Hazel found Penelope’s explanation to be nothing short of dumbfounding. She couldn’t tell if this knight had something wrong with her head or if she was simply a fool. To give up everything for someone like that was a concept she simply couldn’t fathom. [i]What did that snake do to her?[/i] She thought with a subtle shake of her head. She knew Crow could be manipulative, but to have a knight wrapped around his finger? Perhaps she needed to start watching him more carefully.

Yet, despite her pessimistic beliefs, there was a small part of her that felt conflicted by the expression on Penelope’s face when she spoke of him. There was a softness in her gaze that looked too sincere to be the result of trickery. She shifted her weight, wondering if there was more going on here than what she was bent to think. Was it really possible that a knight and a thief had fallen in love? It sounded ridiculous to her, but she couldn’t bring herself to brush it off as impossible. After speaking with both Crow and Penelope and seeing the care they had for each other, it was starting to look like their affection was real after all.

Hazel met the noble’s gaze again when she went on to ask about their next meeting. The herbalist groaned inwardly as she realized that, by agreeing to meet with this physician, she was going to have to interact with noble scum more often. This was going to be unpleasant. “Sure, whatever,” she exhaled moodily. By this point, she seriously wanted to be done with this knight. She had talked with her for much longer than she had initially planned. Crow owed her big time for this.

“If that’s all you have to say, then I’m leaving,” she said abruptly, turning around to walk to the door without giving Penelope time to respond. She pulled on the handle and took a step forward, but then hesitated, glancing back over her shoulder. “I’ll see you in two days, rat,” she said a bit more softly. However, her moment of friendliness was gone almost as quickly as it had appeared. She let out a temperamental huff and stepped out of the house, closing the door firmly behind her.

--

Back in the thieves’ hideout, Crow watched the entrance of the cavern impatiently as he waited for Hazel’s return. He stifled a yawn, fighting the temptation to go to sleep and find out how her conversation with Penelope had gone in the morning. As tired as he was, he wanted to find out how the knight was doing and if she was worrying about him even more now that she had learned of what had happened to him in the last battle. He hoped she wasn’t, but he knew her well enough to guess that she was probably more concerned than ever.

Shifting uncomfortably on his bed—his injured leg was beginning to ache again—he felt a pang of frustration and wished he could have gone to speak with her, himself. Hazel wasn’t the most compassionate woman around people she didn’t like, so he knew she wasn’t the best person to tell Penelope why he couldn’t meet with her. It was unfortunate that she was the only one he could have sent to do the job.

After what felt like an eternity to the drowsy thief, he finally saw a shadow pass over the opening at the front of the cavern, signaling the herbalist’s return. He sat up eagerly, grimacing as a bought of dizziness chided him for the sudden movement, and watched as Hazel stepped into view. She shrugged her cloak off of her shoulders and dropped it with their other clothing supplies before making her way over to the sleeping area.

“How did it go?” he asked, unable to wait any longer.

Hazel jumped at the sound of his voice and whirled around with wide eyes as she searched the darkness for the source of the sound. He smirked in amusement as she finally met his gaze. It seemed like she had either been very deep in thought or hadn’t expected him to have waited up for her. Perhaps it was both. However, he didn’t linger on it for long. “Well?” he pressed, impatient for her response.

“I said everything you wanted me to say,” she answered vaguely and then narrowed her eyes at him. “Besides, shouldn’t you be sleeping right now? Go to bed, Crow.”

“What did she say?” he went on urgently, ignoring her instructions. “How did she look? Did she have any injuries from the battle?”

“Slow down,” Hazel rolled her eyes. “She looked fine to me. As for what we talked about, I’ll tell you about it in the morning. Right now, I’m going to bed, and I highly suggest you do the same.” Without waiting around to give him a chance to argue with her, she walked quietly over to her bed and laid down, curling up nearby Simon, who was fast asleep on the mat next to hers.

Crow frowned, wishing she would have given him at least a few more details about their meeting, but after a moment, he laid down again in quiet defeat. For now, he would just have to content himself with the knowledge that Penelope was alright after the battle and that she knew he wasn’t dead. Letting out his breath in a long exhale, he closed his eyes and let his weariness take over as he drifted off to sleep.