BuzzingBee

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope let out a small sigh as he assured her that she didn't have to do anything for him. While she hoped he was correct in his assumption that he'd be fine, she also hoped that he wouldn't be too prideful to go to her if he did end up needing anything. After all, just finding out about his dreams had been like pulling teeth. Her thoughts shifted away from the memory of learning about his nightmares as Crow wrapped her up in an embrace that she was quick to return.

"Alright." she agreed softly with a small nod. She didn't really think it was distracting her, it had just been poor timing that morning. It wasn't like she had sacrificed anything after all and though one was more important than the other, she didn't want to just push his problems aside.

Looking up at him, the knight took a moment to relish being in his arms. With very few moments completely alone, she had a greater appreciation for the small moments they did get. Penelope smiled up at him as he kissed her cheek. "I have to agree with you there." she mused as he made a comment about the days to come being longer due to her plan. While she was feeling hopeful, there was still much to do before the party and a lot on the line if everything didn't run smoothly. Long days were likely ahead for both of them.

She met his lips as he kissed her and offered him a warm smile. "I love you too. Goodnight Collin." she said softly before stepping back to let him go to his room. The knight let out a sigh as she now stood alone in the corridor, beginning her long and likely quiet guard shift alone.

---

Morning was beginning to roll around and the knight let out a weary yawn. After staying vigilant throughout the night and having a busy day prior, she was eager for morning to come so she would be relieved from her station. Footsteps soon caught her attention and she glance towards the staircase to see Preston walking towards Crow's room. He glanced towards her, briefly catching her eye long enough for the knight to dip her head to him in greeting. He swiftly returned the gesture but didn't slow his pace as he head to the viceroy's room.

Penelope thought it was a bit odd that the servant was there so early in the morning. But perhaps it was because Crow had a long day of training ahead of him. Regardless she shrugged it off rather quickly and returned to keeping an eye out. However, that didn't last long as a scream from down the hall nearly made the knight jump out of her own boots. Her head whipped around and she paled with realization of where the source of the scream had came from. Crow!

Panicked that he was in some sort of danger, she bolt for his room. She drew her sword right before she swung open the door and stormed in keeping a defensive posture as she prepared herself for whatever was inside.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Surprise! xD
same lol

Penelope mistook his anxiety for surprise cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope gave a small wave to the two before walking off. She'd be station near Crow's room and would have walked with him if he had been finished with his food. However, he still had a bit of dinner left and she didn't want to give Naida anymore ideas by waiting for him to finish just so they could leave together. The knight head out of the Great Hall and up the stairs to take her position, keeping an eye out for Crow as she suspected she'd see him retiring to his room at some point.

She didn't have to wait too long before she heard footsteps ascending the nearby stairs and glanced over to see Crow. She noticed him pause for a moment as he caught sight of her and the knight shot him a smile. With all that had been going on, she hadn't gotten the chance to tell him that she would be stationed near his room that night and figured he was surprised to see her.

"I would have but I got a bit distracted with everything else." Penelope told him with a small smile. As he asked if she would be there all night, she raised an eyebrow at him. "Well, yes. That's how the night shifts go." she mused wondering why he would ask that when the answer felt obvious. Remembering his dreams, she frowned a little. "So if you need something, I'll be out here tonight and tomorrow night."

Penelope paused and shuffled her feet. "Also, I'm sorry I wasn't able to get you any answers today.. When the Lenz's popped up I completely forgot about meeting Tybalt this morning." she admitted with a soft sigh. Meeting his gaze, she quickly added, "But I plan to meet him tomorrow for supper and I won't forget again."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I love that idea xD
Penelope cheered up lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope smiled a little as she noticed Naida get excited by the idea of a party. She took a couple bites of her food as the two siblings talked. Naida's positive attitude gave the knight hope, making her feel like the party could make her short deadline possible. While such a big party would take some extensive planning, it could possibly be enough to get her the support she needed. Feeding off the princess' excitement, her smile widened into a grin as the two offered her their support.

"Thank you." she told them gratefully then paused for a moment as she thought over what there was to do. "Well, Dimia's going to be doing the majority of the planning to make it an actual party and Oliver is handling the finances... So I suppose that leaves the guest list to us." Penelope gave a smirk. "Between a princess and viceroy, I'm sure we can convince quite a few powerful nobles to attend and give their support."

Naida grinned. "I think so too. Might as well make use of those trying to use us."

"Exactly." Penelope gave a small chuckle. She hesitated as another thought crossed her mind. "Also Naida.. The Lenz's were talking about possibly hosting it in the castle..."

"At the castle?" Naida blinked in surprise.

Penelope nodded her head. "I know it'd be difficult, but if you can, we were hoping that you'd be able to convince your parents to let you host such a thing here." she gave her friend a small smile. "Of course you don't have to. I already have them planning for a different location."

Naida's grinned returned and winked at her friend. "This has to be the party of all parties! I can't guarantee anything but let me see what I can do."

Penelope smiled at her appreciatively and nodded her head. "Hopefully we can pull this off." she mused before taking the last bite of her food. Her gaze wandered to a nearby window, noting how late it was getting. "I better get going. I have a guard shift tonight."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Whoops xD

Penelope's really stressing now lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope gave a small nod as Naida answered her. As Crow went onto speak, the knight looked over with interest as he mentioned that his father had him attend a court meeting. She was a bit surprised the king was already having him attend such a meeting, especially since he had only been in training for less than two weeks. What also caught her off guard was the frown he casted her. Confused by why he seemed upset, she tilted her head and listened as he went onto explain how the meeting's decision impacted him.

The knight visibly stiffened as Crow announced that the king was planning to send him to Gorm to petition for an alliance rather than seeking a peaceful end to the war. The only thing that made finding out about the king's decision was that he was looking to send Crow out within a month's time. Panic began to seep into her gaze. Mia had given her two months to rally support to end the war but now she had even less than that. With only a few letters and still waiting for more, the sudden dip of time that she had sent her heart racing anxiously.

"Oh.." Naida frowned a little and glanced over at Penelope with sympathy in her gaze. "Sorry to hear, Penelope... I know you wanted it to be a peaceful end.."

Penelope remained silent for a long moment, thinking over her current situation. Naida sounded like she expected her to give up but the knight knew she couldn't. Thinking about her meeting with the god, there was just too much on the line to give up before it was truly over. "It's fine... I'll just have to get enough support before the month is up." she muttered with a hint of desperate determination.

"That's such a short time though... And my father can be quite stubborn when it comes to his plans. How bad could an alliance with Gorm be? It'll still end the war." Naida sighed.

Penelope shook her head. "No this war needs to end peacefully. Getting Gorm's help will only cause more bloodshed trust me." she said. She paused, falling silent as the servants brought their food. The knight waited until they left again before looking between the two siblings.

"I have a new plan anyways... Dimia and Oliver came today with the idea of throwing a party in order to increase my reach of nobles. Granted I wasn't expecting to have to put it together as quickly as we are now, but I still think it's the best bet.." the knight gave them both a sheepish smile. "I might need the help of a couple high ranking nobles though to pull this off."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I figured cx

Penelope feels bad about not being able to help Crow ^^;

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope stepped into the Great Hall and swept her gaze over the tables, looking for any familiar faces to sit with. Fortunately it seemed the knight hadn't missed Crow and Naida, spotting them at a table across the room. After having a bit of a hectic morning, she was rather grateful she'd be able to spend some time in the company of people she was close to, despite feeling a stab of guilt at the reminder that she had failed to get any answers for Crow that morning.

She smiled and walked over to join them, rolling her eyes amusedly as she noticed Naida pulling her usual trick of blocking her from sitting down besides her. While she certainly didn't mind getting closer to Crow, she still found her friend's antics amusing. The knight found herself a bit eager to see how the princess would react when she found out the truth about them. Penelope bit back a smirk at the thought, hiding it as she moved to sit down next to Crow.

"Hey Penelope!" Naida greeted with a grin. "I didn't see you at breakfast, did you have guard duty today?"

"No.. I have it tonight actually." Penelope answered with a shrug before pausing. "I actually had a surprise visit from the Lenz's today."

Naida's eyes widened. "Wait.. You mean Oliver and Dimia came to see you? Why?" she paused with an uncertain glance at Crow before lowering her voice slightly. "Was she celebrating you leaving her brother or what?"

Penelope smirked a little and shook her head. "No, they came on surprisingly friendly terms... They wanted to help me end the war. I guess Gavin sent them a letter or something to convince them." she shrugged. Naida shifted a bit uncomfortably at the mention of Gavin's help. At first, her expression confused the knight until she caught sight of her quick glance at Crow. Then she realized that the princess was likely a bit concerned about her former suitor interfering with her plans to get the two together. It made the knight subtly shake her head.

Letting out a small sigh, she went on, ignoring Naida's look,"Anyways that's what took up most of my morning unfortunately." she explained with a shrug glancing at Crow with a subtle look of apology. Glancing between the two siblings, she went on to ask, "So what have you two been up to today?"

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Poor Penelope doesn't even realize how much of a time constraint she has yet cx