Crow nodded gratefully when Penelope wished him luck with Rikki. Now that he knew she was alright with him speaking to the female thief alone, he turned back to the tunnel and took off after his upset friend, moving at a light jog to catch up with her before she got too far ahead. Luckily, it seemed he’d gone after her quickly enough, because it wasn’t long before he caught sight of her silhouette in the darkness up ahead. She appeared to have slowed down quite a bit, walking at a slow pace now that she’d already put some distance between herself and the rest of the group.

He slowed down to a walk as well, not wanting to startle her by suddenly appearing at her side while she was still distraught. Tentatively, he stepped up to her from behind and reached out to rest a hand on her arm. “Rikki,” he spoke her name softly, though he could feel her tense up despite the gentleness of his approach. Her sharp reaction made him wince. They used to be as close as family, and now she was bristling at the mere sound of his voice. This was why he couldn’t just leave things as they were. As uncomfortable as it was, he wanted to resolve the conflict that had been simmering between them for so long.

“Come on, love, talk to me,” he pleaded. “I know you’re mad, but—”

“Mad?” Rikki suddenly interrupted, coming to a stop. She turned around to face him with tear-filled eyes. “You think I’m mad at you?” She shook her head. “Anger is the furthest thing from what I’m feeling, Crow. I’m not mad, I’m hurt. I just…” She trailed off, wiping the tears from her eyes and wrapping her arms around her middle. “I feel like I don’t know you anymore. Ever since Penelope came back into your life, you’ve been acting like a different person. I never know what to expect out of you, and it feels like you spring something new on us every other day… I miss the Crow I met in Colchester two years ago—the Crow I fell in love with.”

“Rikki…” Crow faltered, unsure what to say.

“I know you’re not going to suddenly turn back into the man you used to be,” she went on in a murmur. “While you were gone, I spoke with Penelope, and I see now that you love her more than you could ever love me. I’ve accepted that… But now, after you’ve finally come back to us, you tell us that you’re only here to say goodbye for good.” Her voice broke, and she took a shaky breath. “Of course I’m hurt. How could you expect me to be okay with losing you forever? I know you don’t love me, but that doesn’t change the fact that I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone else… I don’t want you to go.”

Crow said nothing as she broke down into quiet sobs. He’d already known that out of all his companions, Rikki was going to take the news of his decision the hardest. However, now that he was finally talking to her about it, he realized he still didn’t know what to say.

He remained quiet for a drawn out pause before he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her in a comforting embrace. “I don’t want to leave you either—any of you,” he said softly. “Trust me, this wasn’t a quick or easy decision for me… but it [i]is[/i] what I have to do. I’m just sorry I couldn’t find a way to give you more time to prepare.”

“Why do you have to go at all?” Rikki’s voice was muffled as she buried her head into his shoulder. “Why can’t you stay here with us?”

“Because this isn’t the life I promised Penelope,” Crow explained in a low voice. “I can’t make her sacrifice everything for me when I have the opportunity to prevent her from doing so.”

“But what about you?” Rikki looked up at him with a frown, her chin quivering slightly as she fought back more tears. “The only thing that’s changed is who’s sacrificing for who. Why is it better for you to give up everything for her?”

“Because I’m not really giving up very much,” Crow shrugged. “Think about it. I’ve got no money, no permanent home, and no job. If Penelope came to live in the outer villages, we’d have to survive off whatever meager earnings I could bring in without drawing much attention to myself, and it would be difficult to settle down while I’m still being tracked by bounty hunters.” He offered her a halfhearted smile, “Honestly, you, Alistair, and Hazel are all I have out here, and I told you before that Penelope and I were going to leave together after the war anyway. The only thing that’s changed is that we’re leaving sooner than we expected.”

“But you’re also moving to the inner kingdom,” Rikki sniffled. “At least if you were in the outer villages, we could still see you sometimes.”

“I know,” he sighed. “But it’s as I said: I’m doing this for Penelope. Besides, it’s not like we could [i]never[/i] see each other again.” He smiled at her more genuinely. “You and Alistair know the inner kingdom just as well as I do, if not better. I’m sure you could find a way to visit me there if you really wanted to.”

“I suppose that’s true,” Rikki chewed on her bottom lip thoughtfully.

“I’ll tell you what,” Crow went on, letting his arms fall from around the other thief and stepping back from her now that she seemed to be feeling a little better. “The next time I have a chance to go back to the outer villages, I’ll be sure to pay the three of you a visit too. How does that sound?”

“I’d like that,” a small smile tugged at the corner of Rikki’s mouth. She studied his face for a moment longer before the smile vanished and a soft exhale escaped her lips. “Gods, it’s not going to be the same around here without you around… I’m going to miss you, Crow.”

“I’m going to miss you too,” he held her gaze for a moment longer in the darkness before waving his hand in a beckoning gesture. “Hey, I’m not leaving just yet, so why don’t you come with me to rejoin everyone else? I’d like to spend what time I have left here with all of you together.”

“Okay,” Rikki nodded, her smile returning and softening her features as she walked with him back to the main cavern.