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

[Trash Panda]

Rikki absently stirred the oil in the pot with a wooden ladle, resting her chin in her palm as she watched the liquid for bubbles. With Penelope sitting less than a stone’s throw away, the thief’s mind was a tangled mess. Every time she looked at the knight, she was reminded that there were still obstacles between her and Crow. As long as that other woman was around, she was practically invisible to him. She just hoped that he would return to them quickly, so she could get him away from her and keep working on helping him understand a noblewoman could never be right for him.

He has to see it now, she thought with a mixture of desperation and determination. Chasing after her nearly got him killed. He has to see that she’s not good for him. She stared at the oil in the pot as she realized that, while she had been lost in her thoughts about Crow, the liquid had come to a boil. Glancing back at the knights and the other thieves, she saw that they weren’t quite finished with their task yet, so she climbed to her feet to talk to Hazel. She had gotten better at herbalism during her time being mentored, but she still didn’t feel confident enough to oversee something as important as the medicine Crow needed to heal from his illness. She wanted to check with the herbalist to make sure she was preparing it correctly.

When she reached Hazel’s side, Rikki sat down next to her. “Could you tell me the ratios again?” she asked, turning to meet the other woman’s gaze. “For the herbs in Crow’s medicine. I want to be sure I’m making it right.”

“Don’t worry about ratios for this batch,” Hazel shook her head as she stirred her own pot. The experienced herbalist was much further along in her painkiller concoction, having already added the herbs into the boiling oil. She was observing it with a keen eye, searching for a sign that Rikki couldn’t see that to tell her when it was finished cooking. The thief bit her lip as she watched her mentor work. It was a good thing Hazel had denied her offer to make this medicine, since it looked much more complicated than what she and the others were preparing. From what she knew about the ingredients the herbalist had told her she would be using, they could quickly turn deadly if they were left sitting over the fire for too long. She shuddered at the thought of accidentally killing the very man they were trying to save and was glad Hazel was using her advanced knowledge to create the perfect painkiller.

“What do you mean?” she asked after a moment. “I thought you said the ratios were important.”

“They are,” Hazel shrugged. “But you’ll be using the rest of my supply anyway, so just throw all of it in. It might be a little bit off from what I usually prepare for him, but we need to use everything, so nothing is wasted.”

“Okay, thank you,” Rikki nodded. She shifted to get up again, but Hazel spoke again before she could rise to her feet.

“Rikki.”

“Yes?” she blinked, caught off guard by her mentor’s softer tone. The herbalist was never gentle, so it was strange to hear such a quiet word come from her mouth.

“Everyone else here is too nice to say it, so I will,” Hazel looked up from the pot to meet her gaze seriously. “You need to stop chasing Crow when he comes back.”

“What?” Rikki’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Look,” Hazel sighed. “I’m not saying this as your mentor, but as a friend of both of you thieves. I saw how distraught you were when we all thought he was dead. You were no better off than I was when Simon was killed. I know you have feelings for him, but you need to stop trying to win him over.” She reached out to rest a hand on the thief’s shoulder. “He’s in love with Penelope, and that’s not going to change. Ah!” she held up a finger when Rikki opened her mouth to protest. “Just listen. I didn’t like it either when I found out, but it’s become clear to me now: Penelope isn’t like any of the noblewomen you or I have ever had the misfortune of meeting. Crow was the first one among us to see it, but she’s different. She’s kind and generous and even honest, and she’s proven that she’s going to stay by his side no matter what the costs.”

Her gaze softened a bit as she glanced over her shoulder at the knight, “No matter what our prejudices tell us, I believe she’s earned the right to his affections. That means we need to accept that he chose to be with her and do our part as his friends to support that decision.” She turned back to Rikki. “It also means you can’t keep trying to get between them.”

Rikki averted her gaze, feeling a familiar anger rise up in her chest at the thought of Crow being with a knight. “I know I’d be better for him though,” she said stubbornly. “I don’t care who this woman is. She’s not one of us. She’s just going to ruin his life if he stays with her.”

“We have no way to know that,” Hazel objected. “And besides, it’s not your choice; it’s his. Whether you would be better for him or not, he chose Penelope, and you’re just going to have to accept that.” She turned away to stir the medicine again. “Ultimately, it’s up to you, but just know that if you continue to try to get between them, I’m not going to stand idly by anymore. I care about both of you too much to let you keep causing strife for him as well as yourself.”

Rikki said nothing as she stared at the ground. No matter what Hazel said, she couldn’t bring herself to simply accept that Crow was going to throw his life away to be with a knight. He should have chosen to be with her, not Penelope. However, there was no point in arguing about it with a woman who was just as stubborn as she was, so instead, she stood wordlessly and headed back to her own pot.

Another short period of time passed before the others finished working on the herbs. Eager to take her mind off her conversation with Hazel, Rikki was quick to begin delegating more tasks.

“Collect as much of the crushed plants as you can and put them in the oil,” she said, pointedly avoiding looking at Penelope while her emotions were still in turmoil within her. “All that’s left is to cook it, which is easier if I do it alone.”

[BuzzingBee]

Fortunately it seemed the oil was in fact ready which made it easier for Penelope to avoid talking about her failure to return with the staff. She nodded to the female thief and moved ahead to collect as much of the crushed plants as she could carry before stepping over to the oil and dropping it in. The knight stepped back as the others stepped over to drop in the rest. Since Rikki decided to handle the cooking alone, Penelope moved to sit down, leaning her back against the wall as there didn't seem to be anything left for her to do.

She swept her gaze over the camp. Olivia and Alistair sat down together a little ways away, chatting more casually now, Hazel still seemed focus on her work and Hartley was walking over to join Penelope, clearly still intent on speaking with her. She offered him a small smile as he sat down next to her and let out a small yawn. As it was beginning to grow later, she felt a bit of weariness beginning to set in so, in an attempt to fight it off, she focused on talking with Hartley again.

"You said Kip was back in Younis before, right?" Penelope asked as she looked over at him. "She's doing alright, I hope?"

"Yeah she's fine. I miss her though." Hartley sighed and lowered his gaze.

"Well what are you doing out here in the first place? There's a war going on, you know." Penelope frowned. "You should be with her, not out here."

"I know but..." Hartley fidgeted with the hem of his tunic. "Her parents don't approve of me and it's difficult being with her and being a thief so things are difficult.. I thought maybe I could at least earn a little money or respect if I helped out at the war front... That's why I joined Jaxon group since I'm not great at fighting I thought maybe I could earn it through stealing."

Penelope listened quietly as Hartley explained a little bit about why he had joined Jaxon's group. It cleared up a bit of confusion she still had about why he had been there in the first place. It seemed things hadn't been very easy for the young couple since she and Crow had last seen them but she was glad to hear they were still figuring things out. "You should go back to her. Things may be difficult but surely there's a better way than getting involved with the war." she advised then gave the young thief a small smirk. "Plus I don't want to have to worry about another thief trying to sabotage my battalion."

"I won't I swear. I don't want to end up like the last guy." Hartley laughed holding up his hands. He smiled and looked around the camp. "I'll go back to Younis soon.. I think I'll stick around here for little while though.. At least until Crow is back."

Penelope nodded her head and continued to chat idly with Hartley, listening to the boy as he told her more about how Kip was and how they had gotten married. Eventually his energy seemed to die down a bit and he grew quieter. Before Penelope even realized it, the young thief fell into a light sleep besides her. She looked over at him amusedly before letting out a sigh and glancing towards Rikki, who was still by the oil. The knight was hesitant to approach her but her curiosity got the best of her and she quietly climbed up to her feet and stepped over to the female thief by the fire.

"How's it doing?" she asked as she looked down at the pot.

[Trash Panda]

Rikki sat aside while the others added in the herbs they had ground up for her. Everything seemed to be in order, so she scooted toward the pot once they were done and resumed stirring the mixture. As she worked alone, her thoughts continued to wander back to what Hazel had said. She was still convinced that she was better for Crow than some noblewoman could ever be—nothing could change her mind about that—but she was bothered by the herbalist’s insistence that she should stop pursuing the thief.

Everything inside her protested against the thought of simply giving up on being with him, but she was worried that Hazel was right about his feelings for the knight never changing. Penelope may have nearly gotten him killed, but to look at it from another perspective, she had also gotten him treatment for his wound that had saved his life. Knowing Crow, he was probably going to focus on that part and forget about receiving the injury in the first place.

Rikki let out her breath in a sigh. She loved the man, but he could be too optimistic for his own good sometimes. As long as there were positive things for him to see about Penelope, he wasn’t going to acknowledge the truth that the knight was bad for him. If she was going to open his eyes to that fact, she was going to have to find a way to prove to him that the noblewoman wasn’t what she seemed. But that was easier said than done when the snake seemed to have even convinced Hazel that she was a good person. She couldn’t help but wonder how the knight had pulled that off. Hazel was one of the most hateful people she had ever met towards nobles, so it would have taken quite a bit of persuading to change her mind.

The thief tensed slightly as she heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see none other than Penelope standing before her. She narrowed her eyes slightly and averted her gaze, thankful for the darkness that had hopefully hidden her bitter expression from the other woman. At the knight’s question, she just shrugged. “It’s coming along,” she answered vaguely, stirring the medicine again. From what she could tell, it was almost done, but it still needed a little more time. She would have to ask Hazel to check on it soon to be sure.

Furtively, Rikki glanced up at Penelope again. She couldn’t help but wonder what it was about this knight that continued to keep Crow’s attention. Before she knew what she was doing, she spoke up to the noblewoman: “Tell me something.” She paused, pursing her lips together hesitantly before going on. “What is it that you want with Crow?” She turned her head to meet the knight’s gaze straight on. “There has to be something, right? I mean, why else would you keep him alive?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope watched as Rikki averted her gaze from her and gave her a rather vague answer. It seemed things were only getting worse between the two women. Perhaps it was just because Crow wasn't around, but now the female thief wasn't even pretending to act friendly towards her now. Not that it mattered much to the knight. While she wasn't particularly looking to make things worse with Rikki, she certainly wasn't looking for her friendship either. Rikk had proved to be rather annoying in her attempts to get between them after all.

She was just about to turn and walk away when the thief spoke up again and met her gaze, asking about what she wanted with Crow. Penelope raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised by the sudden question. It reminded her of when Hazel had asked her why she was trying to save him from his illness before. The similarities made the knight give a soft snort. Knights, peasants and thieves, it seemed that no matter the side they all believed that one of them hand to be using the other for some reason.

"Well let me ask you this, wouldn't you try do everything to save him?" Penelope challenged in a quiet voice as she held the other woman's gaze. She didn't like acknowledging Rikki's feelings for Crow but perhaps it would make her realize that the knight wasn't trying to use him. "He shouldn't have even been at that battle.." she mumbled with a soft sigh. She knew she couldn't blame herself for Crow's injury and she was grateful to him for saving her life but the knight couldn't help but wish there had been a way to avoid him getting hurt. Although because of him, they had both made it out alive and the knight really couldn't ask for more than that.

Her expression softened slightly as she thought of the thief and she shifted her gaze to the fire. "I love him. I don't want anything more than for him to be happy and alive."

[Trash Panda]

Rikki wasn’t fond of Penelope initial answer to her question. She snorted softly when the knight tried to flip the question back on her. Of course she would have wanted to save Crow if she’d had to. He was everything to her. It was why she had felt like her world had been shattered when she’d believed him to be dead. However, that still didn’t answer her question. While she felt genuine love for the thief, she had a hard time believing this other woman—this noble—could ever feel the same way.

As Penelope murmured about how he shouldn’t have even been at the battle, Rikki wanted to roll her eyes. You’re right, she agreed silently. He should have been here with me, not running after you. Whatever had happened between them that had left Crow feeling like their relationship was over obviously hadn’t been enough to stop him from throwing himself in front of a sword to save this knight. Her hand tightened around the handle of the wooden ladle in frustration. Why was it so hard to get through to him that she was the better choice? If he had just accepted that three days ago, Penelope would have died, and there would have been nothing standing between them anymore. They could have finally been together.

She looked up at the knight again as she finished by saying that she just wanted him to be ‘happy and alive.’ “Sorry, but I just don’t buy it,” she shook her head, deciding it wasn’t worth it to pretend like she believed Penelope’s sappy expression. Even if the noblewoman really did care about Crow a little bit, there was no way her feelings could match the thief’s. She loved him so much, she was willing to risk their friendship to make him see that she was the better choice for him.

“If you really wanted him to be happy, you would let him go,” Rikki went on. “He may be infatuated with you now, but he’ll eventually wake up and realize that settling down isn’t really what he wants.” She stirred the medicine again. “He’s a thief. It’s in his blood. This is the life where he’s happiest: Living amongst others of his kind where he’s free to do whatever he pleases.” She looked up again to meet Penelope’s gaze with a challenging expression. “If you don’t believe me, just listen to him talk about his life as a fugitive sometime. You’ll hear it in his voice—he loves every bit of it. If you take that away from him, do you honestly think he’s going to be happy?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope rolled her eyes as Rikki claimed to not believe her. She was fine with leaving it at that until the thief went on to say how Crow wouldn't want to settle down. The knight cursed inwardly as she felt herself falter slightly as Rikki claimed that Crow was happiest living free as a thief. She knew he was proud of his accomplishments as a thief and that he enjoyed his lifestyle, however, he had told her countless times about how he looked forward to their future. As much as he may have enjoyed his life now, surely he meant it when he was looking forward to their future more, right?

"I've seen his enjoyment of it.. But you've never heard about him talk about our future." Penelope responded with a bitter edge as she held Rikki's gaze. The female thief's words had gotten to her a bit more than she'd like to admit and because of it, she acted with a bit more pettiness than she normally would. "He claims he's happy enough with me and I have no reason to believe otherwise." It was partly a reminder to herself as well. She didn't want Rikki to spread any doubt into her like Gavin had once done with Crow.

"And more so than that, you shouldn't be the one trying to decide such things for him. You're robbing him of more freedom than I am." the knight added as she narrowed her gaze at the female thief. "If at any time he decides he doesn't want me or our future, he's very capable of leaving on his own. But you need to start realizing that what you want and what he wants are two different things and that I'm not going anywhere, unless he decides he's done with me."

[Trash Panda]

Rikki cringed when Penelope said she’d never heard Crow speak about their future together. She hated how the knight’s words actually managed to strike a chord with her this time. It was true that she hadn’t heard him talk about the details of the life he was planning with the noblewoman, but she had heard him tell her about his feelings for the knight as well as his intentions to leave the other thieves to be with her. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, there had been a tenderness to his voice and eyes that she had never seen in him before. Usually, he was guarded with his body language, even around her and his other companions, and she considered them all close enough to be family. To see him wear such a gentle expression had been strange.

The thought made her feel a twinge of jealousy. She wanted Crow to be thinking of her when he looked like that, not some noblewoman who didn’t deserve him. It pained her as she questioned why, even after a year of living together, he had never once looked at her so softly, while he had only been with Penelope for two or three months at the most and looked at her like that every time she’d seen them together. She bit her lip, feeling her chin quiver slightly with emotion. It wasn’t fair. She had done everything she could to win his affection, and all the knight had had to do was walk back into his life.

“I just don’t understand,” she said quietly after Penelope finished speaking, lowering her gaze dejectedly to the ground. “Why doesn’t he leave you? I’ve been his closest friend for over a year. He’s told me things about himself that no one else knows, and I’ve kept every secret without fail. I was there for him in every way he could have wanted, and yet he’s still with you.” She shook her head, running her slender fingers through her long, dark hair. “What am I doing wrong? What do you have that I don’t?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope remained a bit tense as she waited for Rikki to respond. She had been expecting the female thief to continue to argue against her so when Rikki lowered her gaze to the ground with a dejected look, the knight bore an expression of surprise. She listened as Rikki went on about not understanding why Crow was still with her. Shifting uneasily, the knight fell quiet for a moment, uncertain what to say. She had to say something. Though the female thief got on her nerves because of how she tried to get in between her and Crow, Penelope knew she wasn't a bad person and she did feel sympathy for the female thief and her unrequited love.

"Nothing... You're not doing anything wrong." Penelope mumbled softly as she moved to crouch down hesitantly besides her. The knight didn't meet the thief's gaze and instead keeped her gaze lowered on the ground. "Why do you think I felt threatened by you before?" she gave a mirthless smirk. She let out a long sigh and absently flicked a pebble on the ground with her finger. "Love doesn't make sense... If it did, I'd be with the suitor my father picked for me and Crow would be with you. But, that's just not how it works."

She casted a side glance towards the thief and shifted her weight. "I mean, a knight and a thief... It sounds ridiculous to you, right?" Penelope shook her head and looked over at the pot. Thinking of Crow, a smile spread across her lips. "It sounded ridiculous to me too at one point. Then I met Crow and suddenly, things changed. I mean, I certainly didn't go looking to fall for the most wanted thief in Brerra and I certainly doubt he went looking to fall for a noblewoman, much less a knight."

Realizing she was rambling a bit, Penelope cleared her throat and finally turned her head to look over at Rikki. "What I'm trying to say is, there's nothing wrong with you. Love is just irrational and there's no way to guess it or control it."

[Trash Panda]

Rikki wasn’t sure what she had been expecting after she’d unintentionally poured out a piece of her heart to Penelope. She honestly wasn’t sure why she’d done it in the first place. It was a question she couldn’t get off her mind though: Why would Crow possibly want to be with a noblewoman when she had gone out of her way to make herself available to him? Perhaps she was just losing patience with waiting for an answer that never seemed to reveal itself on its own—perhaps that was why she had turned so desperately to the knight for clarity. Either way, she found that she regretted bringing it up. No matter how hard it got waiting for an answer, she shouldn’t have shared her troubled thoughts with a noble. It wasn’t the other woman’s business to know.

So, when Penelope suddenly crouched by her side, the thief flinched and turned her head to avoid the knight’s gaze. Her heart raced with nervousness. Why was this woman suddenly being so nice to her? After the harsh words Penelope had spit at her earlier, she had thought the knight wanted her to suffer. Instead, she was speaking with a softness that Rikki had never heard come out of someone of her class before. Despite herself, she snuck a peek at Penelope’s face as she said she had originally felt threatened by her. The comment made her raise a brow in surprise. She hadn’t known the knight had ever felt that way about her.

As Penelope went on, Rikki listened somberly. She agreed that it sounded completely absurd that a knight would ever be with a thief. Their worlds were just so different. Putting her personal prejudices aside, she couldn’t imagine how they would be able to cross over enough to make a relationship of any kind work, even just a friendly one. However, listening to this knight go on about how she hadn’t planned or expected to fall in love with Crow, she found herself feeling slightly swayed. The realization made her wrinkle her nose. Was she actually coming to understand this noblewoman’s point of view?

“That wasn’t the answer I was hoping to hear,” she muttered, propping her chin in her hand as she stared down at the pot of medicine. She had been hoping for a quick fix—something practical that Penelope had figured out about Crow that she could learn too. Instead, the knight’s answer made it feel like his affection was out of her hands, and she didn’t like that. Still… she glanced up at the knight again. Even though her words weren’t what she had wanted to hear, she was actually grateful for the other woman’s attempt to comfort her. It was strangely nice, even if it was from a noble.

“Thanks, though,” Rikki added with a shrug. “I don’t like it, but… I think I understand.” She sighed, feeling Crow drift farther away from her as she spoke. It hurt, but she was starting to think there was nothing left that she could do to stop it. If the thief was really as head-over-heels in love with Penelope as he seemed to be, she couldn’t win him back. He was already gone.

The thought made a surge of sadness well up inside her that made her stomach twist into a knot, and she could feel the beginnings of tears sting her eyes. However, she didn’t want to show such emotion to Penelope, so she turned her head away. “I think this medicine is done,” she said, hating the way her voice broke as she tried to change the subject. Rising quickly to her feet, she turned her back to the knight. “I’ll have Hazel double check it for me.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope let out a small sigh as Rikki responded. She was just beginning to think her words hadn't done anything for the situation until the thief went on to thank her and even say she understood. The knight snuck a glance at her, trying to suppress the surprise she felt. She had been hoping to comfort the female thief but part of her didn't expect it to work. Rikki had proven herself to be rather stubborn after all so Penelope figured that she'd merely brush her words off like usual. To see the other woman listen to them and accept them was quite shocking.

As she changed the subject, Penelope picked up on the small break in her voice. Choosing to act as if she hadn't noticed it, the knight merely gave a small nod and turned her head away to watch the pot while Rikki hurried off to get Hazel. The knight let out a long sigh and sat down for a moment as she was now alone. Of all the things that had come from visiting them, she certainly hadn't expected such a talk with Rikki. Still, she was glad it had happened as she suspected Rikki, like Gavin, was finally accepting the fact that the odd pair wouldn't be splitting.

Leaning back on the palms of her hands, Penelope thought about Rikki's situation and how it seemed she was now accepting that Crow loved her instead. If she had been in the female thief's place instead, she probably would have acted differently about it but the pain would be all the same. That alone was enough for her to feel sorry for the female thief who had been by Crow's side during a large chunk of their time apart. The knight let out a shaky breath, thankful that she had Crow and hoping the best for Rikki as she dealt with her heartbreak.

[Trash Panda]

Hazel worked diligently as she prepared the medicine to ease Crow’s pain, watching the pot closely until she could tell it had cooked for the proper amount of time. She couldn’t visit the thief in person, but she wanted to do everything she could from a distance to help him recover. After all, the sooner he got back to their camp, the sooner things could return to a state of normalcy amongst the group. She didn’t want to be the leader of the group forever. While she had the basic skills of decision-making, he had been much better at guiding the other thieves than she was. The criminals needed someone with his charisma to bring some form of order among them, and she simply didn’t have that quality.

Once the painkiller finished setting, she removed the pot from the fire and poured its contents into three separate jars, one for each dose. Almost as soon as she was done, she looked up to the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Can you check on the medicine for me?” Rikki asked in a quiet voice, looking off to the side as she spoke rather than meeting the herbalist’s gaze.

Hazel studied her for a moment in confusion but decided it was in her better judgment not to ask what was wrong. She had seen the thief talking to Penelope earlier, so she guessed her sudden change in mood was likely related to Crow. “Sure,” she nodded, rising to her feet and dusting off her skirt. Once she was up, she followed Rikki over to the other pot and knelt down, stirring the oil inside as she looked over the mixture. “It’s ready,” she announced, removing it from the makeshift firepit the thieves had set up.

Hazel made quick work of bottling up the contents of the pot in seven small jars, which she bundled together with the three painkillers in a small bag. Standing up again, she passed the satchel off to Penelope. “Here you are,” she said with a curt dip of her head. “Make sure Crow takes one of those white jars every day.” She paused for a moment before adding: “Oh, and just so you’re aware ahead of time, that painkiller is extremely potent. If you don’t want your comrades to know he’s taking it, make sure to only give it to him when no one else is around, because it will make him delirious.” Her lip curled upward in a slight smile. “Good luck, Penelope. If you’re able to stop by again, please do. Crow was my patient first, so I’d like to know how he’s improving.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope stood back up as Hazel walked over and announced that the mixture was ready. The knight rolled her shoulders and waited as the herbalist bottled up the medicine. Once she had, Penelope eagerly accepted the satchel from her and briefly swept her gaze over the medicine before looking back to Hazel as she gave her instructions for the mixtures. As Hazel went on to wish her luck, the knight blinked, surprised to her the herbalist use her name rather than addressing her as rat, and them smiled at the her. "Thank you, Hazel. I'll try to visit again soon then." she said with a small dip of her head.

Olivia took notice of Penelope receiving the medicine and got up from her spot besides Alistair to join her friend. "Guess it's time for us to head out huh?" she asked with a yawn.

Penelope nodded her head. "Tell Hartley I said bye to him too, whenever he wakes up." she said with a hint of amusement before turning and beginning to head out of the cavern. The two knights turned to give a brief wave of goodbye before slipping out of the entrance and beginning their walk back to their own camp.

---

The walk back to camp was fairly uneventful. Penelope and Olivia chatted casually as they walked. The female knight was quick to inform her friend about the painkillers Hazel had given her and decided that it would likely be best if she hid them somewhere in Jane's tent so that if she wasn't there, Olivia or Gavin could still give it to Crow if he needed it. The only thing they had to worry about was if someone else happened to unexpectedly stop by while he was on the medication.

By the time the two had gotten back to camp, the sky was already beginning to lighten as they had spent most of the night with the others at the waterfall. Olivia wasted no time in heading off to her tent but Penelope hesitated to go back to hers. More than anything the knight wanted to go visit Crow and tell him about how the trip had went. Unfortunately, Tomas was likely still on guard duty and Gavin was the one scheduled to take him off soon. She couldn't risk making the older lieutenant suspicious so she reluctantly headed to her tent to get a few hours of sleep while she still could. When she did wake up, she could relieve Gavin of his shift without having to worry about any questioning.

[Trash Panda]

Despite having a guard that he didn’t know, Crow slept much better that night that he had the last. He mostly attributed his success to the blanket Jane had been forced to bring him. It wasn’t enough to keep the cold completely away, but it certainly helped quite a bit, leaving him much warmer than the night before. He still slept lightly, since he still wasn’t safe in the camp of his enemies, but he managed to rest fully throughout the night, and woke up feeling more well-rested in the morning.

Crow yawned and stretched as much as he could without straining his wound, feeling better already. There was still a deep ache in his body from the injury, but at least he wasn’t in so much pain that he could barely breathe. This was much more manageable. He hoped that as the days went on, the soreness that remained would start to lessen as well, because his appetite was finally starting to come back. He doubted he was in any condition to eat just three days after receiving such a serious wound though. If he tried, he would probably just hurt himself even worse. It wasn’t worth the risk.

He winced and shifted slightly on the bed as his stomach chose that moment to let out a low growl. After going a few days without food, he was beginning to feel the effects of not eating. He brought a hand to his chest and traced his fingers down the length of his torso. It was still subtle, but he could feel the faint outline of his ribs. He was definitely losing weight. He sighed. In addition to that, he felt physically weaker too, with a lethargy to his movements and a lightheadedness that plagued the clarity of his thoughts. He had a suspicion that, if he wasn’t able to eat again soon, these symptoms were going to become more unbearable than the pain of his actual wound.

“Do you need anything from Jane?”

Crow turned at the sound of a familiar voice to see that his guard from the night before had been replaced sometime during the night with Gavin. “No,” he shook his head in response to the knight’s question. While he would have liked someone to bring him food, he could tell from the pain alone that he was in no condition to eat yet. He supposed he could ask the physician how much longer she thought it would be before he could eat again, but it wasn’t an urgent question, so he saw no reason to pester her at that very moment. She already despised treating him. He didn’t want to start calling her over to answer his questions and irritate her further.

“If you’re certain,” Gavin shrugged, leaning back into the chair he was seated on.

“I am,” Crow affirmed, closing his eyes again as he rested. “But… thank you.” It was still strange to him to be able to speak with Gavin so calmly, but he appreciated the knight’s intent to make sure he was getting proper care.

Gavin just grunted in response, and the two men lapsed into silence again.

With nothing else to do, Crow decided to take a nap, since it would make the time go faster, and he found sleeping to be more pleasant than lying awake and in pain. So, letting out his breath in a slow exhale, he drifted off into a light sleep as he waited for Penelope to visit again.

[BuzzingBee]

The sounds of the camp coming alive soon woke up Penelope. She let out a quiet groan and reluctantly got up. The knight was still tired from staying out so late the previous night and part of her wanted nothing more than to get a couple more hours of sleep. However, a bigger part of her was still eager to go visit Crow, especially after successfully getting him medicine for both his cough and pain. So, despite feeling a bit tired, she got up and grabbed a white jar from the bag as well as the the painkillers, stuffing them carefully into her pockets, before heading out of her tent.

She headed to the physician's tent and ducked inside. Upon entering, she was glad to see that it was just Gavin in the room. The knight was beginning to notice that Jane tended to stay as far from Crow as she could for as long as she could. While it was a bit concerning since she was the one treating him, it certainly made buying time alone with him much more easy. The male knight lifted his gaze as she entered the room and raised an eyebrow.

"You're here early." he mumbled as he moved to get up. "My shift didn't even start that long ago."

"I know.. I just figured since they aren't calling a meeting today, I might as well take over here." Penelope responded with a shrug as she shifted her gaze away. She didn't want to admit to her former suitor that her main reason for coming was merely because she was too eager to see Crow to wait until her later shift. Gavin, of course, didn't pry and just nodded his head to her before moving to exit the tent. There was still a clear distance that had formed between them so Penelope didn't bother to say anymore to the male knight. He was still accepting the fact that she was with Crow and she didn't want to push things since she was still hoping they could be friends.

Penelope walked over to Crow's bedside and leaned over to press a tender kiss to his forehead. "I'm back." she announced with a grin.

[Trash Panda]

To Crow’s relief, his nap went by peacefully. Gavin didn’t try to speak to him at all while he was resting, and Jane never once stopped by to check on him. Usually, he might have been annoyed with the physician’s lack of care for his condition, but since he was doing better today, he didn’t think he needed her attendance anyway. His bandages had already been changed out the evening before, and it didn’t feel like anything had gotten worse since then, so he guessed that he would be fine as long as he got plenty of rest.

After he had slept for a little while longer, the thief was roused by the sound of gravel crunching beneath boots outside the tent. His eyes fluttered open tiredly and he glanced at the entrance to see who was coming. Expecting Jane, he was thrilled to see that it was Penelope who had come to visit him. His heart beat a little quicker with excitement as he watched the two knights speak to each other, waiting for Gavin to leave so he could have some time alone with her.

Fortunately, the other man didn’t linger and was quick to exit the tent. Crow smiled as Penelope stepped over to his bedside and kissed him on the forehead. “It’s about time,” he teased. “I was starting to think you were going to leave me with these dull men forever.” Reaching up, he brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face and grinned. “I’d much rather be in the company of a beautiful woman—specifically this one.” He added a flirtatious wink for good measure.

In the next moment, he remembered that she had said she was going to try and pay a visit to his companions the night before. “Did you go?” he asked suddenly, his playful expression turning more serious as it became laced with concern. “To see the other thieves, I mean. Were you able to get out of your camp and find them last night?”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope gave a small chuckle at his teasing words and smiled down at him. As he suddenly asked about her visiting his companions, she nodded her head and her smiled turned from amused to reassuring. "I did. Olivia and I went last night. If they were planning on leaving, it seemed we managed to catch them before they even had a chance to start packing." she explained to him as she reflected back on the night before.

"Hartley made it to them, by the way." She paused as she looked down at him and let out a soft sigh as she remembered how drained his companions had looked when she had first arrived. "I wish I had thought of visiting them sooner. They're better now that they know you're not dead but.. when I first got there, they looked worn down." Penelope shook her head and reached to take Crow's hand in hers. Meeting his gaze, she offered a small smile. "That aside, it was a pretty interesting and productive night."

The knight was about to go into detail but paused. From having to recount the story of nearly losing him, to reminiscing with Hartley and speaking with Rikki, she felt a large swell of affection for him and thankfulness that he was both alive and still with her. A bit impulsively, she leaned down and pressed her lips against his in a rather passionate kiss. She braced herself against the bed with one arm while she released his hand to caress his cheek.

After a moment, she pulled back slightly to met his gaze."Sorry.I-"she hesitated suddenly a bit unsure how to explain herself. Her expression softened and she gave a small smile. "I just really love you."

[Trash Panda]

Crow felt a wave of relief when Penelope said she’d managed to catch his companions before they had left the hideout. He doubted they would have moved out this soon, but there had been a small chance that the other thieves could have run right away, so he was glad to know they hadn’t been too late to stop them. It was also relieving to hear that Hartley had been with them, which meant his companions had been willing to take the Younisian boy in after all.

When Penelope said that his companions had looked worn down, he nodded faintly and looked off to the side. Even though he had saved the knight’s life, he still felt guilty for recklessly abandoning the other thieves. He was their leader; he was supposed to look out for them and keep their best interests at the forefront of his mind. But he just couldn’t bring himself to do that when Penelope’s life had been at stake. Nothing else mattered to him if she was in danger. It was why he couldn’t continue to lead the criminals when the war ended. She mattered more to him than anything else, so he couldn’t devote himself to heading a band of thieves while he was focused on taking care of her in the outer villages.

He was just about to thank her for letting them know he wasn’t dead, but before he had a chance, she suddenly leaned down to press her lips against his. The thief blinked in surprise, unprepared for the sudden burst of affection, but it didn’t take long for him to ease into the kiss. He reached up with his free hand to tangle his fingers in her long hair, losing himself in her touch as they kissed passionately for a moment, so that when she pulled back again, he was breathless with desire.

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing,” Crow grinned at her lightheadedly. “That was quite enjoyable for me.” He leaned up slightly, pining for one more quick kiss before he added: “I love you too, Penelope. You’re the highlight of my days in this wretched camp.” He shrugged haplessly. “I know it’s not saying much, since I find this place so dreadfully boring, but it’s true.”

[BuzzingBee]

Penelope smiled warmly at him as he grinned at her. She leaned in as he pressed one more quick kiss to her lips and her smile broadened into a grin at his words. "I'll take it." she mused with a laugh. "But hopefully you won't be stuck in this camp for too much longer." A gleam entered her gaze as she realized she had yet to tell him about the medicine she had also gotten. After all, her trip to see the thieves hadn't been just to tell them he was alive.

She shifted slightly away from him to dig into her pocket and pulled out the white jar. The knight flashed him a smirk as she held it up. "I told Hazel about your coughing so she and the others helped prepare your medicine before I left last night. You're set for a full week so hopefully it'll fight off any more coughing fits like the one that busted your stitches." she explained, tapping the white jar with a finger. She lowered the white jar and reached into her other pocket to pull out the other jar with the painkiller.

"I also asked her about something for your pain so she made this." she added as she examined the jar for a moment before looking over at him again. "There's only three of these so you'll have to use it when sparingly... And carefully. She said it makes you delirious. I'm not too surprised since I believe she mentioned it having henbane. So you should probably only take if Olivia, Gavin, or myself is on guard duty."

[Trash Panda]

Crow raised a brow curiously when Penelope said he might not be stuck in her camp for much longer. He was just about to ask what she meant when she suddenly revealed a familiar object to him that she had retrieved from her pocket. It was one of Hazel’s medicine jars. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of it. With this, his coughing fits would be manageable again and hopefully no longer severe enough to damage the stitches in his middle. He felt a pulse of excitement. With his illness under control for a week, it should buy him enough time to heal from the worst of his wound. Maybe by then, he would even be well enough to escape from the knights’ camp altogether—with some help, of course, since he knew he wouldn’t be well enough to do more than walk without assistance at the very most.

As Penelope went on to tell him about the medicine for his pain, Crow nodded. Since he had been able to tolerate the pain of his wounds since Hazel had joined his group—or passed out from blood loss, as was the case of his last major leg injury—she had never made him anything like this before. He studied the container with newfound interest, simultaneously eager to try it and nervous to find out just how intense a delirium it might cause him if the herbalist had thought it necessary to warn him in advance.

“You certainly got a lot done last night, huh?” Crow mused, looking up to meet Penelope’s gaze with a smile. “Hopefully between these two medicines, the rest of my time being stuck here will be more bearable. Thanks, love.” He casted a quick glance towards the entrance of the tent before looking up at the knight and holding out his free hand, “Since we’re alone, I might as well take that first dose for my illness while I have the chance. Who knows when that physician or anyone else is going to show up later.”

[BuzzingBee]

"I told you it was a productive night." Penelope said with an amused look at his words. Though she really didn't do anything aside from delivering news and requesting the medicine, she was still a bit proud that the previous night had gone rather smoothly. Hopefully with everyone else's additional effort, Crow would be on a faster track to recovering from his injury and getting back safely to his camp. As he went on to ask for his medicine, she gave a small nod of agreement and handed him the white jar.

"I'm thinking of hiding your painkillers somewhere in here." she added as she glanced around the room, wondering where she should place the jars. She had to be careful about where she hid them as she couldn't risk Jane discovering them, which meant that her desk and supplies were out of the question. For a moment, she eyed the mattress, wondering if she'd be able to simply stash them with Crow, however after thinking it over, she decided it likely wasn't a wise idea. It would be too easy for someone moved him and cause for the jars to rattle or even fall to the ground. Her gaze fell on the spot where the knights has carelessly tossed Crow's tunic and shoes. Deciding it was unlikely for any other knights to go searching it now—she was certain they had already done so the first day he arrived—she figured it was likely their best option.

She moved away from the bed to carefully tuck away the three jars in his discarded clothing before standing up and looking back over at him. "I'll put them with the rest of your things. That way if I'm not around and you need them, Olivia or Gavin can get them for you too." Penelope informed him as she moved to stand back at his side.

Upon mentioning Gavin, the female knight thought over his sudden change and acceptance of Crow after the thief had risked his life for her again. Her mind wandered to Rikki as well, finding some similarities in how stubborn both of them had been. At least Rikki has some time to sort herself out before she has to face Crow again... I just hope the distance I'm giving Gavin is enough for him to do the same.. the knight thought with a hint of concern. Though she was grateful for all of his help, she partially wondered if it would have been better for him to have stopped guarding Crow rather than insisting on staying on to help. Unintentionally, she let out a long sigh as she stared off, lost in her thoughts.

She blinked, suddenly realizing she had fallen silent, and quickly turned back to Crow to offer him a small smile. "Finished?" she asked as her gaze drifted towards the jar she had given him and she held out her hand to take it back.