As promised, Crow and Alistair split off from Simon and Rikki when they reached the knight’s camp. With most of the knights still in Whitebridge, they made quick work of raiding their liquor stores and managed not to run into any trouble. They stole as many bottles as they could carry and escaped back to their hideout in the ravine without getting caught.

Once they arrived back in the camp, the thieves divided up the spoils. Crow only took two bottles for himself, since he still made a point to avoid getting drunk. However, this time he didn’t shy away from drinking enough to feel the alcohol take at least a little bit of an effect on his body. After all, he deserved to have some fun after he had spent the whole morning protecting a village from war. With the knights still recovering from the battle, it was the perfect opportunity.

He sat with the others around a campfire that Simon had built, laughing and enjoying each other’s company now that the stress of the fighting was all over. Having all made it back alive and mostly unscathed, there was plenty to celebrate, and it was nice to forget about the gruesome sights of the war for a short time while they did so.

Eventually, the sun sank past the western horizon and darkness fell over the forest. Crow got up and put his cloak back on in preparation to make the short trip to Myerfall. He sighed softly as he drew his hood, still worried about what she was going to say to him after everything that had happened that day. He didn’t know how to make her understand.

“You’re still going to meet with that knight?” Simon’s voice appeared from behind him.

He turned around to see the thief standing with his arms crossed and frowned, “Of course. She gave us good information the last time. What’s the problem?”

“I don’t understand your affinity for her,” Simon narrowed his eyes. “You saw the knights today. They were absolutely ruthless towards the people of Whitebridge. Do you really think you can trust her after that?”

“I saw her in the battle,” Crow shook his head. “She wasn’t attacking the villagers; she was protecting them from the Younisians.”

Simon hesitated for a moment, “Are you sure you weren’t just seeing what you wanted to?”

“She was right in front of me,” Crow snapped at him and then froze, a bit taken aback by his own hostility. He lowered his gaze, going on in a quieter tone, “I know what I saw.”

Simon’s eyes hardened, “Why are you trying so hard to defend a knight?”

“Why are you trying so hard to attack her?” Crow accused in return.

“I’m just trying to make sure you remember why we’re here,” Simon said coldly. “The knights are not our friends. I don’t know what you think you’re going to get out of meeting with this woman, but don’t forget where your loyalties lie, Crow.”

“And you don’t forget that I’m the leader here,” Crow said with a warning curl of his lip. “You may not agree with all of my decisions, but they’re still mine to make.” He took a step back from Simon. “I’ll be back later.” With that, he turned and climbed up the side of the ravine to begin the walk to Myrefall.

--

When he arrived in the village, he was still feeling out of sorts from his confrontation with his companion. He and Simon had butted heads before, but the other thief had always relented to his authority in the end. This was the first time Simon had been concerned enough about a matter to continue arguing over it for more than one day. Crow was beginning to worry about the effect it might have on their respect for each other.

He pushed open the door to the tavern to find that Penelope was already waiting for him inside. His heart beat a little quicker at the sight of her, but he still didn’t have to try hard to keep a neutral expression as he approached her table. After such a long day, he was too tired to get outwardly excited about seeing her.

The thief sat down a bit heavily in a chair across from the knight. A wench came by to ask if he wanted anything to drink, but he waved her off. After having already drank with the others, he didn’t want anything more that night.

He leaned back in his chair and lowered his hood, eyeing Penelope from across the table for a moment as he tried to read her expression. He wanted to know whether or not he should be prepared for her to question him over his actions on the battlefield. However, he ended up finding himself more interested in her green eyes than anything else, and he forced himself to look away again.

“So,” he said, breaking the silence between them. “What have you found out since the last time we met?” He hoped that by getting straight to the point, she would be deterred from asking him about the battle.