While Crow wasn’t overly enthusiastic about every detail of the deal—especially the part where he would be interacting with her directly—he was glad that they had managed to come to some sort of an agreement. He also appreciated having someone around who could tell him about the knights’ plans. As the thieves had been coming to find out, sending spies wasn’t a very efficient way of learning anything, since the nobles always seemed to hold their most important meetings inside of tents near the center of their camp. With Penelope doing all the hard work for them, he could spare Rikki and Alistair from sitting around all day and have them do more important things instead. It was turning out to be an interesting development for everyone.

As Penelope brought up the point that they shouldn’t use the thieves’ hideout for their meetings, he nodded in agreement. “And I don’t want anyone else to find out where we are,” he added. “If you’re ever followed, it will be better if we’re caught somewhere that won’t force me and my companions to move.”

Penelope went on to say that they should head back and he laughed, “If you’re trying to keep them apart, it’s probably too late already. Alistair is the most persistent man I’ve ever met, and Olivia isn’t exactly modest, herself.” Regardless of his comment, he led the way back to the camp, finding that he was softening a bit to the female knight in spite of himself. As much as he told himself to move on, it was difficult when there was such a strong history between them. It seemed like it was going to take longer than he thought.

When they got back to the hideout, Crow saw Rikki and Simon sitting by the now-lit fire while Alistair was chatting rather closely with Olivia off to the side. Engrossed in their conversations, they didn’t immediately take notice of his return, so he brought his fingers to his lips and whistled to get their attention.

Once the thieves had walked over, Crow addressed them, “Everyone, this is Penelope. Penelope, this is Simon, Raven, and Alistair.” He gestured to each thief in turn. They exchanged confused glances, seeming to wonder why their leader was telling their names to a knight, so he went on to explain, “Penelope is a lieutenant, and she’s agreed to be our informant. She’s going to keep us updated about the knights, so we can continue to avoid them without fighting. All she asks in return is that we don’t engage with any knights unless we have to. She’s going to be around quite a bit, so I expect you all to treat her as you would any of us if or when you see her again. Got it?”

All three thieves hesitated, clearly unsure what to think about this new development. However, after a moment, Rikki stepped forward and clasped Penelope’s hand in hers, offering a friendly grin, “Nice to meet you, Penelope! I go by Raven, but if the boss trusts you, then I do too. You can call me Rikki.” She winked wryly.