The next morning came too soon for the knight as she had to face dealing with her barons. She had already prepared for what she was going to tell them during the trip back to camp, but after running into her brother the night before, she was reminded convincing all of them would be a bit more difficult than merely convincing Mia. Penelope let out a sigh as she finished up her small bite of breakfast, not feeling very much hunger as all of her attention was focused on the upcoming meeting. 

Eventually, the time came for her to head to the tent at the center of camp. As she stepped inside, she was greeted by familiar faces. Tomas looked over and offered her his usual friendly smile while Layth scowled at her. Edward narrowed his gaze and Bennet seemed distracted with the map he had in front of him. Mia looked over at her with a hint of hope in her gaze and was the first to speak up. 

"Welcome back Penelope." she said with a small smile. "I trust you're ready to report how your mission went."

"You better be." Edward growled crossing his arms. "This camp is still hurting from the attack, we can't afford people out chasing gossip amongst peasants."

[i]I see Layth informed him of where I got my lead from...[/i] She thought bitterly as she moved to sit down in the open chair. "I am, Mia." she said with a respectful nod to her baroness, ignoring her uncle's sour words. "When we went to Aramoor, we were unable to find the thieves or any signs of their camp. It seemed like a dead end but upon talking with some of the villagers, we had a bit of success. Some reported sighting the thieves heading towards Wheldrake and I now believe that's where they're currently located."

Layth snorted. "How can you be so sure the peasants even saw them? It sounds like this mission was as much of a failure as I thought it would be."

"These thieves are obviously well known in the area. I'm sure the peasants could identify them just as easily as we can." Penelope responded sharply. "Have you made any progress on finding them here or any leads as to where they are?"

Layth muttered something foul under his breath while Tomas let out a soft sigh. "No.. Our patrols have been scouring everywhere from Myrefall to Grimsby but there hasn't been any trace of them or our supplies.."  the older lieutenant informed her with a small frown. "Honestly, I think the reports of villagers spotting them near Aramoor should be considered rather successful."

"I agree." Mia spoke up with a small nod. "It's not quite as much as I hoped for but it's certainly a better lead than anything we've managed to find here." 

"I'm glad you think so," Penelope said with a hopeful look. "because I was hoping to continue to follow it."

"You intend to go on mission to Wheldrake?" Edward grunted disapprovingly. 

"With your permission, yes." Penelope responded with a curt nod a her gaze flickered over to Mia. The baroness wavered slightly, seeming less than thrilled about the idea of sending her lieutenant away from camp on yet another journey. 

"Penelope, I'm glad you had success with your trip to Aramoor but I think it would be best if we send a different patrol. Do not forget you still have duties to do within the camp." Mia said. 

"Besides, if you really are getting closer to the thieves, then they should send someone who won't lose them." Layth sneered, referring to the multiple times Crow had 'gotten away' from her. 

The female lieutenant tensed slightly. Even though she seemed to have convinced most that her lead was worth following, it seemed getting Mia to let her leave again would be a bit more difficult than anticipated. The thought of sending a different patrol made Penelope a bit nervous. They wouldn't know who they were really looking for and her flimsy lead would become completely useless. 

"I'm not and I won't let them get away." Penelope's gaze hardened determinedly. "My patrol was the one that managed to track this lead down in the first place and with all due respect Mia, I believe we should be the ones to see it through to the end. Afterall, there clearly must be a reason why we were the only ones to discover this lead while the other patrols remain unsuccessful."

"What are you trying to say?" Edward growled while Layth narrowed his eyes. 

"All I'm saying is that my group found the lead so we should be the ones to follow it rather than risking someone else losing it." Penelope replied with a shrug. 

"She does have a point." Tomas piped up. "They should be the ones following the lead. They have all the information about it after all and they're more a familiar with the details as well as where to look obviously."

Mia frowned and shifted her gaze away as she paused for a moment. Finally the baroness sighed and nodded her head. "I suppose you're right." she mused and glanced between the other two barons for approval before looking back to Penelope. "You and your patrol will be allowed to leave for Wheldrake to follow this trail you've found." 

Penelope smiled at Mia and dipped her head. "Thank you." she said appreciatively.