Though she was traveling alone, Penelope remained cautious, not wanting to get caught by either local guards or her own comrades if patrols were still happening. Even though she wasn't traveling with Crow, getting caught coming from where the thieves were actually located would certainly cause for some problems. While her story would still hold up, she wouldn't be able to throw the rest of the knights off track of the thieves and that wasn't something she wanted to risk. Luckily her walk remained rather uneventful and it left her alone with her thoughts. She thought about her talk with Hazel and how coldly the herbalist had acted. It made her wonder if there was even a chance of getting her to work with the noble physician. The knight frowned to herself at the thought. Though chances seemed slim, she held onto a hope that Crow would be able to convince her to see some reason. At the thought of the thief, a smaller concern of hers popped into her thoughts. The imagine of Rikki sleeping soundly besides him made her falter slightly as she walked, feeling a familiar mixture of uneasiness as well as jealousy. She understood that he couldn't tell the female thief they were together but she was bothered by the lack of distance he had yet to put between himself and Rikki. Whatever their relationship had been, it was getting clear they were a little more than just friends by what she had seen and she couldn't help but wonder how far that went. Was Crow simply having trouble figuring out a way to distance himself from the female thief? [i]Or maybe I'm not enough right now. Especially with our meetings so far apart.[/i] She flinched and quickly shook her head. [i]No.. I'm being ridiculous.[/i] Penelope assured herself, trying to keep her trust in him from wavering at the uncertainty she felt. She recalled the night before, how they had been together and how they had both spoke of their future together. A soft smile tugged at her lips. A fresh wave of affection and happiness washed away the uncertainty she had been feeling and dulled the jealousy she felt. Whatever was going on, she was sure she could trust Crow with handling it. Feeling a little more at ease, the knight quickly went back to thinking about how to tackle the situation with the herbalist and physician. --- The day wore on and Penelope eventually got closer to her camp. She took very few breaks, mainly focused on reaching the camp before the sunset. Luckily she seemed to be making good time. The afternoon sky was still bright above her as she drew near Myrefall. The sun would soon begin it's slow descent but she would easily be able to make it to camp before it went down completely. Now closer to the camp, she didn't worry about avoiding patrols as much and walked calmly through the forest. Eventually she heard a twig snap nearby, making her jump. She turned to see a knight had spotted her and was quickly heading towards her. Instinctively, she grew tense, nearly reaching for the sword at her side. However, she quickly relaxed, especially once she recognized the knight. "Oh thank gods there you are." Gavin breathed in relief as he reached her. His gaze roamed over her, inspecting for any sign of injury before looking at her with a frown. "Are you alright? Why were you gone for so long?" "I'm fine. I just ran into a little bit of trouble and ended up having to travel a bit further than I originally planned." Penelope told him. She paused before shuffling her feet slightly. "Is Mia freaking out?" "Sorta." Gavin admitted, scratching the back of his head. "Mia's not happy about you disappearing like that but I told her you were just trying to track down the thieves again.. Edward seemed convinced that you got killed by them but that rumor settled down after the one patrol returned with all the supplies from the thieves' camp.." The male knight met her gaze. "I guess you were able to get to him in time huh?" He mumbled softly. "Yeah.. Just barely." Penelope replied averting her gaze away awkwardly. "So what are you doing out here? Are they still sending out patrols to look for the thieves?" Gavin shook his head. "No. The barons were settled with getting the supplies back so they didn't bother with anymore patrols... I'm out here looking for you. I was worried something happened." He took a stepped towards her resting his hand on her shoulder, specifically the one Crow had injured before. "I know he's important to you but he's dangerous, Penelope. He's a criminal." "You speak as if you actually know him." Penelope took a step back from her former suitor and met his gaze sternly. "I appreciate your concern, Gavin but I'm fine. We should get back to camp now." She turned sharply and began to walk on back towards the camp. Gavin hesitated before following behind her. A silence fell between the two as they walked back to their camp.