Crow sat down heavily at one of the empty tables. He was beginning to feel sore from walking all day and sleeping on the ground the night before. Although he had secretly enjoyed it, holding Penelope all night had made his back stiff. He pulled on his right shoulder with his left hand, rolling it slowly until it made a satisfying pop, and then repeated the process on the other side in an attempt to loosen the muscles. It helped a bit, but he still ached. He sighed, [i]I suppose there are some benefits to being single.[/i]

Once Hartley had passed around their food, Crow dug into his portion. The hot pie was surprisingly delicious. It was filled with spiced meats, eggs, and cherries that tasted like they had been cooked with ale and vinegar. He ate ravenously as Penelope questioned Hartley about the strange girl. Their conversation was interesting. It appeared that the boy did know her after all. However, that didn’t mean his guess had been wrong.

“You’re looking a little flustered there, kid,” Crow snatched Hartley’s food away before he could pick it up to move.

“Give that back,” Hartley said, reaching for his plate.

“Not until you tell me the story between you and the cute blonde,” Crow grinned, holding the boy’s food just beyond his reach.

“It’s nothing,” Hartley stretched a little farther, his fingers barely missing the edge of his plate. “Give it back!”

“Fine,” Crow handed the food back. He stood up from the table and smoothed down his tunic, shooting the boy a mischievous look. “Then you won’t mind if I go introduce myself, will you? She looks like my type of woman.” He smirked as the color drained from Hartley’s face.

“N-no,” the boy averted his gaze.

“Great,” Crow clapped him on the back. “I’ll see you later—maybe in the morning if I’m lucky.” He winked devilishly and started walking towards the shop where the girl was standing, but he didn’t get far before he felt a hand grab him by the wrist.

“Leave her alone,” Hartley snapped.

“Oh? I thought you said there was nothing between you two,” Crow raised a brow in mock surprise and crossed his arms, “Or were you lying to me?”

“Alright, you caught me” Hartley glared down at the ground and swallowed hard. “Her name’s Kip. I… I used to court her during the year before I left home… before my father kicked me out.” He exhaled shakily. “After that, I was too ashamed to show my face in front of her or her family again. I never even said goodbye. I’m sure she hates me now.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Crow rested a hand on Hartley’s shoulder. “Kid, she’s been staring at you ever since you got here.” He glanced back to see Kip was looking at them again, and then shook his head. “That’s not the look of a bitter ex-lover. She’s waiting for you to talk to her.”

“Yeah, right,” Hartley muttered. “What would I even say? ‘Oh, hey, Kip! It’s me, the town failure. I’m a criminal now, and I’m back to take your hand in marriage’?”

“Maybe say it with a bit more tact than that, but yeah,” Crow shrugged. “Look, you obviously still have feelings for this girl if you couldn’t stand the idea of me making a move on her. Now go to her.” He gave Hartley a shove towards the shop.

“But—”

“[i]Go,[/i]” Crow shoved him again, causing the boy to stumble slightly. Hartley shot him a final glare and then turned back towards Kip. He hesitated for a moment, fidgeting self-consciously with his shirt, before he forced himself to walk over to the shop.

Crow sat back down at the table with Penelope and sighed, “I swear, he’s so clueless sometimes…”