Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow nodded, feeling relieved to hear that he hadn’t passed out for very long. He didn’t want to leave the other thieves alone for too long, even if he couldn’t do much to help them. Between the four of them, he was the most skilled at eluding knights, so the least he could do was help them stay safe if they hadn’t been caught already. He swallowed nervously as the unwelcome image of his companions being cornered by a patrol entered his mind. Not knowing what had become of them or if they were even still alive, he wanted to start looking right away. He couldn’t wait around while there was still a chance that he could do something to help them get away from the knights.

He glanced back at Penelope as she announced that she would go with him. Shifting slightly, he thought about the repercussions that she might face if any of her comrades saw her out in the forest with him. He didn’t want her to risk getting caught if something went wrong. While she had made it perfectly clear that she planned to leave her life behind to be with him, he didn’t want to take her away from it until after the war was over. He knew she cared a lot about her position as a lieutenant, and with it, she had already able to do a lot of good for the villagers. If she lost that role now, she would no longer have the influence to help them or the people she cared about.

However, he also knew he was in no condition to run if he was spotted by a patrol alone.

“I’m okay,” he sighed. “I just stood up a little too fast.” To prove his point, he dropped his arm and took a step away from the boulder. Holding Penelope’s gaze, he smiled softly, “But… thanks. I’m glad you’re coming with me.” He leaned down to kiss her briefly in an expression of gratitude and then turned to take the lead, “Let’s go find the others.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Works for me!
It wouldn't be too hard for her to find someone in Myrefall, since the disease pretty common.
Little bit of background information: I imagine the disease Crow has to be a waterborne illness that the villagers get from drinking the water there. Children usually don't get it because they have a bit of an immunity to it from drinking the water at a young age. The people who get it are almost always around the age of 30 or a little older, and they contract it if they get sick with a cold or something else that compromises their immune systems. Crow only got it as early as he did because he left Myrefall when he was young and lost his tolerance. Also, the other thieves didn't get sick just because they got lucky. You can think of it like if you drink tap water in Mexico. Non-natives can get sick from it, but they don't always. It's hit-or-miss depending on if you drink the specific bacterial strain that makes you ill

My knowledge of diseases and stuff is pretty limited, but I think it's fairly realistic from the little I do know xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow blinked, a bit taken aback by the sharpness of Penelope’s tone. He hadn’t expected her to respond so passionately about it. He understood why she was upset, but as a peasant, he also understood why Hazel might be reluctant to partner with a noble. The hatred often stemmed from negative personal experiences, where knights had treated them poorly because of their low class. He didn’t know what Hazel had gone through, but he had heard her talk about nobles with more venom than anyone else he knew. There was obviously some deep rooted hurt in her life that caused her to despise them more than most.

“I’ll try to talk to her,” he sighed, reaching to take Penelope’s hand in his. “I just don’t know if she’ll listen to me. We don’t have... the greatest history.” He shifted uncomfortably. “I hurt her a few years ago, and she hasn’t let me forget it. Honestly, I barely convinced her to come here to help me in the first place. I think she’s just doing it for the villagers in Myrefall, and the fact that I’ll be healed too is just a side effect to her.” He shook his head. “To ask her to work with a noble when she’s already barely willing to work with her patient might be a stretch.”

Even if Hazel agreed to work with the physician Penelope had in mind, he had to wonder how they were going to keep the meetings a secret from the other thieves. As things were, the herbalist was already being forced to do most of her medicinal work during the night. If she had to leave at any other time of the day, it was going to be difficult to explain to the others without alerting them to the fact that something else was going on.

The others, Crow’s eyes widened as he suddenly remembered that the knights had sent out patrols to hunt them down. Without thinking, he jumped to his feet, only to immediately regret the action when a sharp wave of dizziness made him press a hand to the boulder for support. “Damn it,” he muttered, shaking his head. Turning back to Penelope, he went on urgently, “How long was I out? I need to find my companions and make sure they’re alright.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I don't have a lot in mind right now
Also, I just got back, so I can write my reply now ^^

I'm excited to see them interact lol Hazel is super rude towards anyone she doesn't like, so they probably won't get along at all.
I'm curious how they'll go about figuring out a treatment for the disease though. As a general rule, physicians would have to see a patient in person to treat them, so Hazel would either have to bring Crow with her or find someone else in Myrefall who has the illness too. I'm thinking it would depend on whether or not the physician would recognize him, since he's made such a name for himself as a thief.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Okay! Sounds good :)
Honestly lol I never expect like half of the things that happen

I’m currently at the SS Administration to get my name changed, so I might not be able to reply for a bit
Procrastination yay

I’d be down to work on plot ideas and stuff though, because this place is as boring as the DMV xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Right? ^^;
They were sneaky about it too. They waited until after my friends and I left, because they knew we weren't okay with it
They also drank super fast, so by the time my husband realized what they were doing and took the alcohol away from them, they were already really drunk
We agreed they're not allowed to drink at our place anymore xD
Also, I'm pretty sure one of them got reamed by his wife when she picked him up lmao

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow lowered his gaze again as Penelope spoke. He was well aware of how dangerous it would be for him to go into the next battle in his condition. It was something he had been concerned about, himself. However, he also knew that he couldn’t just stand by because of the risks. Even if there was a chance he would pass out during the battle, he had to at least try to help the villagers. Besides, by now he knew the signs that led up to the point when he was too tired to stay conscious, so he could always slip out of the fighting if he felt too weak to continue. Surely it wasn’t as dangerous as Penelope thought… Right?

He looked up to reassure her that everything would be fine, but she spoke first, asking a question that he didn’t expect. Unsure what she was hinting at, he waited for her to go on before replying. As she explained that there were physicians in the knights’ camp, he raised a brow in interest. Even amongst the outer villages, it was common knowledge that the trained healers of the inner kingdom were much more skilled than any peasant herbalist could ever hope to be. It was a fact that often left a bitter taste in the thief’s mouth, since the villagers needed medical aid much more than the pampered nobles ever would, yet they were the ones who hardly received it. Noble physicians rarely traveled to the outer villages, and when they did, it was almost always to treat a sick or wounded knight.

The thought of turning to one of them for help was both intriguing and off-putting to him. He was drawn by the idea of getting treated by someone with so much skill in healing, since a trained physician would probably have a better understanding of how to approach his illness. Hazel was talented as an herbalist, but she was still limited to the knowledge of the few books she owned and the results of trial and error. A healer from the inner kingdom might be able to come to a conclusion about how to treat him much faster than she could, simply because of the formal education she lacked.

On the other hand, he disliked the thought of turning to a physician because of his hatred for nobles. He didn’t want to be healed by someone who was only willing to look for a cure because of the risk it might bring to the knights. Even if Hazel wasn’t professionally trained like they were, he preferred her help, because she was doing it for the villagers. Her motives lined up with his own, and he liked that about working with her.

But still, Crow frowned. Even if a physician wouldn’t intend to heal myself or the villagers, this could be a huge opportunity. If they’re able to figure out a cure for this illness, many people will be saved. He sighed. It seemed like he was going to have to lay down his pride and accept the help, whether he liked it or not.

“I think it’s not a bad idea,” he said thoughtfully. “The only problem is that Hazel might not be willing to work with someone from the inner kingdom.” He shook his head. “I honestly think she hates nobles even more than I do. It’s going to be hard to convince her to meet with one in person, let alone work alongside them.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Hey, sorry for not getting a post up last night. I was going to after my meeting, but I came home to find that my husband's friends got super drunk, so we had to babysit them all night @.@
Twas a very dick move of them, since he and I don't like guests getting wasted like that at our house

I'll get started on one as soon as I get some breakfast!

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sorry that one took a while ^^;
I'm still hanging out with my husband a bit

Crow really needed that hug

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow wrapped his arms around Penelope as she embraced him, pressing close to her as he sought comfort in her touch. He still wished he hadn’t needed to tell her about his illness, but he found that her reaction was surprisingly soothing to him. Until now, he had been dealing with it on his own—even Hazel, who was trying to treat him, didn’t do much to support him in other ways—so it was nice to have someone else come alongside him in the midst of it all.

At her reassuring words, he nodded faintly. He wished he could bring himself to feel so confident. Before Hazel’s help, he had been doubtful he would find a cure for his illness. Now, even though he had the herbalist working every night to figure out how to treat him, he was only slightly more hopeful. His mood waxed and waned depending on his condition. When he was feeling well, he felt more strongly that he would make it, but whenever he had another episode, he lapsed back into worrying and doubt. It was hard to stay positive when his health changed so often.

As Penelope went on to tell him that she wasn’t going to leave him no matter what, he frowned, feeling a pang of guilt. Part of the reason he had chosen not to turn her down when she had told him she wanted to be with him was because he knew they could always part ways later. Now, it was starting to sound like she wasn’t going to do that, even if it meant that she would lose everything. The news was concerning to him. He didn’t want her to give up everything just to stay by his side if he was going to die. She deserved so much more than that. He couldn’t take that away from her.

At her final words, he winced, knowing them to be true as well. It was the same thing Hazel had been trying to get through his head for the past few days. However, hearing it come from Penelope made him take the warning a bit more seriously.

“I know,” he murmured with a sigh, burying his head against her neck. “But it’s not like I can do anything about it. I have to protect my companions and the villagers.” He pulled back from her slightly, just enough to meet her gaze. “I’m being as careful as I can, but I’m not going to run away just because I’m ill. There are too many lives at stake.”