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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow stepped off to the side with Hazel as the other thieves headed back into the valley with Penelope. He watched them for a moment until they were out of earshot before turning to the herbalist curiously. “What did you want to say?” he asked.

“First of all,” Hazel punched him in the arm. “That’s for bringing one of them into the camp,” she snarled. “What’s gotten into you, huh? The last time I saw you, you never would have trusted a knight, and now I hear you’ve been working with one? I don’t know if I like this change in you, snake.”

“What’s the problem with it?” Crow glared at her, rubbing his arm where she had hit him. “Penelope is the only reason we’re all still alive right now. If she hadn’t come to warn us about those patrols, you and I would probably both be dead. Why can’t you just accept the fact that this particular knight isn’t like the rest?”

“Because they’re all the same,” Hazel spat. “I don’t know what she thinks she’s going to gain from helping you, but I do know that she’s only looking out for herself. It’s just how they are.”

“That’s not true,” he retorted. “If you would just talk to her for ten minutes, you’d see—”

“I am not going to talk to a noble,” she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“You sound just like them,” Crow crossed his arms. “You know that’s how they think of us, right? They think we’re all the same, because we’re peasants and criminals. Why are they wrong about us, but you can’t be wrong about them?”

“It’s not the same,” Hazel muttered and then narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you defending this noblewoman so fiercely anyway? I know you’ve seen the worst side of them, just like I have. Why are you giving this one special treatment?”

“I knew her before,” he answered vaguely. “Trust me. She’s not like the other knights. Not even close.” He shook his head. “The help she’s offering us is genuine, and I’m not going to waste the opportunity to accept it.”

“Wait a minute,” Hazel’s eyes widened. “You knew her before?”

Crow shifted uneasily, not liking the look in her eyes. “Yes, why?”

“Mother told me,” she went on slowly. “Almost two years ago, when I went to visit her… She said you had been there.”

Crow paled, realizing where she was going with this, “W-wait. It’s not—”

“She said you had been waiting for a woman; someone you had grown smitten with but who never showed up.”

“Darling, please. I didn’t—”

“And earlier, you said there was someone in your life you were in love with.”

“Hazel—”

“Oh my gods,” the herbalist’s eyes grew even rounder. “She’s the woman, isn’t she? The one from back then. She’s the one you were talking about earlier too.” When he didn’t respond, she inhaled sharply. “Oh my gods, Crow! A knight? Are you out of your mind?”

Crow flinched as she began to raise her voice and glanced towards the valley to see if anyone else had heard her. “Please be quiet,” he hissed, turning back to her pleadingly. “The others are right past the hillside. They’re going to hear you.”

“I can’t believe this!” Hazel went on, ignoring his request. “Of all the women you could possibly fall for, it had to be a knight? No. No way. I’m going to put a stop to this madness. I’m telling your friends about this. I’m sure they’ll knock some sense into you.” She turned to walk away, and he stared after her in horror. The others couldn’t find out—not yet, anyway. They would never understand.

Before he had a chance to think, Crow caught Hazel by the arm and pulled her back, pinning her against himself so she couldn’t get away. She opened her mouth to protest, but he quickly covered it with his free hand. “I’m sorry, love, but I can’t let you do that,” he said quietly. He winced as he felt her drive her heel into his foot, but refused to let go. “Damn it, Hazel,” he snapped. “For once in your life, just listen to me!” Taking a calming breath, he went on softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough with you. I just panicked.” He shook his head. “If you promise you won’t run and tell the others—and you’ll hear me out—I’ll let you go. Deal?”

Hazel hesitated for a long moment before giving a wordless nod.

“Thank you,” he slackened his grip on her arm and took a step back. However, in the next instant, he froze in surprise as the herbalist whirled around and slapped him hard across the cheek.

“That was for manhandling me,” she snarled, smoothing down her dress.

“I wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t threatened me like that,” he muttered defensively, rubbing the side of his face.

“I only threatened you because it sounds like you’ve gone insane,” she huffed. “Anyway, you’d better have a good explanation for all of this, snake, because otherwise I’m not going to keep my mouth shut.”

“I do,” he sighed. Falling silent, he took a moment to steel himself before he went on to tell the herbalist about what had happened between him and Penelope, beginning with their trip together in Younis and ending with their plans to be together after the war. Of course, he didn’t share every detail with her, but he tried to include anything he felt was important for her to understand. When he finished, they both stood without speaking for a moment.

“Well?” he asked tentatively.

Hazel shook her head, running her fingers through her hair, “I don’t know. It’s hard to believe she’s willing to do so much for you.”

“It’s like I said,” he shrugged. “She’s not like other nobles.”

“If everything she said is true.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, “Do you still believe she’s lying?”

“She’s a noble, Crow,” Hazel sighed. “I believe they all lie. However,” she held up a finger as he opened his mouth to protest. “For your sake, I’ll give her a chance. As long as she doesn’t do anything to hurt you, I won’t say anything to your friends. Okay?”

Crow stared at her for a moment, visibly relaxing as he realized he had gotten through to her after all. “Thanks,” he said appreciatively.

“Whatever,” Hazel dug in her bag and tossed him another jar. “Anyway, here’s your medicine for tonight. It’s the same one as last time.”

He caught the container with a nod, downing the liquid inside before returning the empty vessel to her to refill. “We should head back to the others,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at the valley.

“Need to get back to your noble lover?” Hazel asked with an edge of bitter sarcasm.

“You’re never going to leave me alone about this, are you?” he rolled his eyes, leading the way as they headed down the hillside.

“Not a chance, knight-seducer.”

“I thought so.”

When they reached the camp, Crow looked around and saw Penelope sitting by the fire with the other thieves. Walking up from behind her, he moved to sit down at her side and smiled, “How are you doing, love? I hope these criminals aren’t giving you too much trouble.” Glancing up at the others for a moment, he made sure they were all busy with their own conversations before leaning a little closer to the knight and going on in a luring tone, “You know… if you’re not too tired yet, I have something I’d like to show you later. It will require a bit of walking, but I think you’ll find that it’s worth the effort.” He grinned at her eagerly. “What do you say?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope relaxed slightly amongst the thieves as they began to chat with each other. Even though they seemed to keep their guards up, she was glad to have the focus shift away from her and her sudden arrival with them. The knight sat quietly watching the fire, thinking over how she would get out of the trouble she'd eventually face when she returned back to camp. It was best for her to grt her story straight before she returned.

She'd have to continue to use her lie about having left camp to try and track down the thieves. In her ambition to bring them in, she followed a trace of them heading in the direction of Silverpool and eventually lost track of them. And time.. She added as she glanced up at the sky. Though the story probably wouldn't help make her look like a sensible person, she would gladly take them viewing her as reckless than viewing her suspiciously.

Penelope looked up as she heard Crow and Hazel return to the camp. Hazel still glared at her like before but there also seemed to be a strange mix of interest in her eyes this time. The herbalist didn't say anything and quickly moved to sit besides the thieves, away from the knight. Pebelope paid little attention to her as Crow moved to sit down besides her.

"They've been fine." She said with a small chuckle. As he leaned in to speak of takingg her somewhere, she raised an eyebrow at him curiously. She was a bit tired but the eager look on his face made her determined to push past her drowsiness. After all, she had been hoping they could find some time alone during her night with them. "I think I have some energy to spare." She mused with a small smile. "Where are you planning on going?"

[Rogue Sloth]

“You’ll see,” Crow winked at Penelope when she asked where he wanted to go. He was glad she was willing to stay up a bit later to get away with him one more time. While he enjoyed the time they had together in the thieves’ temporary camp, he wanted to fit in as much time alone with her as he could get before she had to leave to get back to the other knights in the morning. As long as his companions were around, he couldn’t get as close to her as he wanted to, and after everything that happened that day, he had no idea when they would be able to see each other again.

He turned back to watch the other thieves, hoping to find an opportune moment to slip away from them, but then stopped as he locked eyed with Hazel across the fire. The herbalist seemed to be observing him and Penelope much more closely since their conversation in the woods. Not sure what to think about that, he held her gaze unwaveringly until she looked away. Letting out his breath in a quiet sigh, he leaned back on his palms and subtly slid one hand over to rest against the knight’s, taking advantage of the darkness to get just a little bit closer to her without arousing suspicion. Now that he knew Hazel was watching them, he was more eager than ever to get out of the camp and away from her critical gaze.

With the herbalist looking away from them, a short and somewhat peaceful moment passed. Crow stretched his legs out and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the fire on his face and the comfort of Penelope’s presence at his side. He found himself wishing that she could just stay with him instead of returning to her own camp. It would be nice to have her around all the time, but he knew he couldn’t ask such a thing of her. She had her own responsibilities in the war, ones that he knew she couldn’t simply abandon to join a band of thieves. It wasn’t that easy.

The brief silence was interrupted as the sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention. He opened his eyes again to see that Rikki had come over to sit by his other side. As usual, the female thief leaned in close to him, and he had to force himself not to pull away from her as she spoke, “You’re awfully quiet tonight, hmm?”

“Just a bit tired,” Crow lied with a shrug, not wanting her to know that he was distancing himself from them to be with Penelope.

“Too tired to come drinking with us in Azmar?” she nudged him playfully. “The rest of us are going out to celebrate all five of us making it here alive.”

“Even Simon?” he quirked a brow in surprise.

“Yeah,” she grinned. “Hazel convinced him to come.” Leaning in even closer to him, she lowered her voice to a whisper. “I think he fancies her.”

“Is that so?” Crow bit his tongue to stifle an amused smirk at Rikki’s quick perception.

“I’d bet money on it,” she nodded. “Anyway, you should come with us. It’ll be fun.” Peering around him, she casted Penelope a friendly smile. “You should come too. Alistair gets pretty fun when he’s drunk.” She winked at the knight suggestively, and Crow averted his gaze, biting back a laugh.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’m going to have to pass this time,” he said with a yawn, and then glanced at the knight. “And I’m sure Penelope wouldn’t want to make the trip back to her camp hungover. Right, love?”

“Are you sure?” Rikki deflated slightly. Her eyes flicked towards Penelope for a moment, before she looked back at him and went on in a murmur, “I was kind of hoping we could pick up that raincheck tonight…”

“Sorry,” he shrugged apologetically. “Not this time.”

The female thief shook her head and let out a quiet huff, “You’re the first man I’ve met who has more resolve than I do. But fine. Just don’t keep me waiting around much longer. This girl’s got needs too.”

“Alright,” he rolled his eyes as she stood up again to rejoin his other companions as they prepared to leave for Azmar.

Turning back to Penelope, he grinned excitedly, “Looks like we won’t need an excuse to leave now, as long as we wait for them to go first.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave him a small smile as he winked at her. "Alright." She said with a hint of amusement in her voice. It seemed he intended to keep it a surprise, making her curious as to where he had in mind. However, she didn't question further, content with the reveal he had planned. Feeling rather happy that they had plans to be alone, the knight smiled faintly to herself and glanced over at Crow as she felt him slide his hand over hers.

She shifted her gaze away, not wanting to draw any attention to his subtle movement. Though they hadn't directly discussed it, she could tell he was trying to hide their relationship from his comrades and the knight could understand why, especially after seeing how Simon and Hazel reacted to her. I guess our comrades aren't too different in that aspect. She thought with dry amusement. It seemed people on both sides, knight or thief, won't understand such a relationship.

Her thoughts were cut off as Rikki popped up besides Crow. The knight turned her head to look over at the friendly thief as she spoke with Crow about going to Azmar. She eyed the two for a moment until she was caught off guard as Rikki addressed her. At her suggestive words, Penelope blinked in surprise as Rikki attempted to put her with Alistair. "Right. It's best if I just rest tonight." She agreed with Crow, giving an awkward chuckle.

The knight didn't make out much of what she said to Crow after that but the female thief clearly deflated a bit when Crow said he wouldn't be going. Seeing them interact more now, made the knight wonder exactly how close the two were. Crow had mentioned a bit about her before but the way the female thief acted told her there was a bit more to the story. At very least for Rikki. She was becoming certain that if Rikki found out about them together, she'd be upset for another reason rather than just disapproving because of their two different titles. Regardless, Penelope trusted Crow so she didn't linger on the thought for too long and quickly returned his grin with a smile of her own as he turned back to her.

"Seems we lucked out." She said with a small nod. Her gaze shifted over to the parting group. It didn't take much longer for them to head out and soon it was just the two of them. Penelope casted one last glance in the direction his companions had gone off in, making sure they were out of sight, before shifting closer to him and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Ready to go?" She asked him with an eager smile.

[Rogue Sloth]

As Crow watched Rikki and the others get ready to leave, he couldn’t help but wonder how much longer he would be able to keep his secrets from them. Penelope had only joined them for one night, and Hazel had already made the connection that they were more than just acquaintances. Granted, she had known a bit more than he expected because of the things Evelyn had told her, but still, it was getting harder to come up with excuses to keep the other thieves in the dark.

Rikki caught sight of him staring and offered a friendly wave goodbye as she turned to follow her companions out of the camp. He mirrored the gesture. Of all the thieves, she was going to be the most difficult to fool. She was the keenest to his lies—except perhaps for Hazel, who was proving to be a nuisance at reading his facial expressions—and the closest to him in general. Continuing to sneak around her without getting caught was going to stretch his creativity.

It wasn’t long before the thieves and herbalist left, and Crow found himself alone with Penelope. Almost as soon as they were all out of sight, he felt her plant a kiss on his cheek. He turned to her with a sly smile when she asked if he was ready to go. “Almost,” he said, returning her kiss briefly before rising to his feet. “I just need to get something first.” Without any further explanation, he stepped over to the supplies his companions had managed to bring from their camp in the short time they’d had to leave. Crouching down, he dug through a couple of bags, angling his body to block their contents from the knight’s sight.

After a bit of searching, he withdrew the object he had been looking for and stood up, hiding it behind his back as he walked over to Penelope again. “I had an idea to make this a bit more fun, but you’re going to have to trust me,” he smirked at her mischievously. Circling around to stand behind her, he rested one hand on her waist and touched his lips to her neck, kissing her softly as he pulled her close to himself. While it wasn’t the surprise he had intended to give her, he couldn’t help playing with her a bit by making her wait for it.

The thief slid his arm around her torso as he kissed her, meeting his other hand across her body and then slowly working his way up to her head with the object he had taken gripped in both hands. In the next moment, he grinned at her wryly and covered her eyes with a strip of clean bandage that he had turned into a makeshift blindfold.

He tied the cloth behind her head and laughed, “Got you.” Pressing a swift kiss to her cheek, he reached to take her hand in his, so that he could lead her by touch. “Okay, now we’re ready to go.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope nodded her head as he headed off to get something. She stretched out her arms for a moment and then stood up as she waited for him. The knight glanced towards him, curious what he was getting now. As he stepped back over to her, she raised an eyebrow at his words. "Alright." She agreed, though was a bit wary of that mischievous smirk on his face. He clearly had something planned and the knight had yet to catch on.

She glanced over her shoulder at him as he moved behind her. Penelope smiled as he pulled her close and began to kiss her neck. She closed her eyes for a moment and pressed back against him, enjoying their closeness and momentarily forgetting about her wariness towards whatever he was planning and had grabbed from the rest of the supplies. She turned to look over at him, just in time to catch his wry grin right before he covered her eyes with the bandages.

The knight blinked in surprise, barely having time to react as her vision was quickly cut off by the blindfold. She heard Crow's laugh and rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous." She laughed softly. "I'm beginning to think I need to start not trusting you." Feeling him kiss her cheek and then take her hand, she gave his hand a small squeeze. "Ok but just know that if I trip or something, I'm taking you down with me." Penelope smirked as she carefully stepped closer to him. Having her sight cut off made the knight a lot more cautious of her movement.

[Rogue Sloth]

“I’ve told you before never to trust a thief,” Crow leaned into Penelope’s side teasingly. “Although I think it’s much more fun when you ignore that advice, because this thief will always keep you on your toes. That’s a promise.” Giving her hand a gentle tug, he guided her toward the southern hillside. As they walked he was careful to follow a path that would be easy for the knight to take without tripping, since he didn’t want her to get hurt. Fortunately, it wasn’t much of a concern because the place to which he intended bring her wasn’t terribly far from the thieves’ makeshift camp.

Crow led Penelope through the forest for a while, not speaking much since he was mostly focused on making sure she had a clear route between the foliage. Already, he could feel his heart beginning to race with excitement. He had been looking forward to sharing this place with the knight for a long time now, and even though this hadn’t been the way he had expected it to happen, he was glad she was finally coming with him to see it.

Eventually, he began to notice familiar scenery, indicating that they were almost there. “Alright, we’re getting close, so no peeking,” he said to Penelope, giving her hand a stern squeeze.

After walking just a bit further, he came to a stop and let go of Penelope’s hand, moving to stand behind her as he rested his hands on her shoulders. “We’re here,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek once more before reaching to lift the blindfold from her eyes. Once he had taken it off, he wrapped his arms around her torso and rested his chin against her shoulder, taking in the sight as she did.

They were standing on the edge of a short cliff overlooking a lake. The ridge circled around the water to the right, where a distant waterfall could be seen, reflected in the moonlight. Below, the dark water of the lake mirrored the moon and stars above. However, because of the cascades of the waterfall, the reflection was distorted in rippling waves that gave it an almost dreamlike quality. It was a peaceful spot, and it was one of the thief’s favorite places in the outer villages.

“Well, what do you think?” Crow turned to her with a smile. “Was it worth the walk?”

[BuzzingBee]

"Well, I suppose I agree with you on that." Penelope mused with a small smile as she began to follow him. She walked slowly, trying to make sure she didn't stumble over any unseen obstacle. Luckily, the pathway seemed fairly easy to follow thanks to Crow's guidance so she didn't have too much trouble following him. "I won't." She promised with an eager smile as he mentioned them getting closer.

She eventually felt them come to a stop. The knight noticed him move behind her and felt a rush of excitement as the blindfold loosened and was eventually removed. Her gaze landed on the scenery before them and her eyes widened with surprise. She fell silent for a moment, simply taking in the sight. Her gaze finally broke away from the lake as Crow spoke up besides her. The knight turned to look over at him and smiled. "Definitely." She said in a soft voice. "It's beautiful here."

Her gaze drifted back over to the lake for a moment. It didn't take very long for her to piece together where they were. She remembered him saying that the meet up place had been near Farhill and that Farhill was located next to a lake. This must be one of the spots that he talked about before.. She thought, her smile faltering slightly. Though she was happy to be with him there now, she still felt a small ache of sorrow and guilt that it had taken them so long to get there.

Trying to focus on the present rather than the future that never was, she turned back to Crow and pressed a few kisses along his neck as she leaned closer to him. "Thank you for bringing me here." She told him with a bright smile as she pulled back slightly to meet his gaze.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow grinned happily when Penelope said she thought the lake was beautiful. He was glad she enjoyed it too, since it was a place that meant a lot to him. When he was younger, he had spent quite a few nights sleeping on the top of the ridge where they were currently standing. It was close enough to Farhill that he could find sanctuary with the villagers there, yet far enough away that he didn’t have to adhere to their rules about following the law. Additionally, he had never seen anyone else in this particular spot before, so he was fairly certain that it wasn’t very well known.

Most of the people in Farhill went to the northern side of the lake, where the ground met the water in a rocky beach that was good for docking their fishing boats. The only ones who climbed up any part of the cliffside were the young men who jumped off it into the lake to impress village girls. The thief smiled to himself as he remembered a few times when he had joined them in the more shallow parts of the lake that he was able to get out of with minimal swimming. While he hadn’t been trying to catch anyone’s eye, he enjoyed the rush of free falling through the air before he’d hit the water. It was an exhilarating feeling.

When he wasn’t using the cliffside for thrills, Crow found it a peaceful place to rest and clear his head. The view was beautiful, and at night there was never anyone close enough by to interrupt. In fact, Penelope was the first person he had ever brought there with him. He closed his eyes, holding her close as he leaned his head against hers. He hadn’t told her, but this was the place where he had wanted to ask her to marry him two years back. It was strange to think how differently everything had turned out since then.

For a moment, he toyed with the idea of asking her now, but quickly put the thought aside. Between the complication of their lives, the ongoing war, and the illness he had yet to figure out, it didn’t feel like the right time. He let out his breath in a peaceful exhale, nestling a bit closer to her. He didn’t have to make any grand gestures to enjoy his time with her there. As long as she was at his side, he would be content with the way things were for now.

After a short silence passed, he felt Penelope turn and kiss him along his neck. He sighed softly, melting into the touch of her lips against his skin. “No, thank you for coming here with me,” he shook his head and smiled. Leaning in again, he briefly closed the distance between them with a gentle kiss. “I love you, Penelope,” he murmured before meeting her lips again more passionately. Snaking his arms around her, he ran his hands sensuously over her body as they kissed, subtly guiding her away from the edge of the cliff to protect both of them from falling in their distraction.

Once they were comfortably far from the overhang, he shifted to stand in front of her, pressing one hand to the small of her back to hold her body against his while he caressed the back of her neck with the other. Feeling a bit flirtatious, he took her bottom lip between his teeth in a soft bite and then moved to kiss her along her jawline, reaching around to toy with the fastening of her clothing in an unspoken hint that he wanted to take things farther.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope let out a content sigh as he pressed a kiss to her lips. Between the scenery in front of her and Crow besides her, the knight nearly felt like they were in their own world, far from the troubles they would eventually have to face again. Thoughts of war, illness, and their differing statuses were pushed to the back of her mind as she looked over at him. "I love you too." She mumbled, her eyes drifting to his lips desirously and leaned in to meet him in another kiss.

She met him with equal passion and moved to rest one hand against his cheek as they kissed. The knight barely noticed him shift them away from the cliff, a little too distracted by his touch as she willingly followed his lead. As he shifted in front of her, she wrapped her arms around him and grinned faintly as he gave her bottom lip a soft bite. While he kissed along her jaw, she moved one hand up to lightly run her fingers through his hair, shivering at the feeling of his lips against her skin.

Feeling him toying with the fastening of her dress, she traced her hands down his arms before beginning to loosen the ties of her shirt. She pulled back from him slightly to slip the fabric off before pressing back into him. Penelope met his lips in another passionate kiss before pulling back, flashing a small, mischievous smirk. Glancing over her shoulder, she made sure the ground was clear before clasping his tunic in her hand and giving him a small tug, pulling him down to the ground with her.

Penelope laid her head back to look up at him, finding her heart racing excitedly as she met his gaze. The knight smiled affectionately at him and pressed a few kisses to neck while she trailed her hands down to the hem of his tunic. "I'll never understand how I got so lucky meeting you." She murmured against his skin.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow gave Penelope a bit of space as she moved to remove her shirt but was quick to meet her lips again once she had finished. He ran his hands over her smooth body, pressing deeply into the kiss in his desire for her. No matter how many times he saw the knight, she always had a way of making his heart race that was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. He marveled at how fortunate he was to be with a woman as beautiful as her and to have somehow managed to win her heart.

He opened his eyes as he felt her pull away from him, blinking in surprise at the mischievous look on her face. When she pulled on his shirt, his shock gave way to amusement, and he grinned as he allowed her to drag him down to the ground with her. He had forgotten how much bolder she had gotten with intimate situations over the past two years. It was a change in her that he thoroughly enjoyed, since he didn’t have to initiate every move anymore.

Lying on top of her now, he let out a quiet sigh as she kissed him along his neck. “I’ll say,” he murmured in agreement. “Meeting you was worth every second I spent in prison.” As he felt her hands on the hem of his tunic, he shifted slightly to let her pull the clothing over his head. Once it was off, he leaned down to meet her lips again, propping himself up on one arm while he ran his free hand sensuously over her chest.

After a bit, he pulled away to meet her gaze with a devilish smirk of his own. Reaching back, he pulled the makeshift blindfold from his pocket and winked at her slyly, “How about we get a little more use out of this, huh?”

--

Crow laid back in the grass, one arm around Penelope, and closed his eyes as he caught his breath. Since she was getting more confident with him, he had decided to be a bit wilder with her in return. The extra effort was tiring but well worth the satisfaction that came with it. He let out a content exhale and looked over at the knight with a dazed grin, “You know, I’m starting to think the patrols finding us wasn’t such a bad thing, because that was great.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked over at him as she laid besides him in the grass. She gave a breathless chuckle at his words. "I think we certainly made the best of a bad day." She agreed with a small smirk, blushing faintly. The knight held up the bandage blindfold in one hand, twirling it with her fingers. "Can't say I've done something like that before." She mused dazedly as she looked up at the object in her hand before placing it off to the side.

She turned, shifting closer to him, as she wrap an arm over him and rested her head against his chest. The knight closed her eyes, remaining pressed against his side. She was tempted to fall asleep right there, finding herself warm and comfortable in his embrace. However, she knew they likely couldn't risk staying out much longer. His companions would eventually return to camp and they needed to beat them back. She was also worried about his illness. After seeing him collapse earlier, the knight guessed that he needed as much rest as he could get.

At the thought of it, she frowned, feeling a growing mixture of worry and fear over his waning health. Penelope looked over at him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "We should get going." She mumbled, shifting away from him to collect her clothes. The knight slipped her shirt back on over her head and glanced over her shoulder at him. The day had been long, filled with avoiding knights, traveling to the meet up point and them sneaking off to be together.

She felt her worry grow, wondering if it would have been wiser for them to just stay in camp and get rest rather than traveling to the lake and sleeping together. How stupid of me..The knight thought with a grimace. She had been so caught up in her desire to spend as much time with him as she could that she didn't consider the strain it might put him under. "How are you feeling?" She asked tentatively as she looked over at him.

[Rogue Sloth]

“I told you I had more tricks up my sleeve,” Crow smirked at Penelope wryly when she said she had never done anything like that before. “I wasn’t just talking about lying.” He closed his eyes, stroking her arm gently as she curled up against him. With the knight’s warm presence and the security of their secluded spot above the lake, he considered taking a short nap before returning to the camp. After all, if the other thieves got as drunk in Azmar as they usually did, he doubted they would notice that he and Penelope had disappeared together. As long as they made it back before daybreak, no one would know they were ever gone.

Content with the plan, he began to let himself drift off. However, he didn’t get a chance before he heard Penelope announce that they should go back. He opened his eyes again and frowned as she pulled away from him to get up. Propping himself up on his arms, he saw that she was already gathering her clothes, so he gave a reluctant nod, “Alright.” Though he was still confused by her sudden urge to get back to the camp, he complied with the knight’s request, collecting his own clothing from the ground and getting dressed.

At her following question, he shrugged and looked over at her with an amused smile, “Tired, yet satisfied. Why do you ask?” Suddenly, he blinked as he realized she was thinking about his illness again. He shifted slightly and averted his gaze. He knew that this would happen if she found out about it. It was why he had tried so hard to keep it a secret. Now that she knew he was sick, she was just going to keep worrying about him. He didn’t want her to carry that burden.

Crow let out his breath in a sigh and stepped over to take her hands, pressing a comforting kiss to her forehead. “Darling, I’m fine,” he said softly. “I may be ill, but I don’t need to be coddled, so please don’t treat me differently because of it.” He nudged her teasingly. “Besides, I honestly feel much better after being with you tonight. Maybe you’re the cure I needed after all.” He laughed, hoping to lift her spirits with the sultry humor.

Leaning in to kiss her on the lips, he dropped one of her hands and then straightened up again to ask, “So, are you ready to go, love?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope finished getting dressed and turned to him as he stepped over to her and kissed her forehead. As he answered her, she gave an uncertain look as he tried to reassure her. "Well it's not exactly just a simple cough, Crow." She said with a small frown of worry as she looked up at him. The knight was worried he'd push himself too much and somehow make his condition worse. At his attempt to lift her spirits, she gave an amused smile at his words and rolled her eyes.

She was still worried about him but he seemed to be alright for now so she let the topic slide. However, Penelope still planned to be a little more cautious of his illness in the future. She leaned in to meet his lips as he kissed her. "Yeah, let's go." She told him, giving his hand a soft squeeze. Unfamiliar with the way they had come due to being blindfolded, she let Crow take the lead.

Following after him, the knight casted a glance back over her shoulder at the cliff before looking over at Crow. Despite her concern about his health and all the trouble they had been through, she was happy about the way the day had turned out. She was able to spend most of her day with him, making the trouble she would face returning to camp seem like a small price to pay. The thought made her wonder when they would be able to meet again. Between him losing the camp and her having to do damage control for being gone for so long, she doubted it would be anytime soon, making her heart sink slightly. It was difficult to only be able to see him for short periods of time, especially when the meetings were far apart.

Penelope let out a small sigh and pressed closer to him as they walked. "So when do you think we'll be able to meet again?" She asked him softly. "I figure it'll take a while for things to calm down at my camp.. Maybe around five or six days."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow nodded as Penelope said she was ready to go. Holding her hand in his, he took the lead as they began the walk back to their camp. While he wished they’d had more time, he was glad she had been willing to join him on one more late-night adventure before going back to her camp. It reminded him of old times and made him excited for the future to come. He hoped the war ended soon so they would be able to be with each other without all the complications of their current lives. He couldn’t wait to take her to more of the places in the outer villages that he loved.

Thinking about it again, he felt a wave of happiness that they had a second chance to be together. For so long, he had thought the door was closed, yet here they were two years later, walking hand in hand through the forest by Farhill. As long as nothing else pulled them apart, the future they had wanted was still within reach. His heart fluttered eagerly at the fantasy of settling down with her in the outer villages. It was a life he never thought he would want, yet now he couldn’t imagine turning any other way when the war was over.

He glanced down at Penelope, smiling softly as she leaned into his side. At her question, he took a moment to think before answering. She was right that they would have to wait a while before seeing each other after everything that had happened between their two groups. He knew that he and the other thieves would be busy trying to find a new place to set up camp. They would also have to buy new supplies in a market, since they weren’t going to go back to their old hideout after the knights had found it. He supposed they could steal some of the things they needed, but it was safer to lay low for a while and just use to money they had saved up for emergencies like this.

“As much as I hate to say it, we should probably meet again in a week,” Crow said with a frown. “That will give you enough time for things to blow over in your camp, and hopefully by then, my companions and I will have a new place to live.” He paused, thinking something over before going on. “I’m not sure where I’ll be by then, but we can meet in Myrefall again. If we end up needing to find a new meeting location because that village is too far for me, we can decide on it then. Sound good?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a reluctant nod as Crow said they should meet in a week. "Sounds good." She agreed. Though it made sense, the knight couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that they would have to go without seeing each other for a while. The feeling made her wonder how she had gone two years without seeing him. She glanced over at the thief, longing for the day when they could settle down together without any mission or war standing in their path. Though some things had changed, her desire for a future with him felt the same as it had two years ago. The knight shifted her gaze ahead, briefly thinking about how she had thought settling down with him was impossible after failing her mission.

The thought turned longing into determination to not repeat past mistakes. So long as I've got air in my lungs, I won't give up. She silently promised. However, the troubling reminder of his illness crossed her mind. Perhaps they could survive a war but could he survive his sickness? Penelope felt uneasy. Even if the herbalist was able find a cure, the knight worried it wouldn't be soon enough, especially if Crow kept pushing himself so he could continue to protect the villagers and his companions. She frowned a little. As soon as she handled her reappearance back at camp, she'd make sure to speak with a physician about working with Hazel as soon as she got the chance.

As they neared the camp, the knight let out a tired sigh. "I can't wait for this war to be over.." She muttered shaking her head. Her gaze eyed the empty camp ahead of them for a moment before looking back over at him. Pushing down the negative thoughts of what stood in their way, she smiled dreamily, focusing on being with him after the war. "We won't have to worry about the next battle or meeting again... I'm proud of my job but gods, I think after all of this I'll have done enough. I think I've already had my fill of fighting for the kingdom." She rolled her shoulders then casted him a teasing smirk.

"Fair warning, I might just become lazy and sleep most of the day." The knight paused, her smirk fading as she took on a more thoughtful look as she thought about what life would be like after the war. Though she knew she wanted to be with him, she hadn't thought much about the details, such as getting married, the possibility of children or what she would do after leaving behind her work as a knight. "It's going to be strange not being a knight though." She mused in a more serious tone.

[Rogue Sloth]

As they lapsed back into silence, Crow’s mind wandered back to the other thieves and what he was going to do with them once the war was over. After living together for over a year, they had become an integral part of his life, and he found that he was unexpectedly sad to leave them. Of course, he knew that he didn’t necessarily have to leave them the same way that Penelope would have to leave the other knights. He wasn’t being forced out of a high status or job, and his companions would still accept him if he brought her in to live with them.

However, even though he knew nothing would likely change for him, he was concerned about how they would treat Penelope. She was giving up everything to be with him, but he didn’t know if the other thieves would understand that. At the very least, he was certain that Simon would never trust a noblewoman—even one who had abandoned her social class. Alistair and Rikki seemed like they would be more accommodating, but he couldn’t be sure about them either, since they also had their reasons for disliking knights. They might be friendly now, but would they continue to act that way if he announced that she would be joining them permanently? He didn’t know the answer.

Besides that, he wanted to give Penelope the best life that he could provide for her. Bringing her in to live with a rogue band of thieves wasn’t what he had promised her. He wanted to give her a life where they could start over together, far from anything that would get between them or cause them more trouble. Unfortunately, that included his companions.

Eventually, Crow could see the valley up ahead where they had made camp, and he felt a burst of relief. After such a long day, he could feel his exhaustion finally catching up with him, and he wanted nothing more than to lay down and get some sleep.

As they neared the camp, he glanced over at Penelope as he heard her speak up about her excitement for the war to end. He laughed softly at her teasing smirk. “I’ll say,” he squeezed her hand fondly. “You haven’t even been involved in this war for a full season, yet you’ve already done so much for your kingdom and its people. There are many who owe you their lives… including me.” He shuddered as he thought about how he and Hazel probably would have died if the knight hadn’t warned them about the patrols. Even after doing that, she had helped him get to safety when he had been in no condition to save himself.

“Fair warning, I might just become lazy and sleep most of the day,” Penelope’s expression was somber. “It’s going to be strange not being a knight though.”

Crow eyed her for a moment and then slowed to a stop. Moving to stand in front of her, he tugged on her hand to pull her close and slid his other arm around her back. He then leaned in to meet her lips, kissing her passionately before drawing back to hold her gaze. “You may not be a knight anymore, but I’m sure you’ll find something else to give you purpose,” he smiled confidently. “There’s a lot of brokenness in the outer villages that need people like you to help fix. Even if you don’t have the power of a noble, there are still ways that you’ll be able to protect the people out here.” He shifted his weight, blushing slightly as he went on, “A-and maybe if you feel like you’ve done enough there… you could find purpose in your family… our family.”

He averted his gaze uncomfortably. They had never discussed anything like this before, so he suddenly felt awkward being the first to bring it up. Clearing his throat, he went on hurriedly, “Anyway, I think there are still a lot of things left for you to take pride in, so I doubt you’ll actually spend the days sleeping as you think you will. And even if you do, you deserve it after everything you’ve done for your kingdom.” He smiled softly. “You’re an amazing knight, love. Whatever sort of future you want, I’ll do my best to make it happen.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope looked over at him with mild confusion as he slowed to a stop and moved in front of her. As he pulled her close,, her confusion faded into a smile as she leaned in to meet his lips and wrapped her arms around him. The knight looked up at him as he pulled back and assured her that she'd find a place amongst the outer villages. She gave a small nod of agreement, knowing she'd eventually figure out something to do. The thought of not being a knight was merely strange to her. After training and working as one for her whole life, the shift into a different career path would be a bit difficult.

“A-and maybe if you feel like you’ve done enough there… you could find purpose in your family… our family.”

Her eyes widened at his words with unbridled surprise. She felt her heart flutter, excited by the thought of them creating a family. It was strange how differently she looked at the idea of children and marriage when it came to her future with Crow. Before meeting him, she had been solely focused on her career with little care for the idea of marrying or having children. Largely because she had expected to either remain alone or be pushed into an arranged marriage, not truly caring about which it ended up being.

However, after meeting him, that changed greatly. It was difficult to imagine herself marrying anyone else. Even though she had come close to marrying Gavin, it had been an arrangement she was originally forced into, something that wasn't her choice. Crow, however, was her choice. The thought of marrying him and raising children together made her heart fill with warmth for the possibilities their future together held. It made her happy to know that he was thinking about it too. Penelope smiled up at him lovingly. "Gods I love you." She giggled before leaning up and kissing him deeply as she pressed into him.

After a moment, she pulled back and rest her forehead against his. The knight met his gaze and smiled. "I know I'll figure something out once the time comes." She mused in agreement with his words. Though she didn't believe she had done that much for her kingdom - especially considering her failure to prevent the war - she was grateful Crow seemed to think she had done well as a knight.

"It'll just take a while to get used to the idea of that changing." She told him with a shrug. She reached a hand up and lightly toyed with his hair as she averted her gaze off to the side, blushing a little. "And what you said earlier sounds pretty good too... Our family.. I mean." Penelope felt a little embarrassed by bringing up the topic again. It wasn't something they had really discussed before and was meant for the distant future, but the knight wanted him to know that she was having similar thoughts when it came to their future together.

Penelope let him go and took a small step back, her gaze shifting over to the camp before looking back over at Crow. "We should both get to bed soon. It's getting pretty late." She told him, quickly switching the subject to relieve herself from some of the bashfulness she felt.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow met Penelope’s lips with rivaling desire, pleasantly surprised by her reaction as she leaned up to kiss him. He was glad that his comment hadn’t scared her off. Since they had only just gotten together again, it felt soon to bring up the idea of starting a family, but he couldn’t help himself. It was something he found that he was looking forward to, and he wanted her to know it—even if it wasn’t something they would be expecting to do for quite a while.

When Penelope pulled back from the kiss to rest her forehead against his, he opened his eyes and grinned at her breathlessly, running his hand along her back. At her following words, he was relieved to know that she wasn’t as upset as he had thought about the idea of giving up her knighthood. However, he knew it was still going to be a difficult transition for her, so he planned to do his best to make that change as easy for her as possible. He wanted her to see that the life they were going to have together would be much better than anything her life as a noble had to offer.

He was about to tell her again but wavered as he noticed her take on a bashful look that caught him by surprise. Not used to seeing her like that, he found the expression to be somewhat charming. However, what she said next got his heart racing even more. She’s thought about it too, his eyes widened in realization, and his lip curled upward in a smile of its own accord. He wasn’t the only one that had thought about the prospect of starting a family. Somehow, knowing that made him even more eager for their future together.

As Penelope stepped out of his arms and announced that they should go to bed, he nodded in agreement, quickly reading that she wanted to change the subject. While he was excited to find out that they were on the same page about their life to come, he knew they would have plenty of time to discuss what that life would look like later on. There was no point in talking about it now, when it wouldn’t happen for quite some time.

Moving a little closer to her, Crow brought a hand to her chin to gently tilt her head up as he leaned in to kiss her once more. Unlike their last kiss, he met her lips tenderly until he pulled back to hold her gaze. “I can’t wait to be with you for the rest of my life, no matter what it looks like,” he murmured with a soft smile. “I love you, Penelope.”

Touching one more kiss to her forehead, he walked with her over to the bedrolls that had been laid out by the others and took one that was close to the spot Rikki had set up for the knight. Laying down tiredly, he glanced over at her and sighed, “I also can’t wait for the day when we can sleep next to each other again.” Once he had settled down comfortably, he drew his blanket over his body and reached across the gap between them to give her hand a squeeze. “Goodnight, love,” he yawned. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled against his lips as he kissed her again. "I love you too, Collin." She mumbled as he kissed her forehead. She walked with him over to the bedrolls and stepped over to the bed Rikki had laid out for her. The knight stretched, feeling weary from the long day they had had and the thought of the long day she had coming up. She began to settle down for the night and glanced over at Crow as he spoke again. "Me too." She agreed with a small frown as she thought about how long it had been since she was able to wake up besides him. It seemed they'd have to wait until after the war before they'd be able to do that again.

She laid down comfortably and shifted to look over at him as he reached over and placed his hand over hers. "Goodnight." She mumbled before closing her eyes. The knight quickly felt herself begin to drift off to sleep.

---

She sleep rather soundly through the night, only stirring a little when the others returned to the camp. Despite how tired she had been, the knight woke up rather early in the morning. Light from the sun seemed to hit her eyes just perfectly enough to eventually wake her up. Penelope let out a quiet groan and rolled over onto her back as she opened her eyes. She blinked at the unfamiliar setting and it took her a moment to recall all that had occurred the day before. Once it sank in, she sat up and glanced around at the thieves around her.

Crow's companions all seemed to be fast asleep, likely knocked out due to how much alcohol they had consumed the night before. Alistair's face was buried into his mat making it seem like the male thief had simply collapsed upon his return home, which she guessed wasn't too far off from the truth. She also noted that Simon had chosen the mat furthest away from her. Though, he seemed a little more put together than the other male thief, even in his sleep. Her gaze finally drifted over to where Crow was sleeping nearby and stiffened slightly as she noticed how close Rikki rested besides him. The female thief was curled up besides him with half of her body on her own mat and the rest on his as she slept comfortably.

The knight shifted her gaze away uncomfortably. It seemed her guess about them hadn't been too far off. Though she couldn't blame Crow for being with someone else during their time apart, it seemed like he had yet to actually put distance between him and Rikki which did leave a feeling of unease for Penelope. It also left a spark of jealousy, wishing she was able to sleep besides him instead. After having such a peaceful time with him the night before, she didn't want to dwell on it now but couldn't help but feel an urge to wake him up, if only to get him away from the female thief.

However, she didn't, quickly reminding herself that he likely had some reasoning and that he needed to get as much rest as he could since he was sick. To wake him up merely out of jealousy would be selfish and foolish so instead the knight carefully stepped away from the sleeping group and moved to stand at the other edge of camp. Her gaze flickered out at the early morning sky and she crossed her arms, wondering when she should leave. While she did want to wait for Crow to wake up, she wasn't sure she had the time and the knight didn't want to wake him while he still had a chance to get a decent amount of sleep. She let out a small sigh and turned her head as she heard footsteps. She noticed the herbalist stepping back over to the camp and mumbled a quiet, "Good morning."

"Already scurrying off to the other rats?" The herbalist seemed to have just returned to camp and was eying Penelope with the same cold look she had from the night before.

"I think so." Penelope answered quietly, ignoring the insult. "I want to get back to my camp as soon as I can."

Hazel glanced towards the sleeping thieves then looked back at Penelope, crossing her arms. "Does he already know you're leaving right now?"

Penelope shook her head and Hazel snorted. "What a perfect pair." She muttered bitterly. "Typical rat." The knight raised an eyebrow at the herbalist's words, a little confused by them and what they meant. All of it just seemed like an insult and she was confused why Hazel was so quick to find it wrong of her to leave without alerting Crow. Unless... The knight blinked. Does she know about us? She was tempted to ask to find out but if the herbalist didn't know and was merely just distrusting of her, she didn't want to cause for any suspicion.

"I just figured it'd be best to let him get as much sleep as he can right?" Penelope said narrowing her eyes at Hazel. She took a step towards the herbalist, making her tense up. Penelope casted a look at the others to make sure they were still asleep and then lowered her voice as she added, "I know he's sick."

Hazel eyes widened at the knight's words. "What?" She growled. "He told you that? Exactly how much do you know, rat?"

Penelope flinched at her sharp words and motioned for her to keep her voice down, worried the herbalist would wake the others. "Calm down. I only found out yesterday and certainly not willingly." She told her then crossed her arms as she looked at Hazel with annoyance as she referred to her as a rat again. "Also the name's Penelope."

"Didn't ask." Hazel spat, though quietly this time. "Explain what happened."

The knight shot her a glare. This herbalist was beginning to remind her of her brother in some ways. At least, they both seemed to share a foul temper. However, not looking to start a fight, the knight decided to continue to ignore her less than pleasant attitude. "We nearly got caught by a patrol after you let the other day.. We were escaping together when he suddenly collapsed. After that, I got him to tell me about what was wrong..." She paused glancing over towards the thief with a hint of worry slipping into her stoic gaze. "That it was a disease from Myrefall and, that it kills... And that you were trying to help him to find a cure."

Penelope looked back over at Hazel as she heard the herbalist muttering something about an idiot snake. "Do you think you'll be able to do it?" She asked quietly. "Find a cure, I mean."

Hazel met Penelope's gaze for a moment, seeming wary as she looked at the knight. The knight held her gaze, anxious at what the reply would be. She wanted to know what the herbalist thought so far, praying that she was already on track to cure the illness. "As far as I'm concerned that's none of your business." Hazel snorted. Then paused, eying Penelope with a searching gaze that made the knight uneasy. "Why do you care so much anyways, knight?"

Penelope shifted a bit at her question. "He's a friend." She replied simply. "It's the same reason why I give him the information that I do."

Hazel narrowed her eyes distrustingly. The knight let out a small sigh. It was beginning to seem like the herbalist merely thought she had ulterior motives rather than actually knowing or suspecting them of being together. Which would be much easier to deal with, especially since Penelope doubted it would cause to much trouble. She relaxed a little.

"Anyways," Penelope began again as Hazel didn't reply right away. "I should be going.. Can you do me a favor and tell him I said goodbye and I'll see him in a week once he wakes up?"

"I don't do favors for noble scum." Hazel grumbled.

The knight rolled her eyes. "Well then can you do him another favor and tell him I said that? It's best if I just leave without waking him just to say goodbye."

"I'll think about it." Hazel muttered.

"Thanks." Penelope said with a hint of bitterness as Hazel's unwillingness to do such a simple thing. She was about to head off but paused before quickly adding. "Also please, ask him about the physician. He'll know what I mean by that." This time the knight didn't wait for Hazel's reply and gave a small dip of her head to the herbalist before turning to head off in the direction of her camp.