Fortunately it seemed the oil was in fact ready which made it easier for Penelope to avoid talking about her failure to return with the staff. She nodded to the female thief and moved ahead to collect as much of the crushed plants as she could carry before  stepping over to the oil and dropping it in. The knight stepped back as the others stepped over to drop in the rest. Since Rikki decided to handle the cooking alone, Penelope moved to sit down, leaning her back against the wall as there didn't seem to be anything left for her to do. 

She swept her gaze over the camp. Olivia and Alistair sat down together a little ways away, chatting more casually now, Hazel still seemed focus on her work and Hartley was walking over to join Penelope, clearly still intent on speaking with her. She offered him a small smile as he sat down next to her and let out a small yawn. As it was beginning to grow later, she felt a bit of weariness beginning to set in so, in an attempt to fight it off, she focused on talking with Hartley again. 

"You said Kip was back in Younis before, right?" Penelope asked as she looked over at him. "She's doing alright, I hope?"

"Yeah she's fine. I miss her though." Hartley sighed and lowered his gaze.

"Well what are you doing out here in the first place? There's a war going on, you know." Penelope frowned. "You should be with her, not out here."

"I know but..." Hartley fidgeted with the hem of his tunic. "Her parents don't approve of me and it's difficult being with her and being a thief so things are difficult.. I thought maybe I could at least earn a little money or respect if I helped out at the war front... That's why I joined Jaxon group since I'm not great at fighting I thought maybe I could earn it through stealing."

Penelope listened quietly as Hartley explained a little bit about why he had joined Jaxon's group. It cleared up a bit of confusion she still had about why he had been there in the first place. It seemed things hadn't been very easy for the young couple since she and Crow had last seen them but she was glad to hear they were still figuring things out. "You should go back to her. Things may be difficult but surely there's a better way than getting involved with the war." she advised then gave the young thief a small smirk. "Plus I don't want to have to worry about another thief trying to sabotage my battalion."

"I won't I swear. I don't want to end up like the last guy." Hartley laughed holding up his hands. He smiled and looked around the camp. "I'll go back to Younis soon.. I think I'll stick around here for little while though.. At least until Crow is back." 

Penelope nodded her head and continued to chat idly with Hartley, listening to the boy as he told her more about how Kip was and how they had gotten married. Eventually his energy seemed to die down a bit and he grew quieter. Before Penelope even realized it, the young thief fell into a light sleep besides her. She looked over at him amusedly before letting out a sigh and glancing towards Rikki, who was still by the oil. The knight was hesitant to approach her but her curiosity got the best of her and she quietly climbed up to her feet and stepped over to the female thief by the fire. 

"How's it doing?" she asked as she looked down at the pot.