[IC] Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow walked with the others other to the hearth, already feeling his heartbeat begin to quicken with anticipation. He sat down next to Penelope, while the thieves gathered somewhat across from them in wait to hear his story. Once everyone was settled, Rikki reached for the pot of stew and poured a bowl for Crow. “Here,” she offered him a smile that looked forced in her unease. “We were saving this portion for Hartley, but he’s still napping in the tunnels, so you can have it.”

“Thanks,” Crow nodded appreciatively as he took the bowl from her hands. He shifted to rest it on his thigh near to Penelope so she could have some too if she wished. While he was quite hungry after making the trip from Wellspring, he didn’t want to eat all of the food if she wanted some too.

“Speaking of Hartley,” Alistair spoke up. “Do you want us to go and wake him up before you tell us what’s going on?”

“No,” Crow shook his head. “What I have to say, I would prefer to only be heard by your ears.” Though the foreign thief had earned some of his trust during their travels in Younis, the information he was about to admit was too personal to be shared with someone he barely knew. He didn’t want to make talking about his past any more uncomfortable than it already was.

His companions exchanged a confused look before Hazel turned back to him and asked: “So, what exactly happened?”

Crow took a steadying breath, casting one more glance at Penelope for comfort before he began, “Before I tell you that, there’s… something else you all need to know about me.” Already, he could tell that his words were making the other thieves leery, but he couldn’t let their discomfort stop him from telling the truth. He continued before he could lose the nerve to go on: “I’ve told you before that I’m a peasant, but that’s only half true. My mother was from the outer villages, but my father was a nobleman—”

“What?” Rikki’s eyes widened as she interrupted him. “How is that possible?”

“I’m getting there,” Crow said though a quick bite of food. He took a moment to swallow before explaining, “My father met my mother while he was passing through the outer villages on a trip to Younis. They had a one-night stand and, well,” he gestured to himself with a shrug. “At the time, my father didn’t want to take responsibility and left her to return to the inner kingdom, leaving my mother to raise me alone. That’s why I only consider myself to be a peasant—even though I’m the son of a nobleman, it’s the only way of life I’ve ever known.”

“Sounds like a typical noble, only caring about himself,” Alistair scoffed and then knitted his brow. “I don’t get it though. Why are you bringing this up now? It’s so far in the past that I can’t see how it matters anymore.”

Crow shifted his weight, looking off to the side as he went on in a low voice, “The part that matters is who my father is… His name is Albin Mannering.”

“What?” Rikki gaped at him in shock. “As in Albin, the King of Brerra? That Albin Mannering?”

“Well, he was just the ambassador to the last king at the time, but yeah,” Crow nodded without looking up. He could feel their astonished gazes boring into him. It was still hard to tell what they were thinking, but he knew their opinions of him had to be changing. How could they not? They had just learned he was the estranged, first-born son of their king. They had to be looking at him differently. He remained quiet to give them time to process the news.

“I can’t believe this,” Alistair spoke up after a moment, running a hand perplexedly through his hair. “Why are you telling us this—that you’re the king’s son? What do you want us to do with something like that?” The frustration in his voice was apparent, though it was difficult to tell if it was because of the content of his leader’s news or the fact that it was simply being discussed at all.

“I don’t understand either,” Rikki said softly, eyeing Crow with a strange expression, as if she wasn’t sure what to think about him. “We didn’t need to know that, Crow. We… we like you for who you are. We could have lived with not knowing you’re related to a nobleman.”

“Believe me, I know that,” Crow sighed solemnly, finally looking up to meet her gaze. “I didn’t want to tell you, but now, I have a reason.”

“And what reason could that be?” Alistair crossed his arms warily over his chest.

Crow took a steeling breath, “I never told any of you this either, but… about a year ago, close to the beginning of the war, my father tried to reach out to me. He sent a letter to Evelyn that she passed on to me while we were staying with her. At the time, I chose not to have her read it to me, and I was hoping my father would take my silence as disinterest in whatever he wanted from me, but it didn’t end there.” He wavered for a moment before going on: “While I was bedridden at the knights’ camp, he sent a knight from the inner kingdom to find me and offer an invitation to meet with him at the castle.”

“No way,” Rikki breathed worriedly. “You didn’t take it did you? Tell me you didn’t go.”

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” Crow shook his head. “The alternative was turning down the invitation and staying in the camp to suffer the punishment the knights had decided on for me.” He winced and rubbed his wrists. “They may have been gracious enough to let me recover from my wound, but they weren’t going to overlook my past crimes against them. If I stayed, they were going to cut off my hands so I couldn’t steal from them anymore.”

“That’s horrible!” Rikki gasped, covering her mouth.

“Merciless bastards,” Alistair curled his lip.

“It was persuasive,” Crow gave a one-shouldered shrug. “But I also went because I was curious. I mean, this is the first time my father has ever tried to reach out to me. I had to find out what he wanted.”

“Well… did you find out?” Rikki asked tentatively.

Crow nodded, looking between the two thieves’ faces as he worked up the nerve to tell them what he had come to say: “My father said he wanted to right the wrong he had done to me and my mother and asked me to be his viceroy… I accepted the position, and I’m starting my training at the castle in five days.”

A shocked silence fell over the group as his companions absorbed the news. Rikki was the first to speak. “W-What? I don’t…” she stammered, her eyes glistening as they welled up with fresh tears. “Y-You’re leaving us? Why—why would you do that? Crow, we need you!”

He looked away, pained by the hurt in her gaze. “This isn’t a decision I made lightly,” he murmured. “I have my reasons for it, and I’ve made my choice… I’m going back to the inner kingdom in two days.” He purposefully avoided mentioning that he was returning for Penelope’s sake, since he didn’t want the thieves to turn on her.

“This is bullshit,” Alistair growled, narrowing his eyes at his leader. “We’ve been here for you for a whole year, and now, at the first opportunity, you’re abandoning us for the cushioned life of a nobleman? How could you do this?”

“Nobles are awful people,” Rikki’s voice quaked as she spoke. “They treat us like dirt, and they wouldn’t care if we all died. Why would you want to become one of them?”

Crow grimaced as Alistair and Rikki continued to throw questions and accusations at him, trying desperately to persuade him not to leave. Subtly, he reached to take Penelope’s hand, needing the comfort of her touch under their ceaseless attempts to hold onto him. He didn’t bother saying anything to defend himself. They could never understand why he had made his decision, so there was no point in even trying.

Looks like we won’t be parting on peaceful terms after all, he thought disappointedly as the thieves went on.

Once Alistair and Rikki ran out of things to say, the group lapsed into silence again. Crow still refused to open his mouth, knowing there was nothing he could do to change their minds. As the quiet dragged on, he suddenly furrowed his brow, noticing that there was one person who had yet to say anything at all. He glanced up at Hazel, who sat with her head lowered, staring absently down at her lap. Her cheeks were wet with tears, which surprised him, since she didn’t normally show such emotion in front of others.

Rikki seemed to notice too. “Hazel, are you okay?” she ventured, resting a hand concernedly on her friend’s shoulder.

The herbalist bit her lip, taking a shaky breath and wiping the tears from her eyes. At first, she said nothing, and the others didn’t push her to speak. However, after a long pause, she finally answered Rikki’s question in a soft voice, “If Crow has already made up his mind, we need to let him go.”

Crow’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. Out of all his companions, Hazel despised nobles the most, so he’d been expecting her to be the most vocal about wanting him to stay. For her to not only accept his decision but tell the other to do so as well was quite unexpected.

“What?” Rikki sounded just as unprepared for the herbalist’s words. “Hazel, he wants to be a nobleman! How can you be okay with this?”

Hazel took another breath before responding quietly: “Because my husband was a nobleman too.” The others stared at her in shock, so she went on without interruption, “Simon was afraid of how you would all react if you found out the truth… That’s why he told you he was born in Coalfair, but really, he was the son of a duke and duchess from Everton.” She looked up to meet their stunned gazes. “I’m sure you’ve all noticed how hard he squinted at books whenever he read… He had an issue with his eyes. When he tried to read, the letters would get all mixed up on the page, and he couldn’t understand the words.

“To nobles, literacy is a point of pride, and his parents disowned him for bringing shame upon their family. That’s how he became a thief in Jaxon’s group… He needed somewhere to run to when he had no other place to go.” She brushed another tear from her eye. “He told me that was also why he practiced reading and writing so much… Despite the cruelty his parents showed him, he’d always wanted to prove that he could learn to be literate and regain his title all on his own.”

Hazel smiled faintly at the memory of her husband, “He was determined to go back because he believed that he could get more nobles to see the suffering in the outer villages and bring change to our kingdom from the inside out. If Jaxon hadn’t cut his life short, he might have done it too.” She turned to meet Crow’s gaze. “That’s why you should go. Simon may not have been able to see his dream come true, but you still can. I know you hold the same values as the rest of us, and the king just offered you the highest title any non-royal could obtain in Brerra. You have the chance to bring about the change my husband wanted.” Her determined gaze softened. “We’ll be alright without you, Crow. You don’t have to worry.”

Crow held her gaze for a long pause before dipping his head in an appreciative gesture, “Thank you. I’ll do my best to fulfill Simon’s wish.”

Hazel smiled at him and then turned next to Penelope. “You too,” she added. “I know you care about the villagers here as well. So please, help open the eyes of the other nobles in the inner kingdom to our suffering.” Her expression turned slightly less serious, and she tipped her head towards Crow. “Also, make sure this idiot takes care of himself in the inner kingdom. I don’t want to hear that he ran his mouth to some important noble and landed himself back in prison.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope fell silent besides Crow as he began to tell his tale to his companions. She took a couple small bites from the stew while he talked before leaving most of it for him to eat. While she was quite hungry from the long trip, her focus on the conversation at hand dulled it. The knight glanced between Alistair and Rikki as Crow finally delivered the news of him choosing to leave for the life of a noble.

She lightly bit her tongue, wishing she could defend him against some of their accusations. Afterall, the main reason he was leaving was more for her sake than anything else. It wasn't like the thief was leaving them just for the comforts nobility offered. However, the knight had a feeling that saying anything in his defense would only make things worse so she remain quiet as well and gave his hand a soft squeeze as he took her hand in his.

As a silence fell over, her gaze shifted over to Hazel as Rikki address her. She blinked in mild surprise as Hazel accepted his decision and advised the others to do the same. Though the herbalist had been more tolerant towards her as of recent, she was still a bit shocked that she didn't voice any type of opposition. Her surprise only increased as she went on to explain why.

Penelope glanced over at Crow as she learned that, not only had Simon been married to Hazel—which was something that the knight hadn't been aware of—but had also been a nobleman himself. It was strange to think that the thief who had been more openly distrusting of her out of all of them had been a noble like her. Hearing that he had even planned to return in order to bring change to the kingdom made her feel a small pang of sadness. They had shared similar goals and even if they had never exactly been close, she wished that he was still alive to follow through with them.

As Hazel addressed her, she gave a small smile and dipped her head. "I will. I plan to." she assured firmly. The knight felt a new surge of determination as well as eagerness to return to the inner kingdom. Now that she wouldn't be leaving to be with Crow, she could focus on her plan to get the outer villages the care they needed and hearing Simon's story just made her all the more eager to get to work. Penelope smirked in amusement at Hazel's teasing words and nodded her head.

"I'll do my best but I'm certain he won't make it easy." she mused casting a teasing glance at Crow. Her gaze shifted away from him and over to Rikki and Alistair. Glancing at the other two, her expression became more serious again as she noticed the two still absorbing everything. She let out a quiet sigh and shifted her gaze over to Hazel. "Thank you." she mumbled.

[Rogue Sloth]

A smile found its way onto Crow’s lips as Hazel lightened the mood by poking fun at him. Not expecting to earn the support of any of his companions, was grateful for her willingness to let him go back to the inner kingdom without a fight. Somehow, her acceptance made the transition feel a little easier, since he could leave knowing that at least one of his friends was prepared to move on without him. Plus, judging by her earlier comment, it sounded like the herbalist had already been taking over as a temporary leader while he’d been away before. He was relieved to know that she would be able to continue holding that role after he left permanently with Penelope in two days.

“I won’t start any fights, but I’m sure as hell going to finish them,” he casted Penelope a wry grin when she said he wouldn’t make her job easy.

“That’s exactly what we don’t want you to do, dumbass,” Hazel rolled her eyes.

“I’ve got a question,” Alistair spoke up again with a frown as he met Crow’s gaze. “If your father gave you a noble title because he wanted to ‘reconnect,’ then why didn’t he just make you a prince?”

Crow paused, taking a moment to think over the question. It was something he hadn’t really thought much about, since he had no interest in the power or responsibilities that came with being in the royal family. Honestly, he preferred accepting the slightly lesser title of viceroy. It meant he wouldn’t have to concern himself with the affairs of the throne, and he would have a bit more freedom around the inner kingdom once his training was over, since he didn’t have to keep up with the same appearances that his half-siblings did.

“He has another son,” he answered after a moment. “He’s younger than me, but I think he was already first in line for the throne before I showed up. My father probably just didn’t want to cause dissention in his family by suddenly letting someone else cut in line.” He shrugged. “Plus, I think he’s waiting to reveal that we’re related until after I’ve got a better reputation in the kingdom, so instead of making it obvious, he gave me the highest open position he had that wouldn’t give away the fact that I’m his son.”

“I see,” Alistair mused. “And you’re certain this is something you want to do?”

“Sort of. It’s less about wanting the title, and more about wanting something that comes with it.”

“And what would that be?” Alistair pressed, seeming discontent with not knowing his leader’s reason for leaving them.

Crow hesitated, casting a furtive glance at Penelope. While he didn’t want his companions to blame her for his decision, he knew he couldn’t just abandon them without giving a proper explanation. He sighed. At least Hazel seemed to have deescalated the situation enough for everyone to speak rationally to each other. He just hoped they wouldn’t get riled up again when he admitted the truth.

“I’m taking the title because it means that Penelope and I can be together, and I won’t be making her lose anything for me,” he confessed, giving her hand a squeeze and meeting her gaze with a fond look. “I also think Simon was right. If we want to change the way my father and the rest of the nobles treat the peasants of this Kingdom, we’re going to need to do it from the inside. I’m not sure I’m the best man for that job, but I know Penelope can do it with the influence she already has. Now that we’re both going to be staying in the inner kingdom after this war is over, she’ll have the time to do it too.”

“For the sake of all the villagers in this kingdom, I hope so,” Hazel sighed.

“Me too,” Alistair said softly. He exhaled resignedly and met Crow’s gaze with a halfhearted smile. “Well, if you’re really going to do this, then I guess you’ve got my support too.”

“Thanks,” Crow grinned back at him, feeling relieved that two of his companions were now accepting of his decision. Having arrived with the expectation that they would all be furious with him, this was the best outcome he could have hoped for.

Unfortunately, Rikki didn’t seem quite as enthused as the others. She sat in silence, staring dejectedly down at the stone floor of the cavern. Her expression was hard to read, but Crow could tell she wasn’t happy about the outcome of his return. Without warning, she stood up and walked away from the group, making her way wordlessly into one of the tunnels.

Crow frowned as he watched her go. Part of him felt a little guilty for springing this on her so quickly. They hadn’t been on decent terms in quite a while now, and suddenly, he was leaving her behind to move to the inner kingdom. It was unlikely that they would ever see each other again. He wanted to do something to make her feel better.

“She’ll be alright,” Hazel said, noticing his lingering stare. “She just needs some time to process.”

Crow nodded but didn’t turn away from the tunnel the female thief had disappeared into. Despite the herbalist’s words, he still didn’t feel right about leaving her like this. He had to say something.

Turning to Penelope, he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and then stood up. “I’m going to talk to her,” he announced, reaching down to rest a hand briefly on the knight’s head. “I’ll be back soon.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smirked and shook her head at Crow's comment. As Alistair spoke up, she listened as he began to question Crow about his decision again. When he continued to press for Crow's reasoning to leave, she looked over at him as he glanced towards her and gave her shoulders a small shrug. She could tell he was trying to avoid admitting it was to be with her but she thought his companions should know the truth. Especially since she didn't want them to completely blame him. Perhaps even some hint of understanding could be reached if they knew the whole reason, at least she hoped so.

The knight gave Crow a soft smile as he met her gaze with a fond look. She hoped that he was right to have so much faith in her ability to change the minds of the nobles. It certainly wouldn't be easy, even with whatever influence she did have. But I know I won't be alone on this. she thought, reminding herself of the nobles she already knew that wanted to bring about change as well. Surely together they'd be able to make a difference.

She was glad that things seemed to be going well with Crow announcing his decision as now even Alistair seemed to accept it, even if a bit reluctantly. However, there was still one person who seemed to be having a slightly more difficult time with the news. Penelope's gaze flickered over to Rikki as she noticed the female thief stand up. The knight let out a soft sigh as she watched her leave into one of the tunnels.

Her gaze shifted to Crow as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. She gave a small nod. "Alright... Good luck." she mumbled to him.

As she expected, Rikki was having a difficult time with accepting his decision and she hoped that Crow was able to help her come to better terms with it. She lapsed into a silence as he left and leaned back on the palms of her hands. The knights mind began to wander back to her last conversation with the female thief, thinking about how they had argued a bit before seeming finding a small bit of understanding. Penelope sighed, feeling a heavy twinge of sympathy for the other woman. She really did hope that whatever they talked about was able to help soften the blow.

"Now then." Hazel spoke up, breaking the silence. "We don't have enough bedrolls for everyone but we should get a spot prepared for you two."

Penelope blinked and looked over at the herbalist. "Is it alright for us to stay?" she asked. Having been unsure about how accepting his friends would be, the knight had partly assumed that they'd be leaving nearly immediately but now that things were going rather well, she wasn't sure where that left them.

"Of course. It's getting too late to go looking for somewhere else to stay anyways." Hazel snorted with a roll of her eyes. She got up to her feet and gestured for Penelope to follow. "Come on then." The knight nodded her head and hurriedly got up to her feet to follow Hazel.

[Rogue Sloth]

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 is 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 never 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.

[BuzzingBee]

Hazel lead the way into another tunnel that opened up to reveal their sleeping spots. There were a few empty bedrolls spread out over the small cave and one that was currently being used by Hartley. Upon them entering, Hazel went ahead and lit up a small lantern and Penelope noticed the young thief stir from his slumber, just barely making out the movement in the dark. He let out a long yawn and rubbed his eyes.

"Did I sleep too long? How late is it?" he asked.

"Late enough. You missed out on your supper and we have visitors." Hazel informed him as she moved to start preparing a bed.

"Visitors?" Hartley sat up to look over at the herbalist and blinked in surprise as his gaze fell upon Penelope. "Penelope! You're back!" he exclaimed excitedly before scrambling up to his feet and rushing over to the female knight. She smiled and braced herself as he quickly charged over and wrapped her up in a hug. She returned the embrace and then too a step back from him again.

"Sorry about your supper. We were kinda hungry after the trip over here." she said with an apologetic smile.

"Oh it's fine! Wait.. We?" His smile widened into a grin. "Does that mean Crow's back? How is he? Where is he? How long have you guys been here? And why did no one wake me up sooner?"

"Slow down there." Penelope chuckled as Hartley bombarded her with a flurry of questions. "He is here but uh, he's taking care of a bit of business right now." Her smile dimmed slightly as she glanced back over her shoulder. Her gaze fell back upon Hartley and she offered him a small smile. "It shouldn't take him too long though but for now, why don't you help me and Hazel figure out the bed situation tonight."

"Oh... Ok!" Hartley nodded eagerly and followed Penelope as she moved to join Hazel. The three worked rather fast in preparing another bed, luckily having a couple extra blankets around that they were able to use. Once they had finished with that, they began to head back out into the main cave, with Hartley swiftly taking the lead in his eagerness to see Crow. Penelope fell to the back of the group and eyed the young thief, wondering if Crow would want to tell him any of what was happening. She trusted Hartley enough to at least tell him of current events but decided it best to leave it up to Crow.

The three rejoined Alistair by the hearth of the camp and sat back down. Penelope offered Hartley a bit of bread from their supplies, still feeling a bit bad for eating the boy's dinner. Seeming a bit hungry, he accepted it and was about to start eating when Crow and Rikki reemerged from the other tunnel. Penelope looked over at them and felt a small bit of relief in seeing Rikki return as well, guessing that meant Crow had been able to patch things up with the female thief. However, before she or anyone else could say anything, Hartley jumped to feet. "Crow! There you are!" he exclaimed as he hurried over to the older thief.

[Rogue Sloth]

On the short walk back to the main cavern, Crow and Rikki passed the time by catching up with each other. He hadn’t realized just how little they had spoken recently until they began sharing stories about things they normally would have talked about before. It felt good to finally start bridging the gap that had formed between them over the past few months. Though he was sure things would never quite be the same between them, he liked having his friend back for the little time he had left before leaving for the inner kingdom again.

When they made it back to the others, Crow was greeted by yet another friend he hadn’t been able to talk to in quite a while. “Hey, kid,” he grinned as Hartley bounded over to him from the hearth. They exchanged a brief embrace, during which the thief noticed something else about the Younisian boy. “You’re taller,” he raised a brow in surprise. The last time he’d seen Hartley, the younger thief had been noticeably shorter than him, but now they stood at about eye-level with each other. He felt strange to speak to him without looking down.

“I am,” Hartley squared his shoulders and beamed proudly. “Looks like you can’t call me ‘kid’ anymore, can you?”

“Don’t get cocky, now,” Crow snorted. “Just because you grew a bit doesn’t mean you’re suddenly an adult. I’m still a few years ahead of you, so you’re still a kid to me.”

“Oh really?” Hartley crossed his arms, a smug smirk crossing his lips. “Would it change your mind to know that Kip and I are married now?”

Crow’s eyes widened at that. “It might,” he admitted, studying the boy with newfound curiosity. “Congratulations. I had no idea.”

“Thanks,” the Younisian’s smirk widened into a broad smile. “So, have you and Penelope tied the knot yet or what?”

“Not yet,” Crow glanced past Hartley at where the knight was sitting with the other thieves and smiled fondly. “But hopefully it won’t be much longer.”

“Huh,” Hartley’s expression turned playful. “Maybe I should be the one calling you ‘kid!’”

“Try that, and I’ll make you regret it,” Crow rolled his eyes and punched the boy in the arm.

“Alright, alright,” Hartley laughed, holding up his hands. “I won’t, but you’ve gotta stop calling me that too, okay?”

“I guess I could hold back until the next time you give me reason to use it,” Crow teased. “As long as you don’t do anything stupid, I won’t call you ‘kid.’ Deal?”

“I’ll take it,” Hartley grinned.

The two shook hands over it and then headed over to the hearth to join the others. Rikki had already gone ahead and struck up a conversation with Alistair. When he reached the group, Crow sat down next to Penelope and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I told you I’d be back soon,” he playfully leaned into her side. “Aside from the brat waking up, did I miss anything important?”

“Hey!” Hartley frowned, catching how the other thief had referred to him.

“I only agreed to stop calling you ‘kid,’” Crow winked at him slyly. “Nobody said anything about ‘brat,’ ‘boy,’ or ‘dumbass.’”

“Gods, I’d forgotten how annoying you can be,” Hartley groaned, raking his fingers through his wild hair in frustration. “I’m starting to think it would have been better if you hadn’t come back.”

“Missed you too,” Crow smirked. He turned back to Penelope, wrapping one arm affectionately around her shoulders. “But seriously, did I miss anything while I was gone?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope watched the two with an amused expression as they spoke briefly before moving to join the others. As Crow sat down besides her again, she smiled as he kissed her cheek and gave a small nod as he playfully leaned into her. The knight gave a quiet chuckle as Hartley grew a bit frustrated at Crow's slyness. "Should have been prepared." she told the young thief with a small smirk.

Her attention turned back over to Crow as she felt him wrap an arm around her. "Not really. Just got the bed set up for tonight is all." she responded as she leaned into him. Her gaze swept over at the others nearby and felt a sense of peace. Crow had delivered his news to them and it had gone over as well as they could have hoped for in her opinion. She was glad they all seemed to have accepted his decision.

Penelope relaxed against his side and smiled fondly up at the thief. "I'm not sure what your plan was but I figured things seemed to be going well enough." she explained to him quietly. The knight paused and her smiled wavered slightly. "I thought you'd want to spend at least another day or so with them before we have to stop by my camp." she added in a soft mumble.

[Rogue Sloth]

“That’s good,” Crow nodded when Penelope said he hadn’t missed anything. While the reunion with his companions seemed to be going well enough so far, there was a small part of him that had been worried the others wouldn’t be as friendly if they had the knight alone. Fortunately, it seemed like his fears were unfounded, so he was able to relax again. He trailed his hand calmly down her arm, letting his eyes wander briefly over the rest of the group before returning to her face as she continued to speak.

“I do,” he returned Penelope’s smile when she thought he would want to spend more time with his companions. Letting his gaze return to the others, he went on in a low voice, “It wouldn’t feel right to leave them so soon after everything I just told them.” That, and he was already finding it difficult to leave. It had been a while since the last time he’d been able to return to their hideout, and now that he was here, part of him wished he could stay. He sighed softly. As much as he wanted to forget about his decision and move back in with the other thieves, he knew he couldn’t do it. His time here was ending so that he and Penelope could start their own life together in the inner kingdom. As hard as it was, it was for the best.

Crow leaned his head against the knight’s, relishing the time he had left in the outer villages. “As much as I’d like to stay for a while, we should probably go to your camp tomorrow evening,” he murmured. “I told my father that I would come back in a week, and I want to make sure we have enough time to wait for your baroness’s decision without returning to the castle late.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod of agreement with his words. Since things had gone over well, she also believed it'd feel wrong to leave so abruptly. The knight glanced at the thief with a fond expression. Up until their recent trip to the inner kingdom, she had always believed that she'd be the one to part with her friends, family and home. She had even thought their trip to the inner kingdom would be her last chance to even get a glimpse of her home.

Even though she never had to follow through with running off with him, the knight had been preparing herself to and could only imagine it was difficult to leave everything behind for a new life. Penelope was glad that Crow was at least given the chance to have a proper goodbye with everything he had known in the outer villages. Due to that, she wanted give Crow as much time as they could spare before they had to leave.

She closed her eyes for a brief moment as Crow rested his head against hers. "Alright, if you're sure." she mumbled. Penelope paused, thinking over his suggestion for a moment, before shrugging. "Convincing Mia might take a bit of time but if you want, I could head over there first if you want more time here." The knight gave a small smirk. "I know I'm technically supposed to stick with you since I'm a guard but I'm sure it be fine."

Her smirk faded as she let out a soft sigh. "After all, I'm not sure if I'll be able to convince Mia anyways...I'd rather make sure you're able to make the most of the time you do have out here rather than waiting on me when I might not even be able to return with you." she muttered.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow exhaled peacefully as he leaned against Penelope’s side, feeling relieved that the trip was going well so far. Now that he’d tied up loose ends with his companions, all that was left was to convince Penelope’s baroness to let her come back to the inner kingdom with him. He wasn’t sure what to expect with that. The woman seemed reasonable enough, but she might not want to let go of her lieutenant before the war was over. He just hoped Penelope would be able to convince her that she could do more from inside the castle than she could on the warfront.

As the knight went on to say that she could leave first so he’d have more time with the other thieves, Crow mulled over the idea and then nodded. “If you go early, that will give you more time to convince Mia too,” he mused under his breath, wanting to keep the conversation between the two of them. “I could still meet up with you tomorrow night, so we’ll be ready to head back to the inner kingdom in the morning if you can come with me, but you should go before then, so you can talk to your baroness sooner.”

He held Penelope a little closer to his side as he thought about the possibility that she might not be able to come back to the castle with him. Since she was the whole reason why he had accepted the job in the first place, he wanted her to be by his side when he began his new life as the viceroy for his father. If she was forced to stay with her battalion, it was going to be a lot harder for him to adjust to nobility. Of course, he knew he still had Naida, who had expressed that she wanted to help him get used to castle life, and he was grateful to have her friendly face around, but it wasn’t the same. He wanted to be with Penelope.

“You both look tired,” Alistair suddenly broke the silence, smirking at them amusedly.

“We’ve done a lot of traveling over the last week,” Crow answered him with a yawn. “And there’s still one more three-day trip back to the castle.”

“It’s still strange to think that you’re going to the inner kingdom for any other reason besides raiding nobles,” Rikki shook her head.

“Who said I’m not?” Crow casted her a mischievous grin. “I may be taking a new title, but I’m still a thief at heart. If any of the nobles there get on my bad side, I’ll be sure to put them in their place.”

“Just don’t get yourself into trouble,” Hazel rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to find out you ruined your chance to do something meaningful for these villages just because you couldn’t let go of a petty feud with some powerful nobleman.”

“Alright, I promise I won’t fight with anyone who outranks me,” Crow said and then snapped his fingers. “Oh wait, that’s just my family.” He winked at her slyly. “Looks like you don’t have anything to worry about after all.”

“Gods,” Hazel pinched the bridge of her nose. “Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to give you power?”

“Just the highest-ranking man in the Kingdom of Brerra,” Crow quipped snidely.

“Just don’t do anything outlandishly stupid,” Hazel huffed. “As long as you don’t get yourself arrested again, I don’t need to know about whatever other idiotic stunts you pull at the castle.” She rose to her feet and smoothed down the front of her dress. “Anyway, I’ve had about as much of you as I can take for one night, so I’m going to bed.”

“Oh, come on, love,” Crow rolled his eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

“Nope,” Hazel shook her head, although he could see a teasing glint in her eyes. “After being free from your jabbering for a whole month, I need to ease myself back into this. Goodnight.”

“Night,” Crow smirked, following her with his eyes as she headed back to the sleeping area. Once the herbalist was gone, he let out a sigh and leaned into Penelope again, letting most of his weight rest against her side in an exaggerated fashion. “We should get some sleep soon too. I’m exhausted.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small nod, glad that Crow approved of her idea. "Then I'll leave earlier tomorrow.. I'll have to make sure my comrades know not to attack you when you come." she mused. Though Crow had the slip of paper for proof, that wouldn't do him much good if they didn't even give him a chance to pull it out. Not to mention, she suspected a good handful wouldn't even bother to read it. It'd be important for her to make sure word spread thoroughly throughout the camp that he wasn't to be harmed upon his return.

She relaxed against him as she lapsed into a small silence, thinking over her plans for the coming day. Though she found it becoming a bit more difficult to focus on her thoughts as she grew tired. After another long day of travel, she was growing more and more ready to lay down for the night. As Alistair spoke up, the knight gave a small smile and nodded her head in agreement with Crow's words.

Her gaze flickered over to Hazel as the herbalist spoke up and smirked in amusement. The knight didn't doubt Crow's words about putting nobles that got on his bad side in their place, especially since he had already done so with stealing from the innkeeper before. She just hoped like Hazel that he wouldn't get himself into any real trouble. There were likely going to be a lot of nobles against him when word of his new title was announced officially.

As Hazel left and Crow leaned heavily into her side, Penelope rested one hand on the ground to brace herself against added weight and rolled her eyes playfully at the thief. "Yeah we should. I'm not sure how long I can support both of us before you end up crushing me." she teased quietly, giving his side soft jab. The knight shifted to pull away from him so she could get up and let out a small yawn. "Let's go."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow laughed softly when Penelope prodded him in the side. “What? I don’t think I’m that heavy,” he teased, pressing a kiss to her cheek and pulling back from her so she could stand up.

“Actually, I can vouch for her,” Alistair shot him a mocking look. “Carrying your ass around while you were sick was exhausting.”

“That’s just because you’re so weak,” Crow casting his friend a wry smirk, standing up and stretching his arms as he got ready to go back to the sleeping area with Penelope.

“Hey, I’m the best fighter here, and you know it,” Alistair retorted with a snort.

“That doesn’t mean you’re the strongest,” Crow retorted cheekily. “I bet I could carry you if our roles were reversed.”

“That wouldn’t be a fair comparison. You’re taller than me,” Alistair stood up as well and crossed his arms.

“Not by much.”

“It still makes a difference.”

“Sounds like a cop out to me,” Crow said flippantly. “But that’s okay. I understand if you think I’d best you.”

“Those sound like fighting words,” Alistair grinned, cracking his knuckles eagerly.

“Do you two even know what time it is?” Rikki groaned suddenly and punched Alistair in the arm. “Crow and Penelope just traveled all the way from the inner kingdom. We should all get some sleep, and then you both can have your fight in the morning. Alright?”

“Fine,” Alistair sighed disappointedly, rubbing his arm where she’d hit him.

“I like that plan,” Crow agreed with another yawn. He reached for Penelope’s hand and walked after the others as they all made their way to the sleeping area. When they got there, he found that they’d set out an extra bedroll—it seemed Hartley had taken up his old one since he’d left—and gratefully laid down on it. He wrapped his arms around Penelope, holding her close to himself and settling down comfortably. Fleetingly, he realized this was likely the last night he would be spending in the company of the other thieves. It was a saddening thought, but he was too tired to dwell on it. After traveling for days, it didn’t take long before he began to drift off.

“Goodnight,” he murmured to Penelope as he slipped out of consciousness.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope stood up and gave a small laugh as Alistair jumped in. She watched the two thieves and shook her head as the two continued to squabble. Feeling rather tired, she was glad that Rikki butted in before the two could start their fight. The knight nodded her head in agreement with the female thief and lace her fingers with Crow's as he took her hand.

She followed him and the others as they headed to the sleeping area. Stepping over to the extra bedroll, she let go of his hand to give a small stretch before moving to lay down with him. Penelope settled comfortably against him and closed her eyes as she felt him hold her close. "Night." she mumbled sleepily in return. Letting out a content exhale, the knight slowly drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

---

The next morning came and Penelope began to stir as heard movement coming from nearby. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced over towards the disappearing footsteps, catching a quick glimpse of Hazel's back as the herbalist headed off into the main cave. Realizing it must be morning, the knight gave a small stretch and carefully turned over on the bedroll to face Crow besides her. She nestled her head against him and closed her eyes again, merely enjoying being able to wake up next to him for another day.

She would have liked to stay there all morning but the knight would have to be leaving to her camp soon enough. They may not have any traveling ahead of them that day but there was still plenty to do. Letting out a small sigh she pulled back from him slightly and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Good morning."

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow slept quite well that night, surrounded by his companions and the woman he loved. He felt secure in their presence—so much so that he let himself sleep more deeply than usual. Because of this, he didn’t wake up right away when the others began to stir. It took a kiss from Penelope and the murmur of her gentle voice on his ear to finally rouse him from his slumber.

He yawned broadly and buried his head against her neck, not wanting to move while he was still pressed so comfortable against her side. “Morning,” he mumbled, touching a weary kiss to her jaw and wrapping his arms around her more tightly. She was so warm. Maybe he could sleep for just a little longer…

“Breakfast is ready.”

Crow blinked and lifted his head tiredly to see that Rikki had appeared by the entrance of the cave. In the next moment, he slowly became aware of the smell of cooked food. His stomach let out an involuntary grumble, and he forced himself to sit up, enticed by the aroma. “When did you get eggs?” he asked, rubbing his eyes as he tried to clear away his lingering grogginess. As far as he could remember, they had only restocked on chicken, bread, and vegetables.

“Hartley and Hazel stopped went to the marketplace in Wheldrake last week,” Rikki answered with a proud grin. “I figured your visit was a good reason to cook them up.”

“Thanks,” Crow smiled back at her before turning to Penelope. “Looks like we’re being spoiled, huh? Usually, we just have rye bread every morning.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled fondly as Crow buried his head against her neck. Though she did believe they should be getting up, she wrapped an arm around him as pressed a kiss to her jaw. It was difficult to insist on getting up when she felt a burst of affection for the way he held her close. Luckily, she wouldn't have to. As Rikki announced that breakfast was ready, the knight smirked in amusement as his appetite took priority as usual.

She let go of him and rolled over onto her back for a moment while he talked with Rikki before sitting up as well. As Crow turned back to her, she smiled and nodded her head in agreement. "Seems like it." she mused and gave her arms a small stretch before standing up. Looking over at Crow, she smirked and offered him a hand to get up. "Guess we better go get some before Hartley gets revenge for his supper."

Once he was up as well, she turned and headed off to follow Rikki out to the main cave. The aroma of the food grew stronger as they got closer, even making her own stomach rumble as well. The knight blushed faintly at the sound and quickly focused her gaze ahead as they stepped out to join the others. It seemed most of them had already had their plates and were beginning to eat. Hartley looked up from his food and smiled at the two.

"Mornin'!" he greeted between a bite of food.

Hazel looked over and gave them a small nod of greeting. "I fixed your plates there." she told the three, gesturing to the plates of food she had prepared.

"Good morning. And thanks." Penelope smiled and moved to pick up one of the plates before moving to sit down amongst the others.

[Rogue Sloth]

“He’d better not try it,” Crow snorted, taking Penelope’s hand to stand up. Once he was on his feet, he walked with her to the main cavern, where the others had already gathered by the hearth to enjoy their breakfast together. It looked like he and the knight were the last ones to get up. However, that wasn’t surprising to him since he was still getting over the last of his injury and they had both been traveling for the last week to and from the inner kingdom.

When they reached the group, the thief headed straight for the plate Hazel had prepared for him, eager to fill his stomach with the freshly cooked eggs and dark bread. He said a quick ‘thank you’ to the herbalist for saving them the food and then sat down between Penelope and Alistair, who grinned at him challengingly as soon as he had settled on the ground.

“Ready to lose?” Alistair nudged him with his elbow.

“Calm down, I haven’t even had a bite of food yet,” Crow rolled his eyes sarcastically as he began to dig into his plate of breakfast.

“Well, after you’re done eating, I was thinking we could have a match in the clearing—”

“No way,” Crow interrupted with a shake of his head. “Are you kidding? I’m not fighting you. We’ve already established that you’re the best fighter amongst us, and I’d rather not embarrass myself today.”

“What do you suggest then?” Alistair frowned.

“You could arm wrestle,” Rikki pitched with an entertained grin. She popped a mouthful of egg into her mouth and swallowed before going on, “That way neither one of you scumbags can use any dirty tricks.”

“I like it,” Alistair turned back to Crow with an expectant look. “What about you?”

“Me too,” he agreed with a smirk at his friend. He was just about to make another snide comment to the other thief when a hurried motion caught his eye. Glancing up, he watched with a confused frown as Hazel suddenly made a run for the entrance of the cavern. She seemed to be in a hurry to leave, but he couldn’t think of a reason why. “Is she alright?” he asked concernedly, turning back to the others, who seemed surprisingly calm about the herbalist’s unexpected actions.

“She’ll be fine,” Hartley waved a hand from off to the side.

“Her morning sickness has been hitting pretty hard these past few days,” Rikki sighed.

“Morning… what?” Crow blinked, feeling stunned as the realization began to strike him slowly.

“Oh right, we never told you, huh?” Hartley grinned. “Hazel’s pregnant.”

“She’s pregnant?” Crow’s eyes widened. “How?”

“Come on, Crow, you don’t really need us to explain that to you, do you?” Rikki snickered.

Crow flushed. “That’s not what I meant. I was trying to ask: Who’s the father? I mean, Simon’s been gone for almost two months now…” He felt silent as the pieces fell into place in his mind. “Oh my gods.”

“There it is,” Alistair clapped him on the shoulder.

“Hazel was so happy when she found out,” Rikki’s smile softened as her gaze wandered to the opening in the cave, where the herbalist had disappeared earlier. “Simon may be gone, but now she’ll have a piece of him forever.”

“This is huge,” Crow shook his head, running one hand through his hair. “How could you all just forget to mention to me yesterday that Hazel is pregnant?”

“In case you forgot, you were sort of the biggest news last night,” Alistair shrugged. “It just never came up.”

“Still,” Crow muttered, shoving another large bite of food into his mouth and setting his now empty plate off to the side. “You could have at least said something about it.”

“What did you want us to say?” Rikki chuckled. “‘Hey Crow, glad you’re back. By the way, Hazel’s pregnant now. What’s new with you?’”

“Maybe not exactly like that, but yeah,” Crow rolled his eyes and leaned lightly into Penelope’s side.

“Alright, the next time someone here finds themself with child, we’ll be sure to let you know first,” Rikki chuckled at him amusedly.

“Please do,” Crow returned her mocking look with a sarcastic one of his own. While he didn’t necessarily care if he heard about any big news first, he still wanted to keep up with their lives at least a bit. It felt strange to find out something as important as this weeks after everyone else knew about it. His heart sank as he realized this was just the beginning. Once he moved to the inner kingdom, he would no longer be able to stay as close to them as he once was. At the very most, he could visit whenever his father sent him on assignments that would bring him back to the outer villages and perhaps communicate by letter with Hazel once he learned how to read and write. Aside from that, they would have to drift apart.

The thought left him with a bitter taste in his mouth, and he lapsed into silence, leaning his head against Penelope’s and staring absently at the entrance of the cave as the others continued to chat amongst themselves.

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope settled in and began to eat her breakfast. As she took her first bite, she glanced over at Alistair as the thief wasted no time in bringing up the fight the two had talked about the day before. His enthusiasm was amusing to the knight and she smirked faintly as Rikki jumped in as well. She noticed Crow seeming to get distracted from the conversation and followed his gaze over to Hazel as she hurried out.

The knight blinked in surprise as Rikki mentioned Hazel having morning sickness. She looked over at the entrance again, feeling a bit shocked to learn that Hazel was pregnant with Simon's child. She had just found out the night before that the two had even been married. Naturally she was out of the loop of the thieves' lives, especially since Crow hadn't been living with them for nearly a month.

Her attention shifted back over to the conversation being held by the others and she glanced over at Crow as she noticed him a bit upset that he didn't know about it sooner. As it died down and the others returned to speaking amongst themselves, she looked over at Crow as he leaned his head against hers. It was easy for her to guess that his frustration about finding out about Hazel's pregnancy came from the fact that he'd be leaving them behind soon.

Though she wasn't quite sure what exact part of it was bugging him, she knew that there wasn't much she could do to change that even though she wished that she could. He had made his decision after all and some parts, such as letting people go, were bound to be difficult. Penelope placed her empty plate to the side and wrapped an arm around him. She rubbed her hand along his back for a moment.

Eventually she pulled back slightly to press a kiss to his cheek and meet his gaze. "I should probably get ready to leave soon... But before that, I suppose I should ask if I'm expected to be apart of the audience for this arm wrestling match?" she smirked and raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, trying to lighten him up again.

[Rogue Sloth]

Crow took a slow breath as he felt Penelope trail her hand over his back. Her gentle touch was soothing to him, and it continued to remind him that leaving his companions behind would be worth it in the end. As long as he had her, he would be happy. Besides, it wasn’t like he had to completely let go of the other thieves… Right? His eyes wandered over them all individually, and he frowned. Hartley was married, so he would probably be returning to Younis to be with Kip soon; Hazel was about to have her first child; Alistair was still pining after Olivia; and things between him and Rikki would likely never be the same now that he was leaving to be with Penelope. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was entirely possible that they would never be all together like this again.

Crow blinked as Penelope’s voice suddenly drew him from his thoughts. He glanced down at her and nodded, managing a small smile when she kissed him on the cheek. At her question, he opened his mouth to tell her that there was no reason for her to stay when she could use the extra time to talk to her baroness, but Alistair spoke up first.

“Of course you should stay!” the wily thief grinned and then turned to his leader with a competitive look. “It’ll be more fun if I beat you in front of your lover.”

His feisty words made Crow’s smile broaden. In that moment he realized he was being foolish by mourning the loss of his companions while he was still with them. He had plenty of time to be sad about it later, so for now, he decided to enjoy the time he had left in the hideout.

“Are you sure about that?” he taunted. “You’re just going to be embarrassed when I win.”

“You wish,” Alistair rose to his feet and glanced at Penelope again. “Stick around just a little longer. I promise this won’t take long.”

“Ooh, I get to be the officiator!” Rikki chirped excitedly, standing up as well. She paused to look around for a moment before pointing at another part of the cave where the ground was flat and even. “Both of you, go lay down across from each other over there.”

Crow complied, getting up from his spot by the hearth and casting Penelope a subtle shrug before following Alistair over to the place Rikki had indicated. He laid down on his stomach facing his friend and propped himself up on his forearms, shifting slightly in an attempt to get more comfortable. It wasn’t as ideal as using a table, but since they had no furniture in their hideout, he supposed this was the next best thing. He rolled back his right sleeve as the other thief set up across from him. Once they were both ready, they clasped each other’s right hands and waited for Rikki to give the word to begin.

“Okay,” the female thief beamed eagerly, crouching down nearby so that she could make sure neither of them cheated. “When I say ‘three,’ that’s when you start.” She waited for them to nod in understanding before clasping her hands together in clear entertainment. “One… two… three!”

Immediately, the two men launched into their match. Crow’s arm trembled slightly as he fought to overpower Alistair. He was a bit surprised to find that they were fairly evenly matched. Neither one was able to gain the upper hand over the other.

“I’ve gotta say,” Alistair said breathily as he continued to push against Crow’s hand. “You’re stronger than I thought… But that doesn’t mean you’re going to win!”

“Touché,” Crow grinned.

For a few minutes, neither of them budged, but eventually, Crow felt his muscles beginning to tire. He narrowed his eyes in focus, but he could feel Alistair beginning to force his arm towards the ground. In one more burst of defiant effort, he managed to push back against his friend’s hand, but it didn’t last long before he felt his energy dissipate and his weary muscles give way. He cursed as Alistair wrestled his arm to the ground.

“Told you I’d win,” the wily thief laughed, shaking out his arm.

“Yeah, yeah,” Crow rolled his eyes and sat up to roll his shoulders. Lying on the hard, stone floor of the cavern had made him quite sore. “To be fair though, I was bedridden for three weeks and haven’t exercised my arms in over a month.”

“Sounds like an excuse to me,” Alistair prodded him teasingly.

“Next time I come back, we can have a rematch, and we’ll see who wins,” Crow challenged.

“You’re on,” Alistair agreed without hesitation. “I’ll beat you every time, especially if you’re going off to become a soft-palmed nobleman.”

“I may be becoming a noble, but nobody said I was going to get soft,” Crow smirked. “Just you wait. It won’t be long now before you have to say you lost at arm wrestling to a nobleman.”

“Never gonna happen,” Alistair scoffed.

“We’ll see about that,” Crow winked and then turned to Penelope. Now in a better mood than before, he gathered her into his arms and pressed an affectionate kiss to her lips. “You should probably get going, huh?” he smiled at her when he pulled back, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. “I think we’ve kept you here long enough.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope turned her head to look over at Alistair as he jumped in, encouraging her to stick around. She smirked and rolled her eyes as the two began to get competitive against each other once more. As Alistair addressed her again, the knight gave a small chuckle and shrugged her shoulders. "Alright. I won't go anywhere then." she mused. She got up to her feet and stood back besides Hartley,who had eagerly gotten up from his spot to watch the competition as well.

The two watched as the men struggled against each other until finally Alistair was able to pin Crow's arm to the ground. Though he may have lost, she was glad to see that he seemed to have cheered up. The knight smiled as he turned to her again and pulled her into an embrace. Penelope wrapped her arms around him and leaned in to meet him as he kissed her. "I should. I've got quite a bit to get done."

"Wait, you're already leaving?" Hartley frowned.

Penelope looked over at the young thief and nodded her head. "I need to get back to my camp." she paused and glanced at Crow before letting him go to turn towards Hartley. This would likely be the last time she saw him. He'd soon be returning to Younis and she'd be leaving for the inner kingdom. "And I probably won't be visiting any time soon after that and you'll probably be heading back to Younis soon enough, so.. I guess this is goodbye for now."

Hartley paused and then nodded his head solemnly. "I guess so.. It was good getting to see you again, Penelope." he flashed her a smile.

"It was good to see you again too. And when you get back to Younis, be sure to tell Kip I said hello." Penelope returned his smile and exchanged a quick hug with the young thief. Stepping back her gaze drifted over to Rikki and Alistair. Though she had only spent a small amount of time with them—and most of it not being on the best of terms—she still felt like she needed to at least say goodbye to them as well, even if it might not be for as permanently as it was for Hartley.

She offered them a small smile and dipped her head. "Good bye then." The knight turned back to Crow and pressed a quick parting kiss to his lips. "I'll see you later." she mumbled with a small smile before turning to head off out of the cavern.