BuzzingBee

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Luckily Cedric seemed to take the hint and didn't bother asking any further about the topic. It relieved the knight quite a bit since the last thing she wanted was for him to start asking questions about the dreams she actually hadn't been having. On top of that, Penelope was still trying to act with caution around the male knight, especially after telling Crow that she was going to be careful around him.

"So how's your effort to get the war to end going?" Cedric asked casually switching the topic of discussion.

"Alright. I've got a lot to do." Penelope admitted with a soft sigh. "Oliver Lenz and his wife have offered their help.. Quite a bit actually since they're planning to help throw a party in order to garner support fast."

Cedric whistled. "Sounds likes it's going to be one big party then."

Penelope nodded her head. She was about to respond but she caught sight of Crow approaching their table. She gave him a small smile, glad to see that, despite Cedric's presence, he intended to join her for breakfast still. "Morning." she greeted him as he reached the table.

"Hello." Cedric greeted him as well offering a polite smile as he eyed the viceroy.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Nice xD

Cedric's getting bolder lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It wasn't long before another guard appeared and stepped over to the knight. Penelope gave him a small word of thanks then left her position as she began to make her way to the Great Hall. The knight let out a yawn as she trotted down the stairs, picking up her pace a bit until she reached the bottom. She headed over to the doors of the Great Hall and was just about to step inside when a familiar voice caught her attention. She glanced over her shoulder to see Cedric picking up his pace to reach her.

"Penelope! Hey!" Cedric greeted her with a smile. "I was wondering if I was ever going to see you again."

She gave him a small smile in return despite feeling a bit disappointed. Since it seemed that Cedric was on his way into the Great Hall as well, that meant she likely wouldn't be having a moment alone with Crow. Though she didn't mind the male knight's company, she was at least hoping to get breakfast alone with Crow, especially after seeing the state he had woken up in.

"You must have just kept missing me." she shrugged. "I've been busy anyways though so I'm not too surprised."

"Well at least I managed to catch you now. Come on let's go get some breakfast." he said pushing open the door for her to step in first. Penelope gave a small nod and stepped inside. Glancing around, she spotted an empty table and made her way over to it. Off handedly, the knight noticed that Cedric seemed to be walking rather closely at her side. Side glancing at him, it was difficult for her to tell if it was intentional or not as Cedric didn't seem aware of it in the slightest as his gaze focused on the table ahead.

As she slid in across from him, she noticed the male knight studying her with a concerned gaze. "So how have you been?" he asked in an almost surprisingly soft voice. When she gave him a slightly confused look, he let out a small sigh. "I heard about you having... ah... dreams."

Penelope froze for a moment as she realized word must have started to go around about her having nightmares due to her attempts to help Crow. She shifted awkwardly, unsure what to say at first. "I'm alright... I'm going to get help from Tybalt." she mumbled.

"That's good.." Cedric mused then paused before adding. "But hey if you ever need anything, even if it's just someone to talk to, I'm here."

Penelope forced a small smile and nodded her head gratefully, before shifting her gaze away as she hoped he would take it as a sign to drop the subject.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope didn't know how to take his reaction so now she's worrying xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope cursed inwardly as she stared across the room at Preston. Having been so focused on Crow, she had forgotten to be careful under the gaze of the servant. She remained silent, unsure what to say and glancing to Crow, who also seemed just as tongue-tied as her. When Preston finally broke the silence, the knight gave a slightly confused look, unsure what he meant by saying he was right.

It seemed that the servant had had his suspicions about their relationship judging by the conversation between him and Crow. She glanced down at Crow as she felt him lean away from her. Deciding it was best to put some distance between them as well, she let her arms fall back to her side and took a small step back as Preston stepped over to give Crow the glass of water. Penelope shifted her gaze away from the two, worrying a bit about their current situation. It'd be impossible to lie to Preston now about their relationship so it left the knight with a small feeling of unease, unsure if the servant would keep his mouth shut.

As Crow finished the water and decided to get up, Penelope gave a small nod. "I better get back to my post. Another guard should becoming to relieve me soon." she mused. The knight hesitated before reaching to giving his arm a small touch. Even though Preston clearly knew they were together, she felt a bit too awkward to go any for any type of kiss with the servant's eyes on them.

"I'll meet you down in the Great Hall." she told him before turning to collect her sword from the ground. The knight dipped her head in brief acknowledgement to Preston as she pasted him before heading out of the room. Stepping back out into the corridor, she let out a long breath, feeling troubled by seeing the severity of Crow's dreams and the newfound issue of Preston knowing about them. On top of it all, now that things were beginning to settle, the knight felt her weariness from standing guard all night beginning to set in. She planned to have a good long nap after she got her breakfast.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

If possible, Penelope definitely made it worse xD
So did penelope

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

At first, the viceroy seemed unresponsive to her efforts to calm him down. She frowned worriedly and tried to think of what else to do for him while he was in such a state of panic. However, in the next moment, he looked up at her and before she could respond, he wrapped her up in his arms. Penelope blinked in surprise but didn't hesitate to return the gesture, holding him close to herself as he began to overcome the aftereffects of his dream.

The knight didn't rush him and fell quiet as they embraced, gently running one hand up and down his back. Eventually she began to notice that Crow began to become more composed as his breathing became less short and his body stopped trembling. She looked down at him as he rested his head against her chest and apologized for keeping the severity of his nightmares a secret from her. Penelope let out a soft sigh and softly ran her fingers through his hair.

"I wish you would have told me." she admitted then shook her head. "But it's alright. It's not like I would have been able to do anything to help.. Not yet at least.." Penelope shifted her gaze to the side feeling a stab of guilt as she thought about how she had failed to help him sooner. She knew he had told her to focus on ending the war but that didn't stop the knight from wishing she would have had the time to solve the problem sooner. Especially after seeing the state he would wake up in.

Penelope leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead before resting her head on top of his. "I just pray that Tybalt has a solution for you... You shouldn't have to go through this every morning.." she murmured to him. The knight was even beginning to think Eldon's solutions weren't a bad idea anymore. While risky, they would possibly give some peace to the viceroy. Though she knew Crow was stubborn and would likely refuse them still due to the risky they posed. Perhaps she could convince him if she began to take all the guard shifts overnight. Surely Tybalt could alter that schedule for her.

Her thoughts were interrupted as a third voice sound from nearby, making the knight freeze. "Um... What's going on?" Preston asked as he studied them from nearby.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Nice xD Penelope pretty much just ignored him lol

Yep xD Makes sense lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Upon entering the room, her gaze darted around looking for danger but instead, all she found was a panicked Crow and Preston, who appeared frightened by her sudden entrance. Penelope blinked, caught off guard by the scene until her gaze fell back on Crow, who didn't even seem to notice her entrance. The knight's eyes widened with realization. With no apparent threat, his nightmares must have caused him to scream.

They're affecting him this badly... Penelope frowned deeply as she grew further concerned for the viceroy. He had never mentioned anything about waking up screaming or in such a panic. She needed to find away to help as quickly as she could. The knight was just about to step over to his side when Preston suddenly tried to usher her out of the room. She had been so focused on Crow's current state that she hadn't even seen the servant approach. Penelope wavered for a moment now that she was reminded that they weren't alone. If she tried to help him now, it could cause Preston to get suspicious of them.

However, she couldn't just leave Crow in the current state that he was in. We can figure a way out of it later. she thought to herself. The knight dropped her sword to the ground, both to ease Preston's worry and hopefully Crow's as well since his nightmare involved being run through with a sword. "Sorry." she muttered to the servant before pushing past him and hurrying over to Crow's side.

Once she reached the viceroy, Penelope shifted to stand at his side, leaning in to try and catch his gaze. "Crow, I'm here." she murmured to him then paused as she tried to figure out a way to help him recover from his nightmare. She moved to tentatively place a hand on his back in an attempt to begin soothingly run her hand up and down. "You're alright. You're safe. Just breath.. In and out." she told him noticing how he was short of breath. She paused before using herself as an example to hopefully help, taking deep breaths in and letting them out slowly.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope definitely thought someone was trying to kill him xD

And yess!!! xD Cedric definitely going to butt his way into a few dances with her at the very least lol I'm very excited for this party haha