BuzzingBee

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope felt her heart flutter a little at the fondness in his smile and words. It warmed her to know he felt similarly about the time they were spending together that day. Though she was glad to finally share her home town with him, she really just wanted nothing more than to spend as much time with him as they were allowed, especially with how much distance they had been forced to keep up between them. If the party goes well enough, more days like this one will be right around the corner.. she thought hopefully as Crow pressed a kiss to her cheek.

The knight continued to lead them down the narrow passage and glanced back up at Crow as he shifted closer to her. His mischievous look made her give a laugh and she rolled her eyes at his words. His words were a bit competitive and the knight didn't mind it a bit. Though she didn't exactly have pride in chasing down criminals—namely the former one she happened to be in love with—she wasn't going to simply agree. Not when teasing and bantering with him about it would be much more fun. "Do you now?" she snickered and gave his hand an affectionate squeeze. "Sorry, love," she gave him a teasing wink. "but I doubt that. You may have talent but there's no way you would have gotten away from me here."

Of course, she was just teasing him. Had they crossed paths in Bellmare, Penelope was pretty sure he could have come up with some outlandish plan to get himself out of whatever trouble he had gotten himself into, even if that trouble would have been her. Back then she would have easily fallen for his tricks just like any other knight. The thought made her feel a surge of gratefulness that their first meeting had been the journey to Younis. Had they met under other circumstances, they likely would have never fallen for each other. The thought made her shift a little closer to him. Despite all the trouble that had come from being together, the knight wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

She smiled up at him affectionately. "That aside, I think we're both a bit lucky we didn't cross paths here." She gave a shrug with an air of casualness, trying to suppress a smirk from taking over her lips. "I mean, you couldn't get away from me two years ago in Wellspring and I think I happened to keep up with you pretty well despite my lack of knowledge about the area."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Honestly cx I love it lol

Also Penelope may have just remember a better way to travel through Bellmare XD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope gave a small laugh at his words as he mentioned Jonathan being lucky to have faced her early on. Though he was just exaggerating, she did stand up a tiny bit straighter at his praise for her fighting skills. She might not have been the most fearsome fighter out there but she took pride in her skills. "Smart move. Almost as smart as the investment I made in seducing the infamous thief of Brerra." she teased returning his wink. "You've quite a lot of tricks up your sleeve. Certainly ones I'm glad I'm not at the receiving end of."

The knight smiled up at him amusedly, enjoying their time together. It was nice to be able to speak to him without having to worry about acting distant with each other. After all that had gone on as of late, she was glad they had managed to find the time to be like they were now, even if they still had to keep some distance between each other as they walked the streets. Penelope's smile faded slightly as she wished she could close the small gap of distance that was still between them because of being in public eye. She was nearly about to shift to walk a bit closer to him so there hands would at least brush as they walked but paused as another idea came to mind.

The alleys. She blinked as her green eyes flickered towards an upcoming side street. Barely anyone used them since the main roads took everyone where they need to go in the city. Side streets were often formed just because of the space needed to be left between buildings. Meaning likely be empty. A spark lit her gaze and she looked back to Crow with a grin. "Come on. I think I just figured out a better path to the river." she said and turned to lead them off the main road.

"Might take us a bit longer to get to the river but I think it'll be worth it.I know the back streets of Bellmare like the back of my hand." Penelope said with a wink and then flashed him a sheepish smile. "Although... it may be mainly from chasing criminals from the marketplace back when I worked as a local guard more so than just innocent exploring of my hometown."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Omg xD

Penelope decided to give him a teenage people story lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope looked over at Crow as he claimed she'd look good in anything she wore. The knight casted him a fond smile, appreciating the compliment. Although she knew he was exaggerating, she did hope that her pick of gown would be enough to at least meet Dimia's standards. The noblewoman was much more experienced with parties than she was so, even if Penelope didn't agree with her values, Dimia would likely know what would impress. That aside, she felt rather confident her dress would meet the requirements though. It was quite the eye catching color and certainly expensive.

As they began to make their way back, she glanced up at Crow as he nudged her. His teasing words made her roll her eyes and smirk amusedly. "I thought I said that you had gotten enough from me today." she teased, nudging him back. Giving an overly exasperated sigh, she crossed her arms and glanced around the street. "But I'll have you know I didn't get into that much trouble. I may have pushed the boundaries a couple times but that was usually because the people around here weren't all too accepting of my background. I suppose I can spare a couple more stories though if you insist."

Penelope shrugged her shoulders and then smirked a little. "Since I grew up here, I also trained here when I started my path as a knight. It wasn't the easiest thing at first since my father faced a lot of opposition to the decision.. I even lost a couple friends that I had managed to make here. It didn't take long before I started getting challenged to a couple different duels. I denied most at first since I was far from properly trained but... I did get into one duel. It was actually with one of the now lieutenants that visited the castle not too long ago. He was a pain in my ass back then and eventually I took him on."

She shook her head and gave Crow a sheepish look. "Of course, his father had been training him for quite a while now so needless to say that was one fight I didn't win. I got a few good hits on him though so it was a completely loss. My father was absolutely enraged that I took him on though. I don't think I heard the end of it for a good week or so." she chuckled. "Ironically enough though, I'm on quite good terms with that lieutenant now though."

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Ooo nice cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope came to the spot where she agreed to meet up with Crow. Arriving there first, she shifted to hold her bag more comfortably against her side and glanced around for the viceroy, wondering if he had found something that had caught his attention. The marketplace held plenty of things that would easily draw in one's eye and there were many stalls to look through. Just when she was beginning to suspect she might be waiting awhile for him though, she spotted Crow making his way towards her amongst the crowd.

The knight smiled and moved to meet up with him. "Well, I think I've got all I needed... I certainly hope I have since this thing cost me more than I'd proudly admit." she mused with a shake of her head. Though she had money saved up, she still felt the price of the dress a bit ridiculous. She just hoped she'd be able to pawn it off after the party to get at least a decent amount of her gold back so it could be put to better use.

"So if you're done here, I figure we could start our walk back towards the river, maybe take a couple detours through the city." She explained to him with a shrug. To her, there wasn't any other place in particular she wanted to show him, aside from just sharing the city in general with him.She was still hoping they could find a private spot away from the city and castle to have a moment alone too but that was something they'd have to figure out once they left the city. Penelope's smile fade slightly. "I figure by the time we reach the river it'll be nearing time for us to head back to the castle anyways." she added on a less enthusiastic note.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope's not the best at bartering but it sorta worked out xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope looked up at him and casted him a small smile as he assured her that even her effort alone would likely make a difference for the people of the outer villages. "Well, hopefully I'm not the only one, but even if I am, I'll be glad to help out as much as I can." she mused quietly. The knight was rather certain she wouldn't be completely alone in her efforts though. Even if she couldn't convince a ton of nobles like she wanted, she knew she'd likely have the support of her friends. Gavin would likely help her organize everything and she had a feeling Nadia and Olivia would participate as well.

Noticing Crow slow his pace, she looked over at him and flashed a teasing smirk. "Well if you're certain. Such a pity too since I think that pink one would really bring out your eyes." she joked with a playful wink. Penelope took a few steps ahead of him and casted him a smile. "I won't be long though. I'll be back in a bit." Leaving his side, she headed off to the merchant's stand, hoping to make her time there as quick as possible. A pricy dress wasn't really something she truly wanted and she didn't want to take away time from being with Crow.

She reached the stand and swept her gaze over the various dresses, wondering what would be best for the party. The knight reluctantly stepped over to the more extravagant looking gowns. While they were pretty, they simply didn't suit the female knight who preferred something less dazzling. She knew she had to dress to impress though so, sucking up her pride, she began to shift through them, trying to make a decision.

"Ahh I see you must be dressing for a special occasion." the merchant spoke up with a sly gleam in his gaze. "I'm sure you'll find I have excellent choices. The seamstresses I work with are known for their talent. Has anything caught your eye?"

"Nothing special. And maybe.." Penelope replied to him with a casual shrug. She had been to the market place enough times to know that the merchants tended to charge a higher price if they thought a customer was look for a specific reason. The knight lifted a bright, golden dress. It had small designs of flowers around the bottom in red and seemed to shine in the light. Though it was a bit low cut when it came to the chest, it was clearly made to show off brerratic pride and catch one's eye, which was exactly what the knight needed. "How much for this one?"

"A lovely gown that's sure to impress." the merchant winked. "It's four hundred."

Penelope pursed her lips together. The price was more than she was willing to pay and certainly more than the dress was actually worth. She studied the dress for a moment and then turned back to the merchant. "I'll give you two hundred pieces for it."

The merchant blinked and then snorted. "No way. That dress is well crafted. I wouldn't accept anything less than four hundred."

"The color of it is lovely, I agree, but it's also not exactly complex in design. It's simple, even I can tell that much and I'm certainly not a noblewoman with a keen sense of fashion." Penelope smirked and gestured down to her rather plain attire before meeting the merchant's gaze. "I'll give you two hundred and fifty pieces for it. I believe that's a fair price for this dress. I doubt you'd be able to sell it for anymore than that anyways."

The merchant clenched his jaw and shifted his weight for a moment, clearly debating whether to accept the offer or not. Eventually, he shook his head. "Three hundred is the lowest I'll go." he grumbled firmly.

Penelope paused. Though it was more money than she had planned to spend, she supposed it was at least a bit better than the four hundred he had been demanding and likely the actual worth of the dress since she had been trying to low ball him. "Alright, I suppose I can meet you at three hundred then." she agreed reluctantly as she extended her hand to the merchant. After he shook it, she pulled out her coin purse and gave him the gold in exchange for the dress. Folding the dress neatly, she packed into a sack that the merchant offered and then began to make her way back over to where she had left Crow, feeling pleased with her purchase.

Everything has a price [Suki & BuzzingBee]

Sorry I haven't been on! Going through a bit of stuff so it's been a bit difficult to work up the motivation to write ^^'

I probably won't get a post up for a little while since I'm having a bit of writers block for this unfortunately haha I'm sorry! If you don't mind waiting a bit I'll be back at some point c: