Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Time passed sluggishly for Crow as he waited with Zenith for the others to return. He dozed in and out of sleep for a while, but even that didn’t help stave off his boredom very much. Zenith spoke with him on occasion during his waking hours, but she was only interested in hearing more about his relationship with Penelope, so he tried not to devote much time to their conversations. It was hard to do, since he was proud that the knight was with him and wanted to boast about her, but he knew he couldn’t let himself be so careless about the information he chose to divulge.

So, as tempting as it was to tell Silas’s wife about the woman he was in love with, he treaded carefully around the subject, wary of letting his tongue slip. It would be risky if Zenith found out Penelope was a knight, since he didn’t want word to get out that ‘the most infamous thief in Brerra’ was with a member of the king’s army. There weren’t very many female knights to begin with, so he doubted it would take much work for the barons to narrow down who the rumors were about. Zenith was a known gossip in Aramoor too. If she found out the truth, it wouldn’t be long before word spread throughout the outer villages. He shuddered at the thought.

Eager to keep her away from the topic, he diverted her attention by asking her to teach him how to knit. She found his interest amusing, since she had never known another man who had wanted to learn how before, and readily complied with the request. So, with her focus finally off of digging up information on Penelope, the thief was able to relax. He picked up one of the unfinished blankets that her daughters had left behind and followed her instructions as she walked him through the steps.

Some time passed before Zenith spoke again, looking over the fabric that Crow was working on. “You’re oddly good at this,” she cracked an amused smile as she looked up at him. “Perhaps you were a maiden in a past life.”

Crow rolled his eyes at her comment. “I have to be good at doing detailed work with my hands,” he explained simply. “It’s part of my job. Honestly, this sort of reminds me of lock picking, in its own way.”

“Really?” Zenith raised a brow. “How so?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged, pausing to think. “Both require a lot of small motions and precision. The exact movements obviously aren’t the same, but they’re still quite similar in style.”

“Hmm,” Zenith smiled. “I’ve always been good a knitting. Maybe I should learn to be a thief.” She nudged him teasingly. “Or maybe you should learn to be a housewife.”

“Please,” Crow snorted, grinning back at her. “There’s a lot more to thievery than just lock picking.”

“And there’s a lot more to being a wife than just knitting,” Zenith pointed out.

“Touché,” he laughed. “I think it would be best if we both just stick with what we know.”

“Perhaps so,” Zenith chuckled. She leaned in to add one last quip: “Still, I think you’re going to some lucky man very happy someday.”

“Gods,” Crow groaned, meeting her gaze with a shake of his head and biting back a smirk. “You know; I’m only doing this to help you. I can always stop if you’re going to keep being such a bother.”

“Fine, fine,” Zenith burst out in a laugh and returned to her own knitting.

Crow was just about to do the same, when the door rattled again and Letha and Alice came running inside. He set aside the blanket he was working on and looked up as they charged across the room. I wish I still had that much energy, he thought offhandedly. “What did you find out this time?” he asked once they had slowed to a stop.

“Not much,” Alice frowned. “Just that the group they kept asking about was traveling at night.”

“Huh,” Crow said absently. If they were traveling during the night, they could have been Jaxon’s men. Many of the thieves in his band were known to some degree or another around various parts of Brerra, so they were apt to keep their heads down when they could. He suddenly found himself wishing that he could have tagged along to question the villagers, himself.

“Money, please!” Letha held out her hand.

“Letha, manners,” Zenith pressed a hand to her face in embarrassment.

“I suppose you’ve earned two more coins for that,” Crow shrugged, waving a hand at Zenith nonchalantly. He handed the girls each one more copper coin and then leaned back against the wall. “Think you can learn anything else for me?”

“We would,” Alice said. “But they said they’re coming back here now.”

“Right now?” Crow’s eyes widened slightly. He got up from the floor and headed over to the wooden beam, where Gavin’s chain laid slack on the ground. Settling down again, he reached for the metal restraint and fastened it back onto his right wrist, then turned back to the others with a sly wink, “If anyone asks, I’ve been here the whole time. Got it?”

“Won’t they know if we’re lying?” Letha asked confusedly.

“No,” Crow tapped his forehead knowingly. “Only I can tell.” With that, he laid down on his back, resting his free, left arm behind his head and closing his eyes as he waited for the knights to return to the house.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

He uses anything and anyone as a resource if he wants to xD

Bandersnatch is so fun~ I did it yesterday with some friends.
Not sure if I'd recommend doing it as a group though. We ended up arguing over which paths to choose a lot lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As Crow waited for Zenith’s daughters to return with news of the thieves, he almost felt tempted to take a real nap. There wasn’t much else to do in the small house, and Zenith had begun humming a song from the village as she knitted her blanket that was beginning to lull him to sleep. He yawned tiredly and stretched his limbs, sinking a little further down the wall as he did so. It would probably be a while before Letha and Alice came back with any word from the knights, so perhaps he could fit in a little extra sleep…

“I noticed you and that woman seem to be close,” Zenith’s soft voice caught his attention. He looked up to see her eyeing him with a curious expression, having set down her unfinished blanket to take a break.

“You did, huh?” Crow smiled tiredly and stretched again, sitting up a little straighter now that the prospect of napping had grown dimmer.

“She’s different than the one you were traveling with before, right?” Zenith pressed, obviously eager to get more information out of him.

“Yes,” he nodded, understanding that she was referring to Rikki.

Zenith rolled her eyes and nudged him teasingly, “Well? Are you going to tell me about her or just keep me waiting all day?”

Crow chuckled softly and shook his head, “I see you still like to gossip just as much as the last time I saw you.”

“What do you expect?” Zenith grinned. “I’m a mother of two with an overprotective husband who won’t let me out of the house while I’ve got our third on the way.” She rested a hand on her round stomach, her gaze softening briefly before she looked up at him again. “Your visit has been the most entertainment I’ve had in months, so out with it already. Who’s the new lady in your life? Is she just another fling or something more?”

Crow laughed again, finding her enthusiasm amusing. “Fine, I suppose I can tell you,” he caved, feigning a reluctant sigh. “She’s not a fling. In fact, she’s the first woman I’ve ever been with who isn’t.” His expression softened as Penelope’s face flashed through his mind, and he went on quietly, “She’s far too special to me for something that trivial.”

“Are you courting her then?” Zenith asked.

“Not quite,” he answered with a shrug. “Trust me, I would if I could, but with the war going on, things are too complicated for that. I can’t say much on it, but we’re both heavily involved in our own ways. There’s just no room for something like courting right now.”

“Hmm,” Zenith frowned thoughtfully. “If she’s not a fling, but you’re not courting her either, then what are you two?”

“I’m not really sure,” Crow shook his head. “But I don’t think that labels would make our feelings for each other any more or less real.” He looked up at her with a smirk. “Besides, I’ve never been orthodox in anything I do. What we have now just feels natural, so I don’t see any reason to change it.”

“So,” Zenith’s eyes turned slightly mischievous, and she leaned a little closer to him. “Do you intend to marry her?”

“You really want every detail, don’t you?” Crow snorted.

“You’re avoiding my question,” Zenith pointed out, refusing to let him change the subject. “You say you’re not orthodox, so does that mean you plan to keep things as they are indefinitely, or are you going to marry this woman?”

“Well,” Crow shifted his weight. “Not indefinitely, but I’m also not sure when I’ll be able to ask her—”

“Ah!” Zenith clapped her hands together, her features alight with excitement. “So you do intend to marry her.”

“Alright, alright,” Crow held up his hands in defeat. “You got me.” He met her gaze with a wry grin, though there was a faint blush on his cheeks. “You’re pretty nosy, you know that?”

Zenith opened her mouth to reply, but she was cut off by the sound of the door handle rattling followed by the pounding of feet as her daughters returned to the house. Crow looked up as they ran over to him, fidgeting excitedly.

“We got something,” Alice said eagerly.

“What did you find out?” Crow asked.

“They talked about two groups,” the girl explained. “One with five people from another kingdom, and another with seven people heading towards Wheldrake.”

“Wheldrake?” Crow quirked a brow. If it was Jaxon’s group, he wondered what they would have been going there for.

“There was also one with ten people!” Letha added, slapping one hand to her forehead.

Crow exchanged a knowing glance with Zenith and then turned back to the girl, prodding her playfully in the stomach, “Liar.” He reached into his pocket and retrieved two copper coins, handing one to each of them. “Good work so far. Keep it up, and I have more where those came from.”

“Thanks, Thief,” Letha beamed. The two stowed away the money he had given them and then hurried off to keep spying for him.

“Well, at least they’re staying out of trouble,” Zenith sighed, picking up her blanket to resume knitting once her daughters were gone.

“You looked like you needed a break from them,” Crow said simply, leaning back into the wall again. “I’m happy to help.”

“I’m not sure if I should thank you or slap you for that comment,” she rolled her eyes.

“You know what I meant,” he chuckled, gesturing at her pregnant belly.

“Alright, I’ll let it slide this time,” Zenith’s looked at him with a bemused smirk before going back to her knitting.

Another silence fell over them, and Crow closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall and exhaling softly. Even though he knew he couldn’t leave the house without risking getting spotted by the knights—Aramoor was too small of a village for him to conduct a separate interrogation on his own—he wished there was more that he could do to pass the time. Unfortunately, this seemed to be the best way for him to prove to Gavin that he really wasn’t sabotaging their efforts to find the culprits behind the raid. It was boring, but at least afterward, the knight might give him more freedom to make decisions. It was worth a shot.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow turned Zenith's kids into his minions xD

It's all good. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go anyway tbh
I'm much more excited about our Vegas trip coming up~

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“I’ll be here,” Crow waved his chained hand when Penelope said her goodbyes to him. He watched as the three knights exited the house before finally letting a victorious smirk take over his lips. While he would have liked to go with the others as they searched for information about Jaxon, this situation might actually work out in his favor. Now that Gavin believed he was napping at Silas’s place, he couldn’t accuse him of trying to ruin their interrogation again.

He crouched down to retrieve his pick lock key from his boot and popped open the simple lock on the chains that Gavin had used to bind him. Child’s play, he thought with a roll of his eyes as he let the metal restraint fall to the floor. Like almost all of the other knights he had dealt with before, Gavin obviously didn’t have much experience dealing with a thief such as himself. He put his key back in its hiding place and straightened his posture again.

“Your friends don’t seem to trust you very much,” Zenith spoke up from where she sat with her daughters.

“It’s just the one,” Crow shrugged, stepping over to sit beside her. “I let him have his way sometimes though. He’s more bearable to be around when he thinks he’s won.”

“Are you going out then?”

“No,” he shook his head and leaned back on his hands, stretching his legs out in front of himself. “I’m staying right here.”

“So, you are letting him win?” Zenith quirked a brow in amusement.

“Wrong again,” Crow grinned at her mischievously. “Speaking of which, do you mind if I borrow your daughters?” As he mentioned them, both of the girls looked up from their knitting to listen in.

“Letha and Alice?” Zenith frowned confusedly. “What do you need them for?”

“Just a game I thought they might enjoy,” he said casually, glancing back at the two girls with a wink. “I might also have some rewards for them if they’re good at it.”

“I want to play,” Letha perked up, turning to Zenith with pleading eyes. “Please, mother, can we?”

“Me too,” Alice nodded vigorously in agreement.

Zenith sighed and feigned an exasperated look at the thief. “Fine. As long as he doesn’t get you both into trouble, you can play his game.”

The girls stumbled over each other in their thanks towards their mother and then turned towards Crow expectantly as they awaited him to explain what he wanted them to do.

“The game is simple,” he started, shifting to lean against the wall beside Zenith. “All you have to do is follow those people who were here with me earlier and listen to their conversations with the other villagers. If you hear anyone tell them about a big group of people, come back and tell me what was said. For every bit of information you bring me, I’ll give you one of these.” He held up a copper coin that he had drawn from his coin purse, smirking as their eyes grew round at the sight of it.

“Now, here are the rules,” he dropped the money into his pocket as he went on. “You can’t let any of them see you when you’re listening, and if you lie to me about any information, you won’t get any rewards.”

“How will you know if we’re lying?” Alice crossed her arms.

“I have a trick,” Crow shrugged airily. “But I’m not going to tell you what it is.”

“Tell us!” Letha scooted closer to him.

“Fine,” he sighed in mock defeat. “Whenever you lie, you get a red dot on your forehead that only I can see, right here.” He poked each of them between the eyes. “It happens every time you don’t tell the truth, so don’t bother trying to get around it.”

The two girls gasped and looked at each other in astonishment.

“Think you understand the game?” Crow asked. He waited for them to nod before he waved a dismissive hand. “Go on then, get started.”

As the two raced out the front door, Zenith turned to him with amusement, “You know they’re going to lie to you anyways, right? How will you really be able to tell if they’re trying to trick you?”

Crow met her gaze with a devilish grin, “Because now, every time they lie, they’re going to do this.” He pressed one hand to his forehead.

“Clever,” Zenith laughed. “Where did you come up with that idea? I didn’t think you had any children.”

“I don’t,” he shook his head. “It was a trick my mother used on me when I was young. I’m sorry to say it worked for much longer than it should have.”

“Well, I think I’m going to have to borrow it,” Zenith chuckled again and leaned back against the wall.

“Go ahead,” Crow did the same, closing his eyes and letting out his breath in a long exhale. With Zenith’s daughters doing all the work for him, all he had to do now was sit back and wait. It was turning out to be a peaceful morning.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Dang, I'm sorry xc
Well, I'll try to keep you entertained! xD I'll be on all of today and tomorrow too because my husband is working extra shifts at both of his jobs, and my friends all went to Missouri for a big conference
The timing was bad, and it was too expensive for me to go with them, sadly

If you don't have plans for New Year's Eve, I'll also be around then, since I haven't come up with any solo plans for the holiday.
I'm thinking about going to a bar, but we'll see. People are wild, and I might prefer to stay home

--

EDIT: Update: Scratch that last part. Apparently he's trying to switch his shifts around so we can go to a New Year's Eve party xD I might not be online then after all

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

No worries! Rest up and feel better soon ^^

I've been editing my old posts on here because I'm a little OCD about my old typos and character inconsistencies xD
It's giving me plenty of work to keep me very much entertained tonight lol

That's cool. And super sweet that you got them for your mom's birthday!
I personally like California Adventures, but that's because I'm a thrill ride lover cx
Also, they sell alcoholic drinks there, so I'm planning to hit up the margarita stands next time I go

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

That was actually good timing xD I just got up from a nap a little bit ago

Okay! I hope you and your mom have a good time at Disneyland!
Out of curiosity, which one do you like better: Disneyland or California Adventure?

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's still got a few tricks up his sleeve ;3

I'm home now until next Thursday, so I'll be more active again.
I also definitely didn't drink enough water before the drive back up, so I got a little altitude sick ^^; I'll probably be around all day since I've got a headache now
Hooray for poor decisions lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow glanced across the table as Penelope defended his idea to remain in Aramoor for one more day. While he appreciated her support, he doubted anything she could say would change Gavin’s mind. Her former suitor was hell-bent on pinning him with the atrocities in their camp, and the fact that they hadn’t heard even a whisper about Jaxon and his thieves wasn’t helping his situation. Unless they found someone who had seen the group pass through and could point them in the right direction, he knew there would be nothing else that could convince Gavin that he was innocent.

He shifted in his seat, suddenly uncomfortable as he watched the knight from the corner of his eye. Until this point, Gavin had been mostly civil with him—well, as civil as anyone could expect a knight to be with a thief—but there was no telling if that would stay the same. If they couldn’t find a lead on Jaxon, it wouldn’t be much longer before Gavin concluded with certainty that he had been at fault. The knight seemed to have been holding back from doing anything to him for Penelope’s sake, but Crow couldn’t imagine that he would stay this calm forever if he truly believed he was in the presence of a man who had murdered his comrades in cold blood. He was going to have to keep an eye on him in case Gavin decided to take advantage of his proximity and attack while he still had the chance.

“Consider that a direct order from your higher up.”

Crow blinked and looked up at Penelope in amusement. With all the disputes happening amongst the group, he had nearly forgotten about her status as a lieutenant. He glanced towards Gavin and bit back a smirk as he saw the knight turn red with embarrassment. He guessed that Gavin was so used to viewing Penelope as an equal that he’d forgotten that she outranked him as well. For her to suddenly use the power she had to make the decision to stay in Aramoor must have taken him by surprise.

It was beginning to look like things would settle down, but of course, Gavin had to make one last remark to keep the thief from getting his way.

“You want me to just sit around and do nothing while you three go out and interrogate the villagers by yourselves?” Crow folded his arms over his chest and met the knight’s gaze stubbornly. “No way. I’m the only one here who knows what we’re looking for. You need me.”

“We have plenty enough to work with already,” Gavin said with rivaling determination. “We’ll be just fine on our own.”

Crow clenched his jaw, prepared to keep arguing with the knight about it. However, just as he was about to open his mouth again to retort, his eyes flicked towards Zenith, and he paused as another thought flitted through his mind. “Alright, fine,” he said, resting his hands behind his head and reclining back in his chair. “If you’re so sure you can handle it on your own, I don’t mind taking a day off.”

Gavin stared at him, seeming taken aback by his abrupt change in attitude. The knight studied him for a moment before reaching towards his belt and retrieving a set of cuffing chains, “I don’t suppose you would mind wearing these then? Just so I know you don’t try to “help” us behind the scenes.”

Crow fought the urge to roll his eyes. The knight was taking every precaution to make sure he couldn’t sabotage them. If only he would put that energy towards catching the real thieves who had raided their camp, then perhaps they would start making better progress. “Chain away, my friend,” he said, holding out his hands in an apathetic shrug. “I was just going to take a nap anyway.” He glanced towards Penelope and shot her a subtle, conniving wink that her former suitor didn’t catch.

Gavin’s lips thinned into a straight line as he eyed the thief, searching for signs of deception. Crow’s compliance seemed to only make him more suspicious that something was off. “Very well then,” he said after a pause, rising to his feet from the table and moving to stand near a wooden support beam near the center of the room where the blankets had been laid out.

Crow got up and ambled over to the same spot. “In case you were wondering, I’m left handed,” he said with a smirk as he offered the knight his wrist.

“I’m sure that’s a lie,” Gavin snorted as he took hold of the thief’s right hand and clasped the chain around it.

“Oh, damn,” Crow sighed dryly. “And I was so hoping you wouldn’t figure me out. Looks like my plans have been foiled.”

Gavin just scoffed in response to his sarcastic comment and gave the chain a tug to make sure it was fastened securely. Once he was sure the thief was confined, he turned back to the others. “Let’s get going. I don’t want to lose any more time than we already have.”