Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sure. We can probably do a few skips between now and the palace, since they’re mostly just going to be training

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow continued to gaze up at the castle as they walked, taking in as much as he could from a distance. Since they were still outside and far away, there wasn’t much he could glean from looking at the outer walls, but that didn’t mean he would learn nothing.

From what he could see, it looked like the Younisian castle wasn’t all that different from the one in Brerra. The corners of the curtain wall were mounted with crenellations, where archers likely stood guard at all hours. Additionally, he could see faint lines in various places along the wall that he guessed were arrow loops. More archers might be stationed there as well, but he doubted it. If the Younisian castle was like Brerra is the way it was defended, those arrow loops would remain unmanned unless someone raised an alarm.

His eyes followed the edge of the curtain wall to the barbican at the gate, which would also be protected by archers on its towers and guards on the ground. He couldn’t see much else from his current vantage point, but he could guess that there would be a courtyard between the barbican and the keep. He smiled. The castle was extremely well protected, but its defenses weren’t designed to keep out a thief such as himself. One way or another, he would find a way inside.

He glanced back at Penelope when she said he should keep working on his archery later that day. “Hopefully I’ll be able to practice more this time,” he nodded. “I think the cut in my hand has healed enough that it won’t reopen from using the bow again.” Holding up his right hand, he looked over the bandage that adorned his palm. Even after sparring, it was still clear with no spots of blood to be seen. He assumed that was a good sign that he was recovering well.

“Speaking of the day’s end, is the plan to try and find another stable?” Penelope’s concerned voice drew him from his thoughts.

“It’s either that or camping outside,” Crow shrugged. “It’s probably safer to risk the stables when we’re this close to the castle. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not get caught by a lucky patrol of knights while I’m sleeping.”

Masters of the Sea

Done~
I only wrote Cecily's piece because I didn't really have anything for Agustin at the moment

Masters of the Sea

“Don’t ‘how are ya’ me,” Cecily snarled, her hands curling into fists at her sides. “Ye know exactly how I am, ye big oaf.” She wrung out a lock of hair in front of him, as if to prove her point. Cold water streamed down, splashing onto the deck. Muttering foul things to herself, she wondered if she would be able to find a dark corner in the crew’s quarters where she could change her shirt without being spotted. She could always wait out the storm and use the head, but she didn’t want to be in her sopping clothes any longer than she had to.

Cecily blinked in surprise when Stefano acted like nothing had happened, even going so far as to offer her a sample of the stew that had been cooking. Her cheeks grew hot with a mixture of anger and embarrassment as she heard the other men in the kitchen laughing. The food in the spoon he was holding admittedly smelled good, and she was famished from working on the deck all day, but she turned her nose up to it for the sake of her vanity. She wasn’t about to let him have the satisfaction of blowing over what he had done to her.

In the end, she was even more annoyed with the way he simply offered her his portion of supper without even so much as a few fighting words. His underwhelming reaction took away her satisfaction in winning the argument—if one could even call it that. He had barely tried to fight back, and in doing so, he had made her come off like an overreacting fool. She was sure the other men thought so, with the way they were snickering so much behind her back. She didn’t like it.

“Oh, sure,” she muttered to Stefano’s back as he left the kitchen. “I’ll be sure to take Lee’s cot… and maybe a little more.” Spinning around on her heel, she marched back out to the crew’s quarters to rejoin the other pirates. The wheels of her mind turned as she thought of a way to get him back for his little prank.

I’ll make you regret crossing me, she promised silently. Just you wait.

--

As the men of the crew left the sleeping quarters to eat supper, Cecily took the opportunity to quickly change into a dry shirt. She finished the task post haste and joined them again in line to be served her portion of supper. Fortunately, everyone was too distracted by their empty stomachs to notice her brief absence. She took a bowl of stew—luckily, the next decrease in their rations wouldn’t start until tomorrow, so her helping was only somewhat meager—and searched the crowd for Stefano, intending to collect the debt of food he owed her.

Pinpointing him at a table with a few other sailors, she forced her way through the mass of bodies and inserted herself beside him on the bench. “I hope ye didn’t forget about me,” she said without meeting his gaze. “Pay up.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Still cool x3
I don't know anyone in film, but I have a friend who's a professional model, and she's been in some commercials

I'll get a reply done tomorrow ^^

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Oh, cool! Do you know a lot of people in the film industry?

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As they continued navigating through the forest, Crow listened to Penelope give her perspective on his performance during their sparring match. It pleased him to hear that she thought he wasn’t bad. Considering he didn’t have much experience, it gave him hope that he would improve quickly. He just hoped he would be able to keep a handle on his fear if he found himself in a position where he would need to draw blood in a fight. However, since he wasn’t about to willingly put himself in such a position, there was no way for him to know how he was going to react if or when that time came.

He nodded when she said he needed to work on his offense in battle. He knew this to be true as well, since previously, his goal in every fight had always been to escape, not win. He had only needed to know enough to defend himself long enough to find a point of exit and get away from his opponent. Since the Younisian palace was foreign ground, things would be different though. He would likely need to drop his enemies rather than try to find an escape route that could just lead him to a dead end hallway.

As she brought up the fact that he couldn’t rely on attacks without a weapon against large opponents, he winced, remembering the mercenary once again. He didn’t know what he would do if he ran into a knight as big as that man had been. His quick reflexes were his best advantage in a fight, but if he had to face off against another human wall, simply being fast wasn’t enough.

“Alright already,” Crow held up his hands when she lectured him on dropping his weapon again. “Forgive me for being the idiot that I am and thinking that was a good idea at the time.” He returned her nudge with a wry grin. “But that’s why you’re here to teach me. As you can see, I need all the help I can get before we reach the castle.”

At the mention of it, his eyes wandered back to the large, stone building in front of them. It seemed to grow ever bigger as they got closer to it, looming high over the tree tops. He stared up at it determinedly. I’ve raided a palace before, and I can do it again. Just you wait, you royal despot. That staff is mine.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

We went to see Crazy Rich Asians
It was a little cheesy, but also very funny x3

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow let out his breath in a soft exhale as Penelope kissed him a few more times along his jaw. Her touch always made him feel so disconnected from the world, and he loved it. He loved the way her lips moved against his skin—the way she seemed to know exactly how to make him weak in the knees. In that moment, she held him in her hands. The knight had tamed the thief.

“Maybe you were distracted,” he said with a smirk. “But I knew exactly what I was doing.” As she went on to ask him to let her up, he laughed. “I should hope so. I’ve been trying to put back on some muscle since I got out of prison.” He winked at her coyly and climbed off of her so she was free to move again.

Standing up, he brushed the grass out of his clothes and hair and collected his dagger, which he returned to its hiding spot in his boot. He then gathered his other belongings and prepared to keep walking to the castle.

“All jokes aside,” Crow said, turning back to her when they were ready to go. “How did I do? I know I’m not an expert with a dagger like you are, but if that had been a real duel, do you think I would have at least had a fighting chance?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sorry, I was at a movie
I'll get started on my reply now!