Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow noticed that Penelope was strangely quiet as they walked along the road. He wondered what was on her mind that was so captivating. Perhaps she was starting to regret letting him steal from the peasant home? It wouldn’t have surprised him since she was still trying to remain true to her values as a knight. Or maybe she was just tired and didn’t have the energy to talk. The more he thought about it, the latter actually sounded more likely.

As they strolled along, the buildings around them gave way to more trees. He searched the edge of the forest, looking for a place where they could stop and rest. “This way,” he directed her towards a nearby stream that flowed just beyond the tree line. When he reached the bank, he sat down, stretching his legs out and setting the bag of coins down beside himself. He patted the ground, “I can tell you’re getting tired. Let’s stop here for a bit, and then we can turn back.”

He waited for her to comply, leaning back on the palms of his hands and listening to the water trickle over the rocks. The stars overhead were bright in the cloudless night sky. He tilted his chin up to look at them, trying to find familiar constellations. It seems the same stars look down on both Younis and Brerra, he mused absently as he found the arrangements of stars that he knew by heart.

Beautiful, yet none are as beautiful as her, Crow glanced at Penelope again. Her fair skin seemed to glow in the moonlight, making her look like a wood spirit. He shifted a bit closer to her, tempted yet again to take her hand or hold her or do anything to close the distance between them. He bit the inside of his cheek, forcing himself to look away. We’re just going to take a quick break and then go back to the inn, he thought, trying to ground himself. Dammit, stop thinking about trying to make a move on your friend.

“We’re lucky we haven’t run into any storms on our journey,” he said, breaking the silence. He flushed. Smooth, Crow… Talk about the weather a bit more, why don’t you? he chided himself silently.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I just had a cool idea for a lot farther along in the story. What if, after they come back from Younis, Crow and Penelope actually do end up going back to their regular lives (major time skip) and cross paths again two years later?

I remember that I had had an idea for a bigger plot twist, where there's a third kingdom that wants Brerra and Younis to go to war so they can swoop in and annex both kingdoms while they're weak.

Basically, I was thinking Crow either doesn't get the staff for some reason or Penelope gets ambushed by mercenaries from the unknown kingdom on her way back to the palace, and the staff is stolen from her, basically guaranteeing a war to happen.

So, two years later would put the scene right in the middle of the war. I was thinking Crow and Penelope would meet again because Penelope gets sent with a battalion of knights to fight Younis on the border where Crow lives.

Also, maybe at this point Penelope could have a nobleman (maybe another knight?) courting her for marriage, which would introduce a love triangle between them and Crow

I know it's a pretty big jump in the future, but I wanted to share it before I forget xD
What do you think?

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Of course,” Crow smirked loftily when Penelope said he knew what he was doing. “Do you think I would have gotten the reputation I did if I didn’t know what I was doing?” He slung the long strap of the bag he had stolen over his head, letting it hang across his body. The weight of the coins pulled at his shoulder, pleasantly reminding him just how much money was hidden inside the satchel.

“But this can’t be a regular thing, okay?” Penelope nudged him. “You’ll have to figure out a different way to practice, since I don’t want the people of Younis trying to hunt you down.”

“Don’t worry,” he rolled his eyes. “I doubt the knights in this kingdom would connect me to a bunch of isolated robberies, especially if I spaced them out far enough apart. They don’t seem to be prepared for anything except for trespassers, which we,” he switched to his Younisian accent. “…are not.” He laughed and returned her nudge, bumping her lightly with his shoulder.

“Let’s stay out a while longer,” Crow answered when Penelope asked if they should turn back. “The night is still young, and who knows when we’ll get away from Hartley again.” He gave an exaggerated shudder, as if the idea of going back to the boy disturbed him. In all honesty, he didn’t mind Hartley’s company—in fact, he had come to somewhat enjoy it—but he wanted to spend more time alone with Penelope. Was it selfish? Probably. He had gotten plenty of sleep during the day, while she was losing time to rest by staying out with him. Regardless, he couldn’t deny how he felt. He wanted her to himself for as long as he could have her before they would eventually part ways.

Crow cast Penelope a furtive glance, wondering if she felt similarly about him. She may not have had the same desires for him that he had for her, but they were still friends. Surely she was at least reluctant to separate when they got back to Brerra, right? He hoped so.

“Let’s keep going this way,” he said, adjusting the strap so it fell more comfortably against his chest. “I want to see what’s farther down this road.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I pretty much crashed after you sent it anyway, haha. I'll get started on my reply soon!

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Perfect timing again~

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow’s eyes widened in disbelief when Penelope said he could steal the money. He had been expecting her to say that nothing justified committing a crime or that he should find other ways to practice thievery that wouldn’t hurt anyone. For her to agree with him that this was a good opportunity to rehearse for the king’s palace was shocking to him.

He grinned and, before he had time to think, reached out to gather Penelope in a tight embrace. “Thank you!” he said, his voice straining slightly with hushed excitement. “You won’t regret this. I’ll be back before you know it, love.” Realizing he was still holding her, he let his arms drop and took a step back. He cleared his throat awkwardly, “Sorry. I just wasn’t expecting you to side with me on this.”

Wanting to move on from the embarrassing moment as quickly as possible, Crow turned away from Penelope and began examining the house. He walked around the outside of it with light-footed steps, crouching down when he passed by windows so he wouldn’t cast a shadow on the inside. From what he could see, the interior of the first level was laid out similarly to Malcolm and Lorelle’s home. There was a kitchen and a parlor, with no lower bed chambers that the thief could see—those were probably upstairs.

When he completed his once-around, Crow moved on to evaluate the door. He stooped down and took the lock in his hand, turning it over to see what kind of security it provided. For a peasant home, the lock was surprisingly well-designed—nothing he couldn’t get past, but unexpected for the home of a commoner. He could already feel his heart pounding with excitement at the thought of breaking in.

He reached down to his left boot and gripped the sole of the shoe, giving it a sharp tug. It came loose and a small object fell to the ground: a pick lock key. He held it up and looked at it fondly. He had gone through quite a bit of trouble to keep the little piece of metal hidden from his prison guards for so long. It had been fortunate for him that they had only ever thought to search the insides of his boots. He wished he could have used it to get out of his cell back then, but the king had reinforced the locks because of his reputation, and there had always been a guard or two looking in his direction to keep him in line.

No one is around to stop me now, he thought eagerly as he gently slid the key into the lock on the door. He closed his eyes, focusing intently as he listened to the tumblers click into place. One… two… three… and four. The lock popped open, granting him access. He got up and dusted himself off, retrieving his key and hiding it away in his boot once again.

Crow glanced back at Penelope, casting her a haughty wink before he stepped soundlessly into the parlor of the house. Once inside, he performed another quick sweep of his surroundings, making sure his presence hadn’t been noticed. There were no noises to indicate that someone had woken up. So far, so good. He crept towards the table where he had seen the sack of coins, moving agilely to get out as fast as he could.

Now came the real challenge. Many of the coins were laid in stacks outside of the bag. He needed to find a way to move them back into it without causing them to clank against each other loudly enough to disturb the residents. He looked around them room until his eyes fell on a thick, woolen blanket draped over the back of a chair. He snatched it and laid it out on the table beside the money. Next, he delicately picked up the sack of coins and set it down on the blanket. He wrapped the bag up in the thick cloth and started transferring the rest of the coins into it, using the wool to mask the sound as they clattered against each other in the exchange.

As per Penelope’s request, Crow didn’t take all of the money. He left one stack of ten gold coins on the table. Having attained his target, he carefully picked up the fat sack of coins, waiting until all of the metal pieces had settled before he removed it from the wool blanket. Still, no one stirred in the house. He crept back to the door, shutting it behind him as he stepped back out onto the road.

He found Penelope and walked up to her, leaning forward in a pompous bow as he held out the bag with a flourish. “This is enough money to last us throughout the rest of this trip, and then some,” he smirked at her teasingly. “So, are you impressed yet?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

That worked out pretty well then ^^
I just got home, so I'm gonna start on my reply

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow is gonna be so happy xD
I promised my husband I'd go to a gaming tournament with him tonight, so I'll get my reply done when I get back in 4-5 hours

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

So, she’s been worried too, Crow frowned as he followed Penelope into the night. It seemed that they were both starting to feel the weight of the remaining part of their journey—the part most fraught with risks. For a moment, he wondered what she had to be worried about, since he was the one who was supposed to steal the staff. It wasn’t like she had to put her life in danger when they reached the palace. Of course she will though, he cast her a sideways glance as they walked along the road. Even though she doesn’t have to, she’ll risk her life for anyone she cares about.

His heart fluttered in his chest at the thought that he was someone Penelope cared about. He had never dreamed he would get so close to another person before, yet here they were, close enough to share their hopes and fears with each other. His eyes wandered down to her hand, dangling at her side. Her fingers were slender and her fair skin seemed to glow in the moonlight. He was tempted to reach out and take her hand in his, but he resisted. He didn’t want to tarnish their friendship by making her uncomfortable again. So instead, he forced himself to shift his gaze upward to look at the stars rather than at her.

“Everything will work out,” Crow agreed. He shot her a teasing glance. “You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you nap before. You’re not getting soft on me, are you?”

Up ahead, he noticed a small house adjacent to the road they were walking on. He glanced into the window and saw an open sack of coins on a table, where someone had left it halfway counted. This is too easy, he eyed a stack of gold hungrily. I just need to get Penelope to let me take it.

“Hey,” Crow spoke up quietly. “I haven’t had the chance to brush up on robbing a house since before I went to prison, and I can’t raid a palace when I’m out of practice.” He tipped his head towards the window of the house they were walking by, offering Penelope a pleading look. “Whoever lives here is practically begging to be stolen from. I promise I’ll be in and out if you let me go just this once…”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

He's too stubborn to give up just yet, haha