Penelope trotted into the Great Hall and flickered her gaze around in search of her friend. Luckily she was able to spot Naida, who was sitting alone at a table with a bored look in her gaze. The look didn't last long though as she caught sight of her friend. The princess broke out into a grin and waved to Penelope, who eagerly headed over to join her. She sat down across from her friend and leaned slightly against the table. Having been busy traveling around Bellmare for the day, she was glad to finally get off her feet. 

"Penelope! Finally I get to see you again!" Naida grinned brightly at her friend. 

"It hasn't been that long." Penelope pointed out amusedly. Despite her words, she did enjoy the warm welcome from her friend. Having spent more time with less than friendly faces lately, it was a bit refreshing to get the chance to sit down with Naida again. 

"Well no but everyone else around here has been so dull and everyone wants to talk about..." Naida paused, her smile fading. Her uncomfortable expression confused the knight as she waited for her to continue. "well you've probably heard the rumors by now." she mumbled a bit dejectedly. 

For a moment, Penelope still wore a confused expression as Naida's vague words seemed to be missing some detail. She was just about to ask her to explain what rumors she was referring to when it hit her. Naida must have been talking about the rumor going around regarding Crow and Elizabeth. The knight cringed a bit, unsure how to respond. Naida was clearly disheartened by it—she had been trying to push her and Crow together for a while now—but Penelope couldn't outright explain to her how wrong the rumor was. As much as she wanted to clear the air, it wasn't something she could do so she'd just have to try a different approach. 

"Oh you mean about your brother sleeping with some girl?" Penelope mused casually. The knight shrugged her shoulders. "I've heard but you know castle gossip is hardly reliable. I wouldn't let it get you so down."

"I guess so... But the guard swears by what he saw.. Everyone seems to believe it." Naida frowned. "I'm sorry, Penelope."

"I don't know why you're apologizing. It doesn't affect me." Penelope chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. "Besides that, I wouldn't just trust what everyone's saying. I mean, have you even spoken to Collin about it yet?"

"Well no." Naida admitted. "I suppose you're right."

Penelope casted her friend a small smile. She was glad she had been able to talk Naida out of making the mistake of buying into the rumors like she had. However, it did cause her a small stab of guilt as she wished that she would have taken her own advice. The knight let out a soft sigh and instead moved onto strike up a more casual conversation with her friend. It didn't last long though as Naida grew distracted by the arrival of Crow, waving down the viceroy in a similar manner that she had with Penelope.