"So he's awake?" Penelope nodded her head to Mia as the baroness eyed her with an intrigued look. Layth had stormed into the meeting rather abruptly and wasted no time in delivering the news that Crow was awake now and that she had already taken the liberty of assigning guards. Mia didn't seem overly upset and Bennett had made it clear that he didn't care so long as the thief had a guard on him at all times. Her main opposition seemed to be Edward and Layth as usual "You shouldn't be overseeing such matters! Especially after turning traitor and working with him in the first place." Edward growled as he glared at Penelope. "I only did so to save this battalion and you know that." Penelope stated, shaking her head. "I only took charge of dealing with matters related to the thief because I was the one who brought him here. I figured the responsibility would fall on my shoulders." She glanced towards Mia for support, hoping her baroness would side with her, but was disappointed as she seemed rather intent on just observing as the meeting went on. Luckily, someone else came to her aid. "That's reasonable." Tomas agreed with a small nod. He glanced between the baron and his lieutenant before giving a small smile. "Our supplies have increased because of Penelope's efforts and the threat of being raided again has been dealt with... As the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I seen no reason to question her judgment when it was clearly in our best interests." "Perhaps if she didn't drag that bastard back to our camp I could agree with that sentiment." Edward stated coldly. His gaze shifted over to Mia and he narrowed his gaze on her. "You've been quieter than usual. Feeling embarrassed by your lieutenant?" "Not particularly." Mia replied as she held his gaze calmly. She crossed her arms and glanced over at Penelope with a thoughtful gaze. "I'm just thinking... Anyways, Penelope has picked decent guards for the most part. Is it really so important to change to whoever Layth has chosen?" She shrugged and looked to Edward questioningly. "Surely if he has any issue with the thief, he can deal with it through a visit on his own. Or are you incapable of that, Layth?" Edward glared at Mia but was reluctant to speak out against her words as his gaze shifted between Tomas and Bennett. Like Layth, it appeared the inclusion of Tomas and Nina had caused for him to be in a tight spot. Claiming her guards were unfit would be insulting to the majority of those in the room. ---- The meeting had ended and Penelope had scored a small victory as Edward relented to her guard choices after a bit of pressure from the others in the room. She felt a spark of satisfaction. Though their trust in her dwindled, she had managed to play her cards just right enough to make it difficult for them to refuse her choices. The only downside was that Mia had opened the door to allowing Layth, and possibly others, to visit Crow without needing reason, which was likely the only reason he accepted the terms. If he requested alone time with the thief to interrogate him or otherwise, it would be difficult for her or any other guard to refuse his request. She sighed and headed towards the physician's tent as she planned to relieve Gavin of his guard duty. The female knight hesitated at the front of the tent as she recalled her conversation with him from the night before. Suddenly, she felt a bit unsure how to speak to him and as she stepped inside, she froze for a brief moment as his gaze fell on her. There was a bit of awkward silence before Gavin rose from his chair and dipped his head to her. "Taking over?" he asked quietly. "Yeah.. Thanks again." Penelope mumbled gratefully. "Of course." Gavin shifted his gaze away and then headed out of the tent, leaving her alone with Crow. Pushing past the brief awkwardness that came with facing her ex-suitor, she shifted her gaze over to Crow and walked over to his side giving a small smile. "Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked.