BuzzingBee

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope studied Crow after she finished relaying the information, eager to see his reaction to her findings. Especially since he had been rather sure she wouldn't find anything to help him. As he finally responded, the knight gave a small chuckle as he admitted it was more than he was expecting. Though he didn't admit it out loud, she guessed that he was likely a bit excited about the solutions she had given him. After all, he wasn't denying them like he would have with Eldon's and instead his pessimistic attitude was replaced by one of disbelief.

It made her stand up a bit straighter, a bit proud that her efforts to help him were paying off. Hopefully, at least. There was still a chance that the solutions Tybalt presented her As he went on to ask her what to do if he panicked, she paused thinking over what Tybalt had told her. "Well, he said it's pretty much all in the breathing. I guess there's a technique where you inhale a deep breath through your nose and hold it for a few seconds before releasing it out of your mouth."

The knight tried to suppress a yawn but failed. Letting it out, she gave her head a small shake, trying to ignore her weariness again as she looked back up at Crow. Penelope glanced around the corridor before reaching to take his hand in hers. "Hopefully it works for you but regardless, I'll be there tomorrow morning. I'll try to help again." she assured him, giving his hand a soft squeeze before letting go.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I keep forgetting to reply here xD

But yep!! Penelope was really eager to tell him lmao

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope moved to take up her usual position. The knight tried to keep alert but admittedly found it a bit difficult. Weariness aside, she was buzzing with excitement after finally getting the answers she had been hoping for from Tybalt. Though she didn't truly realize it, her attention was much more focused on the corner of the corridor as she waited for the viceroy rather than keeping a proper watch on the corridor.

Luckily she didn't have to wait for long. She had only been standing guard for a short time before Crow came into sight as he rounded the corner. A grin spread across her lips, her usual happiness to see him amplified by the solutions she had learned about to help him. She glanced around and moved to meet him as he headed over to her. "Hey." she greeted him in return, looking up at him with a joyful gaze as he kissed her cheek.

"I did. Today went surprisingly well actually." she told him. She paused and swept her gaze over the corridor to double check that they were completely alone. When she didn't spot anyone, she relaxed once more and placed a hand on his arm. "Tybalt had solutions to dealing with your nightmares that could work." she told him excitedly as she lowered her voice. Despite seeing that they were alone in the hall, she couldn't help but be additionally cautious about such information. Especially considering how private Crow had been about it.

"I guess training hard worked the best for him. He said that if you tire the body the mind usually follows." she explained, going on before he had a chance to reply as she was wrapped up in her eagerness to share all that she had learned that night. "He also mentioned something about other knights taking a moment to clear their minds before bed or praying to the gods."

Penelope paused as her excitement died down a bit. "He also said that these methods aren't completely guaranteed to work though... But I'm hopeful." she smiled up at him. "Plus he also mentioned a way to help deal with the panic a bit better in the morning even if they don't work."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Good for Preston xD

Tybalt's unknowingly pro-mental health so he had all the answer lmao

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope sat down across from Tybalt, shifting nervously. Now that she was finally about hear what the guard captain had to say, she felt a fresh wave of worry wash over her. What if Crow was right and he actually didn't have any solution? What if he did but they wouldn't work for the viceroy just like Eldon's solutions wouldn't have worked for him? If Tybalt didn't have anything to help Crow, then she would have reached a dead end and she honestly wasn't sure there was anyone else to turn to after that.

"Glad to see you could made it." Tybalt mused as he took a small sip of his wine and breaking through her clouded thoughts of worry. "Hopefully I'll be able to help you."

"Hopefully." she said with a weak smile.

He nodded and then paused as he glanced towards one of the servants walking past with a plate of food before looking back to Penelope. "Before we get into it, I have to ask, how often do these.. dreams, occur?"

"Every night." she answered shifting her gaze away from his and stifling another yawn. She supposed the one good thing about her weariness was that it likely further sold her claims of nightmares to Tybalt. "They didn't start right when I got back from the warfront though.. It took a while. At first I thought it was just a coincidence but then they kept coming back. Always the same one too."

"That's how it is." Tybalt admitted with a heavy sigh.

"So you've gone through this too?" she asked curiously.

The captain's gaze darkened but he nodded his head solemnly. "I have.. I prefer not to get into the details though." he grunted. He paused as two servants returned with their plates of food. Tybalt waited for them to leave before addressing Penelope again, "Instead let's focus on giving you some options that'll hopefully work."

"Right.. So what can I do?" she asked, unable to keep out the eagerness from her voice before taking a bite from her food.

"Well for starters, I recommend intense training and rigorous exercise. That's what helped me the most." he explained. The female knight gave him a confused look, unsure how training would possibly help with a problem that was stuck in someone's head. Tybalt seemed to notice her confusion and his stoic expression broke for a brief moment as the corner of his lip twitched upward into a slight smirk. "My theory is that if you tire the body the mind will follow. When I was having my..dreams, I put all my focus into my training in order to distract myself when it started to affect more than just my mornings. Once I did, I noticed the frequency of my dreams take a dip. Plus they seemed not as vivid as before. More like how dreams should be."

Penelope's eyes gleamed at the explanation. This was exactly the type of answer she had been hoping to hear. This was something that was doable for Crow and Tybalt made it sound like it was quite the effective method. "So tiring yourself out will get rid of them?" she asked for clarification.

"I can't say for sure." Tybalt shook his head. "Personally, I think only time can truly help. Plus I've heard different people have varying results. It's possible it could not help lessen your dreams at all."

The female knight's excitement died a bit. While she was still more than happy to have some sort of answer for him, it was a bit disappointing to learn it wasn't exactly foolproof. Still.. It's something. she reminded herself. Focusing back on Tybalt, she poked absently at her food. "Is there anything else you've found that could help it work?"

"Personally, not really." Tybalt shrugged before pausing to take a bite of his food. He chewed thoughtfully and then swallowed before adding, "but I've heard other options from different knights. Some like to spend time clearing their minds before bed, send a prayer to the gods and whatnot... Too many turn to Eldon or drinking though I'm afraid so my answers don't go further then that."

"I see.." Penelope mused with a nod. "I hope something works for me then."

"As do I." Tybalt grunted. He eyed the knight and then let out a long sigh. "If you still have them, there are a few ways to lessen the initial panic from waking up."

The knight looked up from her food with interest at his words. There was a way to deal with the panic too? While she was hoping Crow would be able to get rid of the dreams completely, having a back up plan to deal with the extreme state of panic was in during the morning. Penelope bit back a grin and instead met Tybalt's gaze with eagerness. "What are the ways?"

"Breathing mainly." Tybalt replied. "Taking in a deep breath through the nose, holding it for a few seconds and then letting it out through the mouth. There's probably other ones but that's the one I know."

Penelope nodded her head. "Is there anything else I should know about that might help?" she asked. The knight was already feeling pleased with the information she had gotten from Tybalt but she wanted to make sure she wasn't missing anything. She wanted to get as much as she could in order to help the viceroy.

"I don't think so." Tybalt shook his head. "But if you ever need to discuss other options, feel free to speak with me if these methods don't work. I prefer my guards to not use Eldon's medicines nor alcohol but if it's your last option, then I won't discourage you from using it."

"Thank you." Penelope said appreciatively. She finished off her meal and then slowly moved to take her leave however she paused and glanced back over at Tybalt. "By the way... Do you think it'd be possible for me to take more night shifts instead of the midday shifts you assigned me this week?" As he gave her a skeptical look, she held up her hands defensively. "Not to avoid sleep but just because they tend to be easier for me."

After a moment of silence, the captain conceded with a grumble. "I'll see."

Penelope dipped her head. "Thank you, sir. I'll leave you to enjoy your meal then." she said before turning to head out of the Great Hall. Despite her weariness, there was a small bounce to her step after getting the answers she needed for Crow. On her way out, she glanced around for the viceroy, wondering if he was still eating his supper or if he had already headed to his room. Regardless, she would be stationed nearby so she figured it'd be easy for her to speak with him before the night's end so she focused her gaze back ahead.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Honestly lol

Wow I blanked and forgot to hit send on this XD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

The three sat together brainstorming basic necessities for the party. Dimia, as expected, had quite a few suggestions for different musicians as well as decor. The noblewoman had organized a list of various ideas, dealing with themes, food choices, and more. The knight ended up feeling a bit bad about not being able to offer more of an opinion on the options that she presented. Despite the amount of parties she had been to, usually she didn't pay much attention to the trivial things, aside from the food that she was able to enjoy. In the end, both her and Oliver were a bit overwhelmed with the information so Dimia suggested arranging a day for them to sample different things in person for the party. They easily agreed and left the arrangements for that in her complete control.

For the meantime, Oliver and Penelope focused on discussing finances as well as how they'd go about bringing up the need for support. She had to give the vassal quite a bit of credit. He seemed to have thoroughly mapped out the party as far as finances went and was generous enough to cover it. Although, she did catch him slyly mentioning that she could repay him one day. What that meant was difficult to say but he didn't demand money up front so she didn't question it.

"Anyways, as far as getting everyone's support, I believe it only makes sense for you to give a speech." Oliver explained.

Penelope blinked and shifted a bit. She had talked in front of crowds only on a small handful of occasions and most of them were during her time serving as a lieutenant in which the crowd was all of lower rank than herself. The thought of giving such an important speech at a huge party filled with nobles of higher rank than herself made her a bit nervous. "Me? S-Shouldn't it be you or maybe Naida? You two are both more of the host than I am.. Besides more people would likely listen to you two." she pointed out.

"This party may have been our idea and Naida may have a higher title, but ending the war on peaceful was your idea." Oliver pointed out.

"Plus Oliver's not good at public speaking." Dimia said a bit ruthlessly, making the vassal shift his gaze away. "Surely you can handle one speech."

"I guess I can try.." Penelope gave a sigh. "I could use some help figuring out what to say though."

"I can assist you with that." Oliver nodded.

Penelope dipped her head gratefully and then glanced towards the window. The three had spent all day speaking about their plans for the party that she almost hadn't realized how late it was getting. Supper was likely starting which meant she had to get going in order to speak with Tybalt. Not wanting to miss the guard captain again, she slowly rose to her feet. "I think we've covered enough for one day. We should all get some supper and work on it more tomorrow." she said.

Dimia nodded her head in agreement. "I'll start reaching out to people about setting this up. We'll visit you once we have a bit more figured out."

"Until then, feel free to visit me at any time to go over speech ideas." Oliver added.

"Thank you. I will." Penelope agreed before moving to open the door. She let the couple exit first before heading out of the room as well and making her way with them to the Great Hall. The knight let out a large yawn as she walked at a somewhat slow pace despite her rush to get Crow answers. After a night shift and few hours of sleep, she wanted nothing more than to lay down, her weariness dulling her hunger. However, she couldn't afford to sleep until the next day as unfortunate as it was.

As she stepped inside, her gaze flickered around the tables until she spotted Tybalt sitting alone. The captain had already spotted her and gave a subtle wave of his hand, gesturing for her to come over. Penelope took in a breath, praying to the gods that he would have a solution for Crow, before making her way over to join him.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Definitely xD

Penelope's slowly starting to spread herself a bit too thin cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope struck up a casual conversation with Cedric as the two headed out of the Great Hall. It was brief as the two part ways after they exited into the corridor. She gave the male knight a small wave and then headed off towards her room. She picked up her pace at the thought of finally getting some sleep and hurried into her room.

Once inside, she let out a long breath and fell back onto her bed. For a moment, the knight just laid there as thoughts swirled around in her head. There was much to do and so little time. Penelope just hoped that after that night one problem would be solved. Her mind wandered to Crow and a frown crossed her lips as she recalled how the morning had gone. While she wanted to spend as much time planning the party and advocating for the war's end as she could, she also couldn't just push his problem aside.

Her thoughts continued to buzz in her head until eventually her weariness won over. Before the knight even realized it, she fell into a deep sleep.

---

She had been sleeping rather comfortably until knocking at her door woke her up. The knight jolted slightly at the sound and lifted her head a bit disoriented due to the deepness of her sleep. As the knock came again—more impatiently this time— she jumped up to her feet and hurried over to the door. She paused and ran the back of her hand over her mouth, realizing a bit embarrassedly that she had been drooling during her nap.

Opening the door, she found the Lenz's waiting for her on the other side. Oliver stood with his gaze lowered on some journal he had yet again while Dimia had her lips pursed into a thin line as she tapped her foot impatiently. It seemed Penelope wouldn't have to go looking for them later like she had planned to. As Dimia's gaze landed on Penelope, she let out a huff, "About time."

"Sorry." Penelope muttered. "I had a guard shift last night so I was just trying to get in a bit of sleep... What time is it anyways?"

"About mid-day." Oliver answered with a shrug. "Why?"

Penelope let out a small sigh. Well that explained why she still felt quite groggy. She had likely only gotten in a few hours of sleep before their appearance, which meant it was likely that she a long day and even longer night ahead. Even though she was certain she could use a bit more sleep, she also couldn't just send them away. "No reason. Well come on in. I assume you want to go over things for the party right?" she asked as she stepped out of the doorway to let the two filter in.

"We do." Oliver confirmed as he stepped inside. He eyed the bed and then the single desk chair that was in her room, as if deciding where he should go. With a glance at Dimia, he moved to stand next to the chair to allow her to sit there.

"This room is rather... lacking." Dimia said wrinkling her nose in distaste.

"I really only use it to sleep so I don't see any reason to have anything more." Penelope rolled her eyes. She gesture to the bed. "You two can sit there. It'll be more comfortable than the chair."

Oliver dipped his head and moved to sit at the edge. Dimia hesitated but followed and settled in besides him, sitting down rather tensely. Penelope paid little mind to her discomfort though and instead pulled up her chair to sit casually across from them. "Well since you're here, I suppose I better give you an update on the situation."

"An update?" Oliver raised an eyebrow. "Already?"

Penelope smirked a little. "I try to work fast." she paused and her smirk faded. "We're all going to have to unfortunately."

"What do you mean?"

"I had supper with the viceroy and Naida yesterday.. Apparently the king is planning to send him to Gorm in a month to try and get they to ally with us in order to end the war." Penelope explained with a small frown.

"So we have less time than originally thought to plan this party and convince the king." Oliver frowned as well.

"Great." Dimia grumbled irritably. "We came all this way and the battle was over before it even begun."

Penelope shook her head. "No. It's not over." she stated firmly as she met Dimia's gaze. Despite her firmness, the knight felt a ripple of desperateness. The time constraint was concerning but perhaps more concerning than that was losing the aid of Dimia and Oliver. She might not have been very close with either of them but they were at least giving the war's end a real chance. "I've already gotten a few letters of support, with hopefully more on the way. If we pull off this party, we can back the king into a corner. He'll be forced to give up his current plans in favor of appeasing the majority of nobles."

"I don't like these odds, Vermillion." Dimia huffed.

"They aren't... great." Oliver agreed casting his wife a soft look before looking back to Penelope. "Have you spoken with the viceroy or princess about this party?"

"I have." Penelope nodded. "And we have their support. They'll be helping us with the guest list and Naida is going to work on getting us permission to host it in the castle like you asked."

A pleased smile crossed Oliver's lips and he nodded his head. "Good. We haven't completely lost yet then so I don't see any reason to back out... Right?" he asked his wife on a slightly timid note.

Dimia hesitated before nodding her head. "I suppose as long as I get an extravagant party out of this there really is no way to lose." she mused, flipping a curl of hair back from her face. Seeming satisfied, a gleam of excitement entered her gaze as she looked between her husband and Penelope. "Let's start focusing on the details then."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I imagine it might come up at the party xD Naida reacting to that is going to be great lol especially since she's so set on getting Crow and Penelope together lol