Crow felt himself relax as Rikki made Penelope feel welcome. He hadn’t been sure if any of the thieves would receive the knight well, since they all had a history of distrust for nobles just like he did. It was relieving to see that Rikki was at least making an attempt to be friendly. He saw her glance at him and he nodded subtly in gratitude for her warm greeting. The female thief’s grin widened at his approval and she stood up a little straighter before returning her gaze to Penelope.

Crow glanced at the other two thieves. While he suspected Alistair wasn’t overly excited to be working with a knight, he seemed more intrigued by Olivia than anything else. The flirtatious man would probably be content as long as he had opportunities to see her again. However, Simon’s reaction was a bit more concerning. The anxious thief was standing back rather defensively as he looked between Crow and Penelope. Crow swallowed and averted his gaze. He had never told the others about his history with the knight, but Simon was the most observant of the four, so it wasn’t unlikely for him to have picked up on something between them.

He turned back to Penelope as she asked when and where to meet him next. He dropped his gaze to the ground as he thought it over. Now that they knew the knights were planning to ambush them in Norcrest rather than pay the ransom, the next best option would be to travel to the Younisian frontline and sell off the weapons they had stolen. Of course, he didn’t intend to tell Penelope about it. She had agreed to work with him, but it was going to be a while before she earned back enough of his trust for him to share his plans with her.

Having decided on an answer, he looked up again, “Myrefall is right in the middle of our two camps. We should meet at the tavern there in three days after nightfall.” He glanced back at the other thieves for a moment before adding: “If you find out anything urgent between then and now, just come straight to the camp. I probably won’t be here, but you can speak with one of them instead.” He met her gaze once more. “Sound good?”