Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

We might be a little opposite then ^^;
Your 3 is my 4, and I have my meeting from 6 to 9 on Sunday :'D

Crow got really excited about this cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“I’ve told you before never to trust a thief,” Crow leaned into Penelope’s side teasingly. “Although I think it’s much more fun when you ignore that advice, because this thief will always keep you on your toes. That’s a promise.” Giving her hand a gentle tug, he guided her toward the southern hillside. As they walked he was careful to follow a path that would be easy for the knight to take without tripping, since he didn’t want her to get hurt. Fortunately, it wasn’t much of a concern because the place to which he intended bring her wasn’t terribly far from the thieves’ makeshift camp.

Crow led Penelope through the forest for a while, not speaking much since he was mostly focused on making sure she had a clear route between the foliage. Already, he could feel his heart beginning to race with excitement. He had been looking forward to sharing this place with the knight for a long time now, and even though this hadn’t been the way he had expected it to happen, he was glad she was finally coming with him to see it.

Eventually, he began to notice familiar scenery, indicating that they were almost there. “Alright, we’re getting close, so no peeking,” he said to Penelope, giving her hand a stern squeeze.

After walking just a bit further, he came to a stop and let go of Penelope’s hand, moving to stand behind her as he rested his hands on her shoulders. “We’re here,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek once more before reaching to lift the blindfold from her eyes. Once he had taken it off, he wrapped his arms around her torso and rested his chin against her shoulder, taking in the sight as she did.

They were standing on the edge of a short cliff overlooking a lake. The ridge circled around the water to the right, where a distant waterfall could be seen, reflected in the moonlight. Below, the dark water of the lake mirrored the moon and stars above. However, because of the cascades of the waterfall, the reflection was distorted in rippling waves that gave it an almost dreamlike quality. It was a peaceful spot, and it was one of the thief’s favorite places in the outer villages.

“Well, what do you think?” Crow turned to her with a smile. “Was it worth the walk?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

No bueno
Good luck with that ^^;

I won't be on much on Saturday, because my family is coming into town for the weekend
Depending on when they leave, I might have some time on Sunday. Other than that, I'll be busy til Monday

Crow got a little adventurous

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As Crow watched Rikki and the others get ready to leave, he couldn’t help but wonder how much longer he would be able to keep his secrets from them. Penelope had only joined them for one night, and Hazel had already made the connection that they were more than just acquaintances. Granted, she had known a bit more than he expected because of the things Evelyn had told her, but still, it was getting harder to come up with excuses to keep the other thieves in the dark.

Rikki caught sight of him staring and offered a friendly wave goodbye as she turned to follow her companions out of the camp. He mirrored the gesture. Of all the thieves, she was going to be the most difficult to fool. She was the keenest to his lies—except perhaps for Hazel, who was proving to be a nuisance at reading his facial expressions—and the closest to him in general. Continuing to sneak around her without getting caught was going to stretch his creativity.

It wasn’t long before the thieves and herbalist left, and Crow found himself alone with Penelope. Almost as soon as they were all out of sight, he felt her plant a kiss on his cheek. He turned to her with a sly smile when she asked if he was ready to go. “Almost,” he said, returning her kiss briefly before rising to his feet. “I just need to get something first.” Without any further explanation, he stepped over to the supplies his companions had managed to bring from their camp in the short time they’d had to leave. Crouching down, he dug through a couple of bags, angling his body to block their contents from the knight’s sight.

After a bit of searching, he withdrew the object he had been looking for and stood up, hiding it behind his back as he walked over to Penelope again. “I had an idea to make this a bit more fun, but you’re going to have to trust me,” he smirked at her mischievously. Circling around to stand behind her, he rested one hand on her waist and touched his lips to her neck, kissing her softly as he pulled her close to himself. While it wasn’t the surprise he had intended to give her, he couldn’t help playing with her a bit by making her wait for it.

The thief slid his arm around her torso as he kissed her, meeting his other hand across her body and then slowly working his way up to her head with the object he had taken gripped in both hands. In the next moment, he grinned at her wryly and covered her eyes with a strip of clean bandage that he had turned into a makeshift blindfold.

He tied the cloth behind her head and laughed, “Got you.” Pressing a swift kiss to her cheek, he reached to take her hand in his, so that he could lead her by touch. “Okay, now we’re ready to go.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Okay! I'll probably be in bed by then, since I've got an early morning tomorrow

Rikki may have just tried to pair everyone off xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“You’ll see,” Crow winked at Penelope when she asked where he wanted to go. He was glad she was willing to stay up a bit later to get away with him one more time. While he enjoyed the time they had together in the thieves’ temporary camp, he wanted to fit in as much time alone with her as he could get before she had to leave to get back to the other knights in the morning. As long as his companions were around, he couldn’t get as close to her as he wanted to, and after everything that happened that day, he had no idea when they would be able to see each other again.

He turned back to watch the other thieves, hoping to find an opportune moment to slip away from them, but then stopped as he locked eyed with Hazel across the fire. The herbalist seemed to be observing him and Penelope much more closely since their conversation in the woods. Not sure what to think about that, he held her gaze unwaveringly until she looked away. Letting out his breath in a quiet sigh, he leaned back on his palms and subtly slid one hand over to rest against the knight’s, taking advantage of the darkness to get just a little bit closer to her without arousing suspicion. Now that he knew Hazel was watching them, he was more eager than ever to get out of the camp and away from her critical gaze.

With the herbalist looking away from them, a short and somewhat peaceful moment passed. Crow stretched his legs out and closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the fire on his face and the comfort of Penelope’s presence at his side. He found himself wishing that she could just stay with him instead of returning to her own camp. It would be nice to have her around all the time, but he knew he couldn’t ask such a thing of her. She had her own responsibilities in the war, ones that he knew she couldn’t simply abandon to join a band of thieves. It wasn’t that easy.

The brief silence was interrupted as the sound of approaching footsteps drew his attention. He opened his eyes again to see that Rikki had come over to sit by his other side. As usual, the female thief leaned in close to him, and he had to force himself not to pull away from her as she spoke, “You’re awfully quiet tonight, hmm?”

“Just a bit tired,” Crow lied with a shrug, not wanting her to know that he was distancing himself from them to be with Penelope.

“Too tired to come drinking with us in Azmar?” she nudged him playfully. “The rest of us are going out to celebrate all five of us making it here alive.”

“Even Simon?” he quirked a brow in surprise.

“Yeah,” she grinned. “Hazel convinced him to come.” Leaning in even closer to him, she lowered her voice to a whisper. “I think he fancies her.”

“Is that so?” Crow bit his tongue to stifle an amused smirk at Rikki’s quick perception.

“I’d bet money on it,” she nodded. “Anyway, you should come with us. It’ll be fun.” Peering around him, she casted Penelope a friendly smile. “You should come too. Alistair gets pretty fun when he’s drunk.” She winked at the knight suggestively, and Crow averted his gaze, biting back a laugh.

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’m going to have to pass this time,” he said with a yawn, and then glanced at the knight. “And I’m sure Penelope wouldn’t want to make the trip back to her camp hungover. Right, love?”

“Are you sure?” Rikki deflated slightly. Her eyes flicked towards Penelope for a moment, before she looked back at him and went on in a murmur, “I was kind of hoping we could pick up that raincheck tonight…”

“Sorry,” he shrugged apologetically. “Not this time.”

The female thief shook her head and let out a quiet huff, “You’re the first man I’ve met who has more resolve than I do. But fine. Just don’t keep me waiting around much longer. This girl’s got needs too.”

“Alright,” he rolled his eyes as she stood up again to rejoin his other companions as they prepared to leave for Azmar.

Turning back to Penelope, he grinned excitedly, “Looks like we won’t need an excuse to leave now, as long as we wait for them to go first.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

You did fine! ^^

Was not expecting any of that post wow

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow stepped off to the side with Hazel as the other thieves headed back into the valley with Penelope. He watched them for a moment until they were out of earshot before turning to the herbalist curiously. “What did you want to say?” he asked.

“First of all,” Hazel punched him in the arm. “That’s for bringing one of them into the camp,” she snarled. “What’s gotten into you, huh? The last time I saw you, you never would have trusted a knight, and now I hear you’ve been working with one? I don’t know if I like this change in you, snake.”

“What’s the problem with it?” Crow glared at her, rubbing his arm where she had hit him. “Penelope is the only reason we’re all still alive right now. If she hadn’t come to warn us about those patrols, you and I would probably both be dead. Why can’t you just accept the fact that this particular knight isn’t like the rest?”

“Because they’re all the same,” Hazel spat. “I don’t know what she thinks she’s going to gain from helping you, but I do know that she’s only looking out for herself. It’s just how they are.”

“That’s not true,” he retorted. “If you would just talk to her for ten minutes, you’d see—”

“I am not going to talk to a noble,” she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

“You sound just like them,” Crow crossed his arms. “You know that’s how they think of us, right? They think we’re all the same, because we’re peasants and criminals. Why are they wrong about us, but you can’t be wrong about them?”

“It’s not the same,” Hazel muttered and then narrowed her eyes at him. “Why are you defending this noblewoman so fiercely anyway? I know you’ve seen the worst side of them, just like I have. Why are you giving this one special treatment?”

“I knew her before,” he answered vaguely. “Trust me. She’s not like the other knights. Not even close.” He shook his head. “The help she’s offering us is genuine, and I’m not going to waste the opportunity to accept it.”

“Wait a minute,” Hazel’s eyes widened. “You knew her before?”

Crow shifted uneasily, not liking the look in her eyes. “Yes, why?”

“Mother told me,” she went on slowly. “Almost two years ago, when I went to visit her… She said you had been there.”

Crow paled, realizing where she was going with this, “W-wait. It’s not—”

“She said you had been waiting for a woman; someone you had grown smitten with but who never showed up.”

“Darling, please. I didn’t—”

“And earlier, you said there was someone in your life you were in love with.”

“Hazel—”

“Oh my gods,” the herbalist’s eyes grew even rounder. “She’s the woman, isn’t she? The one from back then. She’s the one you were talking about earlier too.” When he didn’t respond, she inhaled sharply. “Oh my gods, Crow! A knight? Are you out of your mind?”

Crow flinched as she began to raise her voice and glanced towards the valley to see if anyone else had heard her. “Please be quiet,” he hissed, turning back to her pleadingly. “The others are right past the hillside. They’re going to hear you.”

“I can’t believe this!” Hazel went on, ignoring his request. “Of all the women you could possibly fall for, it had to be a knight? No. No way. I’m going to put a stop to this madness. I’m telling your friends about this. I’m sure they’ll knock some sense into you.” She turned to walk away, and he stared after her in horror. The others couldn’t find out—not yet, anyway. They would never understand.

Before he had a chance to think, Crow caught Hazel by the arm and pulled her back, pinning her against himself so she couldn’t get away. She opened her mouth to protest, but he quickly covered it with his free hand. “I’m sorry, love, but I can’t let you do that,” he said quietly. He winced as he felt her drive her heel into his foot, but refused to let go. “Damn it, Hazel,” he snapped. “For once in your life, just listen to me!” Taking a calming breath, he went on softly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be so rough with you. I just panicked.” He shook his head. “If you promise you won’t run and tell the others—and you’ll hear me out—I’ll let you go. Deal?”

Hazel hesitated for a long moment before giving a wordless nod.

“Thank you,” he slackened his grip on her arm and took a step back. However, in the next instant, he froze in surprise as the herbalist whirled around and slapped him hard across the cheek.

“That was for manhandling me,” she snarled, smoothing down her dress.

“I wouldn’t have done it if you hadn’t threatened me like that,” he muttered defensively, rubbing the side of his face.

“I only threatened you because it sounds like you’ve gone insane,” she huffed. “Anyway, you’d better have a good explanation for all of this, snake, because otherwise I’m not going to keep my mouth shut.”

“I do,” he sighed. Falling silent, he took a moment to steel himself before he went on to tell the herbalist about what had happened between him and Penelope, beginning with their trip together in Younis and ending with their plans to be together after the war. Of course, he didn’t share every detail with her, but he tried to include anything he felt was important for her to understand. When he finished, they both stood without speaking for a moment.

“Well?” he asked tentatively.

Hazel shook her head, running her fingers through her hair, “I don’t know. It’s hard to believe she’s willing to do so much for you.”

“It’s like I said,” he shrugged. “She’s not like other nobles.”

“If everything she said is true.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, “Do you still believe she’s lying?”

“She’s a noble, Crow,” Hazel sighed. “I believe they all lie. However,” she held up a finger as he opened his mouth to protest. “For your sake, I’ll give her a chance. As long as she doesn’t do anything to hurt you, I won’t say anything to your friends. Okay?”

Crow stared at her for a moment, visibly relaxing as he realized he had gotten through to her after all. “Thanks,” he said appreciatively.

“Whatever,” Hazel dug in her bag and tossed him another jar. “Anyway, here’s your medicine for tonight. It’s the same one as last time.”

He caught the container with a nod, downing the liquid inside before returning the empty vessel to her to refill. “We should head back to the others,” he said, glancing over his shoulder at the valley.

“Need to get back to your noble lover?” Hazel asked with an edge of bitter sarcasm.

“You’re never going to leave me alone about this, are you?” he rolled his eyes, leading the way as they headed down the hillside.

“Not a chance, knight-seducer.”

“I thought so.”

When they reached the camp, Crow looked around and saw Penelope sitting by the fire with the other thieves. Walking up from behind her, he moved to sit down at her side and smiled, “How are you doing, love? I hope these criminals aren’t giving you too much trouble.” Glancing up at the others for a moment, he made sure they were all busy with their own conversations before leaning a little closer to the knight and going on in a luring tone, “You know… if you’re not too tired yet, I have something I’d like to show you later. It will require a bit of walking, but I think you’ll find that it’s worth the effort.” He grinned at her eagerly. “What do you say?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Oh okay. I honestly don't know much about how DST works xD
All I know is that the states/countries who use it change the clocks to get extra daylight in the evening in the winter
That's as far as my knowledge goes though
TBH it sounds to me like some dude just wanted to play God because he didn't like the dark

She has no idea :'D

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow grinned as Penelope said she’d like to stay for the night. “Of course it’s all right,” he said, glancing back towards the valley for a moment to make sure they were still alone before leaning in to press a kiss to her lips. Not wanting to linger in case any of his companions came up the hillside to greet him, he pulled back quickly and went on, “Besides, even if the others don’t feel the same way, they picked me to be their leader, so whatever I say goes.” He shrugged. “They can tolerate having a knight around for one night… especially one as beautiful as you.” He winked at her flirtatiously.

In the next moment, he turned back to the valley as he caught sight of a small group making their way towards him and Penelope. The thief felt a wave of relief as he counted four figures amongst them, meaning they had all gotten away safely. He took a few steps towards them to meet them part of the way as they approached.

At the front of the group, Simon halted as his eyes fell on Penelope. “Raven,” he said sternly, glancing back at the female thief over his shoulder. “You didn’t mention he wasn’t alone.”

“Sorry,” Rikki shrugged. “I guess I got too caught up in the moment to notice.”

“Well, it would have been nice to know,” the blonde thief muttered, turning back to face Crow warily. “What’s going on? Why is she here?”

“Calm down,” Crow rolled his eyes. “I ran into a bit of trouble with a patrol, and Penelope helped me out of it. Her camp is far from here, so I told her she could stay with us for the night as thanks for her help.”

“How do you know she won’t just turn around and tell her little armored friends where we’re hiding?” Hazel spoke up accusatively. “I don’t like the idea of a noble knowing where we are.”

“She knew about our last camp and never said anything then,” Crow narrowed his eyes at the herbalist. “She’s already proven to everyone here time and time again that she’s trustworthy. None of you have any grounds to doubt her.”

“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Hazel grumbled.

“Speaking of our last camp,” Alistair spoke up. “Do you know if the knights found it? We had to leave most of the supplies behind to get out quickly.”

Crow shifted his weight, “They did.”

“Damn it,” Rikki spat. “They probably took everything back.”

“We can worry about that tomorrow,” Crow said dismissively. “Right now, Penelope and I need to get settled in. I’m assuming you all made a camp down there, right?”

“Of course,” Rikki nodded. She trotted up to Penelope and linked her arm with the knight’s. “I’ll help you prepare a bed,” she offered with a friendly smile. “We don’t have enough mats, since we weren’t expecting a sixth person, but you can take Alistair’s. He’s fine with sleeping on the ground.”

“Hey!” the other thief protested with a frown.

“Come on,” Rikki tugged on Penelope’s arm, ignoring her friend’s outburst. “Let’s get you settled in.”

Watching the scene in amusement, Crow took a step to follow them into the valley, but stopped when Hazel intercepted him suddenly. “Before you go, I need to talk to you,” she said with a glare.

The thief hesitated, glancing up at Penelope. Desiring to make the most of their extra time together, he wanted to go with her to set up his own bed, but he also knew Hazel didn’t speak with him unless she had something important to say. He let out his breath in a quiet sigh. “Alright,” he nodded at the herbalist and then looked up at the knight with a shrug. “I guess I’ll be back in a bit.”