Trash Panda

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Serix wanted to talk to Cassie again before the interrogation, but he didn’t know what to say. It wasn’t the guards that kept him silent —he could always speak to his mate mentally if he had something to tell her that he didn’t want the humans to overhear— it was the thought that by saying anything at all, he would probably just make things worse for Cassie. She was already worried enough, and there was nothing he could say to comfort her. He would be lying if he said that everything would be alright. They both knew it wasn’t true.

By the time the humans came to retrieve him for the interrogation, Serix was starting to feel the effects of the lack of food and water. A dull headache throbbed at the base of his skull, and he wanted nothing more than to lie down and nap. He had to force himself to stand up when Jake unlocked the door to his cell and Connor and Monty came in to hold his arms while they guided him towards the exit.

“I’ll be here when you get back,” Cassie called to him from her cell. “I love you, Serix.”

“I love you, too, Cassie,” Serix called back to her, feeling a pang of sadness at the anxiety in her voice. She may as well have said: ‘I’ll be here if you get back.’ He hated leaving her along like this, but the humans didn’t give him time to think about it. They dragged him roughly into the tunnel, turning the corner so he could no longer see his mate.

Instead of leading him back towards the dining hall, they brought him down a different corridor. A few of the humans dropped back as they walked, apparently assigned to stand guard at different intervals in the dark tunnel. Serix glanced warily at Ryan. The human was setting up a ridiculous amount of security for a simple interrogation.

After a while, they arrived at a smaller, low-ceilinged cavern. Its bare features were dimly lit, concealing much in shadow, but Serix still recoiled at the few things he could see. There were two tables: one at the back of the cavern and one on the west side. The table at the back was long and was arranged with four chairs, while the table on the side was arrayed with various metal things, some rope, and a coil of some strange material that he didn’t recognize. In the center of the room, a single chain hung down from the ceiling, dangling over a drain in the stony floor. Everything about the room screamed danger in Serix’s mind.

“I thought this was an interrogation?” he narrowed his eyes at Ryan, taking a step back towards the entrance of the cave. Monty and Connor tightened their grips on his arms.

“It is,” Ryan said coldly. “My parents designed this place as a safe haven for us, but they knew it would also function as a war bunker when you aliens arrived. They knew we would capture POWs eventually, so they had this room set up for interrogations.” He grabbed a short strand of rope from the west table and tossed it to Monty, then turned back to the Lunairan. “Take your shirt off.”

“What kind of interrogation is this?” Serix pressed, refusing to follow the human’s order.

“I’ll be the one asking the questions,” Ryan snapped. “Now, do what I said or I’ll have Monty do it for you.”

Serix hesitated, and then decided he would rather not have Monty rip at his clothes. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. Immediately after that was done, Monty used the rope Ryan had given him to tie Serix’s hands in front of him. He dragged the Lunairan to the center of the cavern and, with the help of Connor, forced his arms over his head to attach the rope to the dangling chain. Serix tugged at the chain, but it held fast. He felt exposed with his arms pinned up like that. If the humans decided to kill him now, he had no way to defend himself. He shot Ryan another venomous glower, “Is this really necessary for questioning?”

“Yes,” Ryan answered curtly. “We have to make sure you won’t move around.”

“Why?” Serix pressed. He knew he was testing his luck, but he felt like a cornered animal and it was making him temperamental.

“Show him why,” Ryan said to Monty.

Monty grinned cruelly and walked over to the west table to grab the strange coil. When he picked it up, the thin material unraveled. Its narrow end dragged along the cavern floor as the human stepped behind Serix. When he was beyond his range of vision, Serix’s heart began to race. He pulled at the chain again but it refused to give way. In the next instant, he felt a searing pain explode across his back. He cried out and struggled futilely against the chain. This was human interrogation? Were they just going to strike him until he said what they wanted him to say?

“Now then,” Ryan turned to the back table, where Jake, Ray, Connor, and Gunner had seated themselves in the four chairs. “Are we ready for the questioning?”

“Go ahead,” Jake replied with a one-shouldered shrug.

Ryan nodded and faced Serix again, “Did you bring that alien into the caves?”

“No,” Serix said, exasperation leaking into his voice. He had told them time and time again that he had nothing to do with the Pilot anymore, and he was getting tired of repeating himself. He gasped when another splitting burst of pain struck his back.

“Don’t lie to me,” Ryan narrowed his eyes. “That other Lunairan already said you were working for him. Hunter tortured the information out of him.”

“He’s the one who’s lying,” Serix insisted. “He holds a grudge against me for leaving him and— and saving a human.” He had almost said ‘and taking Cassie as a mate,’ but Ryan hated him for that, too. He made a mental note to avoid that topic so the human wouldn’t get provoked. When he finished speaking, he cringed, waiting for Monty to strike him again, but this time the blow never came. However, the look on Ryan’s face was almost as bad as being physically tortured. The human glowered at him with raw hatred and stepped closer so he stood almost nose-to-nose with him.

“Why should I believe that you saved Cassie of your own free will?” Ryan hissed. “You’ve been using her to get to the rest of us. Everything you said to her was a lie, you alien bastard.” Finally unable to control his rage, the human lifted a fist and struck Serix in the jaw, making the Lunairan’s vision swim. “You’re going to pay for using her like that. I can’t stand by and let a manipulative alien ruin the life of the girl I love.”

“My feelings for Cassie are genuine,” Serix said softly, keeping his eyes fixed on the floor. It was impossible to avoid the topic now. “I initially saved her because she interested me. That is true, but while we were in hiding, things changed. I didn’t care about hiding her because she was a novelty anymore; I wanted to protect her with my life.” He lifted his gaze to meet Ryan’s. “I love her.”

“You really think I’ll believe that?” Ryan whispered coldly. He glanced at Monty. “Three more lashes.”

“Wait,” Serix pleaded. “I’m telling you—” He gasped again as the ropelike weapon ripped across his skin, first once, then twice. Just before the third strike, Serix opened a mental link between himself and Ryan, and when he felt the final blow, he shot the pain across the connection. Ryan yelped, his eyes widening in shock when he felt the explosion in his own mind as if he had been the one getting tortured. He stared at Serix for a moment before he realized what had happened. His expression turned murderous as he took the Lunairan by the throat, practically spitting his next words, “Don’t try that again. You hear me?”

“I just thought you should know what that feels like,” Serix snarled, meeting the human’s furious gaze.

“You little bastard,” Ryan turned to Monty. “Ten more lashes!”

“Ryan,” Ray interjected from the other side of the room. “You can’t kill him in interrogation. Try to use the whip sparingly so he doesn’t bleed to death.”

“He deserves to die,” Ryan growled, meeting Serix’s gaze again. “Fine. Just three more then.” Monty followed the orders immediately, and Serix bit his lip until he tasted blood to keep from screaming. He felt something warm trickle down his back. Ryan cleared his throat and continued as if it was all just a casual interview rather than a barbaric interrogation, “Aliens can only get into the caves with the help of someone on the inside. You are the only one who would even consider doing something like that, so you are our only suspect. Besides, everyone knows you weren’t accounted for at the bonfire last night. You had the perfect opportunity to slip away and help your Lunairan buddy get into the caves while the rest of us were distracted. There’s too much evidence for us to assume you weren’t involved. What do you say to that?”

“I only left to help Charlie,” Serix said tiredly. His dehydration headache had intensified with the addition of the lashes. He wanted to go back to his cell and sleep. “He asked me to help him find Sally. He said they were playing a game and she got lost. I swear I didn’t know she never left the fire. I can even show you.” He reopened the mental link into Ryan’s mind and streamed the memory of the bonfire to him, starting with Charlie’s request and ending with his return to the group. He closed off the link and met Ryan’s eyes once more, “You see? I didn’t do anything.”

“How do I know you didn’t make that up?” Ryan pointed out. “I’m well aware that Lunairans can forge images and memories.”

“I’m not lying,” Serix said again. “I don’t know any other way to make you believe me. The Pilot is trying to get revenge on me for betraying him for Cassie. Of course he would take the opportunity to take me down with him when he got caught.” He cried out as he felt the whip lash unexpectedly across his back. Ryan must not have liked that answer.

“Then you’re saying that someone else among us is a traitor,” Ryan said, anger bubbling up in his voice again. “If you didn’t bring that alien into our home, then who did?”

Serix hesitated. He was certain that Hunter was the one who caught the Pilot and brought him into the caves, but he didn’t want to look like he was trying to pin the blame on a human to save himself. Ryan would never believe him. Suddenly, another thought occurred to him. Hunter couldn’t have brought the Lunairan in through the main entrance. He would easily have been spotted. So for him to sneak the Pilot into the river cavern, he must have used a hidden passage. Perhaps there was a way Serix could get out of his situation. He looked up at Ryan, “Maybe the Pilot wasn’t helped at all. I know you think your defenses are impenetrable, but maybe you should examine them again. There might be an unchecked chink in the armor, so to speak.” It wasn’t much to go on, but if the humans found the secret passage Hunter used, they might just believe that the Pilot discovered it first and used it to sneak inside. At this point, any hope was better than none.

“I highly doubt that,” Ryan growled. “We’ve explored every inch of these tunnels. There’s no way we missed a passage to the surface big enough to fit a fully-grown alien.”

“Ryan,” Jake spoke up this time. “We might as well check it out. If there isn’t anything new, it’ll just prove that he’s lying. If we do find something, we’ll be able to close it off so more no more aliens can sneak in later. We’ll be better off either way.”

“True,” Gunner chipped in. “I vote we go with Jake’s plan.”

“I’ll agree with that, too,” Ray said, looking at Serix with the eyes of a physician. “The Lunairan’s had enough for one night, so this interrogation is over anyways. Nine lashes are sufficient.”

“Let’s make it ten to even it out,” Ryan shot Serix another glare, obviously pinning the blame on him for the others’ undermining his authority. Serix tensed, but being prepared for the strike didn’t make it any less painful. He sucked in his breath as the whip cracked across his skin one final time. His back felt like it was on fire, but at least now the torture was all over. He groaned in relief when Monty detached his hands from the chain and he could lower his arms again. Next, Connor approached with a bucket of water, which he splashed on Serix’s back to wash most of the blood away. The water also cooled the searing pain, if only for a moment.

Serix found his shirt in the corner where he had dropped it and put it back on, gritting his teeth when the fabric brushed against his open wounds. He was thankful that he was wearing black. Connor had been right: He didn’t want Cassie to see what happened at the interrogation. She was already distraught enough without the knowledge that he had been tortured by her childhood friend. The dark color of the shirt would conceal any blood that seeped through, and it was long enough to mostly cover the red stains at the waistband of his pants. The cell light would be dim enough to hide the rest of that.

Ryan led the way as Monty and Jake brought Serix back to the hold. Serix had to fight to keep his eyes open as they walked and he stumbled twice. The thought of the cold stone floor of his cell was suddenly very inviting. Maybe if he slept long enough, the ceaseless burning in his back would go away.

When they returned to the cavern where Cassie was waiting, Serix forced himself to stand up straight and walk with purpose. He couldn’t let her know what had happened. Jake opened the cell door and Monty shoved him inside, purposefully laying a hand on his injured shoulder. Serix winced when the human’s rough touch sent another wave of pain through his back, but he refused to make a sound. Instead, he just glared at Monty as the three males exited the room.

Once they had gone, Serix slowly sat down on the ground. Instantly, his weariness intensified to the point where his vision went fuzzy. He felt like passing out, but he couldn’t let himself faint or else Cassie would know something was wrong. Lying down on his stomach, Serix yawned and turned to Cassie, trying to make his condition look like normal fatigue from a hard day’s work, “Well, it’s been a long day, huh?” He offered her a smile. “I think I’m going to sleep for the next three years.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

For Crow, the rest of the journey was painfully dull. He drifted in and out of sleep, attempting to stave off his boredom with fleeting dreams and wishing William would bring the horses to a canter so they could reach their destination quicker. Unfortunately, since the knights were still expecting a long journey, they weren’t willing to push the animals so hard on the very first day, and thief couldn’t object to their steady pace, since he was keeping his early departure a secret from the others. They would find out soon enough that they were all wasting their time on the king’s senseless assignment.

During the times when he was awake, he would peer out the window to check their progress but, being unfamiliar with the area, the scenery provided him with no clues. All he saw were trees that with little variation and the occasional passerby traveling between the citadel and whatever town they were on their way to next. Naturally, his next inclination was to pester William with the incessant question: “Are we there yet?” To which the knight would threaten to cut out his tongue, and he would shut his mouth and go back to sleep. The cycle was repeated throughout the rest of the trip.

When the carriage finally rolled to a stop, Crow awoke from his latest nap immediately and sat up, poking his head out the window to see where they were. The sun was sinking low to the horizon, so it appeared they were going to be spending the night in this lavish city. He frowned. He had hoped they would travel nearer to the outer villages before they rested, but judging by the enormous buildings around them, they were still somewhere in the inner kingdom.

A few people milled about the streets, all dressed in the ornate fabrics of noblemen and women, but no one seemed to pay the procession any mind. They had stopped the wagon in front of an inn, and travelers in this part of the kingdom were supposedly common. As a peasant, he didn’t know much about the routines of the upper class, but he had heard that nobles conducted business and traded often between regions. The men and women around them now probably just assumed they were here for the same purposes.

Losing interest in observing his surroundings, the thief climbed to his feet and stretched his legs as well as he could in the small space. He was taller than average, so he couldn’t stand fully upright without hitting his head on the canopy. It was better than wasting away laying on his back though. Eager to get out of the torturous contraption, he clambered down from the back as soon as Penelope’s boots touched the ground. They might have been far from his homeland, but he was happy to be in any place that would serve as an alternative to a prison cell or a wagon bed.

In the next moment, he blinked as his stomach let out a low growl. Napping on the ride over had taken the edge off his hunger, but now that he didn’t have anything else to distract himself, he was acutely aware of the fact that all he’d eaten that day was half a piece of bread. “Will we be having dinner soon?” he asked, glancing at William, whom he had pegged as the main decision maker among the trio of guards. “I’m starving.”

“You are not starving,” William glowered at him in exasperation. It was becoming increasingly clear that he had despised every instance his captive opened his mouth. “We’ll eat later. I have a few arrangements to make first.”

Crow narrowed his pale eyes. He had always hated knights, but this one was grating on his nerves more than most. It was presumptuous of William to act like he, a rather emaciated convict, was in good enough condition to delay and cut short meals. His frustration came through in his voice. “How would you know whether or not I’m starving?” he crossed his arms irritably. “You’ve been well-fed all your life. I doubt you even know what hunger is.”

William clenched his jaw as if he had something to add, but instead he just turned away from the thief and addressed Penelope, “We will be staying at the Black Galleon Inn. The king sent a letter ahead, so the innkeeper should be expecting us.” He then spoke to the other knight, “Abraxas, lead the horses around back and meet up with us when you’ve finished. There should be a stable for them on the other side of the inn.” With that, he gestured for the female knight and their pet criminal to follow him as he headed for the door of the building in front of which they had settled.

Still simmering from his conflict with William, Crow didn’t speak to either of them while they walked into the inn. He found it more pleasant to pretend like he was by himself, exploring the city as a free man. There was certainly plenty to keep his eyes occupied inside the building. It wasn’t as elaborately decorated as the castle, but it still held an atmosphere of luxury. He guessed that it had been arranged to appeal to the wealthiest citizens of Brerra. There were some gilded features and tapestries along the walls, and the stone floor was padded with soft rugs.

Trailing along behind the knights, he noticed that some of the other staying travelers were staring at him as they passed by, and he bit his lip to stifle a smirk. Bedraggled and dirty, he was absurdly out of place among all of these rich merchants and lesser lords. He could only imagine the thoughts running through their heads as they tried to piece together what a churl like him was doing at such an esteemed inn. Although, he was admittedly disappointed that it didn’t seem like anyone recognized his face. Had his reputation really been so fragile that all it had taken for the people to forget him was one year behind bars?

Amusing himself, he decided to further confuse his observers by holding his head high and examining the décor with an unimpressed expression, as if he was used to higher standards. Unfortunately, his fun was put to an end when William noticed he was lagging behind. The knight grabbed him by the collar of his tunic and dragged him along, making it perfectly clear to all who were watching that the thief was just as lowly as he appeared.

Crow batted William’s hand away and smoothed down his tattered clothes, “I’m perfectly capable of walking on my own, thank you very much.”

“Then stop playing around,” William grumbled in annoyance. “We’re trying not to draw attention to ourselves. Now, wait with Penelope and try not to cause any more trouble.” He went on ahead to speak with a well-dressed man at the back of the room—likely the innkeeper—and left Crow to stay behind with Penelope.

Crow tapped his foot impatiently and looked around again. His mind wandered back to dinner, the prospect of which was looking less and less likely as the sky grew darker. The knights might have been fine with skipping a meal or two, but his stomach was not nearly so disciplined. He was going to find something to eat whether they liked it or not.

Upon sweeping the room one more time, he spotted a young servant girl among a group of lords engaged in a conversation nearby. She had curly blonde hair tied back in pigtails and a freckled face that gave her a look of girlish innocence. He whistled softly to get her attention and then flashed her a smile when she turned toward around. Even though he wasn’t at his physical peak anymore, he knew that confidence could go a long way with women. It also didn’t hurt that peasants cared far less about appearance than nobles did.

Subtly, he waved a hand for her to come closer. She glanced briefly at one of the lords, whom Crow assumed was her master, and then made her way over to the thief, eyeing him curiously, “What is it that you want from me?”

“Must I want something in order to talk to someone with a face as pretty as yours?” he said, grinning when the girl’s cheeks turned rosy. Penelope may not have been taken by his charms, but he knew now that he still had a way with the ladies of his own class. He leaned down and lowered his voice as if sharing a secret, “I do have one request though. Can you tell me if the inn serves dinner at this hour?” He smiled at her with mock bashfulness and rested a hand on his middle. “I’ve been travelling all day, and I’m very hungry.”

The servant girl chuckled, finding his feigned diffidence endearing, and pointed at a set of double doors, “Yes, there’s a dining hall just through there.”

“Thank you, love,” Crow said gratefully, standing up straight again. “The gods have blessed you with kindness as well as beauty.”

“Y-you’re welcome,” the girl stammered, her face flushing a deeper shade of red before she bowed respectfully and hurried back to her master’s side.

Having gotten what he wanted, Crow turned back to Penelope with a pleading look, “Now that we know where the food is, can we please get something to eat? I think I might just keel over from starvation if I go much longer without dinner.”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

“Suit yourself,” Connor said. He shrugged casually, but Serix could hear a nervous edge to his voice. The human wouldn’t be eager to report to Ryan that Cassie was refusing to eat. Connor stood up and retrieved the food tray from the edge of Cassie’s cell, taking it back to the table with him when he sat down again, “No point in wasting this. We’re already on short supply of fresh food.” He lifted a forkful to his mouth and glanced back at the two prisoners when they lapsed into silence. Swallowing his food, he spoke again, “You know, I’m staying here until the next guard takes over, so you might as well get used to me.”

Serix just rolled his eyes at that. His silence had nothing to do with the human’s presence—not that he had anything to say to him anyways. He was just busy thinking about the interrogation that was to take place that night. He wondered what Ryan planned to ask him. The human leader was never keen to listen to him before, so why was this official questioning any different? Serix still knew very little about human technology. Maybe Ryan had a device to extract truthful information from him. He hoped so. If such a tool existed, it would prove that he really was innocent, and all of their troubles would be over.

Cassie seemed to be thinking about it as well. She looked up at Connor and asked, “This interrogation... Am I allowed to be there when you all are questioning him?”

“No,” Connor replied, pushing his now clean tray aside and crossing his arms over his chest. He didn’t meet her gaze as he went on, “Ryan wants to be able to go through with the process without any… distractions. You haven’t exactly been the quietest observer, you know? It would just be better for everyone if you stayed here.” He sipped his water, but despite his attempts to act nonchalant, Serix could still see a glint of unease in the human’s eye. What did he have to be worried about?

“If it’s just a few questions, I’m sure Ryan wouldn’t mind,” Serix eyed Connor searchingly. “Cassie could just sit somewhere off to the side and watch.”

“Trust me,” Connor shook his head. “Ryan won’t allow it.” His eyes darted to Cassie for a brief moment. “Like you said… It’s just a few questions. Why does she have to come for that?”

“I want her to come with me.”

“No, you don’t,” Connor said testily. He paused, shifting his weight, and then shook his head again. “Nevermind; just let it go. She can’t come, and that’s final. Ryan’s orders.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sure :)
I don't mind time skips during the lulls in activity

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, Crow saw the frustrated look come over Penelope’s face. However, he didn’t have time to react before she shoved him away from her and shot him that venomous glare. He rolled his eyes back at her, but in his head, he was already calculating what went wrong. Perhaps the kiss had been a little too much after all. Given the way she had been acting, he’d thought it would have been just enough to win her over. Instead, her guard had immediately flown back up, and she was wary of him again. He should have stuck with the compliments rather than pushed her boundaries.

Slinking back to the spot he’d claimed by the blankets, he let out a low sigh. Upon thinking about it harder, it seemed like she had just tricked him to see what he had been plotting. Why else would she have stammered at his flirting one minute and then scowled at him the next? He chided himself internally for missing the signals that she had been faking her attraction to him. Normally, he was quicker at picking up on the lies of other people, but he hadn’t expected a noblewoman like her to string him along. Although it didn’t matter anyway. Even if she was genuinely interested in him, he wasn’t foolish enough to let it slip that he was just using her to escape from her comrades. He studied her with hooded eyes. She might have shut down his advances this time, but if she thought he would give up that easily, she had another thing coming. Part of his reputation had been for his stubbornness, after all. He wouldn’t quit until he had her under his thumb.

Once William had turned away from them again, Crow threw Penelope an offended look, “You didn’t have to be so harsh. When has a compliment ever hurt anyone?” He sighed audibly this time and turned his head to stare out the window, pointedly avoiding eye contact with her. “You seem to have it in your head that I’m just a loathsome snake, but I’m not always a liar, you know. I meant what I said.” He let the subject drop as he watched the trees roll by, wearing a look of bitter indignation.

So far, he was feeling quite pleased with himself. He thought he had done a fairly decent job of pretending to be interested in Penelope. It was easy enough, since he really did think she was beautiful. If she had been a young peasant girl rather than a knight, he might have considered making an honest attempt to woo her. Alas, she was a knight, and he was her captive. Sharing the air inside the wagon was the closest they would ever get. He was far from disappointed though.

Once he was free from his armored entourage, he could have his pick of the peasant girls in the outer villages. There were plenty who were willing to look past his criminal record in exchange for a few drinks and a sultry night at an inn. He may not have been the most eligible man to marry, but thanks to the fame attached to his name, he could boast a high spot on the list of deviants that common women were partial to bedding. The daydream brought a faint smile to his lips. He couldn’t wait to return to his homeland.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Their interaction is so much fun XD
Crow fell right into her trap, heheh

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope’s flustered reaction was unanticipated but pleasing to Crow. He wasn’t sure what he had expected when he had offered her a compliment, but he certainly hadn’t thought she would be so startled. Until now, she had been nothing but serious with him. At the very least, he’d thought it would take some coaxing to get her to drop her guard. He had even braced himself for the knight to tell him to shut up or threaten him with her sword again. Instead, she had revealed a bashful side that he hadn’t known existed in her. If she hadn’t been wearing a suit of armor, he might have forgotten he had just made a pass at a trained member of the king’s army.

The thief paused as another thought came to him. Could it be that Penelope actually found him attractive? Considering the way she had treated him until now, he never would have believed it, but the theory did explain why she would be so embarrassed by his lackadaisical comment. He nearly snorted at the ridiculousness of it. Perhaps a year ago he could have claimed that he was handsome enough to catch the eye of a woman like her, but he had just been released from prison that very morning. The evidence of his time spent behind bars was still visible on his narrow frame from head to foot. His dark hair was matted, his skin was pale, and his clothes were faded and filthy. The chafe marks from the chains that had bound him still decorated his wrists and ankles as well.

Yet, for some reason, Penelope was fazed by his flirting. Maybe he had underestimated his natural charm.

“Low standards?” Crow sat up and raised a brow in mock surprise, putting his amusement aside for now to focus on his goal. “Oh no, love, you misunderstand! I have the refined taste of an aristocrat.” He sidled a little closer to her, taking advantage of her fluster. If he was going to woo her, now seemed like the best chance he was going to get. They were alone inside the wagon, she was squirming, and there was nothing around to interrupt the moment. He flashed her another inviting smile.

“You see, as a thief, I have an eye for things of value. I can tell when something or someone is special at merely a glance, and you caught my attention right away,” his eyes flicked subtly toward the front window of the carriage, where he could see the backs of William and Abraxas’s heads. The two knights didn’t seem to be paying any attention to what was going on behind them. Perfect.

Crow smoothly took Penelope’s hand in his and lifted it to his lips, planting a gentle kiss and looking up at her with a glint of mischief in his eye, “Don’t think for a moment that I have ‘low standards.’ When I tell someone she is beautiful, I mean it.”

Stand Alone(Summers and AHeartlessNobody)

Serix nodded in silent resignation when Cassie said that she wasn’t going to leave. He couldn’t argue with her. They had vowed to stay by each other’s sides through whatever troubles they may come to face. Now that they were in the midst of a challenge, how could he ask her to go back on her word? As much as he hated the thought of dragging her into his problems, he knew he wasn’t going to change her mind. At least Ryan cared enough about her that he wouldn’t let her get hurt down here in the hold. Serix could rest in the comfort of knowing that she wasn’t in any danger while she stayed with him.

There was a pause, and then Cassie spoke up again, her voice sounding slightly strained, “Serix... promise me we’ll get out of this. I don’t care if it’s true or not, I just... I need to hear that you and I both will be alright; that we’ll be able to get out of this mess, start a family, and get to live at least a partially normal life. Please?”

Serix looked up at her again and saw that she had turned around. Even if she was trying to hide the anxiety on her face, he could still hear it in her voice. She must also have realized that being locked in a cell wasn’t the worst thing that could happen to him. He was worried about that, too, but seeing Cassie look so tormented was much worse than the simple threat of death. For her sake, if nothing else, he had to prove to the humans that he was innocent. He couldn’t leave her alone like this.

Serix reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but he only managed to brush the fabric of her shirt with his fingers. Again, he was reminded of the distance between them. He let his hand drop back down to his side. “I promise,” he said quietly, managing a halfhearted smile. “I promise we’ll get out of here. We’re... going to have a kid, right? We already agreed before: We can’t let Ryan or any other human get between us. This is just a temporary delay in our plans, okay? Everything will be back to normal soon enough.” He lay down on the stony floor of the cell. After spending so many weeks in a bed with Cassie, he was acutely aware of how cold it was. He rolled onto his side to face his mate, “Let’s try to get some sleep. Who knows what’s in store for us tomorrow, right?” He yawned tiredly and closed his eyes. “I love you, Cassie.”

--

The combination of the frigid ground and the lack of Cassie’s presence at his side left Serix to sleep fitfully that night. Multiple times, he awoke with a racing heart from a recurring nightmare where Ryan entered the hold and took him away from his mate. The human would bring him to the dining hall, where all of the others stood in a ring, and throw him into the center. He would draw a gun and point it at Serix’s head, saying: “guilty.” Serix always woke up just before the human pulled the trigger.

When the first guard of the day entered the hold that morning, he was already awake. He sat up as Connor walked into the room with a tray of food and water. The human passed him by without a glance and slipped the tray under Cassie’s cell door, “Here. Ryan wants you to keep up your energy.” He walked over to sit at the table near their cells and crossed his arms. “He also said you’re not allowed to give any to the alien, so I’m staying here to make sure you don’t. He can’t have any food or water before his interrogation tonight.”

“Interrogation?” Serix echoed.

“Ryan just has some questions to ask you,” Connor said, although he didn’t meet Serix’s gaze. “About what happened yesterday. Your… performance during the interrogation will determine what Ryan decides to do with you.”

“Okay,” Serix said slowly. “But what does that have to do with food?”

“It’s standard procedure. We have our reasons.”

“Fine,” Serix sighed and glanced at Cassie. “Just go ahead and eat.” He offered her a reassuring smile. “It’s just for one day. I can handle that.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

That makes me happy X3 I love it when I can entertain people with my characters!

I think it'll be fun with both Crow and Penelope playing at different angles XD I could totally see them faking an attraction for each other until it becomes real, and then they're both just like: "Whoa, when did that happen?"

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow settled down in his old spot by the blanket pile, fixing his gaze unsociably on the window as the wagon lurched forward. His first escape attempt had been a complete and utter failure, and it had soured his mood. As last minute as it had been, he had briefly gotten his hopes up that he would be able to go home sooner than he’d first expected. He wanted nothing more than to see something familiar after being isolate for so long. By this point, the outer villages felt like a distant dream. If only he had had more time to prepare, he could have made a clean getaway. Instead, he was back inside the carriage with Penelope and, to make matters worse, all of his guards were on even higher alert. He couldn’t afford to make a blunder like that again or he’d never get away. He would have to plan more carefully next time.

As they rode along, he noticed that Penelope had started to sneak more frequent glances at him. She was watching him much more closely than before now that she knew how eager he was to get away. Go figure. He toyed absently with the hem of his tunic, wearing an expression of boredom so as not to raise suspicion. If she could hear the thoughts running through his head at that moment, she would have clasped chains on his wrists in a heartbeat. The free range of motion he’d been granted was the only advantage he could hold onto right now. Losing that before they crossed the border into Younis would mean losing his chance to run, since he knew the foreign land even less than he knew the inner kingdom of Brerra.

With a sigh that was laced with both frustration and boredom, the thief glanced across the carriage at his guard. If he was going to get away from these knights, he needed to find a way to make her lower her guard again, otherwise she would catch him before he put one foot out of the wagon. He studied her discreetly. Underneath that cold exterior, she was still a woman. Perhaps he could try to win her over? Flirting had been a successful tool for him before, and he wouldn’t have to try very hard, since she was easy on the eyes. He decided it was worth a shot.

“You like what you see?” Crow said the next time he caught Penelope staring at him. He put on his most charming smile. “I can see you looking. I don’t blame you. Prison’s been hard, but I think I came out of it just fine, don’t you agree?” He chuckled to himself and leaned into the blankets, meeting Penelope’s eyes thoughtfully. “You know, I haven’t seen a pretty face in over a year. Yours is a nice break from those grumpy guardsmen I had to put up with for so long. I think I must have done something to please the gods to have been blessed with such beautiful company.”