Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When should they hear about William and Abraxas in the dungeon? I was thinking that should happen pretty soon, since Penelope has to get all the way down there and try to free them before morning

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Impressive,” Crow grinned when Penelope explained that she had brought down and tied up two guards on her own. He wished he could have seen the looks on their faces when a ‘peasant girl’ attacked them and won. However, his smile faded as she reminded him of his own injury. Now that he was thinking about it again, he winced slightly at the sting of the arrowhead in his leg. He averted his gaze as she moved to check the severity of his wound. “Let’s just say I drew an archer out of hiding, but I didn’t think it through,” he fidgeted embarrassedly. “It’s not that deep. I just strained it a bit when I climbed up here.”

“Let’s get your wound dressed before we do anything else,” Penelope said, causing him to shift his weight uncomfortably. He peered down at the far end of the hallway. It wasn’t a very safe place to stop and bandage a wound. If a knight happened to find them now, they would be completely exposed in the open corridor. He wanted to suggest that they look for a better place to dress his leg, but when he turned back to her, she was already unraveling the wrap on her own arm. Casting one more furtive glance down the hall, he sighed in resignation and moved to sit down against the wall so she could work on fixing up his injury.

“I can,” he nodded when she asked if he could get what was left of the arrow out of his leg. “I left enough of the shaft attached that it can still be pulled out.” He looked down at the arrow protruding from his leg, feeling sick at the sight of it. Now that he was out of the darkness, he could see that it had bled quite a bit more than he had thought. He wasn’t used to arrow wounds bleeding so much before the arrow was removed. Scaling the wall must have been harder on the wound than he had expected it to be.

Crow grasped the shaft with both hands and exhaled slowly, not looking forward to what was to come next. Pulling the arrow out was always the worst part. He closed his eyes and gave it a sharp tug, biting back a cry of pain so that it only came out as a soft whimper when the arrowhead came loose.

Once it was out of his body, he set it aside and pressed down on the remaining gash in his leg with his hands to slow the bleeding. “I’m ready for those bandages now,” he grimaced, looking up at Penelope.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow completely forgot about his arrow wound when he noticed Penelope's split lip xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow leaned back against a shelf in the closet as he slowly caught his breath. Now that he had stopped moving, he was starting to feel the arrowhead in his leg much more prominently. He reached down with one hand and felt warm blood seeping into his pants from the injury. He grimaced. It was definitely worse now than before he had made the climb up to the third floor. I must have put too much pressure on it, he thought, forcing himself to stay calm. It’s fine. It’ll hurt a little more for a while, but it’s nothing to be concerned about.

Inhaling slowly, he focused on watching the hallway through the crack in the door to distract himself from the blood on his leg. Soon, he heard footsteps in the corridor, signaling someone’s approach. Unsure about who was there, he leaned away from the opening so the hanging lanterns wouldn’t cast light on his face. He couldn’t see the person from the angle the crack in the door showed him, so he stayed hidden in case a knight had come to investigate the broken window.

After a moment, relief flooded him as he heard Penelope’s voice outside. He pushed the door open and stepped into the hallway, wrapping his arms around her in an embrace. “Gods, I missed you,” he sighed, pulling back to look at her. However, when he did, he faltered, noticing the blood on her lip. He gingerly touched the cut and frowned, meeting her gaze, “How did that happen?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's gamble with the archer backfired on him a little ^^;

Also, I didn't include it in my post because Crow didn't notice in his perspective, but he left a faint blood trail to the closet he's hiding in from his arrow wound. Feel free to use that if you want to cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Hidden behind the nearest manor to the curtain wall, Crow stared up at the northeastern battlement of the castle, trying to see how many archers were posted that night. Large clouds had rolled in after sunset, blocking out most of the stars and making it difficult to see in the darkness. He couldn’t say for sure, but it looked like there were just two bowmen standing in the embrasures. They stood rigidly, much more alert than the knights he and Penelope had previously encountered, as they looked out over the grounds surrounding the keep. There was no way he would make it to the wall without getting struck by an arrow if he tried to run out into the open now.

The thief removed his own bow from where it laid across his shoulder and drew an arrow from the quiver. His heart raced with a mixture of nervousness and excitement as he loaded the weapon and pointed it up at the archer on the left. In the past, he had never been able to do anything about bowmen. Because of their distance, they were untouchable to him unless he had made plans ahead of time to sabotage their weapons. It was the reason why he had so many scars from arrowheads—archers were his worst enemies. But now, armed with a longbow of his own, things would be different.

He steadied his breathing as he fixated his gaze on the man he had targeted, willing himself to focus. He had been able to hit a tree in the forest, but he had never hit something from this far of a distance before. If he wanted to strike the archer on the crenellation, he would need all of his concentration. Breathing in slowly, he drew back the bowstring to the corner of his mouth, sent a quick prayer to the Brerratic god of hunting, and then loosed the arrow.

It was too dark to see the arrow’s trajectory, but after a moment, he heard a faint outcry and saw the archer to the right fall down. He blinked in surprise. I did it. I didn’t hit the one I was aiming for, but I hit something. Suddenly aware that he was still standing in the open, he ducked behind the wall again to hide from the other archer’s sight. Peeking around the corner, he saw that the remaining knight had done the same thing. He had vanished behind a merlon, likely scouting the area for whoever had struck down his partner.

Crow clicked his tongue. It would be a lot more difficult to hit the second bowman while his guard was up, especially since he had probably only struck the first one on a fluke. He gazed out at the curtain wall as he thought of a way to draw the man out of hiding. An idea formed, and he shifted uncomfortably, glancing back up at the crenellation. Was it really worth the risk? If I don’t shoot him, he’ll just alert the guards inside the castle, and this mission will be over before it even began, he sighed. Well, here goes nothing.

Stepping out from behind the wall, he ran into the field and headed straight for the keep. As he made his way towards the castle, he eyed the battlement where the remaining archer had hidden. As expected, the man appeared from behind a merlon as soon as he spotted the thief out in the open.

Moving quickly, Crow skidded to a stop and pulled another arrow from his quiver. He loaded his own bow and, taking aim as fast as he could, drew back the string to loose the arrow. He sent it flying and started to keep moving so he wouldn’t be a sitting target. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite fast enough. He gritted his teeth as he felt something pierce his left leg, just above his knee. The archer on the battlement had drawn faster than him. Despite taking a hit, however, he saw that his shot hadn’t been entirely fruitless either. The figure on the roof clutched his arm, seeming to have been grazed by his arrow. In the next instant, he crumpled to the ground as the henbane worked its magic.

With the immediate threat of the archers out of the way, Crow took a moment to check his injury. He jogged over to the curtain wall to take advantage of the shadow in case he had missed any other knights, forcing himself to ignore the pain of the arrowhead imbedded in his leg. Once he was confident that he was safe, he shifted to the right, taking his weight off of the wounded leg as he inspected the severity, thankful that the darkness hid the blood from his sight. Though it pained him, it didn’t look like the arrow had pierced too deeply. He would be able to keep moving as long as he withstood the discomfort and was careful not to make it worse.

He looked up at the giant wall in front of him and then back down to the arrow shaft protruding from his leg, chewing on the inside of his lip in thought. If he tried to climb up to the third floor now, the shaft would catch on the divots in the stonework, but he couldn’t just take it out either. Removing the arrow would cause him to lose blood every time he put pressure on his left leg during the climb, and he didn’t want to arrive at the palace light-headed.

With only one option left, he reached for the shaft with both hands and grasped it firmly. Taking a steeling breath, he pulled the arrow in opposite directions until it snapped, leaving just a short piece attached that would be less likely to snag on the wall. He tossed aside the part of the shaft that he had broken off and tentatively put weight on his left leg. The sting of the arrowhead caused him to wince, but it wasn’t unbearable. He could handle it until he had time to treat the wound later on.

Finally ready to scale the wall, Crow stopped leaning on it and turned around to get a good look at the stonework. His earlier guess had been correct—the stone slabs were much smoother and wider than the ones that made up the castle in Brerra. However, there were still some creases between each slab and divots caused by weather damage that he could use to climb it. He laced his fingers together and pushed his arms forward, stretching out his wrists, Let’s do this.

Reaching up, he grabbed hold of a crease with his left hand and found a pockmark with his right boot that he could use to lift himself up. Once he was off the ground, he stretched up higher to grip a large crack with his left hand, hugging his body close to the wall. So far, it looked like he wouldn’t have any trouble reaching the window on the third floor.

He continued to climb until he made it to what he guessed was the second level of the castle, where he paused to catch his breath. I forgot how exhausting this is, he thought, closing his eyes and resting his cheek against the soothingly cold stone. After a moment, he looked up again to see how much farther he had to go before he would reach the window. Even though there was only one more floor to climb up, it still looked far away. He groaned inwardly, Why do kings like tall ceilings so much? There’s nothing wrong with putting the third floor a little lower to the ground so thieves can reach it easier. So inconsiderate.

Not wanting to risk getting caught out in the open, Crow forced his tired body to keep moving towards the window. The last leg of the climb went by slower than the first as he grew more worn out, but he managed to reach the third floor without slipping. It was perfect timing too. As soon as he hauled himself onto the window ledge, he felt a drop of rain on his hand. He looked up at the sky and made a face. Apparently, the clouds in the sky were storm clouds after all. He turned to the window, trying to figure out how to get it open before the rain got heavier.

However, the more he looked, the more convinced he was that the window didn’t open at all. He clicked his tongue in annoyance. Looks like I’m going to have to do this the old fashioned way. First checking to see if there were any guards visible in the hallway, he took an arrow out of the quiver and cocked it back in his hand, aiming the point at the glass. Then, he drove it into the window as hard as he could, turning away and closing his eyes in case any stray shards of glass flew towards him. There was a loud crashing noise as the glass shattered, granting him entrance to the corridor inside.

Crow hopped down from the ledge, careful to avoid the broken shards on the floor, and moved quickly to find a place to hide in case any knights in the castle had been close enough to hear him break in. He found a storage closet nearby and slipped inside, leaving the door cracked open just enough for him to watch the hallway without being seen. His green eyes swept over the empty corridor and his heart began to race anxiously, Come on, Penelope. Where are you?

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I may not be able to get another post done tonight, because my professors hate us and are trying to drown us in homework, but I'm free all day tomorrow after 11! ^^

EDIT: Low-key considering not doing all of the homework, so I might do one more post if I'm not too tired. We'll see though lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow crouched behind a wall as he watched the dinner party in the garden. Noblemen and women chatted idly and danced around a group of troubadours playing music. He sighed impatiently. This is just my luck… He had gotten back to the estate where he had hidden his bow and quiver shortly after leaving the tavern, but he couldn’t get close enough to retrieve the weaponry while the partygoers were there. On top of that, it didn’t look like they would be going anywhere anytime soon. He had been waiting for a while, hidden in the shadow of the manor, but every time it looked like they were finishing up their plates, more servants came outside with a new course of dishes. It was ridiculous how much food they had to eat.

He shifted his weight, starting to get uncomfortable from kneeling in the same position for so long, and glanced up at the darkening sky. The sun had just about vanished over the western horizon, and he wasn’t even close to the castle. If he didn’t get moving soon, he would be late to meet Penelope. He didn’t want her to worry that something had happened to him, or worse, try to finish the mission on her own when she had no prior experience with stealing. Besides, she shouldn’t be the one to risk her life by touching the king’s staff, he added, nervously tugging at the grass beneath his feet. He couldn’t keep waiting around. He had to do get his bow back.

His eyes swept over the garden as he tried to come up with a way to get past the nobles. It was dark out, so he doubted they would be able to see his face if he approached them directly and caused a commotion, but he didn’t want to risk scaring them and causing them to alert the local guards. That would bring all kinds of problems for him to make it back to the keep without getting caught. No, he would have to lure them away more subtly.

He looked over the individual nobles, trying to figure out which one was the lord of the estate. It was a difficult task to do from a distance in the darkness, but after a bit of searching, he spotted a man in an especially extravagant outfit sitting at the head of the table with a woman who was probably his wife. With the way their eyes kept flitting over the party guests, as if they were trying to ensure that everyone was having a good time, they definitely looked like the hosts.

Target acquired, Crow drew his dagger from his boot and slipped out from his hiding place. He walked across the lawn of the estate, moving with purpose so no one would find him suspicious. The nobles didn’t even spare him more than a passing glance as he made his way towards the table, and with the numerous servants bustling about to take care of their masters, he blended right in.

The thief eyed the wealthy nobleman at the head of the table, swallowing his fear as he poised his dagger. It’s dark out, he thought calmingly. I won’t even see the blood. Before he could change his mind, he walked past the noble’s chair and lifted his blade to drag a shallow cut across the back of the man’s neck, and then moved away to hide behind a tree before anyone could notice him.

The noble winced and slapped a hand to the place the dagger had cut. “I think something stung me,” he muttered, squinting at his hand to see if he had squashed an insect. Seeing nothing, he snorted and shook his head. However, after a moment, he knit his brow confusedly, clenching and unclenching his hand. He turned slowly to his wife, his mouth flapping wordlessly, and then toppled out of his chair into the grass.

Upon seeing this, one woman screamed, drawing the attention of all the others. They began rushing around to gather the poisoned man up and carry him inside the manor to see the physician of the house. Crow grinned to himself. This had been much easier than he had expected. He twirled his dagger in his hand, thankful that the henbane was working better than he could have hoped, and slid it back into its hidden sheath in his boot.

With the crowd out of the way, he stepped over to the bush he had stowed his bow and quiver beneath and reached under it to retrieve them. Fortunately, both were still where he had left them, completely untouched. He slung the weaponry over his shoulder and walked around the edge of the garden to leave. He didn’t want to stick around until the physician realized the nobleman had been poisoned intentionally. Although he doubted the truth would be discovered anytime soon, he also needed to get to the castle before it got to be too late.

He rounded a tree, heading for the curtain wall, and then stopped as his eyes fell on the bronze statue of Aeklora again. It may have been his imagination, but it almost seemed like she was watching him with sadness in her lifeless gaze. Despite his urgency to get to the keep, he lingered by the goddess figure. “What?” he narrowed his eyes at her, feeling a pang of defensiveness. “It’s not like I killed him. Besides, this is all to stop a war. I’m helping him, and all the rest of your precious Younisians.”

Crow shifted his weight, uncomfortably aware of how irrational he was being. It’s just a statue. I’m wasting my time... I should get going before someone sees me here. Despite the logic of his thoughts, he couldn’t make his feet move. He stood still, staring at the bronze goddess as if he expected her to come to life.

Suddenly, his feelings of defensiveness were replaced with a sharp wave of anger. He curled his hands into fists at his side. Aeklora, Aeklora, Aeklora… Cursed witch! I just want to steal the staff and leave this godsforsaken kingdom, yet here I am, arguing with a statue because I’m afraid of getting on the bad side of some overprotective goddess! In a fit of impulsiveness, the thief picked up a rock from the ground and hurled it at the bronze figure. It bounced off of her head with a loud clang that made him cringe.

“Damn it,” he muttered, glancing over his shoulder to see the door of the manor open as a servant with a lantern came outside to see where the noise had come from. It wouldn’t be long before the boy reached his hiding spot. He had to get away before that happened. With no time to lose, he spun around on his heel and ran away from the statue as fast as he could, ignoring the chill that trickled down his spine as he felt its eyes on his back.

Crow sprinted through the citadel, weaving between buildings to avoid being spotted by the night guards in the town, until he came to a stop in an alley near the curtain wall. He leaned back against the side of one building, panting as he caught his breath. In retrospect, it hadn’t been the smartest idea to attack the statue. He just hated how effortlessly Aeklora was able to get under his skin. He wished she would just mind her own godly business and leave the Kingdom of Younis to its own affairs. It would make his job a lot easier if he didn’t have to worry about being stopped by someone he couldn’t see, hear, or touch.

Too late now, he looked up at the enormous wall that loomed before him. If I pissed her off, I pissed her off. We’ll just have to wait and see. Adjusting the bow and quiver on his back, he stepped out from the alley and began the final walk to the castle’s keep.

Masters of the Sea

@Silence Sounds Hey again! My in-laws just came into town this weekend unexpectedly, so I haven't been able to finish my reply ^^;

Also, I was wondering if you have any ideas for a basic plot for Stefano/Cecily?
I'm having a hard time coming up with anything to write for some reason

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sorry that one took a while! I was working on an online quiz at the same time ^^;

Crow was not prepared for how flirtatious Lily would be xD