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Assuming the Hammers were watching my apartment I avoided the area and went down other streets. I really didn’t like the thought of leaving all my belongings behind, but it was too dangerous to go back and try to get them with all the soldiers ready to take my head.
This might not be the best solution you know…

I knocked on the door and gathered my thoughts. Quickly trying to think of an excuse to show up all of a sudden. Penelope opened the door.

"Dirk!" She rushed forward and threw her arms around me.
"Ah hi, Pen." I gave her a squeeze and pushed her back, "Can we go inside?"
She looked at me curiously as we stepped in. She closed the door. "Is something wrong?"

I sat on her couch and rubbed my head with my hand, wondering how much I should really tell her.
You could always lie again and say you just wanted to see her, how much you’ve missed her. You could tell her how much you love h-

"Shut up!"

Penelope jumped.

"No! Sorry, I wasn’t talking to you."
"Dirk, what’s wrong?"

A whole lot of things. I sighed, "Rakool’s dead."

Penelope was silent.

"The Hammerites got him and they’re after me too."
"Oh god…"
"Some stupid thing!" I got up and paced back and forth in the living room. "Karras lied to us to get the Guide and tricked the Hammers to get rid of us for him."
"Us?"
"Rakool and I," I corrected myself, "I mean they’re after me now, they know where I live. We need to leave, get out of the City, find some place to hide."
"You could hide here."
"No, that would be too dangerous I wouldn’t want you-" I stopped in my tracks, realizing what I was saying. Penelope didn’t look surprised and for a moment I wondered why.
That’s because you told her about "putting her in danger" before, remember?

She looked at me with those eyes, waiting for me to continue.

"They might know where you live now too, Pen. We have to go."
"Why can’t you just stay here for a few days then? We could leave next week."
"Pen, the City is practically ruled by the Hammers and Mechs, even with those two there’s still the City Watch."
"I heard the Watch's leader, Truart, was killed yesterday…"
"That doesn’t matter, they’ll find someone to replace him. The point is we have to leave or we’ll be killed."
"Dirk I-"

I walked to Pen quickly and grabbed her hands. A thought occurred to me and I spoke hastily, "We can leave tonight. When you get off your shift from the Inn you can take the gold and we can buy some supplies and leave tonight."
"Where would we go?"
"I don’t know." I let go of her hands again and paced, "I don’t know, but we can find a new place outside the city and live there. Won’t have to worry about the Hammers or anything like that."

Penelope came up and hugged me from behind. I felt odd as she spoke, "I love you, Dirk. I’ll go with you."

***

She must’ve left an hour or two ago. I couldn’t stop thinking about what we were going to do exactly. Sure leaving the City would be easy enough, but I didn’t know how far the next city was or where the roads even lead. The voice wasn’t helping much either. Nagging me about Penelope and how I was being foolish.

You should leave now while she’s working. Maybe kick the door and break a few things to make it look like you were taken if you’re that concerned about her feelings. But come on Dirk…you can’t really think you can do anything with her tagging along. She wouldn’t know what to do, doesn’t know the ropes. Dead weight is what she is.

I bit a loose thread from my sleeve as I thought. I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to bring Penelope with me. Perhaps I needed company. She’d keep my mind off of Rakool, possibly, at least she makes conversation.

She talks a bit too much for my liking. Wouldn’t be surprised if she’s yapping her mouth to some stranger about you hiding from everyone right now.

I stared at a book resting on the counter. "Pen wouldn’t do that. She’s too smart to let something slip."

Are you so sure? Do you honestly know her that well?

Getting sick of the voice I decided to ignore it. Penelope cared too much about us and would most likely come back with her boss thinking she’ll be working tomorrow.

***

I woke up to the soft sounds of Penelope walking towards the couch. I must have been asleep for a good three hours since her shift was apparently over.

She sat next to me and smiled, plopping into my lap a sack of gold. "It was great! The crowd was twice the size it usually is so we got twice what we thought we would. Not only that," Pen leaned in close, "but I know where we can go. I over heard a man, that old one, talking to a new guy about the place in the hills. You know the one run by a hermit who’s sat atop a fortune!"
"That’s just a story though."
Penelope frowned for a moment, "Well what else would you consider we do, hmm?"

How about dump you out in the woods.

I looked at her blankly, "I don’t have any other ideas, but it seems silly to go out to a place we aren’t even sure exists, and expect some old hermit to give us shelter."
"You of all people…we aren’t expecting to ‘receive’ shelter, we’re expecting to take it from him. You’re a thief, right? I mean how else did you get into this mess."
"Well yes, but it doesn’t work that way. I can take gold and rings, but a whole manor?"
The weight shifted on the couch and Penelope crossed to her bedroom. "I’ve made up my mind to go with you, so let’s go."

Where again?

I stood up and draped on my cloak, fastening the clips, "Do you happen to know where this hermit lives? Or are we going to have to wander around till we stumble over it…"
"Don’t start with me." Penelope glared at me and I felt a tinge of guilt. The feeling worsened when I remembered what I was leaving behind. "What should we do about Rakool?"

Penelope stopped removing clothes from her dresser. "I don’t know, Dirk. You knew him better than me, you’d know what he’d want."

In truth I didn’t. Rakool and I hardly talked about what would happen if either one of us died, mostly because we never thought it’d actually happen. My first feeling was to leave him there, not risking going back because of the Hammerites, but now I felt a sense of duty, that I should get his body and put him to ground.

"Go ahead and finish packing your things. When I get back we can leave." I opened her door and stepped out as she gave her sympathies.

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