Panne thrust an arm out in front of her husband, stopping him in his tracks. "Take a right, across the rooftops toward the merchant district. There's a patrol just ahead." The taguel's voice was a low hiss as she relayed her observations, turning to bound across the rooftops with the agility her beast form was known for.

Gaius swiftly followed, thanking the gods for his wife's night vision. If he's been on his own, he would've been caught and arrested a hundred times over; Ylisstol's security had improved when Severa had been appointed captain of the guard, and that made it much more difficult for a thief to make a living. He caught up with Panne on the roof of an antiques shop and stopped to survey their surroundings. "See anything, Panne?"

"Hmm… All clear for the moment. We have a clear shot to our target. Let's not waste time, Gaius." One more quick scan later, Panne bounded across the rooftops toward their planned burglary target with Gaius in tow. As they evaded the notice of passersby on the streets below, the taguel woman reflected on how she came to be in this bizarre situation.

Panne and Gaius had met under… interesting circumstances, to say the least. When they had first made contact, she had been reluctantly fighting alongside the Shepherds to defend Exalt Emmeryn, while the thief had hired on with her assassins. The two hadn't come to blows; by the time Panne had actually seen him, Gaius had already swapped allegiances in exchange for a bag of candy, and though she hadn't deigned to speak to him, she had to admit that his bladework was impressive for a common thief.

Time had marched on, as it always did, and the duo had grown to know each other even better. Their synergy had improved despite Panne's distaste for humans, and even though Gaius' attempts at making conversation had irritated her, she had to admit that they helped keep her from despairing when Emmeryn had been assassinated. If she was being honest, it wasn't just her conscience that prompted her to rescue the sugar-addicted thief when he'd trapped himself on a ridge in search of honey, nor when he'd done it again multiple times trying to reach the sweet-fruited tree she'd informed him of.

Through their interactions, she had found herself growing almost fond of the irrepressible thief. Not only did he make the most effort out of everyone in the Shepherds to talk with her, but he even made her miniature carrot cakes that held the perfect balance of sweetness and pure carrot flavor. They had stayed up through nights when combat wasn't imminent and swapped stories – she would recount taguel legends and folk tales, while Gaius would regale her with tales of his more daring heists and close encounters with the law. In spite of herself, Panne found that the times she enjoyed most were those spent with him eating sweets and learning more about one another.

During the battle against the Valmese vanguard at Port Ferox, Gaius had taken a lance to the shoulder from an enemy cavalryman armed specifically to slay the horses of other riders. The beast-killing lance would have badly injured her, if not killed her outright, but when she saw the blood fly and Gaius collapse with a large chunk of flesh torn away by the blow, Panne could feel nothing but rage. She'd gripped her beaststone tight enough she feared it would shatter, calling upon the spirits of taguel legends for strength as she shifted into her beast form and pounced upon the Valmese rider, tearing him to shreds.

The fury of the last taguel had shattered the invaders' morale, enabling the Shepherds to force their way through enemy lines to the ship where the cruel commander Dalton waited. With his death, the Valmese invasion had been stalled, and Panne had stood by Gaius' bedside as Libra tended to his wounds. She had feared for him, that he would die or blame her for his near-death experience, but when he'd opened his eyes and seen her watching over him, his words made all her worries evaporate.

"Now here's a sweet way to wake up."

He had been unable to fight in the Risen ambush on Carrion Isle, and Panne had felt empty without her constant companion cracking jokes while tearing into the undead beasts alongside her. When she and the rest of the Shepherds had returned to Ylisstol for provisions before setting off for Valm, Gaius had approached her with a grin.

"I've finished the ring, Panne. How is it?" The bauble he'd presented to her was a perfect example of taguel ornamentation, and she didn't hesitate to tell him so. Gaius' face had lit up at her praise, and with an excited tone normally reserved for talking about his favorite sweets, he'd asked about the taguel high holy feast she had mentioned once before.

"Aren't you bored of discussing the taguel, Gaius? We've done little else for weeks." She had enjoyed speaking of her people, but at the same time she didn't wish to ruin their time together with only one topic of conversation.

The thief had merely grinned at her and replied, "You never bore me, Panne. When you talk about your people, your whole face lights up. It's the exact opposite of that time you had to carry me down the cliff."

In spite of herself, Panne couldn't suppress a chuckle. "I considered leaving you there… Or killing you."

"Listen, Panne. I've been thinking that maybe we should spend more time together…" The rest of his words were a blur in her ears as he held out the ring once more. When she had first met him, the last taguel would never have thought herself capable of tolerating the race that had wiped out her warren. And yet now Gaius was proposing marriage to her, and the thought of refusing never crossed her mind. The ring felt natural on her finger, as if it had always been meant to rest there.

"There we go." The lock on the jewelry shop's window clicked open under Gaius' nimble fingers, and the thief flipped through the window with practiced ease while Panne bounded in after him. "This'll be quite a haul. Thanks again, Panne; I know you never intended to be a thief, but I'd never have made it this far without you."

While the two quickly retrieved and secured their ill-gotten gains, Panne smiled at her husband graciously. "Any life beside you is a life worth living, Gaius. Though if you truly want to thank me, one of your carrot cakes would suffice…"

"You got it." The thief stole a quick kiss that left his wife's face slightly flushed, and before their intrusion could be noticed the two were gone. As they raced across the rooftops of Ylisstol to the home they shared, a thought came to Panne's mind.

Gaius… The taguel may be gone, but I no longer grieve for them. They watch us from the moon, and I know they consider you one of them. You who have fought so hard for me…