Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow glanced back at the wagon when Penelope curtly shouted at them not to come inside. For a moment he wondered why she would say such a thing, but then he remembered the dress. The knight must have decided to put it on before they crossed into Younis. Clever plan. He turned away again and looked for a place to wait while she changed clothes. Off to one side, there was a shady spot beneath a tree. He glanced at William, “I’m going to lie down for a bit. And before you say anything, this isn’t an escape attempt. I’m just tired.” He ambled over to the tree and laid down in the shade without bothering to wait for a reply. To his annoyance, the knight followed him and stood nearby.

“Can I help you?” he looked up at William irritably.

“No,” William crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the tree trunk. “I’m just making sure you don’t try to run, thief.”

“You’re wasting your time,” Crow muttered, closing his eyes. “Besides, I have a name, you know.”

“Criminals don’t deserve the same treatment as upstanding citizens,” William growled. “If you wanted to be called by a name, you should have thought of that before you became a thief.”

“It doesn’t matter to me if a few knights don’t recognize my name,” Crow said simply. “I just wanted to make sure you knew I have one. As for my life decisions, I regret nothing. Now, be quiet so I can get some rest.” He rolled onto his side so he was facing away from the knight.

He had only just begun to drift off when he heard someone approaching. He lazily opened one eye to see a young peasant woman standing beside William. She was quite pretty with a slender frame, wavy brown hair, bright green eyes… Wait. Penelope? He sat up and stared at her. There was nothing particularly eye-catching about the ensemble she was wearing, but to Crow, she looked stunning in the simple dress. If she had been an actual peasant girl from the outer villages, he would have wasted no time introducing himself. He found it hard to believe he was even looking at the same person.

“Wow,” he said, lost for words.

William snorted, “It seems you’ve found the cure for our thief’s incessant prattling. I only hope you can fool the men of Younis just as easily.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“True enough,” Crow smiled, switching back to his Younisian accent with ease. He slipped the dagger into his boot again and moved over to the food supply, taking an apple for himself and then sitting back down by the blankets. “Early lunch,” he explained simply to Penelope, tossing the fruit from one hand to the other. “You never know when you’re going to eat your last meal, so I believe you should have many.” He bit into the apple, smirking at her cheekily. “So, which part of the accent are you having trouble with?”

--

Despite his faults, of which there were many, Crow had to admit that William was efficient. The group reached the outer villages just after high noon, which would give them plenty of time relax and prepare for the crossover into Younis. The early arrival was a pleasant surprise, but that wasn’t why Crow was excited.

He leaned expectantly out the side window of the wagon as they approached the edge of the village, watching as a few small, rundown houses came into view between the surrounding trees. To most travelers, the border wasn’t a very breathtaking sight, unless one counted how strikingly impoverished it looked. The buildings were all small and pockmarked with weather damage, and the people all wore wool or low-quality linen in the dull shades of gray or brown. They toiled in fields or tended to their animals, working for money that would all be sent as taxes to the king. Overall, the outer villages were remarkably unremarkable, but to Crow they were home.

When the wagon rolled to a stop, he wasted no time in climbing out of the back. He was eager to see what had become of the villages since he had been arrested so long ago. However, as soon as his feet touched the ground, he was met by a scowling William. The knight stepped in front of him, glaring coldly, “You’re not going anywhere, thief. I’m well aware that you used to live in one of these border villages, so as long as we stay here, I’m keeping you in my sight at all times.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Crow narrowed his eyes at the accusation. “But for once, you’re wrong. I’ve come to terms with my assignment from the king, so I’m going to go through with it. I’m done running.”

“Do you really expect me to believe that?” William scoffed. “You have a reputation for lying. It’s in your blood, thief. There’s no way I’m going to turn a blind eye to a criminal as infamous as you.”

“You really are blind if you can’t tell when a man is speaking the truth to you,” Crow muttered under his breath, staring longingly at the village. He wanted to go explore, but he knew there would be no changing William’s mind once he had made it up. He sighed. It seemed he would be forced to stay with the knights after all.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Should we time-skip to the outer villages? I feel like this is a good spot to do it since a lot of the RP has just been wagon rides so far, and we don't want it to get too repetitive lol :p

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“I’m sorry, but this is an arranged marriage,” Crow teased Penelope when she said his plan would be romantic if she was with better company. “You don’t get to choose.”

“But...” she added. “It’s not a bad backup, should worse come to worst...”

Crow stared at Penelope in thinly veiled surprise. He had only been joking by suggesting they should pretend to be married if they got caught. He never expected her to actually go along with such an outlandish idea.

Then there was the matter of her sudden bashfulness. For a moment, he wondered if she really did harbor feelings for him, but he quickly put the thought aside. There was no way that was possible. Even though she was friendlier towards him now, he was still just a prisoner to her. She likely only decided to go along with his plan because she was so determined to finish their assignment for the king.

He blinked. What did it matter if Penelope was interested in him or not? He would be leaving her behind in a matter of days and, while she was a beautiful woman, there were plenty of other pretty faces back in the outer village. He would have his choice when he returned, so there was no point in pining for someone who would never return his affections.

He cleared his throat, suddenly realizing that she was waiting for him to say something. “Exactly,” he said, returning to his normal Brerratic accent. “Even if William and Abraxas get arrested, we can finish the job on our own, and the king can order their release when he gains possession of the staff.” He drew the dagger he kept in his boot and turned it over in his hands, absently examining the edge of the blade. “Besides, I work better in smaller numbers when I’m not on my own. If they get caught, we could move even faster, and we would be back in Brerra before the king even realizes he’s won.”

I’ll also get home faster, he added silently. It was strange how one simple, offhanded remark could lead to such elaborate plans, but all of the sudden Crow could see numerous advantages to traveling with just Penelope rather than all three of the knights. He almost found himself hoping their plans to blend in with the Younisians would fail.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow smirked when Penelope attempted to speak in an accent. The fakeness of it was amusing to him. He could almost imagine the look on a Younisian’s face if the she tried talking like that when they reached the neighboring kingdom. He was almost tempted to let her and the other knights flounder with their accents, but he knew that their lives would all be on the line once they crossed the border. There would be no room for fun and games in Younis.

“That’s a little better,” Crow nodded when Penelope made her second attempt. He continued to speak in a proper Younisian accent so that she might be able to learn it by ear. “You mixed up your emphasis on some of the words, but other than that it wasn’t bad. Of course, you won’t get away with mistakes like that once we cross into Younis.” He grinned at her teasingly. “Best case scenario: We all get written off as lunatics. Worst case: We’re all arrested on the spot by local knights for trespassing. Well, you three will get arrested, at least. My accent is flawless. I could easily tell the knights that you were holding me hostage so I could lead you to their king.”

He shrugged and then lowered his voice, taking on a luring tone. “However, if you treat me well, I might be willing to get you out of trouble, too, darling. Since you’ll be dressed as a peasant, I can always tell the local knights that we’re married, and you’re just from another kingdom. It would make a fine plan ‘B’ if you three aren’t able to master the Younisian accent in time and get us all caught.” He let out a short laugh. “You know, I like it. Lovers from distant lands. Sounds romantic, don’t you think?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“But of course,” Crow held up his hands in a shrug. “I’m a connoisseur of beautiful things. I want to see as much as I can and, if possible, possess as much as I can. Since I can’t steal an olive forest, I’d at least like to visit one, and you knights have generously provided me with the opportunity. Besides, what the point in traveling if you’re only concerned with your destination? I think it’s much more fun to enjoy the trip there.”

Having completed his short speech, Crow climbed into the wagon with Penelope and laid down in his usual spot beside the blanket pile. He stretched out contentedly and yawned, closing his eyes. He planned to use his time in the wagon to catch up on sleep since he was tired and there was nothing better to do, but Penelope spoke up before he had a chance to start drifting off.

“Ah, so what all is there to learn?” the knight asked. “The accents and all... Might as well get a jumpstart on it.”

“Well, your Brerratic accent would be the biggest tell-tale when we reach Younis,” Crow responded, opening his eyes again to meet Penelope’s gaze. “So teaching you how to speak like a Younisian is my top priority. Other than that, I don’t think there are many differences between our two cultures.” He looked up at the roof of the wagon, taking a moment to think. “I actually hadn’t heard about women being unable to serve in the same positions as men in Younis until William told us earlier. Going by that, I’d assume that women are considered to be of a lesser status than men in their general society, but I’m still not sure what that would mean for you.” He shrugged and met her gaze again. “We’ll just have to wait and see how Younisian women act when we get there.

“So, I suppose that just leaves me with the task of teaching you how to talk like a Younisian,” Crow said, switching back to the lilting tone he had used at breakfast. “It’s not very hard. They just speak in a slightly higher pitch and put emphasis on different words.” He grinned at her challengingly. “You’ve heard me use it a few times now. Why don’t you give it a try?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow ate ravenously as he was quite hungry after his river adventure with Penelope the night before. He finished his food long before the knights, so he sat back and idly listened to them converse. He had already gotten to know William and Penelope fairly well—not necessarily out of his own intent—but Abraxas was still something of an enigma to him. The young knight was not a man of many words, and when he did speak he always addressed his equals. The boy had yet to say a single word to the thief. Normally Crow would have taken every opportunity to prod at him about this, but he wasn’t sure if he was doing it out of malicious intent or if he was just shy around strangers. Somehow, the latter actually seemed more likely.

“Hey,” Crow spoke up to get Abraxas’s attention. “So, what are you doing here?”

“Um, sorry?” Abraxas looked puzzled.

“You know,” Crow shrugged one shoulder. “What are you trying to get out of this trip? I know William and Penelope volunteered so they could torment me, but you don’t seem to be interested in that.” He tilted his head thoughtfully. “What exactly are you doing on this mission to Younis?”

“I don’t know,” Abraxas answered unhelpfully, shaking his head. “I guess I thought it would be a good experience for me to leave Brerra. I want to learn as much as I can about the other kingdoms because I’ll be training to succeed the king’s ambassador when I’m finished serving in his army.”

“Is that so?” Crow muttered, suddenly losing his interest in the conversation at Abraxas’s mention of his plans to take over the position his own father currently held.

If Abraxas noticed his abrupt attitude change, he didn’t care. “Yes. That’s why I need to gain as much experience as I can,” he went on excitedly and then paused. “I meant to ask you this before, but I haven’t had the chance. Why did you become a thief? It seems like the risks outweigh the rewards, even if you’re good at what you do. So why not put your skills to better use and work as a spy for the king? He would give you protection and pay you handsomely if you did well.”

“I don’t care about that,” Crow eyed him searchingly. While he wasn’t overly friendly, Abraxas didn’t seem to be questioning him out of any ulterior motive. Still, he wasn’t about to share anything about himself with a knight, even if he was just an innocently curious man. “I do it because I enjoy taking things from other people,” Crow lied, nonchalantly leaning back in his chair. “You really didn’t expect to hear a profound answer from a criminal like me, did you?”

“I suppose not,” Abraxas knit his brow, looking slightly disappointed. However, he didn’t push the matter, and that was all Crow cared about.

As they began preparing to head out, Crow listened in on William and Penelope’s conversation and frowned at what he heard. Her family had already gone back to work without saying so much as a simple goodbye to her. He wasn’t well-versed in the habits of knights, but it sounded quite rude for John and Layth to just take off like that. Penelope didn’t seem happy about it, either. Crow could see a hint of disappointment in her eyes when William told her the news, even though she said nothing about it.

When they began walking out to the wagon—a pair of local knights had wheeled it around to the front of the inn—Crow trotted up beside Penelope. “You know, I’ve heard that Younis is a beautiful kingdom,” he said with a grin. “Younisian travelers are always bragging about the olive forests. They say the trees stretch as far as the eye can see in every direction. Maybe we’ll be fortunate enough to see them for ourselves.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Of course you can trust me,” Crow scoffed. “What? Do you expect me to lie to you and teach you all fake accents so you’ll sound ridiculous to the Younisian locals?” He paused. “Ah… never mind. I would do that. However, since it’s also in my best interest that we keep our heads down, I promise I’ll resist the urge to make fools of you three. So, you don’t have to worry about any hidden motives on my part. I’ll give you real advice, but only until this job is over. After that, everyone here is fair game.”

He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, smiling in satisfaction when William gave him an irritated look. The knight’s reluctance to accept his assistance just made his task all the more fun. Whether he liked it or not, their roles had reversed and they now depended on him to move safely through Younis. Naturally, he was going to milk it for all it was worth.

Crow looked up when the wench returned with everyone’s food. As he had done with the girl from the day before, he stopped her when she set down his plate and slipped some of his bread into her pocket. Her eyes widened in surprise, but he hushed her before she could object, “You work in a place that’s filled with food, yet you eat hardly anything yourself, darling. Keep it.” The girl wavered for a moment and then nodded her thanks, moving on to give the others their breakfasts while Crow dug into his own meal of bread and ale.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow didn’t bother to raise his head when Penelope and Abraxas joined him and William at the table, and he only acknowledged Penelope’s greeting with a faint nod. He was too busy to give her a proper response. At the moment he was waging an internal war as he struggled to decide whether he would rather eat breakfast now or let himself sleep a little longer before they left for the final leg of their trip to the outer villages. Both options were mutually appealing, but eventually his stomach won the battle when a wench walked by with a platter of delicious-smelling food.

Having made his decision, Crow sat up straight and tuned in to the knights’ conversation, only to be instantly rewarded with an interesting topic of discussion. Apparently, the two men were planning to disguise Penelope as a peasant girl because all Younisian guards were male. This was too good. The thief smirked and turned towards Penelope to poke fun at her, but then stopped when he saw her expression. She looked as if she was unhappy with her comrades’ plan. He frowned, wondering why she would be so upset. It was just a simple disguise; it wasn’t like the dress would sap away her ability to fight.

“I’ll have some dark bread and ale,” Crow said absently when the wench approached him. He glanced at Penelope once more and then turned to the other knights, “The plan you’ve come up with isn’t bad, but disguises will only get you so far.” He paused to clear his throat and then went on in a strange, lilting accent, “You have to talk and act like Younisians, too. I’ve lived on the border long enough to meet plenty of travelers, so trust me when I say that they’ll be able to pick out a fraud in a heartbeat.” He grinned wryly when William raised a surprised brow at him. “Huh, it seems I’m not as useless as you thought.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow frowned as he watched Penelope stumble sleepily down the corridor. He didn’t want to be left alone with William, but he knew he shouldn’t have expected her to stand guard over him when she could barely keep her eyes open. He heaved a sigh and inched a bit closer to the fireplace, trying to stave off the cold of his soaking clothes and block William from his line of sight. The knight had taken up a watchful position in a nearby chair, sitting rigidly and watching Crow’s every move. The intensity of his stare was slightly intimidating.

“Answer me this,” William spoke up after he let the silence drag out between them for a while. There was still a hint of anger in his voice as he went on, “If you were in my position, would you let a convicted criminal go unpunished after he tried to run away?”

Crow sat up and gave him a wary look. It was obviously a loaded question, but he wasn’t quite sure what type of reply William was searching for. “Let’s see,” he said slowly. “It depends on what type of person that criminal is and what he’s trying to accomplish by escaping.”

“But the law is the law,” William replied, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “If we make an exception for one convict, then what power do our rules hold over anyone at all?”

“I see your point,” Crow held the knight’s gaze. “But the law was intended to prevent people with malicious motives from harming others. What if this theoretical criminal you want to punish didn’t act out of bad intent? What if he felt he had no choice other than to break the law? Is the king really so cruel that he would punish a desperate man for trying to save himself? I think that if this criminal is a genuinely good and honest person, I would let him go without consequence.” He stifled a smirk when William just stared at him. The knight likely didn’t expect such a thoughtful answer from a peasant, let alone a peasant with a law-breaking background.

“Are you saying that you’re a good and honest person who should go without punishment?” William asked after he recovered from his initial surprise.

“That’s not at all what I said,” Crow replied with a shrug. “I only gave you an answer to your question. Although, I would appreciate it if you overlooked this last incident. Trust me, I already learned my lesson.” He shivered again from his soaking clothes. They were taking a while to dry, so he slipped his tunic over his head and laid it closer to the fire to warm it up more quickly.

“Oh, no,” William growled. “If you weren’t under the protection of the king, I would teach you a real lesson, thief. I’m tired, so I will just give you a warning this time, but if you try anything like this again, I can always take a meal or two away from you.” He smirked, eyeing Crow’s narrow frame. “I would shape up if I were you. By the looks of it, you can’t afford to skip out on any more rations.”

“Why don’t you try living off of prison food for a year?” Crow mumbled defensively. He laid back down by the fire and closed his eyes, signaling that he was finished with their conversation. Fortunately, it seemed that William was done venting his frustration, so he didn’t speak up again, giving Crow a chance to get some sleep.

Despite William’s statement that he wouldn’t hurt him, Crow slept lightly.

--

The next morning, Crow woke up to the prod of a boot in his side. He blinked sleepily and looked up to see William glaring down at him. “Get up, thief,” the knight growled in his usual oh-so-pleasant manner.

Crow yawned and sat up, stretching lazily. He grabbed his tunic from beside the fireplace—to his relief, it had dried off enough to wear again—and put it back on, climbing to his feet and following William to the inn’s tavern for breakfast.

They found an empty table and sat down—Crow doing so with much less grace and poise than William, as he accidently hit his shin on a chair in his half-conscious state. By now, he truly regretted his late-night escapade. He hadn’t gotten much sleep, and he was thoroughly exhausted. He yawned again and rested his head on the table, closing his eyes to get some extra shut eye before Penelope and Abraxas joined them.