Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Okay! I'm sure we'll figure something out no matter what you choose ^^

I had a pretty similar idea about that, honestly. The only thing that might be different is that I imagined John would figure them out during the trip back to the inner kingdom (probably catching them kissing or something). I could see Penelope playing off coming along with them as wanting to spend time with her father
We can see how it goes though. I'm open to whatever feels most natural for the story

Oh, also, I had another idea for something interesting after this battle.
Remember the band of thieves Crow originally joined? I was thinking they could show up again about a week or two after the battle and raid the knights' camp. They're much more ruthless than Crow's group, so they would end up killing most or all of the night guards in order to get away. Of course, none of the knights know about them, so it would make sense for Penelope to assume Crow did it, which would cause some tension between them until they could talk and he could explain that it wasn't him.
I just think it would be interesting to bring them back into the story as minor characters, because both the knights and Crow's thieves would have to deal with them.
What do you think?

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EDIT: Thinking about it again, I might want to see what happens with Crow's illness after this battle first. If he takes a dive for the worse (depends on what happens in Grimsby), I think it makes more sense to focus on Hazel and Jane first, and then add the band of thieves in once that part of the story is dealt with, so we don't do too much at once. Still I think it would be super interesting to throw in later cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow listened patiently as Penelope began to tell him about her thoughts on the war. He already knew a bit about how she felt towards everything that was happening, since they shared similar views about how the knights should or should not treat the villagers. Their lack of empathy was the whole reason why he and the other thieves had gotten involved in the first place. However, seeing the sadness on her face brought him a pang of sorrow as well.

He gave her hand a comforting squeeze as she went on to talk about the other two barons, Bennet and her uncle, and how they did nothing to better the situation. It wasn’t surprising to find out that there were such single-minded people in charge of the knights, but he was still a bit disheartened to hear it. He was glad that she had found some others amongst their battalion who were different though. It was encouraging to know that even though their leaders were solely focused on destroying the Younisian frontlines, not all of the knights shared their value to such a degree.

As she asked him about what was going on in his life, he took a moment to ponder the question. “Well, you know about the biggest issue I’ve been facing now,” he shrugged, looking up to hold her gaze. “That was the only thing I was trying to keep from you. Honest.” He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before going on, “Let’s see. Aside from dealing with the illness, I’ve mostly been focusing on getting settled in the new camp. We’ve managed to buy back most of the supplies we lost, but we spent almost all of our money, so we might need to steal the rest of what we need from your camp. It won’t be a big raid though, so I doubt your comrades will even notice we took anything if we do end up looting you.

“Apart from that, there isn’t really much else going on right now. Because of the lull between battles, my companions and I have been spending a lot more of our time relaxing. It’s actually been nice. It sort of reminds me of what our lives used to look like before all the fighting started.” He smiled fondly at the memory. “Back then, we used to be much more carefree. With only ourselves to look out for, we only needed to go on raids every once in a while to get by, so we spent the rest of our time enjoying each other’s company.

“We still try to be together often, but it’s not quite the same anymore,” he sighed, shifting to lay more comfortably against Penelope’s lap. “I think the only ones amongst us who are still able to prioritize quality time are Alistair and Rikki. Simon’s always been a bit of a loner, but he’s withdrawn into himself much more since the battles began. None of us are quite sure why, but he doesn’t want to tell anyone, so we’re not going to ask him.

“I also can’t spend as much time with them anymore, since I have more responsibilities as their elected leader. Whenever additional work comes up, I’m usually the one that has to pick it up, which includes going on more trips and errands.” He frowned slightly. “Lately, since my illness has worsened, Simon’s been taking over some of those duties, but I still don’t see them all as often as I’d like. Now, I tend to sleep through half the day anyway, so I only get to spend time with them in the evenings.

“Honestly, the only one I still spend time with as often as before is Rikki,” he shook his head. “The day you left our camp, Hazel and I decided it would be best for me to tell the others about my illness. When I did, Rikki sort of… got protective, I suppose you could say. She stays by my side as often as she can now as if I could collapse at any moment.” He exhaled softly. “I guess I understand why she’s doing it, but I wouldn’t mind having a little more space to myself, you know?” He opted to leave out the detail about how the female thief had confessed that she wanted to be with him, not because he was unwilling to tell Penelope about it, but because he viewed it as his own problem to deal with. There was no reason for her to get involved when he was more than capable of taking care of it by himself.

“Anyway, even though things are different now because of the war, we’re still making the best of it,” Crow smiled up at her, running his thumb gently over her hand. “I can’t wait for all of this to be over though. I mean, I enjoy being with my companions, but I’d much rather wake up every day next to you, love.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow has learned to value more than just sleeping with Penelope xD

I'm good with whatever you choose!
Here's one other thing you could possibly take into account though: Later on, when John shows up and brings Crow to the inner kingdom to meet with his father, he's probably going to want Penelope to come with him. We could go either way with that, honestly, but if she does go with him, it might be easier for her to leave if Mia has Tomas to rely on in her absence.
I'm open to whatever though, so if you want to take things a different direction, I'm cool with that too ^^

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow closed his eyes and tilted his head slightly as Penelope kissed him along his jaw. He trailed his hand absently around her waistline, enjoying the feeling of her lips against his skin. He loved her touch. The way she kissed him, the gentle caress of her hands on his back, her body pressed against his… all of it made his heart race with a mixture of affection and excitement. Whenever he was with her, he could easily forget about his problems and simply lose himself in her embrace.

As she murmured something about wishing they didn’t have to wait so long to see each other again, he nodded faintly in agreement. “Mm,” the thief moaned softly, leaning in to rest his head against her neck and running his hands along her shoulders and thigh. He pulled back a little as she went on, mirroring her frown at her words. He didn’t want to wait another week to see her again, but he knew she was probably right. Especially if there were going to be two upcoming battles, it would be difficult for either of them to get away sooner.

At her final comment, Crow averted his gaze to glance towards the door in thought. Having not seen her in a whole week and knowing that they wouldn’t meet again for another, he had been hoping they would be able to sleep together again before they parted ways. However, Penelope seemed uncertain about how much longer she would be able to stay out with him, and he didn’t want her to risk getting caught sneaking out of her camp twice in less than ten days. As much as he hated to admit it, it probably wasn’t the best idea to try. Besides that, they didn’t often have the opportunity to simply enjoy each other’s company anymore. Even though he strongly desired to be intimate with her, he valued her companionship too.

After pressing a quick kiss to her lips, he smiled at the knight. “I’m sure you can spare a bit more time,” he said confidently. Feeling affectionate, he swung his legs up onto the bed and laid down, resting his head on her lap. When he had settled down comfortably, he reached to take her hand in his, holding it against his chest as he looked up to meet her gaze. After a moment, he laughed softly and shook his head, “Gods, love. You’re beautiful no matter which angle I look at you.” Giving her hand a playful squeeze, he looked up at her again. “Aside from all that formal meeting stuff, how are you doing?” he asked with an amused smirk. “You haven’t told me about your thoughts on the war, on the knights you’re living with, or anything of the sort.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'm thinking that during the war Crow will be fine during the first battle, which will encourage him to go into the second one, and that's when something will go wrong

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As Penelope leaned in to kiss him, Crow closed his eyes and met her halfway, savoring the feeling of her soft lips moving against his. Now that they were only able to see each other once or twice a week at the most, he relished every moment they had to be intimate with each other, to whatever degree that meant. So, when she pulled back again, he had to force himself not to chase after another kiss. Lowering his gaze to look at their intertwined hands, the thief let out a quiet exhale. He longed for the day when they would be able to be together without parting. Only seeing her on occasion was becoming harder to do with each passing day.

As she spoke up again, he looked up to meet her gaze, feeling a wave of relief when she reluctantly said she would trust him. He was glad that she didn’t insist on telling him to stay away from the battle. It was a promise he didn’t believe he could make, especially if he could find a way to get involved safely. As long as there were options available, he wasn’t going to give up on finding a way to make it work.

At her teasing comment, he rolled his eyes. “Believe me, I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” he leaned into her jokingly. “The next time you see me, I’ll be the one making knights turn tail and flee.” Despite the cockiness of his words, there was a softness in his gaze as he held her worried green eyes. When she leaned against his shoulder, he rested his head on hers and ran his free hand gently over her arm in a comforting gesture.

He shifted slightly as Penelope brought up Hazel. “We spoke,” he said with a hint of reservation in his voice. “But she’s adamant that she doesn’t need a noble’s help to figure this out.” He shook his head. “She’s a proud woman, so I didn’t expect anything less. I can keep trying to convince her until the battle is over, but I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do to change her mind.” Pulling away from her, he looked down to meet her gaze and offered her a half smile. “It’s not all bad though. I have been feeling better lately, so there’s a chance she’s finally gotten on the right track to healing me. We might not need a physician’s help after all.”

Letting go of her hand, Crow slid his arm around Penelope’s waist and leaned in to meet her lips again. He kissed her deeply, running his free hand along her thigh until he finally drew back. “I’m sure everything will work out for the best,” he said breathily, caressing her neck with his hand. “Like I said, I’m not going to give up on our future. One way or another, I’m going to get over this illness.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

He hates it so much, but he also needs it because of his impulses xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow frowned concernedly when Penelope explained that the next battle would happen in two days. If that was the case, then he and the other thieves would need to prepare to leave in the afternoon tomorrow in order to reach Whitebridge and warn the people on time. The location was also concerning to him. It hadn’t been that long since the last battles that had happened near both of those villages. He was worried they wouldn’t be ready to defend themselves so soon when their homes had been ravaged less than a month ago. Even though he understood to a degree why the knights would want to fight the Younisians this way, he wished they had chosen a different place to attack so the villagers would have a chance to recover.

In addition to that, he was also concerned about the risk of a second battle happening directly after the first. Villagers’ safety aside, he didn’t even know if he and his companions could handle something that intense. They almost always took injuries after every major fight, since they didn’t have armor and were far fewer in number than the knights. So, even if they all made it out of the battle in Whitebridge intact, he doubted they would fare so well in Grimsby. He feared that attempting to fight in both battles would leave them in bad condition, and that was if they all made it out alive.

At her final words, Crow averted his gaze without answering. He wasn’t quite sure what to say. He didn’t want to worry her, but he didn’t want to lie to her either. Unfortunately, he had to choose one or the other. After a moment, he let out his breath in a sigh. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he said honestly. “All I know is that I can’t just sit around and do nothing while people are dying.”

Looking up again, he held her gaze stubbornly, “No matter what I decide to do, I promise I’m going to be careful. You can trust me on that. I don’t intend to put myself in a position where I might lose consciousness, because I meant what I said to you before.” He colored slightly as he went on. “That future we talked about… I want that. Even though I have to help protect the villagers, I’m not going to risk our life together if I can avoid it. So please, don’t worry. I’ll be alright.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'm thinking I might make an updated map for the outer villages since the thieves' camp moved
I'll do it if I find time lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow was relieved to hear that the other knights hadn’t given Penelope too much flack for disappearing overnight last week. He had been a bit concerned that she would suffer some consequences because of her actions, but it sounded like everything was returning to normal for her as time passed. Like her, he hoped she wouldn’t need to put herself at risk again, especially for his sake. She may have been able to hide her true intentions from her comrades once, but they could only be fooled so many times before they figured out something else was going on. He didn’t want her to ever find herself in trouble for his sake.

As she asked him about how he was feeling and about the progress of their camp, he ran his thumb over her hand comfortingly. “I’m feeling a lot better, actually,” he said with a smile. “We found a new camp pretty soon after you left, so I’ve been able to get plenty of rest. I haven’t even come close to passing out all week.” His smile broadened into a grin as he went on, “Speaking of our new camp, it’s actually closer to Myrefall than the last one. Simon, Alistair, and Rikki found an old tunnel system behind a waterfall just northwest of here. It’s well hidden, so I’d be surprised if the knights find us ever again.

“The tunnels are interesting too,” he continued. “They’re carved deep within the ground, so we have plenty of storage space for future raids, and they’ll be easy to defend once we learn the whole layout better. After Simon finishes mapping everything out, I think that’s our next goal.”

Leaning against Penelope’s side, he paused for a moment before asking his next question, “Have your barons discussed when the next battle will be? I’m guessing it won’t be long now that they’ve got their supplies back along with the ones we took from the Younisians.”