Penelope eyed the villagers as they acted nervously around her. She even caught the woman whispering suspiciously to the man. The knight raised an eyebrow curiously. It seemed that someone had been instructing the villagers on what to say, which quickly made the knight interested in learning more. She was a bit surprised by the hostility in the man who turned to address her, going on about not seeing any travelers. [i]I doubt that...[/i] she thought narrowing her eyes slightly. 

"Are you sure?" she asked them again calmly as her gaze shifted over them. "They would have been a large group, hard to miss... And they might have caused a bit of trouble while passing through."

The same man kept glaring at her and was about to speak up again when suddenly another man piped in. "Nah we haven' heard nothin' or see'  'em." he assured her with a dismissive wave. He appeared to be a little less intoxicated than the others and gave her a smirk. "You're 'n a taver' but you're not even drinking. We're goin' halfta change that. Right, guys?" he asked as he turned to the other villagers. The group quickly joined his side with words of agreement and encouragement. The man wasted no time in flagging down a wench and grabbing some drinks from her.

Penelope's eyes widened slightly and she glanced towards Crow with a hint of alarm. It seemed these villagers really didn't trust them enough to talk, even if they were drunk. As he placed a fresh mug of ale down in front of her, the knight shifted uncomfortably. "Ah.. Actually I'm fine without anything to drink, thank you though." she said offering a polite smile. 

"Aw come 'n!" a woman suddenly jumped in with an eager grin. "Dri'k with us!" She seemed genuinely interested in drinking with the knight, as if momentarily forgetting about the nervousness she had once drinking was brought up. [i]Maybe we can use that to our advantage..[/i] she thought casting a side glance at Crow. Perhaps drinking with the villagers would lower their guards just enough to get the information they needed. However, that would likely mean leaving it up to the half-drunk Crow. The knight doubted she could handle another drink without getting drunk herself after all.  

"U'less you gotta reas'n for stayin' sober." the man spoke up again as he lifted his own glass. 

Penelope let out a quiet sigh and grabbed the handle of her mug, lifting it up to the others. "Alright, alright I'm in." she agreed, receiving a small cheer from the villagers. As they prepared to drink, she leaned closer to Crow and lowered her voice to whisper, "Sorry.. I hope it makes them lower their guards enough but the rest will probably be up to you now." Her gaze flickered back over to the peasants and she gave a small smile before joining them in drinking from her mug. She flinched at how strong the ale tasted and set down the glass a bit wobbly. It wouldn't take long for the drink to have an affect on her, especially since she had already finished one prior to joining the peasants.