“I’m fine,” Crow shook his head when Penelope asked if he could walk on his own. “Don’t worry about it.” The knight stepped closer to him, examining his condition. He tensed and looked away, uncomfortably aware of her proximity. She seemed to have that effect on him quite often as of late. It really was annoying. Yet the concern in her eyes also left the thief with an unfamiliar, fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach that wasn’t so unpleasant. It was almost like he wanted to run away from her but also move a bit closer to her at the same time. He closed his eyes, feeling overwhelmed by the tangle of foreign emotions. [i]What’s wrong with me?[/i]

[color=fff79a][b]“On the topic of wounds,”[/b][/color] Penelope said, seemingly oblivious of his discomfort—or perhaps she merely thought he was in pain. [color=fff79a][b]“I wonder if we have anything for your burns...”[/b][/color]

Crow stared at her with intrigue. The knight really did care about his injuries. Honestly, he had only expected her to worry about his falsely wounded leg because it would slow them down on their way back to the village, but instead she was pondering how to heal his burns as well. The thought left him with a warm feeling, but it quickly disappeared as the untrusting part of his conscience began to whisper: [i]She only cares because your injuries will hinder your mission.[/i] It was a disappointing thought, though it was a valid one, too. Was Penelope helping him out of genuine companionship, or was she simply repairing a tool for later use? Given his past experiences with knights, the latter seemed more likely.

But, then again, Penelope wasn’t like the other knights.

“Tell me something,” Crow spoke up. His vague tactics of manipulation weren’t getting him anywhere, so, for once, he decided to try being straightforward. The thief met her gaze evenly as he went on. “Why are you being so nice to me? All I’ve done so far is lie, cheat, and steal from you. Sure, I’ve helped out a couple times, but only because I’m now bound to this job by my word. I don’t get it.” He shook his head again. “Why am I getting fair treatment all of the sudden?”