Penelope blinked as Hartley referred to the man as father. She quickly began to notice the similarities in their appearance, however she also noticed how uncomfortable his presence made Hartley. She wondered what had happened between them and stood quietly as they spoke. Her eyes narrowed at the man as she noticed his surprised look when Hartley told him he had a job. The knight felt a bit defensive of the young thief and even dared to shoot a glare at the man before turning to follow Hartley.

This time she didn’t protest to going down the alley, knowing what it was like to want to get away from one’s family. She was reminded of her own father and his own distant ways. Though he never treated Penelope like a failure, he also paid little to no attention to any of her accomplishments, not to mention he kept a great distance between them both emotionally and literally. The knight casted the upset Hartley an empathetic look. 

“You ok, Hartley?” She finally asked when they had put some distance between them and Hartley’s father.  

“I’m fine. He’s just such an ass!” Hartley snapped still heated up from crossing paths with his father. He then frowned as he realized who he had snapped at. “S-Sorry.. I didn’t mean to, it’s just..” The young thief let out a troubled sigh.

“It’s alright. I get it.” Penelope said putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder. She barely knew him but it seemed like he had a bit of a complicated family life. Something Penelope was no stranger to. However, she was surprised to see Hartley send a look of doubt her way. Penelope sighed softly and gave Hartley a small pat before looking over to Crow. 

“Maybe we should stop to eat. There’s a nice shady tree over there.” She suggested, hoping that food would give them a chance to talk and cheer Hartley up.