Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“The people we spoke with said the same thing,” Crow said with a nod when Penelope explained how her investigation had gone so far. He was glad to hear that it didn’t seem like she had gotten any conflicting stories. Now, if she and Gavin communed to go over their findings together, they would both be on the same page, and they would all be forced to accept the fact that their tip in Wheldrake had been just another dead end. Jaxon’s thieves would remain safe and undiscovered in their real camp to the west.

However, in the next moment, he felt a rush of panic as Penelope lowered her voice and said that the villagers she had talked to had been acting strangely. Forcing himself to keep a calm expression, he crossed his arms with mock thoughtfulness. “I noticed that too,” he confirmed in a quiet tone, deciding it was safer to play along rather than try to convince her that she had just imagined the peasants’ reactions. After pausing for a moment, he went on, “I’m starting to think that something happened here, but I’m not sure what. Maybe some of Jaxon’s men robbed them, so now they’re not as trusting of strangers?”

“You’re back,” Rikki bounced up with a grin as she suddenly took notice of the thief’s arrival. “What did your group figure out?”

“Pretty much the same thing that yours did, from the sound of it,” Crow shook his head.

“Well, hopefully we can turn that around soon,” she winked at him slyly. “It won’t be much longer before the people in this tavern loosen up enough to tell us more, and then we’ll have our revenge on that rat bastard.”

“I hope so,” Crow agreed, forcing a smile in spite of the growing seed of anxiety in his chest. He looked over the other people in the room—Alistair and Olivia had been quick to find each other and order some drinks, he noticed—before turning back to the Penelope and Rikki again, “We’ve still got some time left before they get drunk enough to tell us anything worthwhile. Why don’t we find a table and order some drinks for ourselves while we wait?”

“Sounds like fun,” Rikki beamed at him, clearly eager to jump at the chance to drink with him after he had avoided being around her for so long.

Crow met Penelope’s gaze with a shrug, “What do you say, love? There isn’t much else for us to do at the moment.” And I need more time to figure my way out of this mess, he added silently to himself as he waited for her reply.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

True lol They're very different kinds of couples.
Crow and Penelope work really well together because they help each other grow in ways that they couldn't on their own ^^
For example: Penelope got better at thinking for herself and being more confident, while Crow is learning to be more codependent and responsible

Crow's a little worried about the drunk villagers

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

The rest of the day went just as well as Crow could have hoped. The peasants that they ran into throughout the village all either fed Gavin the same story about the thieves heading to Azmar or avoided being questioned by making up excuses to get away. As time went on, Gavin attempted to refine his questions to get more details about when the group had passed through, but since the story they all told had been fabricated by Crow, they didn’t tell him anything more than what the very first group had offered.

By the end of it all, Crow was feeling quite pleased with himself and with the villagers, but he could tell that Gavin had grown more and more frustrated with the outcome of the interrogation. It was clear that there had been several sightings of the group they were chasing down, but the lead they had come away with was just as flimsy as the last one had been. It certainly wasn’t enough to persuade the knights’ baroness to approve of yet another trip to the far-away village of Azmar.

As time wore on, Gavin also seemed to grow more suspicious of Crow as well. The thief noticed him glancing in his direction more often during questionings, and the knight didn’t let him wander as far away while they walked from one part of the village to the next. It felt like the man was more certain than ever that he had done something to sabotage their efforts, but he couldn’t find any way to prove it. So, instead of turning on him outright, he reigned in his tether to keep him under even closer watch than before.

Despite the Gavin’s added precautions, Crow knew that there was nothing the knight could do to confirm his silent accusation. He went along with everything with a nonchalant attitude, giving off an air that he had nothing to hide. Unfortunately, his confident mannerisms only seemed to further irritate the knight, who refused to believe that he was as innocent as he wanted everyone to think.

On the other hand, Olivia didn’t seem to catch on to the tension between the two men as she grew more impatient with the mission altogether. As the sun sank lower in the sky, her whining increased until Gavin finally caved and agreed that they could take their search to the local tavern, so she could go drinking. Having gotten her way, she finally lapsed into a content silence as the patrol made its way down the main road once more.

They reached the building at sunset, and Olivia wasted no time hurrying inside to order a drink. Crow rolled his eyes as he followed after her, finding her enthusiasm for alcohol distasteful although he said nothing about it aloud. When he stepped into the tavern, he did a quick sweep of the room only to find that Penelope’s group had arrived ahead of them. It looked like they were just finishing up questioning a group of drunken peasant men and women. He muttered a curse under his breath. It was early now, but if they stayed too long, one of the intoxicated villagers might let slip that the thief had been the one to tell them all to lie. He had to do something.

“What’s with that look?” Gavin’s voice startled him out of his thoughts. He turned to see that the knight was eyeing him warily. “You almost seem worried about something.”

Crow fought the urge to curl his lip at the nosey man as he replied, “I was just thinking.”

“About what?” Gavin pressed.

“Just wondering if Penelope’s patrol had any better luck than we did,” Crow answered with a roll of his eyes as he gestured to her nearby group. “Don’t try to tell me you’re not curious. I know you’re just as eager as I am to find out what they learned.” He turned around again. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to ask her, myself.” Without waiting for a reply, he took off and left the knight behind.

Weaving between the tables, he made his way over to Penelope’s side and slipped his arm around her waist to get her attention. “Hey there, gorgeous,” he greeted her with a flirtatious smirk followed by a kiss on the cheek. “Did you find anything interesting?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

They're a really good match xD
Meanwhile, Crow is really happy with how things are turning out on his end

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As the patrol approached a small group of peasants, Crow could tell that their presence was already setting the men on edge. He averted his gaze and bit his lip to suppress the smirk that threatened to take over his mouth, hoping the knights wouldn’t catch his expression. They hadn’t even struck up a conversation with the villagers, yet he could already tell that they had heard word of the investigation happening in Wheldrake. He just hoped they would be convincing enough to throw the knights off Jaxon’s scent.

When they came to a stop, Gavin glanced towards Crow, who just shrugged in response. It was clear that the knight wanted him to be the one to come up with the lie that would start the questioning, but he wasn’t about to offer his help. Gavin may have successfully kept the thief at his side, but that didn’t mean he was going to be compliant. If the knight wanted to get any information out of the villagers, he was just going to have to do it by himself.

Gavin shot Crow a cold look before turning back to give the men their usual introduction: asking the peasants if they had seen a large group pass through the area, saying that he was looking for a specific member, giving a fake reason for the search, et cetera, et cetera. When he had finished, he studied the villagers closely in wait of an answer.

The three men exchanged nervous looks before one of them finally stepped forward, “Yea, I seen the group yer lookin’ for, but ye won’t find ‘em here. They’re on their way t’ Azmar in the east.”

“Azmar?” Gavin’s eyes widened slightly, as if he was surprised there was any lead at all. The shock on his face was too much for Crow, who coughed into the crook of his arm to conceal a curt laugh. The knight glanced at him briefly before turning back to the villagers, “Do you have any other information? Perhaps when they left?”

“Don’t think so,” the man frowned, turning to his friends, who shook their heads. “That’s all we’ve got.”

“I see,” Gavin said, lowering his gaze thoughtfully for a moment before looking up at them again with a grateful nod, “Thank you for your help.” With nothing more to learn from the men, he turned to keep walking down the road, with Olivia and Crow trailing close behind.

As he passed by the villagers, Crow casted them a proud grin and—after double checking that the others weren’t looking his way—placed his hand on the shoulder of the man who had told the lie. “Thanks,” he muttered quietly before hurrying off to put some distance between himself and the other peasants before Gavin could notice his short delay.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Neither are Olivia and Crow xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Me too,” Crow muttered under his breath when Penelope fell in step beside him, nodding his head appreciatively when she wished him luck. “Thanks. You too. I have a feeling we’re both going to need it.”

It wasn’t long before the two groups split off to cover different parts of the village. Gavin continued to command the lead of his patrol, walking briskly ahead of them to set the pace. Meanwhile, Crow and Olivia lagged behind him, since both of them were still feeling tired—Crow from his late night, and Olivia because of the extra valerian he had slipped into her water. Regardless, they kept up just well enough with the determined male knight to keep him from complaining about the distance between them.

As the main road came into sight up ahead, Olivia turned to Crow with a dull expression. “Looks like Gavin managed to worm his way between everyone, huh?” she mused. “He really just doesn’t know how to have fun on a mission, or let anyone else try, for that matter.”

“What did you expect?” Crow shrugged, speaking quietly so the other knight wouldn’t be able to overhear him. “He hates me, and he thinks you’re too distracted to get anything done.”

Olivia scoffed, “There are six of us in this little village. He doesn’t need everyone to pay attention to find anything out. I’m sure he just did it because he’s jealous that he doesn’t have someone to sleep with at night.”

Crow smirked at her in amusement, “It’s too late to change anything now.”

“Maybe…” Olivia glanced at him with a mischievous grin. “Then again, we could just get drunk at the tavern to get him back for this. If he wants to waste our time, we’ll just waste his.”

“I don’t hate that idea,” Crow laughed. “But we should at least try to question the villagers. The circumstances might not be very enjoyable, but your barons did send you on this mission for a reason.”

“Gavin can do the questioning for us,” Olivia nudged him insistently. “Besides, Penelope’s got a group of her own that’s just as capable as ours is. I’m sure that if there’s anything here, she’ll be the one to find it.”

“You’re really set on this idea of yours, aren’t you?” Crow shook his head.

“Of course,” Olivia laughed. “I’m not going to let Gavin get everything he wants.” She nudged him again with an impish gleam in her dark eyes. “And I’m curious to see what you’re like when you’re drunk.”

Crow rolled his eyes, “That’s too bad, because I don’t get drunk. If you choose to do it, you’re on your own.”

“Come on,” Olivia pouted. “It’s just one time. Relax a little.”

“Not a chance.”

“Fine then,” Olivia sighed. “You do what you want, but I’m not going to let ol’ stick-in-the-mud walk all over me like that. I, for one, am going to enjoy myself.”

Crow wavered slightly at that. He glanced discreetly at Gavin, toying a little more with the thought of disregarding the knight’s authority with Olivia. Maybe it would be fun to make him flounder with the interrogation on his own… I shouldn’t, suddenly, the more logical part of his mind intervened. I can’t risk letting my tongue slip and telling anyone about what’s really going on. “You do that,” he said at last. “But I’m going to stay sober, and there’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”

“Gods, you’re just as boring as he is,” Olivia groaned.

Crow ignored her comment, his attention shifting to Gavin as the knight began to approach some passing villagers. He swallowed nervously. It was time to find out if his work had paid off.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow caught on pretty quick cx

Dang, that's wild xD What would you guys have done if they actually got inside?
Ooh nice! Limos are super fun! My friends and I used to rent them just to ride around in lol I dunno how much they are in CA, but in the Phoenix area, you can rent them for just $40/hr (which, split between like 8-10 friends is only $4-5 per person for a whole hour of fancy limo shenanigans and complimentary cider). I've heard party buses are better, but I've never been on one of those.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow listened quietly as Gavin announced that he wanted to stick with the plan to work in small groups. It didn’t matter what they decided to do. The villagers were already on the lookout for unfamiliar faces, so they weren’t going to give anything away no matter what size of group approached them. He glanced over his shoulder at Alistair and Rikki, who had just walked up to listen in as well. Since the knight wanted to split them up in groups of three, he fully expected Gavin to arrange that the knights would be working independently from the thieves. However, he was surprised when the other man announced that he would go with him and Olivia.

Turning back to look at him, Crow had to fight to keep his expression neutral. While this change in the plan didn’t necessarily hurt the efforts he had made the night before, he was astonished that Gavin would choose to work alongside him. Could it have been because he didn’t feel comfortable with his interrogative skills? No, he narrowed his eyes slightly. He’s trying to keep me close. Perhaps the knight was catching on to his secret more quickly than he had expected. He was going to have to keep an eye on him to see if he had really figured anything out or if he was just being cautious because of his mistrust in criminals.

Casting a glance at Penelope, he frowned as she tried to trade places with Olivia, only to have the idea be shot down rather quickly by her former suitor. He didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone with Alistair and Rikki—mostly the latter—but he couldn’t see any way to separate her from them without raising even more suspicion in Gavin. As much as he disliked the thought, it looked like she was going to be stuck with them. He just hoped the two thieves wouldn’t test her patience too much.

“Unless you have a problem with working with me, thief?” Gavin’s voice caught Crow’s attention.

He turned towards the knight with an apathetic shrug, “Well, if you’re asking how I feel about working with you personally, then yes, I do have a problem with it. But if you’re talking professionally, then I don’t have any qualms with working with you.”

Gavin studied him for a moment, seeming dissatisfied with the thief’s answer. Crow wouldn’t have been surprised if the knight had been hoping that he would squirm more against the idea of conducting the interrogation alongside him. But, of course, he wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of letting him know how annoyed he really was with the change in plans, so he held the man’s gaze evenly and said nothing more on the matter.

“Fine,” Gavin growled at last, breaking the tense silence that had fallen between the two men as they stared each other down. “We’ve already lost too much time this morning. Let’s get moving.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'm excited cx

What xD Why would they try to get in your car? That's insane!
I went to a super small high school (graduating class of 26 people small), so sophomores-seniors could go to Prom. I don't have any crazy stories, but my sophomore year, we held the prom on the roof of a natural history museum, so me and my squad ditched to dance to explore the museum instead lol It was super creepy at night (they never turn off the animal sounds, even though they turned the lights off), but it was definitely my favorite prom because of that ^^

Anyway, I've got my first class today, so I'll be gone until like 3 cx