Crow leaned his head against Penelope’s, enjoying their momentary closeness as she rested against his shoulder. Though the storm had kept them both out late and he was still cold from the water that soaked his clothes, he was glad it had happened. Without the poor weather, they would have gone back to their separate camps and he may never have found out that the knight was reconsidering being with him. Even if it led to nothing, he was glad to have learned that she still loved him.

“I know you will,” he smiled as she went on to tell him that she would continue to help him as well. “And I appreciate everything you’re doing. The information you’ve been giving me has helped us save more villagers than we ever have before. I can’t thank you enough for that.” He leaned in a little closer to her, so their arms brushed against each other. It felt good to be so close to her again, and he relished the moment. He wanted to hold onto it, that way, even if Penelope chose not to be with him, he would still have the memory of right now—sitting with her in the house where he had grown up.

As she pointed out that the storm was easing up, he glanced up at the cracked ceiling and listened to the sound of the rain. “Looks like it,” he agreed with a nod. “We can probably return to our camps well before the sun comes up.” Turning back to the knight, he pulled away from her slightly in order to meet her gaze. “When do you want to meet again?” he asked. “I think you should decide, since you know better than I do how much time you’ll need to think about everything we talked about.”

Another thought came to him, and he shifted his weight, “Also… would it be too much to meet here next time instead of at the tavern? I’d rather not risk having anyone overhear such a personal conversation.” That, and he enjoyed being able to share his old home with someone else. Whether she chose him or not, he wanted her to see and know that part of his life. He felt warmth creep up his neck at the thought and held her gaze as he waited for an answer.