@Bee Thread's up~
Will add my first IC post soon.
Will add my first IC post soon.
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STATUS: Does this mean we can call you abmin now? 2 yrs ago
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- Old Guild Username: Lokki
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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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Just discovered Dog TV. My pitbull and I have a new shared hobby.
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Barbenheimer 2023
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There's a panhandler who hangs out on the street corner by our dispensary every afternoon with a sign that just says "Green 4 Green?" and tbh, I respect my boy's confidence.
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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
Crow's starting to be tempted to take the same deal Jaxon did
Definitely xD
Definitely xD
The rest of the trip to Black Hollow was mostly uneventful. About halfway there, the thieves ran into a small patrol of local knights, but they managed to lose them easily enough after a bit of running. From there, they had no more trouble and made it to the village just as the sun was nearing the horizon. As planned, they split off into pairs when they reached the main road. Alistair and Hazel headed for the fields to try and catch the farmers before they went home while Crow and Rikki made their way to the local tavern to question the village drunks.
After they parted ways with the others, the two thieves spent most of the remaining walk in silence. Crow busied himself by looking over the village. He hadn’t been to this particular one in quite a while, since it was located far enough within Brerra’s territory that the locals hadn’t really seen many battles. He’d always found it a bit unsettling. Located at the base of a vast cliff to the south, Black Hollow was almost always blanketed in shadows, giving it a dark and dismal atmosphere. It was how the village had received its name in the first place.
The people who lived there were friendly enough—most of them were miners who used the resources within the cliff to make a living—but the lack of direct sunlight had always bothered the thief, so he didn’t often visit unless he had a good reason to do so. Apparently, a fake lead to find a murderer was good enough this time.
“So,” Rikki’s voice broke the silence between them after a while. He glanced down at her to see that she had tilted her head back to gaze up at the massive rock wall with a thoughtful expression. “Why couldn’t the knights come with us this time? Did they give up?”
“No,” Crow shook his head, averting his gaze uncomfortably as the recalled what Penelope had told him about the attack on their camp. “They had to stay behind to help their comrades… The Younisians struck their camp while we were in Wheldrake.”
“Really?” Rikki turned to him with raised brows and whistled softly. “They certainly didn’t waste any time.” She paused for a moment before going on in a low voice, “Hey, Crow?”
“Hm?”
“It’s seems to me that the Younisians’ attack was planned,” she said slowly, as if piecing an idea together. “Do you think Jaxon did it? Took the deal they’ve been offering us, I mean?” She frowned worriedly. “If he’s being backed by the other kingdom, it might be harder than we thought to bring him down.”
Crow wavered before answering. After speaking directly with the man, himself, he knew fully well that Jaxon had taken the Younisians’ deal. “I think so,” he admitted after a moment.
Rikki pulled at the sleeve of her shirt, fidgeting in obvious discomfort as she spoke up again, “Do you think… do you think we should take it too?”
Crow turned to her in unbridled surprise, but before he could question her, she spoke first.
“Just hear me out,” she said, looking up at him with nervous eyes. “This war is going to end one way or another. If we can’t stop Jaxon, he’s going to keep sabotaging the battalions of our kingdom, and the Younisians are going to trample them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be on the losing side of this thing when it’s over.” She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “If the Younisian barons will still take our help, it might not be the worst thing to join their side.”
Crow remained quiet as she finished speaking, considering her idea. If he was honest with himself, it didn’t sound like the worst plan. With the way things were going, it was really starting to look like Brerra had no chance of coming back. Once Younis took the outer villages, it was only a matter of time before they conquered the rest of the kingdom as well. Before, he had denied their offer for an alliance because he hadn’t wanted to take sides in a back-and-forth war, but now, the survivalist inside of him was starting to believe it would be wise to earn the favor of the winning kingdom.
But he couldn’t do that to Penelope.
As much as he wanted to come out of the war on the winning side and guarantee that he wouldn’t be forced into slavery with the rest of the Brerratic peasants—if the enemy kingdom chose to enslave them, that is—he couldn’t just abandon her. If she went down with the rest of the nobles, he was going to be at her side.
“I can’t,” he said at last, meeting her gaze with a pained expression. “You and the others can speak to the Younisian barons if you wish, but I’m not coming. Whatever happens, I’m going to stay with Penelope. I have to make sure she’s safe.”
Rikki studied him with a frown, “You’d really give up your own security for her?”
He nodded, “I love her. I’m not going to save myself if it means letting her fall alone.”
She pursed her lips, looking away from him for a long moment before murmuring, “What if you could save her too?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” Rikki’s voice grew a little more hopeful. “If we help the Younisians, they’re going to owe us big time. I’m sure they would be accommodating if you asked them to spare her when they win this war, especially if you took the favor in place of gold.” She looked up at him again. “If we join them, you could save yourself and Penelope from slavery. It’s a win win.”
Crow shifted his weight. The idea of turning on Penelope in the middle of the war like that was still off-putting to him. “I don’t know…”
“Just think about it,” she said, holding up a hand to keep him from answering her now. “I hate the thought of working with a bastard like Jaxon just as much as you do, but at this point, I really think it’s worth considering.” She offered him a small smile. “Can you promise me you’ll do that?”
Crow hesitated for a long pause before he finally nodded, “I will.”
“Alright then,” Rikki perked up a bit, hastening her pace as the tavern came into view up ahead. “Come on, let’s see if we can find that viper before you even need to make any hard decisions.”
After they parted ways with the others, the two thieves spent most of the remaining walk in silence. Crow busied himself by looking over the village. He hadn’t been to this particular one in quite a while, since it was located far enough within Brerra’s territory that the locals hadn’t really seen many battles. He’d always found it a bit unsettling. Located at the base of a vast cliff to the south, Black Hollow was almost always blanketed in shadows, giving it a dark and dismal atmosphere. It was how the village had received its name in the first place.
The people who lived there were friendly enough—most of them were miners who used the resources within the cliff to make a living—but the lack of direct sunlight had always bothered the thief, so he didn’t often visit unless he had a good reason to do so. Apparently, a fake lead to find a murderer was good enough this time.
“So,” Rikki’s voice broke the silence between them after a while. He glanced down at her to see that she had tilted her head back to gaze up at the massive rock wall with a thoughtful expression. “Why couldn’t the knights come with us this time? Did they give up?”
“No,” Crow shook his head, averting his gaze uncomfortably as the recalled what Penelope had told him about the attack on their camp. “They had to stay behind to help their comrades… The Younisians struck their camp while we were in Wheldrake.”
“Really?” Rikki turned to him with raised brows and whistled softly. “They certainly didn’t waste any time.” She paused for a moment before going on in a low voice, “Hey, Crow?”
“Hm?”
“It’s seems to me that the Younisians’ attack was planned,” she said slowly, as if piecing an idea together. “Do you think Jaxon did it? Took the deal they’ve been offering us, I mean?” She frowned worriedly. “If he’s being backed by the other kingdom, it might be harder than we thought to bring him down.”
Crow wavered before answering. After speaking directly with the man, himself, he knew fully well that Jaxon had taken the Younisians’ deal. “I think so,” he admitted after a moment.
Rikki pulled at the sleeve of her shirt, fidgeting in obvious discomfort as she spoke up again, “Do you think… do you think we should take it too?”
Crow turned to her in unbridled surprise, but before he could question her, she spoke first.
“Just hear me out,” she said, looking up at him with nervous eyes. “This war is going to end one way or another. If we can’t stop Jaxon, he’s going to keep sabotaging the battalions of our kingdom, and the Younisians are going to trample them. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be on the losing side of this thing when it’s over.” She bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “If the Younisian barons will still take our help, it might not be the worst thing to join their side.”
Crow remained quiet as she finished speaking, considering her idea. If he was honest with himself, it didn’t sound like the worst plan. With the way things were going, it was really starting to look like Brerra had no chance of coming back. Once Younis took the outer villages, it was only a matter of time before they conquered the rest of the kingdom as well. Before, he had denied their offer for an alliance because he hadn’t wanted to take sides in a back-and-forth war, but now, the survivalist inside of him was starting to believe it would be wise to earn the favor of the winning kingdom.
But he couldn’t do that to Penelope.
As much as he wanted to come out of the war on the winning side and guarantee that he wouldn’t be forced into slavery with the rest of the Brerratic peasants—if the enemy kingdom chose to enslave them, that is—he couldn’t just abandon her. If she went down with the rest of the nobles, he was going to be at her side.
“I can’t,” he said at last, meeting her gaze with a pained expression. “You and the others can speak to the Younisian barons if you wish, but I’m not coming. Whatever happens, I’m going to stay with Penelope. I have to make sure she’s safe.”
Rikki studied him with a frown, “You’d really give up your own security for her?”
He nodded, “I love her. I’m not going to save myself if it means letting her fall alone.”
She pursed her lips, looking away from him for a long moment before murmuring, “What if you could save her too?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well,” Rikki’s voice grew a little more hopeful. “If we help the Younisians, they’re going to owe us big time. I’m sure they would be accommodating if you asked them to spare her when they win this war, especially if you took the favor in place of gold.” She looked up at him again. “If we join them, you could save yourself and Penelope from slavery. It’s a win win.”
Crow shifted his weight. The idea of turning on Penelope in the middle of the war like that was still off-putting to him. “I don’t know…”
“Just think about it,” she said, holding up a hand to keep him from answering her now. “I hate the thought of working with a bastard like Jaxon just as much as you do, but at this point, I really think it’s worth considering.” She offered him a small smile. “Can you promise me you’ll do that?”
Crow hesitated for a long pause before he finally nodded, “I will.”
“Alright then,” Rikki perked up a bit, hastening her pace as the tavern came into view up ahead. “Come on, let’s see if we can find that viper before you even need to make any hard decisions.”
Man, Layth would not be a fun patient xD
Same lol Poor suckers
Nice cx I'm excited for that
Same lol Poor suckers
Nice cx I'm excited for that
The rest of the night went by peacefully for the group. They enjoyed the hearty stew for dinner that Crow and Hazel had prepared and went over their plans for how they would approach questioning the villagers and go after Jaxon if their lead proved to be more useful than the last. Crow participated in the discussion, despite knowing they wouldn’t come away with anything useful. He doubted Jaxon’s band of thieves had been anywhere near Black Hollow, since they were camped on the other side of the outer villages. If they heard even a mention of the criminals, he would have been shocked.
As the sky grew darker and they all grew more tired, they eventually headed off to get some sleep, wanting to be well-rested for the remaining trek to the village as well as the busyness that the following night was going to bring. Crow laid out his bedroll and fell back on the mat with a weary yawn, hoping the rest of the trip would go by quickly so he could get back to Penelope again. Though he tried to distract himself with other things, he found that his mind frequently wandered back to the knight as he worried about her safety while he was gone.
She’s probably fine, he thought, rolling onto his side and drawing his blanket up to his chin. Gavin came after me of his own free will, and he didn’t even show his face until Jaxon left. There’s no way he could have found out I was followed. Feeling slightly reassured, he let out his breath in a long sigh as he finally managed to drift off to sleep.
--
The next morning was a busy one for the thieves. Crow was the first to wake up, so he went around to rouse the other three to begin tearing down their camp. They made quick work of rolling up their beds and disassembled the firepit, leaving scarcely a trace of their presence behind. Once all the work was done, they sat down to enjoy a simple breakfast of dark bread to fill their stomachs before they embarked on the rest of their walk to Black Hollow.
“When we get to the village, Rikki and I will check the tavern, while you two ask around the streets,” Crow said, reciting the plan they had made the night before. “At the end of the day, we’ll meet up again at our camp to go over what we find.” His green eyes swept over them sternly. “And remember: If anyone hears of any further leads, do not follow it until after we’ve regrouped. I don’t want anyone being reckless and getting themselves killed tonight. Jaxon is too dangerous to approach blindly, so we need to make a plan if we find out he’s here. Got it?”
The other three nodded in response. A brief moment of silence passed before Rikki shifted a little closer to Crow. “I’m glad we’ll be working together,” she said, offering him a soft smile. “It’s been a while since you and I have teamed up to do anything like this. It’ll be fun.”
He casted her a long look before turning away again and nodding, “Right.” In truth, he was a little wary to be partnering with Rikki for the interrogation, since his trust in her was far from restored. Unfortunately, it was the best option he had. Alistair and Rikki were the two most impulsive members of the group, so he had to split them up for their own safety. While he doubted they would hear any word about Jaxon, there was always the slim chance that something would come up. If it did, Alistair and Rikki would be sure to run after it if they were working together.
Additionally, he needed to be at the tavern for the same reason. If a drunken villager said something about the thieves they were after, he needed to be able to intercept the lead. He couldn’t work with Hazel, and Alistair would just get drunk, so that left him with the only other member of the group: Rikki. He just hoped she would continue to keep her distance from him, as she had already been doing.
Once everyone had finished eating, Crow stood up and directed them all to gather their things so they could keep going. The others followed his lead, and soon they were on the move again, walking briskly in their goal to reach Black Hollow before sunset.
As the sky grew darker and they all grew more tired, they eventually headed off to get some sleep, wanting to be well-rested for the remaining trek to the village as well as the busyness that the following night was going to bring. Crow laid out his bedroll and fell back on the mat with a weary yawn, hoping the rest of the trip would go by quickly so he could get back to Penelope again. Though he tried to distract himself with other things, he found that his mind frequently wandered back to the knight as he worried about her safety while he was gone.
She’s probably fine, he thought, rolling onto his side and drawing his blanket up to his chin. Gavin came after me of his own free will, and he didn’t even show his face until Jaxon left. There’s no way he could have found out I was followed. Feeling slightly reassured, he let out his breath in a long sigh as he finally managed to drift off to sleep.
--
The next morning was a busy one for the thieves. Crow was the first to wake up, so he went around to rouse the other three to begin tearing down their camp. They made quick work of rolling up their beds and disassembled the firepit, leaving scarcely a trace of their presence behind. Once all the work was done, they sat down to enjoy a simple breakfast of dark bread to fill their stomachs before they embarked on the rest of their walk to Black Hollow.
“When we get to the village, Rikki and I will check the tavern, while you two ask around the streets,” Crow said, reciting the plan they had made the night before. “At the end of the day, we’ll meet up again at our camp to go over what we find.” His green eyes swept over them sternly. “And remember: If anyone hears of any further leads, do not follow it until after we’ve regrouped. I don’t want anyone being reckless and getting themselves killed tonight. Jaxon is too dangerous to approach blindly, so we need to make a plan if we find out he’s here. Got it?”
The other three nodded in response. A brief moment of silence passed before Rikki shifted a little closer to Crow. “I’m glad we’ll be working together,” she said, offering him a soft smile. “It’s been a while since you and I have teamed up to do anything like this. It’ll be fun.”
He casted her a long look before turning away again and nodding, “Right.” In truth, he was a little wary to be partnering with Rikki for the interrogation, since his trust in her was far from restored. Unfortunately, it was the best option he had. Alistair and Rikki were the two most impulsive members of the group, so he had to split them up for their own safety. While he doubted they would hear any word about Jaxon, there was always the slim chance that something would come up. If it did, Alistair and Rikki would be sure to run after it if they were working together.
Additionally, he needed to be at the tavern for the same reason. If a drunken villager said something about the thieves they were after, he needed to be able to intercept the lead. He couldn’t work with Hazel, and Alistair would just get drunk, so that left him with the only other member of the group: Rikki. He just hoped she would continue to keep her distance from him, as she had already been doing.
Once everyone had finished eating, Crow stood up and directed them all to gather their things so they could keep going. The others followed his lead, and soon they were on the move again, walking briskly in their goal to reach Black Hollow before sunset.
Crow is trying his best to take Hazel's mind off Simon's death cx
Nice xD I can't wait to see them. Sounds like an interesting bunch
I should probably make a couple characters too, now that I think about it. Since Crow is going to be thrown right into training for the job as the king's viceroy, he'll have to have a tutor, since he has to be educated, and a personal attendant, since ambassadors are practically royalty.
The poor saps have no idea who they're going to be dealing with xD
Also, I had some kinda fun ideas for Crow and Penelope. It could be cute if she ends up teaching him some of the things he doesn't know how to do like horseback riding or swimming or other skills like those that he would have to learn.
Nice xD I can't wait to see them. Sounds like an interesting bunch
I should probably make a couple characters too, now that I think about it. Since Crow is going to be thrown right into training for the job as the king's viceroy, he'll have to have a tutor, since he has to be educated, and a personal attendant, since ambassadors are practically royalty.
The poor saps have no idea who they're going to be dealing with xD
Also, I had some kinda fun ideas for Crow and Penelope. It could be cute if she ends up teaching him some of the things he doesn't know how to do like horseback riding or swimming or other skills like those that he would have to learn.
Even with all of the preparations that had to be done, the band of criminals managed to get ready for their trip to Black Hollow by midday. Hazel, being quite familiar with the recipe for Crow’s permanent medicine by now, made quick work of the poultice and returned to them with plenty of time to spare. When she got back, the others filled her in on the fake update he had given them. Naturally, she was on board with anything that could lead to the capture—or perhaps death, he suspected—of Simon’s killer, and agreed to join the search as well. Her eagerness made Crow feel guilty for sending them after yet another dead-end lead, but he kept a neutral expression as he picked up his bag to leave with the rest.
Once everyone was ready to go, they headed out, covering ground quickly in their enthusiasm to stop Jaxon before he could ‘get away again.’ Of course, in spite of their focus to catch the murderer, they remained alert and kept a wide berth of the knights’ camp, since they knew the nobles were probably still hunting for them as they were the only known group of thieves in the area. The detour towards Whitebridge cost them some time, but they still found a place to set up camp that was within a day’s walk from Black Hollow. All in all, they were making great time.
It was sunset by the time they stopped on the east side of Whitebridge. Alistair, who had brought along extra weaponry in case they ended up confronting the other thieves, collapsed tiredly against a tree while Crow and Rikki worked on building a fire, and Hazel sorted through some ingredients to prepare dinner. Having grown used to the routine of setting up camp after traveling so much, it didn’t take long before they had a comfortable arrangement.
When the fire was burning steadily, Rikki joined Alistair off to the side of the clearing to recline and converse casually with her friend while Crow joined Hazel in preparing their food for the night. Usually, he didn’t bother with preparing meals, since he wasn’t the most skilled at cooking amongst his companions—he only knew how to make simple dishes common to peasants, while Alistair was the best at using the finer ingredients they stole from the knights—but, still feeling guilty about Simon’s death, he wanted to try and spend more time with the now-widowed herbalist.
“So, what are we making?” he asked, casting her a friendly smile as he sat down at her side.
Hazel just glanced at him before returning to cutting up the potato in her hands. “I know what you’re doing,” she muttered without looking up again. “You don’t have to treat me like I’m some fragile little flower. Go and join your friends. I can take care of this on my own.”
Crow rolled his eyes. “I’m just offering my company,” he said, stretching out his legs in a more comfortable posture. “You don’t have to be so defensive. But fine,” he leaned over to nudge her with his shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll just sit here and criticize the terrible way you’re dicing those vegetables.”
Hazel snorted in response, but he saw the corner of her lip turn up in a faint smile. “Right, because you’re the expert on cutting vegetables,” she said sarcastically. “I must have forgotten.”
“I’ll forgive you this once,” he shrugged airily. “But I can’t forgive your sloppy prep work. Sorry, love, but that’s amateur stuff.”
“You’re a pain in the ass,” Hazel shoved him roughly, averting her gaze to try and hide the smirk on her face. “You know what? If you think you’re so good at it, then here.” She picked up another knife and potato and held them out to him. “Dice your own damn potatoes.”
“Alright, I will,” Crow grinned as he took them from her, feeling pleased that he had managed to lift her spirits some.
Now that Hazel had accepted his company, the two lapsed into comfortable conversation as they worked on making supper for the group.
Once everyone was ready to go, they headed out, covering ground quickly in their enthusiasm to stop Jaxon before he could ‘get away again.’ Of course, in spite of their focus to catch the murderer, they remained alert and kept a wide berth of the knights’ camp, since they knew the nobles were probably still hunting for them as they were the only known group of thieves in the area. The detour towards Whitebridge cost them some time, but they still found a place to set up camp that was within a day’s walk from Black Hollow. All in all, they were making great time.
It was sunset by the time they stopped on the east side of Whitebridge. Alistair, who had brought along extra weaponry in case they ended up confronting the other thieves, collapsed tiredly against a tree while Crow and Rikki worked on building a fire, and Hazel sorted through some ingredients to prepare dinner. Having grown used to the routine of setting up camp after traveling so much, it didn’t take long before they had a comfortable arrangement.
When the fire was burning steadily, Rikki joined Alistair off to the side of the clearing to recline and converse casually with her friend while Crow joined Hazel in preparing their food for the night. Usually, he didn’t bother with preparing meals, since he wasn’t the most skilled at cooking amongst his companions—he only knew how to make simple dishes common to peasants, while Alistair was the best at using the finer ingredients they stole from the knights—but, still feeling guilty about Simon’s death, he wanted to try and spend more time with the now-widowed herbalist.
“So, what are we making?” he asked, casting her a friendly smile as he sat down at her side.
Hazel just glanced at him before returning to cutting up the potato in her hands. “I know what you’re doing,” she muttered without looking up again. “You don’t have to treat me like I’m some fragile little flower. Go and join your friends. I can take care of this on my own.”
Crow rolled his eyes. “I’m just offering my company,” he said, stretching out his legs in a more comfortable posture. “You don’t have to be so defensive. But fine,” he leaned over to nudge her with his shoulder. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll just sit here and criticize the terrible way you’re dicing those vegetables.”
Hazel snorted in response, but he saw the corner of her lip turn up in a faint smile. “Right, because you’re the expert on cutting vegetables,” she said sarcastically. “I must have forgotten.”
“I’ll forgive you this once,” he shrugged airily. “But I can’t forgive your sloppy prep work. Sorry, love, but that’s amateur stuff.”
“You’re a pain in the ass,” Hazel shoved him roughly, averting her gaze to try and hide the smirk on her face. “You know what? If you think you’re so good at it, then here.” She picked up another knife and potato and held them out to him. “Dice your own damn potatoes.”
“Alright, I will,” Crow grinned as he took them from her, feeling pleased that he had managed to lift her spirits some.
Now that Hazel had accepted his company, the two lapsed into comfortable conversation as they worked on making supper for the group.
I wrote out most of my post in advance again xD
I had waaay too much free time over the last few days
Yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see how they all interact whenever we get the thread launched cx
Ooh, really? I'm excited to see what you've got!
Sweet, haha. I've got a meeting on Sunday night, but other than that nothing but homework
I had waaay too much free time over the last few days
Yeah, it's gonna be interesting to see how they all interact whenever we get the thread launched cx
Ooh, really? I'm excited to see what you've got!
Sweet, haha. I've got a meeting on Sunday night, but other than that nothing but homework
The next morning wasn’t the most pleasant for Crow. Almost as soon as he sat up on his bed, he was overcome with another violent coughing fit. Usually, he tried to go somewhere private when the episodes happened, so he wouldn’t bother his companions, but this one came on so suddenly that he didn’t have a chance to react. He squeezed his eyes shut and brought a hand to his mouth to stop the blood from spattering as he waited for the fit to pass.
As soon as he was able to catch his breath again, he felt a hand on his back. Panting softly, he looked up to see Rikki kneeling at his side with a concerned look in her wide, dark eyes. “Are you alright?” she asked, studying him worriedly.
“I’m fine,” he nodded, avoiding her gaze out of embarrassment that she had caught him like this.
“Are you sure?” she pressed, rubbing her hand along his shoulders. “That didn’t sound good.”
“Darling, please,” he sighed. “I’ve got it under control. Don’t worry about it, alright?”
“Under control, my ass,” another voice spoke up from across the room. Crow looked up to see Hazel eyeing him with a strange expression. After a moment, she looked away, going on in a quiet voice, “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have let myself get so caught up in everything that’s happened… You haven’t had any medicine in almost two weeks.”
Crow frowned, “Don’t say that. You just lost your husband. No one expects you to work on making medicines while you’re mourning.”
“No,” Hazel shook her head. “I’m your healer, Crow. I shouldn’t have let anything get in the way of treating your illness. It’s disgraceful.” She rose to her feet from where she had been sitting and headed to the entrance of the cavern. “I’m going to make you a fresh batch right now.”
“O-okay,” Crow followed her with his eyes until she disappeared from his sight. He wished she wouldn’t be so hard on herself, but he knew there was no changing the stubborn herbalist’s mind once she had made it up. With Hazel gone, he turned his attention back to Rikki, who was still lingering close to his side with one hand resting on his back. He cleared his throat and tilted his head slightly, meeting her gaze with a warning look. Fortunately, she understood that he was gesturing for her to put some distance between them and scooted a little farther away.
Glancing at the front of the cavern, Crow spotted Alistair sitting with his back to the wall, carving something that he couldn’t make out between the darkness and the distance. With both of the other thieves around, he supposed it was as good a time as any to bring up the fake tip off to Black Hollow. He sighed to himself, wishing he could just tell Penelope that he had followed the lead and come up blank instead of actually going on the pointless trip. Unfortunately, he needed something a little more foolproof than that. If he lied about going and she questioned any of his companions, she would find out right away that it wasn’t true. So, as much as he would prefer to stay close to the knights’ camp to keep an eye on her, he had to go.
“I found out something interesting last night,” he spoke up after a moment’s pause. He waited for Alistair and Rikki to look his way before he went on. “I went to the Ivory Hatchet to meet with Penelope, and while we were there, one of the villagers overheard us talking about Jaxon. He said he heard a rumor about a band of thieves in Black Hollow.” His eyes flicked between his companions’ faces as he tried to gauge whether they believed the lie. “The knights can’t come with us this time, but I think it’s worth checking out. What do you think?”
“I think it’s obvious,” Alistair growled from across the cavern. “Of course we should go! That slippery murderer needs to be put in his place.”
“Yeah,” Rikki nodded in agreement, cracking her knuckled eagerly. “We don’t need the knights. We’re perfectly capable of handling our own kind. If we find him, we’ll just kill him ourselves.”
It seemed they were buying into the lie perfectly. Crow grinned, “Alright then. No point in wasting any more time here.” He climbed to his feet and headed over to the supplies to begin packing a bag. “Let’s get to work. As soon as Hazel gets back, we’re all going to Black Hollow.”
As soon as he was able to catch his breath again, he felt a hand on his back. Panting softly, he looked up to see Rikki kneeling at his side with a concerned look in her wide, dark eyes. “Are you alright?” she asked, studying him worriedly.
“I’m fine,” he nodded, avoiding her gaze out of embarrassment that she had caught him like this.
“Are you sure?” she pressed, rubbing her hand along his shoulders. “That didn’t sound good.”
“Darling, please,” he sighed. “I’ve got it under control. Don’t worry about it, alright?”
“Under control, my ass,” another voice spoke up from across the room. Crow looked up to see Hazel eyeing him with a strange expression. After a moment, she looked away, going on in a quiet voice, “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have let myself get so caught up in everything that’s happened… You haven’t had any medicine in almost two weeks.”
Crow frowned, “Don’t say that. You just lost your husband. No one expects you to work on making medicines while you’re mourning.”
“No,” Hazel shook her head. “I’m your healer, Crow. I shouldn’t have let anything get in the way of treating your illness. It’s disgraceful.” She rose to her feet from where she had been sitting and headed to the entrance of the cavern. “I’m going to make you a fresh batch right now.”
“O-okay,” Crow followed her with his eyes until she disappeared from his sight. He wished she wouldn’t be so hard on herself, but he knew there was no changing the stubborn herbalist’s mind once she had made it up. With Hazel gone, he turned his attention back to Rikki, who was still lingering close to his side with one hand resting on his back. He cleared his throat and tilted his head slightly, meeting her gaze with a warning look. Fortunately, she understood that he was gesturing for her to put some distance between them and scooted a little farther away.
Glancing at the front of the cavern, Crow spotted Alistair sitting with his back to the wall, carving something that he couldn’t make out between the darkness and the distance. With both of the other thieves around, he supposed it was as good a time as any to bring up the fake tip off to Black Hollow. He sighed to himself, wishing he could just tell Penelope that he had followed the lead and come up blank instead of actually going on the pointless trip. Unfortunately, he needed something a little more foolproof than that. If he lied about going and she questioned any of his companions, she would find out right away that it wasn’t true. So, as much as he would prefer to stay close to the knights’ camp to keep an eye on her, he had to go.
“I found out something interesting last night,” he spoke up after a moment’s pause. He waited for Alistair and Rikki to look his way before he went on. “I went to the Ivory Hatchet to meet with Penelope, and while we were there, one of the villagers overheard us talking about Jaxon. He said he heard a rumor about a band of thieves in Black Hollow.” His eyes flicked between his companions’ faces as he tried to gauge whether they believed the lie. “The knights can’t come with us this time, but I think it’s worth checking out. What do you think?”
“I think it’s obvious,” Alistair growled from across the cavern. “Of course we should go! That slippery murderer needs to be put in his place.”
“Yeah,” Rikki nodded in agreement, cracking her knuckled eagerly. “We don’t need the knights. We’re perfectly capable of handling our own kind. If we find him, we’ll just kill him ourselves.”
It seemed they were buying into the lie perfectly. Crow grinned, “Alright then. No point in wasting any more time here.” He climbed to his feet and headed over to the supplies to begin packing a bag. “Let’s get to work. As soon as Hazel gets back, we’re all going to Black Hollow.”
No worries! It happens ^^
I've been busy trying to make a crap ton of CSs for a couple new RPs I'm starting soon anyway, so I've kept myself very much occupied while I've been sick xD
One of them has 10+ minor characters to start, so the pre IC work is intense
Anyway, I've got no plans for this weekend as of right now since I'm still getting over the tail end of this sickness, so I should be around quite a bit whenever you manage to get your reply done! cx
I've been busy trying to make a crap ton of CSs for a couple new RPs I'm starting soon anyway, so I've kept myself very much occupied while I've been sick xD
One of them has 10+ minor characters to start, so the pre IC work is intense
Anyway, I've got no plans for this weekend as of right now since I'm still getting over the tail end of this sickness, so I should be around quite a bit whenever you manage to get your reply done! cx
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