Crow just shrugged when Penelope thanked him for being honest about what had been weighing on his mind. He had hoped that by opening up to her about everything, he would feel better, but instead he felt just as uncertain as before with the addition of some lingering awkwardness for speaking about his emotions out loud. Even though he loved her and knew he could trust her with the information, it was still a new experience for him to be so transparent with someone. He was used to keeping his feelings to himself or even ignoring them in preference of logic. Acknowledging and relaying his emotional state to the knight was just something he supposed he was going to have to get used to.

As she wrapped her arms around him, he did the same to her, slipping his arms around her back to hold her close while she went on to explain how things had changed between them since the first time they had been together two years ago. While it wasn’t enough to make him feel certain that the past would never repeat itself, her words did comfort him quite a bit.

He closed his eyes and rested his head against hers as he listened to her remind him about how they had been together much longer this time. She was right. Unlike their whirlwind three-week romance during their mission to Younis, he felt like they had a much stronger foundation to build on this time. They already knew quite a bit about each other from the past, but now, they were starting to figure out how to use that information work together in a completely different world—one in which they didn’t have the luxury of being in a different kingdom and pretending the barriers between them didn’t exist. It was harder, but it made him feel even closer to her in a way that he never had before.

As she also mentioned that they had talked more about the future, he opened his eyes again to look down at her with a soft smile. She was right about that too. Previously, he had only told her about what to expect in the outer villages. He had also told her that he’d wanted to live with her in Farhill, but that was the furthest their planning went. Well, aside from his intention to marry her after she met up with him at the Black Dagger, but that hadn’t been something they had ever discussed together. The plans and dreams they shared now were much more well-rounded and clear. Thinking about them again and seeing the color in her cheeks when she spoke of them made his heart swell with affection for the knight.

Suddenly, he noticed something in her expression change, and he listened quietly as she went on to tell him that she had learned from the past and had no intention of disappearing ever again. The words laid his worries to rest even more so than reminiscing about their relationship had, and he squeezed her a little closer in fondness, his smile widening as she kissed his cheek.

“But it did,” he said when she finished speaking, shaking his head. “I feel a lot better now. Thank you, love.” He leaned in to press a kiss to her lips, and then pulled back to meet her gaze with a grin. “Yesterday, you said I know just the right things to say, but I think you might even be better at that than I am.” He casted a quick glance back at the table where their companions were still seated, and then turned back to her more seriously. “We should probably rejoin the others. I don’t trust Rikki enough to leave her alone with Gavin any longer than we have to… especially after everything she’s already done tonight.”