Crow grinned and followed Penelope out of the diner, ignoring the hostile look she threw at him along the way. He had planned to wait until they reached the outer villages before he made his escape, but she had practically handed him the perfect opportunity to run. There was no way he was going to pass this up. All he had to do now was get close enough to the edge of the village that he could get away without running into any of the local knights. He was already marking the route he would take in his head. He hadn’t been to this area in over a year, but he still remembered the general layout. There was a ridge to the northeast that he could climb, and from there he could find his way to—

[color=fff79a][b]“I really wasn’t looking for the company,”[/b][/color] Penelope interrupted his thoughts. [color=fff79a][b]“But since you’ve weaseled your way out here with me, at least try to not cause trouble or bother me for once.”[/b][/color] Her voice sounded oddly somber. Crow wavered. During their short time together, he found that he had come to like the knight, if only just a little bit. It was unsettling to see her look so upset. Somehow, it felt wrong to leave her like this, so maybe he could do one last nice thing for her before he ran. She [i]was[/i] helping him escape, after all, even if she didn’t know it yet.

“Don’t take their words so harshly,” Crow said softly, walking alongside Penelope. “Despite what he said, I’m certain that your father loves you. I can tell because he has such high expectations for you. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have asked about your plans for the future; he wouldn’t have wanted to know.” He shrugged and averted his gaze. “Every family has its problems, but I’m sure you will work yours out in the end. You knights are stubborn like that. So, take it from someone who doesn’t have one… You’re lucky to be part of a family.”

He paused thinking something over, and then looked back at Penelope with his eyes narrowed warily. “I’m only going to tell you this once, so listen carefully. It’s a story I’ve never shared with anyone else before, but I think you need to hear it. Just promise me you’ll keep your mouth shut and never speak of this to anyone. [i]Ever[/i]. Got it?”