Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow walked out of the room with the others, stopping as they said farewell to Malcolm and Lorelle. He winced along with Hartley as the burly man greeted them loudly. Malcolm was clearly immune to the effects of the strong alcohol they had drank the night before, as he showed no signs of being hungover. Crow wondered how often the Younisian man drank on a regular basis to have built up such an impressive tolerance.

He watched Lorelle as she handed the bag of food to Penelope. The blonde woman winked at her and said something that Crow didn’t catch. Whatever she had said, it made the knight fidget nervously. He frowned, wondering what the woman could have said to make her so uncomfortable. However, there wasn’t time to think about it before the group went on their way.

“Thank the gods we made it out of there in one piece,” Penelope said as they walked away from the peasants’ house.

“I’ll say,” Crow snorted in agreement. “We’re lucky this kid didn’t say something to give us away.” He nudged Hartley teasingly.

“Hey,” Hartley disputed. “You were just as drunk as I was.”

“I doubt that,” Crow rolled his eyes. “You were prepared to run out and fight the first man to look at you the wrong way.”

“I’m always ready to fight the first man to look at me the wrong way,” Hartley punched Crow in the arm. He sighed, going on to complain about walking the rest of the way and taking the opportunity to flirt with Penelope once again.

“Well, I guess this is going to set us behind a bit...” Penelope said dolefully. “Not to mention we’re down two knights...”

“It’s not that bad,” Crow strode up to walk next to her. “The king can afford to be a little more patient. A few days isn’t going to cause that much damage.” He caught sight of the guilty look in her eyes as she thought of her comrades. It sent a stab of sorrow through him. “As for William and Abraxas… I’m sure they’re fine,” he said in an attempt to comfort her. “The Younisian knights probably took them prisoner to question them. I can almost hear William throwing a fit about it. Just imagine him behind bars for breaking a law after all his speeches about criminals.” He laughed. “I’d pay to see that.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I really like that last idea :)
We could also mix in a little of the other two throughout the rest of their journey

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

He really did xD

Anyway, any ideas what should happen to Crow, Penelope, and Hartley today?

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow let out his breath in relief when Penelope said she wasn’t mad at him. He wished he hadn’t made her feel uncomfortable around him, but at least she seemed to understand that he hadn’t been in his right mind when he was flirting with her. He wondered halfheartedly if she would ever take him seriously if he made an earnest attempt to flirt with her. After what happened the night before, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she thought it was a joke. Not that it matters, he reminded himself. I’m never going to be with her, so there’s no point in trying.

He offered her a sheepish smile, “I wish I didn’t remember either, but unfortunately, I wasn’t drunk enough to forget.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I’m just glad there are no hard feelings.”

“I got the water!” Hartley’s voice rang out, causing Crow to flinch. The boy stepped into the room, hanging in the doorway as he looked from Crow to Penelope. His eyes narrowed as he seemed to put something together in his mind. “Here,” he handed the canteen off to Penelope. “Are we all ready to go?”

Crow cast one last fleeting glance at Penelope before he began to gather his bag and bedroll from the floor, “Seems like it.” He shouldered the supplies and looked back at the others. “Let’s get our food and keep going.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sorry I'm taking so long to reply ^^;
My friends and I are watching weird YouTube videos to corrupt a friend's recommendations lol (he left his account signed in at my house)

I'm gonna keep working on my post now

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'm going on a spontaneous road trip tomorrow with my husband and a friend of ours, so I probably won't be on much until Wednesday.
Just wanted to let you know ^^

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“It was Hartley’s fault,” Crow grumbled, averting his gaze as Penelope chided them for getting drunk. “It would have been easier for me to say no if he hadn’t encouraged Malcolm.” He grimaced as his hangover plagued him with a fresh wave of pain. At least he had learned his lesson. He wouldn’t be drinking like that again for quite a while, if ever again.

He looked up as Penelope searched her bag, revealing a canteen of water. She glanced in his direction, seeming like she was going to give it to him first, but then turned away and gave the drink to Hartley instead. He eyed her strangely. It might have been his imagination, but he thought he saw a blush on her cheeks. I knew it, he sighed. She’s uncomfortable around me now. I have to apologize to her for last night.

Crow took the canteen from Hartley when the boy offered it to him, drinking down the rest of its contents. It didn’t help his headache much, but at least his mouth wasn’t dry anymore. And it should help with the alcohol on my breath, he thought, suddenly taking note of the pungent scent of alcohol on himself. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. Gods, I smell like a drunk. He hoped the odor would fade in its own as the day went on.

“I’ll pack up the beds and you two can nurse your hangovers a little longer,” Penelope gestured for the thieves to move away from their mats. “I don’t want to spend much more time here.”

Crow complied with the request, standing up and stepping away from his makeshift bed as the knight got to work putting everything away. He leaned against the wall, watching her quietly. He glanced at Hartley, who was sitting in another corner. It wouldn’t be that difficult to get the boy to leave. Maybe he could find time to talk to Penelope now.

He reached down and picked up the empty canteen, “Hey, Hartley. Mind filling this up? Malcolm and Lorelle probably have a well around here somewhere, since they brew ale.”

“Sure,” Hartley winced. “I could use some more water.” He took the canteen from Crow’s hand and walked out of the room, leaving the other two alone.

Crow turned back to Penelope, crossing his arms uncomfortably as he hesitated to speak. While he knew he had to make things right with her, part of him felt awkward about bringing up the events from the day before. He wished they could just forget it ever happened, but he knew from the knight’s behavior that she wasn’t about to do that. He had to say something to her.

He cleared his throat, “So, about last night…” He could feel warmth creep up his neck as he recalled how he had flirted with Penelope. “I’m sorry I acted like that. Truly. I was drunk, but that doesn’t excuse the way I treated you.” Taking a steeling breath, he looked up to meet her gaze. “I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow definitely remembered xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Bright morning sunlight flooded the room, gently rousing Crow from his slumber. He sat up, still only half-awake, and looked about his surroundings as he struggled to remember where he was. Suddenly, he sucked in his breath and lifted a hand to his head as he was assaulted by an intense headache. It pounded relentlessly, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut until the wave of pain was over. Where am I? he thought in a daze. What happened last night?

He mentally retraced his steps. They had left the inn to go to the next town, and then they were attacked by Younisian knights… He, Hartley, and Penelope had escaped and run into that man—Malcolm, was it?—who had taken them to his house. After that, Malcolm had brought them ale, and… Crow paled as the rest of the day came back to him at once.

Oh gods. His heart pounded almost as fiercely as the hangover that wracked his head. Oh gods, oh gods. What did I do? He groaned, laying back down and throwing his blanket over his head. This was why he didn’t make a habit of getting drunk. Drunken men were stupid and impulsive. He raked his fingers through his hair, wishing he could go back to the previous day and take it all back.

Crow stayed beneath the blanket, nursing his hangover and cursing himself for being such a fool, until he heard someone else stir in the room. He peeked out to see Penelope getting up and going to wake Hartley. She didn’t even look in his direction. He wanted to punch himself. She probably hates me now, he thought sullenly. Why wouldn’t she? I acted like a complete idiot. We’re supposed to be friends, and I tried to sleep with her. She has every right to be mad.

He stayed beneath the blanket a little while longer, until he was the only one who hadn’t gotten up yet. Bracing himself for another headache, he forced himself to sit up, gritting his teeth as the expected wave of pain struck.

“Ugh,” Hartley groaned from the other side of the room, clutching his head like Crow was. “I feel terrible. Anybody have some water?”

“If you find any, let me know,” Crow winced.

“Sounds like you’re all awake,” Lorelle poked her head into the room. “Come to the kitchen before you leave today. You slept through dinner last night, so I prepared some food for you all to take on your trip.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

That was so cute <3 I can't handle them TTuTT