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

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow cursed silently as Gavin insisted on crossing the river through the water. Even though it did look safe to cross, he could already feel his heartbeat begin to pick up with nervousness. He’d had enough bad experiences in the past trusting slow and shallow looking rivers, only to find out the currents that ran beneath the surface had been strong enough to sweep him off his feet. Rivers were deceitful things, so he preferred to stay on land, well out of their reach.

He glanced at Penelope as she spoke up in defense of his idea, hoping her word would be enough to sway her stubborn ex suitor, but unfortunately, Gavin seemed convinced that the thief was trying to throw them off course somehow. He wished the knight would put his competitiveness aside and realize that he was trying to help them. It was becoming a nuisance to always butt heads with him every time a decision had to be made, especially since this particular decision could potentially put his safety at risk.

As Gavin stepped into the water, Crow shifted his weight uncomfortably, debating whether he should just tell the knight that he couldn’t swim. However, even though he knew it could be dangerous for him to cross the river, he couldn’t bring himself to confess his inability to the other man. It was prideful, but he didn’t want to admit the weakness out loud, and especially not to Gavin. The only reason he had told Penelope long ago was because he had been exhausted, and that river had been deep enough that he couldn’t have crossed by himself. The circumstances this time weren’t quite the same.

He blinked as he felt Penelope link arms with him, suddenly realizing how tensely he had been standing. Fortunately, Olivia and Gavin had already begun crossing the river, so neither of them seemed to notice his reluctance to follow. As she tried to reassure him that she would be by his side, he nodded faintly. “I know,” he murmured. “And I trust you. I just wish he wouldn’t be so stubborn about this. The real crossing point isn’t even that far from here.” He shook his head, letting out a long sigh. “Well, I guess there’s nothing we can do about it now… Might as well get it over with.”

Fighting back against his instinct to stay away from the rushing water, Crow walked with Penelope to the water’s edge. As they stepped in, his heart pounded with anxiousness and fear flashed briefly across his face. The water immediately soaked his boots and the bottom of his pants, chilling his skin. The unpleasant sensation did nothing to improve his feelings about the situation.

“I hope you’ve got a good hold, love,” he muttered bitterly, forcing himself to regain control of his facial expression in case the other knights looked back at them. “Because I’m about one strong current away from running out of this godsforsaken river.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope frowned softly and gave a small nod of agreement at his words. Gavin had been intent on crossing there and though most of his stubbornness came from not trusting Crow, she was aware that it would be faster for them. She supposed it made sense for the male knight, who was unaware of the thief's inability to swim, to want to cross through the shallow part of the river. Watching the other two knights head into the water first, she followed after them at Crow's side, setting a slower pace as she was all too aware of his reluctance to cross the water.

"I'll make sure I do then." she mused softly as they began to cross. Penelope pressed closer to him as she stepped carefully through the water. The female knight kept an eye ahead on the other two knights, watching to see if the current picked up at any point. Noticing Gavin stumble slightly at one point, she guessed that the current was likely a little stronger ahead, however it didn't seem enough to be overly concerned about.

She glanced over at Crow and moved to rest her free hand on his arm, giving it a gentle rub in hopes of comforting him a bit. There wasn't much else she could do to help him but she hoped her actions were enough to keep him from freaking out. "It might pick up a little bit here so do go running across otherwise you might really lose your balance." she mumbled to him as she felt the currents pick up slightly as they reached the middle.

Her grip on him tightened slightly, both because she was worried he'd be tempted to dart across the river as well as because she wanted to make sure she'd be able to help him if he did end up losing his balance anyways.

[Rogue Sloth]

As they crossed through the water to the other side of the river, Crow was relieved to find that it seemed to stay consistently shallow. He was still tense with nervousness, since the riverbed could still drop off unexpectedly beneath his feet, but the water never rose past the middle of his thigh at its deepest point. It looked like Gavin had been right after all.

Penelope’s consistent presence at his side helped quite a bit as well. He was certain that if he had been crossing by himself, he would have been much more anxious. However, by focusing on the feeling of her stable arm around his and the occasional comforting strokes of her free hand, he managed to stay calm enough to focus on finding sure footing beneath the rapids. It was a good thing too, because not long after they reached the center of the river, he heard her warn him about fast currents.

He nodded wordlessly, grimacing as he felt a conveniently timed rush of water tug at his legs. Still, the depth never seemed to increase, so he kept moving, feeling a bit reassured that even if he did stumble, he could always regain his footing. The only real danger would be if he fell. He’d never seen it in person, but the thief had heard stories of other people getting their feet trapped beneath rocks on the riverbed and being forced beneath the surface by powerful rapids. If they couldn’t manage to free themselves, they would drown. The thought made him shudder, since he knew he would be in too much of a panic to pay attention to his footing if he fell in the river.

Suddenly more eager to get out of the water, he focused his attention on making it to the other bank with Penelope.

Fortunately, he only stumbled once by the time they made it back to solid ground. Crow was quick to hurry out of the river, his legs trembling slightly with a mixture of leftover adrenaline and relief. He wanted to sit down and take a break to recover from the stress of crossing the water, but he didn’t have a chance before Gavin addressed the group again.

“Now that everyone is here, let’s keep going,” the knight said mercilessly. He turned and kept walking without waiting for a reply.

Crow groaned and leaned his weight into Penelope’s side in a slightly exaggerated manner. “I can’t believe you almost married that guy,” he sighed. “Does he even know how to rest?”

[BuzzingBee]

The knight made her way across the river without much trouble. The tug of the water wasn't terrible and she managed to keep relatively steady as they made their way across to join the others. As they neared the other side of the bank, Penelope relaxed again and released Crow's arm as the thief hurried onto dry land. She followed a couple steps behind him and looked ahead towards the other two knights as Gavin encouraged them to keep moving.

She rolled her eyes as Crow leaned into her and gave a small smile. "Not really." she told him as she glanced ahead towards Gavin. "He's a hard worker. I doubt he'll ever slow down." Gavin had always been very career focused for as long as Penelope had known him. Even though he had weaseled his way onto the patrol for less than admirable reasons, she was certain he was still taking the mission as serious as any. He might have been a bit tiring at times but it was another trait Penelope liked about the male knight, especially since she had been with him during a time when she was focused solely on her career.

However, she kept that part to herself, deciding it likely wouldn't be a good idea to praise the male knight in front of Crow. Though she viewed him as a friend, Gavin had still been her suitor at one point and clearly still hadn't given up hope that she would eventually go back to him. So instead, Penelope shrugged her shoulders and flashed Crow an amused smirk.

"Besides, he was picked by my father." she added quietly, briefly thinking of when John had forced her into the courtship. Picturing his stoic face and reminded of his stern attitude, she sighed, "I think that in itself probably explains enough."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shrugged when Penelope explained that Gavin had been chosen by her father. He supposed it made sense. From the little he knew of noble courtship, it seemed like suitors were often chosen by the woman’s parents, and she was obviously no exception. Thinking back on his one encounter with John during their last mission, it also made sense that he would have selected someone as work-focused as Gavin for his daughter. Although, he had to wonder why John arranged their marriage in the first place. He had thought that Penelope’s father had wanted her to become a knight rather than settle down. Had something changed his mind?

Deciding it probably wasn’t the best idea to ask her while Olivia and Gavin were around, he kept the question to himself. Instead, he planted a quick kiss on her cheek and reached to take her hand. “Well, it’s too late to stop him now,” he said, following the others as they walked on ahead. “We might as well try not to give him another reason to be angry with me.”

As they continued towards Aramoor, another thought passed through Crow’s mind that made him frown. If Penelope’s engagement had been arranged by her father, was it really broken off just because she had said she didn’t want to marry Gavin? It sounded like the power to terminate the courtship rested with John.

Maybe that’s why Gavin didn’t try very hard to keep her from leaving him for me, he mused with a shudder. If her father really was the one who had the final say on her marriage to the knight, then it might be harder than they thought to get her out of it. The thought was upsetting to him.

“Hey,” he said softly, casting her a concerned glance and slowing his pace a bit to put some more distance between them and the others. “If your courtship was arranged by your father, then what’s going to happen if he finds out you left your suitor before the war ends?” He held her gaze searchingly. He wanted to believe John wouldn’t cause them any trouble when they eventually left to be together in the outer villages, but that hope was looking less and less likely the more he thought about it. “Don’t tell me he’d rush your marriage,” he stepped a bit closer to her, as if the gesture could somehow prevent her father from taking her away.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled up at Crow and nodded her head as she walked besides him, giving his hand a small squeeze. She fell quiet for a moment, looking ahead as the group continued to head towards Aramoor. Getting a bit lost in thought, she glanced up at the sky, guessing that the group would soon have to find a place to stop for the night. Hopefully they could find a secluded spot. Though they weren't particularly close to either village, she didn't want to chance being discovered by some lucky knights or perhaps even the thieves themselves.

Her thoughts were broken as Crow spoke up again. She turned to look over at him, a bit confused by his concerned expression until he went on to ask her about her father. The knight stiffened and quickly shifted her gaze away from him. "I.." she paused unsure what to say. "Maybe.." She admitted after a moment of hesitation. She decided it would be difficult to say his worries were unfounded so she decided it would be best to inform him rather than keep it to herself as she had been doing. The only reason it didn't bug her more was split between John's delayed appearance as well as her own stubborn determination to keep him from separating them.

Penelope shook her head and lifted her gaze to meet his with uncertainty in her gaze. "It was one of the reasons I said no to you the first night you came to our camp.. And why I was a bit reluctant to go back to you."

She glanced ahead at the others, making sure there was enough distance between them that they wouldn't over hear, before letting out a soft sigh. It was one of the many worries she had had in getting back together with him. At the beginning, she had hoped that Gavin would respect her decision enough to not allow her father to push their marriage onto her. However, after seeing the male knight's refusal to completely give up, she began to think that was less and less likely. "I'm honestly not sure how he'll react... I was hoping that Gavin would give me up by the time my father joined us at the front and not push for the marriage but now.. I'm not so sure."

Penelope slowed to a stop and gripped his hand a little tighter, as if afraid he'd be torn away from her. "He said he'd join us at the battle front at some point. I'm not sure when since he doesn't write to neither me nor my brother but maybe the war will be over before he even gets here." she mumbled, sounding rather far from confident. She knew the chances of that were very slim, especially after the supplies had been stolen. "I don't know... but if it gets to that point, I'll figure some way out of it." She looked up at him and met his gaze with a mixture of determination, worry and affection. "I won't let you go that easily."

[Rogue Sloth]

Penelope’s reaction to his question was far from reassuring to Crow. He felt a twinge of worry when she avoided his gaze and admitted it was possible that her father might still force the marriage onto her. Part of him wished the subject had been brought up earlier. It felt like a slap in the face to suddenly find out that all their efforts to fight back against their kingdom’s rules and culture could still be thwarted by a man who would never want them to be together.

As Penelope met his gaze again, he nodded understandingly. Though he didn’t like it, he could see why she would have been hesitant to come back to him before. Her father seemed to have quite a bit of power over her life. It was going to be difficult for them to fight back against that without abandoning everything to run away together. He knew she didn’t want to leave the war early, and he was hesitant to do so as well. There were still people who needed their help on the battlefront. He was willing to do it if it was the only way for him to be with the knight, but they both had people they wanted to protect. They needed to stay for the sakes of those lives.

He frowned as Penelope brought Gavin up again, reminding him of yet another problem they had to face. His eyes wandered to the knight walking ahead of them. If Gavin wanted to, he could easily drag John into everything by telling him that his daughter was romantically involved with a criminal. He was certain that if her father found out about them, the man would do anything in his power to put a stop to their plans to be together after the war. It would be bad enough if John tried to force Penelope to marry Gavin, but there was also nothing stopping him from going after the thief as well. He shuddered at the thought.

Crow slowed his step with Penelope as she brought them both to a stop. Turning to hold her gaze, he listened as she told him that her father was in fact going to be joining them at the frontlines at some point. The news was less than encouraging to him, since he didn’t believe the war was going to be coming to an end anytime soon. They might have had a chance to win it at one point, but after the devastating damage that Jaxon and his thieves had done to their camp, everything was at a standstill yet again.

At her final words, an affectionate smile found its way onto his lips. He let go of her hand to wrap his arms around her in an embrace. “I know you won’t,” he said, leaning in to kiss her softly and then pulling back again to meet her gaze with equal determination. “And I’m not going to let you go either, even if it means we have to deal with your father. You’re stuck with me, love.” He winked at her teasingly and kissed her again.

“Hey.”

Crow looked up at the sound of Gavin’s annoyed voice to see that the knight had noticed them fall behind and was now eyeing them with contempt. “We don’t have time to waste,” Gavin said sharply, meeting the thief’s gaze to make it clear who he was speaking to. “Keep moving.”

“We’re already about halfway to Aramoor,” Crow muttered under his breath. He took a step away from Penelope and let his arms fall back to his sides, turning to her with a roll of his eyes. “It’s a good thing I came back and rescued you from a lifetime of that,” he tilted his head towards her ex suitor and snorted. “I almost feel like I should say you’re welcome.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope pressed into him and returned his embrace as he wrapped his arms around her. She found his touch reassuring despite the worry that still bubbled inside of her about the situation. Though she was determined to be with Crow, she knew her father and Gavin could make that quite difficult without having to abandon everything early on. It wasn't something she wanted to do, as she was looking to see the war through until the end, but it was all too possible that she wouldn't be able to if she planned to be with Crow.

She kissed him back and looked up at him as he assured her. Penelope smiled faintly at him and nodded her head before leaning in to meet his kiss again. She was glad that he seemed equally determined despite having just found out about the possible issue they would face if and when her father joined the battalion. As Gavin's voice interrupted them, she let out a small sigh. The knight had been hoping the moment would last a little longer, but it seemed that wouldn't be possible with Gavin around.

She pulled back to look over at the male knight as he urged them onward. With no reason to object other than her own desire to buy some more time with Crow, she took a step away from the thief and began to walk besides him as they followed the other two knights. Penelope looked over at Crow and gave a small chuckle at his words. "I guess so." she agreed with a small smirk as she glanced ahead towards Gavin.

"He's really not that bad. At least, not usually." she mused with a shrug. "At the time, he seemed like the best option after I got to know him. He had similar goals as me, was understanding about why I wasn't quick to enforce the law, and even helped me get out of a few tricky situations." Penelope looked ahead towards Gavin, thinking about her time with him as her suitor. While he was annoying her quite a bit as of recent, she still wished there was a way to be friends with him. She was beginning to doubt that as he seemed far too stubborn to give up on winning her back but part of her did miss being able to relax in his company.

Looking back up at Crow, she smiled fondly at him. "But I'm quite grateful for the rescue." she told him with a soft laugh.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shrugged when Penelope explained to him that Gavin wasn’t always as high strung as he was being on their trip. Her words did little to sway his opinion of the knight. Her former suitor may have been more tolerable to be around in the past, but that was when he had everything he’d wanted. Now, the woman he had been expecting to marry had been stolen away by a rogue thief, and his true colors—at least, in Crow’s opinion—were beginning to show through. The thief had a hard time believing that Gavin was really as selfless and understanding as she thought him to be. He seemed to care more about his own life and status than anything else, which made him the same as every other knight in Crow’s eyes.

Of course, he said nothing more about it, since he didn’t want Penelope to think that he was still trying feed the feud between himself and her ex suitor. If she thought Gavin wasn’t as bad as he did, it wasn’t his job to change her mind about it anyway. She had already made it perfectly clear that she had chosen to be with him over the knight. Even though Gavin’s constant attempts to win her back were irritating to him, he knew he couldn’t just tell her to stay away from the man. He didn’t want to let his jealousy influence their relationship. Dictating who she could or couldn’t spend time with would be the quickest way to do that.

He glanced down at Penelope and squeezed her hand fondly as they walked. Regardless of his feelings towards Gavin, he knew he could trust her not to give in to the knight’s relentless badgering. However, the thought made him feel a slight twinge of guilt as his mind wandered back to his near slip up with Rikki not long ago, and he averted his gaze again. Even though he hadn’t done anything to betray her trust, he was still ashamed of himself for even considering the female thief’s offer. Penelope had been unwaveringly faithful to him in spite of Gavin’s attempts to get between them. She deserved the same respect, and he had let her down.

Crow shifted a little closer to her. Part of him was tempted to apologize to her again, while another part of him was hesitant to bring the subject up. If she had already moved on, there was no reason to remind her about it. It was probably better to bury the incident in the past and move forward. After all, he had already decided that he wasn’t going to let Rikki tempt him again. He refused to betray Penelope’s trust after she had been so loyal to him. She deserved better than that.

After a little while longer, the sun dipped below the horizon and Gavin called them to a stop in another small clearing, far from any villages. Crow dropped his bag on the ground and let out a groan, raising his arms over his head in a long stretch. As he’d expected, his back ached after sleeping poorly and then spending the whole day walking. He hoped he would get better rest tonight.

Looking over the campsite, he saw that Gavin was working on setting up a fire pit, and Olivia was laying out her bedroll to lay down until supper. He guessed that the walk had taken a bigger toll on her than anyone else since she had woken up with a hangover that morning. Turning to Penelope, the thief threw an arm around her shoulders and grinned coyly, “Want me to help you set up your bed, or would you prefer to just share mine?”

[BuzzingBee]

As they stopped for the night, Penelope placed her bag down and rolled her shoulders. Between the weight of the bag and the long walk, she was feeling a bit stiff so she was rather relieved to finally stop for the night. Her gaze swept over the others for a moment, thinking over how the day had gone. It certainly seemed much smoother than the day prior now that Crow was clearly keeping his promise about not poking at Gavin as much. She let out a calm sigh, feeling grateful that the thief was keeping his word.

She was quickly drawn out of her thoughts as Crow wrapped his arm around her shoulder. The knight turned to look over at the thief and returned his grin. "I don't mind sharing." she responded, leaning into his side. Penelope felt her heart flutter with renewed excitement at the prospect of sleeping besides him again. It had been so long since they were able to spend so much time together and she intended to make the most of it while they could.

Speaking of which... Her gaze flickered away from him to eye Olivia and Gavin briefly. With the other female too worn out from the traveling and her ex suitor busy with preparing the fire and likely supper, it was probably the best chance they had to get some time away from the two. Though their presences didn't really bother her too much, Penelope was still hoping to sneak in some alone time with Crow, which had seemed nearly impossible during the day due to Gavin's constant interference. It'll be difficult for him to stop us now that he can't use getting to Aramoor an excuse. She smirked.

Penelope looked back over to Crow and smiled slyly at the thief. "I say we worry about the bed situation later anyways." she told him with a dismissive wave. She lowered her voice to a whisper as she went on, "Olivia's going to sleep and Gavin's busy enough so I think now is a perfect time to get away from them for a little bit. What do you think? Want to take a walk with me?"

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow grinned when Penelope suggested they go for a walk. His empty stomach tempted him to wait until after supper, but the prospect of getting away from the other knights while they had the chance was simply too good to pass up. Gavin had been intervening whenever they had tried to do so for the last few days, but the thief couldn’t think of a reason for him to stop them now that they had found a place to rest for the night, and they weren’t parting ways this time.

“I’d love to take a walk with you,” he said, sliding his arm down her back to hold her at the waist and then pressing a kiss to her cheek. With a glance towards Gavin, he reached for her hand and took the lead as they headed for the edge of the clearing. However, they didn’t get far before the knight spotted them and decided to make an unwelcomed remark.

“Where are you two going?” Gavin questioned with a classically suspicious frown directed towards the thief.

Crow sighed and turned towards him with an impatient look. “We’re just going for a walk,” he explained brusquely. “You can’t expect me to endure your company the entire time we’re on this mission, can you?” Even though he had promised Penelope he wouldn’t try to start a fight with her former suitor, he couldn’t help making a few snide comments. He would hold back from insulting the man personally, but he still disliked knights, and he had no intention of acting civilly around this one.

“You should stay here,” Gavin’s eyes flicked between them, as if he was putting together the real reason why they were sneaking off together. “We have a long walk to Aramoor tomorrow, and this is the only chance we’ll all have to sleep before then.”

“While I appreciate the concern, we won’t be gone all night,” Crow rolled his eyes sarcastically. “Just relax. We’ll be back before you even go to bed.” He turned away from the knight to indicate his firmness on the subject. However, just before he and Penelope stepped out of the clearing, he glanced back over his shoulder to cast Gavin one last flippant remark, “By the way, save me a little extra supper tonight. Taking a walk always works up my appetite.” He winked at the knight slyly as he slipped out of his sight, heading into the forest with Penelope to put some distance between them and the other knights.

[BuzzingBee]

"Great." Penelope smiled as Crow agreed. She laced her fingers with his as he took her hand and followed after him as he began to lead the way out of the clearing. Of course, they didn't make it far without resistance from Gavin. The female knight let out a quiet sigh as he questioned them and turned her head to look over at him as he tried to insist they stay. As she suspected, his argument was rather weak and she gave a nod of agreement with Crow's words. "We'll be back." she assured the male knight before turning to leave.

However, just before they left the clearing, Crow made certain to get in one more remark. She rolled her eyes and shook her head disapprovingly. Penelope didn't say anything though and continued on until they had put some distance between them and the camp. The walk was calming as she momentarily let a small silence fall over them, merely enjoying his warm presence at her side. She eventually began to slow down to a stop as the forest gave way into another small clearing.

Penelope glanced up at him. "You know.. despite everything, this mission sure does have its perks." she grinned before letting go of his hand so that she could wrap her arms around him in an embrace. She leaned up and pressed a tender kiss to his lips. Though they had spent the whole day together, they had had very little time to actually be as close as she would have liked, both due to Gavin's interference and the need to keep moving.

After a moment, she pulled back and let out a soft sigh as she met his gaze. "I'm worried it's going to make going back to our usual meetings even more difficult than before."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow enjoyed the peaceful silence between them as they walked. It was different than the quiet they endured when Gavin and Olivia were with them. Instead of worrying about keeping their voices down around Penelope’s comrades, they had the chance to simply enjoy each other’s company. It was a pleasant sort of stillness that the thief appreciated, because it reminded him that for the first time in days, they were finally alone.

When they reached the other clearing, he met Penelope’s gaze and nodded as she said the mission had its perks. “I’ll hunt down any number of thieves if it means I get to see you every day,” he said in agreement, meeting her halfway as she kissed him. He wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her close as he leaned into her lips. Without Gavin around to interrupt them, he could focus fully on being with her without rushing to make the most of every second they had. It was a good feeling.

As she pulled back, he met her gaze and ran one hand gingerly through the hair along the back of her head. “Let’s not think about that right now,” he murmured, smiling at her softly. “Right now, let’s just focus on the time we do have.” Leaning in again, he pressed a deep kiss to her lips, intent on helping her take her mind off her worries. Of course, he wasn’t without his own concerns about going back to their regular meetings after being spoiled with seeing the knight every day, but he didn’t want to think about that. At that moment, all he cared about was the woman standing in front of him. She was the focal point of his attention.

Deepening the kiss, Crow slid his hands down to Penelope’s back and traced his fingers desirously over her hips. He slowly began to press into her body with more passion, his heart pounding as it always did when he was with her. After a bit, he slipped away from her lips to press a trail of kisses along her neck and jaw. He closed his eyes and ran his hands back up the length of her body to find the fastening of her clothing. However, as he did, he paused and pulled back from her, meeting her gaze again with colored cheeks.

“This is a little embarrassing,” he said with a sheepish smile. “But I’m not quite sure how to take off your armor.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod at his words and closed her eyes as he kissed her again. She guessed he was right in saying that they shouldn't focus on that now. After all, it would be a few more days until they had to separate. The knight soon found her worries were pushed aside as she became a bit lost in the kiss as he deepened it. She shuddered at the feeling of his fingers tracing over her. His touch was as electric to her as it had always been.

As he moved away from her lips, she let out a blissful sigh as he kissed along her jaw and neck. Distracted by the feeling of his lips on her skin, she barely even noticed the thief having a bit of trouble with handling the armour on her body. Once he pulled away, she looked over at him, a little surprised by his embarrassed expression. She blinked at his words and gave a soft giggle before leaning to press a swift kiss to his cheek.

"I suppose I should have taken that off once we set up camp." she smirked. The knight took a small step back from him so she'd have enough space to slip out of the thin metal protection. Luckily, she was only wearing a thin layer of armor, mainly so she could move easier and faster than if she was wearing heavier armour like she would in battle. First, she undid the belt that helped secure both her armor as well as carried her sword and placed it on the ground. With it out of the way, she went on to undue the tight leather ties on her right side until it was loose enough for her to pull the metal off and over her head.

She went ahead and quickly untied the small plates on her thighs as well and set them down with the rest of her armor. Finally free from her armor, she was left wearing a dark gray shirt and black pants. Penelope stepped back up to him and pressed a series of kisses along his jaw. Her hands slid down his arms, stopping to guide his hands to the hem of her shirt. "I figured you could handle the rest." she murmured jokingly by his ear.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow stepped back from Penelope as she began to remove her own armor. He followed her hands with his eyes as he observed the way she took the metal pieces off, wanting to remember the steps in case they ever ended up in this dilemma again. He prided himself on being smooth in intimate situations, so he found it embarrassing that he’d needed to abruptly stand aside and let her take over something that he should have been able to do. He didn’t intend to let it happen again.

Once she’d finished taking off her armor, he slipped his arms around her back and closed his eyes, sinking into the touch of her soft lips along his jawline. He felt her guide his hands to the hem of her shirt and snorted at her teasing words. “I’m glad you still have so much faith in me,” he smirked at her jokingly and give her ear a playful nip.

Gripping the bottom of her shirt, he pulled the fabric over her head and tossed it aside before doing the same with his tunic. With the clothing removed, he pressed in to meet her lips again, running his fingers sensuously over her bare skin. He slid his hands down to her waist and guided her with him to the ground, climbing on top of her and kissing her along her collar. The feeling of their bodies moving against each other sent a shiver through him, and he worked his way lower to her chest while tracing his hands along her sides.

After a bit, Crow finally moved to slip her pants off. He pushed her clothing aside before doing the same with his own. Leaning down to kiss her again, he reached for her hands and intertwined his fingers with hers to pull her arms over her head. Once he had her where he wanted her, the thief shot her a devilish smirk and shifted his weight to pin her by her wrists in his right hand while bringing his left down to touch her desirously.

“You know, I think this is enough for tonight,” he murmured, hovering just close enough to her neck to warm her skin with his breath. It was difficult for him to keep from laughing as he teased her, but he was feeling playful and was in no mood to rush. “This was all you wanted, right?” he grinned and kissed her on the nose.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a soft chuckle at his words and lifted her arms up as he pulled the shirt off of her. She pressed into him as he kissed her again, savoring their closeness as she felt his hands trace over her. As he guided her to the ground, she laid back in the grass and closed her eyes serenely as he kissed along her collar and made his way lower. She trailed her hands over his back, feeling thrills of excitement shoot through her at his touch.

A bit distracted by his kiss, the knight barely second guessed him grabbing her hands and pulling her arms over her head. As he pulled back, she blinked in surprise at his devilish smirk, quickly realizing that her arms were now pinned by him. At his touch, she bit her bottom lip lightly and shifted a bit underneath him.

At his teasing, she looked up at him and rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous." she said with a soft laugh. Penelope shook her head and smirked at him coyly. While there wasn't much she could do to get him back at the moment, she didn't plan to completely surrender. After all, she was feeling a bit playful as well. Leaning into him, she lightly brushed her lips against his but didn't push for a kiss. "Well.. I wanted you," she murmured flirtatiously. The knight shifted to trail lightly trail her leg along his.

Giving a small shrug, Penelope laid her head back in the grass and smirked up at the thief teasingly. "But if this is enough for you, that's fine."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow shuddered as Penelope brushed her lips teasingly against his. The gentle touch sent a thrill up his spine, and it took all of his willpower not to chase after a kiss when she was that close to him. He closed his eyes, tracing his free hand absently along her hip as he was nearly tempted to give in. However, the fun of making her wait was still just enticing enough that he managed to keep his resolve.

That was, until she murmured to him seductively and trailed her leg against his.

Her words and touch sent a rush of excitement through him, and he sighed. “Gods, you drive me crazy,” he shook his head and leaned in to meet her lips, caving to his desire for her at last. He kissed her passionately, driven by a mixture of his attraction and affection for the knight. Letting go of her wrists, he returned her freedom to move as he brought his right hand down to trace her other side. He spent some more time enjoying the buildup of exploring her body before he finally met her, and they began to move as one…

--

Crow laid contentedly in the grass with his arms around Penelope. He let out his breath in a long exhale and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I wish we could just sleep right here,” he murmured tiredly, pulling her a little closer. “But I’m sure Gavin would just assume I murdered you if we did that.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope rested comfortably in his arms as they laid in the grass. She looked over at Crow as he spoke up and gave a small nod of agreement. "I wish we could too but unfortunately you're probably right about that." she sighed, nestling her head against him. The knight closed her eyes for a moment and shrugged her shoulders. "At least we don't have to part tonight though.." she mumbled optimistically.

She remained there for a moment longer, reluctant to move even despite her words. Eventually, she opened her eyes again and pressed an affectionate kiss to his cheek. "We should get going." she told him before pulling away from him. The knight got up and stretched her arms out before moving to collect her clothing from the ground. "Aside from Gavin and his distrust of you, I'm sure you want to get back in time to eat." she told him with a small smirk as she slipped her shirt back on.

Finishing putting on her regular clothes, Penelope moved to collect her armor as well. She put the main piece back on, along with the belt that carried her sword, but didn't bother to tie it properly. As soon as they returned back to camp, she planned to take them off for the night anyways. It would just be easier to wear it again rather than lugging it back in her arms.

[Rogue Sloth]

“That’s true,” Crow nodded drowsily when Penelope said that they wouldn’t have to part that night. He nestled closer to her and rested his head against hers, wanting to enjoy the last of their time alone while it lasted. Even though they couldn’t sleep in the woods, he wished they didn’t have to go back to the others so soon. Unfortunately, if they waited too much longer, he didn’t doubt that Gavin would come to look for them. He didn’t want the knight to walk in on them while they were lying together unclothed.

So, when Penelope said that they should head back to the camp, he murmured his agreement and got up as well, stretching his arms and back to shake off some of his tiredness. At her comment that he probably wanted to eat when they got back, he glanced over at her with a grin. “You know me too well, love,” he chuckled softly as he pulled his pants back on. “Although, I came prepared. Even if he didn’t save me a portion of supper, I brought my own food as a backup.”

The thief picked up his shirt from the ground and slid it over his head. Once he was ready to go, he stood aside to wait for Penelope to collect her armor. Looking her over, he bit back a smirk as he noticed how disheveled she looked. There was grass tangled in her hair—he was sure he likely had some in his as well—and she had only loosely tied her armor back on. It wouldn’t take much for anyone to guess what they had been doing during their ‘walk.’

Regardless, it wasn’t like they had been particularly sneaky about it when they had left earlier, so he didn’t bother to point it out to her. Instead, he slipped his hand into hers when she was ready to head back and took the lead as they walked.

Glancing up at the sky, he noticed it had gotten a bit darker since they had left around dusk, but it didn’t seem to be very late yet. He guessed that Gavin and Olivia would probably still be eating if the male knight had prepared a cooked meal for them. The thought of freshly made food made his mouth water. “In all seriousness, do you think Gavin actually saved me a portion?” he asked a bit wistfully, glancing down at Penelope. “I did bring my own food, but you knights have much better meals than anything I could buy in a village.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled as he took her hand and she followed after him as he began to lead the way back to camp. She fell instep besides him, looking ahead as they walked. Her gaze flickered back over to him as he asked about the food again. "Well.. I can't say for sure," she shrugged. "but I believe he will. He knows that I'd be willing to share with you even if he didn't so it doesn't leave him with many other options."

Of course, she couldn't say for sure. Gavin was reluctant to share their supplies with the thief but she guessed that he likely didn't want her sacrificing part of her portion either. If he did save some food for the thief, it was likely only a very small amount. The knight looked up at him and smiled. "I'll make sure you get some though. Perhaps the best thing about having Gavin with us is his cooking. He makes some great food, even with just basic supplies."

It was a bit of a hidden talent in the male knight, since he usually wasn't one to volunteer for kitchen duty or go out of his way to prepare meals around other nobles since they usually had servants for that. Penelope recalled Gavin telling her about a servant he had been closed to growing up. He had spoken of her with clear admiration and fondness. She wouldn't be surprised if the reason for his cooking and other such skills came from the large amount of time he had spent with the servant growing up. Looking back ahead, she noticed the camp come into view.

Suddenly a bit more conscious of her appearance, Penelope made a last ditch effort to smooth her hair down a bit, attempting to be a little less obvious about their 'walk'. However, she missed quite a bit of the grass that remained tangled in her hair and remained unaware of it as she stepped back into the clearing. The aroma of the stew Gavin had prepared quickly caught her attention and she felt her stomach rumble at the prospect of food. "Smells good." she commented as she made her way over to Gavin and Olivia as the other two knights, who were already nearly done with their food.