The next morning Penelope didn't bother with trying to wake up early. The knight was tired and it wasn't like she had much to do anyways. She still had to speak with Tybalt but she was sure that wouldn't take more than a few minutes and she'd eventually have to get ready for the ceremony in the afternoon but again, she figured that wouldn't take too long. Although she supposed she'd better make sure she had enough time to take a simple bath. With all the long walking and working, even the knight had to admit she was getting a bit grimy. Normally she wouldn't pay much mind to it—especially since it was getting cold out—but since she'd be borrowing a dress from Naida, she'd feel bad if she wasn't at least somewhat clean.
She let out a sigh as the room grew a bit brighter as sunlight filtered in from the window. Though it was already late into the morning, she was still reluctant to get up. She stretched and rubbed her eyes before eventually forcing herself to rise and put on her boots. She didn't bother to put on her armor since she wouldn't be working but did take her sword with her. Heading out of the room, she grab a quick breakfast at the great hall, enjoying a bit of alone time. Afterwards, she began her search for Tybalt, which ended up being rather easy as she found him near the main entrance of the castle speaking with another knight.
"Excuse me. Sorry to interrupt but I-" the knight slowed to a stop as the face of the guard came into view and she shifted uneasily.
"Well, well.. I heard you were back. It's good to see you again, Penelope." Cedric gave her a warm smile.
It was a bit shocking to suddenly run into him and to have him even address her. After their messy split years ago, neither bothered to speak if and when they ever did cross paths. Luckily it hadn't been very often anyways. She could barely even recall the last time she had seen him. It had likely been about a year since they had crossed paths. Normally, seeing him always struck her with a hint of angry and pain but this time it was more annoyance than anything. After all, she had Crow now and whatever she had felt for Cedric was nothing compared to what she felt for the thief.
However, that didn't mean she was going to be friendly with him.
Penelope eyed him as he addressed her then focused her gaze back on Tybalt as she held out the letter from Mia. "I have a letter from my baroness that approves of my stay here for two months at the least. If you're able to fit me in, I'd like to start picking up guard shifts again." she explained.
Tybalt took the letter and read it over before giving a nod of approval. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, sir." she dipped her head.
"I'll be going then, Cedric." Tybalt gave a small nod before he dipped his head to the two and then walked off.
Penelope was quick to turn to leave, not wanting to stick around Cedric for any longer than she had to. "Ah, Penelope, wait a second." She was just about to leave when he spoke up and caught her by the wrist. The unexpected touch made the female knight bristle and she turned to face him, eying him warily. She didn't like how he was making an effort to try and speak with her. She much preferred when he would ignore her the same as she would ignore him.
"What is it?" she asked impatiently as she shook his hand off of her wrist.
"So... you're going to be back here for two months?" he asked a bit shyly.
Penelope crossed her arms over her chest. "That's the plan." she responded bluntly. "I thought you quit being a castle guard sometime ago. What are you doing here?"
"I did but I decided to come back. Working in Everton wasn't really the best decision I made." Cedric shrugged. He shuffled his feet and took a small step towards her. "Look, Penelope I'm really sorry about the past. I was an ass back then—"
"Yeah no kidding." Penelope interrupted with a scoffed.
Cedric frowned. "And I owe you more than just a simple apology but if you can forgive me, I'd like to be your friend."
Penelope studied him with a distrusting gaze. It was hard to tell if this man was being genuine or just playing at an angle that she had yet to figure out. Part of her was far from willing to trust him, knowing that it'd be quite the risk. However, her mind went to Crow. The thief had seemed convinced he had wronged someone in the past due to being young and foolish. Perhaps Cedric wasn't any different. If he truly did regret it, she saw no reason in holding such a grudge against him. Besides, it wasn't like he had ruined her life. The knight let out a sigh, perhaps she should be a bit more forgiving.
"I'll think about it." she muttered.
"I guess I can't ask for more than that." Cedric smiled and nodded his head. "Thank you."
She gave a faint nod. "I have stuff to take care of so I'll see you around, Cedric." she sighed and didn't wait for a reply as she turned and headed off to begin getting ready for the ceremony to come.