Though he knew Penelope was probably glad to have saved at least one of her comrades, Crow was not quite so enthusiastic about William’s return. He wanted nothing more than to gather her up in his arms and kiss her after everything they had just gone through in the castle, but he restrained himself, not wanting to give the temperamental knight a reason to turn on her. He sighed softly. It was going to be a long journey home if they had to keep sneaking around William.

As Penelope lowered her gaze, he felt a pang of sadness. He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t her fault that Abraxas had died, that she should feel no guilt for surviving, and that he was glad she had been the one to live. However, with William standing right there, he held his tongue. He would just have to find a way to talk to her privately later.

As William mentioned the staff, he turned to the older knight with a casual shrug, “Oh this? Just another day for the most talented thief in both Brerra [i]and[/i] Younis.” He smirked as William curled his lip slightly at his haughty response. He had forgotten how much fun it was to get under the knight’s skin. Even though he couldn’t get close to Penelope while William was around, he would at least be able to do that.

“Yes, I’m sure you think you’re very clever,” William grumbled. “But now that we’re out of the castle, someone competent will need to guard it.” He reached to take the staff from Crow’s hand, but the thief jumped back, moving just beyond his reach. He narrowed his eyes, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“You can’t touch it,” Crow said. He shifted his weight. It would be hard to convince William that a goddess had told him not to let anyone else lay a hand on the staff while it was still in Younis. If he hadn’t seen her for himself, he didn’t know if he would believe such an eccentric story either.

“You had better not be thinking about taking it for yourself,” William growled accusatively.

“Gods, no,” Crow made a face. “This thing is more trouble than it’s worth. When we get back to Brerra, it’s all yours.”

“Then why won’t you hand it over now?” William seemed confused now.

“I know you have your moral conflictions about trusting a thief,” Crow said. “But trust me just this once, okay? I have a good reason.”

The knight hesitated for a moment before he gave a reluctant sigh, “Fine. I suppose it doesn’t matter who carries the staff anyway.” He paused, suddenly noticing the bow slung across the thief’s shoulders, and shot him a glare, “Where did you get that?”

“Seriously?” Crow rolled his eyes. “I saved the asses of you and every other knight in Brerra, and you’re concerned that I have a weapon?”

William faltered and turned to Penelope, changing the subject, “We’ve stopped long enough. Let’s keep moving while we still have the advantage of the darkness.”