Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow held the door open for Penelope to step through first. His mind raced, separating him from the world around him as he thought about what he had just said. He wondered if he should have just kept his mouth shut rather than complimenting her aloud. She had sounded so uncomfortable when she had thanked him. Was she embarrassed that he had been staring so much? It wasn’t like he could have helped it. Like all men, he was drawn by attractive women. The fact that she was his friend didn’t change that.

He followed Penelope to the front desk, still in a daze. What if she figured out my feelings for her? he blanched. This could change everything. Damn it! Why did I have to say something to her? As much as he desired to have her, he knew she would never be his. The next best thing was their friendship, and now he didn’t even know if he would still have that by the end of the day. He wished he could go back in time and take everything back.

He blinked, suddenly realizing the innkeeper was staring at him. “Err, yeah,” he said slowly, trying to remember what the man had said to Penelope. Unfortunately, he had been so distracted that he couldn’t remember. He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry. What was that?”

“Forty-five Tael,” the innkeeper said, giving him an estranged look. “Had a little too much to drink, huh? You seem out of it.”

“No, I was just… nevermind,” Crow dug in the coin purse and handed the man his money. “Here.”

“Thank you very much!” the innkeeper handed him back a key. “You’ll both be in room twenty-four on the second level.” He leaned towards Penelope, speaking quietly. “Make sure your companion here gets plenty of sleep. Wouldn’t want him hungover when you need to hit the road again tomorrow morning.” He chuckled to himself.

“I heard that,” Crow narrowed his eyes. “And I told you, I’m not drunk.” He turned to Penelope. “Come on. We should go find Hartley and tell him where we’ll be staying tonight.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Penelope may have tried not to stare, but Crow just took it from 0 to 60 in like two seconds xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

At the sound of footsteps in the far side of the alcove, Crow looked up and saw Penelope walking towards him in her new dress. His heart beat slightly quicker at the sight of her. She looks stunning, he thought as his eyes wandered over her body. The navy dress was plain in design, but it accentuated the curves of her hips and chest even better than the last dress did. He couldn’t help but stare at her, entranced by her swaying hips as she approached him. He wondered what the rest of her figure looked like, hidden beneath that thin layer of fabric…

Stop it, Crow averted his gaze, blushing furiously. She’s your friend! Don’t imagine her naked. He took a steady breath, trying to calm his racing heart and focus on something else—the ground, the clouds in the sky, the distant voices of people on the main road—anything that would distract him from the beautiful woman standing in front of him.

Crow nodded absently when Penelope said they just needed to find an inn. He took one last calming breath and then forced himself to meet her gaze. Surprisingly, her face was slightly pink as well. He wondered why she was embarrassed. Oh, gods, he paled. Does she know what I was thinking about? He shook his head. No, that would have been ridiculous. There was no way she could possibly have known. She doesn’t even know I think of her as more than a friend sometimes.

“Seems like it,” he answered her after an awkward period of silence. “We should get going.” He moved away from the wall, standing up straight, and headed back to the main road with Penelope. He glanced at her again as they walked, still not used to seeing her in such a provocative dress. It looked so good on her. He had to say something.

“Um,” Crow started smoothly. “You look beautiful in that dress. It’s… quite flattering on you.” He looked up to see that they had reached an inn. Eager to get away from the uncomfortable subject, he moved for the door. “Looks like we wound a place to stay. We should check in.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Poor Penelope xD
They're both hot messes, haha

Crow shamelessly stripped his shirt off in front of Penelope

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Seeing that Penelope had made a decision, Crow headed to the back of the shop, where a small, elderly woman sat by a table. She squinted up at him as he approached, “Find something you like, dear?”

“Yes,” Crow showed her their choices. “How much for these?”

“Hm,” the old woman grunted, eyeing the clothing in Crow and Penelope’s arms. “I’ll take forty Tael for everything.”

“Alright,” Crow took two gold coins from the coin purse he had stolen from the marketplace and placed them in the seamstress’s waiting hand.

“Thank you for your business,” she pocketed the money and smiled at them. “Your wife will look lovely in that dress, by the way. It was one of my favorites to make.”

Crow shifted his weight, considering telling the elderly woman that he and Penelope weren’t married. In the end, however, he decided it would be easier to save his breath and not correct her. “Thank you,” he said politely, turning to Penelope with a smile. “I’m sure she will.”

After saying a quick goodbye to the shopkeeper, they headed outside once again. Crow looked around, searching for a place where they could change into the Younisian attire. His eyes fell on an alcove between two buildings, just far enough away from the main road that there weren’t any people walking past it. “This way,” he gestured to the secluded spot so Penelope would see it too.

He walked over to the alcove and set down the clothes he had been carrying, “We can change in here. I think there’s a bend in this passage a little farther down. You can put on the new dress back there, since I’m guessing you’ll want your privacy.” Wasting no time, he pulled his old tunic over his head, stripping it off and dropping it by the other clothes so he could exchange it for the new, dark green one. Then, glancing down the passage to make sure Penelope had gone, he did the same with his trousers.

Once he was fully dressed, he leaned against the wall, waiting for Penelope to come back from around the corner.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I think Kip will need it, to be honest lol

Crow is so awkward around Penelope xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow looked up as Penelope stepped over to join him and Hartley, announcing that the boy’s food was getting cold. Hartley hurried to join Kip at the table, leaving him alone with the knight. He nodded when Penelope said she wanted to give the two some space, “That’s probably for the best. The kid decided he’s going to tell her the truth about what he’s become. They should take some time to reconnect before he springs that on her tonight.”

He found that he was starting to genuinely hope Kip would accept Hartley, not only because it would mean the young thief would stay behind, but also because he wanted to see them look past their differences. He knew he couldn’t do that with Penelope, but at least Hartley had a chance. He turned to her, “While they’re talking, let’s go find an inn for tonight. I’d rather not sleep on the ground again if I can avoid it.” He laughed and then blushed as his mind wandered back to what had actually happened the night before. “Not that it was completely… I mean, I wasn’t… because of… Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up again.”

Crow led the way as they left Hartley and Kip to have some alone time, eager to put his uncomfortable joke behind him. Why did I have to go and run my big mouth? He groaned inwardly. He wanted her to forget what he had done the previous night, and bringing it up again was not the way to do that. He just hoped Penelope wouldn’t linger on his words.

As they walked along the main road, he distracted himself by watching the peasants they passed by. They were dressed in finer clothing than the peasants of Brerra—not as luxurious as the ensembles of nobles, but still better quality than wool. He looked down at his own clothes: a tattered, dark gray tunic and worn black pants. The farther they traveled into Younis, the more he was beginning to stand out. If they wanted to blend in in this kingdom, he needed to find something less conspicuous to wear.

Along the left side of the road, he spotted a seamstress’s shop. He glanced at Penelope. “We should purchase some Younisian attire. Compared to these peasants, we look practically homeless.” Guiding her to the shop, he began browsing the clothes on display. Everything was made extremely well compared to what he was familiar with. The stitching was tight and even, which made the fabric soft to the touch.

He brushed his hand over a dark green, almost black tunic that was strung up on a line. It looked like it would fit him, so he took it down and found a simple pair of black trousers to match. The dark colors were exactly what he needed to blend in at night, and since they were new, he wouldn’t look like he had been living in the woods. “This should do it for me,” he said, turning to Penelope. “Have you found anything, love?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Finally finished~
It was a long one because of that conversation ^^

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Completely oblivious,” Crow nodded. “I’m shocked he’s lasted this long as a thief when he can’t tell if he’s being watched. I know I would have died a long time ago if I was as absentminded as he is.” He popped a bite of pescods into his mouth. “The boy’s lucky Younisian knights don’t seem to know how to deal with thieves like they do in Brerra.” If he had tried becoming a thief in Brerra, he would have gotten himself killed in less than a week, he poked at the remaining food on his plate thoughtfully. Although he probably never would have tried if he had been born in the outer villages like me. Brerratic peasants would never disown a child for something so petty as losing an apprenticeship.

“I hope she accepts him,” Penelope’s soft voice drew Crow from his thoughts. “The poor kid has enough problems with his family. Last thing he needs is to be rejected just because he’s a thief.”

Crow turned to her in surprise, not expecting to hear something like that come out of her mouth. He wondered how long she had felt that way. Does she feel the same way towards me—that my choice to be a thief doesn’t mean I should be rejected? His heart fluttered in his chest at the thought of asking her. However, another thought tugged at the back of his mind that kept his lips sealed. It’s not the same. She’s a knight and a noblewoman. Kip is a peasant. Even though Hartley is a thief, he’s part of the same social class as she is. Still... He smiled. Knowing Penelope didn’t think criminals like them deserved an unhappy life pleased him.

He blinked, realizing he had been staring at Penelope for a while. “Right,” he said, averting his gaze in a clumsy attempt to cover his mistake. “I don’t think she’s going to reject him. With the way she was staring just now, it looks to me like she’s been waiting for this moment for a long time.” At least one of us can have what he wants, he thought with a pang of sadness. Having finished his food, he rested his elbow on the table, propping his chin in his hand as he watched the two interact from a distance.

After a bit, Hartley came back over with Kip in tow. He stopped by the table and held out his hand, beaming from ear to ear, “I’d like you both to meet Kip Fletcher. Kip, this is Penelope and Crow.” He gestured to each in turn.

“Nice to meet you both,” Kip bowed her head politely.

“The pleasure is ours,” Crow grinned and stood from the table. He stepped over to take the girl’s hand in greeting. “Crow Lockton, renowned thief and Hartley’s favorite traveling companion.”

“A thief?” Kip met Hartley’s gaze with wide eyes.

“Don’t worry,” Hartley said with an edge of nervousness. “He’s harmless. Hey, you know what? You should talk to Penelope. I’m sure you’ll both get along fantastically.” He ushered her to the female knight and spun on Crow with a glare. “Can you please downplay the thief talk?”

“And do what?” Crow rolled his eyes. “Lie to her? Look, I won’t mention that you’re a thief too, but she’s going to find out sooner or later.”

“No she won’t,” Hartley lowered his gaze. “Because I’m not going to tell her.”

“That’s not going to turn out well,” Crow knit his brow.

“She doesn’t have to know, because we’re leaving tomorrow morning anyway.”

“I get it now,” Crow narrowed his eyes at the boy. “You’re running away because you’re scared she’s going to reject you.”

“I’m not running,” Hartley snapped quietly. “We already planned to leave. Besides,” he shuffled his feet uncomfortably. “It wouldn’t matter anyway. I have no place trying to court her again. I’m a criminal with no job and no prospect of getting one. Even if she wasn’t bothered by that, which would be shocking, I couldn’t bring her into that life with me—not when she still has a chance to end up with a man who will treat her right.”

Crow quieted. Everything Hartley was saying reminded him painfully of his own situation with Penelope. He wanted to get closer to her, but he knew he could never give her the life that a nobleman could provide. It wasn’t fair of him to drag her down into the life of a fugitive when she could have so much more than that. And that was assuming she would want anything to do with him to begin with.

“See?” Hartley murmured. “You know I’m right. I have to leave and—Ouch!” he grimaced as Crow smacked the back of his head.

“It doesn’t matter,” the thief said sharply. “None of that matters. Do you see any other suitors hanging around her? No, of course not. Why do you think that is?”

“I don’t know,” Hartley said slowly, shifting his weight.

“Yes, you do,” Crow hit him again. “Think about it, kid. She’s a beautiful young woman of marrying age, without a single man to court her. Do you understand what I’m saying?” When Hartley just stared at him blankly, Crow shook his head. “Moron, she’s been waiting for you.”

“Me?” Hartley’s eyes widened.

“Yes,” Crow rolled his eyes. “Now if you squander this opportunity the gods have blessed you with, so help me, I’m going to beat you senseless on behalf of all the thieves who wish they could be as lucky as you.”

“But what if she does reject me because I’m a thief?” Hartley said nervously.

“You’ll never find out if you don’t talk to her about it.”

“You’re right,” Hartley said, taking a steeling breath. “I’ll tell her tonight.”

“Atta boy,” Crow grinned in spite of the sinking feeling in his own heart. If only it were so easy for me to do the same. Olivia’s words came back to haunt him once more. But a thief and a knight can never be together…

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I keep getting power outages because of this insane storm Dx
I'm trying to finish my reply, but it's taking a little longer because my internet keeps going out

Hopefully it's over now!