“Of course,” Crow smirked loftily when Penelope said he knew what he was doing. “Do you think I would have gotten the reputation I did if I didn’t know what I was doing?” He slung the long strap of the bag he had stolen over his head, letting it hang across his body. The weight of the coins pulled at his shoulder, pleasantly reminding him just how much money was hidden inside the satchel.

[color=fff79a][b]“But this can’t be a regular thing, okay?”[/b][/color] Penelope nudged him. [color=fff79a][b]“You’ll have to figure out a different way to practice, since I don’t want the people of Younis trying to hunt you down.”[/b][/color]

“Don’t worry,” he rolled his eyes. “I doubt the knights in this kingdom would connect me to a bunch of isolated robberies, especially if I spaced them out far enough apart. They don’t seem to be prepared for anything except for trespassers, which we,” he switched to his Younisian accent. “…are not.” He laughed and returned her nudge, bumping her lightly with his shoulder.

“Let’s stay out a while longer,” Crow answered when Penelope asked if they should turn back. “The night is still young, and who knows when we’ll get away from Hartley again.” He gave an exaggerated shudder, as if the idea of going back to the boy disturbed him. In all honesty, he didn’t mind Hartley’s company—in fact, he had come to somewhat enjoy it—but he wanted to spend more time alone with Penelope. Was it selfish? Probably. He had gotten plenty of sleep during the day, while she was losing time to rest by staying out with him. Regardless, he couldn’t deny how he felt. He wanted her to himself for as long as he could have her before they would eventually part ways.

Crow cast Penelope a furtive glance, wondering if she felt similarly about him. She may not have had the same desires for him that he had for her, but they were still friends. Surely she was at least reluctant to separate when they got back to Brerra, right? He hoped so.

“Let’s keep going this way,” he said, adjusting the strap so it fell more comfortably against his chest. “I want to see what’s farther down this road.”