurried to get up from the table. “O-okay,” he frowned, still a bit taken aback by her sudden urge to go back to her camp. He stood up to follow after her, reaching up to draw his hood over his head, but then faltered as he remembered the time two years ago when they had been trapped in the stables by a storm in Younis. She had been too frightened back then to even think straight.

And now she was heading right into a rainstorm by herself.

Muttering a curse under his breath, the thief moved quickly for the door and pulled it open. He stepped outside and looked up and down the street, trying to see if he could figure out where the knight had gone. Unable to see the her, he guessed she had already started back towards her own camp. For a moment, he contemplated going home as well. After all, he remembered that she had been afraid of thunder, not rain, and he had yet to hear any. As long as the storm didn’t get any worse, she would be fine.

As if the gods were mocking him, a flash of lightning lit up the sky almost as soon as he finished his thought, followed by a deafening roar of thunder. He flinched slightly at its intensity. Well, any hope he had of going back to the ravine now was gone. Without another second to spare, he turned and ran down the road towards the northern forest, calling out for Penelope as he looked for her in the alleyways between houses.

[BuzzingBee]

As soon as she stepped outside, Penelope threw the hood of her cloak over her head and set a brisk pace towards her camp. It was just rain, she could make it to camp. The knight tried to keep a level head but quickly lost it as a flash of lightning lit up the sky and a loud roar of thunder followed it. Her eyes grew wide with terror and for a moment the knight froze. Overcome with her fear, she turned and raced off into the nearest alleyway, desperate to get out of the open and find cover from the storm.

She dove behind some old wooden crates that were stacked against one of the houses. Penelope brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as she flinched as another clap of thunder sounded from above. Trembling with fear, the knight closed her eyes tightly, trying to regain at least some composure. It had been a while since she had dealt with her fear. She was usually more careful when the sky showed signs of storm and often locked herself up inside to weather it out by herself. The knight didn't like others seeing her in such a state of weakness.

Without warning, an unwelcome memory crossed her mind. The sight of the arrow sinking into Abraxas forced the knight to open her eyes once more, suddenly much more willing to see the flashes of lightning than the image of her comrade dying because of her. The guilt of his death still haunted her even two years later and storms were always quick to remind her of it.

She took in an fast, uneven breath, feeling herself begin to hyperventilate as she recalled both the memory of Abraxas and the one from her childhood. She felt overwhelmed. So much so that between her panic and the storm, she didn't even hear Crow calling out for her. The knight tightened her arms around herself, praying for the storm to end.

[Rogue Sloth]

After following the street for a while in search of Penelope, Crow slowed to a stop and spun around to go back the way he had come. With so much thunder and lightning, she couldn’t have gotten far. He just wished he knew where she had gone. Shivering from the chill of the water that now soaked through his clothes, he kept going, calling out for her again as he began to weave through different alleyways as he looked for the knight.

His heart raced as another flash of lighting illuminated the night sky, and he hastened his pace, growing more desperate in his search for Penelope. Even though he knew it wasn’t his responsibility to comfort her anymore, he couldn’t stand the idea of her hiding somewhere by herself during a storm as bad as this one. He cared about her too much to let that happen.

After a while longer of searching, his efforts were rewarded as he caught a glimpse of a small figure huddled behind a pile of wooden crates in one of the alleys. He turned sharply and made his way towards the person. It had to be her. Who else would be out like that in the middle of a thunderstorm?

“Penelope!” he called again, slowing to a stop by her side and crouching down next to her. She looked petrified, and he couldn’t tell if she was even aware of him kneeling beside her. With a concerned frown, he reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, love,” he said gently, trying to coax her out of her fright. “You need to get out of this rain before you catch a cold.”

[BuzzingBee]

The knight jumped as she felt someone touch her shoulder. Her gaze landed on Crow. Though she was still terrified, she was a bit surprised to see the thief suddenly besides her. No longer completely alone, her mind cleared a little, enough for her to wonder why he had found her in the middle of the storm as well as begin to realize just how cold she was. Her clothes were started to get soaked by the rain. If she continued to stay out in the rain, it probably wouldn't be long before she began to tremble from the cold rather than just her fear.

"O-" She just began to stutter out a reply to him when a flash of lightning made her mind go blank with terror yet again. Without much thought, the knight jumped and suddenly pressed herself into Crow's side, seeking comfort without question or hesitation now that she was no longer alone in the storm.

Penelope buried her head against his chest and panted slightly as she tried to catch her breath. Now pressed against him, the storm suddenly reminded her of a much different time. She thought of the stable they had once took shelter in during a storm in Younis and how he had helped distract her from it back then. While the thought and her actions would normally cause her bashfulness, she actually found comfort in both the past and the present among her panic. Coming to her senses a little, she managed to catch her breath again.

"Sorry.." She apologized quietly. Penelope tensed slightly as there was another clap of thunder. "I should have been more careful... Sorry."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow’s breath caught in his throat as Penelope suddenly pressed herself against him. Unable to move right away in his surprise, he just stared at her as she buried her head against his chest. His heart raced with a different energy than before, replacing his fear with excitement. Even though he knew she was only getting so close to him because she was terrified, part of him never wanted her to move. He relished the feeling of her arms around him, and her body leaning into his, and in that moment, he realized just how much he had missed her touch. It was warm and comforting, and it brought him back to the time when they had been together two years ago.

The image of their night in the stables when she had first sought comfort in him back then flashed through his mind, and for a moment it felt like they had gone back in time—like they were still together and there was nothing standing between them. Though he knew it wasn’t real, the thought gave him a strange sense of peace, and he broke free from his initial trance enough to wrap his arms around her and hold her against himself, trying to comfort her in the storm.

He lifted one hand up to hold her head against his chest, running his fingers calmingly through her hair. “Don’t be,” he shook his head at her apology. “It’s not your fault.” Glancing up, he saw another bolt of lightning streak across the sky, and he frowned, tensing slightly at the thunder that followed. “We should get to shelter though,” he said, looking down at her again. “I don’t think this storm is going to ease up for a while, and we need to get out of the rain.”

Pulling back from her slightly, he paused for a moment before reaching to take her hand in his. “You can do it,” he offered her a smile. “I’ll be right beside you the whole time, so don’t worry.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope closed her eyes as she felt his arms around her and his fingers running through her hair. His touch was comforting and familiar, making her feel safer despite being out in the storm. At his words, she gave a small nod of agreement. Able to think a little more clearly, the mention of finding shelter was greatly appealing to the knight. She reluctantly shifted away from him so they could both get up.

It made her realizing a rather deep longing to stay in his embrace, and not just because of the storm. The knight wasn't able to focus too much on the realization though as her gaze flickered worriedly up at the stormy sky. She felt him take her hand in his and turned to look back over at him. Penelope nodded at his encouraging words and timidly got up to move besides him as they left to find shelter.

"Alright, l-lets go.." She mumbled with a small nod, eager to get out of the storm.

She kept close to him as she followed his lead. She didn't bother to ask where he planned to find shelter here and trusted him rather blindly to get them both some place safe. As they walked, Penelope tried her best to focus on their closeness rather than the lightning or thunder, though it was difficult. Her steps faltered as another ripple of thunder echoed, nearly making her turn and run. She took in a shaky breath and gave his hand a small squeeze.