Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow raised a brow curiously when Penelope said he might not be stuck in her camp for much longer. He was just about to ask what she meant when she suddenly revealed a familiar object to him that she had retrieved from her pocket. It was one of Hazel’s medicine jars. His eyes widened slightly at the sight of it. With this, his coughing fits would be manageable again and hopefully no longer severe enough to damage the stitches in his middle. He felt a pulse of excitement. With his illness under control for a week, it should buy him enough time to heal from the worst of his wound. Maybe by then, he would even be well enough to escape from the knights’ camp altogether—with some help, of course, since he knew he wouldn’t be well enough to do more than walk without assistance at the very most.

As Penelope went on to tell him about the medicine for his pain, Crow nodded. Since he had been able to tolerate the pain of his wounds since Hazel had joined his group—or passed out from blood loss, as was the case of his last major leg injury—she had never made him anything like this before. He studied the container with newfound interest, simultaneously eager to try it and nervous to find out just how intense a delirium it might cause him if the herbalist had thought it necessary to warn him in advance.

“You certainly got a lot done last night, huh?” Crow mused, looking up to meet Penelope’s gaze with a smile. “Hopefully between these two medicines, the rest of my time being stuck here will be more bearable. Thanks, love.” He casted a quick glance towards the entrance of the tent before looking up at the knight and holding out his free hand, “Since we’re alone, I might as well take that first dose for my illness while I have the chance. Who knows when that physician or anyone else is going to show up later.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Sounds good!

Crow didn't notice, but he liked the kiss xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow felt a wave of relief when Penelope said she’d managed to catch his companions before they had left the hideout. He doubted they would have moved out this soon, but there had been a small chance that the other thieves could have run right away, so he was glad to know they hadn’t been too late to stop them. It was also relieving to hear that Hartley had been with them, which meant his companions had been willing to take the Younisian boy in after all.

When Penelope said that his companions had looked worn down, he nodded faintly and looked off to the side. Even though he had saved the knight’s life, he still felt guilty for recklessly abandoning the other thieves. He was their leader; he was supposed to look out for them and keep their best interests at the forefront of his mind. But he just couldn’t bring himself to do that when Penelope’s life had been at stake. Nothing else mattered to him if she was in danger. It was why he couldn’t continue to lead the criminals when the war ended. She mattered more to him than anything else, so he couldn’t devote himself to heading a band of thieves while he was focused on taking care of her in the outer villages.

He was just about to thank her for letting them know he wasn’t dead, but before he had a chance, she suddenly leaned down to press her lips against his. The thief blinked in surprise, unprepared for the sudden burst of affection, but it didn’t take long for him to ease into the kiss. He reached up with his free hand to tangle his fingers in her long hair, losing himself in her touch as they kissed passionately for a moment, so that when she pulled back again, he was breathless with desire.

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing,” Crow grinned at her lightheadedly. “That was quite enjoyable for me.” He leaned up slightly, pining for one more quick kiss before he added: “I love you too, Penelope. You’re the highlight of my days in this wretched camp.” He shrugged haplessly. “I know it’s not saying much, since I find this place so dreadfully boring, but it’s true.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Yep lol especially if/when Layth decides to visit

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

To Crow’s relief, his nap went by peacefully. Gavin didn’t try to speak to him at all while he was resting, and Jane never once stopped by to check on him. Usually, he might have been annoyed with the physician’s lack of care for his condition, but since he was doing better today, he didn’t think he needed her attendance anyway. His bandages had already been changed out the evening before, and it didn’t feel like anything had gotten worse since then, so he guessed that he would be fine as long as he got plenty of rest.

After he had slept for a little while longer, the thief was roused by the sound of gravel crunching beneath boots outside the tent. His eyes fluttered open tiredly and he glanced at the entrance to see who was coming. Expecting Jane, he was thrilled to see that it was Penelope who had come to visit him. His heart beat a little quicker with excitement as he watched the two knights speak to each other, waiting for Gavin to leave so he could have some time alone with her.

Fortunately, the other man didn’t linger and was quick to exit the tent. Crow smiled as Penelope stepped over to his bedside and kissed him on the forehead. “It’s about time,” he teased. “I was starting to think you were going to leave me with these dull men forever.” Reaching up, he brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face and grinned. “I’d much rather be in the company of a beautiful woman—specifically this one.” He added a flirtatious wink for good measure.

In the next moment, he remembered that she had said she was going to try and pay a visit to his companions the night before. “Did you go?” he asked suddenly, his playful expression turning more serious as it became laced with concern. “To see the other thieves, I mean. Were you able to get out of your camp and find them last night?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's not having a good time being bedridden in the knights' camp ^^;

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Despite having a guard that he didn’t know, Crow slept much better that night that he had the last. He mostly attributed his success to the blanket Jane had been forced to bring him. It wasn’t enough to keep the cold completely away, but it certainly helped quite a bit, leaving him much warmer than the night before. He still slept lightly, since he still wasn’t safe in the camp of his enemies, but he managed to rest fully throughout the night, and woke up feeling more well-rested in the morning.

Crow yawned and stretched as much as he could without straining his wound, feeling better already. There was still a deep ache in his body from the injury, but at least he wasn’t in so much pain that he could barely breathe. This was much more manageable. He hoped that as the days went on, the soreness that remained would start to lessen as well, because his appetite was finally starting to come back. He doubted he was in any condition to eat just three days after receiving such a serious wound though. If he tried, he would probably just hurt himself even worse. It wasn’t worth the risk.

He winced and shifted slightly on the bed as his stomach chose that moment to let out a low growl. After going a few days without food, he was beginning to feel the effects of not eating. He brought a hand to his chest and traced his fingers down the length of his torso. It was still subtle, but he could feel the faint outline of his ribs. He was definitely losing weight. He sighed. In addition to that, he felt physically weaker too, with a lethargy to his movements and a lightheadedness that plagued the clarity of his thoughts. He had a suspicion that, if he wasn’t able to eat again soon, these symptoms were going to become more unbearable than the pain of his actual wound.

“Do you need anything from Jane?”

Crow turned at the sound of a familiar voice to see that his guard from the night before had been replaced sometime during the night with Gavin. “No,” he shook his head in response to the knight’s question. While he would have liked someone to bring him food, he could tell from the pain alone that he was in no condition to eat yet. He supposed he could ask the physician how much longer she thought it would be before he could eat again, but it wasn’t an urgent question, so he saw no reason to pester her at that very moment. She already despised treating him. He didn’t want to start calling her over to answer his questions and irritate her further.

“If you’re certain,” Gavin shrugged, leaning back into the chair he was seated on.

“I am,” Crow affirmed, closing his eyes again as he rested. “But… thank you.” It was still strange to him to be able to speak with Gavin so calmly, but he appreciated the knight’s intent to make sure he was getting proper care.

Gavin just grunted in response, and the two men lapsed into silence again.

With nothing else to do, Crow decided to take a nap, since it would make the time go faster, and he found sleeping to be more pleasant than lying awake and in pain. So, letting out his breath in a slow exhale, he drifted off into a light sleep as he waited for Penelope to visit again.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It'll make the blow a little easier for her when he leaves to become his father's ambassador though cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Hazel worked diligently as she prepared the medicine to ease Crow’s pain, watching the pot closely until she could tell it had cooked for the proper amount of time. She couldn’t visit the thief in person, but she wanted to do everything she could from a distance to help him recover. After all, the sooner he got back to their camp, the sooner things could return to a state of normalcy amongst the group. She didn’t want to be the leader of the group forever. While she had the basic skills of decision-making, he had been much better at guiding the other thieves than she was. The criminals needed someone with his charisma to bring some form of order among them, and she simply didn’t have that quality.

Once the painkiller finished setting, she removed the pot from the fire and poured its contents into three separate jars, one for each dose. Almost as soon as she was done, she looked up to the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Can you check on the medicine for me?” Rikki asked in a quiet voice, looking off to the side as she spoke rather than meeting the herbalist’s gaze.

Hazel studied her for a moment in confusion but decided it was in her better judgment not to ask what was wrong. She had seen the thief talking to Penelope earlier, so she guessed her sudden change in mood was likely related to Crow. “Sure,” she nodded, rising to her feet and dusting off her skirt. Once she was up, she followed Rikki over to the other pot and knelt down, stirring the oil inside as she looked over the mixture. “It’s ready,” she announced, removing it from the makeshift firepit the thieves had set up.

Hazel made quick work of bottling up the contents of the pot in seven small jars, which she bundled together with the three painkillers in a small bag. Standing up again, she passed the satchel off to Penelope. “Here you are,” she said with a curt dip of her head. “Make sure Crow takes one of those white jars every day.” She paused for a moment before adding: “Oh, and just so you’re aware ahead of time, that painkiller is extremely potent. If you don’t want your comrades to know he’s taking it, make sure to only give it to him when no one else is around, because it will make him delirious.” Her lip curled upward in a slight smile. “Good luck, Penelope. If you’re able to stop by again, please do. Crow was my patient first, so I’d like to know how he’s improving.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Rikki broke