Now alone, Penelope let out a small sigh as she made her way back into the castle. She really hoped that she'd be able to join Crow or at least Naida for dinner. Cedric wasn't terrible company but she still didn't trust him enough to let her guard down around him and Alden's sudden introduction had her admittedly a bit on edge. Climbing up the stairs and entering the Great Hall, she swept her gaze over the various nobles, looking and hoping to spot a friendly face. Fortunately, she caught sight of Naida waving to get her attention.

She smiled and headed over, her heart fluttering excitedly as she noticed Crow sitting with her as well. Penelope caught Naida's subtle gesture for the knight to sit down next to Crow as she placed both of her palms on the bench besides her. The knight rolled her eyes, a bit amused by the princess' efforts to get them together. This time though, she didn't feel the need to protest and in fact, figured it'd be a decent opportunity to get a little closer to Crow. She complied and sat down besides the viceroy but still kept a bit of distance between them. 

"Hey guys." she greeted with a small nod. 

"Hey! Where have you been? I haven't seen you since yesterday morning." Naida asked, still grinning victoriously now that she had gotten her friend to sit next to Crow. 

"Busy writing letters and that night shift." Penelope shrugged. "You probably won't see much of me tomorrow either."

"Why do you say that?" Naida asked, frowning slightly. 

"I'm heading to Bellmare to pick up a few things since I'm going to be staying here a while." she explained with a glance at Crow before she looked back to Naida. "I should be back before nightfall though."