Crow eyed Layth skeptically. It almost seemed as if he was upset about being reunited with his younger sister. The cold look he had flashed her went beyond the typical, petty sibling rivalry. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought Layth actually despised Penelope. But surely that couldn’t be the case. Even nobles, as arrogant and pompous as they were, had to have at least some sense of familial ties. However, as the knights continued to converse their words became less and less friendly until they teetered on the verge of a fight.

Crow stared at them, taken aback. He couldn’t believe how unattached the family of knights seemed to be towards each other. Layth had been belittling his sister rather than congratulating her for her accomplishments, and John was no better. He had shot Penelope down the instant she had even tried to suggest accompanying him in the village. Were they really this shallow? What kind of father was he to push his daughter away like that? It was pathetic. He glared at them from across the table, only looking away when their dinner arrived.

The wench moved slowly around the table, setting down plates of food as she went. When she reached Crow’s seat, he caught hold of her wrist. She flinched and gave him a startled look, but he held a finger to his lips, smiling at her playfully. He snatched a small cloth from the table and dropped some food into it from his own plate, deftly folding it over and slipping the bundle into the girl’s dress pocket. She widened her eyes at him, but he spoke before she could object, “I asked you to bring me your favorite food off the menu, so you should have some, too. Take it home to your family. Ah ah,” he held up a hand when the girl opened her mouth to protest. “I can see right through you, love. You need this more than I do. I’m not going to take ‘no’ for an answer.”

The wench ducked her chin and smiled softly, “Thank you.” She turned and walked back to the kitchen.

Having completed his good deed for the day, Crow dug into his dinner. The girl had brought him bread, cooked vegetables, and some smoked chicken, along with a pint of mead as per his request. He ate ravenously, finishing his meal before all of the others. Feeling satisfied, he took a swig of his drink and sighed, leaning into his chair and tipping it onto its back legs. Layth shot him a disapproving look, but Crow ignored him. They were in the land of the common folk, so he could act as he pleased.

He glanced at Penelope and frowned. She had hardly touched her food. The fight amongst her family must have affected her more than she let on. Soon, she stood up to excuse herself from the table, [color=fff79a][b]“I’m going out for a bit… I’ll return to the inn later.”[/b][/color]

“Alright,” William nodded. “But don’t be long. We will arrive in the outer villages tomorrow and begin our preparations to cross into Younis. I want everyone well rested.”

Crow watched her for a moment. She appeared to be quite distracted by everything that had just happened. He stifled a smirk. This could be the opportunity he had been waiting for. He quickly jumped to his feet and took a step towards the knight, “If you’re going, then I am, too.” He looked back at William, “You’re all boring, and she’s supposed to be guarding me anyway, so this won’t be a problem, right?”