Okay! I got my next post mostly done already, so it will probably go up pretty quick after yours xD
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Does this mean we can call you abmin now?
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300 word minimum is pretty standard for casual level and up in my experience
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Bio
Personal Profile
Name: Taylor
Pronouns: They/them
Age: Mid 20s
Relationship: Married (happily, I might add)
Time Zone: Arizona (we hate daylight savings, so it's MST year-round)
Writing History: I've been on a number of different roleplaying websites for over a decade and a half
Hobbies: Writing, fitness, driving/exploring, hiking, camping, traveling, tabletop games, anything NEW (I love trying things I've never done before)
Roleplayer Profile
Format: 1x1s only. Maybe I'll try a group RP again someday, but I've never had one last longer than a few months
Posting Speed: Depending on my schedule, I can usually post at least once per week
Favorite Genres: Modern, Historical, Romance, Action/Adventure, Horror/Dark, Fantasy, Slice of Life, Dystopian, can be convinced to write some Sci-Fi
Hard 'no's: Fandoms. Sorry, but I can't maintain interest in characters/worlds I didn't build with my partner
Template: Public threads or PMs. I prefer to keep all my RPs in one place, so no emails or G-docs or the like
Rating: Comfortable with 18+ content, but it's not a necessity and I prefer not to center a plot around explicit scenes
Level: Advanced. Will consistently provide around 400-700 words per post, but can occasionally leap to 2000+
Character preference: One main character, but large side casts are greatly enjoyed. Because I write long posts, I prefer not to double
Gender preference: Male. You'll be hard pressed to convince me to play a female that isn't a background character. It's just not my forte
Romantic Relationships: MxF or MxM (currently prefer MxM)
Character Images: Faceclaims or detailed descriptions only. I envision the characters like real people in my mind, so I can't take anime seriously
OOC chat: Yes please! I'm a total extrovert who loves to get to know the amazing minds behind my partners' characters
Most Recent Posts
Hazel knew about it the whole time xD
The next morning, Crow was the last to wake as usual. He sat up on his bed to see that the cavern was mostly empty. All three of the other thieves had left, and the only one who remained with him was Hazel. The herbalist had her back to the rock wall on the other side of the cavern and was scribbling in her journal, intermittently chewing on the end of her quill as she worked. She only looked up when she noticed him get up and walk over to sit beside her, and even then, she only spared him a brief glance before returning to whatever it was that she was writing.
“What time is it?” Crow asked, stretching his legs out as he leaned back against the stony wall. His green eyes swept over the cave, and he noticed that the breakfast dishes had already been washed and were currently sitting on a cloth near the entrance to dry. The sight made him frown slightly. This was the first time in a while that he’d missed breakfast. Even if he slept through the meal, Rikki had always saved a portion for him to eat when he woke up. He felt a fresh pang of guilt as the thought reminded him of how he had hurt her. After everything that had happened the night before, he doubted she would save him food ever again.
“It’s almost midday,” Hazel answered, scrawling something down on the yellowed page that he couldn’t read. A short pause fell between them for a moment before she spoke up again, “So, how was your meeting last night?”
Crow eyed her suspiciously. There was a knowing edge to her voice that he didn’t like. “The meeting was fine,” he said curtly.
“Mhm,” Hazel looked up from her book and smirked at him. “Anything interesting happen?”
Now he was sure she knew more than she was letting on. “You knew Raven followed me, didn’t you?” he narrowed his eyes at her accusingly.
“We all knew she was going after you,” the herbalist rolled her eyes. “As soon as you left, she announced to everyone that she was going to make sure you got there and back alright.”
“Why didn’t you stop her?”
“Because she had a good point,” she shrugged. “In your condition, you shouldn’t be out on your own… Also, I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to throw a loop into your perfect little fantasy world.” She smirked at him slyly.
Crow scoffed and shook his head. Rikki may not have been a vengeful person, but Hazel most certainly was. “Well, I hope you’re pleased with yourself, because thanks to you, Raven found out about me and Penelope in the worst possible way.”
“She walked in on you two?” Hazel snorted and brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.
“No,” he rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I could have played that off easier. She saw us kiss and overheard us talking about our plans after the war.”
The herbalist whistled, “Wow, there’s no coming back from that one, is there?”
“Not a chance,” he sighed, drawing his knees to his chest.
“Well, that makes two women you’ve hurt now, snake,” Hazel clicked her tongue. “Looks like you’re becoming a bit of a heartbreaker.”
“It’s not like I’m trying to be,” he raised his voice slightly in frustration. “I just don’t understand what the right move is in these sorts of situations. Every time I think I’ve figured it out, someone gets hurt.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t get it. How do I keep making all the wrong decisions?”
Hazel’s lip twitched upward in an amused smile. “It’s because you’re too in your head, moron,” she said, poking his forehead with her index finger. “If you’re going to deal with an emotional situation, you’ve gotta be more empathetic. Try to think about it from the other person’s perspective and don’t do anything that seems like it’s likely to offend them.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Crow muttered irritably.
“It is. You’re just a dumbass.”
“Shut up,” he shoved her shoulder and then glanced around the cave again. “Anyway, do you know where the others went? Penelope told me the next battle will be happening tomorrow, so we need to prepare to leave before the afternoon is over.”
“Tomorrow?” Hazel quirked a brow. “That’s pretty soon.” She paused. “So… I take it you’re still planning to go with them?”
“I am,” he nodded.
“Do you have a plan yet?”
“No, but I’ll think of something along the way.”
“If you say so,” she shrugged. “Just don’t get yourself killed, alright? We might finally be onto something with your medicine, and it would be a real waste for you to go and get your head lopped off before I see some results.”
Crow clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, “Damn; and I was so hoping to let a knight decapitate me this time. Too bad.”
“Whatever, smartass,” Hazel snorted. “Anyway, if you’re looking for the others, Simon told me they were all going to the clearing to the north to practice sparring. They didn’t leave long before you woke up, so I’d bet anything they’re still there.”
“Thanks,” he nodded appreciatively and rose to his feet. “I’ll be back soon.” With that, he stepped over the opening behind the waterfall as he headed out to tell the other thieves the news about the upcoming battle.
“What time is it?” Crow asked, stretching his legs out as he leaned back against the stony wall. His green eyes swept over the cave, and he noticed that the breakfast dishes had already been washed and were currently sitting on a cloth near the entrance to dry. The sight made him frown slightly. This was the first time in a while that he’d missed breakfast. Even if he slept through the meal, Rikki had always saved a portion for him to eat when he woke up. He felt a fresh pang of guilt as the thought reminded him of how he had hurt her. After everything that had happened the night before, he doubted she would save him food ever again.
“It’s almost midday,” Hazel answered, scrawling something down on the yellowed page that he couldn’t read. A short pause fell between them for a moment before she spoke up again, “So, how was your meeting last night?”
Crow eyed her suspiciously. There was a knowing edge to her voice that he didn’t like. “The meeting was fine,” he said curtly.
“Mhm,” Hazel looked up from her book and smirked at him. “Anything interesting happen?”
Now he was sure she knew more than she was letting on. “You knew Raven followed me, didn’t you?” he narrowed his eyes at her accusingly.
“We all knew she was going after you,” the herbalist rolled her eyes. “As soon as you left, she announced to everyone that she was going to make sure you got there and back alright.”
“Why didn’t you stop her?”
“Because she had a good point,” she shrugged. “In your condition, you shouldn’t be out on your own… Also, I couldn’t miss out on the opportunity to throw a loop into your perfect little fantasy world.” She smirked at him slyly.
Crow scoffed and shook his head. Rikki may not have been a vengeful person, but Hazel most certainly was. “Well, I hope you’re pleased with yourself, because thanks to you, Raven found out about me and Penelope in the worst possible way.”
“She walked in on you two?” Hazel snorted and brought a hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh.
“No,” he rolled his eyes. “Honestly, I could have played that off easier. She saw us kiss and overheard us talking about our plans after the war.”
The herbalist whistled, “Wow, there’s no coming back from that one, is there?”
“Not a chance,” he sighed, drawing his knees to his chest.
“Well, that makes two women you’ve hurt now, snake,” Hazel clicked her tongue. “Looks like you’re becoming a bit of a heartbreaker.”
“It’s not like I’m trying to be,” he raised his voice slightly in frustration. “I just don’t understand what the right move is in these sorts of situations. Every time I think I’ve figured it out, someone gets hurt.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I don’t get it. How do I keep making all the wrong decisions?”
Hazel’s lip twitched upward in an amused smile. “It’s because you’re too in your head, moron,” she said, poking his forehead with her index finger. “If you’re going to deal with an emotional situation, you’ve gotta be more empathetic. Try to think about it from the other person’s perspective and don’t do anything that seems like it’s likely to offend them.”
“You make it sound so easy,” Crow muttered irritably.
“It is. You’re just a dumbass.”
“Shut up,” he shoved her shoulder and then glanced around the cave again. “Anyway, do you know where the others went? Penelope told me the next battle will be happening tomorrow, so we need to prepare to leave before the afternoon is over.”
“Tomorrow?” Hazel quirked a brow. “That’s pretty soon.” She paused. “So… I take it you’re still planning to go with them?”
“I am,” he nodded.
“Do you have a plan yet?”
“No, but I’ll think of something along the way.”
“If you say so,” she shrugged. “Just don’t get yourself killed, alright? We might finally be onto something with your medicine, and it would be a real waste for you to go and get your head lopped off before I see some results.”
Crow clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, “Damn; and I was so hoping to let a knight decapitate me this time. Too bad.”
“Whatever, smartass,” Hazel snorted. “Anyway, if you’re looking for the others, Simon told me they were all going to the clearing to the north to practice sparring. They didn’t leave long before you woke up, so I’d bet anything they’re still there.”
“Thanks,” he nodded appreciatively and rose to his feet. “I’ll be back soon.” With that, he stepped over the opening behind the waterfall as he headed out to tell the other thieves the news about the upcoming battle.
Crow realized what a jerk he was to Rikki
Their conversation didn't go great ^^;
Their conversation didn't go great ^^;
As soon as Penelope had gone, Crow turned back to Rikki, looking her over as he tried to think of the best way to handle the situation. After a moment, he spoke up, “Come on; we should start walking back to camp.” He waved his arm in a gesture to leave and waited for her to comply before he fell in step beside her. They lapsed into silence again as they headed through village, the quiet only broken by her intermittent sobs. He felt a pang of sadness for her and was suddenly tempted to try to explain everything to her right there. However, he knew it would be best to wait until she had calmed down a bit, so she would be able to have a coherent conversation with him.
They walked for a while until they reached the edge of the forest. By this point, Rikki’s cries had faded into occasional sniffles, so he guessed she had gotten most of it out of her system. “I’m sure this all probably came as a shock to you,” he said softly, looking ahead to avoid meeting her tear-filled gaze. “And I know you must have a lot of questions for me. I just want to start by saying that I’m sorry you found out this way. I was going to tell you all eventually; I was just hoping it wouldn’t be like this.”
“I just… I don’t get it,” Rikki murmured, shaking her head. “You told me you didn’t want a relationship, but I heard you talking to her in there about your plans for the future.” She turned to him with a frown, her chin quivering slightly as she grew dangerously close to crying again. “Was all of it just a lie? If it was just me you didn’t want to be with, you could have said so. I could have handled it.”
“That’s not it at all,” Crow turned to her, hoping she could hear the sincerity in his voice. “You’re an amazing woman, love. You’re beautiful, funny, caring, and an incredibly talented thief.” He offered her a halfhearted smile. “My reasons for not courting you have nothing to do with who you are. Honestly, if we had met a few years earlier, or if Penelope hadn’t come back into my life… perhaps I could have brought myself to love you.”
Sniffling quietly, Rikki averted her gaze again without replying. Crow sighed and did the same. He knew that his words probably did nothing to comfort her. He just wanted her to know the truth. “When I told you last year that I didn’t want a committed relationship, I was speaking the truth,” he said. “I never told any of you this, but… two years ago, when I had gotten out of prison, I was sent to Younis with three knights by the king’s orders. I was told to steal something for him, and they were assigned to guard me, so I couldn’t escape.
“Penelope was one of those knights,” he glanced at her again. “Over the course of the journey, we grew close and eventually fell in love with each other. Even though she was a knight and I was a thief, we found that we couldn’t help it. We cared about each other in a way that defies the culture of our kingdom.” He shook his head as he went on, “We were planning to be together back then, but… a number of things went wrong. Long story short, she was never able to join me in the outer villages, and I believed her to be dead.
“After that, I didn’t think I could handle getting so close to anyone else… not after losing her like that. That’s why I told you I didn’t want anything serious. If I let myself get close to you, and I lost you like I thought I had lost her…” he trailed off, unable to bring himself to complete the thought. After a brief pause, he went on in a quiet voice, “When I found out she was still alive, it changed everything. I realized I had a second chance to be with her, and it turns out she still wants to be with me too. That’s what you overheard us talking about… Once this war is over, she and I are planning to pick up where we left off and be together as we intended two years ago.”
Now finished with his explanation, Crow fell silent and watched Rikki as he waited for her reaction. At first, she said nothing, though he couldn’t tell if it was because she was trying not to cry again or because she was genuinely unsure what to say. Perhaps it was some combination of the two. However, after a long pause, she finally spoke up without meeting his gaze, “This is the real reason why you’ve been avoiding me lately, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“I see,” she took a shaky breath. “I suppose I can sort of understand, but I’m hurt that you would lie to me about everything. Why didn’t you just tell me the truth? It feels like you’ve been leading me on this whole time. You let me keep hoping for a future you knew was never going to happen. If you really care about me as much as you’ve said you do, then why would you do that?”
Crow blinked, caught off guard by her words. He had never thought about it that way before. He had been so caught up in his worries about what his companions might do to him if they found out about Penelope that he never once considered how his lies might have hurt any of them. He lowered his gaze, suddenly ashamed of himself. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to lead you on. I guess I was just hoping you would eventually move on on your own… I should have been more considerate of your feelings.”
“Yes, you should have,” Rikki shook her head. “I would never do something like this to you, Crow. I guess I should have known better than to expect the same respect from you.”
The thief winced as her harsh words hit him like a sucker punch to his stomach. He knew he didn’t deserve anything more from her after he had toyed with her heart like that—even if he hadn’t done so on purpose—but it didn’t lessen the pain. “I’m sorry,” he said again, avoiding her pained eyes. He could already feel an invisible wedge driving them apart, tearing at the closeness they had built up over the year they had been together. It hurt to know that he was probably going to lose her friendship over this. As selfish as it was, he still wanted to be friends with her when everything settled down.
“I know I shouldn’t ask anything more of you after what I’ve done, and you have no reason to do anything for me, but… would you please not say anything to Simon or Alistair about me and Penelope?” Crow asked tentatively. “I want them to hear it from me first.”
“You’re right, I don’t have a reason to help you,” Rikki said coldly. “But that’s the difference between you and me. I don’t need a reason to be kind to someone.”
“So, you won’t tell them?” he said, slightly surprised.
“No, I won’t,” she glanced at him. “I may be upset with you, but I’m not so petty as to go around and gossip about your forbidden romance just to get revenge. You should know me well enough by now to know that I would never do something like that.”
“You’re right,” he exhaled. “You’re a great person, and you didn’t deserve any of this. I’m so sorry I hurt you… I wish I’d handled this better. If I could go back in time and take it all back, I would.”
“Too bad, huh?” Rikki muttered. Another short moment of silence dragged on between them before she spoke again, “I may not go out of my way to get you back for this, but when we get back to camp, don’t talk to me for a while. I need some time to think.”
“Of course,” Crow nodded, feeling a pang of sadness that she wanted to stay away from him. Even though he found her constant company to be a nuisance sometimes, he did enjoy having her around. It was going to be strange to not have her by his side anymore when they returned.
With neither thief having anything left to say to the other, they spent the rest of their trip back to the tunnels in tense silence. They skirted around the edge of the waterfall and stepped inside to find the others already asleep on their mats. Crow headed over to his bed to lay down for the night. He quietly kicked off his boots and pulled his blanket up to his chin, closing his eyes as he tried to fall asleep, so he could forget about his uncomfortable conversation with Rikki.
However, before he had a chance to drift off, he looked up as he heard a scraping sound and saw the female thief dragging her mat away from where it had been set up next to his. She dropped it on the other side of the sleeping area and laid down with her back to him, pulling her blanket over her head. It was faint, but he could hear the sound of muffled sobs coming from her direction as she began to cry again.
Crow rolled over to face away from her, pulling his blanket higher as well to block out the noise. With her sobs as an incessant reminder of the way he had hurt her that night, he tossed and turned for a long time until he finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.
They walked for a while until they reached the edge of the forest. By this point, Rikki’s cries had faded into occasional sniffles, so he guessed she had gotten most of it out of her system. “I’m sure this all probably came as a shock to you,” he said softly, looking ahead to avoid meeting her tear-filled gaze. “And I know you must have a lot of questions for me. I just want to start by saying that I’m sorry you found out this way. I was going to tell you all eventually; I was just hoping it wouldn’t be like this.”
“I just… I don’t get it,” Rikki murmured, shaking her head. “You told me you didn’t want a relationship, but I heard you talking to her in there about your plans for the future.” She turned to him with a frown, her chin quivering slightly as she grew dangerously close to crying again. “Was all of it just a lie? If it was just me you didn’t want to be with, you could have said so. I could have handled it.”
“That’s not it at all,” Crow turned to her, hoping she could hear the sincerity in his voice. “You’re an amazing woman, love. You’re beautiful, funny, caring, and an incredibly talented thief.” He offered her a halfhearted smile. “My reasons for not courting you have nothing to do with who you are. Honestly, if we had met a few years earlier, or if Penelope hadn’t come back into my life… perhaps I could have brought myself to love you.”
Sniffling quietly, Rikki averted her gaze again without replying. Crow sighed and did the same. He knew that his words probably did nothing to comfort her. He just wanted her to know the truth. “When I told you last year that I didn’t want a committed relationship, I was speaking the truth,” he said. “I never told any of you this, but… two years ago, when I had gotten out of prison, I was sent to Younis with three knights by the king’s orders. I was told to steal something for him, and they were assigned to guard me, so I couldn’t escape.
“Penelope was one of those knights,” he glanced at her again. “Over the course of the journey, we grew close and eventually fell in love with each other. Even though she was a knight and I was a thief, we found that we couldn’t help it. We cared about each other in a way that defies the culture of our kingdom.” He shook his head as he went on, “We were planning to be together back then, but… a number of things went wrong. Long story short, she was never able to join me in the outer villages, and I believed her to be dead.
“After that, I didn’t think I could handle getting so close to anyone else… not after losing her like that. That’s why I told you I didn’t want anything serious. If I let myself get close to you, and I lost you like I thought I had lost her…” he trailed off, unable to bring himself to complete the thought. After a brief pause, he went on in a quiet voice, “When I found out she was still alive, it changed everything. I realized I had a second chance to be with her, and it turns out she still wants to be with me too. That’s what you overheard us talking about… Once this war is over, she and I are planning to pick up where we left off and be together as we intended two years ago.”
Now finished with his explanation, Crow fell silent and watched Rikki as he waited for her reaction. At first, she said nothing, though he couldn’t tell if it was because she was trying not to cry again or because she was genuinely unsure what to say. Perhaps it was some combination of the two. However, after a long pause, she finally spoke up without meeting his gaze, “This is the real reason why you’ve been avoiding me lately, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” he nodded.
“I see,” she took a shaky breath. “I suppose I can sort of understand, but I’m hurt that you would lie to me about everything. Why didn’t you just tell me the truth? It feels like you’ve been leading me on this whole time. You let me keep hoping for a future you knew was never going to happen. If you really care about me as much as you’ve said you do, then why would you do that?”
Crow blinked, caught off guard by her words. He had never thought about it that way before. He had been so caught up in his worries about what his companions might do to him if they found out about Penelope that he never once considered how his lies might have hurt any of them. He lowered his gaze, suddenly ashamed of himself. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to lead you on. I guess I was just hoping you would eventually move on on your own… I should have been more considerate of your feelings.”
“Yes, you should have,” Rikki shook her head. “I would never do something like this to you, Crow. I guess I should have known better than to expect the same respect from you.”
The thief winced as her harsh words hit him like a sucker punch to his stomach. He knew he didn’t deserve anything more from her after he had toyed with her heart like that—even if he hadn’t done so on purpose—but it didn’t lessen the pain. “I’m sorry,” he said again, avoiding her pained eyes. He could already feel an invisible wedge driving them apart, tearing at the closeness they had built up over the year they had been together. It hurt to know that he was probably going to lose her friendship over this. As selfish as it was, he still wanted to be friends with her when everything settled down.
“I know I shouldn’t ask anything more of you after what I’ve done, and you have no reason to do anything for me, but… would you please not say anything to Simon or Alistair about me and Penelope?” Crow asked tentatively. “I want them to hear it from me first.”
“You’re right, I don’t have a reason to help you,” Rikki said coldly. “But that’s the difference between you and me. I don’t need a reason to be kind to someone.”
“So, you won’t tell them?” he said, slightly surprised.
“No, I won’t,” she glanced at him. “I may be upset with you, but I’m not so petty as to go around and gossip about your forbidden romance just to get revenge. You should know me well enough by now to know that I would never do something like that.”
“You’re right,” he exhaled. “You’re a great person, and you didn’t deserve any of this. I’m so sorry I hurt you… I wish I’d handled this better. If I could go back in time and take it all back, I would.”
“Too bad, huh?” Rikki muttered. Another short moment of silence dragged on between them before she spoke again, “I may not go out of my way to get you back for this, but when we get back to camp, don’t talk to me for a while. I need some time to think.”
“Of course,” Crow nodded, feeling a pang of sadness that she wanted to stay away from him. Even though he found her constant company to be a nuisance sometimes, he did enjoy having her around. It was going to be strange to not have her by his side anymore when they returned.
With neither thief having anything left to say to the other, they spent the rest of their trip back to the tunnels in tense silence. They skirted around the edge of the waterfall and stepped inside to find the others already asleep on their mats. Crow headed over to his bed to lay down for the night. He quietly kicked off his boots and pulled his blanket up to his chin, closing his eyes as he tried to fall asleep, so he could forget about his uncomfortable conversation with Rikki.
However, before he had a chance to drift off, he looked up as he heard a scraping sound and saw the female thief dragging her mat away from where it had been set up next to his. She dropped it on the other side of the sleeping area and laid down with her back to him, pulling her blanket over her head. It was faint, but he could hear the sound of muffled sobs coming from her direction as she began to cry again.
Crow rolled over to face away from her, pulling his blanket higher as well to block out the noise. With her sobs as an incessant reminder of the way he had hurt her that night, he tossed and turned for a long time until he finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.
Little does Crow know, he won't be able to keep his promise to Penelope the way he thinks he will
Rikki found out :'c
Honestly lol there's so much William doesn't know xD
I'm stoked
No worries! I stayed up a little later than I should have to get that post done lol
Rikki found out :'c
Honestly lol there's so much William doesn't know xD
I'm stoked
No worries! I stayed up a little later than I should have to get that post done lol
“Maybe,” Crow murmured with a hint of disbelief when Penelope said the days might go by faster. He had a feeling they were going to be quite the opposite. With the upcoming battle—possibly two—he suspected the days to come were going to be long and rough. He partly hoped that he might cross paths with her during the battle, but he knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to purposefully seek her out. For one thing, he didn’t want to get distracted when he needed to focus on staying alive and out of any situations that might trigger his illness. For another, he didn’t want to distract her either. He knew that if they ran into each other, she would just be concerned about protecting him during the fight. If something happened to her because of him, he didn’t know what he would do. It was better for both of them if they stayed away from each other until the battle—or battles were over.
He wrapped his arms around the small of Penelope’s back as she stepped over to embrace him. Leaning down slightly, he met her halfway when she moved to kiss him. Knowing they wouldn’t see each other for another week, he lingered there for a moment, memorizing the feeling of their lips and bodies pressed against each other. It didn’t do much to lessen his discouragement that they would have to be separated for so long again, but he felt a bit more at ease when they finally parted.
At her parting words, he smiled softly. “I love you too. And don’t worry; I’m a man of my word.” He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before loosening his hold on her, so that she could step back from him. Walking with her to the door, he stepped around the knight to pull it open. He allowed her to pass through first and then followed her into the night, making sure to shut the door behind him. Having already said his words of goodbye to her, he turned to head back to his camp. However, he didn’t get far before he heard a faint rustling sound come from around the side of the house.
Crow bristled and turned towards the source of the noise. Had someone followed them? He tensed, reaching for the daggers he kept at his waist. He hoped it was just a wild animal. There were often raccoons and other small creatures wandering about Myrefall during the night, so it wasn’t unlikely. Besides, if it was a person, they were acting strangely by trying to take cover. The only ones around who might happen to eavesdrop on them that he knew of were the local guards, and it was unusual for any knight to hide in such a furtive manner. Perhaps a rogue thief had happened upon the small house and hadn’t realized the occupants were leaving?
Casting a wary glance towards Penelope, he slowly and quietly edged his way around the side of the old building with his weapons drawn and his guard raised high. As he neared the backside of the house, he narrowed his eyes, catching sight of the toe of a boot around the corner. So, it wasn’t an animal after all. Taking advantage of the fact that the stranger hadn’t seemed to notice him yet, he raised the dagger in his right hand and crept up to the edge of the wall. In the next moment, he stepped out sharply and pivoted on the ball of his foot, pressing his left hand forcefully against the person’s chest to pin them to the wall while he aimed his dagger at their throat with the other.
The thief curled his lip in a threatening snarl, prepared to question the stranger about what they were doing outside the house, but then faltered as he caught sight of a familiar face. “Rikki?” he breathed as he met his friend’s frightened brown eyes. Lowering his blade from her neck, he blinked at her confusedly. “What are you doing here?”
“I…” she faltered, averting her gaze as she choked on her own words. As she turned her head, Crow caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes, reflected in the moonlight, and he felt the color drain from his face.
“H-how long have you been standing out here?” he stammered, taking a step back to release her from the wall.
Rikki took a moment to collect herself before she replied in hoarse voice, “The whole time.” Looking up at him again, she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm, streaking wet tears across her cheeks. “I followed you from camp because I wanted to make sure you were safe… At first, I stayed away from this place because I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but you were taking so long, I just… I-I wanted to see if you were alright and—” she choked again and brought a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound of her quiet cries.
“You saw, didn’t you?” Crow said quietly.
“Through the window,” Rikki murmured, sniffling softly.
He sighed, sheathing his daggers and turning back to Penelope. “You should go back to your camp,” he said. “I’ll talk to her.”
He wrapped his arms around the small of Penelope’s back as she stepped over to embrace him. Leaning down slightly, he met her halfway when she moved to kiss him. Knowing they wouldn’t see each other for another week, he lingered there for a moment, memorizing the feeling of their lips and bodies pressed against each other. It didn’t do much to lessen his discouragement that they would have to be separated for so long again, but he felt a bit more at ease when they finally parted.
At her parting words, he smiled softly. “I love you too. And don’t worry; I’m a man of my word.” He pressed a quick kiss to her cheek before loosening his hold on her, so that she could step back from him. Walking with her to the door, he stepped around the knight to pull it open. He allowed her to pass through first and then followed her into the night, making sure to shut the door behind him. Having already said his words of goodbye to her, he turned to head back to his camp. However, he didn’t get far before he heard a faint rustling sound come from around the side of the house.
Crow bristled and turned towards the source of the noise. Had someone followed them? He tensed, reaching for the daggers he kept at his waist. He hoped it was just a wild animal. There were often raccoons and other small creatures wandering about Myrefall during the night, so it wasn’t unlikely. Besides, if it was a person, they were acting strangely by trying to take cover. The only ones around who might happen to eavesdrop on them that he knew of were the local guards, and it was unusual for any knight to hide in such a furtive manner. Perhaps a rogue thief had happened upon the small house and hadn’t realized the occupants were leaving?
Casting a wary glance towards Penelope, he slowly and quietly edged his way around the side of the old building with his weapons drawn and his guard raised high. As he neared the backside of the house, he narrowed his eyes, catching sight of the toe of a boot around the corner. So, it wasn’t an animal after all. Taking advantage of the fact that the stranger hadn’t seemed to notice him yet, he raised the dagger in his right hand and crept up to the edge of the wall. In the next moment, he stepped out sharply and pivoted on the ball of his foot, pressing his left hand forcefully against the person’s chest to pin them to the wall while he aimed his dagger at their throat with the other.
The thief curled his lip in a threatening snarl, prepared to question the stranger about what they were doing outside the house, but then faltered as he caught sight of a familiar face. “Rikki?” he breathed as he met his friend’s frightened brown eyes. Lowering his blade from her neck, he blinked at her confusedly. “What are you doing here?”
“I…” she faltered, averting her gaze as she choked on her own words. As she turned her head, Crow caught a glimpse of tears in her eyes, reflected in the moonlight, and he felt the color drain from his face.
“H-how long have you been standing out here?” he stammered, taking a step back to release her from the wall.
Rikki took a moment to collect herself before she replied in hoarse voice, “The whole time.” Looking up at him again, she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm, streaking wet tears across her cheeks. “I followed you from camp because I wanted to make sure you were safe… At first, I stayed away from this place because I didn’t want to eavesdrop, but you were taking so long, I just… I-I wanted to see if you were alright and—” she choked again and brought a hand to her mouth to muffle the sound of her quiet cries.
“You saw, didn’t you?” Crow said quietly.
“Through the window,” Rikki murmured, sniffling softly.
He sighed, sheathing his daggers and turning back to Penelope. “You should go back to your camp,” he said. “I’ll talk to her.”
I'm honestly very excited for it xD
Especially because Crow will be there because he was personally invited by the king, which William is bound to be dumbfounded by
Honestly that's probably a good thing, because I'm at the point in the semester where my stress level is 'avoid all work because it's scary'
Now I'll have to actually do my projects today lol
You need a proper sleep schedule, friend xD
Especially because Crow will be there because he was personally invited by the king, which William is bound to be dumbfounded by
Honestly that's probably a good thing, because I'm at the point in the semester where my stress level is 'avoid all work because it's scary'
Now I'll have to actually do my projects today lol
You need a proper sleep schedule, friend xD
I was thinking that too xD
They should definitely run into William while they're there!
Cool! We can plan for that to be the next thing after the battle and/or the part with Hazel and Jane working on Crow's cure then
They should definitely run into William while they're there!
Cool! We can plan for that to be the next thing after the battle and/or the part with Hazel and Jane working on Crow's cure then
Crow closed his eyes serenely as Penelope brushed a strand of hair from his face. He found it relaxing to lay against her like this, simply talking and enjoying each other’s company instead of rushing to sleep together in the limited time they had that night. While he was still fond of the latter, he was glad they had chosen to do this instead. He missed the way they used to talk so casually in Younis without worrying about time constraints or being caught by anyone. Even though it wasn’t realistic to expect anything like that while the war was going on, he was happy to be able to spend at least part of the night like they had back then.
He smiled as he felt her kiss his forehead and opened his eyes to look up at her again. “Me too,” he sighed, reaching up with his hand to caress her cheek. “We get closer to the end of this war every day. I just wish I knew how much longer it will be before it’s over.” He frowned slightly as she went on to speak of her worries about Younis winning the war. At this point, it was hard to say who would win. Even after a year of fighting, neither kingdom had been able to gain the upper hand over the other. It had been a constant back and forth of Brerra conquering pieces of Younis and vice versa. Since everything remained to be uncertain, the knight’s fears weren’t completely unfounded.
“I’m sure it’ll be alright,” Crow offered her a reassuring smile. “You remember what Younis was like, don’t you? Their people are much more peace-loving than ours. Even if they manage to somehow overpower our kingdom, I don’t think they’ll be so cruel as to turn us all into slaves or anything like that. They’ll probably just enforce their laws over us and charge taxes to their king.” Thinking about it a bit more, he doubted much, if anything, would change for him or any of the other peasants in Brerra. They had nothing to lose aside from the little freedom they had left if the Younisians did force them into slavery.
However, the nobles would likely come out much worse. The thief wouldn’t have been at all surprised if the Younisians took away their status and wealth to reduce their power. After all, nobles were the most likely group to rebel against their new authority. The Younisian king would have to have been a fool to allow them to carry on without checking their abilities to fight back.
He knitted his brow as a distant memory resurfaced that made him a bit more concerned. He recalled speaking with a Waithenese traveler a number of years ago who had told him about a war that had happened between Waithen and a now-gone kingdom called Othorus. About thirty years ago, Waithen had conquered Othorus and annexed its people. The usual procedures followed: the Waithenese knights enforced new laws in the conquered kingdom, some people were bought and sold as slaves, and the Waenyit language was taught to anyone who didn’t already speak it.
The detail that worried Crow, however, was that the Waithenese royals, instead of stripping the Othorusen nobles of their power, forced them to intermarry with the nobles of their own kingdom in order to spread their culture with less resistance. He shifted uncomfortably. Penelope was a noblewoman without a husband. If Younis chose to enforce a similar rule, she might find herself in yet another arranged marriage, and their plans to be together would be interrupted yet again.
Hopefully Brerra wins, he thought, leaning a little closer to the knight in subconscious protectiveness.
Not wanting to share his thoughts with Penelope and worry her more than she already was, Crow kept his concerns to himself. He let a brief silence fall between them as he laid against her, savoring the moment before they would have to part ways again. After a while, he reluctantly shifted to sit up again, arching his back in a languid stretch. “As much as I would love to stay here with you longer, we should probably start heading back,” he said, turning towards her. “I don’t want any of your comrades to notice you’re missing again.”
Standing up from the bed, he moved to get his cloak from the chair it was hanging over. He put it on and then grabbed Penelope’s to bring back to her. “One week, huh?” he mused as he handed the cloak off to her. “I hope this one goes by faster than the last.”
He smiled as he felt her kiss his forehead and opened his eyes to look up at her again. “Me too,” he sighed, reaching up with his hand to caress her cheek. “We get closer to the end of this war every day. I just wish I knew how much longer it will be before it’s over.” He frowned slightly as she went on to speak of her worries about Younis winning the war. At this point, it was hard to say who would win. Even after a year of fighting, neither kingdom had been able to gain the upper hand over the other. It had been a constant back and forth of Brerra conquering pieces of Younis and vice versa. Since everything remained to be uncertain, the knight’s fears weren’t completely unfounded.
“I’m sure it’ll be alright,” Crow offered her a reassuring smile. “You remember what Younis was like, don’t you? Their people are much more peace-loving than ours. Even if they manage to somehow overpower our kingdom, I don’t think they’ll be so cruel as to turn us all into slaves or anything like that. They’ll probably just enforce their laws over us and charge taxes to their king.” Thinking about it a bit more, he doubted much, if anything, would change for him or any of the other peasants in Brerra. They had nothing to lose aside from the little freedom they had left if the Younisians did force them into slavery.
However, the nobles would likely come out much worse. The thief wouldn’t have been at all surprised if the Younisians took away their status and wealth to reduce their power. After all, nobles were the most likely group to rebel against their new authority. The Younisian king would have to have been a fool to allow them to carry on without checking their abilities to fight back.
He knitted his brow as a distant memory resurfaced that made him a bit more concerned. He recalled speaking with a Waithenese traveler a number of years ago who had told him about a war that had happened between Waithen and a now-gone kingdom called Othorus. About thirty years ago, Waithen had conquered Othorus and annexed its people. The usual procedures followed: the Waithenese knights enforced new laws in the conquered kingdom, some people were bought and sold as slaves, and the Waenyit language was taught to anyone who didn’t already speak it.
The detail that worried Crow, however, was that the Waithenese royals, instead of stripping the Othorusen nobles of their power, forced them to intermarry with the nobles of their own kingdom in order to spread their culture with less resistance. He shifted uncomfortably. Penelope was a noblewoman without a husband. If Younis chose to enforce a similar rule, she might find herself in yet another arranged marriage, and their plans to be together would be interrupted yet again.
Hopefully Brerra wins, he thought, leaning a little closer to the knight in subconscious protectiveness.
Not wanting to share his thoughts with Penelope and worry her more than she already was, Crow kept his concerns to himself. He let a brief silence fall between them as he laid against her, savoring the moment before they would have to part ways again. After a while, he reluctantly shifted to sit up again, arching his back in a languid stretch. “As much as I would love to stay here with you longer, we should probably start heading back,” he said, turning towards her. “I don’t want any of your comrades to notice you’re missing again.”
Standing up from the bed, he moved to get his cloak from the chair it was hanging over. He put it on and then grabbed Penelope’s to bring back to her. “One week, huh?” he mused as he handed the cloak off to her. “I hope this one goes by faster than the last.”
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