“But of course,” Crow held up his hands in a shrug. “I’m a connoisseur of beautiful things. I want to see as much as I can and, if possible, possess as much as I can. Since I can’t steal an olive forest, I’d at least like to visit one, and you knights have generously provided me with the opportunity. Besides, what the point in traveling if you’re only concerned with your destination? I think it’s much more fun to enjoy the trip there.”

Having completed his short speech, Crow climbed into the wagon with Penelope and laid down in his usual spot beside the blanket pile. He stretched out contentedly and yawned, closing his eyes. He planned to use his time in the wagon to catch up on sleep since he was tired and there was nothing better to do, but Penelope spoke up before he had a chance to start drifting off.

[color=fff79a][b]“Ah, so what all is there to learn?”[/b][/color] the knight asked. [color=fff79a][b]“The accents and all... Might as well get a jumpstart on it.”[/b][/color]

“Well, your Brerratic accent would be the biggest tell-tale when we reach Younis,” Crow responded, opening his eyes again to meet Penelope’s gaze. “So teaching you how to speak like a Younisian is my top priority. Other than that, I don’t think there are many differences between our two cultures.” He looked up at the roof of the wagon, taking a moment to think. “I actually hadn’t heard about women being unable to serve in the same positions as men in Younis until William told us earlier. Going by that, I’d assume that women are considered to be of a lesser status than men in their general society, but I’m still not sure what that would mean for you.” He shrugged and met her gaze again. “We’ll just have to wait and see how Younisian women act when we get there.

“So, I suppose that just leaves me with the task of teaching you how to talk like a Younisian,” Crow said, switching back to the lilting tone he had used at breakfast. “It’s not very hard. They just speak in a slightly higher pitch and put emphasis on different words.” He grinned at her challengingly. “You’ve heard me use it a few times now. Why don’t you give it a try?”