BuzzingBee

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope let out a small yawn as she surveyed the treeline. She had taken over an extra guard shift since it was the least she could do after missing a battle. Her return back to camp had been messy to say the least. Luckily her brother and friends had made it out of the battle alive—though Layth had received a rather nasty wound on his left side that would likely leave him off duty for a while—and now it was just a matter of repairing all of what had been damaged. Mia seemed relieved that Penelope was back. It was clear to her that the baroness was now stressing a bit as their battalion was at a rather severe disadvantage until they received more supplies.

The female knight let out a long sigh and ran a hand through her hair, feeling worry grip at her. They needed to locate Jaxon before anymore damage could be dealt. If the murderous thief chose to keep attacking the battalion like they had, it wouldn't take long for Younis to over power them. The thought made her shfit uneasily. She couldn't let that happen.

Before her worries could spiral, some rustling caught her attention. The female knight blinked and moved to rest a hand on her sword warily eying the treeline. It wasn't long before she caught sign of moment and Gavin stepped into view. The male knight was walking at a brisk pace with a determined expression on his face. His dark gaze finally landed on Penelope and he visibly relaxed as relief flooded his features. Penelope blinked as she watched him hurry over to her. She hadn't seen him since they had first arrived at camp, which made her wonder where he had been all this time and what had caused for him to look so tense.

"Thank gods you're on guard duty tonight." he sighed as he reached her.

"Why? Gavin, where have you been? I haven't seen you since we first got back to camp." she gave him a confused look. "Did something happen?"

"You could say that." Gavin clenched his jaw and looked down at Penelope. He hesitated for a moment and then met her gaze. "After we got back to camp... I was angry. I mean, our camp is devastated after this last battle and we weren't even here for it." he shook his head. "I..I went after Crow."

Penelope's eyes widened at his words and she felt her heart beat anxiously. Had he done something to Crow in his state of anger?
She wasn't sure but the mere thought that he might have made her fearful. "You what?" she question with a twinge of both nervousness and frustration. "Gavin, what did you do?"

"Penelope, I didn't hurt him." he said, catching the hint of accusation in her voice. "I managed to track him down and I started following him.. I was just going to confront him about my suspicions again but it turns out I didn't even have to." He crossed his arms with a hint of confidence in his voice. "I caught him meeting up with whom I'm assuming is Jaxon."

The female knight stared at him for a moment, caught off guard by his words. It was a big leap to go from crafting together theories to outright claiming he had seen Crow speaking with the very criminal they were looking for. Either way, she didn't buy it. "Gavin," she sighed tiredly. "how do you even know it was Jaxon?"

"They talked about some sort of alliance and that he was apart of his group. I wasn't close enough to hear all of it but I'm certain the man he met with has to be linked to the raid and Crow is working with him. I'm telling you Penelope, he's a lying criminal who's responsible for the deaths of our comrades." Gavin insisted fiercely.

Penelope frowned a little. "Maybe you just misunderstood the meeting? We've never seen Jaxon before... Crow wouldn't turn traitor like that.. He hates Jaxon and he wouldn't betray me like that." Not to mention Jaxon had killed one of Crow's companions. The idea of the thief working alongside the very man that killed Simon seemed rather unlikely to her.

"I'm certain I didn't. I confronted him about it right after and he threatened me." Gavin growled. "He wouldn't tell me a thing about what they had talked about in further detail. He's guilty Penelope."

"Look.. I'll speak with him about it when we met into two days." Penelope sighed.

"He's just going to lie to you." Gavin shook his head vigorously. "He said he'd deny it tooth and nail. That you wouldn't believe me. Penelope, please, think about it. When have I ever lied to you?"

Gavin's tone turned a bit pleading as he looked at her hopefully. It caused the female knight to shift uneasily again, wishing there was a clear answer to all of this. She didn't think Gavin was lying—she had never known him to be a liar after all—but she couldn't bring herself to believe he was right about Crow. Surely there had to be another explanation. "I'll keep that in mind when I talk to him. I still think there's just a misunderstanding going on here though." she said and reached out to rest a hand on Gavin's shoulder. "You should go get some sleep now. You've had a long day and there's plenty of work to be done around camp tomorrow."

Gavin hesitated, opening his mouth slightly as he wanted to continue to insist his story but seemed to decide against it for now and merely nodded his head. "Fine.. Good night Penelope." he took a step closer to her and sighed. "Just please consider my words." With that he turned and headed off towards his tent, leaving Penelope alone with the rest of her guard shift.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Gavin's so confident that Penelope will believe him that he feels bad for her xD

Cool I'll figure out a good time to throw it in. Maybe a day or two after her next meeting with Crow.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Gavin curled his lip up aggressively at Crow's words. He wasn't sure if the thief was actually that confident that Penelope wouldn't believe him or if he was just trying to get him to give up. Either way he didn't appreciate the words. Unfortunately he didn't get a chance to rebuttal though as the thief suddenly lunged at him with his dagger. Gavin swiftly brought his sword up to block the attack with relative ease.

Just when he thought it was a fight that the thief wanted, Crow took off sprinting to get away from him. "Bastard." Gavin spat and quickly gave chase as he recovered from the initial attack. He mainly did it out of anger and frustration, not really having a set plan for dealing with the thief. However, as the distance began to grow between them and Gavin fell further behind, he decided it might be best to deal with Crow another day.

He slowed to a stop and glared after the thief as he escaped from him. "Run while you can! Once Penelope finds out about this, it's all over!" he snapped as he caught his breath. It was likely better it worked out this way anyways. If he had captured Crow, Penelope would have likely found a way to get him free and if he had killed him, she'd likely never forgive him and be rather heartbroken. Now alone in the woods, he let out a long sigh as Penelope came to mind. Though he was eager to prove that he had been right all along, there was also a sense of bitterness that came with the idea of telling her the man she claimed to love was the enemy.

Even though Gavin believed that with time she would have changed her mind, he couldn't deny that she cared for the thief. To learn the truth would surely hurt her greatly. It's necessary though and I'll help her through it. he thought to ease a hint of guilt that he felt. He'd be by her side just like always and hopefully, that would be enough to help soften the damage the thief was sure to cause to her heart.

Turning the knight began to make his way alone back towards camp. It was late and he was a bit anxious to return back. Gavin remained on high alert, a bit paranoid that the thief would double back and try to use the element of surprise to finish him off before he had a chance to tell Penelope about all he had learned.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It really didn't work xD

Oooo ok xD that should be interesting lol Maybe the assassin attacking could be another reason why Penelope agrees to go with Gavin to follow Crow. I imagine she'd start to be a little skeptical of the situation then lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Gavin was growing irritated as the thief continued to avoid answering him. It seemed the other man was determined to keep him in the dark, which didn't bode well over all. Despite being caught, Crow was clearly intent on not coming clean. The knight clicked his tongue in annoyance as the thief gave him another warning, one that he of course brushed off. If the thief wanted to try and silence him, he'd have to use force rather than lowly threats. I'm not letting him get away with this.. Our camp is in ruins because of him. He clenched his jaw at the thought, finding it added fuel to his anger and determination.

"Better for everyone?" Gavin scoffed at his words. "I doubt that. The only one who could possibly benefit from me keeping quiet is you. And as for that threat," he shifted into a more defensive stance, preparing himself if the thief decided to strike. By the sound of his words, it seemed that he would if Gavin didn't give in and just act as if he hadn't discovered anything. That didn't sway the knight into listening though. He wasn't about to give in like a coward, especially when he was confident enough in his skills to take on the criminal.

"-you can try to kill me but I'm not just going to ignore this thief. You're putting my whole battalion in danger and I will fight to keep them safe." He paused and then sneered. "And so will Penelope once she learns what you've been doing behind her back." Perhaps it had been a bit petty of him to taunt the thief about Penelope but he couldn't help himself. After so long of having to sit back and watch him, not only be with her, but trick and use her, the male knight couldn't help but beam at the thought of making her realize he was the enemy.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

makes sense xD Gavin's not letting him off easy

I might be on a bit later because I'm really tempted to take a nap right now cx But we'll see lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

The male knight felt a hint of satisfaction as he noticed how his sudden appearance threw off the thief. If he had been looking to attack, he could have easily taken Crow by surprise. Lucky for him he wasn't. At least not at the moment. Gavin wanted answers from this criminal but he still wasn't sure what would come after. He'd have to decide that later and instead, focused his attention on the daggers that the thief drew from his waist.

As Crow finally spoke, Gavin smirked haughtily. "Can't even think of a good lie to save your ass this time can you?" he said shaking his head. He took a threatening step towards the thief and glared at him venomously. "Too many of my comrades have died because of you and I'm not going to stand back and watch you take advantage of Penelope. I'm not going anywhere cur. Not until you start talking." He had to get answers about what had just happened. After all, he had only heard a small portion of what the two men had been talking about. When the time came to tell Penelope about the thief's manipulation, he wanted to make sure she had no reason to doubt him.

"That man you were speaking to, it's that other thief you have us chasing around isn't it?" he asked with a demanding tone, studying the thief with a careful gaze. In his time having to work alongside him, Gavin had seen the thief lie plenty and he had no intention of letting him lie to him now. "What was it that I heard about you working with him? An alliance is the term I believe I heard. Why don't you started with explaining that and how much he's paying for your loyalty. I'm guessing it must cost a pretty gold coin or two?"

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Cool I let him over hear small bits cx
he's angry and a little confused

That's probably my last one for the night! But i get off at 2 tomorrow so I should be on most of the day c:

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Gavin reached the clearing in relatively good time. He had been a bit slow—trying to be extra cautious of not being seen—and luckily his efforts seemed to pay off. Now it was just a matter of locating that manipulating thief. He was nearly about to begin his search when footsteps caught his attention. A figure heading eastward caught his attention and he quickly ducked behind nearby bushes. He peaked out from his hiding spot to see who was passing through. It appeared that the gods were on his side that night as the recognizable figure of the thief he was searching for passed through.

The male knight held his breath as he prepared himself to face the criminal. He wanted to put an end to this charade. However, something made him hesitate. Studying how the thief was walking, it seemed he had a set location in mind. His camp? Gavin began to rethink his decision. After all, he was the leader of a band of thieves. It would be wiser to track down where they were located and then lead a patrol to capture all of the criminals, not just the one.

Deciding that made more sense than to just corner the one thief, he hung back slightly as he waited for Crow to walk a little further ahead of him. Once he deemed there was enough distance between them, Gavin began to move silently after the thief, his heart pounding in his chest. One wrong step and he could potentially give himself away to this golden opportunity in front of him. He had to be careful.

And fortunately, he was. He trailed behind the thief, using the forest and it's shadows for cover as Crow lead them much further than the male knight expected him to. Gavin was beginning to question if he was really going to his camp or merely out for a midnight stroll. Regardless, the thief had to return to his camp at some point so with that in mind, Gavin followed him patiently.

Eventually his patience seemed to pay off but in a far different way than what he had expected. The thief stopped in a clearing to address a figure he didn't recognize to be either of the other two thieves. Gavin raised an eyebrow and watched as Crow approached the lone figure, beginning to conversate with him. He wasn't close enough to make out the words but judging by how the two reacted to each other appearance, it was clear that this encounter was planned. The ginger narrowed his gaze distrustfully as he watched the two interact. Though he couldn't see Crow's face, he saw the other man's, just barely able to make out his features in the pale moonlight.

With a smile and seemingly calm voice, the two seemed rather familiar with each other. However, he couldn't make out much do to the distance. Gavin clenched his jaw. He had to get closer without being discovered by them. Taking a steeling breath, he began to creep closer, using some nearby bushes for cover. Unfortunately they still kept him a good distance from the two as they talked but at least now he was able to make out some of their conversation.

"...one knight who's suspicious.........keep it that way."

"...the benefit of being part of my group...."

Gavin strained to listen to them. He clenched his fist as it sounded like the thief was mentioning him to this man and that they were working together. Maybe his group of thieves weren't the only ones after all.. he began to realize that maybe Crow hadn't completely made up that Jaxon thief. Instead, it was just beginning to seem like he was working for him.

"..-won't hurt Penelope."

"...-For the sake of our alliance....leave her out of it.."

The male knight stiffened at her name and felt anger boil in him again. It seemed he was right in guessing that Crow was just using her for the information she provided him. He dug his nails into the palms of his hands, as he restrained himself. Even though he had already knew he was manipulating her, there was something about hearing it for himself that made it even worse, especially knowing how deeply she seemed to care for him.

"...one week..."

He blinked, caught up in his momentary anger he wasn't paying enough attention to the conversation. As he heard them mention 'one week' he wondered what that meant. Was it another raid? Or perhaps another meeting? Either way he doubted it was something good. It also seemed to be the end of this meeting and he watched as Crow separated from the other man and began to head back into the direction he came. Gavin watched him with a venomous gaze. He had learned some interesting things tonight but what he had heard still left him with many questions about what the thief was doing as well as what he should do to stop him.

There was also his anger that prevented him from just turning and heading back to his own camp. He had to do what he came out for in the first place, to confront Crow. Gavin moved to get ahead of him, wanting to let some distance grow between Crow and the other man before he confronted the thief. If he tried to attack him, he wanted it to be a fair fight. Once he had successfully gotten ahead of the thief, he drew his sword and stepped right into the thief's path, glaring icily at him. "Well that was sure interesting." he growled as he gripped the hilt of his weapon in his hand. "Care to explain what it was about, thief?"

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'M SO EXCITED XD

Also are you thinking that Gavin should over hear any of the conversation or not? I was thinking he would likely try to get close enough to hear bits of it but I wanted to run it by you how much he should know cx I figure maybe hearing a bit about Jaxon willing to kill him, them avoiding killing Penelope (he'll likely think just because she's valuable for information) and then them meeting in a week?