Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow sat down at one of the many empty tables in the Great Hall and rubbed his eyes tiredly as Preston went to the kitchen to retrieve their food. Since Penelope wasn’t there and the attendant would be coming with him to Younis, he had decided to spend breakfast with the boy, so they would both be able to depart from the castle with full stomachs. He crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward to stretch his back, losing momentum as the shock of Preston’s water trick began to wear off. If he had time, he would have dragged his feet back up to his bedchamber to get another hour of sleep. Unfortunately though, his father had made it quite clear that he expected him to be on the road as soon as possible—and he still needed to get to the courtyard before Penelope.

“Good morning.”

The viceroy blinked at the sound of a voice and turned at the waist to see that Percival had arrived. The knight stepped over to his table and nodded in greeting. “Are you expecting someone, or may I join you?”

“Just my attendant,” Crow waved a hand at the empty bench across from him. “Sit down.”

Percival complied, sliding onto the wooden seat. It seemed like he had been dressed up for the occasion too. His armor looked more decorative than what Crow had seen on the warfront, with gold trimming and a deep red cloak attached at his shoulder. He guessed his father was hoping to leave an impression on the Younisian king by making his team of representatives appear as impressive as he could. Uninformed in the ways of politics, he wasn’t sure if the move was cocky or brilliant.

“How are you feeling?” Percival broke the silence between them.

Crow flinched, realizing belatedly that he had gotten distracted staring at the knight’s reflective armor. He might not have been a thief anymore, but old habits died hard, and he couldn’t help wondering if the aureate trim was made of real gold. “Alright, I think,” he shrugged. “I’m as prepared as I can be in the short time this all came together.”

Percy grunted. “I’m sure the parley will go well.”

“I hope you’re right,” Crow sighed, looking away from him as Preston returned with two plates of food. The attendant slowed his pace at the sight of the knight, seeming deterred, but the viceroy gestured for him to join them. As soon as he did, Crow turned back to the other nobleman, “What about you? Have you even been out of the kingdom before?”

“This is the first time,” Percival shook his head. “But I’ve been waiting for an opportunity like this for years. In fact, I don’t believe I’ve thanked you for including me yet.” He bowed his head gratefully.

“It was an easy choice,” Crow assured him, slightly embarrassed by the knight’s words. He didn’t think he’d done anything particularly special by including Percival. There had just been no other knights that he would have wanted by his side, since he didn’t trust most of them to protect him in a fight. At the thought, an amused smile crossed his lips, “You know, this is the first time I’ll be traveling with guards who won’t treat me like a prisoner.”

“You’re not a criminal anymore.”

“Alright, wise guy,” the viceroy rolled his eyes. “I was just trying to draw comparisons.” Turning to his plate, he broke his bread to take a bite and then paused with an irritable groan. “Gods, I keep seeing the stupid feather in the corner of my eye and thinking it’s going to fall into my food.” He narrowed his eyes at Preston. “Why do noblemen wear these things anyway? They’re impractical.”

The attendant shrugged, “It’s tradition.”

“Tradition to look like a court jester?” Crow said dryly.

Across the table, Percival pursed his lips and then parted them to speak, “I think it looks good on you.”

“Don’t patronize me,” the viceroy muttered, popping a piece of bread into his mouth. “I know what it looks like.”

“I’m not patronizing you,” the knight insisted with an offended frown. “It flatters the shape of your brow and the color of your eyes.”

Crow looked up from his plate, and Percy averted his gaze with a cough. “Um,” the former thief started slowly, unsure quite how to react to such a compliment coming from another man. After a moment of silence, he settled on a simple: “Thanks.”

The knight just nodded wordlessly, turning away as a kitchen servant walked over with his food.

The three lapsed into a somewhat awkward silence as they ate. As soon as they were all done, they walked as a group to the courtyard, where the stable hands were supposed to have brought their horses. Crow stepped outside first and looked around, hopeful that he was the first to arrive. However, his excitement fizzled as he caught sight of Penelope waiting with her father. Apparently she had beat him there after all.

“How early were you up?” he asked incredulously, trotting down the stairs to catch up to her. “I even woke up before sunrise to get here first.” When he reached her side, he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips, happy to see her in spite of his loss.

When he pulled back, he heard Preston clear his throat behind him, and he rolled his eyes. “Okay, this little imp poured water on me, but after that, I swear I actually tried to hurry.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Preston finally won an argument with Crow xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Collin, you have to get up.”

Crow groaned and rolled over on his plush mattress, dragging his pillow down over his head. “The sun isn’t even out yet,” he whined to Preston, who stood at his bedside with a frown. Despite his haughty challenge to Penelope, all of his willpower to get ready for the day before her had flown out the window as soon as he’d dozed off last night. The bed was the perfect temperature in the cold room, and he wasn’t used to rising before he could see daylight. He burrowed deeper into the blankets, grumbling into his pillow, “It’s a crime to wake a man up before dawn. I should send you to the stocks.”

“Don’t be difficult,” Preston sighed, unperturbed by the empty threat. “It’s not even that early. Days are shorter in the winter.”

“This is cruel and unusual torture,” Crow asserted stubbornly without moving. Beneath the blankets, he could hear his attendant’s footsteps receding from the bed, and he relaxed as he guessed the boy had given up. However, in the next moment, he let out a startled yelp as he felt something cold touch the back of his neck. Jumping upright, he lifted a hand to the afflicted spot and shot a glare at his servant who stood with a half-empty cup of water in his hand.

“Good morning, my lord,” Preston bowed to him.

“You’re an ass,” Crow muttered.

“You’re awake,” the attendant shrugged and gestured to the dresser, where he had set out clothes for the viceroy to wear along with a few general tools to fix up his appearance. Crow exhaled resignedly and climbed down from the bed. As annoying as his servant’s method had been, it had done the job. He had gone from half-asleep to wide awake in less than a second.

After he spent some time combing his tangled hair and trimming his beard, he changed into the outfit Preston had chosen for him. Of all the lavish clothes he’d put on his body, this set was among the gaudiest. He studied his reflection incredulously. The boots and black trousers were nothing new, but it was the first time he’d ever worn a surcoat before. The long top flowed down to his knees and the fabric had been dyed a bold red. At the edges of the collar and sleeves, the shirt was adorned with gold accents, accounting for the second color of Brerra. It was quite obviously a uniform designed for a representative of the kingdom to wear, and since his father had been the last to hold that position, the clothing fit him perfectly.

In the back of his mind, he wondered what his mother would say if she could see him now. She had always told him that he bore a strong resemblance to Albin. If she had seen him put on the previous viceroy’s uniform, would she have been reminded of the day she’d met his father? From the stories he’d been told, it had sounded like his parents had met when Albin had been on his way to another kingdom. His father had probably been wearing the same surcoat he’d put on now—or at least, a variation of it. He shifted his weight, unsure what to think about that.

“Ready?” Preston’s voice drew him out of his thoughts.

“Yeah,” Crow nodded, turning away from the mirror. It would do him more good to focus on the present rather than dwell on the past. He faced his attendant and suddenly blanched, “Oh gods, it’s back.”

“What?” the boy blinked confusedly.

“That,” the viceroy pointed at the hat in his hands. It was the same one he’d refused to wear the day after he’d been formally given his title—black with a wide brim and the feather of some kind of bird.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Preston rolled his eyes and stepped over to proffer the headdress. “You’re acting like it just rose from the dead.”

“I did burn it in my mind last time I saw it,” Crow muttered without moving to accept the hat.

“Well, it’s still here,” Preston looked down at it. “And you have to wear it to distinguish yourself as the king’s ambassador.”

“Why does being the king’s ambassador mean I have to look like a fool?”

“It’s really not that bad,” Preston exhaled impatiently. “Come on, Collin. Just put it on already. We need to get going.”

Crow set his jaw, prepared to keep fighting with the boy, and then growled under his breath as he snatched the hat out of his hand. He didn’t understand why it was so important that he should wear it, but he didn’t want to waste any more time than he already had. Now that he was awake, he was determined to beat Penelope to the courtyard again. He put the headdress on and turned back to the mirror, wrinkling his nose with distaste, “I look ridiculous.”

“You look like a nobleman,” Preston shook his head.

With the issue finally settled, the two headed out of the viceroy’s bedchamber to eat at the Great Hall. To Crow’s relief, it seemed like his attendant was right. Nobody in the castle paid him any more attention than usual as he passed by, and he realized that decorative outfits like the one he had on really were normal to the citizens of the inner kingdom. The knowledge made him relax, and stepped into the nearly empty dining chamber with a yawn, noticing offhandedly that Penelope was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if he had beaten her there or if she had already passed through.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Aw, I hope you feel better soon! Get lots of rest ^^

Yeah, it did sting, but just for a few seconds. After that, it was just sore for a few weeks while the piercing healed, but that wasn't bad either. Now I forget it's there most of the time xD

My day has been good! I went hiking with a couple friends and then got lunch at a great little European-style cafe, and now I'm trying to get myself focused enough to do a bunch of modules in my online class haha

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I might take a little longer to get a reply up than usual because I need to do some homework and research for my capstone project this weekend.

As for my nose piercing, it wasn't bad honestly. If you can sit through a whole tattoo, piercings go by like the blink of an eye :) It just felt like a quick sting and made my right eye water a tiny bit, and that was all!

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'm convinced now xD

And Penelope poked Crow's competitive streak haha

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Oh, right,” Crow mused. He’d forgotten that Tybalt reported directly to the king. There had been a few occasions when his father had stepped away during one of his lessons to speak with the captain of the royal guard. Uninvolved in matters of castle security, the viceroy hadn’t paid any attention to what they said. If Albin did know that Penelope was planning to leave at the same time, he hoped he wouldn’t do anything to hurry them along before she could join them. It was hard to tell how the monarch felt about their courtship, since he’d given his approval without any strong emotions one way or the other. He wouldn’t have been surprised if his father thought the lieutenant would just be a distraction to him and forbade them from traveling together.

Deciding not to focus on something that neither of them could know would happen for sure, he pushed the worrisome thought aside for now and rested his cheek on top of her head. As she went on to tease him, he rolled his eyes. “I don’t know about that,” he said with mock contemplativeness. “Now that I’ve been living at the castle for a month, I might have actually started developing discipline.” He shuddered exaggeratedly, as if the thought was unsettling. “In fact, I bet I’ll beat you to the courtyard tomorrow morning, sleepyhead.” He squeezed her playfully against his side before letting go to down the rest of his unfinished drink.

Once the cup was empty, he set it down again and stood up from the table. Like the knight, he was tired from the long day and looked forward to settling down underneath the warm blankets on his bed. It would be the last time he could spoil himself with imported silk and goose feather pillows for the next two weeks, so he planned to make the most of it while he still could. As proud as he was of his hardiness from growing up in the outer villages, he couldn’t deny that there were some luxuries he was going to miss when he went back to the land that used to be his home. A comfortable bed and expertly seasoned food were at the top of the list.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, love,” he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips and winked at her competitively as he added sotto voce: “From atop my horse, waiting for your tired ass to join me.” With that, he righted his posture and turned to retire to his bedchamber for the night.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'm pretty sure William is an unhealthy 6w5 tbh xD Every 6 I know has a complex about what's right and wrong, and when they're unhealthy, they will not budge on their beliefs. Also, he'd be a phobic 6: the kind that appeals to authority as if they're a god, and their mental stability depends on their belief that the authority knows best. If someone comes along with proof that the rules they follow are wrong, they either have a breakdown or refuse to believe the evidence because it's too difficult to comprehend.

From my book:
>Unhealthy sixes find danger around every corner. Their anxiety borders on paranoia, as they fear that the world is unfair and that most people are not who they say they are and cannot be trusted. Unable to trust themselves either, they look to authority figures and experts to make decisions on their behalf. These sixes find fault in others and tend to fall into patterns associated with the mental mechanism of projection.

I totally see this in William! He projects on everyone and takes the word of his chosen authority as gospel. He also doesn't trust anyone that doesn't follow the same rules he does xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“I think it would be more exhausting than nostalgic,” Crow wrinkled his nose as he thought back to William’s attempts to keep them apart on the return journey from Younis. There had been multiple times when they had literally come to blows over their disagreements. He didn’t want to arrive at the Younisian castle frustrated and unfocused because of an insubordinate guard. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if William would let their personal feud interfere with his work for the king, but the knight had been angry enough today that he wouldn’t put it past him. Either way, he preferred the company of Naida, his sister, and Percival, someone whom he was slowly warming up to as a possible friend.

He glanced down at Penelope with a fond smile as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Even more so than the two guards he’d chosen for the trip, he was glad that she would be coming with him for the first leg of it. He was feeling better about his assignment since he’d started his training as Albin’s viceroy, but having never negotiated with a monarch before, he was still a little nervous about doing something wrong. The end of the war hinged on whether or not the peace treaty went through. It was quite a burden to shoulder, and the lieutenant was the only one around who would understand, since she’d been through the same thing when preparing to give her speech at the party.

“We finalized everything today,” he nodded in response to her question and then casted her a wry smirk. “I made sure the servants who packed our supplies allotted us larger rations than the tiny ones we had on our last mission. I’m not giving up full meals ever again.”

At the knight’s next inquiry, he paused to consider it. “You’ll want to be up early. My father made it sound like we’ll be leaving the castle right after we eat breakfast. I’m not sure if he knows you’re planning to go back to your battalion at the same time too, so if you’re not there before we take off, he probably won’t let us wait for you.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I can imagine William being super pissed way later in the story after Naida switches places with Crow in the chain of succession to rule Brerra xD