Crow was hopeful when he saw that Penelope was the one to climb into the wagon with him. She had been so guarded before. He fully expected Abraxas to take her place on the ride to the outer villages of Younis. However, his hopes were quickly dashed when the knight sat in the farthest corner of the wagon bed. It looked like she was still distrusting of him after all. He looked away from her, absently toying with the hem of his tunic. He wasn’t sure how to approach her. He had spent so much of his life alone that social conflicts had become something of a mystery. Usually, if he didn’t get along with someone, he would just drop the person from his life and move on, but he couldn’t do that with Penelope. She meant too much to him now. [i]Probably more than she should,[/i] he thought as he felt his heart flutter in his chest. He had to say something.

“I don’t know what Olivia said to turn you against me,” Crow said tentatively. He paused. His voice sounded too loud in the silence. He didn’t like it, but he had to keep trying. “Whatever it was, I can assure you it isn’t true.” He forced himself to hold her gaze from across the wagon, ignoring his instinct to run from the potential conflict. “I may have a history of being a liar, but that doesn’t mean I’m incapable of honesty. I may also be known for running solo, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be loyal. Look,” he sighed. “I just mean to say that I’m not trying to deceive you. I’m your friend. Nothing less, and…” the thief hesitated for a moment, finding his next words to be surprisingly difficult to say: “nothing more.”