Right away, Crow could tell that the drink these villagers had given him was just as strong as the one Olivia had switched with his last pint of ale. He set the now-empty mug back down on the table, focusing carefully so he wouldn’t accidentally use more force than he needed to, and let out his breath in a long exhale. With two drinks already in his system, it didn’t take long for the third to add to the effects. Already, he could feel himself losing focus, and it was getting harder to think straight.

So, when Penelope started questioning the villagers again, he was only partially aware of what she was saying to them. He turned to look at her, hearing the words come out of her mouth, but unable to process them as his mind wandered instead to more trivial things, such as how pretty she was in the low light of the tavern. His eyes wandered over her, and he ran his tongue across his lips. Was she even more beautiful right now, or was it just the alcohol making him see things? He couldn’t tell, but he knew he found the curve of her body more enticing than usual while she was sitting next to him.

Crow was drawn from his thoughts when the knight suddenly leaned closer to him to whisper that they weren’t doing very well. He blinked, momentarily confused by her words until he remembered that they were supposed to be interrogating the villagers about Jaxon’s group. Somehow, that didn’t seem very important at the moment though. Why look for someone when they already knew where he was? At least, he knew where Jaxon was, even if the others didn’t. There was no point in asking around at the tavern when they wouldn’t learn anything new anyway.

“Who cares?” he waved a hand when she mentioned that Gavin wasn’t going to be happy with them. “He hates me an’way, so why both’r doin’ wha’ he wan’s?” It seemed like a valid point in his mind. If Gavin really wanted the interrogation to get done, then he could just come over and do it, himself. Why should he and Penelope put in all the hard work, especially when he already knew what they were looking for? It sounded counterintuitive when they could spend the night enjoying themselves instead. His eyes drifted to her lips again, and suddenly he had the strong urge to kiss her.

“Di’ I ever tell you how beau’iful you are?” he grinned at her drunkenly, leaning in a little closer. His face was flushed from the ale he’d been drinking. “B’cause y’are. Yer th’ most beau’iful woman I’ve ev’r seen.” In the next moment, he closed the distance between them by pressing his lips to hers in a somewhat clumsy yet passionate kiss, wrapping one arm around her waist to pull her closer. Absently, he could hear the villagers at their table whistling at the scene they were making, but right then, he couldn’t have cared less. All he wanted to think about was the woman in front of him.