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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

No worries! I can’t reply until I get home (I’m out right now)

YAY
That’s so ironic. I was literally just thinking about you today, and I almost sent you a Snapchat to ask if you got the promotion yet xD
I’m super happy for you! Congrats ^^

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

So, Anna really didn’t know who he was. Jett studied her with interest after she admitted she had never heard his name before. It would have been one thing if she had at least known about him, even if she didn’t recognize his face or had never listened to the music he put out. For her to have not even come across his name before was shocking. He really didn’t like to come off as conceited, but maybe he was just a little bit. Expecting other people to know who he was just came with the job. It was hard not to get that way when he was stopped almost everywhere he went to take a picture or sign something. Even the humblest of people couldn’t last long without puffing up a little at the constant recognition. Meeting someone like Anna put things in perspective that just because he was popular didn’t mean there weren’t people in their demographic who didn’t know who he was.

“I’d be more offended if you didn’t,” Jett replied with a careless shrug, his lip curled upward in a joking smirk. In the next moment, he wondered if he’d taken things a little too far with the comment. After all, he barely knew Anna, so there was no telling if she got sarcastic humor. It had been risky to make the assumption that she understood he wasn’t being serious, because if she didn’t, he probably just came off as the biggest douche on the planet. So, just to make it extra clear, he added: “Tell you what: To make it even, I’ll look you up too. It could be fun to find out who Anna-the-amazing-dancer is behind the scenes.” There. After a blatantly ridiculous—and semi-flirtatious—joke like that, she had to see that he had been kidding.

Still, despite the humorous nature behind his words, he found that he really was tempted to follow through on finding out more about Anna. There was just something intriguing about her that made him want to know more. Who was this confident woman and where did she come from? He found her answer to his question interesting too. It seemed like she wasn’t even remotely fazed at the fact that she was standing in the presence of the rich and famous. He quirked a brow when she stated that she didn’t find celebrities any more special than any other people. It was definitely a true statement—he knew quite well that all the celebrities here, himself included, were ‘just people’—but it wasn’t one that he’d heard from anyone else before, and it wasn’t one that he had been expecting to hear at a show about the differences between celebrities and ‘regular’ people of all places. Her brazenness continued to catch him by surprise.

“A biological engineer, huh?” Jett whistled. “You must be hella smart.” Just when he was starting to think Anna couldn’t get any more impressive, she continued to impress. He didn’t know what he had been expecting her occupation to be, but engineer certainly wasn’t the guess he would have made. He had always thought the people in that field were all geeks with glasses, the type who would snort when they laughed and make bad jokes about math. However, Anna was nothing like that. She was smooth and sexy, a complete package. And possibly a genius, he added, looking her over with newfound curiosity. He may have been wrong about his stereotypes, but he knew engineers were smart. If that was what she did for a living, she had to be too. It was starting to make a little more sense to him why she had been picked to join the show.

At her last comment, Jett couldn’t help but laugh. “Someone like me?” he repeated with a grin, deciding to prod at her a little more over the comment. He was fairly certain he knew why she would have said something like that, but he wanted to make her say it, herself. Folding his arms loosely over his chest, he leaned forward slightly as he went on in a luring tone, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It makes sense though, since their lives are so similar xD
Crow's just reaching the point Penelope is at waaay later in life
Although, he'll probably handle it a lot differently, because he's too stubborn to ever fully accept the rules of nobility

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Still on edge from everything the knights were telling him, Crow tensed slightly as he felt another hand slip into his. He looked up again to meet Penelope’s gaze and relaxed a bit, intertwining his fingers with hers to take comfort in her touch. He nodded when she said she would remove the chains for him if she could. Even though he hated the feeling of being tied down like this, he didn’t want her to risk getting into any more trouble with her barons. She had already done more than enough by bringing him to her camp to be healed in the first place. He couldn’t ask her to unbind him on top of that.

It’s just until I’m healed enough to get out of this place, he thought, trying to calm his temper. I can handle that much. Although, with the way the metal cuff was already starting to chafe at his wrist, he wasn’t so sure. He let out a long exhale, wishing he still had his pick lock key.

As Penelope tried to assure him that she would stop her brother from choosing his guards, Crow just nodded wordlessly again. He hoped she was right that she could convince her barons, but after what she’d told him about their dwindling trust in her, he wasn’t so sure. Layth could be a stubborn man, and he despised the thief, so Crow knew he would put up a fight to get his way. Even if the hotheaded knight managed to assign one guard to him, he was going to have to keep his guard up. He shuddered. It was a good thing he was a light sleeper, because he had a feeling he might need to stay alert in the upcoming days.

Crow softened a bit when Penelope leaned down to kiss his forehead. Despite his doubts, her confident words did make him feel better. Maybe she could pull this off after all. He glanced between the three knights in the tent with him. Even though he would have preferred to just have her as a guard, he supposed the other two wouldn’t be so bad. Olivia was decent enough company whenever she wasn’t up to no good, and Gavin… He eyed the other man from across the room. Well, he still wasn’t sure what to expect from him, but he knew he could at least trust that the knight wouldn’t hurt him. That was good enough for now.

As for the other knights that might come to guard him, he trusted Penelope’s judgement. Whoever she picked, whether he liked them or not, would be acceptable watchmen.

“I’d put in a good word for you if I could,” he shrugged with an edge of sarcasm. “But unfortunately, I don’t think my criminal voice would do very much to help.” He shook his head and looked up at her with a halfhearted smile. “Thank you though… I hope your barons are willing to listen.” He paused, frowning slightly as he remembered what Gavin had said about the little rest she had gotten since the battle. While he enjoyed having her by his side, he didn’t want to keep her from recovering from her own injuries.

“You know, I’m feeling much better than before,” Crow said slowly, offering her a soft smile and giving her hand an affectionate squeeze. “I should be fine on my own now. You should go and get some sleep.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Me too cx
He and Penelope will have that in common too now lol

Crow gets really moody when he feels trapped ^^;

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Hopefully not,” Crow mused in agreement, gingerly touching the bandages around his middle in a contemplative gesture. The wound beneath pained him slightly in response. “I appreciate the help your comrades have given me and all, but I want to get out of this place as soon as I can.” Not only was he worried about what the knights might do to him, he was also concerned about his companions. For all they knew, he was dead. Even if Hartley had made it to them, the boy had last seen him bleeding out on the battlefield, so he probably would have confirmed it. The thief didn’t know what they would do without a leader but, knowing how impulsive every one of them could be, he didn’t want to think about it. He found himself wishing once again that Simon was still alive, since the level-headed man was the only other one amongst their group who had the capabilities to take over for him.

As Gavin spoke up about the physician, Crow turned to look at him with a frown. It was probably more correct to assume that Jane wouldn’t help him any more than she already had to. She was barely treating him as it was, and after the way she had dressed his wound so roughly, he wouldn’t have been surprised if she chose to withhold a medicine that could keep his strength up. Honestly, it would have shocked him if she gave him anything other than water to keep him alive.

He glanced at Olivia and smirked snidely at her comment, “Yeah, apparently stealing treasured possessions from other people can make some enemies. Who knew?”

His lighthearted expression faded as Gavin went on to bring up what Layth was doing. The knowledge that Penelope’s brother was pooling together guards for him was unnerving, to say the least. He shifted uncomfortably. Given how vulnerable he was in his current state, it wouldn’t be hard for someone to “accidentally” hurt him. He didn’t like the thought of being left alone with any nobleman he didn’t trust, especially one handpicked by someone as cruel as Layth.

“Well, that’s just great,” Crow huffed, suddenly feeling irritable and a little restless. He wished he could get up from the cursed bed. Between his illness and all of the serious injuries he’d taken lately, he had spent far too much time on his back. He itched to move freely about again. Looking up at the canopy, he let out a long sigh of annoyance, “I give, and I give for you knights, yet someone always seems to conveniently overlook my sacrifices. I’m almost tempted to give that brother of yours a piece of my mind, love.”

“If you want to keep your tongue, you should think twice about that,” Gavin said in a warning tone. “That’s why I brought it up. If Layth stations his guards here, they likely won’t hesitate to injure you if you give them a reason to do so.”

“That’s why I said ‘almost,’” Crow muttered bitterly, averting his gaze. He shifted again, but wasn’t able to moved much before the chain on his wrist pulled taut and restricted his motion. Somehow, the metal restraint only served to frustrate him more. “Gods,” he groaned. “Why did they have to put these ridiculous things on me? It’s not like I could go anywhere, even if I tried. Useless cuffs…” He trailed off as he gave the chain one more spiteful tug.

Match Up in Malibu [Bee & Summer]

Leaning back against the edge of the bar, Jett lifted his glass to his lips and took a sip of his drink. The citrusy cocktail was a perfect means to whet his thirst after dancing with Anna. If he really wanted to, he probably could have lasted at least a few more songs with her, but he really didn’t want to end up an exhausted, sweaty mess on the very first day of the show. Today was all about first impressions, and he intended to show his best face to both the other cast members and the audience watching from home. That meant taking it easy without pushing himself unnecessarily to his limits.

Now that he had stepped out of the center of attention, Jett had another chance to look over the rest of the people in the house. The dance floor had filled up again pretty quickly once he and Anna had backed off, and it was easy to see that the rest of the cast was slowly getting drunk off the bottomless supply of beverages the bartender was putting out for them. Men and women with flushed faces were starting to get a little friendlier with each other, much to the delight of the prowling cameramen. He glanced down at the drink in his hand. This one was… his third? He ran a quick recount in his head. Yes, it was his third drink of the night. He took another sip. If he wasn’t careful to keep track, he knew he might end up just as tipsy as the others. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world, but he hadn’t even found his room in this massive house. He wanted to keep his wits about him enough to figure out where he was going to sleep at the end of this thing.

When Anna cleared her throat, he turned away from the crowd to look at her. The sight of her standing so confidently with her arms crossed brought another amused smile to his lips, and he lifted his glass to his mouth to hide it. He’d figured out by now that she didn’t know who he was, but the way she spoke to him was so different from everyone else, he couldn’t help but find it entertaining. To make it even better, she had apparently realized that he was one of the celebrity guests on the show, yet here she still was, talking to him like he was just some common stranger she had met at the bar. He liked her attitude.

“Looks like you figured me out, huh?” he laughed, hooking the thumb of his free hand into the pocket of his jeans. Though he’d known this show was supposed to be high-end, he’d chosen to dress down a bit for the debut. He’d brought along a couple nice suits for special occasions, but who in their right mind would want to fly across the country in dress pants and a jacket? It had been much more comfortable to wear the simple pair of blue jeans and classic black button-down shirt he had on now.

“Honestly, I’m just here because it sounded like fun,” Jett answered her question with a one-shouldered shrug. “No matter who you are, life can get repetitive. I like a little variation to keep things interesting, and joining the cast of this show seemed like the perfect opportunity to mix things up.” He studied her face for a moment before breaking out in a grin. “You know, I should probably tell you what I do, since you don’t seem to know. It sounds like you figured out that I’m one of the celebrity guests, but to narrow that down a little further, I’m a song artist.” He paused to take another sip of his drink. “If you care to learn anything more than that, feel free to look me up. My full name’s Jett Olliston.”

Tilting his head back slightly, he finished off the rest of the drink in his hand and set the empty glass down on the bar. He was tempted to grab a fourth from the drink table but decided it would be better for him to pace himself at least a little bit. After all, there was still plenty of time left before the end of this party by the looks of it. He didn’t want to overindulge right at the start, when there was still so much to do, and so many people to meet. Not to mention I’m having a decent conversation with a beautiful woman, he added, briefly letting his eyes sweep over Anna’s figure before they rested on her face again.

“I think I want to throw the same question back at you,” he said with a smirk. “You’re not a very crazy or eccentric personality, and you don’t seem interested in ogling at celebrities like some of the other ‘regular’ people here.” He held up one hand to form quotes in the air when he said the word ‘regular.’ “So, what made you join the show, Anna?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

There's gonna be a lot of family drama xD
Crow's half-brother is going to hate him

Alright! That works out for me, because I've gotta clean my house anyway lol
We're hosting a super bowl party this weekend, and I think there's like 50 people coming cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow leaned his cheek into Penelope’s hand, enjoying the chance to be so close to her again after everything that had happened. At her words, he nodded, understanding that, while they would be near to each other as long as he was bound to her camp, she would raise some suspicion if she spent all of her time with him. She was going to have to tread carefully around her comrades until things settled down, if they ever did. Still, he was glad that she would be close by.

“Even if you can’t be here often, it’s better than meeting every four days in the middle of the night,” he pointed out with an optimistic smile. In the next moment, he tensed reflexively as he heard the sound of footsteps outside the tent. Penelope seemed to have noticed them too, as he felt her move away from him to make it seem like they had just been talking formally. Glancing towards the entrance of the tent, he was mildly surprised to see that it wasn’t Jane, but Olivia and Gavin who had come to join them.

At Olivia’s comment, Crow returned her grin. “I couldn’t stay down forever,” he quipped with a shrug. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

At Gavin’s following words, Crow glanced at Penelope, curious what he was talking about. From her response, it sounded like she hadn’t been the only one to get caught working with him. He wondered what their barons had said about it. After all, they couldn’t have been happy to find out that some of their subordinates—even one lieutenant—had been colluding with a criminal behind their backs. Even if the information he’d ended up giving them had ended the sabotage of their battalion, nobles were too proud to admit that a thief like himself could be a valuable ally. They probably would have preferred to suffer on their own until they found Jaxon without any unsavory help.

The thief listened quietly as the knights began to talk amongst themselves. So that’s why they came here, he thought, glancing at the bowl of food in Olivia’s hand as the female knight explained that they had brought it for Penelope. He looked up at her with a frown upon hearing that she hadn’t eaten yet. It was difficult to tell the time from inside the tent, since the space was only lit with a dimly glowing lantern, but based on what he could see through the opening whenever someone entered or left, it was quite dark outside—well past the time when supper was normally eaten. He was glad her comrades had thought to bring her some food.

Crow was further concerned when Gavin added that Penelope hadn’t rested very much since the battle against the thieves. He supposed he could understand that she had been worried—if their positions had been reversed, and she had been the one to receive a near fatal wound, he would have been just as scared—but he didn’t want her to forego her own needs for him. He had seen her get injured during her fight with Jaxon too. Even if it wasn’t to the same degree as what he’d received, she still needed to take care of herself.

“Have you eaten?”

Crow blinked and looked up at Gavin, surprised to hear such a question come out of his mouth. Ever since the knight had caught him meeting with Jaxon, tensions between them had risen to an all-time high. He had thought the man wanted him dead. Suddenly, he recalled what Penelope had said about Gavin being one of the knights to help carry him to their camp, and he wondered if her former suitor’s opinion of him had changed too.

“I haven’t,” he answered, shifting slightly on the bed. The chains on his wrist and ankle clattered obnoxiously against each other, and he winced, the noise reminding him of his time in prison again. “To be honest, I’m not sure I can though,” he added as he looked down at the bandages around his middle. Given where his wound was located and his lack of appetite, he guessed it was going to be at least a few days before he was healed enough to eat. He turned back to the knights with a hapless smile, “I don’t think I can stomach anything while I’ve got a hole in my gut.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

They just can't catch a break, can they? xD
At least they'll have some time away from the battlefront when John shows up

Also, my class got cancelled today, so I'll be around for most of it except like 6-10 cx