“See you,” Crow nodded, watching as the two knights turned to leave the campsite. Once they had gone, he let out his breath in a sigh and headed over to sit by the fire. He felt torn. Half of him dreaded seeing Penelope again, while the other half was overjoyed that they would continue to meet up. He tossed some extra tinder into the flames and rested his chin on his fist as he stared into the warm glow. Even if things would never be the same between them, he couldn’t deny that he was glad she had become part of his life again.

Suddenly, he heard someone clear their throat behind him and turned around to see Simon walking up. The blonde thief sat down next to him and drew his knees to his chest, watching the fire burn. “Sorry if I’m interrupting your musings,” he said dryly. “But I have to ask: What in the world do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m making sure we avoid more unnecessary fighting,” Crow shrugged casually, trying not to flinch beneath Simon’s scrutinizing gaze.

“They’re [i]knights[/i],” the thief went on with a shake of his head. “I know you’re supposed to be the leader here, but I’m finding it difficult to trust this decision of yours. How do you know they aren’t just going to turn around and hand us over to their comrades?”

“They won’t do that,” Crow said quietly. “I’ve known them both from past encounters. We can trust them.”

Simon narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, seeming to be putting pieces together in his mind. “People change, Crow,” he said after a pause. “Even if you think you know them because you did once before, you can’t say for sure that they’re still the same people.”

Crow bit the inside of his lip as Simon’s words casted a shadow of doubt over his thoughts. He didn’t want to admit it, but the other thief had a valid point. It had been two years since he had seen either of the knights. Even then, he had barely known Olivia. As for Penelope… He tried not to let the sting of her rejection influence his opinion of her, but it was hard not to connect the two. A lot had happened to both of them since their last night together two years ago. He knew he wasn’t the same man as he had been back then. Was it really a stretch to say that she was probably different too?

“You know I’m right,” Simon went on, catching his uncertain expression. “I know it’s too late to go back and change what you did, but I just want to make sure your better judgment isn’t being clouded by nostalgia.” He stood up and dusted off his pants. “You may think you can trust them, but please, watch your back.” With that, he turned and headed to the shelter to go to sleep for the night, leaving Crow to think over his warning.

[i]People change…[/i] he repeated silently, prodding at the ashes of the fire with a stick. [i]I guess I should be a little more careful around her.[/i]

Crow sat beside the fire alone for a little while longer before he was joined by Alistair and Rikki. The three spoke idly for a while—mostly about Alistair’s interest in Olivia, which Rikki was quick to poke fun at him about—before they eventually grew tired and put out the flames, heading into the shelter to go to bed.

For Crow, sleep didn’t come easily. He tossed and turned late into the night, wrestling over his conflictions about Penelope. They’d had a civil conversation with each other that evening, but Simon’s words continued to hang over his head like a dark cloud. What if he was right? What if she wasn’t the kindhearted knight he had once loved? What if she was just using him somehow in a way that he couldn’t yet see?

The doubts filled his mind, commanding his focus until he eventually managed to drift off into a fitful sleep.