Crow nodded when Penelope agreed with him that they should go back to the inn. After everything that had happened, he wanted to lay down, and he didn’t doubt that she felt similarly, since she was the one who had come face to face with a god that night. Honestly, if his encounter with Aeklora two years ago hadn’t been right in the middle of a fast-paced palace raid, he probably would have been much more freaked out. He was a bit impressed that Penelope was as outwardly calm about it all as she was.

When Penelope rose to her feet, Crow stood up beside her, staying close so that he could take her hand when she reached for his. Standing so close to her father, the thief’s eyes flicked warily towards the older man, and he remained tense, unsure if he was still going to force them to separate in spite of everything that had happened. With Penelope shaken up, he wasn’t going to be as willing to distance himself from her as he usually was when her father intervened. However, to his surprise, John didn’t say anything about it.

As the older knight merely said that it was getting late, Crow stared at him in unbridled surprise. Perhaps it was just because he was shaken up from encountering his dead lover, but he was acting much more tamed than usual. Whatever the case, it was a pleasant change, so the thief didn’t say anything about it. After all, he didn’t want to risk letting his tongue slip and saying something to set John off again. So, keeping close to Penelope’s side, he followed after the knight in silence as the other man led the way back to the inn.

[color=fff79a][b]“By the way… your mother’s name is Madeleine, right?”[/b][/color]

Crow’s breath caught in his throat at the mention of his mother, and he whirled on Penelope in shock. As far as he could remember, he’d never told her his mother’s name before. Why would her mother mention his? How did she even know her name? His heart began to race as dozens of questions rose up inside of him. It was difficult to keep his thoughts straight, but after a moment, he cleared his head enough to speak.

“Yes, that’s her name,” he said hurriedly, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. “Your mother knew her? What did she say? Did she tell you anything else?” His grip on her hand tightened slightly in his urgency, and he held her gaze with widened eyes as he waited for her to tell him what she knew.