It was a good thing he decided to do this. Even as a loner, he scavenged around imperium for the longest time. It was a hard task, but because of it he was healthy. Thank heavens - and he was able to get new information so that he could heal Avalon or her children should the need arise. He was in no means their father - he had only met dragon and he didn't even know what the other three looked like. A year old already - they didn't really need him to step in as a dad anyway. He threw the thought away, digging around the edges of the shrine. He wanted to see if he could ind any ginger roots. They would be good for anyone with pain or nausea. Vereux had to rely on his nose mostly because of his halved sight. Not that this had bothered him. It had been that way since he was young - a hurricane had taken his sight away. It was safe to assume his immunity was high from surviving the plague as well. He sighed. “Vereux” “Avalon”

Caelum wandered in thoughtful silence, cold blue eyes glued to the ground and head hanging low. This was pathetic. She was pathetic. Walking around with no sense of direction for the last day or so served no purpose other than to make her feel even worse about herself. Walking used to help her clear her mind... Now it only made her feel worse.

Nearly stumbling into a bright ivory stone, she halted suddenly and sat down and studied the unfamiliar object with great interest and a puzzled expression. What were those marks on it? Where was she? Never before had she seen such stones, there were none like this anywhere near her home, not even in the lands nearby. In the middle of the weird rocks she say a pond that seemed to glimmer with the promise of untold secrets - it was so very mesmerizing that she could help but approach it with her eyes wide and tail stiff in a pose of tense curiosity. The water was almost glowing, slowly drawing her towards it. Seeing her own reflection made her heart skip a beat. She looked so different from the young, happy self. It pained her to notice that change, and to know she wasn't the only one who had gone through it.

Pulling her eyes from the mesmerizing water Caelum realized she was not alone. Nearby a dark male had been digging in the dirt for some reason she could only guess at. The sight of a stranger would cause her to freeze for a few moments, not knowing what to do or say and finding herself filled with even more self loathing for her weakness.

Vereux usually wouldn't pay much mind to strangers, however the others presence made him raise his head. Sensing a little of their tensing, as his single good eye observed them. They could easily put him in some sort of danger, nevermind anything else. However, his walk of life was different. His face softened as he softly dug at the dirt once more, he still wanted to find that root. However if she was here exploring he wasn't going to stop her. “Morning ma'm. I didn't mean to startle you.” he said as he looked at the dirt. “My name's Vereux, I'm looking for ginger roots. You could say I'm an aspiring healer so I mean you no harm.” he smiled as he dug about. They should be here, he didn't see why not. Once he found them, there was also the trouble of digging them out of the dirt. While still trying to keep the root in tact, otherwise the medical portion of it wouldn't help him at all. “Vereux” “Avalon”

At first when he turned to gaze at her she remained still, muscles quivering while she stood poised to dart away at the first sign of danger from the unknown wolf. When a singular emerald eye was turned to look at her for a few seconds, face softening as he returned to his work. A sense of relief washed through her and nearly made her dizzy. The woman had not realized how tense she truly was as of late.

He apologized for startling her, though she now felt it was unnecessary for him to do so. Her own inattention was to blame here. Had she taken the time to look further than the dirt beneath her paws she may have noticed he was here much sooner. Her nose twitched as she caught his scent. He smelled like other wolves which brought on a little twinge of nostalgia for the days when the her fur held the mingled scents of many wolves. Slowly meandering towards the slate blue man, she stopped several feet away and sat to watch him before she responded, "You didn't... Well, you did - startle me I mean. But it's my fault for not being aware of my surroundings." Her voice was soft and faltering, conveying an undertone of insecurity.

Turning back to the dirt he was excavating she considered his next words for a moment. A healer, hm? She supposed that was a rather useful skill to have. It could have come in handy for her in the past. Round white ears perked forward as her mind conjured questions, not sure what to ask first but feeling more confident now that she had decided he was at the very minimum not a threat for the time being. A spark of energy seemed to light up her eyes just a tad, reigned in by something within.

"I'm Caelum. I'm... I'm new to these lands." She mumbled, pausing to sort through the many queries dancing through her cranium, all begging to be spoken first, or even all at once if they might just escape her maw, "What is a ginger root used for? I've never had the opportunity to learn about herbs and their uses."

When he was finally able to get the root safely out. He was rather proud of himself, this would be good for the virus going around. A little wag of his tail was stopped by the woman's presence. Though it was only because he wasn't sure how she would take to him. It wasn't her fault honestly, after all she could have left if she wanted. As Vereux took out the ginger root, he set it on his paws. That way it wouldn't be damaged too much from the snow, though it was a very resilient herb. When the woman said her name and inquired that she was new to ardent. His interest indeed perk. “If someone's feeling nauseous it could be used for that. Though watercress is probably better. ” he wanted to take anything he could find though. “I'm part of a pack in the north called Ivalice, these lands recently have been plagued with a virus so I'd be careful ma'm. Being a loner puts you more at risk so be wary of any deceased you might see.” he furrowed his brows a little concerned. Though if she was looking for a pack, perhaps she could come to Ivalice. Even if it wasn't his decision to make. He didn't know her that well. “Vereux” “Avalon”

The man eventually managed to find what he was looking for and she observed as he set the root on his paws, causing her to want to ask a million more questions but she refrained from bombarding him with more than he could answer. She assumed the snow might not be good for the root if he was trying to keep it away from the chilly ground like this. He went on to explain a bit about the herb, with Caelum listening intently. Learning new things was something she had always enjoyed, and learning a thing or two about herbs could be useful. With that in mind she did her best to repeat the words in her mind so she could remember later.

When he mentioned the pack she felt like her guts were twisting inside of her. How long had it been since her pack had existed? Too long, but also not long enough for the emotions to stop giving her grief. Giving Vereux a light smile she replied softly, "I hadn't heard about that, I'll have to keep this in mind. I suppose you're right, it's a little tougher to watch out for such things on my own. Anyhow, tell me about your pack? I'd be interested to find out more about who lives here." Her voice was soft, a bit troubled. Being alone had bothered her for a myriad of reasons but it hadn't really occurred to her before that she would be more at risk for health issues if she didn't have anyone with her to help her recover should she become ill. That could be an issue.