Since he was still trying to make up for all the meals he had missed during his recovery, Crow finished off his lunch much sooner than either of the two knights. He sighed contentedly and laid back in the grass, propping his arms behind his head in a relaxed posture while he waited for them to finish eating too. Though he couldn’t get as close to Penelope as he would have liked, her nearby presence was calming to him, and he as nearly tempted to take a short nap. However, he didn’t get a chance.

Just as he was about to close his eyes, he heard Penelope mutter something and turned to see that she had spilled her water in the grass. Not wanting to get wet, he sat up again and shifted a little further away from her, so the water wouldn’t reach his clothes. As he did, he looked up at her curiously. She wasn’t normally clumsy enough to do something like this. He wondered if she had been distracted, but that theory was quickly put to rest when he caught sight of the subtle look she gave him.

[i]She did it on purpose,[/i] he realized, biting his tongue to stifle a smirk. [i]Clever.[/i]

As she got up to find a stream to refill her water, he climbed to his feet too. “I’ll come with you,” he volunteered, stretching his arms over his head in a bored manner. “There should be a stream that’s not too far from here. I can show you where it is.”

“And just why would you do that?” John spoke up, eyeing him with an unreadable expression.

“Because I’m from these villages,” Crow answered with a roll of his eyes. “I know where the stream is, so I can help her find it.”

“Penelope is perfectly capable of finding water on her own,” John pointed out.

“I’m sure she is,” the thief shrugged. “But you even said we’ve got a long trip to Wellspring. Wouldn’t it be faster if I help her find it, so we can be on our way?”

John studied him for a moment longer before he turned away again, “Very well.”

Feeling satisfied that he had tricked the older knight, Crow turned to Penelope with a sly smirk. “Come on then,” he said with a wave of his hand. “I’ll take you to the stream.”