That works lol
I'm going to a 4th of July party now, but I should be able to get a reply done when I come home
I'm going to a 4th of July party now, but I should be able to get a reply done when I come home
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STATUS: Does this mean we can call you abmin now? 2 yrs ago
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Does this mean we can call you abmin now?
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300 word minimum is pretty standard for casual level and up in my experience
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There's a panhandler who hangs out on the street corner by our dispensary every afternoon with a sign that just says "Green 4 Green?" and tbh, I respect my boy's confidence.
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Bio
Personal Profile
Name: Taylor
Pronouns: They/them
Age: Mid 20s
Relationship: Married (happily, I might add)
Time Zone: Arizona (we hate daylight savings, so it's MST year-round)
Writing History: I've been on a number of different roleplaying websites for over a decade and a half
Hobbies: Writing, fitness, driving/exploring, hiking, camping, traveling, tabletop games, anything NEW (I love trying things I've never done before)
Roleplayer Profile
Format: 1x1s only. Maybe I'll try a group RP again someday, but I've never had one last longer than a few months
Posting Speed: Depending on my schedule, I can usually post at least once per week
Favorite Genres: Modern, Historical, Romance, Action/Adventure, Horror/Dark, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Dystopian, can be convinced to write some Sci-Fi
Hard 'no's: Fandoms. Sorry, but I can't maintain interest in characters/worlds I didn't build with my partner
Template: Public threads or PMs. I prefer to keep all my RPs in one place, so no emails or G-docs or the like
Rating: Comfortable with 18+ content, but it's not a necessity and I prefer not to center a plot around explicit scenes
Level: Advanced. Will consistently provide around 400-700 words per post, but can occasionally leap to 2000+
Character preference: One main character, but large side casts are greatly enjoyed. Because I write long posts, I prefer not to double
Gender preference: Male. You'll be hard pressed to convince me to play a female that isn't a background character. It's just not my forte
Romantic Relationships: MxF or MxM (currently prefer MxM)
Character Images: Faceclaims or detailed descriptions only. I envision the characters like real people in my mind, so I can't take anime seriously
OOC chat: Yes please! I'm a total extrovert who loves to get to know the amazing minds behind my partners' characters
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I was thinking from here, Hartley just doesn't care where they're from, or William will get paranoid and basically capture Hartley so he won't tell the Younisian knights that there are Brerratic knights in the kingdom.
You can go with whatever you want to though lol
You can go with whatever you want to though lol
Crow quirked a brow in amusement when Penelope suggested they knock Hartley out and leave him while he was unconscious. It was a surprisingly vicious remark, coming from her. Normally, she was much better about keeping her tempter in check, but it seemed that the boy’s last comment had really set her off. He laughed quietly, “Wow, I never thought I’d hear you come up with a plan like that.”
Penelope went on to give a more realistic suggestion of simply parting ways with the young thief. Crow nodded thoughtfully. It was possible that Hartley had just helped them out of kindness or some strange attraction to Penelope, but he doubted it. The boy must have had a bigger reason for saving them and leading them back to the market. He just wished he knew what it was.
“Too bad we couldn’t just have William work his magic and scare him off,” Penelope said with a sigh.
“Somehow, I don’t think even William could scare this kid off,” Crow shook his head. “He’s even more hardheaded than I am, and that’s saying something.” He looked back at Hartley, who was watching them with his arms folded impatiently over his chest, and frowned. “I guess we could try to shake him by telling him we’re leaving. I don’t know what to do if he keeps trying to tag along though. Something tells me he’s going to find a way to follow us even if we tell him he isn’t welcome.”
At last, they reached the end of the sewer. Daylight flooded Crow’s eyes, causing him to squint as his vision adjusted. Hartley trotted ahead of them and spun around on his heels, “Here we are!” He swept out one hand extravagantly. “Not a single knight in sight. Do you want to thank me now, or…?”
“Yeah, thanks,” Crow said reluctantly. He averted his gaze, looking for their wagon. “I guess we’ll be going now. We can’t keep our companions waiting much longer.”
“Hold on,” Hartley said. “I never said I was leaving you both here. I want to come with you.”
“We’re in a hurry,” Crow objected. “We can’t just pick up extra travelers.”
“I just saved your asses though,” Hartley pressed. “You owe me one, and this is how I’m cashing in.”
“But—”
“Where the hell have you two been?” Crow was interrupted by William’s furious voice. He spun around to see William and Abraxas marching towards them. The former went on angrily, without even bothering to attempt a Younisian accent, “Do you know just how much time we’ve wasted in this place?” He caught sight of Hartley and faltered. “Who is this? What’s going on here?”
Penelope went on to give a more realistic suggestion of simply parting ways with the young thief. Crow nodded thoughtfully. It was possible that Hartley had just helped them out of kindness or some strange attraction to Penelope, but he doubted it. The boy must have had a bigger reason for saving them and leading them back to the market. He just wished he knew what it was.
“Too bad we couldn’t just have William work his magic and scare him off,” Penelope said with a sigh.
“Somehow, I don’t think even William could scare this kid off,” Crow shook his head. “He’s even more hardheaded than I am, and that’s saying something.” He looked back at Hartley, who was watching them with his arms folded impatiently over his chest, and frowned. “I guess we could try to shake him by telling him we’re leaving. I don’t know what to do if he keeps trying to tag along though. Something tells me he’s going to find a way to follow us even if we tell him he isn’t welcome.”
At last, they reached the end of the sewer. Daylight flooded Crow’s eyes, causing him to squint as his vision adjusted. Hartley trotted ahead of them and spun around on his heels, “Here we are!” He swept out one hand extravagantly. “Not a single knight in sight. Do you want to thank me now, or…?”
“Yeah, thanks,” Crow said reluctantly. He averted his gaze, looking for their wagon. “I guess we’ll be going now. We can’t keep our companions waiting much longer.”
“Hold on,” Hartley said. “I never said I was leaving you both here. I want to come with you.”
“We’re in a hurry,” Crow objected. “We can’t just pick up extra travelers.”
“I just saved your asses though,” Hartley pressed. “You owe me one, and this is how I’m cashing in.”
“But—”
“Where the hell have you two been?” Crow was interrupted by William’s furious voice. He spun around to see William and Abraxas marching towards them. The former went on angrily, without even bothering to attempt a Younisian accent, “Do you know just how much time we’ve wasted in this place?” He caught sight of Hartley and faltered. “Who is this? What’s going on here?”
He has no idea, he just happens to say stuff that sets Crow off xD
He's also competitive, so he's making sure he's standing above his "competition" for Penelope.
He's also competitive, so he's making sure he's standing above his "competition" for Penelope.
Crow was relieved to see the exit of the tunnel up ahead. He didn’t know how much more of Hartley’s prodding he could take, and from the sound of Penelope’s voice, she didn’t seem to have much patience left either. He glanced back over his shoulder when Penelope said she thought he would have won the competition. Even though she quickly tried to backtrack over the statement, her words echoed in his head. He couldn’t help but smile, pleased with the small compliment.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be so against stealing,” Hartley said with a laugh. “Especially when you’re friends with thief after all!”
Crow cast Penelope a sideways look, wondering how she would answer to Hartley’s observation without giving away her status. The boy still thought they were Younisian peasants like him, and Crow wanted to keep it that way. Hartley was friendly now, but who knew how he would react if he discovered they were traveling from Brerra. If he was greedy like most thieves, he might turn them in to the Younisian knights for a reward. Crow didn’t want to risk that.
“There are better ways to earn money,” Penelope said vaguely. Satisfied with her answer, Crow turned away from the other two once more. He almost missed her next words, which were uttered quietly: “But your occupation doesn’t determine if you’re a good or bad person.”
Crow’s steps faltered slightly as he felt the familiar heat return to his face. Is she talking about me? he peeked back over his shoulder, but Penelope was already engaged in another conversation with Hartley. The boy had thrown his arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner that the knight clearly disliked. She wasted no time escaping from his grasp to walk ahead of the group.
As they neared the exit of the tunnel, a worrying thought crossed Crow’s mind. He moved to walk next to Penelope, speaking softly, “Hey, I just realized something: We can fool this kid into believing we’re Younisian natives, but I don’t think William and Abraxas will be so convincing.” He glanced back at Hartley. “If he finds out we’re from Brerra, there could be trouble. We need to lose him before we get back to—”
“What are you talking about?” Hartley said, causing Crow to jump. He had crept up next to them when they weren’t paying attention. Crow narrowed his eyes. The boy wasn’t an experienced thief, but he had definitely mastered the art of walking quietly.
“Nothing you need to know about,” Crow shrugged him off.
“Secrets don’t make friends,” Hartley frowned.
“It’s adult stuff,” Crow snapped. He placed a hand on Penelope’s back, guiding her to follow him as he attempted to put some distance between them and Hartley. “Beat it, kid.”
“‘Adult stuff’?” Hartley rolled his eyes. “Come on, I’m not stupid; I know what sex is. Besides,” he glared at Crow. “I had my eye on her first. You said you were just friends.”
Crow slapped a palm to his forehead and groaned in exasperation, “That’s not what I— Look, just give us one minute, okay?”
“Fine,” Hartley finally caved. He cast Penelope one more flirtatious wink, “I’ll be waiting.”
“Great,” Crow muttered. He pulled Penelope aside to continue their conversation. “Anyway, I was thinking we should try to get rid of him before we get back to the others. I’m not really sure how yet, but I don’t know if we have any other options here. What do you think?”
“I wasn’t expecting you to be so against stealing,” Hartley said with a laugh. “Especially when you’re friends with thief after all!”
Crow cast Penelope a sideways look, wondering how she would answer to Hartley’s observation without giving away her status. The boy still thought they were Younisian peasants like him, and Crow wanted to keep it that way. Hartley was friendly now, but who knew how he would react if he discovered they were traveling from Brerra. If he was greedy like most thieves, he might turn them in to the Younisian knights for a reward. Crow didn’t want to risk that.
“There are better ways to earn money,” Penelope said vaguely. Satisfied with her answer, Crow turned away from the other two once more. He almost missed her next words, which were uttered quietly: “But your occupation doesn’t determine if you’re a good or bad person.”
Crow’s steps faltered slightly as he felt the familiar heat return to his face. Is she talking about me? he peeked back over his shoulder, but Penelope was already engaged in another conversation with Hartley. The boy had thrown his arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner that the knight clearly disliked. She wasted no time escaping from his grasp to walk ahead of the group.
As they neared the exit of the tunnel, a worrying thought crossed Crow’s mind. He moved to walk next to Penelope, speaking softly, “Hey, I just realized something: We can fool this kid into believing we’re Younisian natives, but I don’t think William and Abraxas will be so convincing.” He glanced back at Hartley. “If he finds out we’re from Brerra, there could be trouble. We need to lose him before we get back to—”
“What are you talking about?” Hartley said, causing Crow to jump. He had crept up next to them when they weren’t paying attention. Crow narrowed his eyes. The boy wasn’t an experienced thief, but he had definitely mastered the art of walking quietly.
“Nothing you need to know about,” Crow shrugged him off.
“Secrets don’t make friends,” Hartley frowned.
“It’s adult stuff,” Crow snapped. He placed a hand on Penelope’s back, guiding her to follow him as he attempted to put some distance between them and Hartley. “Beat it, kid.”
“‘Adult stuff’?” Hartley rolled his eyes. “Come on, I’m not stupid; I know what sex is. Besides,” he glared at Crow. “I had my eye on her first. You said you were just friends.”
Crow slapped a palm to his forehead and groaned in exasperation, “That’s not what I— Look, just give us one minute, okay?”
“Fine,” Hartley finally caved. He cast Penelope one more flirtatious wink, “I’ll be waiting.”
“Great,” Crow muttered. He pulled Penelope aside to continue their conversation. “Anyway, I was thinking we should try to get rid of him before we get back to the others. I’m not really sure how yet, but I don’t know if we have any other options here. What do you think?”
True xD He'll calm down over time though... maybe.
Crow is so jealous for Penelope's attention~ xD
He's like "look at how much more manly I am tho"
He's basically doing the verbal equivalent of flexing right now
He's like "look at how much more manly I am tho"
He's basically doing the verbal equivalent of flexing right now
Crow really didn’t like how close Hartley was getting to Penelope. The boy was shameless. At one point he could have sworn Hartley was moving in to kiss her. He snorted and looked away, watching absently as a rat scurried past his feet. As annoyed as he was with Hartley, he was also frustrated with himself. It was ridiculous for him to be jealous of a kid, especially when the woman the kid was vying for wasn’t his to begin with. His statement to Hartley had been true: He and Penelope were just friends.
Get it together, Crow, he chided silently. Still, the knowledge in his head didn’t stop the anger in his heart. He exhaled. Why did he have to go and fall for Penelope? Life was so much easier when he only cared about himself.
Despite himself, he listened in on the end of the others’ conversation once again. Hartley was questioning Penelope about her fighting skills, to which the knight simply replied that she had learned from her father. Crow raised a brow at her in surprise. She was getting good at lying. He smirked, I must be a bad influence.
“I wouldn’t have had to do anything at all if someone hadn’t been stealing in the first place,” Penelope said, shooting him an annoyed look.
Crow shrugged, “What can I say? I’m an opportunist.” He drew one of the coin purses from his pocket, tossing it up and down in his hand. “You’ll thank me later when we need the extra money.”
Hartley turned to him, a curious look in his eye, “I’m surprised you remembered to take that after the knights caught you.”
“If there’s one thing years of thievery has taught me,” Crow grinned. “It’s that you can never lose sight of your prize.” He slipped the small bag into his pocket again.
“I thought the ‘prize’ was staying alive,” Hartley countered.
“Maybe if you’re an amateur,” Crow rolled his eyes. “But if you have a good plan in place, that’s already a given.” He rested one hand on Penelope’s shoulder. “In that particular situation, I already knew she was coming to get me from those knights. I just had to sit back and wait for a moment to take what I came for. See?”
Hartley looked at him with newfound interest, “You sound like you actually know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course I do,” Crow let his hand drop from Penelope’s shoulder, and he cast the boy an indignant glare. “I’ve been doing this almost as long as you’ve been alive, kid.”
“Alright then,” a mischievous look came over Hartley’s face. “If you’re so good at this, you won’t mind if I challenge you to a game, would you? When we get back to the market, let’s have a race. First one to steal five coin purses from the merchants wins.” He grinned cockily at Crow. “Let’s see what’s better: your plans, or my skill.”
Crow opened his mouth to reply, but one look at Penelope made him think better of it. He could already hear the scolding he would get if he accepted Hartley’s challenge. Instead, he just scoffed and kept walking, “Not interested.”
“Coward,” Hartley taunted.
“Hardly,” Crow narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m busy, kid. I can’t waste time playing games with you.” He turned and kept going, hiding the smile that threatened to take over his mouth. He was proud of himself for proving that he was more mature than Hartley. He wondered what Penelope thought… Stop it, he rebuked himself. You’re competing with a kid, Crow! Don’t be so stupid. Still, he couldn’t help the upward curl of his lip as he walked ahead of the other two.
Get it together, Crow, he chided silently. Still, the knowledge in his head didn’t stop the anger in his heart. He exhaled. Why did he have to go and fall for Penelope? Life was so much easier when he only cared about himself.
Despite himself, he listened in on the end of the others’ conversation once again. Hartley was questioning Penelope about her fighting skills, to which the knight simply replied that she had learned from her father. Crow raised a brow at her in surprise. She was getting good at lying. He smirked, I must be a bad influence.
“I wouldn’t have had to do anything at all if someone hadn’t been stealing in the first place,” Penelope said, shooting him an annoyed look.
Crow shrugged, “What can I say? I’m an opportunist.” He drew one of the coin purses from his pocket, tossing it up and down in his hand. “You’ll thank me later when we need the extra money.”
Hartley turned to him, a curious look in his eye, “I’m surprised you remembered to take that after the knights caught you.”
“If there’s one thing years of thievery has taught me,” Crow grinned. “It’s that you can never lose sight of your prize.” He slipped the small bag into his pocket again.
“I thought the ‘prize’ was staying alive,” Hartley countered.
“Maybe if you’re an amateur,” Crow rolled his eyes. “But if you have a good plan in place, that’s already a given.” He rested one hand on Penelope’s shoulder. “In that particular situation, I already knew she was coming to get me from those knights. I just had to sit back and wait for a moment to take what I came for. See?”
Hartley looked at him with newfound interest, “You sound like you actually know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course I do,” Crow let his hand drop from Penelope’s shoulder, and he cast the boy an indignant glare. “I’ve been doing this almost as long as you’ve been alive, kid.”
“Alright then,” a mischievous look came over Hartley’s face. “If you’re so good at this, you won’t mind if I challenge you to a game, would you? When we get back to the market, let’s have a race. First one to steal five coin purses from the merchants wins.” He grinned cockily at Crow. “Let’s see what’s better: your plans, or my skill.”
Crow opened his mouth to reply, but one look at Penelope made him think better of it. He could already hear the scolding he would get if he accepted Hartley’s challenge. Instead, he just scoffed and kept walking, “Not interested.”
“Coward,” Hartley taunted.
“Hardly,” Crow narrowed his eyes at him. “I’m busy, kid. I can’t waste time playing games with you.” He turned and kept going, hiding the smile that threatened to take over his mouth. He was proud of himself for proving that he was more mature than Hartley. He wondered what Penelope thought… Stop it, he rebuked himself. You’re competing with a kid, Crow! Don’t be so stupid. Still, he couldn’t help the upward curl of his lip as he walked ahead of the other two.
Not gonna lie, I really enjoyed writing for Hartley xD
He's such a fun character. Super suave but also only 18, so he's just kinda funny.
Also, Crow already doesn't like him
He's such a fun character. Super suave but also only 18, so he's just kinda funny.
Also, Crow already doesn't like him
Crow dug his heels into the ground, fighting back against the knight as he was shoved towards the cart, “I changed my mind. I don’t want to go back to prison, after all.” He glanced over his shoulder to see Penelope running towards them from the road. Way to keep me waiting until the last second, he thought with a smirk, turning back to the knights. “Look!” he shouted, getting their attention. “A pretty woman!”
“Nice try,” the knight holding him scoffed. “You really think we’d fall for—argh!” He let out a howl as Penelope’s fist collided with his head. He staggered, releasing the thief as he tried to recover. Before he had a chance to do so, Penelope struck again, knocking him off his feet with a precise sweep of her leg. The knight crashed to the ground, staring dazedly up at the sky.
Crow trotted up and leaned over him, smirking snidely, “I warned you.” He crouched down and retrieved the three coin purses from the knight’s bag. “Thanks for keeping those safe for me. I’ll be taking them back now.” He winked at the half conscious man and stepped back, pocketing the stolen money. In the next instant, he felt someone take him by the hand and drag him away from the knights. Stumbling to catch his balance, he looked up to see Penelope sprinting ahead of him.
“Time to go!” she called hurriedly.
“You sure do know how to keep a man on his toes, love,” Crow teased as he ran after her. “I was beginning to think you were going to let me get arrested back there.” He peered back to see one of the knights pursuing them. The man’s sword was drawn and he was slowly gaining ground. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and searched the surroundings ahead of them, looking for a place to lose the knight. Unfortunately, the landscape was flat and the trees weren’t thick enough to hide them. They couldn’t go back to the marketplace either, since the peasants were practically untrained knights as well. He muttered a curse, hastening his pace and tightening his grip on Penelope’s hand as he pulled ahead of her.
“Hey!” a new voice called out, drawing Crow’s attention. “Over here—quick!” He turned to see the hooded figure from before beckoning them towards a building near the market. With no time to think about it, Crow tugged on Penelope’s hand and changed direction, sprinting towards the stranger.
As they rounded the corner, the man in the hood waved his hand again, “This way.” He ducked into a low, arched opening in the wall, disappearing from sight. Crow cast Penelope a wary look and then followed after him. With the knight hot on their trail, they didn’t have time to question the stranger’s intentions. He just hoped they weren’t walking into another trap.
In the darkness, Crow felt the hooded man press a hand to his chest, forcing his back against the wall. “What are you—” he began to protest, but stopped when the man shushed him. Outside, he could hear the knight’s boots pounding against the road as he ran up to the tunnel… and then past it. They were in the clear for now.
With the immediate threat gone, Crow had time to think again. He eyed the hooded man cautiously and stepped closer to the exit, his instincts kicking in. Sure, the stranger had helped them get away from the knight, but why? He wasn’t about to trust a man he didn’t know. From his experience, most people didn’t just help each other out of the goodness of their hearts.
“Who are you?” Crow asked sharply. “Why did you help us?”
“Cool it,” the man held up his hands. He reached up and removed the hood of his cloak. “My name’s Hartley. I’m a thief… like you.”
Crow stared at Hartley’s face in surprise. He was surprisingly young, no more than in his late teens. He had dark skin and curly black hair, with a friendly smile that almost convinced Crow to relax… until another detail about him set the thief on edge again. He narrowed his eyes, “Wait a minute… I recognize that voice. You’re the one who sold me out at the market!” He took a step towards Hartley. “If you’re a thief too, why would you do that?”
“Um, yeah,” Hartley averted his gaze bashfully. “Sorry about that. I’ve been trying to get those knights off my ass for a while… I guess I just figured putting the wrong face to my name would be the easiest way to do that, and then you showed up.” He shrugged. “Didn’t really think about it, you know?”
“Uh huh,” Crow glared at him suspiciously. “So, now what? You’re going to turn me in, yourself, for the reward on your head?”
“No, no,” Hartley shook his head vigorously, causing his dark curls to bounce against his forehead. “Nothing like that—I swear. I just saw you guys escape from the knights, and I thought it was pretty impressive.” He turned to Penelope and smiled. “I’ve never seen a woman fight like you. Hell, I’ve never seen anyone fight like you.” He reached for her hand, lifting it to his lips as he planted a gentlemanly kiss, “Hartley Bennett. Charmed.”
Crow felt a pang of annoyance at the boy’s too-friendly gesture with Penelope. He put himself between them, so Hartley had to take a step back. “Alright, kid,” he said dryly. “Why don’t you show us how to get out of here?”
“Oh, sorry,” Hartley scratched the back of his neck. “Didn’t realize you guys were together.”
“What?” Crow flushed, suddenly thankful for the darkness that concealed his face. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “We’re not… I mean, we’re just friends.”
“So the lady is single?” Hartley looked at Penelope with a coy grin. “It must be my lucky day.” He sidled up next to her and waved his hand towards the deeper part of the tunnel. “If we follow the sewer this way, it’ll take us back to that wagon I saw you both climb out of earlier.”
“This is a sewer?” Crow wrinkled his nose and looked down at the water he was standing in.
“Don’t worry,” Hartley laughed. “They never finished building it. That’s just rainwater. Why do you think you can’t smell anything?” He tapped his nose knowingly. “Come on, follow me.” He started walking into the tunnel, resting one hand flirtatiously on Penelope’s waist as he struck up a conversation with her.
Crow lagged behind, watching the exchange with distaste. For a kid, this guy is pretty audacious…
“Nice try,” the knight holding him scoffed. “You really think we’d fall for—argh!” He let out a howl as Penelope’s fist collided with his head. He staggered, releasing the thief as he tried to recover. Before he had a chance to do so, Penelope struck again, knocking him off his feet with a precise sweep of her leg. The knight crashed to the ground, staring dazedly up at the sky.
Crow trotted up and leaned over him, smirking snidely, “I warned you.” He crouched down and retrieved the three coin purses from the knight’s bag. “Thanks for keeping those safe for me. I’ll be taking them back now.” He winked at the half conscious man and stepped back, pocketing the stolen money. In the next instant, he felt someone take him by the hand and drag him away from the knights. Stumbling to catch his balance, he looked up to see Penelope sprinting ahead of him.
“Time to go!” she called hurriedly.
“You sure do know how to keep a man on his toes, love,” Crow teased as he ran after her. “I was beginning to think you were going to let me get arrested back there.” He peered back to see one of the knights pursuing them. The man’s sword was drawn and he was slowly gaining ground. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and searched the surroundings ahead of them, looking for a place to lose the knight. Unfortunately, the landscape was flat and the trees weren’t thick enough to hide them. They couldn’t go back to the marketplace either, since the peasants were practically untrained knights as well. He muttered a curse, hastening his pace and tightening his grip on Penelope’s hand as he pulled ahead of her.
“Hey!” a new voice called out, drawing Crow’s attention. “Over here—quick!” He turned to see the hooded figure from before beckoning them towards a building near the market. With no time to think about it, Crow tugged on Penelope’s hand and changed direction, sprinting towards the stranger.
As they rounded the corner, the man in the hood waved his hand again, “This way.” He ducked into a low, arched opening in the wall, disappearing from sight. Crow cast Penelope a wary look and then followed after him. With the knight hot on their trail, they didn’t have time to question the stranger’s intentions. He just hoped they weren’t walking into another trap.
In the darkness, Crow felt the hooded man press a hand to his chest, forcing his back against the wall. “What are you—” he began to protest, but stopped when the man shushed him. Outside, he could hear the knight’s boots pounding against the road as he ran up to the tunnel… and then past it. They were in the clear for now.
With the immediate threat gone, Crow had time to think again. He eyed the hooded man cautiously and stepped closer to the exit, his instincts kicking in. Sure, the stranger had helped them get away from the knight, but why? He wasn’t about to trust a man he didn’t know. From his experience, most people didn’t just help each other out of the goodness of their hearts.
“Who are you?” Crow asked sharply. “Why did you help us?”
“Cool it,” the man held up his hands. He reached up and removed the hood of his cloak. “My name’s Hartley. I’m a thief… like you.”
Crow stared at Hartley’s face in surprise. He was surprisingly young, no more than in his late teens. He had dark skin and curly black hair, with a friendly smile that almost convinced Crow to relax… until another detail about him set the thief on edge again. He narrowed his eyes, “Wait a minute… I recognize that voice. You’re the one who sold me out at the market!” He took a step towards Hartley. “If you’re a thief too, why would you do that?”
“Um, yeah,” Hartley averted his gaze bashfully. “Sorry about that. I’ve been trying to get those knights off my ass for a while… I guess I just figured putting the wrong face to my name would be the easiest way to do that, and then you showed up.” He shrugged. “Didn’t really think about it, you know?”
“Uh huh,” Crow glared at him suspiciously. “So, now what? You’re going to turn me in, yourself, for the reward on your head?”
“No, no,” Hartley shook his head vigorously, causing his dark curls to bounce against his forehead. “Nothing like that—I swear. I just saw you guys escape from the knights, and I thought it was pretty impressive.” He turned to Penelope and smiled. “I’ve never seen a woman fight like you. Hell, I’ve never seen anyone fight like you.” He reached for her hand, lifting it to his lips as he planted a gentlemanly kiss, “Hartley Bennett. Charmed.”
Crow felt a pang of annoyance at the boy’s too-friendly gesture with Penelope. He put himself between them, so Hartley had to take a step back. “Alright, kid,” he said dryly. “Why don’t you show us how to get out of here?”
“Oh, sorry,” Hartley scratched the back of his neck. “Didn’t realize you guys were together.”
“What?” Crow flushed, suddenly thankful for the darkness that concealed his face. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “We’re not… I mean, we’re just friends.”
“So the lady is single?” Hartley looked at Penelope with a coy grin. “It must be my lucky day.” He sidled up next to her and waved his hand towards the deeper part of the tunnel. “If we follow the sewer this way, it’ll take us back to that wagon I saw you both climb out of earlier.”
“This is a sewer?” Crow wrinkled his nose and looked down at the water he was standing in.
“Don’t worry,” Hartley laughed. “They never finished building it. That’s just rainwater. Why do you think you can’t smell anything?” He tapped his nose knowingly. “Come on, follow me.” He started walking into the tunnel, resting one hand flirtatiously on Penelope’s waist as he struck up a conversation with her.
Crow lagged behind, watching the exchange with distaste. For a kid, this guy is pretty audacious…
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