BuzzingBee

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I know Dx

Nice cx I'm excited lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Having settled things with Gavin, the knight spent the rest of the day trying to keep herself distracted. She took on a guard shift and spoke a little with Tomas and Nina, keeping away from Gavin. She still felt rather bad about having to end things with the male knight, especially when he did seem to truly care for her. Part of her wished they'd be able to eventually rebuild a friendship between them even despite her plans to leave. However, she didn't want to cause him any more pain so she figured it would be best to just leave him alone.

As night began to approach, a fresh wave of excitement and nervousness over took the knight. Her focus was now on the fast approaching meeting with Crow, where she'd finally give him her answer. She felt her heart beat a little faster in her chest. Though she was excited, part of her felt nervous to tell him her decision. Things had occurred rather fast because of the storm after all and perhaps he had been caught up in the moment. Maybe he'd changed his mind after having time to really think about it. She had been the one to leave him behind.. Twice. She frowned to herself as she walked towards her tent, still thinking over the possibility that Crow might have a much different reaction. The knight felt her excitement less slightly as her worry grew.

I'm probably being ridiculous... He said he loved me still after all. Both when we first reunited and again the other day., She tried to assure herself. Her rationalization helped ease her worry some. Crow had been consistent in his feelings, even when she herself had not. Though a hint of doubt still lingered, Penelope relaxed again and was able to rekindle her excitement.

Stepping into her tent, she changed into her usual disguise and threw her cloak over her shoulders before heading out. Trying not to get caught up in her excitement, she was cautious as she slipped out of the camp and into the forest as she headed towards Myrefall. Her heart raced as the time had finally come to meet up with Crow. A soft smile found its way onto her lips as she thought about being with him again. It had been two years since their time together in Younis and she had never thought that she'd get a chance to be with him again after all that had happened. The knight was relieved to know she was wrong.

As she reached the two, she walked down the street, recalling the way to his childhood home. It felt a bit strange to not meet him at the tavern. She had grown a bit used to meeting him there after going their for the last few weeks. However, she didn't mind the change of setting, especially since they weren't meeting for a formal reason.

The houses began to grow smaller and closer together, making her realize she was getting close. It wasn't long before she spotted the home. She paused as she grew closer, feeling her nervousness grow again. She took in a steeling breath and then headed for the front door, opening it slowly and stepping inside.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Honestly xD

Same lol

There goes Gavin xc

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Waking up late the next morning, Penelope felt her stomach twist nervously. It was the third day and there was still one last thing to do before nightfall. And it wasn't something she was looking forward to. The knight groaned and laid her head back down, thinking over her plan to speak with Gavin. She'd take a walk with him away from camp and once they were completely alone she'd tell him she wished to end their relationship and after that, she'd just hope for the best. She still cared about her suitor, after all he had been there for her little over a year now, but she knew her feelings for him didn't run deeper than friendship.

Finally forcing herself to get up, Penelope headed out of her tent and went to grab some breakfast. She sat down with Olivia and the two chatted until she spotted Gavin walking with Alan nearby. She had been avoiding him since the previous day and now it made her unsure how to approach him. However, it was something that she had to do. She hesitantly got up from where she was sitting and made her way over to Gavin.

The male knight paused in his conversation with his friend as he noticed Penelope approaching. He mumbled a word of goodbye to Alan before moving to meet Penelope halfway. "Hey.. What was happening yesterday? I barely saw you and then I heard you went on a patrol with Layth." He asked as he looked down at her questioningly.

"Just decided to bother my brother for a little." Penelope mused with a shrug. She paused and looked up to met his gaze. "You know.. I have some time today.. Why don't we go take that walk you talked about the other day." She said quietly.

"Uh sure." Gavin said with a small nod. "We can go after breakfast, if that works?"

"It does.. I'll meet you by my tent." She told him.

---

Having filled their stomachs, Penelope soon met up with Gavin again as the knight met her as planned. The two headed out away from the camping, walking into the forest towards Norcrest. They talked calmly as they walked, Gavin being quick to question about her patrol with Layth. She didn't go into very much detail about it and instead was worrying about when the right moment to bring up her choice to end their courtship came up. A silence eventually fell between the two and Penelope sucked in a breath.

"Gavin... Listen I," She looked over at him and gave a small frown. "I want to-"

"You want to end our courtship." Gavin finished for her with a hurt look spreading across his expression. He came to a stop and turned to face her. Penelope looked up at him with mild surprise that he was able to guess what she was going to say, and he seemed to notice that. "I figured something was off.. You've been more distant than usual lately."

"I'm sorry.. I had a lot to think about these last three days." She mumbled.

"Not just the last three days... More like the whole time we've been out here." Gavin corrected frowning as he looked down at her. He fell silent for a moment and averted his gaze. "Just tell me one thing, Penelope.. It's because of him, isn't it? That thief you claimed to have befriended.. He isn't just a friend huh?"

Penelope fell silent for a moment, surprised by his sudden and correct accusation.

"Just admit it.." Gavin muttered softly. "It's why you were so willing to risk everything to save him and why you were so eager to sneak off and see him again..."

She shifted uneasily. Part of her thought it wouldn't be wise to tell Gavin anything about Crow being the reason she was leaving him. He could use that information against her if he was acting out of hurt and that would easily cause for quite a bit of trouble for her. Even though she planned to be with Crow, she still wanted to see the war to its end. However, she found it difficult to lie to him at the moment. He had helped her and even kept a few of her secrets, perhaps she could trust him with one last truth.

"It is." She finally admitted. "... But nothing happened between us while I was with you. I do care about you, Gavin but I'm sorry. I love him."

Gavin shook his head. "How... How can you even be with him? You're going to end up having to give up everything you've worked so hard for. Penelope, I love you," He reached out to take her hand in his. "I can give you a good life and you won't have to throw away your future. You may not love me now but given time, maybe you still can. We could be happy together."

Penelope looked away at his words. She probably could be happy if she stayed, after all her life had been just fine without Crow until now. If she stayed, she'd be able to stay with her friends and family, all the people that she knew she'd miss once she left. However, that didn't get rid of a great longing she had to be with Crow and live with him in the outer villages. Though leaving them would bring her some sorrow, she knew from experience the sorrow that came from leaving Crow behind and didn't intend to go through it again. The knight had made her decision and it wasn't something that would change.

She gave his hand a small squeeze before pulling away. "I'm sorry. But that's not what I want. I tried to convince myself for a year that was what I wanted and it didn't work. That's a life that would make me content, not happy." She shook her head and took a step away from him.

"So you're just going to leave everything behind?"

"Not until the war is finished." Penelope replied. She looked over to met his gaze. "I hope you can do me one last favor and keep this a secret. I promise I won't drag you into anymore trouble after this... I've already caused you enough."

"You know you can trust me, Penelope.." Gavin mumbled with a small crack in his voice. "Just know.. I'll still be around.. Until this war ends."

Penelope frowned at his words and turned to head back towards camp. "Please don't wait for me." She told him softly. Feeling they needed space from each other, she set off towards the camp alone, but was all to aware of Gavin watching her leave. Her heart felt a bit heavy, like she had just lost a friend. However, the knight tried not to focus too much on it, instead thinking of what was to come once night fell and she'd meet up with Crow. With everything finally settled, she'd be able to answer him properly.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Cool lol

I guess so xD
Penelope and Olivia had some much deserved girl talk lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As the day wore on, the two siblings eventually turned around and head back to camp. As Penelope suspected, they had no success in finding any of the thieves. The two didn't talk much after their discussion of the past and a heavy silence lingered between them. However, Penelope was glad that Layth seemed to eventually cool down by the time they reached the camp and didn't even blame their lack of success on her. Instead, he merely headed off in a different direction, looking for their uncle to report back to.

Spending time with Layth usually wasn't enjoyable but Penelope found herself thankful for the time she spent on patrol with him. The knight was able to come to a conclusion. She wanted to be with Crow, even if that meant leaving everything behind. Guess I really only needed two days. She thought with some amusement as she looked up at the evening sky. Having come to a decision, she couldn't help but notice how clear-headed and joyful she felt. Her heart raced excitedly at the thought of seeing him again and telling him. She smiled to herself as she thought of being in his embrace again.

"Well, well, well someone looks awfully happy."

A familiar voice broke her thoughts and she turned her head to see Olivia had wandered over. The other female knight smirked at Penelope and crossed her arms. "What's going on? You have something that you're hiding... And I have a couple guesses!" She chirped.

"Oh here we go again." Penelope rolled her eyes. "Let me just start by saying, no I didn't sleep with him."

"Ok but it has something to do with him." Olivia nodded her head with an amused gleam in her eyes. "You've finally accept that you're still in love with him though haven't you?" Penelope opened her mouth and Olivia held up a finger to silence her. "You better not lie to me, Penelope. You're clearly lovesick and I don't want any excuses this time. I think I've earned the truth after not only covering for your ass but also being the one that helped you meet him again. Honestly you owe me big time."

"Alright, alright." Penelope rolled her eyes but smiled a little amused by her friend's persistence. She paused and glanced around before beginning to head towards her tent. "Let's get out of the open first."

While the knight didn't plan to disclose every detail to her friend, she figured she might as well tell Olivia part of the story. Olivia had proven to be trustworthy enough after all and if it got the drama-loving knight off of her back as well then it was a win-win. Plus, Penelope found herself wanting to speak to someone about it and Olivia was the best option she had. So long as she was careful with what she chose to share, there likely wouldn't be a problem.

Penelope stepped into her tent with Olivia and the two sat down. "Alright, spill it." Olivia grinned.

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Ok yes I still love him... I realized it a couple days ago and well...I kinda told him." She blushed and scratched the back of her head awkwardly.

Olivia looked rather surprised by her admission and let out a small whistle. "Ok well.. I wasn't expecting you to go that quickly but ok good." She chuckled. "I'm assuming he still loves you too. He might look different but from what I could tell he still had those lovestruck puppy eyes." She snickered and leaned back on her palms as she looked over at Penelope.

"Yeah, he does.." Penelope mumbled with a small smile.

"Well, all I can say is, you're welcome." Olivia smirked confidently. Her smirk fade and she gave Penelope a questioning look. "Anyways, I'm not sure how you two are going to work this out but whatever... I'm curious though, what are you going to do about Gavin?"

Penelope blinked. She had momentarily forgotten about Gavin and quickly remembered why she needed three days. She may have come to her decision but there was still one more loose end that needed to be dealt with. The answer was simple, she just needed to end their courtship. What worried her was what would happen if Gavin chose to go to her father about it. Then it would be much more difficult to get out of it. There was also a pang of guilt, as part of her felt that she might have accidentally led him on even though that had not been her intent.

Olivia bit her lip but unable to hold back, the female knight bursted out laughing. "You forgot about him didn't you?" She giggled holding her stomach. "Oh that's too perfect."

"Shut up." Penelope grumbled burying her head in hands.

---

Night eventually fell and Penelope headed to take her post as one of the guards. After speaking with Olivia, she had spent most of the evening alone and avoiding Gavin. She was preparing for tomorrow, for when she would end things between them and begin things again with Crow. She felt bad for having to let Gavin down, especially after he had proven how much he cared for her through his unwavering loyalty. However, she knew that things wouldn't work between, especially when her heart belonged to another man.

Penelope shifted a bit uneasily as she tried to think of how she would approach letting him go. She knew she would likely be hurting him regardless of what she did but if there was a way to ease the blow, she was determined to use it.

Under the night sky, she stood quietly watching her surroundings while spending her time thinking of the day to come. Her heart raced with excitement and nervousness. Lost in thought, her guard shift went by quickly and she was soon taken off by Nina. Tired from a long day, she headed to her tent and fell asleep almost as soon as she laid down.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'm glad it works out then cx

I wrote out pretty much all of the stuff so I should be able to get in a couple replies during my breaks today c:

Layth got some unwanted sibling time xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope woke up early the next morning. She stretched and squinted her eyes at the early morning sun. Standing up, she headed out of her tent and out into the camp. Usually she woke up later than most, due to either having guard duty or meeting with Crow but having neither of those the night before, she found that she was actually up before most. The camp was quieter than she was used to and only a few of her comrades, aside from some guards, were awake.

Enjoying the peace of the early morning, she walked quietly through the camp, soon getting lost in thought. Her mind wandered to how she had felt two years ago and how similar that old heartache had felt when she had originally answered Crow upon his return. She had been in denial about her feelings then, suppressing them so that she could continue on with her life, only for them to eventually burst free as she was unable to just let him go. It only made her realize just how much she didn't want to let him go again.

I'm content with my life.. But it isn't what I wanted. She thought as she slowed her pace to look up at the morning sky. What I wanted was a life with him... I think I still do.. Penelope felt her face get warm at the thought. She felt more certain now after speaking with Mia and her short conversation with Tomas. While the future Mia described didn't sound bad, it didn't share the same appeal as leaving with Crow to leave in the outer villages despite the risks that were involved.

"I'm not going out there again.. I'm tired." Grumbled someone from nearby.

"We're getting close to finding him again. You can't seriously be quitting now." Layth growled.

Penelope turned her head to look over as Layth argued with another knight about going on a patrol for the thieves. The other knight appeared tired and waved at Layth dismissively before retiring into his tent. Layth gave a furious look and clenched his fists at his side. "Pathetic." He spat before turning to storm off. However, as he turned, he immediately came face to face with Penelope. He blinked and then narrowed his eyes at her.

"I'll go on patrol with you, Layth." Penelope offered. Seeing him had reminded her of another issue with leaving and that was how her family would likely disown her. Though it didn't bother her very much, considering how her uncle acted, she knew it would be a little difficult to accept that her brother and father, the two she had left Crow behind to defend, would eventually turn against her.

"You'll just get in the way." Layth snorted.

"Yeah, just like I got in the way of the dagger that nearly killed you." Penelope responded crossing her arms.

Layth scowled at her. "At least I didn't let him get away."

"Look, we can go back and forth all day or we can go on a patrol. Which would you prefer?"

Layth curled his lip up at her words, clearly irritated. However, he had no argument. "Fine." He growled and began to storm off towards the tree line. "If you slow me down, I'm leaving you behind."

"Of course.." Penelope muttered under her breath before moving to quickly follow him.

---

The two siblings trekked into the woods in the direction of Whitebridge. Penelope pretended to remain alert even though she was rather certain they wouldn't be running into any of the thieves there. The two remained silent as they walked. Layth was tense with hostility still seeming rather unhappy that his sister had managed to squeeze her way into a patrol with him. Penelope looked over at him. Despite how cold he was to her and most people, he was still someone she cared about and wanted to protect. It would hurt to see him fully turn against her.

"Layth.. I want to know more.. About what happened between father and my mother." She said suddenly.

Layth faltered in his step and whirled his head around to look over at her. "Why are you asking about that?" He grumbled. "Haven't I already told you enough?"

"You told me what you knew about my mother.. That's true but you never really spoke much about how father reacted to it all. I want to know.. You were there when he chose to be with her, when he lost her, and when we got accepted back." Penelope said giving him a pleading look.

"You should be focused on the patrol." Layth snorted shaking his head.

"I can multitask. But if you can't then, I understand." Penelope commented challengingly.

"You're a pain in the ass." Layth grunted, keeping his gaze focused ahead. "What do you want to know?"

"Well.. How did father step in when your mother was going to send away mine?" She asked.

Layth paused, clenching his fists at his sides. "He basically said he was going to leave us for her. That he didn't care what she or anyone else thought. That servant had seduced him so thoroughly he was prepared to turn on his family."

"Did he come to regret it?" Penelope asked in a quieter voice as she looked over at Layth. "When they left to the outer villages, did he regret it?"

"He was so blinded by that bitch.." Layth growled with a hateful look in his eyes. "He didn't even realize what he had done until she finally died.. So yes, he regretted it. Our father was able to redeem himself once she was out of the picture and that's the only reason we're still nobles. You should be thankful she died soon enough for you to be able to rise up with us."

Penelope frowned a little at her brother's harsh words. It was how he usually spoke about her mother, words filled with hatred over past events. However, she still wished there was someone else to talk to about the woman, someone who was fond of her. Still, Layth's words were helpful, regardless of the heavy bias. Layth might have claimed that their father regretted being with their mother but Penelope wasn't quick to believe him. At some point in her life, she did believe that John had regretted his past decision but now she began to think that might not actually be the case.

When she died, he must have been in pain... He probably didn't regret being with her, he was just hurt over losing her and did his best to get back the life he once had since she was gone.. Penelope blinked, coming to understand her father a bit more clearly now after sharing what she believed to be a similar experience. It made her wonder that if her father would actually be able to understand her decision to be with Crow. Though she had her doubts considering he was a thief not just a peasant, a small part of her held onto a hope that perhaps not all of her family would completely turn on her. The same, unfortunately, could not be hoped for Layth. Her brother held too much anger to ever come to understand her or her reasonings.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It's true cx
I'm going to try and get most of Penelope's stuff written out tonight since I don't have a lot of free time tomorrow due to work. Then I can just copy and paste lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope spent most of her day with Mia. The baroness seemed fueled by the sudden discussion to heavily focus on their next battle plans. Tomas soon joined the two, eager to help out as well as spend time with Mia. Eventually their conversation of battle plans faded and the three just chatted and enjoyed each other's company. It was nice and it also reminded Penelope of what she would miss if she chose to leave with Crow. Over the two years, she had somehow found a more firm place amongst her comrades and was able to find some that even seemed to share her similar ideas and views. If she left, she'd miss their company.

As the sun got lower in the sky, Penelope and Tomas parted ways with Mia to join the rest of their comrades for dinner as night began to fall. Walking besides Tomas, she side glanced curiously at the older lieutenant. "Tomas, I've been wondering... You clearly love Mia, so have you tried to court her before?"

Tomas blinked in surprise. He turned his head to look over at Penelope with wide eyes, looking like a startled deer, and a blush appeared on his cheeks. "W-What are you talking about?" He stuttered. "I don't.. I mean, it's not.. What?"

"Your feelings are pretty obvious for her." She said with a soft chuckle. The knight hadn't meant to get him flustered but it was a bit amusing to see him attempt to hide it. No wonder Olivia always pulls this crap. She thought with a small shake of her head. "But seriously.. have you ever tried?"

Tomas seemed to calm down and let out a defeated sigh, accepting the topic of conversation. He shifted his gaze away from the female knight and shook his head. "No.. Of course not."

"Why do you say it like that? You love her don't you?"

"I do.." He blushed. "B-But I have no right courting her. I mean, she's a baroness. I have nothing to offer her.. Besides I don't think she's interested in anything like courting or marriage. You know Mia.. She likes her independence." Tomas gaze fondly ahead as he spoke. "It's one of the things I admire about her.. Anyways, I'm content with just being her lieutenant."

Penelope looked over at Tomas. His words partially reminded her of Crow and how he had talked about if she was willing to give everything up for him. She felt her heartbeat a little fast again, desiring to assure Crow of just how much he meant to her and just how much she did want to be with him. I'm getting ahead of myself.. I still need to think.. She told herself as she let out a long exhale. "Well.. You never know until you try." She mumbled to Tomas. She wasn't quite sure if Mia shared mutual feelings for Tomas, the baroness was difficult to read, but part of her found herself rooting for her fellow lieutenant.

The two split up as Penelope made her way to join Olivia and Gavin for dinner, taking a seat between the two as they ate their meals. Olivia and Gavin began to squabble as Olivia make a couple snarky remarks regarding Gavin's strictness. Penelope didn't pay much attention to the two, not even bothering to end the argument like usual. The knight had a lot on her mind and was rather distracted.

"Hello~? Earth to Penelope!" Olivia poked her shoulder. Penelope blinked and looked over at her.

"Sorry.. What?" She asked

Olivia glanced towards Gavin before looking back at Penelope. "I was just saying how Gavin needs to learn how to relax... What's with you?"

"Nothing. Just thinking." Penelope replied with a shrug.

"About what?" Olivia inquired curiously with a smirk.

"I'd like to know this too. You were out of it earlier today too." Gavin added looking concerned.

"It's nothing. Just the stuff I talked about with Mia today.." Penelope lied with a dismissive wave of her hand. Eying the night sky, she slowly got up from where she was sitting. "And I'm tired. I think I'm going to head to bed a bit early. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Alright.." Gavin said with a concerned frown. "Night."

"See ya." Olivia said eying her with a small smirk that Penelope didn't trust.

However, she didn't say anything and merely waved goodbye to the two before heading off to her tent. The knight stretched and laid down but didn't go to sleep right away. She had a lot on her mind and wanted a bit of time alone to simply relax. Eventually the knight grew tired and closed her eyes, soon drifting off into a light sleep.