Crow hopped down from the wagon bed. His green eyes swept over the bustling crowds like a predator hunting for prey. There were so many unsuspecting villagers with satchels swinging at their hips, filled with money and goods. It was almost as if they were begging him to steal from them. He watched a particularly wealthy looking merchant near the end of one aisle. His cart was filled with exotic produce the thief had never seen before. However, what had caught Crow’s attention was the fat purse that laid carelessly at the man’s feet. Its drawstrings strained against the overflowing gold coins that they struggled to keep contained. All it would take was a clever distraction, a simple slight of hand, and then—

[color=fff79a][b]“So where to first?”[/b][/color] Penelope’s friendly voice interrupted his scheming.

He turned to look at her, carefully forcing his excitement into check. He didn’t want her to know where his thoughts had been, since he already knew she disapproved of thievery. He cast the rich merchant one last wistful glance, and turned his back on him with a sigh. For the sake of his friendship with the knight, it would be better to leave the big fish alone.

“I try not to have a destination in mind when I visit places like this,” Crow answered with a shrug. “It’s much more fun to wander. You never know what sort of interesting things you’ll find.” He smiled at her and tipped his head in the direction of the food stands. They stood at the end of one long aisle of rowdy merchants. “We can go this way first though. I never miss an opportunity to try foreign food.”

He led the way towards the vendors, weaving effortlessly through the sea of people. Having been to marketplaces like this since he was a child, it wasn’t difficult for him to navigate his way through a busy street. “Come on,” he called to Penelope over the continuous roar of the people around them. He reached for her hand to help guide her. In his excitement about being in a market once again, he hardly even felt the awkward pang that usually hit him when he touched the knight.

As they dodged through the crowd, Crow began eyeing coin purses again. Everyone here seemed to have their guards down. He peeked over his shoulder at Penelope. Surely it wouldn’t matter if he took just a few bags, right? Even though he held one of her hands in his, he doubted she would notice the motion. Besides, they might need the extra money later on if they got separated from the others. He made up his mind.

Crow turned slightly and bumped into a passing woman. “Sorry about that,” he apologized while he pocketed the coin purse he had snatched from her hip during the collision. The woman snorted and turned away from him, continuing towards the merchant stand she had been trying to get to. He smirked, [i]Easy.[/i]

“Let’s try that stand over there,” Crow said to Penelope, pointing at a vendor on the other side of the market. He didn’t want to be anywhere near the woman when she discovered her money was missing. “Looks like he has some interesting wood carvings. Also, there are a couple of food stands near him that smell amazing. What do you think?”