“Well, you had better hope you can think of some good ones,” Crow said in a luring tone. “I have plenty of stories you would enjoy hearing, but I won’t tell you any of them if I don’t get anything in return.” He glanced out the window at the cloud the knight had been pointing at and then looked back at her teasingly. “Huh, I never expected you to be a daydreamer. I always thought knights were too good for leisure.” He snuck a quick peek out the front window of the wagon. William and Abraxas were engaged in a conversation, completely ignoring him. Why waste a perfectly good opportunity to win some more of her trust?

He crossed over to the knight’s side of the carriage and poked his head out the window to get a better look at the sky. A slight breeze cooled his skin. It felt like a waste to be locked up inside a wagon on such a fine day. He couldn’t wait until they reached the outer villages. For now, though, he would just have to be patient and stay focused on his current goal.

After spending some time staring outside, Crow leaned back inside the wagon and met Penelope’s gaze. He had relaxed a bit compared to his usual eccentric demeanor, and his tone wasn’t as sharp when he spoke, “For what it’s worth, your company hasn’t been completely unpleasant. You’re… a very different person than what I had imagined before. I honestly expected you to act more like my old prison guards. They were always watching me like hawks, and they treated me like something less than human.” He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “I guess I’m just trying to say thanks. I know I’m not the most agreeable man to be stuck in a wagon with, but you’ve been putting up with me anyways without any threats of chains or other restrictions. I appreciate it.” His cheeks colored slightly and he looked away, going on hurriedly. “All seriousness aside, you’re terrible at finding shapes in clouds. That one was obviously a mule, not a horse.”