Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When Penelope told Otto that she would be staying with them for the night, Crow squeezed her hand in silent gratitude. On any other trip, he wouldn’t have minded sleeping in separate rooms, but until they could be sure that they were all out of danger, he preferred to rely on safety in numbers. Leaving her isolated from the rest of the group was just inviting trouble with mercenaries. Even if it was unlikely that she would be attacked, he wanted to make sure they all made it to their destinations safely and without any incidents.

Following Otto and Rayner into the room, he took a moment to look around. As expected, it wasn’t very spacious. All three beds were lined up against the back wall and looked like they were barely large enough to fit two full-grown men each. He lingered by the door, contemplating the arrangement while everyone else entered and began taking off their armor. Since Penelope had volunteered to sleep on the floor, Naida would have the leftmost bed to herself. That left the other two to be divided between himself and the other four men. He folded his arms over his chest. There wasn’t going to be enough space for all of them.

The viceroy blinked and turned to Penelope as he felt her kiss him on the cheek and wish him goodnight. “’Night,” he offered her a half smile before turning back to the others. The Therouldes had claimed the middle bed and were removing their uniforms, while Percival and Preston were on the right side of the room winding down as well. He stepped over to the latter and rested a hand on his attendant’s shoulder, “Take the bed with Percy. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“What?” Preston turned to him in surprise. “I’m not going to do that.”

“It’s fine,” Crow shrugged dismissively and casted him a smile. “I slept on the floor the last time I traveled to Younis, so I’m used to it. You two can share the bed.”

From the center of the room, Otto cleared his throat. “Lockton, I understand that you have a soft spot for peasants, but I would suggest that you don’t let your emotions cloud your better judgment.” He turned to the viceroy with a frown. “Your wellbeing is more important than anyone else in this room. I must insist that you sleep in a bed tonight.”

“It’s really not that important,” Crow insisted stubbornly. “The clothes I brought are warmer than what he owns, so it makes more sense for me to be the one to take the floor. I don’t want him to get sick in the cold overnight.”

“It would be far more detrimental for you to become ill,” the baron objected sternly.

“I’ll manage,” the viceroy narrowed his eyes.

“Collin, it’s fine,” Preston intervened. He shifted his weight between his feet, glancing at Theroulde nervously. “It’s just one night, and it’s my job to serve you. Let me do so by sleeping on the ground.”

Crow set his jaw, prepared to continue arguing with them about it, but before he could say anything, Preston dropped down on the floor beside the bed. He sat cross-legged and lifted a hand to indicate the empty side of the mattress, “Goodnight.”

“Fine,” the viceroy relented. He reached for the bottom of his surcoat and pulled the heavy fabric over his head so that he was left in just his undershirt. “But you’re taking this,” he asserted, proffering the clothing to the boy.

“Thanks,” Preston said under his breath. It was apparent to Crow that his attendant was still ruffled by Otto, but he wasn’t going to let the baron bully them into submission. After all, just because he had become a nobleman didn’t mean he had to adopt the nobles’ way of life. He planned to honor his word to Hazel that he wouldn’t let his new life change who he was.

Otto didn’t seem pleased with his gesture, but there was nothing he could say to prevent the servant from borrowing his master’s clothes, so he let the subject go, and they all finished getting ready for bed in silence. Crow took off his boots and climbed under the sheets next to Percival with a weary yawn. In the small bed, there was barely enough room for them to lay down side by side, but he was too tired to be bothered by the lack of space. He rolled onto his side to face away from the knight and closed his eyes, waiting for Rayner to finish taking off the last of his armor so he could fall asleep.

~Bonsoir~

Chary by nature, Vail’s first instinct hadn’t been to climb into the bathwater with Victoria, but his solution of kneeling beside the tub was quickly proving to be unsatisfactory. Even if he merely tried to feed on her from where he sat on his heels, he disliked the cold porcelain that prevented him from enveloping her lithe body in his arms. So, when she revealed that there were indeed other towels that he could use, he nodded and rose to his feet to remove his shoes and trousers, eager to close the distance between them.

He pushed the garments aside with his foot to keep them from being splashed by any stray water droplets as he joined his human lover in the warm, scented bath. The temperature made his skin tingle pleasantly, and he settled down comfortably across from her, taking a moment to enjoy the pleasant sensation. In a tub designed for just one person, there wasn’t an excess of space for both of them, but he found a way to overcome the issue. Beneath the water, he slid his hands along her shapely legs, following the contours from her ankles to her thighs, and met her gaze with a sly smirk just before he pulled her by the hips up onto his lap.

“That’s better,” he said decidedly, leaning in to close the gap that remained between them. The feeling of her legs around his waist made his heart race, but even more exciting was the proximity of her neck to his mouth. He could feel the urge to bite her pluck at his willpower again, and he licked his lips hungrily. Since she had been ill whilst staying with his family, he had abstained from drinking her blood, and before then, her blood had been too thin to provide him the nourishment it usually did. Despite the few times he had gone out to feed on other humans recently, he had a particular craving for the Crest heiress that hadn’t been satisfied in over a week.

“You are far more than just prey to me,” he murmured again, snaking his arms around her bare shoulders and lower back. “But I trust you won’t mind if I indulge myself a little…” Holding her close, he didn’t have the patience to wait for a response as he chased the statement by trailing his tongue over her supple neck. He’d managed to cling to his composure long enough to express his feeling to her, and now that he had, there was nothing pressing enough to convince him to keep fighting against his impulse to feed. His hazel irises shrank down to the size of thin rings against his dilated pupils as his bloodlust took over and he primed her soft flesh for the bite.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Understandably xD
Crow just got tired on a full stomach lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

With freshly cooked food on the table, Crow wasted no time filling his mouth with the expertly seasoned veal he had requested. He sighed contentedly and chased the first bite with a swig of sweet mead. Once they passed beyond the edge of the inner kingdom, they would be reduced to eating whatever they had packed in their bags before they left the castle, so he took full advantage of the hot meal on his plate.

When Otto spoke up to address Penelope, he casted the baron a sideways glance. When Theroulde had first told them that they would be dividing up three beds, he had assumed that he would be able to share one with the lieutenant. Only belatedly did he realize that since intimacy in most forms was frowned upon by nobles, they wouldn’t be able to sleep next to each other while they were still unwed. The thought was disappointing, but he couldn’t argue against it. Now that they were so close to arranging their marriage, he didn’t want to do anything to slip up and risk losing John’s blessing. There was no way of knowing if anyone in the group would tell Penelope’s strict father if they had shared a bed, but it wasn’t worth finding out.

Privately, he hoped Penelope would choose to stay in the same room with them regardless. After their talk about the possibility of mercenaries in Brerra, he didn’t want to leave her alone where she could be attacked. The scar that marked her face reminded him that he’d already almost lost her to the paid killers before, and he could still vividly imagine the discolored streak from the sword that had cut her chest. He knew he was probably just being paranoid—if there were mercenaries nearby, it was quite clear that he was their target—but regardless, he preferred to keep her close to him until she parted ways to return to her battalion.

Not wanting to bring up his reservations in front of the others, he discreetly slipped his hand underneath the table to hold her leg, hoping that the mildly possessive gesture would be enough to convey that he was concerned about splitting up for the night.

As everyone ate their food, the table lapsed into a comfortable silence. Crow was the first to finish his supper, so he leaned tiredly against Penelope’s side, trying to stay awake while the rest of the group polished off their plates. His exhaustion from the long day had caught up with him while he started digesting the heavy food, so he was ready to sleep by the time they were getting up to retire to their room.

“I don’t care who I share a bed with,” he yawned broadly, taking the lieutenant by the hand as they exited the dining hall. “I just want to lay down.”

Otto cleared his throat. “Did you make up your mind, lieutenant?” He asked, peering back over his shoulder at Penelope. “His Majesty budgeted for us to use larger, more expensive rooms during this trip, so there is enough gold leftover to pay for a second if you’d prefer to be alone.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

It was fun to write cx I like developing the backstory a little more.
And Otto is in a bad mood lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“And I’m glad we have,” Crow wrapped his arm around Penelope to pull her into a hug on the bench. He hadn’t even thought they would be able to properly court until a month ago. As disappointing as it was that he would only be able to see her for a couple more days before they parted, he couldn’t complain too much. Instead of trying to figure things out in the outer villages and feeling guilty for taking her away from all the people she knew and loved, they just had to wait a couple more weeks before they could start planning to get married in the inner kingdom. He was excited about what their future had in store.

As Naida spoke up, the viceroy glanced at her and rolled his eyes. “You know you like me,” he teased, reaching across the table to prod his sister’s arm. As he and Penelope bantered with the princess, Crow noticed that Rayner was watching them with an expression that he could only compare to abject horror. He supposed their closeness would have looked strange to someone on the outside, since no one knew that he and Naida were related through the king, but he wondered why the knight cared so much. For a moment, he considered asking him what he was staring at, but before he could, he heard his sibling address a different member of the group.

He twisted at the waist to see that Otto was approaching them from behind. The baron’s subtle glance at Preston didn’t slip past him, but since the older man said nothing about the attendant’s presence at the table, the former thief didn’t speak up either. Idly, he wondered what had kept Theroulde so long, since Percy and Preston had put up all seven horses in the stable behind the inn before he’d caught up with them. His unasked question was answered quickly though as the baron responded to Naida.

“As well as it could be,” he sighed, searching the restaurant for a bar wench to take his order.

“What does that mean?” the princess frowned.

“With the ongoing war, the inn is so crowded that there were hardly any rooms still available,” the baron explained with a mildly irritable edge to his voice. “I made sure to book one, but there are only three beds.”

“Why didn’t you just purchase two rooms?” Crow asked. It seemed like the simplest solution to the problem to him.

“Because of you,” Otto turned to him with an unreadable expression. “Everyone here, with the exception of Vermillion, has been assigned to this party to keep you safe. We would not be doing our jobs if we left you with just two pitiable guards for the night. We’ll have to make do with what was left over.”

“I see,” Crow mused, looking away from the baron as he caught the smell of hot food. Two servers had returned to bring out the dishes for him, Penelope, Naida, and Rayner, while a third approached to ask the remaining three what they wanted to eat.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Neither of them did, haha

My muse was feeling inspired, so I included a piece with Madeleine cx It fit the moment, since Crow's been pretty introspective lately.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As the wench walked away, Crow let his gaze wander over the dining area with passive interest. He noticed the people who were still staring at them and whispering amongst themselves, but no one looked angry or otherwise threatening, so his initial tenseness had begun to fade. Instead, he was caught up in the realization that it was the first time he had stayed in a place like this and technically belonged. The nobles that once peered down their noses at him were all his equals—or even beneath him, since he held the most prominent title outside of being a member of the royal family.

And I’m even part of that lineage, he shook his head incredulously at the thought. Albin’s ascension to the throne and persistence in seeking him out had changed everything. It still boggled his mind that he was the illegitimate firstborn son of their now king and that the man he had once loathed was now his caretaker and the provider of everything he owned. Toying with the gold colored hem of his sleeve, his thoughts wandered back to his mother as he pondered what she would think if she knew about the decisions he had made since he’d come to the inner kingdom. She had always been clear that she hated everything to do with nobles and despised the man who had left them. He could still hear the echo of her voice in his memory:

“You’ll be alright, Collin,” Madeleine Lockton combed her fingers gently through her son’s hair. She was lying on her back on the bed in their house in Myrefall, swaddled in blankets from her toes to her chest. It was about six months before illness claimed her life, and her once lively face had become shadowed in weariness. Her blue eyes were dull, and her golden blonde sea of hair now looked like the straw that filled the mattress beneath her.

At her side, a younger Crow knelt on the ground with his arms folded on the edge of the bed and one of her weak hands clasped firmly in his. He was around twelve years old with dirt stains on his skin and old, woolen clothes on his back that had been torn and patched in numerous locations. Since his mother’s health had taken a sharp decline, he’d taken to sleeping on the unwashed floor and didn’t have time to think about bathing when he spent almost every second doing everything he could to help her recover. There was a part of him that knew his efforts were useless, but he hadn’t yet accepted that she was going to lose the battle.

“How do you know?” his voice broke in spite of his efforts to be steadfast when she couldn’t. It was a heavy burden for a twelve-year-old to bear, but he was determined to step up as the man of their family and take care of her, both physically and emotionally, until she was back on her feet. His head was resolute, but his pale green eyes betrayed the fear he felt in his heart. His mother was the only family he had left, and her life was hanging by a thread. If he lost her, he didn’t know what he would do.

“Because you’re strong,” Madeleine smiled at him feebly. “No matter what happens to me, I know you’ll be just fine. You’re a survivor, Collin.” As she spoke, her hand dropped down from his head to rest against his side, and he shivered at the feeling of her warm touch against the scar hidden beneath his shirt. Her gaze softened, “You’re already such a talented thief for your age, and you’ll only get better as time goes on. I’m not worried about you at all.”

He looked away, unconvinced. “Why…” he started slowly, biting his lip. His mother never reacted well to the subject he wanted to bring up, so he braced himself as he asked: “Why isn’t father still here?”

Immediately, the smile vanished from Madeleine’s face, and she lifted her gaze to the roof. “You don’t need him,” she said with a cold edge to her voice. “We’ve been just fine on our own.”

“I know,” he shuffled his feet sheepishly. “But you’ve never told me why he left… I don’t understand why I don’t have a father when he’s still alive.” The most he knew was that his father had done something to wrong his mother in the past and that whatever it was, she couldn’t even look him in the eye sometimes because she saw the likeness of the man who had abandoned them. He longed to fill in the gaps to finally know the truth.

“It’s for the best that you don’t,” Madeleine sighed, stoking his hair again though she kept her blue eyes fixed on the ceiling—avoiding his face.

“I don’t think so,” he frowned. “If… If you don’t get better,” just mentioning her death made his throat feel tight, “I don’t want to keep wondering forever. I want to know who my father is and why he isn’t here. You said you would tell me when I’m older, but what if there isn’t enough time—” Unable to keep fighting back against the roiling emotions inside of him, he choked and buried his head against her side, biting down hard on his lower lip to stifle the sobs that threatened to wrack his body. He couldn’t cry in front of her. He was supposed to be the strong one.

There was a long silence before his mother finally spoke again. “You’re right,” she relented in a murmur. “If you really want to know, then I shouldn’t take it to my grave.” Another pause followed before she took a slow breath and began: “You already know some of the story, that I met Albin at a tavern while he was passing through Tamsworth and that we spent the night together. What I didn’t tell you is that your father isn’t from the outer villages. He’s a nobleman from Erith… the ambassador to the king.”

“I’m related to a nobleman?” Crow looked up at his mother in shock.

“Yes,” Madeleine nodded, gingerly brushing the tears from the corners of his eyes. “But that was why he wouldn’t stay,” her gaze darkened as she went on. “He cared more about his reputation than he did about being a father to you. When I told him I was pregnant, he was horrified, and to protect himself, he began screaming that I had seduced him when he was drunk and that I had to take sole responsibility for the consequences of my own actions. All the knights in the village believed him, of course, and word soon spread that I was a harlot who had taken advantage of their precious viceroy.”

She looked away from him again with an icy expression, “Noblemen are nothing but vipers, Collin. They will use who and whatever they can to get ahead in the kingdom, and they only care about themselves. Your father was no different than all the rest. Don’t you ever forget that.”

“I won’t,” he promised.

“Collin?”

Crow blinked dazedly as he realized he had gotten lost in his thoughts, brought back to the present by a nudge in his side. He turned to see that Percival and Preston had arrived at the table, and the latter was seated next to him with a concerned expression. “Sorry,” he flushed, embarrassed to have been caught zoning. “I got a little distracted.”

“A little?” Naida echoed dubiously. “I said your name three times.”

The viceroy winced. Caught up in the memory of his mother, he had missed the entire conversation. “Did you ask me something?”

“Yes,” his half-sister rolled her eyes. “I asked you what you’re going to do if Penelope can’t leave her battalion after she goes back.”

“Oh,” he mused. “To be honest, I haven’t thought about it. I’ve just been hoping that this war will dissolve quickly enough that we won’t have to wait.” He turned to the lieutenant with an affectionate smile. “Either way, though, I’m sure we’ll figure something out. We always do.” He winked at her playfully as he used the phrase she had said to him before.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

He's definitely the "rule by fear" kind of king. He also wants to have Iris properly investigated, but Cas could talk him down so that he just questions her without getting anyone else involved ^^

That's the plan! They would be able to hear Atlas and Caspian arguing in the hallway on their way to the room, so that should give Ethan time to take cover.

Thanks! I got most of my homework done, so hopefully I'll have time to unwind now. And that's awesome! :D Congrats on the promotion!

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

And done cx

It's been good! I have a friend visiting from out of state. He's hanging out with some other people in town right now, which is why I've got time to get my writing and homework done. How are you? ^^