Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I still haven't figured out all the details with what I want to do with Otto, but I'm excited too ^^

And Naida couldn't go more than five minutes without butting in xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow nodded in agreement when Penelope spoke about requesting for her battalion to stop attacking Younis while the parley was in process. Anything that would better his odds of convincing the northern king to sign the peace treaty was a good idea in his book. Additionally, it would give the peasants of the outer villages a reprieve from all the fighting they had endured for the last year. His thoughts wandered to Evelyn and Silas and Zenith and all the other people who risked losing everything if the battles continued. For their sakes more than his own, he hoped her barons would be willing to hear her out if she asked them to stand down.

When the knight went on to tease him in return, the viceroy grinned. “I’d have thought you would have figured it out by now, since we’ve tested our compatibility so many times.” He shot her a suggestive wink and then looked forward again to make sure he didn’t veer Baine off track in his distraction. “It’s far too late for that,” he continued as she pretended to worry about him. “I fell for you years ago, and I’ve never been able to get back up. I promise I’ll find a way to manage somehow though.” He casted her a sideways smirk.

“Hey, lovebirds,” Naida called from behind them. The princess had a broad smile on her face, clearly happy in spite of the words that left her lips. “Don’t forget you’ve got company.”

“We can’t do anything to please you, can we?” Crow turned around in his saddle to cast his sister an amused look. “Before, you kept pestering us to ‘get together,’ and now that we have, you’re saying it’s too much.”

“That’s not what I said,” Naida rolled her eyes. “I’m just bored, and neither of you are talking to me.”

“You’re like an attention-starved puppy,” the viceroy shook his head with mock exasperation. “We haven’t even been on the road for more than a few minutes.”

At the front of the group, Rayner peered over his shoulder with an incredulous look on his face, shocked by the way Crow spoke to the princess.

“You’re one to talk,” his sister retorted, not noticing the knight’s expression. “I happen to recall that a certain someone landed himself behind bars because of how much attention he needed.”

“You’re never going to let me forget about that, are you?” Crow groaned.

“Nope,” she grinned puckishly and turned to Penelope. “But don’t you worry. I’ll keep him in line while you’re gone.”

~Bonsoir~

“Thank you,” Vail said politely, stepping inside the manor and closing the still-open door that the maid had neglected in her fluster. As he waited, he looked passively over the room, finding it quite different when the floor wasn’t crowded with guests dressed up for a masquerade ball. The elaborate decorations were gone, but the space was just as impressive to him as it had been the first time he’d gazed upon it. His eyes lingered on a portrait of the Crest family, specifically on Victoria’s late father. Peter had been the only Hygrace to interact with Alexander, so he had never seen what the former patriarch of the Crests had looked like. He could see traces of his likeness in the heiress.

At the sound of pounding footsteps, he turned away from the painting and nodded as the maid permitted him to go upstairs. Eager to make up for lost time, he strode up to the second level of the building and headed down the hall. Victoria’s scent was dulled by the aroma of floral perfume, but he was still able to find his way to her bedroom without any trouble. Since she knew he was here, he didn’t bother knocking on the door before he stepped inside.

Right away, he guessed that she had at least drawn a bath due to the fragrant smells in the air, so he turned to approach the washroom to find her and then halted. Single mindedly focused on satisfying his thirst for her blood, he hadn’t prepared himself for the possibility that Lady Crest might be nude upon his arrival. His heartbeat hastened reflexively as he stared, captivated by the sight of the alluring woman in the tub. Her figured wasn’t perfectly clear to him submerged beneath the bathwater, but since he had seen what she looked like before, his memory filled in the gaps for him.

“I take it you’re feeling better?” he said when he found his voice again, walking over to the adjoining chamber. Inside the room, her scent was stronger, and he swallowed as his mouth began to water again. He had enough self-control not to lunge without warning though, so instead of giving in to his predatory instincts, he picked up the chair by her vanity and set it down by the edge of the tub to sit.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I've got plans for both of them later on in the story too. I'm thinking Rayner will be a good fit for the nobleman to take interest in Felicia. I'm going to keep my plans for Otto to myself for now though ;3

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As Otto addressed Penelope, Crow took a moment to marvel over the group that would be accompanying him to Younis. It was just hitting him for the first time that all four of the knights and his personal attendant were here for him. They weren’t begrudging guards, assigned to babysit a petty thief as he was dragged off to a foreign land to burgle a castle. They were a decorated entourage, protecting and looking after the wellbeing of a royal envoy. He shivered. If they hadn’t been planning and preparing for this moment for the last month, he would have thought it was a dream. What other criminal in Brerra’s history had flown so close to the sun without burning his wings? He certainly couldn’t think of any, even in the old stories he’d been told by the elders in the outer villages.

When the baron announced their departure, Crow ambled over to Baine and climbed up onto his back while the others did the same with their horses. Once everyone had mounted, Otto and Rayner guided their steeds to the front of the procession, and Preston rode close to the viceroy’s stallion. Since his saddlebags had been packed with the scrolls and other supplies he would need for the negotiation in Younis, the servant’s had been filled with a large portion of the food stock, which he had requested early on to make sure he would be well-fed on the journey.

“Princess Mannering and Granger, take the rear,” Otto fluidly instructed the two novices of the group. It was clear from the patient yet commanding tone of his voice that he was comfortable doling out orders. Crow eyed the baron’s son with quiet bemusement. Contrary to his father, Rayner seemed like a passive individual. He had yet to speak a word to any of them, letting Otto take full control instead. Idly, the viceroy was reminded of Abraxas, who had been just as soft-spoken during his first trip to Younis.

As soon as everyone was in position, Otto and Rayner clicked their tongues and set their horses in motion. Crow fell in line behind them, easily coaxing Baine into a steady walking gait after all his lessons with John. Behind him, he could hear the others follow suit by the sound of clopping hooves that echoed in the courtyard, and his heartbeat quickened with excitement. They were finally on their way to end the war that had been going on for the last year.

“So,” he turned to Penelope, sidling his stallion closer to hers as they headed toward the castle gates. “What are you going to do when you get back to your battalion?” He casted her a teasing smirk. “I know you’re going to miss me, but I hope you’ve made some plans other than moping until I come back.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

That's good! And it's not terrible, but I'm spending almost all my free time this weekend trying to get ahead in my online class ^^; There's sooooo much homework, it's kind of ridiculous. And each assignment takes about an hour to complete, so I'm not even a full week ahead yet after all the work I've put in since Friday.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

(Will finish when I get home later!)

Otto Theroulde
Age: 58
Brerratic Baron

Bio:

Rayner Theroulde
Age: 24
Brerratic Lieutenant

Bio:

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Naturally xD

I'll add CS's for Otto and Rayner!

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Oh yeah?” Crow raised a brow in amusement as Penelope spoke about keeping her pride. “You’d better watch out or I might dethrone you one day… assuming this gets any easier.” He added the last part with a yawn. Despite his competitive words, he doubted he would ever have more discipline than the knight. She had been raised in the tradition-filled inner kingdom and had been groomed to be part of the king’s army. Meanwhile, he’d lived life on his own terms until less than a month ago. Unless he put in quite a bit of work to shape up—which he didn’t want to do in the first place—he had a feeling he was going to be relying on Preston to drag him out of bed for years to come.

As John stepped over to them, the viceroy turned away from Penelope to face him. He nodded at her father’s announcement that he would be leaving and then winced as the older man reminded him again about the deal they had made. “Right,” he agreed with the lieutenant in a subdued tone. Even though he’d complied with John’s terms and had no intention of breaking his word, he didn’t want to think about the fact that they had to stop being intimate until they were married. It was easier not to think about it, so he didn’t feel tormented by the wait that currently had no end in sight.

Caught up in his thoughts, Crow blinked in surprise when the older knight placed a hand on his shoulder and wished him well on the journey. “Thank you,” he said in return, warmed that the stoical man would take a moment to address him instead of just leave after speaking with his daughter.

As John walked back to the castle, the viceroy followed him with his eyes until another voice caught his attention.

“This is going to be so great!” Naida squealed, bounding over to the newly courting couple. “I’m so excited! Are we all ready to go?”

“Almost,” Crow assured her amusedly. “We’re just waiting on—”

“Oh good. Everyone is here.”

He turned around to see the last two members of the group descending the stairs, distinguished by their decorative uniforms that matched the armor Percival and Naida were wearing. The knight on the left was young, around his own age with curly, light brown hair and dark eyes. The knight on the right was someone the viceroy recognized. The older man’s name had slipped his mind, but he was one of the members of Albin’s council, a baron who had supposedly earned his mettle as a renowned commander in a past war. At the sight of him, Percy immediately dropped into a deep bow, “Baron Theroulde, it is an honor to be working with you.”

Otto Theroulde, the name came back to Crow at once.

“Likewise,” Otto smiled at the younger knight. “I’ve heard promising things about you, Granger, and I look forward to seeing you at work.” He rested a hand on the shoulder of the man at his side and turned to the rest of the group. “This is my son, Rayner. He is my lieutenant and an excellent swordsman, and I have no doubt he will make a fearsome guard for you, Lockton.”

“The king did say he had chosen the best,” Crow agreed with a distant shrug. The baron was friendly enough, but kindness alone wasn’t enough to erase his prejudices against knights. He was just glad he had two guards he actually trusted with his life, in case the Younisians weren’t as welcoming as they were hoping they’d be.

Otto studied him quietly for a moment before his brown eyes traveled over the other faces in the group. “A pleasure to see you as always, my lady,” he said to Naida, leaning forward in a surprisingly elegant bow for a man his age.

“You too, Otto,” the princess grinned, clearly fond of the baron.

“And lieutenant Vermillion,” he gazed upon Penelope with a polite smile when he straightened his back again. However, his eyes were marked by an unreadable expression as they sought hers. “I was unaware you would be joining us.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Good for John cx

And Percy had a little slip lol