Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Same TuT

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow’s heart sank at Penelope’s response to his explanation. It seemed that he had been right. She wasn’t going to believe a word out of his mouth, regardless of whether it was the truth or not. He averted his gaze, pained by the venom in her words. Everything she said felt like she was just twisting her sword further into his chest. He wished he could make her see that he wasn’t lying, and that he really hadn’t had another choice. If he’d gone to her like she suggested, and Jaxon found out… He closed his eyes, unable to bring himself to finish the thought.

The worst part was that it didn’t even matter anymore. None of it did. All of his efforts to keep her safe were meaningless now that she had found out about his dealings with Jaxon. As soon as the murderer found out about this—and Crow was certain he would—he was just going to kill her like he did everyone else he saw as a threat, and there was nothing Crow could do to stop him. The thought made him feel like he was drowning.

The thief winced as Penelope called him a coward. The accusation hurt, especially because he knew it to be true of himself. He was a survivor. It was the only way he knew how to live. He would do or say whatever he needed to see another day, regardless of the consequences to anyone else. There was simply no room for justice or loyalty in the life of a criminal. He’d thought things were different after Penelope had come into his life, but it was clear to him now that the only thing that changed was the inclusion of her safety in his survivalist mentality. He still had no allegiances to anything or anyone else.

Crow blinked as he noticed her remove her hand from the hilt of her sword and looked up again, slightly hopeful that perhaps she was changing her mind. However, that hope was quickly dashed when he saw the tears streaming from her eyes. He felt a lump in his throat at the sight, destroyed by the knowledge that he was the one who had caused her that pain. At her following words, his eyes widened in a mixture of shock and betrayal as she questioned if anything he’d said to her had been true at all.

“Penelope…” his voice failed him yet again, and he bit his lip as he felt his own emotions threaten to boil over. Taking a shaky breath, he forced himself to go on. “I love you… You know I’ve always loved you. If you just take a second to think back over everything we’ve been through together, you’ll see that I’ve never lied to you about that.” Momentarily forgetting his intent to run, he took a hesitant step towards her. However, he didn’t get any closer before a second figure suddenly emerged from the trees behind her.

He stumbled backwards in surprise as Gavin marched towards him with his sword drawn and his face contorted with rage. “Stay away from her, thief,” the knight spat threateningly as he planted himself protectively in front of his comrade.

Crow’s eyes flicked between the two nobles as it hit him that he was now outnumbered. Bristling nervously, he stepped slowly back towards the other side of the clearing, seeking to distance himself from them in case either one went after him. “Penelope, please,” his voice cracked as he turned back to her with a pleading look, growing more desperate to convince her that he wasn’t the enemy. “Just hear me out. You can still trust me… I promise you can still trust me.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow gets really flighty when he feels trapped ^^;

Thanks! It was a lot of fun cx we didn't get to hang out at all last semester, and they're going back to China after they graduate this summer, so we only have a little more time to meet up

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Instead of heading back to his camp right away as he normally would have, Crow lingered for a little while longer in the clearing, letting his eyes wander up to the starry night sky. His meeting with Jaxon hadn’t gone nearly as well as he’d hoped, especially since the other thief seemed intent on getting rid of Gavin, but at least he and his companions had a chance to make it out of this war with their freedoms intact. He supposed that was better than nothing.

He let out a soft sigh, watching as his breath left him in a visible cloud. With the fall season just around the corner, the temperatures at night had been dropping quite a bit. He supposed it was appropriate: A cold night for a union between two cold men. After all, he couldn’t dare call himself anything else after the request he had made of Jaxon. As much as he wished there had been another way, it seemed like turning on his home kingdom was the best option he had left. At least this way, he could guarantee that he and the people he cared about would be free when Younis inevitably conquered Brerra, and they might even make a livable wage to boot.

Penelope and I can have the life we want too, he added silently, feeling warm at the thought in spite of the cool air around him. Jaxon was a smart man, so Crow didn’t doubt that he would be able to convince the Younisian baron to let him and his companions join their alliance. All that was left was to negotiate the terms of the agreement, so the enemy knights would spare her too. He was just as skilled at getting what he wanted from other people as Jaxon was, so he felt confident he could do it.

Feeling content with his decision, he lowered his gaze again and began to make his way back to his camp, tired from the long night. However, he didn’t get far before he was stopped by a new figure; one that made his blood run cold. The thief froze in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat, as he watched Penelope step out from behind a tree.

Time seemed to slow down as his startled green eyes met her pained gaze. He took in everything at once, the redness in her eyes, the look of betrayal on her face, the hand on her sword… yet he couldn’t move. It felt like she had snared him in a trance. He was vaguely aware of the roar of his own heart pounding in his ears as the realization slowly struck him that he’d been caught—not “almost” caught; really and truly caught by the knight. There was no getting around it this time, no more lying to skirt out of a tight spot. She had seen him talking to Jaxon, and judging by the tears in her eyes, she had heard everything too.

“How… How could you? Y-You bastard!”

The words wrenched his heart as painfully as if she had stabbed him with her blade and twisted. For as many times as he had hurt her before, he had never heard her speak to him like this. In that moment, he hated himself for the pain he had caused her. However, he still couldn’t bring himself to move or speak as he held her gaze like a frightened stag, trapped by his own body while he reeled from the shock of her sudden appearance in the clearing.

“Explain to me what the hell is going on here, Crow.”

The thief tried to open his mouth to respond but found that he was unable. What could he possibly say to defend himself? She had seen it all for herself. He was working with Jaxon, and he was planning to turn on the knights of Brerra. Of course, he had his reasons for all of it, but she had no reason to believe anything he said to her. He didn’t even know the first thing to say to explain the situation he had been put in by the other thief.

Finally coming back to himself just enough to move, Crow took a step back from her, leery of her sword. If she came after him, he didn’t know if he could bring himself to fight her. “I…” he choked out, struggling to bring himself to speak. He shifted his weight slightly, leaning on his back foot as his instinct to run kicked in. It wouldn’t be hard to get away. After all, she seemed to be alone, and he could outpace any knight in the outer villages. He bit his lip, his eyes wandering to the surrounding forest of their own accord as he began to search for his exit points.

After a moment, he found his voice. “I know you have no reason to believe anything I say, but I swear, this isn’t what it looks like,” he said desperately. Even though he was preparing to run, he still wanted a chance to explain himself to her if she was willing to listen. He loved her too much not to try. “I wouldn’t be here if I had any other choice,” he went on weakly, his voice straining slightly beneath the weight of his emotions. “He… He threatened to kill you if I didn’t join him! I had to do it… I didn’t have a choice.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Same xc
Crow's definitely not coming off looking great after that conversation

—

EDIT: btw I forgot I made plans with some of my foreign exchange friends to get dinner tonight. I’ll be back on as soon as I get home in like 2-3 hours ^^

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Having finished washing off all the dishes from supper, Crow got up from where he had been kneeling at the riverbank and wiped his wet hands off on the bottom of his tunic. Just like the last time, his stomach churned anxiously as the time grew near for him to meet with Jaxon again. However, this time, the feeling was even worse. He leaned down to pick up the clean pots and plates, carrying them back to the hideout as he went over his plan again. Even though he knew what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it by now, the thought of confronting a man who killed others without remorse sent a shiver of fear up his spine. He just hoped Jaxon would be in a good mood tonight.

Once he finished depositing the dishes, he quietly put on his cloak and headed out again, making his way east towards the clearing near Myrefall. As he walked, the memory of Gavin’s confrontation flitted through his mind, and he tensed, suddenly more alert to keep watch for movement in the trees around him. His eyes wandered over the shadows around him, and he glanced frequently back over his shoulder as he hurried through the forest at a brisk pace.

However, the longer he walked, the more he began to question if he was just being paranoid. Why would Gavin follow him twice? The knight had already caught him with Jaxon once before. Surely there wasn’t anything else for him to gain by spying again. Besides that, Penelope had made it sound like her ex suitor hadn’t overheard very much of his conversation with the other thief. What were the odds he caught wind of their plan to meet again tonight? The more he thought about it, the more he convinced himself that he was worrying for nothing. Despite this, he continued to remain alert, just in case the knight would try to go after him again.

Of course, the trip was uneventful. At one point, the thief thought he heard the sound of a twig snapping behind him, but upon whirling around with his daggers drawn to confront the source of the noise, he had only seen a lone stag that loped off in fright at his sudden movement. After that, the woods remained quiet, and he relaxed as he decided he was alone, after all.

When he finally came to the clearing, he saw that Jaxon had beaten him there as usual. The cold man smiled as he stopped on the opposite side of the space. “You know, I think I’m coming to enjoy these meetings of ours,” he said with a false air of sentiment. “They remind me of the good old days, when you and I were still working together, and you didn’t have your ridiculous notions of morality.”

“Save it,” Crow rolled his eyes, unamused with Jaxon’s fake friendliness.

The other thief’s smile vanished as he clicked his tongue. “You’ve become quite a troublesome mutt,” he said in a warning tone. “If you keep misbehaving, I can always find another dog to train.”

Crow clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to spit at the man. He forced himself to take a calming breath. He couldn’t prod at Jaxon—not tonight. There was too much on the line. As much as he hated the thought of it, he was going to have to submit to the other thief if he wanted to have any chance of getting what he wanted from him. “I’m sorry,” he muttered through gritted teeth.

“What was that?” Jaxon quirked a brow.

“I said I’m sorry,” he repeated more loudly this time, balling his hands into fists at his sides. “I’ll stop fighting with you.” He averted his gaze. “Let’s just get this meeting over with…”

Jaxon studied him for a moment, and then nodded, “That’s better.” He waved a hand. “Now then, tell me what you’ve learned about the knights since the last time we met.”

Crow took another slow breath, relaxing slightly as he launched into the meat of their meeting, “From what I know, the knights know nothing more than they did last week, and they haven’t been able to focus on their search for you after the Younisians attacked their camp. They’re just trying to recover and wait out the draught until their new supplies come in.”

“Good,” Jaxon nodded thoughtfully as he considered Crow’s words.

The thief shifted his weight as he realized the current subject could be a good transition into one of the questions he planned to ask the other man about. “Speaking of which,” he said slowly, looking up again to meet Jaxon’s gaze. “Your next raid. When is it going to be happening?”

Jaxon stared at him for a moment before an amused smile spread across his mouth. “You really think I trust you enough to give you that information?” he chuckled. “How cute.” He folded his arms loosely over his chest as he answered: “You’ll find out when the raid will happen at the same time as those knights you seem so fond of.”

Crow felt his heart sink in his chest at the other thief’s vague reply. He was starting to think it would be harder than he thought to get the information he wanted out of him. But he couldn’t give up yet. “Alright then,” he narrowed his eyes slightly. “If you won’t tell me that, then maybe you can explain to me why you sent one of your murderers after the knight I told you about? I specifically told you that I would take care of him, myself.”

“You did say that,” Jaxon shrugged apathetically. “But I told you that I would handle your mess if you couldn’t clean it up on your own. Our meeting last week proved you’re incapable.”

So he did know Gavin followed me, Crow thought, eyeing the other thief warily. Though he was certain of it now, he couldn’t help but wonder how Jaxon had figured it out. Gavin hadn’t shown his face until after the two thieves had parted ways. “You knew he followed me,” he said after a pause, trying to coax the other man into telling him the answer. “Why didn’t you stop him before?”

“I would have,” Jaxon shrugged again. “But I only learned about his unwanted appearance after you two had your little spat.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jaxon just smirked in response and snapped his fingers.

Crow stared at him confusedly until another figure stepped into the clearing from behind a nearby tree. His eyes widened slightly as he recognized Colton, one of the criminals in Jaxon’s band. The other thief shot him a toothy grin, “Hey, Crow. Nice to see you again.”

Crow just nodded wordlessly in response, still processing everything that was happening. Now it was all beginning to make sense. Of course Jaxon wouldn’t travel alone; Colton must have spotted Gavin after their meeting and stayed behind to investigate why the knight was there.

“If you heard about the thief I sent after that knight, then I’m sure you also heard that he was killed,” Jaxon went on with a cold edge to his voice. “That knight spilled the blood of one of our own, so he will be dealt with accordingly.”

Crow shifted his weight, catching the warning in Jaxon’s tone. He could already tell that if he tried to convince the other thief to leave Gavin to him, it wouldn’t go over well. He muttered a curse under his breath, wishing again that the idiotic knight hadn’t followed him. Now that one of the thieves had been killed, Jaxon would stop at nothing to get his revenge, and there was nothing he could do to stop him. So, instead of trying to save Gavin, he forced himself to swallow his pride and focus on the only thing left that might still be within his control.

He dipped his head slightly, keeping his own voice level as he reluctantly replied, “I understand.”

“Excellent,” Jaxon smiled. “I promise you it won’t be much longer now before that pest is out of our hair for good.”

Crow just nodded again, feeling sick at the thought that he could do nothing to stop the murderer from killing Gavin. He couldn’t even imagine how Penelope was going to react when the thieves took the life of her former suitor and close friend. The image of her heartbroken face made him shudder.

“If that’s everything you had to say to me, then I’m going back to my camp,” Jaxon said. “You’re free to go, Crow.”

Snapping out of his thoughts, Crow looked up again just as the other two thieves prepared to leave. “Wait,” he said, taking a step forward. “There’s… one more thing.”

“Oh?” Jaxon quirked a brow. “Is there something else I’ve done that’s offended you?”

“No,” he muttered, fidgeting with the hilt of his dagger uncomfortably as he worked up the nerve to bring up his final question. “I just wanted to know… Do you believe the Younisians are going to win this war?”

Jaxon studied him for a moment before he answered, “Undoubtedly.”

Crow swallowed. “Very well then,” he inhaled slowly, forcing himself to hold the thief leader’s gaze. “I want in… And I’m not just talking about the petty little deal we made.” He stood up slightly straighter as he went on. “I want the money and the perks and the support of the Younisian battalion—the same deal that baron offered you—and I want it for all of the thieves in my group. Can you make it happen?”

Jaxon stared at him, seeming surprised by his request, “You’re willing to sabotage your own kingdom for a wage?”

Crow nodded solemnly, “The Younisians are going to win regardless of what I do. My companions and I have already discussed it, and we’ve agreed that we want to be on the winning side when this war is over.” He hesitated slightly before adding: “If that means turning against Brerra to survive, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“I’m impressed,” Jaxon chuckled. “Perhaps you’re smarter than I thought… I’ll see what I can do.” He glanced at Colton and tilted his head, gesturing for the thief to follow him as he began walking towards the edge of the clearing. “I’ll see you in one week, Crow. You’ll have your answer then.” With that, he and Colton disappeared into the darkness of the surrounding forest, leaving Crow behind to reel with relief that his request would be made heard.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It's almost time cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow smiled as Penelope called him by his real name again, feeling his heart swell with affection for the knight. Even though she’d known it for a long time now, the fact that she couldn’t speak it often made it feel more special to him whenever she did find the opportunity to use it. It made him feel closer to her, since it reminded him that she was still the only one who knew who he really was aside from his title and reputation as a thief. He was glad that he’d told her.

When they parted, he made it back to his camp quickly from the clearing, since it wasn’t a long walk, and slipped past the waterfall into the cavern. All three of his companions were fast asleep on their mats and barely stirred when he returned. It was obvious that they were exhausted from the journey to and from Black Hollow. Crow wasn’t much better off. He yawned tiredly as his exhaustion hit him at once and made his way over to the sleeping area after he’d taken off his cloak and boots, collapsing less than gracefully onto his bedroll.

Once he had settled down comfortably, he drew his blanket over himself and closed his eyes, drifting off to get some much-needed sleep before he had to face Jaxon tomorrow.

--

The next morning, Crow was the last to wake, which was to be expected after he had stayed out so late the night before. After he got up, he and the others ate a small breakfast of dark bread together. He had been expecting them all to want to spend the day searching for Jaxon again, but to his surprise, none of them seemed interested in leaving the camp this time. There was an air of defeat amongst them as his companions seemed to give up on the hope of ever catching the murderer after three false leads.

While their hopelessness saddened Crow, he couldn’t say anything to change their minds about it. After all, they were right. There was no chance that any of them could bring Jaxon down when they were just chasing shadows. So, instead of complaining, he took the rest of the day to think through how he was going to approach Jaxon, since there was quite a bit he wanted to say this time.

First of all, he intended to confront the other thief about his attack on Gavin. He needed to know why Jaxon had tried to have the knight killed and whether or not he planned to go after Penelope too. He also planned to ask more about the upcoming raid that the murderer had planned. With the knights’ next shipment still so far from arriving, it might just mean the end of their battalion if Jaxon’s thieves stole the rest of their supplies and Younis attacked again.

Once he covered both of those questions, Crow was going to ask Jaxon if the Younisian baron would still be receptive to hiring himself and the rest of his companions to help sabotage the Brerratic knights.

With so many different things to think about, the day went by quickly for the anxious thief. The sun sank, and supper came and went, and it wasn’t long before he volunteered to wash everyone’s dishes again so he’d have an easy time slipping away for the next meeting.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

For real xD
He's going to be a major pain, haha

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow closed his eyes as Penelope nestled against him in the grass, enjoying the time they had left before they would inevitably have to part ways again. He wished he could keep her close. The attack on Gavin had been surprising to hear about, but it also stirred a deep fear inside of him that Jaxon wasn’t finished yet. It was possible that the other thief had only gone after the knight because he had been suspicious, but if he found out that Crow’s secret was hanging by a thread, he might decide to end their deal and send someone to kill Penelope next. The thought made him shudder faintly and tighten his embrace around her protectively.

The not knowing was stressful, but at least he wouldn’t have to wait long before he could question Jaxon about it. Since they were meeting again the following night, he could find out for sure what was happening on the other thief’s end. He just hoped he wasn’t too late to convince Jaxon that he was still valuable enough to keep around, despite Gavin’s incessant need to get involved. If he could just do that, then he could also keep the murderer from going after Penelope, since he wouldn’t work for him unless she stayed safe.

After a while, he felt her shift against him and looked down to meet her gaze as she apologized. “Don’t worry about it,” he shook his head, offering her a reassuring smile. “You obviously had a lot on your mind tonight.” He leaned in to meet her lips as she kissed him, and then laughed softly at her following words. “Right. You can be sure I won’t forget that.” He winked at her coyly and hugged her close, pressing a playful kiss to her nose before he loosened his grip on her again.

As she moved to collect her clothes, Crow followed her lead, reaching out to grab his pants that laid on the ground nearby. He stood up and slipped the clothing on, glancing up at her as she suggested meeting again in four days. “I’m starting to suspect that you enjoy making me wait,” he smirked at her teasingly as he bent over to pick up his tunic. Sliding the fabric over his head, he stepped over to wrap his arms around her and touch a quick kiss to her lips. “But alright,” he gave an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose I can manage four more days if that’s what you want to do.”

Chuckling softly, he kissed her once more and then stepped back again, “I love you, Penelope. Please be safe until the next time we meet.”