Baine slowly came to a stop as she reached the far edge of the wash, her muscles burning and lungs working hard as she panted from her run. Now that winter had passed she wanted to get to the trips Regulus had assigned her, but she wanted to prepare some first. She tried to work out her muscles fairly often, but it had been quite a while since she had really gone for a good, long run. Her endurance had always been her down fall, but she was proud of the progress she had made. The sun had already gone down quite a while ago. She always tried to wait till the evening to do these runs since she burned oh so easily. Besides, the desert wasn't quite so terribly hot in the evening. The stars and moon gave her enough light to see by. She could hear the ocean waves near-by, but that was pretty much the only other sound she heard aside from her own breathing. Baine padded over to one of the pools of water that had formed with the recent rains to get a quick drink. The sand under her paws was noticeably more damp and saturated with water than it usually was. It would probably be flooded before too long if the rains kept up like they were. Her ear flicked back as she drank when the slight sound of paw steps against the sand behind her caught her attention. Her head popped up and she tried to peer through the dark to see who it was. Or perhaps she had imagined it... The dark made her a bit jumpy at times. "Talk" "You" Think

He was tired. Tired from the crap that he had to keep dealing with. A door had opened up for him, but it didn't stay open long before it shut right in his face. Dauntless had disbanded without any explanation, even the Alpha's brother didn't have an explanation for them because Ty hadn't said anything to anyone when he had taken off. And Acere couldn't understand what reasons the boy had for doing so. He seemed so ambitious, but perhaps the responsibility was just too much for the young boy. Sighing, he padded across the sands of the desert, and he wasn't sure if he really liked it here. He was more used to the north lands, here it felt too dry for his tastes. He had been walking through the sands for the better part of the day, fur burning with the sun beating down on him, and he couldn't figure out which way would get him the hell out of here! He was glad when night had fallen though, and earlier it had even rained a little so the ground was damp and smelled of fresh, wet earth. Nose twitched, the male finally finding the scent of water! Hurrying his pace, he headed straight for it but as he got closer he stopped. Huge hulking form came to a standstill at the top of a small dune, and below by the water was another wolf. A female, by the scent...and she looked...pretty strange. He had never seen an albino before, so he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Hesitant to approach, he stood there for a few moments but the thirst was simply far too great to ignore. So instead, he decided to approach the water, one ear cocked to her as he came to a stop several feet away and greedily started to drink. "Speak"

For a moment she had pretty much convinced herself that she had imagined it, but just as she was about to turn back toward the water she heard the sound of paws against the sand again and she saw a pale form growing closer through the darkness. She tensed up a bit, but she didn't run off just yet. It was a male that was quite a bit bigger than herself, as tall as Regulus even. He seemed to keep his distance, leaving several feet between them. She tried not to stare since that was rude so instead she turned her pink-hued gaze back toward the water in front of them. She just glanced toward him out of the corner of her eye instead as she took another few laps of water. The scars across his shoulder were easily visible in the moonlight and they got her attention, making her look toward him again. If the saying that curiosity killed the cat was true she would probably be the embodiment of it. Of course she had no reason to assume any ill intent from him, but her older brother's warnings and directions still made her wary. "Hello," she said politely as she turned more to face him, taking a couple of steps closer and offering him a small smile. "Sorry to bother you. I'm Baine. I was just wondering how you got such big scars like that." "Talk" "You" Think

His ears flicked, blood red gaze watching the smaller female with slight curiosity. He had never seen an albino before, and it was quite a sight with the way the moon seemed to make her look like the palest of ghosts. For a moment, he thought she might turn and run. But instead, she decided she would approach just a little closer, even greeting him and questioning him about his scars. He wouldn't reply right away, however. He quickly finished drinking before raising his head and wiping away the water that fell from his lips with a quick swipe of his tongue. It had been quite some time since anyone had asked about his scars, and while he didn't have the fondest of memories about them, he had no reason to not enlighten someone and satiate their curiosity. "I got them from an angry bear when my brother and I had gone seeking adventure as pups." There, that was all she needed to know. She was a stranger after all, and he wasn't about to just tell her everything that happened that day. He towered over her by a full foot, his own ears perked with curiosity as he studied her. The light of the moon shone through the hole in his ear, but it didn't quite compare to the way it made this woman look. "I don't mean to be rude, but you're an albino right?" He hoped that wasn't rude, anyway. But a question for a question was fair, he thought. He had seen pale creatures before, but none like this and it was truly fascinating. "Speak"

The few moments of silence that hung in the air between when she spoke and when he finally lifted his head to look at her felt like it stretched on forever when in reality it was maybe a handful of seconds. His red gaze connected with hers and it occurred to her that maybe she should have started with something more normal and less potential insulting or provoking. She was just glad that when he spoke he didn’t seem bothered by the question too much. Her brows lifted with surprise as he satisfied her curiosity and her eyes flickered to the scars again while she imagined how big that bear must have been. She wanted to ask if his brother had scars like that too, but she didn’t want to push her luck just in case his brother hadn’t gotten that lucky. At his question her gaze was pulled back up to his and she nodded easily to confirm his observation. “Not rude at all, I don’t mind. Yeah, I’m albino.” It was something she had pretty much come to terms with and she liked how she looked for the most part. Being different than everyone else in her life had bothered her when she was younger, but not so much any more. She just wished she knew why she was the only one. There had to be more albino wolves out there in the world, but she had never met them. Besides the albino lion she had encountered once in her childhood she had never seen anyone else that matched her. After a moment of thought she finally pulled herself back to the present and refocused her attention back to the male in front of her. “Sorry, I guess I should introduce myself, huh? I’m Báine. Sorry for just barging in with my questions.” "Talk" "You" Think

It was a little odd for him to have conversations. He hadn't been very vocal since past tragedies, and even in Dauntless he was on the quiet side. Perhaps it was due to his upbringing, always following orders and seldom giving them. And when he had led a pack for a short time before it had been torn away, it was perhaps the only time he felt like he had a voice. Here though, in the presence of a stranger, he wasn't entirely sure how to have a normal comversation. He didn't want to just keep pelting her with questions about her unique coat, no. He didn't want to be rude. But he was sure she was just as curious about him as he was about her.

He eyed her with curiosity, still enthralled by the way the moon lit her pelt as if she was born from its silvery rays. "Interesting...I've never seen an albino before, I must admit...from the stories i've heard, you're as pretty as they claim." Oops. Was that too straightforward? He looked away for a moment, embarrassed by what he said. But truth be told, he was pretty fascinated. "Sorry, I...I'm not used to holding my tongue. Forgive me if I was too straightforward." He dipped his head in apology.

She introduced herself as Báine. A pretty name for a woman of the moon, he thought. "I am Acere. It is nice to meet you, Miss Báine."

The surprise was easy to see on her face at his comment about her looks and it was hard to hide the light blush that formed across her skin since her fur was so pale. "Um, thank you," she replied after a beat of silence a little smile tugging at her lips as she glanced away from him as well. Even though she had grown used to her unusual coloring it was still rare for her to get compliments. Perhaps it was because she hardly left the pack's lands and a majority of the wolves there were her family and certainly wouldn't be commenting on her being pretty... but even in her travels any kind of attention like that was minimal if it existed at all. "It's fine, no need to apologize." You don't have to stop, she thought, but she kept those words to herself. She smiled a little more and her gaze shifted back to him again. She'd never once tried to flirt and somehow even the sweet smile she gave him felt far too scandalous, much less telling him that he could keep on with his comments. "It's nice to meet you too, Acere." "I don't usually see anyone else out here at night," she added conversationally even though her curiosity around him was fairly obvious. "You obviously don't have to avoid the sun like the plague like I do, so what brings you out and about so late at night?" "Talk" "You" Think

She seemed surprised by his comment. Maybe he had been too straightforward, but it was too late to take the words back. He caught her words of thanks before looking a way, and he pretended not to notice her sudden blushing. More for her sake then his, of course. He would try to refrain from putting her on the spot anymore then he already had. "It's fine, no need to apologize." It was his turn to grin now, a small one, but it was there. "As you wish," Formal? Maybe. He was joking with it, of course. Then again the gentleman he had strove to be was still there. Somewhere. Even after all that time and all that had happened, he had made changes in his life after running from his birth pack. "I don't usually see anyone else out here at night, you obviously don't have to avoid the sun like the plague like I do, so what brings you out and about so late at night?" Brow spots rose a bit, the titan taking in a breath as he looked around. "Well, it was a nice night. I thought I'd go for a walk," He looked at her from the corner of his eye to see her reaction to that. He wasn't all that good at conversation, and he accepted that. Maybe he was at that age where lame jokes were going to be a thing for him. "Actually, I've been sort of...staying here. It's isolated. There's food, there's water...shade." He shrugged. "I don't have a place to call home, so for now...this is it, I guess." The place wasn't too bad. He liked the quietness. The isolation it brought. He seldom ran into others. Except for her and his brother, but his brother was more expected. What he didn't expect was a girl like her showing up in the middle of the night. Which got him curious. "For someone who avoids the sun like the plague, I am curious as to what you're doing out here in the desert. There's miles of sand to cross, all with hardly any shelter from the sun. Do you usually wander so far from your pack at night?" He looked at her again, wondering what she would say about that. Of course, he wasn't judging her for it by any means, but he was curious what went through the minds of albino creatures like her who were more susceptible to the sun. Especially one that carried the scent of a pack, though not one that he was familiar with. "Speak"

His grin, no matter how slight it might have been, got her to grin in return. The humor in his response wasn't lost on her and the tone of it made her feel like a lady speaking to a knight. It was oddly formal for their conversation, but she liked it. It reminded her of the times that her mother would try to get proper manners to stick in her head even though she could barely sit still long enough to listen most of the time when she was a child. She couldn't exactly doubt his response when he told her that he was simply going for a walk since that's more or less what she had been doing. However, it still seemed like an odd place to be for a leisurely stroll. She gave him a mildly doubtful look when he glanced toward her and smiled a little when he went on to give her a more complete answer. She supposed this was as good a place to call home as any. It would work out very well for her given the fact that she needed to stay in the shade as much as possible, but she could see why it would work out for him, especially given that he seemed to like the isolation. It did make her wonder if maybe her running into him like this was a bother since that's why he stayed out here on his own, but she was quick to brush that thought away. After all, if he had really not wanted to talk to her he could have ignored her and walked away. His questioning was completely justified since she just mentioned the fact that she usually avoided being in the sun. When he mentioned her pack she was a little surprised till she remembered the fact that he could have easily smelled the scent of everyone on her fur. It had been so long since she interacted with anyone outside of the pack that she had forgotten that was part of it. "I was actually getting a run in while it was dark. I like running through the sands cause it's a longer stretch of open land and it works my muscles more," she explained. "It's part of my position in the pack that I need to be ready to run to other packs with news or to get information whenever it's necessary so I like to train from time to time... even though I haven't been doing a good job at my job lately," she glanced away with a frown at the end of her sentence. It wasn't really something she meant to admit, but sometimes she got to talking and didn't know where to stop. She was sure he wasn't interested in her shortcomings and self-doubts so she felt a little embarrassed to have brought it up. "Talk" "You" Think

He listened to her explanation of why she was out here so late. He didn't know where her pack was, so he couldn't quite judge if she was far from it or not. For all he knew, they could be just a territory or two over. He nodded at her explanation, seemed sensible enough. The desert offered a wide area to run without much interference. The only obstacles really out here were the occasional rocks and cactus from his own wanderings here. "Fair enough," She added more, however. Telling him it was part of her job, taking messages to other packs and such. He got curious then. Based on what she said, she must have some sort of messenger position. He didn't recognize the pack smell on her, but it wasn't important to him. It's not like he intended on joining a pack, not until his brother decided it was time to raise the flag of his own pack. Though his brother was unstable to a point, Ace had no doubt in his brothers abilities to bring them back to their roots. Then he noticed her frown. Was she unhappy with her job? Unhappy with her pack, maybe? "I'm sure you do your job well enough." He shrugged, more to himself then to her. Honestly, he wasn't sure what to say. He didn't know anything about the pack or how they worked. What sort of messages they would need to send to other packs unless there was a time of war, but as it stood...the lands were deathly quiet. "While I don't know anything about your circumstances, what makes you think you're not doing your job well? Are you unhappy in your pack?" He was truly curious, the titan sitting down and getting comfortable. He figured he'd be in for a long chat tonight, so why not try and get a little comfortable while he was at it? "Speak"

Baine appreciated the sentiment when he insisted that she must be doing her job well enough. The problem was she wasn't okay with doing well enough, but she also couldn't seem to mind the motivation to do any better than what she was doing now. She still gave him a smile either way since she knew his intentions were good in the statement. For someone who looked so large and intimidating and talked about liking to be alone he was turning out to be quite nice. To his questions she began with a small shrug while her gaze drifted to the ground as she spoke. She was normally so careful about keeping up appearances and making sure she wasn't over sharing with her feelings to anyone other than her siblings. She generally liked to keep a smile on her face in hopes that she could keep everyone around her happy, but he seemed at least mildly interested and it was freeing in a way to speak to someone who she may never see again after this. "I thought this was the position I wanted, but now I'm not so sure. I really just wanted it because I don't really like to fight and I never really picked up on healing and I'm only decent at hunting and this is kind of the job that was left." Once the words started tumbling out of her mouth it was hard to stop. She sighed as she looked down at her forepaws. "It hasn't been the same there since my litter mate left. My older brother is the alpha and I have other siblings there, but... it's not the same. I've thought about leaving, but..." She shrugged again, not really having a real end to that thought. After all of that she was eager to get the topic off of herself for a moment. She didn't typically like having the spotlight on her and this was more than she had really talked about herself in quite some time. "Anyway... It doesn't really matter I guess. It is what it is," she said dismissively, lifting her head and giving him a small smile. "Sorry for rambling like that... What about you? Do you have any siblings?" "Talk" "You" Think

He almost regretted having asked her, the woman obviously seemed like she was bothered by something. Had he asked the wrong questions? He watched her as she looked down, shrugging her shoulders just a bit. It wasn't often that he interacted with others, but when he did, he had the tendency to get invested in those that he saw potential in. How much would he invest in her, if at all? Sometimes these questions swam around in his head, but at the moment he couldn't quite say. He wasn't a leader anymore, so most of the time he just kind of went with the flow. She explained her predicament. And to him it seemed like she had a lot of self doubt. That was no good. Though he was guilty of doubting himself from time to time, he usually figured out some way to pull his head out of his ass and not worry too much about it. She seemed different though. Almost too sweet for her own good. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, not at all. But her self doubting was very much a problem. "I see..." He mused, mostly to himself. He would refrain from saying much else for the time being, deciding it was best to let her get things off her chest for the moment.

He remembered a time when he felt like her. He was young, barely just starting to get a feel for leading the pack he had called home after having left his birth pack. He of course, had self doubts back then. Fearing he wasn't good enough to lead, but with plenty of trial and error and earning the respect of those that followed (not once did he ever demand or expect it without working for it), he had grown to be a strong leader for a short time. He looked out over the water for a moment, practically side eyeing her now a little. Surely she had potential, though it was hard to tell at this moment...

He had listened to every word she said. Storing them away. Sometimes it didn't seem like it, but he remembered everything anyone had ever said to him. The little details were always what mattered, and whether or not he ever saw her again, he'd remember this night and the words exchanged. Especially her words. The words that suggested she was simply accepting that her life would revolve around her doubt. No, that wouldn't do at all. "I do have siblings...but there is only one I have connected with recently, and the others...I haven't seen since I left my birth pack many years ago." He returned his full attention to her, admiring the way the moon made her glow. It was still fascinating, he had to admit. "Elias is practically my counterpart. He's not perfect, far from it in fact. But the others...I can't say anymore. I haven't seen any of them for a long, long time. Whether they're alive or dead, whether they're the same as they were when we were together, or someone completely unrecognizable. Time after all, has a way of doing that. It changes us. We never truly remain the same, but we often like to think we do."

He shifted a little, the sand giving way just slightly beneath his heavy weight. He studied her. Almost as if he were trying to assess her. "And you? Do you think you've changed?"

Baine wasn't sure how to take his reaction to her words at first. The way he looked out over the ocean made her think she had said too much and he was growing bored of her, but then he readily answered her question and even seemed to give her a bit of advice toward the end. The way he spoke of his siblings reminded her a lot of her own thoughts around her family. She hadn't seen Tornach in so long that in the rare moments when they did cross paths she didn't really know what to expect from him. A lot of her family had scattered over time and what siblings still lived in Celestial with her she really didn't interact with that much. It was strange how wolves that she considered family could seem like such strangers. She often realized how self deprecating she was... but it was mostly because she wanted so much from herself and she didn't know how to get to that point. She was so ambitious, but lacked the motivation - or maybe the resources - to get there. She settled onto her haunches, sitting neatly with her tail wrapped around her as she always did, as he spoke. His words made her grow thoughtful and for once she actually paused before she replied. "I know I have... I just hope it's a change for the better," she finally said in response. "When I was a kid I felt so different so I tried to be extra nice and sweet so everyone would like me... but now I feel like no one takes me seriously." She frowned again, her ears flicking back. "Now I'm just trying to be myself and they either think something is wrong or I feel ignored." Why was she telling him all of this? She gave her head a small shake and stood again. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be bothering you with all of this. It's not like it's anything that can be fixed." "Talk" "You" Think

His words seemed to have some effect. He noted this as he watched her, a thoughtful look in her eyes. He lightly grinned, feeling a little proud of himself about his advice. It wasn't bad advice, he thought. And part of him hoped that deep down it would help her out. "You look like a sweet and smart girl, I'm sure if you've changed at all it was for the better." He responded, trying to encourage her out of the doubts she had about herself. She went on to tell him about her childhood, what she did as a child. He understood her to some degree, she was trying to fit in so she wouldn't be alone. He himself had been a very competitive child, but his home pack required it. They were harsh in their training, he didn't really get to be a kid. But there was always something expected of him, and when he refused the last task, well...here he was. When she apologized, he shook his head, a more serious look coming over him. "Never apologize for something that doesn't need an apology. If you're talking to me - a stranger - about these things, then I take it that your...family or your pack, aren't very keen on listening or understanding. It sounds to me that...and I apologize for saying this, but perhaps it's time to move on. Find your own roots." He stared at her then, an almost hard and critical stare. He had been gauging her since they started talking, and though she was doubtful of herself and her abilities, he doubted that she was getting the resources and what she needed to truly excel. "If I may be so bold, have you had the training and support to figure out where your path lies?" He would give her all the time she wanted to think and answer, if she so chose. He had a knack for seeing the potential in those he came across, just like he had seen the potential in his nephew Tyranis. Baine, though doubtful of her abilities, appeared eager to want to move forward and up in the world. And if he could, he would find a way to do that. "Speak"

His encouraging words did actually help some and she took them with a small smile. It did make her wonder why she was suddenly so interested in the opinions of someone that was pretty much a complete stranger. All she really knew was his name, that he had some siblings, and he was attacked by a bear at one point. He seemed like such a mystery and it was intriguing. The way he seemed to care without really knowing her made her trust him in some odd way. She knew she would have gotten a thorough scolding from her brother if he knew she was chatting with an unknown man at night in the middle of nowhere. Was it the smartest decision she had ever made? Probably not. Was she enjoying this conversation all the same? Absolutely. When he brought up the fact that she was telling all of this to a stranger instead of telling all of this to her family she knew he was right. It wasn't even really that they wouldn't listen, she just felt like she couldn't talk to them without them dismissing her concerns and insisting that she was valuable and being silly for thinking otherwise. In all honesty, she kept expecting Regulus to reprimand her for not going to the other packs when he asked or attempting to get her into other pack-related things. But that scolding never came. The thought of leaving and "finding her own roots" as he put it was hard to swallow. She had lived in Celestial for as long as she could remember. But did she want to stay because she actually liked it or because she was afraid of change? That was the question she couldn't quite answer. His question made the thought even more difficult. Her gaze shifted to look out into the darkness while her expression grew more thoughtful. It wasn't entirely the pack's fault. She should have saught them out and made more of an effort to get the training she wanted. She thought back to the day that Regulus asked her what she wanted to do. She told him and there had been no question as to why, that had been her path from then on. Maybe if her mentor had been able to spend more time with her when she was young, maybe if someone had forced her to think about other paths... "I'm... I'm not sure." After the long pause she had she hoped that she would have a better answer, but that was all she could come up with. Her pale pink gaze came back to his as she added, "I feel like if the answer isn't immediately yes then it must be a no... It's almost like I'm trying to make excuses for them or for myself. Maybe... Maybe none of it has been right." All of her self doubt started to shift into doubt around her upbringing and her current situation. Maybe it wasn't her fault after all. Just maybe... Maybe she just didn't have the resources she needed like he said. "What do you think I should do?" she asked, suddenly curious as to what he thought. His advice so far had been pretty sound so she wondered if he would have a solution for her. It all seemed to hard for her to figure out on her own. It felt like she had been so deep in all of this for so long that she didn't see a way out. "Talk" "You" Think

She wasn't sure. And that was an answer he expected from her. He knew he got her thinking with all that he said, and based on the conversation they had up to now, it wasn't an out of the ordinary response. She was so unsure of herself, much the opposite of himself. At one point in his life, he had been unsure. But he had quickly regained his footing and continued his path, and now...here he was. Standing in the desert under the moon with a woman full of doubt. And when she asked him what he thought she should do, he gazed calmly at her. It wasn't his job to find the answers for her or fix her problems. But he did feel compelled to answer and make a decision for her, at least this once. "Come with me." He stated simply. The titan wasn't sure why he said those words, perhaps he was just acting on impulse and nothing else. Or maybe he was testing the waters to see if she would actually do it during a moment of weakness. Though he didn't think she was weak, no. The fact that she was thinking about her role in life and where she wanted to go already showed the strength she carried. Assuming she finally left behind the old and started new. Crimson gaze remained fixated on her as he stood, no other words coming from him as he simply waited for her answer. "Speak"

"Come with me." The statement was so unexpected and so direct that Baine really didn't know how to react. She sat in stunned silence for a moment at the very idea of just leaving with him. For all she knew he could be leading her off to her death. Or he could be offering her an one way ticket to somewhere she could figure out herself and where she fit in this world. For a moment she thought of Regulus and the rest of her siblings and how they would feel if she suddenly disappeared... her ears flicked back against her skull at the thought. But at the same time... she barely saw any of them as it was. She only saw them in passing and it felt like none of them really ever came seeking her out except for the rare times that Regulus would give her some kind of task. Her ears stood upright again and her gaze pulled back up from the ground to rest on his again. Something inside of her was insisting that this was the right move even though it logically made no sense. The thought that she could always just turn around and go back to Celestial if it didn't work out was comforting even though something told her that this wouldn't be something she could turn back from. At least not easily. She slowly stood with a small nod, pulling her shoulders back to make herself feel like she was standing taller and more confidently. "Okay. Lead the way." She followed his path away from the desert, away from the west, away from everything she knew. Nervous anxiety settled in the pit of her stomach, but there was some excitement there too. All she could hope was that this wasn't a terrible mistake. "Talk" "You" Think