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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

They're slowly getting closer again, and I love it x3

He didn'ttttt
He straight up just posted a note like 'sorry guys, I don't actually have the file, so you're on your own'
My professors are clearly very put together this semester xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow’s heartbeat quickened as Penelope smiled at him, and he blushed slightly, knowing she had probably reacted that way because of his sudden eagerness to learn more about her plans. Despite his countless internal chidings that he couldn’t view her as more than an acquaintance anymore, he couldn’t help but find her smile attractive. He missed when she used to look at him like that every day, and even though he knew that time was long in the past, he was glad that she was doing it again now. Maybe it was okay to relax around her, at least a little bit.

As she went on to tell him about how she had given false orders on the battlefield, he raised a brow in amusement. It seemed that she hadn’t gone back to simply being a rule-obeying knight after all. He wondered if her disregard for orders that she disagreed with was a lingering impact from her time with him, just like how his care for other people besides himself had come from being around her.

Once Penelope had finished speaking, Crow stood up from the table with her. He gazed at her for a moment, feeling a swell of appreciation for her determination to help the peasants of the outer villages. It was encouraging to hear that she intended to use her high rank to try to make a difference for his people. The more they talked, the more it sounded like she was still the same Penelope he had fallen for two years ago, which was reassuring to know.

Simon was wrong, he smiled to himself. People change, but she hasn’t changed that much.

As they walked towards the door of the tavern, he turned to her with a grin. “I’m not worried,” he said confidently. “Because I’m certain you’ll be able to convince them.” He drew his hood and opened the door, nodding in a curt goodbye. “I’ll see you in two days, love.” With nothing left to discuss, he turned and began the long walk back to the ravine.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow got a little bit excited x3

Thanks! I'm waiting for my professor to upload some resources to his website before I can start on some of it though :'D
I'm going on an overnight trip with some friends Fri-Sat, so I need to get done with as much as I can before then

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow had been hoping that Penelope would just take the hint and move on to tell him about what she had learned about the knights since their last meeting, but to his surprise, she didn’t do so right away. He hung on her words, unsure what to think about the sincerity in her voice as she spoke them. It sounded like she still cared about him to some degree at least. He shifted in his chair, biting his tongue as the temptation to spill everything to her resurfaced once more. Why did she have to make everything so confusing? They weren’t close anymore, but she was still so kind to him. It was hard for him to think of her as just a formal acquaintance when she spoke with such concern. He found himself wanting to reassure her that even though he had changed, he was still the man she had known two years ago.

It doesn’t matter, he reminded himself sternly. Whether I tell her or not, nothing is going to change between us. There’s no point in even bringing it up. Feeling a bit more resolute, he listened quietly to Penelope while she went on to tell him that there wouldn’t be as many patrols for a while, and the knights didn’t plan on attacking Younis again for at least a couple weeks. It was all good news to the thief, since he knew that his group needed time to recover as well. Rikki would be unable to leave the camp for a while, and he and Alistair needed to wait for their wounds to heal before they could safely take on an enemy again. Among the four of them, Simon was currently the only one in any condition to risk a fight.

Crow was about to get ready to leave again when Penelope said something else that piqued his interest. He eyed her curiously as she said that the knights might be willing to put a rule in place to protect the villagers. It was something that he had never expected them to even consider, since they had been so focused on winning against the Younisians that they didn’t care who got in their way until now. He felt a small bubble of hope rise up in his chest. If Penelope could pull this off, it would be good news for all of the people in the outer villages, and he and the other thieves wouldn’t be so strained to protect them against both sides whenever battles occurred in the future.

“That’s great,” he said with eagerness slipping into his voice that he was too excited to contain. “When will you be speaking to them? Do you think they’re going to listen?” He blinked, realizing he had broken his stoic façade, and forced his emotions into check as he went on, “You’ll have to tell me how that conversation goes. I’d like to know.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sweet. I'll be around all day because I'm staying home to do homework ^^;

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow flinched at Penelope’s sharp tone when she responded to his question. He felt his heart drop a bit as she seemed to confirm that she didn’t approve of this new change in him, and he continued to look away, unable to meet her gaze. He wished he didn’t care so much. What business was it of hers to accuse him of anything when he was only doing what was necessary to protect his people? She had trained since childhood to do the same for hers. Was he supposed to stand back and watch the villagers die, just because he wasn’t a knight?

His initial shame began to give way to anger as he prepared to defend himself, but before he could say anything, Penelope spoke again in a gentler voice. The switch caught him off guard, so for a moment, he just looked up again to stare at her. Sitting across from her now, he couldn’t help but think about the way they used to be with each other. The softness of her expression reminded him of the way she used to look at him, and her concerned tone reminded him of the way she used to speak to him.

He found himself suddenly longing to open up to her again and tell her everything—how difficult the war had been, how his issue with blood had gotten worse before it had gotten better, how he wished he hadn’t have needed to make some of the decisions he’d had to make… how he wished he could go back to be with her in Farhill and never face this cursed war to begin with.

But he couldn’t.

As much as he wanted to talk to her as they had two years ago, he couldn’t ignore the fact that things were different now. He couldn’t open up like that to the woman who had chosen not to be with him after he had put his whole trust in her. It was too painful.

“That’s a bit of a long story,” Crow finally answered her with a shake of his head. “I told you before that I’ve had to make hard decisions in this war. Learning to fight was just one of the many.” He held her gaze as he went on, “But I’m sure you don’t have time to listen to any of that.” He hoped that the edge in his voice would be enough for her to realize that he didn’t intend to tell her about it. “Let’s just focus on why we came here.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

High key same. I should have gone to bed like an hour ago :'D
Good luck!

I'll write a reply tomorrow

--

EDIT: Crow is struggling so much with holding back with Penelope now

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

We ended up going with Odysseus x3
He already has a pittie named Athena, so it fits the Greek theme lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As promised, Crow and Alistair split off from Simon and Rikki when they reached the knight’s camp. With most of the knights still in Whitebridge, they made quick work of raiding their liquor stores and managed not to run into any trouble. They stole as many bottles as they could carry and escaped back to their hideout in the ravine without getting caught.

Once they arrived back in the camp, the thieves divided up the spoils. Crow only took two bottles for himself, since he still made a point to avoid getting drunk. However, this time he didn’t shy away from drinking enough to feel the alcohol take at least a little bit of an effect on his body. After all, he deserved to have some fun after he had spent the whole morning protecting a village from war. With the knights still recovering from the battle, it was the perfect opportunity.

He sat with the others around a campfire that Simon had built, laughing and enjoying each other’s company now that the stress of the fighting was all over. Having all made it back alive and mostly unscathed, there was plenty to celebrate, and it was nice to forget about the gruesome sights of the war for a short time while they did so.

Eventually, the sun sank past the western horizon and darkness fell over the forest. Crow got up and put his cloak back on in preparation to make the short trip to Myerfall. He sighed softly as he drew his hood, still worried about what she was going to say to him after everything that had happened that day. He didn’t know how to make her understand.

“You’re still going to meet with that knight?” Simon’s voice appeared from behind him.

He turned around to see the thief standing with his arms crossed and frowned, “Of course. She gave us good information the last time. What’s the problem?”

“I don’t understand your affinity for her,” Simon narrowed his eyes. “You saw the knights today. They were absolutely ruthless towards the people of Whitebridge. Do you really think you can trust her after that?”

“I saw her in the battle,” Crow shook his head. “She wasn’t attacking the villagers; she was protecting them from the Younisians.”

Simon hesitated for a moment, “Are you sure you weren’t just seeing what you wanted to?”

“She was right in front of me,” Crow snapped at him and then froze, a bit taken aback by his own hostility. He lowered his gaze, going on in a quieter tone, “I know what I saw.”

Simon’s eyes hardened, “Why are you trying so hard to defend a knight?”

“Why are you trying so hard to attack her?” Crow accused in return.

“I’m just trying to make sure you remember why we’re here,” Simon said coldly. “The knights are not our friends. I don’t know what you think you’re going to get out of meeting with this woman, but don’t forget where your loyalties lie, Crow.”

“And you don’t forget that I’m the leader here,” Crow said with a warning curl of his lip. “You may not agree with all of my decisions, but they’re still mine to make.” He took a step back from Simon. “I’ll be back later.” With that, he turned and climbed up the side of the ravine to begin the walk to Myrefall.

--

When he arrived in the village, he was still feeling out of sorts from his confrontation with his companion. He and Simon had butted heads before, but the other thief had always relented to his authority in the end. This was the first time Simon had been concerned enough about a matter to continue arguing over it for more than one day. Crow was beginning to worry about the effect it might have on their respect for each other.

He pushed open the door to the tavern to find that Penelope was already waiting for him inside. His heart beat a little quicker at the sight of her, but he still didn’t have to try hard to keep a neutral expression as he approached her table. After such a long day, he was too tired to get outwardly excited about seeing her.

The thief sat down a bit heavily in a chair across from the knight. A wench came by to ask if he wanted anything to drink, but he waved her off. After having already drank with the others, he didn’t want anything more that night.

He leaned back in his chair and lowered his hood, eyeing Penelope from across the table for a moment as he tried to read her expression. He wanted to know whether or not he should be prepared for her to question him over his actions on the battlefield. However, he ended up finding himself more interested in her green eyes than anything else, and he forced himself to look away again.

“So,” he said, breaking the silence between them. “What have you found out since the last time we met?” He hoped that by getting straight to the point, she would be deterred from asking him about the battle.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I can work with any of those options tbh
You can go with whatever feels like the most natural progression ^^

I still like the idea of Crow fighting with Layth though, so we can definitely throw that in next time

I just got home, so I'll get started on my reply!
We stayed late to name our friend's new cat as a group xD