Crow was relieved that Penelope was willing to stop and help him with his archery practice just then. Anything that would take his mind off of the nagging fears in the back of his head was welcome to him. Besides, judging by the change in culture in the Younisian town they had just passed through, he didn’t have long to learn how to use the bow. He wanted to get as much practice in as he could before he found himself in a real life-or-death situation.

He set down his things under a tree next to Penelope’s and turned to her, waiting for instruction. Though he tried to concentrate on the matter at hand, he couldn’t help noticing how her back curved when she stretched her arms. He smiled. She was beautiful even when she wasn’t trying to be. [i]Gods, how did I get so lucky?[/i] he thought once again, his heart skipping excitedly in his chest as he watched her from a distance.

Once she had finished setting up a makeshift training course for him, Crow handed his bow over to Penelope so she could show him what to do. However, before demonstrating the proper technique as he had expected her to do, she launched into an explanation of what he should expect when using the weapon. He stared at her, trying to follow all of the information she was throwing at him. There was a lot more to the simple piece of wood and string than he had realized.

[i]I guess it’s not just ‘aim and shoot,’[/i] he thought, eyeing the bow with newfound interest. Unexpectedly, he found that he had a growing respect for knights. He was only learning how to use one weapon, and he was already overwhelmed. To train with many different kinds of bows and blades and whatever other deadly tools were out there sounded exhausting. He exhaled, resigning himself to his grudging admiration of the knights’ tenacity.

As Penelope went on to fashion a makeshift bracer, Crow took the bow back and stepped closer to watch. He found her process interesting. It definitely wasn’t something he would have thought to try, but it looked like it would work. He grinned at her when she finished, “Nice job, darling. You’re pretty clever.” He passed the bow back to her. “Show me what you can do.”