As he sifted his way back through the crowd, Crow saw that Penelope had gotten to their meeting spot ahead of him. He hoped she hadn’t been waiting for him long. Knowing he’d gotten distracted for a while when he’d thought he was being followed, he had wandered around the marketplace for a bit longer than he’d meant to. That, and he’d made a detour back to the Medoran merchant’s stand to steal something before they moved on. He absently touched his pocket, where the metal piece he’d stolen was hidden.

Fortunately, he didn’t see any sign of annoyance in the knight’s eyes when he reached her, so he relaxed.

“At least we already know it’ll look great on you,” Crow shrugged when she spoke about the price. Everything in the inner kingdom was expensive, so he really couldn’t judge her for spending a lot on new clothes, especially if she needed the dress to impress the noblemen and women at the upcoming party. He casted her a lopsided smile, “You’re beautiful in anything you wear. I’m sure everyone will just line up to sign your petition as soon as they see you.”

His eyes flicked to the bag she was carrying. Even though he was exaggerating about the other nobles, he was admittedly curious to see what sort of dress she’d chosen to don at the event. He remembered that she had looked gorgeous in the green dress she’d worn to his titling ceremony two weeks ago. Although he didn’t care what she wore on a day to day basis, he found it to be a bit of a treat to see her put on something that accentuated the curves of her body in such an attractive way.

[i]Maybe I understand why nobles clean themselves up at least a little,[/i] he confessed to himself.

“Alright,” Crow nodded when Penelope said they could start working their way back toward the river. It was disappointing that they wouldn’t have too much more time before they had to return to the castle, but he was still determined to make the most of what they had left. “Have any more stories for me from when you lived in this city?” he asked, nudging her playfully with his shoulder in an attempt to lift her spirits. “I have a feeling little Penelope used to get herself into all sorts of trouble here, didn’t she?”