Crow was just about to head for the door when Penelope began to approach him. He eyed her uneasily, not quite sure what she was trying to do. However, in spite of his skepticism, he felt his heart begin to beat a little faster in his chest as she grew nearer. He had to focus to keep his expression neutral so as not to give away his inadvertent excitement at her proximity.

As she went on to reassure him that she hadn’t shared his secrets with anyone, he found that his shoulders relaxed of their own accord. Even though he had already been fairly certain that she hadn’t told anyone else the things he had confided in her, it was nice to hear her confirm it out loud and in her own voice. Even though they weren’t nearly as close as they had been before, he felt like a small bridge had started to form between them.

“Thank you,” Crow said softly after she had finished speaking. He hesitated for a moment, but unable to think of anything else to say, started walking towards the door. When he reached it, he glanced back at her once more over his shoulder, “Good luck in the battle. We can meet again after it ends.” With nothing left to add, he turned around again and drew his hood, stepping out of the tavern and into the cold night.

--

Crow walked back to the thieves’ camp to find that the others had waited up for him. He raised a brow in amusement. Normally, they all operated independently enough outside of group raids that they didn’t keep tabs on each other. For all three of his companions to be awaiting his return was rather unusual. He wondered if Simon had convinced them to do it since he still didn’t trust Penelope. He wouldn’t have put it past the anxious thief to do something like that.

“Good, you’re back,” Alistair yawned. “That means I can go to sleep.”

“Actually, not quite,” Crow said. He removed his cloak and hung it on the tree branch where he usually kept it and then stepped over to sit with them by the fire. “I finally found out when the next battle will be.”

“Really?” Rikki leaned forward. All of the thieves had been searching for information on the upcoming battle for a while, so for one of them to have heard word was big news to them.

“Really,” Crow nodded. “It’s going to be two days from now at dawn near Whitebridge. We’re leaving tomorrow morning to get there ahead of the knights and warn the villagers.”

“Let me guess,” Simon spoke up dryly. “You heard this from that knight of yours.”

Crow shifted his weight, “Yes. Penelope told me.”

“And you’re sure you can trust her?” Simon narrowed his eyes.

Again, Crow hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’m sure.”

Simon eyed him in scrutinizing silence before going on, “Well, you’d better be. If she gave us a false lead and someone gets hurt because of it, their blood will be on your hands.” Having said his piece, he stood up and walked away from the group to get some sleep in the shelter.

Crow watched him go, a bit unnerved by the other thief’s words. He felt like he was being pulled in two different directions. Whenever he was with Penelope, he was confident that he could trust her, but as soon as they parted, he didn’t know what to think anymore. It was frustrating to be so conflicted.

Across the fire pit, Rikki watched him for a second before sidling up next to him, “Ignore Simon. He’s just grumpy because she’s a knight.”

Crow leaned into her side, appreciating her company, and exhaled softly, “I know.”

“She may be a noble, but if you really think we can trust her, then I do too,” Rikki smiled. She elbowed Alistair roughly, and the other thief grimaced before adding: “Me too.”

“Thanks, guys,” Crow laughed quietly. Feeling a little better, he climbed to his feet. “We should all get some sleep. We’ve got a couple days of traveling ahead of us, so we’ll need to be well-rested.”

“No complaints here,” Alistair stretched lazily before rising to follow Crow into the shelter. Rikki nodded in agreement and did the same.

Once they had all settled down, the thieves went to sleep for the night.